Stephano most probably going to Code S - Page 22

On December 29 2012 06:18 Sub40APM wrote:

I dunno, the Kespa and ESF players know that thanks to their training they easily get a top 8 finish at every major white tournament, so that is a huge financial reward. If that means giving white people hope that they can compete in GSL then that seems like a small price to pay. Especially when they dont even have to give the best white guy the seat, just the most popular at the moment. (Remember when Idra got a Code S seat and lost every game in both Code S and A? Did anyone care? No, because they pulled in an extra 5-7k viewers)

On December 29 2012 06:12 iamho wrote:
Afirmative action for the white guy. Not that I blame GSL, nowadays it seems like foreigners will only watch other foreigners.

On December 29 2012 09:16 unix04 wrote:
foreigners have 1 or 2 seasons to get as far as they can before their play becomes more familiar and figured out. stephano could make a top 4 run or just drop off entirely in his first season, but if he sticks around for more seasons, he will eventually become Code S fodder and a code A competitor that's becoming increasingly stacked with up and coming BW veterans.

and whoever mentioned scarlett, she'll get the viewers, but she's more of a korean pro sniper than someone who can string many consecutive sets against the best of the best. also, her ZvZ against koreans will be her downfall. she'll need some luck going against terran matchups, but given the recent trend, terrans have taken a step back

On December 29 2012 09:19 The_Darkness wrote:


Last time they had affirmative action for KESPA players. Were you broken up about that too?

On December 29 2012 09:59 MateShade wrote:
I love HuK but he doesn't deserve this seed wish they would stop giving such random seeds

On December 29 2012 09:19 The_Darkness wrote:


Last time they had affirmative action for KESPA players. Were you broken up about that too?

On December 29 2012 09:56 decado90 wrote:


Oh please. They dedicated their lives to SC1, playing 12+ hour days for years. Big difference between seeding the most influential players in esports history and foreigners.

On December 29 2012 04:41 thrawn1020 wrote:



I'm not certain whether Stephano's Liquipedia page is accurate to his results, but let's take a look at them:

Championships:
IPL 3(Quality World Field, 32 person event, 8 qualified online, 8 seeded, 16 qualified on-site) Qualified through online qualifier
ESWC 2011(48 players, played in his home country, two koreans)
NASL Season 3(Quality World Field, played over a long period of time) Qualified unknown
WCS Europe(Regional Tournament, 32 players, all qualifier)

2nd-4th
ESWC 2012 3rd(Regional, home field advantage)
DH Summer 2012 Ro4
DH Assembly Summer 2011 3rd
DH Assembly Winter 2012 2nd
MLG Spring Arena 2 2012 3rd(32 players, mixed invited/qualified)
Homestory Cup VI 4th(32 players, mixed invite/qualified)

Stephano has, with two exceptions(NASL3 and IPL3), not faced and beaten or faced and finished top 4 against quality world fields. Even stranger, His ESWC win in 2011 came right on the heels of his IPL3 win. I would chalk that one up to really tremendous form at a particular point in time in 2011. His NASL run is to be applauded, but the WCS win in Europe is a regional victory. The finishes that are top 4 but not victorious tell a similar tale. Stephano does really well when he is close to home, at tournaments against (mostly) European fields. Even the NASL has significant numbers of Non-Koreans, with 7 out of the top 16 in Season 3 being Non-Korean.

So if he gets the opportunity to go to Korea and participate in Code S, it would be a huge test for him. Even a round of 8 here would be a remarkable achievement, because he does not have many against fields larger than 32 players(I'm aware of the fact that code S is a 32 player event, but when you consider the interaction between Code A and Code S, I feel 64 is more representative of the size of the field for comparison purposes.) I don't know that we can say that Stephano is one of the best Zergs in the world currently, even though for a few months in 2011 he seemed unstoppable. I do know that he is one of the scariest Zerg players who is not a Korean, and that he is endlessly entertaining to watch. He may be tested at his ZvZ matchup, a matchup that for the current moment is really defining who the best zergs in the world are. Life/Sniper/Leenock are in Code S waiting, and I will be watching. Can Stephano dethrone those three Zergs? Is he truly one of the best in the world, and can he defeat a lineup of Koreans who spend all their time playing the Korean ladder instead of traveling to events? It is certain from his results that he cannot be counted out, but I would consider it a shock if he was to make it to a Round of 8.