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The Proleague is now running at full speed in its fourth week and the teams are settling in for the long haul. Stamina is definitely a major factor when considering a teams chances at making the playoffs. In week four Lecaf Oz is still undefeated, while surprisingly OGN maintained their second place spot. While Lecaf is virtually guaranteed a playoff spot, I am still skeptical about OGN. But every week they stay up there, the more they make me a believer.
SK Telecom has yet to move up despite a recent win vs CJ, maintaining their very disappointing ninth rank overall. Coach iloveoov has stepped out of retirement in an effort to inspire their lackluster team. As mentioned in earlier weeks, on paper they appear to be a top contender for the finals or at least the playoffs, but in reality they just aren't there yet.
Possibly the biggest shock this week is Woongjin Stars. As Hanbit they were never really a contender, but recently they have been able to put up results. They sit in sixth place, ahead of MBC, SKT and CJ Entus, and they get GGPlay back from CJ as well, who likely will be able to remove some of the pressure from Free.
Team Statistics
Lecaf is continuing to dominate with a 6-0 overall record and 18-10 individual record. Their team has been monstrous so far, lead by the Jaedong (5-3) and fOrGG (4-0) combo. While Jaedong has been mini-slumping, his losses have yet to result in an overall match loss for Lecaf.
OGN Sparkyz is second at a precarious 5-3 (21-16 individually). OGN finished in third place last season and proved everyone wrong by doing so well thus far. Unfortunately, the skill gap between them and #1 Lecaf is huge right now. However, that doesn’t mean OGN doesn't have the potential to beat them like they beat a loaded SKT1 team in last season's playoffs with smart matchups and clever coaching.
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Samsung KHAN is on a four game winning streak right now. They have gotten things back on track after their rough start. They are now sitting confidently at 4-2 and 16-13, and are poised to move up even further. While STX Soul is in practically the same position with only one less individual win separating the two, they don't have Samsung's momentum right now.
So far no surprises, but here comes the bomb: the Woongjin Stars round out the top six after a three game winning streak. They are 4-4 with individual stats (16-17) that are also nearly 50%. Considering their history, Stars fans must be dancing in the streets.
SKT failed to make a full turnaround this week, beating MBC but losing to CJ. They remain a depressing ninth place after eight games (3-5) and are four games under .500 individually (17-21). Oov and Co. are really suffering from bad case of low morale which will need to be remedied fast.
CJ Entus is having a mediocre season (3-3/12-11) so far. Two of their wins were against ACE and Woongjin (both were 3-0). Savior seems to be back on track and Effort has stepped up to become one of their leading players. He as been sent out as ace once already and I expect to see him again.
WeMade FOX is having a hard time. They are in 10th place (2-4/11-13) and are underachieving despite modest expectations. Though their star player, NaDa, has never been known for his amazing Proleague stats, they are the only team without a single player in the top 25 for ace or individual matches.
MBC Hero was looking golden in the first few weeks but time has worn them down. They are now 3-3 with an individual record of 15-14. Though their stats don’t reflect it, this team has a lot of potential. Pusan and Saint are rising and are great members in a team atmosphere. Pusan even ranks in the top 10 individually. However, MBC needs their two big Terrans, Sea and Ruby, to stop underperforming.
As expected, eSTRO and ACE are again at the bottom. I am tempted to just forget about these two and move on. ACE, like Lecaf, is in the middle of a six game streak but on the wrong side. That’s right 0-6 and the individual stats look even worse (4-18). This team is clearly not in it to win or even place well. If they manage to win more than five matches this season I will be surprised. Though eSTRO maintains a similar record (1-5) their individual stats lead me to believe they have potential. They are 13-17 right now having taken nearly every one of their matches to an ace. They just need one player to step up and improve their abysmal 1-5 ace record.
Individual and Ace Statistics
On top of the individual statistics as well as the ace stats is Best. This SKT Protoss has been trying his hardest to bring his team out of their slump. He is 8-2 and is undefeated against Protoss and Terran. KTFs Flash follows him closely at 8-3 with one loss to each race. He has been the big gun for KTF for awhile now and he will stay in the rankings till the end.
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Full Individual Ranking (Click)
(Courtesy of Pop and TLPD, always current)
Jaedong dropped out of the top ten this week. His record now stands at 5-3 (2-0 Ace). He has not been used as much as some of the other top ace players, but he is definitely slumping a little (see his MSL series against Free). Pusan is an old timer but he still puts up results, he is now 4-1 with two of those wins in ace scenarios. Luxury and Leta are also in the top five, both of them at 6-2. Defending MSL Champ forGG is also amongst the top ten at 4-0. Stork (5-1/1-1 in ace) is still in the top ten even though he is busy practicing for his “Triple Crown” quest.
Fantasy, Best and Bisu represent SKTs ultimate potential. All three are in the top 25, yet their team struggles due to their other players' inability to get even one win (SKT1 Zergs are 0-10). In contrast, Lecaf has small rotation but they are still one of the most diverse and capable teams when it comes to their roster, sending out several different Ace players who so far have always won.
ACE is completely devoid of a dominant player right now, even with the Emperor on call. They do not have a single player in the top 25; foru is the closest at 1-0. Nal_Keke is the only player in the top 25 for WeMade, going 3-2 so far with one ace match loss. Samsung's FireBatHero and Jangbi slide down a bit, possibly because of both have MSL obligations. The team has relied heavily on Stork and the rising Zerg by.great, who they even used in an ace match.
OGN has four players in the top 25 right now, including Leta and surprisingly go.go. OGN may have the most diverse overall roster of any team as a wide range of players put results up for them. Both of KTF's clutch players, Flash and Luxury, are in the top five, and Sair and Shine also crack the top 25.
Best, Jaedong and Free are 2-0 in ace matches this season. Flash, Leta and Pusan are close behind at 2-1. Having even a break-even ace player is a great asset, as ace match wins usually must come against either the other team's best player or a sniper who has been practicing all week for it. For example, eSTRO suffers from a lack of such a player and it cost them several wins. They are able to take the best teams to a fifth game, but if nobody steps up and wins ace matches for them, they may end up dead despite their efforts.
A Battle of Attrition
Though Lecaf has opened up very strong this season they will have to prove that their stamina can hold. KHAN and KTF are not far behind and their lineups are capable of overtaking Lecaf. OGN is also in the running for the top spot though I doubt they can continue their current pace. KHAN's players are slowly returning to full Proleague duty after their participation in the individual leagues end. It will be a big asset to have these players back, especially since many of them are already seeded into leagues and do not have to spend time practicing for qualifiers.
SKT1's window to make a comeback this season is rapidly closing. If this underachieving continues, at some point we might have to recognize that they just may not be that good. Going in the opposite direciton is Woongjin who are playing well above expectations and seem to be enjoying every match. They will have to fight hard to keep that spot, as they are in a dead heat with CJ Entus.
That’s All Folks!
Thanks for joining TeamLiquid for the Week Four Stats Report. I hope you found it informative and it helped you to get caught up on the happenings of the past week. The Brood War Proleague is one of the most rigorous in e-Sports and also one of the most interesting. Stay tuned for next weeks report where hopefully I can say SKT is doing better.
i dont think he can come back and keep winning. I think we may have seen the last of him for the time being (Zeus-syndrome anyone?)
