by lichter and Waxangel

Group J: SuperNoVa, CoCa, TheBest, Stats

Thursday, Jan 23 4:30am GMT (GMT+00:00)

What an odd bunch. You have a veteran survivalist, a player many thought had retired, a poster child of unmet potential, and a player best known as Flash's sidekick. Sure this might not be the most riveting group and all of the players are a bit of an enigma, but it should be a closely contested one nonetheless.

The biggest name in the group, surprisingly, is Azubu.SuperNova. After over 3 years in the scene, he's still here and still very much a Code S class player. Not only has he survived, but he's still one of Code S' more dangerous players, almost making it to the season finals last summer. None of the players have shown anything to suggest that they should be favored over SuperNoVa, not even Stats who has a reputation that's limited to Proleague and PvP. As long as our regular Code S SuperNova shows up, he should be able to get back into Korea's premier tournament.

He first faces JinAir_CoCa, who at one time was considered a top player in the world. After a lengthy suspension due to "match-fixing scandal" (not what it sounds like) followed by a fruitless attempt to become a LoL progamer, he returned to the SC2 scene as a much diminished player. You can tell that he's lost a lot of time, as he's been a Code A player at best in his return. With little to go on and no televised appearances since a loss to Flash in the last Code A, it's difficult to say just how CoCa will fare here.

In this way he has a lot in common with TheBest, another old school player who we almost forgot existed. As a player who has received more recognition for 'TheBest Banshee Control' rather than his accomplishments, TheBest had a knack for inexplicably winning matches against supposedly better players. TheBest has yet to play a streamed game in HoTS and is currently teamless, giving us little information on how he might do. This may as well be his last hurrah, and he will hope to make us remember him for more than his hilarious banshee micro. In a way, he may be considered a fan favorite in this group due to his reputation as a "so bad he's good" player, and with Terran at a premium this season, we'll take what we can get.

Though they are unlikely to overcome the consistency of SuperNova, they both have a chance to upset KT_Stats. Known most for his PvP in Proleague, he has been one of the anchors of KT's success the last few years. However, he has yet to follow that up with any individual league highlights; he has never advanced past the Ro48 of Challenger League. His mediocre PvT and PvZ will once again stand in his way in this one Protoss group, but the reverse in fortunes on KT Rolster may bless this endeavor. There was once a time when Flash was the only KT player to ever do well in individual leagues. But after his ignominious fall from grace, MyuNgSiK and Zest have finally found their way up to Code S. Will Stats overcome his hurdle and represent KT in Code S now that Flash has fallen?

Predictions: SuperNova is about the only lock in this group, and its hard to imagine anyone cheering against him. Who comes next is the only mystery, as any one of the three could advance. If CoCa can rediscover his late 2011 form, maybe he's got a shot as the most decorated of the three. Stats might have fate on his side, the momentum of his KT buddies dragging him up with them. But TheBest is certainly the most desperate, not only to prove that he's better than we remember, but to put on a show for prospective employers looking to extend his career. I guess we might as well go with two Terrans.

SuperNova and TheBest advance.

Group I: Reality, Sora, Hack, DongRaeGu

Thursday, Jan 23 9:30am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Samsung Khan's decision to bench all of its veteran players on the opening week of the Proleague might have been a master stroke. It gave the newcomers some much needed experience and confidence, and seemed to really light a fire under the veterans' butts. RorO is looking ace-class again, Shine is back to his usual infuriating form, and even Stork is playing a lot better. On the other hand, Reality doesn't seem to be changed at all, remaining rather okay but not particularly noticeable. That's alright, because it might be enough to see him into Code S. Keen's out, so someone has to take his old job of being that Ro32-16 Terran.

Or maybe it will be ST_Hack who takes that position instead. After all, Hack was exhibit 1b to Keen's 1a in terms of being a mid-tier Code S regular back in the good ol' days of WoL. Then he left to WCS America, enjoyed some success by reaching the top six, and has now returned to compete in Korea for reasons that are still unclear. One imagines that a team forced to cut all of its coaches probably doesn't have the money to keep sending Hack abroad, but there are definitely some players who would have been willing to fork the bill to play in the easier WCS AM region. Perhaps Hack thinks he has a real shot at the $70,000 grand prize in Korea?

The two more noticeable players in the group are CJ_Sora and DongRaeGu, but at this point in time there's no guarantee that they are the better players. Sora looked incredible during his run through WCS Korea and the WCG Finals (where he placed second), but like many CJ Entus players he is having a very tough time in the Proleague. If he's one of those players with separate individual league modes and team league modes, then he should be fine here. But if Proleague Sora shows up to this group, then he can expect an express ticket back to Code B.

As for DRG, he's in the running for the "least consistent player" award. When you see MVP send him out in a Proleague ace match, you have to wince a little in anticipation of the beatdown he'll probably receive. On the other hand, you still sorta understand the decision, because DongRaeGu still pulls out some great performances from time to time. DRG is the wildcard player of the group, capable of dominating it or finishing in dead last.

Predictions: The potential Daedalus Point PvZ between Sora and DongRaeGu could really swing the outcome of this group. Though Sora is a favorite to advance, it would take just a single unlucky loss to Reality + a Daedalus influenced PvZ against DRG to send him down to Code B. On the other hand, DRG could advance with surprising ease if he could beat Hack and meet Sora in the winners match. In the end, I still have to go with Sora and Hack, the two players who have shown the most consistently good play over the last few months.

Sora and Hack to advance.