GSL Season One
Code A

Group C Recap
soO and sOs advance

Group D Preview
Soulkey, Sora, Pet, Squirtle

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

VODs on Twitch

by Waxangel

Code S Season 1 saw its first non-Protoss player make it to the round of 16, with the previous season's SKT_soO cutting his way through sOs and IM_Ruin to advance in first place. It was a typical soO performance, hardly producing anything for the highlight reels. But whether it was turtling with swarmhosts, base trading with mutas, or holding off against Protoss all-ins, he showed that his solid and sound play was more than worthy of the Ro16.

JinAir_sOs advanced in second place, with individual leagues continuing to be a much needed reprieve from his continually dismal results in Proleague. Though sOs failed to defeat soO in the winner's match, he did take the first game of the series with much panache. Void ray harass, zealot runbys, and constant warp prism harass left the observer scrambling to catch all the action, and also gave us a glimpse of the world champion player that once was. Even though he was defeated by soO in the end, he had no trouble taking care of his less experienced peers Ruin and Panic in PvP to secure his Ro16 spot.



Observations

• This turned out to be one of our more clear cut groups in a long time, with the two advancing players looking to be clearly a level above the challengers. It was unfortunate for Code S newcomers Panic and Ruin to be paired with such opponents.
  
  
• sOs really was spectacular in his one with over soO, where he got to go old school and bring out his void ray-zealot style again. It was a game that showed when sOs can get his harassment going, he can still stand toe to toe with anyone.
  
  
• soO continues to be a dark horse in this tournament. Remember, he is one of the players prophesied by MajOr!

Ro32 Group D: Soulkey, Sora, Pet, Squirtle

Countdown:

by lichter

To Change History: The SKT Zerg and the Forgotten Conqueror

We've talked about the legacy of SKT Zergs before, and though that history of failure was almost rewritten by soO, he came two wins short of finally giving SKT T1 a Zerg champion. While 2nd place is a great achievement for many, for the most storied franchise in Starcraft, that just isn't enough. Maybe that's why they bought Soulkey.

Considered by many as the best Zerg in Korea, his 2013 was perhaps the most impressive: 1st in WCS Korea Season 1 and WCG, Silver in WCS Season 3 and Hot6ix Cup, and 3rd/4th in WCS Season 1 and WCS Korea Season 3. But all of that occurred while he was on Woongjin Stars, unburdened by curses and expectations. Now freshly minted with the SKT badge, he must fight to change a history seemingly set in stone by champions before him. The first was GoRush, who flopped on T1 after winning an MSL with old team GO. The next was JulyZerg, a 2 time OSL winner when he was signed by SK Telecom, who barely lasted a year on their roster before being released. After leaving the team, he would go on to win his third OSL (EVER OSL 2008) and earn a golden mouse on STX.

For a team so used to success, this inability to produce or acquire a medal for the Swarm must be frustrating. Will SKT continue to fail in their quest for a champion of each race, or will their investment in a third Zerg champion be the charm?

They must be envious of Incredible Miracle, the only team in SC2 to have a GSL champion of each race. Though Seed eventually left the team for FXO and is now teamless, IM did acquire a Protoss that once seemed destined for greatness: Squirtle. His run through IPL4's Open Bracket and into the Finals is the stuff of legend, and he would top that with one of the most dominant tournaments in history, dropping a single map on his way to the final of GSL Season 2 2012, bulldozing his way past MMA, Leenock, Oz, Maru, Taeja, and HerO. He would eventually lose 3-4 against Mvp in what is often considered the greatest GSL Final of all time, but it should have been a turning point for the then-StarTale Protoss. That such an undeniable talent would become known as a Kong (his other 2nd place finish is WCS Korea 2012) is a travesty, but Squirtle has looked unlikely to break this barrier despite his move to the team of champions. Many have forgotten the all-conquering form he once showed in the GSL, but there are hints that perhaps that glint of something special is still there.

Though not considered a Premier Tournament by Liquipedia, the Dailymotion Cup 2013 was a tournament at the year's end that may have passed many by despite its stellar cast. Beating the likes of Jaedong, ForGG, San, Check and Scarlett is no easy feat, and while the $4,000 check for gold in the tournament isn't his biggest payday, it has to be one of the most satisfying. This Code S will be his first individual league since that triumph, and Squirtle will be poised and ready to break his Kong in big tournaments and remind us all of the conqueror within him.


To Write History: A Brown Dwarf or Protostar

Much like Squirtle after IPL, CJ_Sora was the ultimate hipster darling, the one all of the fans "in the know" couldn't stop raving about. Off the back of his unbelievable WCG Korea qualifying run, going 14-0 against the likes of FanTaSy, Bomber, Curious, GuMiho and Soulkey before finally losing to PartinG, he had built a hype train like none before him. When he lost 1-2 to PigBaby in his second Challenger League series in his first appearance in the GSL, it was labeled an unlucky day, an unfortunate outcome. When he bested PartinG to steak away the silver medal at the WCG Grand Finals, it seemed like he was one step closer from fulfilling his destiny.

However, the chosen one has strayed off his course. While he defeated Flash in a much hyped Proleague debut, he has struggled since then. He has recorded but a feeble 2-4 record, even losing to the previously winless KassiA.Prime. Sora's star continues it sequence, but some doubt has been cast over it. Though he made amends by reaching Code S this season with wins against Reality and Hack, we are still left wondering, is Sora destined to set the world alight, or will he be another brown dwarf?--a massive talent without the spark nor determination to reach the upper echelons of stardom.

Though he has accomplished little in comparison, ST_Pet seems to have reached a decent level of fame based on the cheers of the crowd during his Code A games. His dedicated set of fans made sure that people knew they were there, and the young StarTale Zerg looked the part as he escaped the Group L with relative ease. However, his games flattered to deceive, as many will consider it the weakest group in Code A this season (Pet, Dark, Rogue, Seed). He had to rely on Daedalus Point after a harrowing back and forth game against Seed on Alterzim Stronghold, while his wins against Dark were a Ling roach all in and a funky game against swarm hosts. It may be too soon to tell if there is any substance behind the shimmer of his good looks and the roar of his adoring fans, but it's good to know that someone out there believes that he has what it takes to be a star.

Predictions: As much as we doubt how good Soulkey is with his sometimes shaky form, over the long run few are as consistently good as the former Woongjin ace. He has made it to the quarter-finals of every single GSL/OSL touranment he has competed in, and he has no intent of breaking that streak. Squirtle, on the other hand, has failed to advance from the Round of 16 of Code S since his runner up finish--an anomaly considering his ~60% winrate in PvT and PvZ, and 70% winrate in PvP. While that seems impressive, Sora's 12-3 record in PvT is even more so, but it will unfortunately come to little use this evening. Pet's chances are about as slim as anyone else's in Code S after getting placed into one of the strongest groups of the round.

Soulkey > Sora
Pet < Squirtle
Soulkey > Squirtle
Sora > Pet
Squirtle > Sora

Soulkey and Squirtle advance.

Writers: lichter and Waxangel.
Graphics: GomTV, shiroiusagi.
Editor: Waxangel.