Ro16: Group D Preview
Countdown:
by XXTN
There were no surprises last night as


Coming off his best performance of the year at MLG Anaheim,

He may well be if he can get through a group that includes one of the world’s top Terrans and a cheesy Protoss who’s shown strong resistance to fan favorites. Against Terran, viOLet plays multiple styles including roach/hydra as well as the standard ling/bane/muta. As for his ZvP, viOLet seems to prefer early pressure with large roach/ling numbers to either finish the game or buy time to transition into a Swarm Host composition. In conclusion, viOLet is a crafty and versatile Zerg who prefers early aggression but also won’t shy away from the late game.
His first opponent of the night however is the Mexican Terran player,

This is MajOr’s first appearance in the WCS Ro16, but based on his recent performance, I would not consider him a favorite to get through a group with 3 tough Koreans. While MajOr has improved his overall understanding of the game and looks more fundamentally sound, he sometimes struggles with unconventional play or builds that he has not practiced against. This chink in his armor could prove to be fatal should he run into Arthur later on. But if he can win his first series against viOLet, MajOr may stand a chance against TaeJa in the Winners' Match given that TvT is traditionally his strongest matchup. Nevertheless, it will be a long and arduous road to the quarterfinals for the Mexican Terran.
After disproving all the doubters by reaching the quarterfinals of Season 1,

Though he's certainly a heavy underdog against the Prince of Summer, Arthur’s antics could very well work against viOLet and MajOr. Both barely have any experience against Arthur and have also been travelling recently (Red Bull and MLG), making it simple for Arthur to study his opponents while not being in the spotlight himself - Arthur almost exclusively competes in online cups, giving him plenty of time to focus on his WCS group. So if he shows up prepared with refined and well-rehearsed builds, Arthur could potentially get the drop on two unexpecting players. Will this be the group that turns Arthur into a Premier League mainstay or will his anti-fans get to be right this time?
Unfortunately for Arthur, he’s starting the night off against potentially the hottest player in the world,

Even at a time when Terrans are struggling, the Prince of Summer seems to be hitting his stride. Last month, TaeJa won back-to-back tournaments at HSC IX and Dreamhack: Summer, where he played a perfect tournament (17-0 if you discount his loss to the champagne bottle). He defeated MC 4-0 for his 3rd consecutive HSC title and then beat HerO 3-0 in the DH finals.
Those results against two arguably stronger PvTers definitely do not bode well for Arthur. Neither does their previous encounter in last season's Ro16 which TaeJa handily won 2-0. Judging from both statistics and his recent games, TaeJa doesn’t have any particular weaknesses. He can be very aggressive in TvP and push the issue early on, but also has phenomenal late game ghost/viking control. TaeJa's TvT has always been stable and strong while at the same time being unpredictable - mech, bio, marine/tank. You name it, TaeJa can do it. As for his TvZ, TaeJa is very well aware of the current strength of marauder/hellbat pushes, but won't shy away from playing a standard bio/mine game either.
Summer is upon us. It's TaeJa's time.
Predictions
Based on his recent form, I fully expect TaeJa to advance in first. This leaves three evenly matched players all vying for that second place finish. As far as viOLet vs MajOr goes, I’m giving the upper hand to MajOr because he’s beaten viOLet at Red Bull and MLG, and now knows what to expect from the Korean Zerg. However, the real deciding factor for this group will be Arthur’s performance: can he pull off the upsets or will his antics be countered? Since TaeJa and Arthur advanced from last season’s Ro16 together, I believe they will do it again.
viOLet < MajOr
TaeJa > Arthur
viOLet < Arthur
TaeJa > MajOr
Arthur > MajOr
TaeJa and Arthur advance!