[SPL] SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster - 2014 Final - Page 17

Soulkey > Stats

Perhaps surprisingly, the stats might favour its namesake here. While Soulkey's only ZvP matches in the last 2 months contain losses to sOs and Zest, Stats has been tearing up the matchup, going 12-1 in his last thirteen games. Granted, his opponents in that timeframe haven't always been ZvP maestros (Effort, Hitman, Sniper), but in his recent Code A outing, he handily defeated Life and Rogue to top the group, and he hasn't dropped a PvZ match since April 28.

Still, despite this impressive record, I have to give the edge just slightly to Soulkey. While Stats is certainly an excellent player, Soulkey has consistently maintained championship level play over all of HotS, and has proven his skill time and time again.

PartinG > Flash

PartinG vs Flash has become something of a rivalry in Starcraft II, but unfortunately for Flash, a rather one sided one, with PartinG sporting a dominating 8-1 record since their MLG meeting in the first days of HotS. In Proleague and GSL, PartinG has simply had Flash's number. Of course, past results don't necessarily indicate a present equivalence, and with Flash currently on an 8 game winning streak in TvP, KT fans may have reason to hope for vengeance in this climactic rematch. But if PartinG beating Flash is the status quo, there's nothing in PartinG's recent form that would indicate the time for change has come. The SKT Protoss has quietly amassed a sterling PvT record of 21-3 in 2014 (that's an 87.5% winrate vs only Koreans), with a loss to Bbyong's Gangam Terran being his only match loss this year (amusingly, his last loss before that and only bo3+ loss since March 2013 was an 0-2 to Byun in December).

For those who remember PartinG's reign as the master of PvT in early 2012, nothing has changed since then; Flash has a daunting task in front of him to overcome the infamous Parting vT. He can do it, but I have to give the advantage again to the SKT player in this matchup.

Rain = Zest

Zest, the SKT slayer. Known for his run earlier in the year where he ruthlessly defeated every SKT player he came across, Zest looks to prove that title once more. Standing in his way though, is the player who finally broke Zest's streak of SKT dominance, the ever-solid Rain. With his victory over herO in the ace match vs. CJ Entus, SKT fans will hope that Rain's tendency to disappoint come playoff time is finally over and that he lives up to his status as SKT's ace (despite their roster continually becoming more stacked, he is still the player most often trusted with that role).

Simply put, both Protosses are masters of the PvP matchup and the game in general, and I find them too evenly matched to give one a distinct advantage. This one is, in traditional PvP fashion, a Toss up.

Dark > Action

Said to have attained the #1 position in SKT's in-house rankings in the past, and now with 3 consecutive Code S qualifications under his belt, Dark can no longer be said to be the darkhorse in SKT's roster. His role as the starter in each of SKT's playoff matches vs CJ Entus show that he has earned the respect of his coaches and should be considered as dangerous a threat as the rest of SKT's stacked lineup.

Comparatively, Action's accomplishments are a little...lackluster. Since the HotS release, the KT zerg has only qualified for Code A once and only recieving the occasional nod in Proleague over one of KT's main four. Action does have a saving grace though, that being that ZvZ has statistically been his best matchup, with a 63% winrate vs only Korean opponents (Coincidentally, Dark has the same 63% winrate). Add in the relative volatility of ZvZ, and Action's chance at pulling an upset here isn't unrealistic.

(Interesting fact: Dark technically has the highest winrate in Proleague at 75%, and Action is tied for second at 67%, although of course, they have only 9 and 8 games played respectively)

soO > Sleep

Imagine if I told you in 2012 that in 2 years, x6.Sleep would be playing in the Grand Finals of Proleague. Preposterous, but fast forward 2 years, and here we are. As a hipster Korean who joined a foreign team before it was cool, Sleep had rather underwhelming results in the foreign scene, never making a big finish in a major tournament. Thus, many fans were understandably surprised when Sleep came 1 map away from making the quarterfinals of Code S last year after returning to Korea. But it seems that training in a Korean teamhouse, first with Azubu and now with KT, has brought out his skills, and no one will be sleeping on him now.

Standing in his way though, is a 3 time GSL finalist, the king of all kongs, SKT_soO. Initially treated as a fluke, no one is denying soO's skill now. His achievement in SCII's most contested tournament is nothing short of incredible, especially in the modern Code S era. Considering this, it's impossible not to give soO the edge in this matchup. Dominating the world's hardest league for an entire year earns you that kind of respect. And yet...there is cause for concern for the GSL's perennial silver medalist. soO's wild success in individual leagues has not translated to teamleagues. A modest 12-11 record is not what one would expect from a player of soO's caliber, and he is currently on a 4 game Proleague losing streak, both in general and in ZvZ matches. If soO doesn't pull it together for the finals, we could Sleep give him a sharp wake up call and take the set for KT Rolster.

Classic > TY

When I first saw the lineups, I originally had this match pegged as being equal like Rain vs. Zest, but a little research now has me favouring Classic here. TY's TvP winrate in 2014 is only 40% compared to a 67% for Classic, and TY has lost 4 consecutive matches versus Protoss. Considering that Classic's record consists of wins over Maru in GSL, one has to credit the GSL champion with top class PvT. An important disclaimer with both players' statistics, however, is that neither have many recent games. Classic just has his 4-2 over Maru in the Code S semifinals and a loss to Bbyong's mech play, while TY likewise has only 2 matches played in the last 2 month (although an 0-2 loss to Hurricane doesn't exactly inspire confidence).

The point is that neither's current form is precisely clear (and Classic's terranless Code S group won't provide pus any additional clues). In spite of his poor TvP record, any avid Proleague viewer will tell you that TY is one of the most talented Terrans in the world. TY is known for bringing out innovative builds in Proleague's Bo1 format, so he'll undoubtedly have something cooked up for Classic.

Overall thoughts:

If KT can take it to the ace match, it's anyone's game, but it'll be quite difficult for them to make it there. I see SKT as being favoured in 5 of the 6 matches, and while I expect KT should take one of them, I predict SKT to close it out 4-2. KT has a significant drop off after their top 4, whereas the bo7 format only allows SKT to further flex their stacked roster (as they no longer need to keep GSL champions on the bench) Then again, this is Proleague where perceived skill gaps are constantly bridged by superior preparation.