Things That Happened in Week 5

• IM Make It Close - Incredible Miracle needed two good wins in Week 5 against KT and Jin Air, and they fell short after giving their fans hope, just like the rest of the season. They beat KT in their first match of the week after pushing it into an Ace match between Flash and ByuL, but it was a result that spoke more about KT's suddenly flagging results than their own playoff aspirations. Against Jin Air, they were stomped 0-3 for another disappointing end to their round playoff hopes.
  
  IM end their season as the most unpredictable team in the league. They sometimes show flashes of solidity, especially through their Ace ByuL, but they just can't seem to do enough to make a dent. Their map scores are good for a team with a losing record, showing they usually lose close and win close, but that's more unconvincing than assuring. Should there be a next season of Proleague, there's as good a chance that IM become a playoff team as they could become the next Prime.
  
  
• SKT Skate Past Everyone - SKT were always supposed to be the best team in the league, but their failure to make the playoffs in Round 2 put some doubt on their credentials. However, a strong finish in Rounds 3 and 4 seal their case as the league leader, and they enter the round and season playoffs with the most momentum after demolishing both CJ and Samsung (playoff teams this round) with two sweeps. It's impossible to say what their strongest lineup is with 7 Code S Season 1 players on their roster, but that's a problem that any team would love to have.
  
  
• Jin Air Find Some Rhythm - Jin Air's turnaround in Round 4 continued in the final week as they trumped IM 3-0. Questions were raised when they began the round poorly and gave Samsung a faint shot of upsetting them for their spot in the playoffs, but with 3 wins in their last 3 matches, they once again look like a deserving playoff team. Maru and sOs are also winning, and that has to be a relief for the Green Wings roster.
  
  
• Samsung Aren't a Playoff Team - Yes, they looked good in Round 1. But most of that was because of the sudden rise of Solar, who has since failed to replicate that form in SPL. Yes, Stork is finally a good SC2 player. But he isn't anywhere close to being an everyday Ace. And yes, they still have RorO. But he isn't even in Code S.
  
  Samsung have flirted with the playoffs all season long, but they fall short by virtue of their 4th place spot in Round 4. Had they come in at first, they'd still be mathematically in the hunt for a season playoff spot. Alas, a 0-3 bulldozing from SKT T1 knocked them out with a whimper. They can still prove that they aren't far behind their Big Business rivals with a good showing in the round playoffs, and expect them to have the best Zerg lineup next season once Armani and Solar get more experience.
  
  
• KT Are in Trouble - After the first round of the season, KT have declined slowly but surely. Now, they are out of the round playoffs and look lost and uncertain. They have two weeks to figure things out, but can they? Their Big 4 won't be enough to take them far in the season playoffs, where they will only face good teams. TY in particular has underperformed after looking like one of the best Terrans in the world in Round 1, and while Action, MyuNgSiK and Sleep have done well when fielded, would you really trust them over their more illustrious teammates?
  
  
• Prime and MVP Need Help - This is pretty obvious, yeah.
  

One of these teams will appear in the season playoffs and one falls short, but these teams could not have performed any closer. Samsung still had a small chance to overtake Jin Air, but they couldn't overcome SKT T1 and Jin Air pulled out a clutch final two weeks. Now, they face off first in the Round 4 playoffs.

For Samsung, this is all about pride. They looked like one of the best teams in the league in Round 1 but have since failed to repeat that success. For Jin Air, this match could decide whether they face a seemingly unbeatable SKT T1 in the semi finals, or either CJ or KT Rolster. The two latter teams are still intimidating, but they certainly don't look as scary as the Telecom Titans.

For the opening match, it looks like Jin Air aren't pulling any punches as sOs is fielded first. He faces Shine, and this could be a good thing for Samsung. While sOs should be favored against just about anyone, Shine could be favored against anyone he should be unfavored against. That sounds like nonsense, but Shine has that inexplicable ability to beat fan favorites and title contenders. Not to mention, it was Shine that knocked out sOs in Code S this season without even using cheese. This is a match of the unpredictable, and it could determine how this plays out.