EPTRo16: Group B Preview
Revival, HyuN, 
Alicia, NesTeaCountdown:
by peanuts
WCS AM enters its second day with arguably the most stacked group of the round. Group B features not one, not two, but three of last season’s Ro4 competitors including last season's champion, Roccat's HyuN. Though Zerg was Day 1’s least represented race, it is the most represented today, with 3 Zergs sharing the group with the lone Protoss, Ax.Alicia.
The Heavyweight Champion of the World - Roccat.Hyun
At the onset of last season, HyuN was in a strange place. The former Quantic Zerg was performing well in tournaments, having taken home a Ro4 appearance at IEM NYC and a 2nd place finish at HSC VIII. However, news was coming out that his team owner had disappeared after taking more than $23K from the Dreamhack champion. As he waited to find a new team to call his own, HyuN publicly talked about how disheartening the ordeal had been, even pondering retirement at one point. Thankfully, the former GSL Finalist’s luck turned around. After several Korean pros rallied around him to have a fundraising drive to help soften the blow of the theft, HyuN would find himself reinvigorated, soon being signed by the newly formed Roccat team.
Something clicked within the old Brood War pro. Reinvigorated, HyuN would play the best season he’s ever had, taking out Revival, Taeja, Alicia and finally Oz to take home the gold and become the reigning American champion. Since then, the Roccat Zerg has played well, but has yet to give a showing that reflects his position as champion. His best finish since his win is a Ro8 appearance at MLG this past weekend, after some in uncharacteristic stumbles in ZvZ. In particular, HyuN seems to be dogged by his longstanding weakness in ZvP, often being a problem for him in group stages. With a largely ZvZ group (traditionally his best matchup), things are looking bright. In addition, HyuN has the advantage of having beaten everyone in his group before in tournament play, taking out 2 of them last season.
RIP Mutas - CMStorm.Revival
Revival is a player with a new fire in his heart. After being dropped from EG because of their withdrawl from Proleague, the former TSL Zerg was left teamless for several months. After starting his WCS career with a 2nd place finish, he was now finding himself being eliminated in the Ro32 in season 3. With a decidedly poor result at IEM NYC, Revival seemed to have completely reversed his good fortune from his WCS finish and his IEM Shanghai win. However, after being picked up by CMStorm, the Korean Zerg saw his play start to improve drastically. After a somewhat shaky Ro32 group, he would take 2nd in his Ro16 group in a fairly convincing fashion. In a shocking series, Revival 3-1’d his teammate Polt to find a spot in the Ro4.
Revival looked strong in his Ro32, albeit after a poor start. Being 2-0'd by Pigbaby in the opening match, Revival would have to fight his way through to qualify for the To32. To do so, he would spectacularly beat both HuK and HerO 2-0 to take 2nd in the group and ensure his survival. Revival's play remains the same as ver. A macro Zerg, revival plays a relatively tame style of Zerg. However, he's a player who adapts to his opponent and will bust out a well excited when the situation calls for it. A fan of mutas, Revival may have some slight issues dealing with the roach centered magneto lay that the current ZvZ meta game leans towards.
The Lone Wolf - Axiom.Alicia
In the midst of the battlefields of Char, with the Overmind controlling all that surrounds him, the putrid stench of creep hanging in the air, one man stands to resist the Zerg. That man is not the 6'4", 260 lb Jim Raynor. No. This time it's the probably like 5'9" 155ish Ax.Alicia. In a group of some of the best Zerg players in America, Alicia stands as the one hope for Protosses, and for good reason. The former SlayerS Protoss has always been a strong performer, at one point being the Toss equivalent of MKP with three 2nd place finishes at majors under his belt. After a period of inactivity following the disbanding of SlayerS, Alicia would toss his hat into the mix with The young Axiom squad. It certainly reaped benefits. Alicia would take 5th place on his first WCS season, narrowly qualifying for the global sS1 finals after a memorable set against Snute.
Alicia has had his fair share of problems since that season. When he's not finishing 2nd all the time, his results have little in the way of consistency. After a Ro4 finish at ASUS Summer, he would be elongated in the Ro40 in WCS Challenger. After taking the Ro4 on this last season of WCS, he would place in the Ro24 at MLG. Alicia's play is much like his play style. Hopin all over the place. Alicia is a versatile PRotoss, able to play Colossi, Templar or Skytoss. Regardless of his tech path, it's not unsurprising to him throw at least a smattering of air units into the mix. Expect to see great control and excellent late game from Alicia.
The Creator of the Universe - (YourTeamHere).NesTea
Nestea has won 3 GSLs, something that is easy to forget these days, and even past his prime the stories of his innovations still linger. Feared not just on his in game merits, but also his effectiveness as a coach, Nestea is a smart player who relies on brilliant strategy more than mechanics. The creator of Flash. Alongside Mvp and MC one of the "Big Three" - those who dominated the GSL for most of 2011. Stories of his fall from grace have not been exaggerated, which means trouble for Nestea in this group. Although always a steady performer in WCS AM, kind of our version of Curious, it seems doubtful that he could best a player like Hyun or Alicia which is a bare necessity for making it out of this group.
While Nestea did alright in groups - and "alright" is all we can say about Nestea these days, sometimes barely even that - he comes into this group as the underdog, lagging far behind the other three. If anything, he has a love for Mia tech switches that baffle opponents more than any resemblance of "standard" play. Good with roaches and by extension definitely a mid-late game focused player. Potential for a creative cheese (spine crawler rush anyone?) and plenty of aggressive play to make up for his lackluster lategame. Something something don't DT Rush him, RIP Inca. In this group, Nestea's once amazing ZvZ should kick ass... if it weren't for the amount of Ro4 players also present in this group. Maybe. Probably not. But with Nestea, one can never know.
Predictions
HyuN > Revival
Alicia > NesTea
Alicia < HyuN
Revival > NesTea
Alicia > Revival
Hyun and Alicia advance.
