GSL Season Two
Code S Ro8

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

SKT_Classic vs SKT_Paralyze

by Zealously

A Fight for Fame

In the first quarterfinals match-up, two nondescript SKT Protosses face off for the glory of being the first player to make it into the Ro4 and proving themselves to the world in the process. Given the current nature of the team these two play on, reaching the GSL semifinals is one of few ways to gain the recognition that still somewhat eludes them both.

In one corner, we have Classic, best known by Brood War fans as an STX Terran famous for his ”Chin of Victory”. Classic, despite some success in Proleague, never managed to make a mark upon the Brood War scene. As KeSPA switched to Starcraft II, Classic's barely stayed afloat in the STX roster, occasionally showing promise but ultimately suffering a humiliating streak that eventually prompted him to switch to Protoss, claiming that he felt SC2's Protoss was much more alike Brood War's Terran. His decision paid off almost immediately, turning mediocrity to greatness in what seemed like an instant. With Classic solidifying the STX line-up and playing a crucial role in the team that eventually won the first SC2 Proleague, the previously uninteresting Terran was suddenly among the top players of his new race.

But like many other Proleague players, Protoss in particular, Classic has had, and still has, trouble with setting himself apart from the masses of excellent players present in Korea. Joining SKT, in retrospect, may have been detrimental to his quest for fame and recognition. In spite of his strong SPL performances (amounting to one of the best records in the league), SKT's unwillingness to send players overseas has kept Classic locked in Korea, where he has to struggle not only against his opponents, but against his teammates. But on the other hand, Classic has never been in better shape than he is now. Whatever changes came about with his transfer to SKT have helped him immensely, turning him from a solid fringe-Code S player to a player competing for both championships and the title of ”Best Protoss in the world”. Advancing from Group A by beating PartinG and soO – two of the best in the respective match-ups – was a clear sign that Classic is out for not only blood, but glory. This quarterfinal signifies Classic's struggle and persistance in the harshest competitive environments in Starcraft. The fact that he faces a teammate for a spot in the semifinals.

To a player like Classic, who has none of sOs's innovative flair or the entertaining antics of PartinG and MC, setting oneself apart from the others is an almost insurmountable task. Beyond just talent, it is a task that demands all of one's dedication, passion and intelligence. The amount of effort Classic has put in to reach this point, through two games and five years of play, is close to paying off. He won't stop now.

The Man who Sacrificed Hair for Skill

ParalyzE is mostly known for one thing. The famous afro. Much more than any one game or any sole talent, Paralyze is recognised almost solely because of his hair. It is tough to be a Starcraft player, sacrificing years of your life to reach the top of a food chain that very rarely provides you with a feast. Precious few players have made it to that point, where their achievements transcend the person and create a lasting legacy, a persona that does not need to rely on any external factors.

For Paralyze, the hair was largely who he was. It may sound cliché, but mentioning ”the Afrotoss” invokes a much clearer picture than the ID ever would. With that in mind, the fact that Paralyze cut his hair just before he transformed from middling Code A player to a GSL quarterfinalist is symbolic to say the least. He remains a benchwarmer for SKT in Proleague and has received few chances to show us what he can do for the team that his teammates can't, yet he is the one in the quarterfinals while Rain and PartinG have both fallen to the wayside. So far, Paralyze has received no benefits for this surprising performance, as Rain and Parting both hold the regular line-up spots in Proleague while Paralyze patiently waits on the bench. To some people, receiving no recognition for one's achievement can be demotivating. The lack of appreciation can be confounding and demoralizing to anyone but the most stubborn and competitive individuals. Paralyze's endless and single-minded devotion to the goal of one day counting himself among the world's finest qualifies him as one such individual, the kind of individual that benefits from the challenge.

Admittedly, Paralyze is not a player that jumps to mind when one discusses championship calibre players, in Korea or elsewhere. To a greater extent than his opponent (especially with his new haircut), Paralyze has made little noise in Starcraft II. If anything, his appearance in the quarterfinals looks very much like a fluke, a one-time occurance that is unlikely to be repeated. His journey through the Rounds of 32 and 16 have been tough, having to go through hard-fought final matches both times to advance. A sign of weakness? Perhaps, but also a sign of strength. Not all players have the mental fortitude to come back from a devastating loss in an important match and still pull through mere hours later. Paralyze has shown that, even if he does not yet possess the most complete skillset out of the players in the Ro8, he has an attitude that may serve him well in a BoX, preparation-style match.

Lastly, Paralyze has one set of advantages his opponent does not. While Classic goes into this match with the pressure of being the ”better” player and the one considered worthy of regular Proleague appearances, Paralyze might as well as have blinked into the Ro8. Few expected him to be here, even fewer expect him to beat Classic. With little to lose and much to gain, this is Paralyze's best opportunity to step out of the enormous shadows cast by his teammates.

Who knows when the chance will come again?

Overall Thoughts and Prediction

Ambition and mentality aside, this might be the best match-up Paralyze could have asked for in the Ro8. His all-time PvP record sits at 63% compared to Classic's 58%, with a 2-0 record against his teammate. It is hard to argue against the fact that Classic has faced tougher opposition and played more games in the match-up, but none of Paralyze's most recent opponents put up much of a fight against him, while Classic's recent record inspires less confidence.

Make no mistake, Classic has proven himself too many times to be considered an underdog of any kind in this match, but a wacky gut feeling tells me that Paralyze will make this match a lot closer than you'd expect. After all, a man who is willing to sacrifice great hair for success is a man to be feared.

