WCS America Season 2
Premier League

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

Arthur, Suppy, XiGua, Sen
Countdown:

by Darkhorse

The Ro32 of WCS America is winding down after plenty of triumphs, upsets, and heartbreaks. There's just one group remaining to be played, and there's no telling who will survive to see the Ro16. Of course, there's a Korean presence in the group in Arthur, a quarterfinalist from last season. Looking to topple him from his perch are a trio of fearsome foreign Zergs in Xigua, Sen, and Suppy.

Arthur probably wasn't thought of as a top eight player going into last season's Premier League. A 3-1 win over iAsonu in Challenger didn't really leave much of an impression, and he ended up looking like fodder after being drawn into the group of death with both Jaedong and Bomber. However, he stunned everyone with a nailbiting 2-1 victory over Bomber in the winner's match to advance in first place, making the most out of the infamous Yeonsu blink all-in. In the Ro16, he wasn't able to repeat that feat against TaeJa, but still advanced to the quarterfinals with two victories over TooDming. Arthur's run came to an end in the quarterfinals at the hands of eventual finalist Oz, who easily defeated him in a 0-3 rout. All of this begs the question: has Arthur been figured out, or is his cheese still strong enough to get him through the Ro32?

Last season, Arthur relied heavily on cheeses and all-ins. While those timings looked deadly at the start, he seemed to lose his edge as the season went on and opponents learned what to expect from him. He does come in with the advantage of playing only one match-up in the group, and he's sure to have prepared some all-ins that will be hard to stop even if they are scouted. But that may not be enough to get him to the Ro16, especially when all three Zergs are sure to be on the lookout for tomfoolery. Arthur's performance last season establishes the expectation that he will come out in first place, and he has to meet these expectations to prove that his run through Season 1 was no fluke.

The last of the Americans EG.Suppy will be Arthur's first opponent, and he comes into the group with some momentum. He drew one of the harder matchups in Challenger as he was set to face the Korean Terran aLive. Suppy managed to pull off the upset win in style with a dominating 3-0 against the 2013 Blizzcon attendee and made it back to Premier League after he was disappointingly absent during Season 1. Unfortunately this group doesn't give Suppy an opportunity to show off that ZvT, but considering the caliber of the Terrans in WCS America, it may have been a blessing in disguise.

Suppy's first test in the group will be to topple Arthur. He will need superb scouting and solid defense if he hopes to hold off the aggressive builds that will no doubt be coming his way. As for ZvZ, Suppy hasn't had the best time with the match-up in the last three months with a 7-7 record. However, if he's put in some intense ZvZ training with the famed (?) North American Zerg clique, then he could very well become the second North American player in the Ro16.

iG.XiGua comes into this group hoping to build off a top 16 finish last season. Like most of the Chinese players, Xigua isn't particularly visible to the Western Starcraft 2 scene outside of WCS America, but his results from last season still make him one of the favorites to advance here. In terms of ZvP credentials, they're more than solid due to his wins over Top and HerO last season. Although he was knocked out afterwards by the one-two punch of Polt and CranK, making it to the live tournament in the ESL studio was still a success for the Chinese Zerg. It's worth noting that Xigua has the best recent ZvZ record at 8-2, and strong ZvZ will certainly serve Xigua well in this group.

The final player in the group is the Taiwanese Zerg HKA.Sen who has been one of the strongest foreigners since Starcraft 2 was released. Despite this, he has struggled with HotS and with WCS America overall. He made two Ro16's in 2013, but last season he was stalled in the Ro32 after making it past Check in Challenger. This season he once again barely edged out a Zerg opponent in Challenger, going all five games against GuitarCheese before reclaiming his Premier League spot.

Sen comes in with a middling 3-month ZvZ record at [ulr=http://aligulac.com/players/27/results/?after=2014-03-01&before=2014-06-04&race=z&country=all&bestof=all&offline=both&game=all&op=Filter]17-16[/url], but it's traditionally been a good matchup for him. If he brings the strong ZvZ play that has seen him beat many Korean players in the past, the Ro16 ticket could be his. Where Sen will end up here is hard to call, but expect the group to be hard fought overall.

Overall Thoughts and Prediction:

In all likelihood, Arthur will get through the group in first place with a variety of timings and aggressive strategies. The ZvZ fest to decide the second advancement is tough to call and will no doubt be close, but I will give the edge to Sen as the player who has been the most successful over the long run. Xigua and Suppy both have a shot, but I am picking Arthur and Sen to advance.

Arthur > Suppy
Xigua < Sen
Arthur > Sen
Suppy < Xigua
Sen > Xigua

Arthur and Sen advance.

Writers: Darkhorse.
Photos: ESL.
Editors: Waxangel.