After an exhausting playoff series that went all seven games and included Proleague's longest recorded game, SK Telecom T1 defeated Samsung Galaxy 4-3 to advance to the round one playoff finals. Though the previous day's playoff match between SKT and Jin Air had been decided by one player's hot streak, no one could build momentum in the match between SKT and Samsung as the two teams traded blow after blow. In the end, SKT's new signing Classic (formerly of Soul) was able to overcome Samsung's ace player RorO on the seventh and final map to send SKT through to the finals.
The match started off on a high note for Samsung as a struggling Stork showed his best form in months to defeat PartinG in the opening match. From there, the series quickly devolved into a fight in the mud. Neither side was able to keep a player out for more than a couple of games, while swarm hosts began to feature prominently in long, drawn out matches.
Game three game between Reality and Soulkey was the highlight (or lowlight) of the playoff series, with the two players turtling into a 2 hour, 21 minute stalemate. Even the re-game, which Soulkey won, clocked in at a marathon 45 minutes.
After a back and forth sequence that saw Shine defeat Soulkey (improving to 8-0 head to head), Rain defeat Shine, and RorO defeat Rain, the series came down to one final match between RorO and Classic on Frost. After all the drawn out games on the night, Classic went straight at RorO in the early game with a devastating cannon rush. However, RorO's excellent play from behind allowed him to recover, establishing a swarm host army seemingly capable of taking him into the late game.
Unfortunately for Samsung, RorO could not complete the comeback. Classic was able to put together a push of death with stalkers, colossi, and templars just before RorO could completely dig in on defense, and he incinerated RorO's swarm hosts to force the GG.
SK Telecom T1 will now face long-time rivals KT Rolster in the round one playoff finals on February 11th.
That Rain vs. Roro game was so sad. Enduring locusts just makes for such boring games. Rain can't take a fifth because the SH can kill it from far enough away that he can't attack into them. So we have to watch as he runs out of money slowly and dies in a 50 minute game.
On February 11 2014 01:39 DinoMight wrote: That Rain vs. Roro game was so sad. Enduring locusts just makes for such boring games. Rain can't take a fifth because the SH can kill it from far enough away that he can't attack into them. So we have to watch as he runs out of money slowly and dies in a 50 minute game.
Actually, Rain main issue was that he could attack the center base of Roro because of infestors on the high ground. He actually had enough AoE to deal with the hosts, he just could walk up the ramp due to fungals. If he loses his HTs and stalkers from fungals, Roro's corruptors just kills colossi.
And to be fair, if it wasn't for swarm host, it would be Rain trampling Roro with his voidray, dual AoE death ball. Zerg has nothing to combat that if not swarm hosts. Just too much AoE and anti air.
On February 11 2014 01:39 DinoMight wrote: That Rain vs. Roro game was so sad. Enduring locusts just makes for such boring games. Rain can't take a fifth because the SH can kill it from far enough away that he can't attack into them. So we have to watch as he runs out of money slowly and dies in a 50 minute game.
Actually, Rain main issue was that he could attack the center base of Roro because of infestors on the high ground. He actually had enough AoE to deal with the hosts, he just could walk up the ramp due to fungals. If he loses his HTs and stalkers from fungals, Roro's corruptors just kills colossi.
And to be fair, if it wasn't for swarm host, it would be Rain trampling Roro with his voidray, dual AoE death ball. Zerg has nothing to combat that if not swarm hosts. Just too much AoE and anti air.
Well I'm not saying get rid of Swarm Hosts, just enduring locusts... because they can attack from so far away it FORCES Rain to have to attack into fungal and spores etc. So Roro can sit back while his free locusts deny Rain's 5th and Rain cannot actually attack into the SH with his deathball. Eventually he WILL lose.
If they didn't go that far the SH couldn't just sit there and spew locusts nonstop. They'd have to be moving around and be exposed at some point. Rain could take a fifth, and when RORO wanted to attack it he'd have to put his units at risk like Rain does.
EPT
Classic (formerly of Soul) was able to overcome Samsung's ace player 
RorO on the seventh and final map to send SKT through to the finals.
Reality <Star Station> ![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/proleague/2014/r1playoff2.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/HawaiianPig/SPL/SPLstaricon.png)