Classic 3-2 Paralyze

Jin Air_ Maru vs. SKT_Soulkey

by stuchiu

The Last Terran Standing Again

Being one of the most experienced players in SC2, Maru has done it all. He entered the first ever GSL open at the age of 13. He spent years climbing up the steep mountain that is SC2 competition to reach the very top. And in that time he’s nearly seen it all. He’s seen legends rise and fall, teams collapse, reform and collapse again, he’s seen 5 rax reapers, the queen patch, the infestor patch, the creation of the MSC, the migration of the elephants, TAiLS's constantly transforming hair and MKP’s ridiculous glasses. And through it all he has very slowly and steadily climbed his way to the very top and has become the best Terran in Korea, if not the world. At the beginning of HotS, other Terrans were being hyped as the next big thing. Players like INnoVation, Flash, TY, FanTaSy. INnoVation, just got knocked out in the ro16. Flash hasn’t made Code S all of 2014. TY made Code A once. All of them were knocked to the side as Maru rightfully took his place as the best Terran in Korea with his OSL win. And then followed it up with consistent performance after performance. Top 4 GSL, top 4 Season Finals, top 4 Blizzcon, top 8 GSL and top 8 once again this season. For Maru, his OSL championship started a monstrous streak that has yet to end, a streak that has cemented him as both the best Terran in the world, and the most consistently performing player in the world.

And he has done all of this in a time when Terran has become nearly extinct. Three Terrans made it to Code S last season. Four made it in this season. The last Terran to win a major tournament in Korea was Maru himself when he beat Rain for his OSL title. The last time a Terran won GSL was when Mvp edged out a blazingly hot Royal Roader in his finals against Squirtle, over two years ago. And yet here Maru is again at the top 8, just two series away from the Championship stage. But to get there Maru must fight what could possibly be the greatest challenge of his career, the Iron Wall known as Soulkey.

Last week we saw Soulkey break his fate as he finally won a series against Shine in the group of death, thus bringing his all time record against Shine up to 2-8. An impressive feat, even if we objectively knew that Soulkey was a far superior player to Shine. If that was something of a minor miracle, then Maru will have to pull off a full blown miracle against Soulkey. Maru’s all time record against Soulkey is 3-12 in maps. He has never won a series off of Soulkey, ever. Maru even acknowledged it in his interviews that the most problematic player for him right now is Soulkey. While Maru is a God of attacking, Soulkey is an ocean. How do you punch an ocean to death? All of their matches have mostly gone like this: Maru attacks and attacks and attacks and Soulkey defends and defends and defends and then runs him over like the morning tide, drowning out Maru's aggression and overwhelming his defenses.

But defeat him he must. Not only because Maru wants to move on, but because he has to break the streak. Maru spent his entire WoL career on the sidelines watching as MKP constantly battered himself against Mvp over and over and over again. Each time the series became more and more and more one-sided, to the point that the very last time the played, all of MKP's attacks failed. His banshees died, his defense died, his tanks died and his base trade failed, leaving the Mvp-MKP all time record 14-2 in Mvp’s favor. Maru cannot let that happen. Must not let that happen. The very same thing was about to happen in his rivalry against Dear, but Maru broke it last GSL in their Ro16 match-up, but this time the stakes feel even higher.

Counting the Numbers

Soulkey must be giggling to himself. Even though he landed in the group of death once again, it all turned out alright for him. He beat his eternal nemesis in Shine. He barely lost to Zest 1-2, but gained valuable knowledge about him as a player. He then went on to beat INnoVation in the deciding match ensuring that he plays Maru in the Ro8. For Soulkey nothing can be better than this. Yes, everything has worked out perfectly for Soulkey. He goes to the Ro8 with the best opponent possible in Maru, an opponent who willingly admits he will have trouble winning.

But despite that, Soulkey needs to focus now more than ever. With the elimination of WCS Season Finals, it has slowly become clear that those without travel support are inherently disadvantaged. Doubly so if they play in the GSL. Each GSL only has 10,500 WCS points, and PL gives none. So while Soulkey spends his days grinding out team matches for SKT, others like MC, HyuN, San, jjakji, Polt, TaeJa and Jaedong are flying all around the world devouring as many WCS points as they can to get into Blizzcon. For Soulkey who will not get that kind of support from SKT, his only hopes are IEM KR Qualifiers (which are nearly impossible for anyone to win consistently), and winning the GSL.

Die4Ever’s site has Soulkey at a 29.64% chance of taking a top 16 spot, but those below him are also in the Ro8. Players like Solar, Classic and Maru can easily step past him if he slips. Others like VortiX or Oz can just win WCS EU or WCS NA. And even an eliminated player like MMA can rack up WCS points from lans. For a player like Soulkey. A player who made it to Blizzcon last time by only playing in Korea, a player who’s worst ever result was a Ro16 in the group of death, that is unacceptable. Being one of the best in Proleague is not enough. Being one of the best in the GSL is not enough. When Soulkey saw his ex-teammate sOs raise the trophy last year at Blizzcon, he wasn’t thinking, “I wonder who will win the next one.” He was thinking, “I will win the next one.” Because in SC2 being a Champion is everything. Years of practice, dedication and hard work for that one moment when you can grasp that trophy and raise it above your head and you can say, “For one day, I was the greatest in the world.”

Overall Predictions and Results:

Maru is a hard player to pinpoint. He’s played a little of everything now. MMMM play, Mech play, Mech into bio play as well as an assortment of cheeses. On top of that we have the new patch which has given rise to new hellbat timing attacks. But on the other side is Soulkey, a player who has spent his a decent amount of his career making sure Maru loses. This will be a close match, but I’ll give the slight edge to Soulkey as Maru’s worst matchup has always been his TvZ and Soulkey seems mostly unaffected by the new patch change.

Soulkey 3-2 Maru

Writers: stuchiu, Zealously
Graphics: GOM eXP.
Editor: Zealously, Shellshock