WCS Season 2 has been rife with upsets in Europe and America, and on Wednesday night it was Korea's turn to see some very unexpected results. In a round of sixteen group containing ST_Life and SKT_Rain, it wasSamsung_Solarand SKT_ParalyzE who grabbed the tickets to the quarterfinals.
Solar took first place spot in the group with a clean 4-0 record, putting on a ZvP clinic to defeat both Rain and Paralyze. Solar showed strength at every stage of the game, whether it was defeating Rain's Protoss deathball with his own ultimate army (sans Swarm Hosts), or forcing out a quick GG with hydralisks and lings.
Meanwhile, Paralyze came through in second place with two series wins over Life. Life simply did not have an answer for Paralyze in the late game, looking lost against Protoss' end game army and helpless to defend against Paralyze's dogged warp prism harassment. Though Life tried to find a solution with his trademark zerglings, Paralyze made sure that Life did not find a way.
So, Innovation takes second place in his current group, Shine takes 1st, and we have 5 mirror match-ups (4 in Ro8, 1 in Ro4) and then a PvT in Ro4, and a really wicked TvZ in the finals.
Honestly though, I'd love for Innovation to take first in his group, ezmode TRUE, then have a great 3-2 victory over Solar/soO, to go against Maru for the epic TvT GSL finals we have been waiting for since 2011.
Solar played amazingly in the first Series vs Rain. The commentators were counting him dead for most of the first game. I wasn't giving him much chances either. But he stuck with his ultra, infestor, queen unit comp through losing his 4th over and over and over again and eventually pulled it out. In a time when a lot of Zerg players just don't know what to do vs late game Protoss, he beats the ultimate protoss army without swarm hosts!
Life seemed off his game. He beat Rain, but who didn't.
On June 05 2014 01:15 Blargh wrote: So, Innovation takes second place in his current group, Shine takes 1st, and we have 5 mirror match-ups (4 in Ro8, 1 in Ro4) and then a PvT in Ro4, and a really wicked TvZ in the finals.
Honestly though, I'd love for Innovation to take first in his group, ezmode TRUE, then have a great 3-2 victory over Solar/soO, to go against Maru for the epic TvT GSL finals we have been waiting for since 2011.
Semifinals are bo7.
Also, it was Ro16 and not Ro1 :D
Happy for Paralyze, a bit sad for Rain, but it's ok. SKT T1 can let new faces to come into Ro8 and finally make dream real - all 9 guys from the roster will be in Code S.
3 SKT T1, 2 JinAir GreenWings, 1 Samsung KHAN so far. Might be 4-2-2 or Zest/INnoVation can throw someone off.
what?! biggest upset in this season of code s :O congrats to paralyze but never thot the underdogs would actually come out on top of 2 heavy weights :O
Classic-Paralyze, Soulkey-soO/Soulkey-winner against Classic/Paralyze and soO with someone in the finals. As less as better.
And if Shine/Soulkey come up first from Group D, i really like TRUE's chances to go to the finals at least. He destroyed his ZvZ group in Ro32 and demolished Dark after it, he has to cheer hard for Zerg coming 1st from D. As well as Maru :D
If you survive the early game vs Life then you almost sure you're gona win. Life was never good at macro, I don't know why people are so surprised he lost against solid players. His record in Proleague is quite mediocre to be honest. Rain is the opposite, he's too greedy and too predictable.
On June 05 2014 02:48 p14c wrote: If you survive the early game vs Life then you almost sure you're gona win. Life was never good at macro, I don't know why people are so surprised he lost against solid players. His record in Proleague is quite mediocre to be honest. Rain is the opposite, he's too greedy and too predictable.
I didn't see the games but god how can you be so wrong about players. Rain never was too greedy, predictable yes in the sense that he plays reeeeally safe. And Life became a royal roader off excellent macro play... just because he has an amazing micro doesn't mean he's not really solid in macro games.
Please get 1st INno... if he gets through without a series loss, straight TvZ will boost him right to the finals. And just maybe Maru can get through so we can have a TvT finals :D
On June 05 2014 04:40 Redrot wrote: Please get 1st INno... if he gets through without a series loss, straight TvZ will boost him right to the finals. And just maybe Maru can get through so we can have a TvT finals :D
Have to hope that Soulkey doenst get 2nd in that group to have a shot at a TvT final
wow didnt ecpect rain to drop out of this group. ro8 gonna be wild. i like the pvp even though its a team kill you can see that skt is rising. parting rain and soulkey have been overshadowed in both gsl and spl since a while. they are still top tear players no doubt about that but soO making it in to the finals twice and classics reasant performance is good to see. maru innovation rematch would be great too. ro8 or finals i dont care but a TvT final between maru and innovation should be this thing for the "summer" even though some staked tournamants are coming up. i kinda miss those sick TvTs we have seen in the past.
On June 05 2014 01:25 caznitch wrote: Didn't really enjoy the games today. Maybe it was the upsets but I thought there was generally underwhelming play from both Rain and Life.
if they were underwhelming then that means they didn't deserve to win now did they? heh.
In my opinion, Rain is still the best player in the world at the moment. I really have had a lot of faith i Solar for a long time now, and it is finally paying off.... though not in pro league ...
Man, this bracket looks sick as hell. Classic, an unexpected breakout performer who isn't afraid to go for absurd cheese. Solar, the team league master whose always had his Achilles heel in the GSL. Paralyze, the most doubted player in all of Code S, who just keeps knocking off the biggest names. TRUE, a player whose style is anything but cookie-cutter, who will redefine SO MANY BANELINGS if you let him.
And then the stars. Maru, best Terran in the world. soO, The Man who Would be Kong.
And then we see the final group. Soulkey, often seen as the absolute top Zerg. Innovation, the robotic Terran who proves you can succeed on a foreign team. Zest, the all-powerful defending GSL champion. Or we might just see another new story unfold with a little cheeser that knocked out the World Champ.
On June 05 2014 04:40 Redrot wrote: Please get 1st INno... if he gets through without a series loss, straight TvZ will boost him right to the finals. And just maybe Maru can get through so we can have a TvT finals :D
I would really like to see this, my TvT has been off recently and I'd love to see a top-level BoX so I can see what the very best do against one another.
solar what a bloody beast, that comeback win against rain had to have given him so much confidence, most deserving player out of that group. But to see Life not make it out is a huge shock.
EPT
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/S1_2014/gsl12014banner.jpg)
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/S2_2014/ro16groupb.png)
ST_Life and 
SKT_Rain, it was 
INnoVation![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Waxangel/GSL/S2_2014/ro8bracket_0.png)
