GSL Season Three
Code A

Group G Preview
PartinG, Sora, Avenge, Sleep

Group B Preview
MyuNgSiK, Panic, DongRaeGu, TurN

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

by lichter

Code A is back, and we start with Group G. Wait, what? For those unaware, Code A has always been somewhat lenient in scheduling, and with a packed weekend ahead of us with IEM Shenzhen and DH Valencia, Code A will see some groups played out in less than alphabetical order. We'll get to see the two longest tenured Code S players in Day 1, as PartinG and DongRaeGu battle it out in Groups G and B respectively.

It has to be difficult looking at your team sheet and realizing that you're only the third best Protoss on your team. In a scene that's full of good sons of Aiur, it's difficult making a name for yourself in 2014. One of these players is a former WCS/WCG champion, but he finds himself behind his team's clear Ace and the current GSL champion. One of these players used to be the rising stars of late 2013, but a drop in form has pushed him behind a two time IEM champion and a former benchwarmer. One of these players has struggled to make his mark, but at one time was considered StarTale's strongest Protoss in team leagues. Now on Jin Air, he's unable to see booth time with the 100K man and their captain ahead of him.

The first man is PartinG. Often in the discussion as one of the best in the world, it must be difficult for him to watch Proleague from the bench, even if it isn't every week. With Rain as the team's undisputed #1, PartinG has never appeared in an Ace match, which once was assured to be his. If there is one thing to be admired about him, however, it is his consistency, as he has made 12 straight Code S appearances. A success today will make it 13, but consistency is far from enough to make him a more prominent player on SKT T1. Classic's success last season has shown that, perhaps, a bolt of lightning is to be preferred over a constant brilliance as a Code S title still eludes the former StarTale Ace. It is his inability to conquer the world's most difficult competition that chains him to discussions instead of headlines, and it must be a jealous sore that gnaws at his pride. Rain is an OSL champion and Classic is a GSL champion, and SKT T1 is the only team where Red Bull, WCG and WCS golds feel underwhelming. Once upon a time, only PartinG's accomplishments eclipsed his boundless confidence. He still has the latter, but until he becomes the king of Korea, the former will never be enough.

At the very least, he should have a chance this season with a group that looks his for the taking. He is #5 on Aligulac in PvP, with set wins against strong mirror players like San and herO recently. His experience in the matchup and his knowledge of builds, as well as his famed killer instinct, make him the favorite in this group, and you have to believe in his consistency. There's no reason to doubt him at this level.

The one to doubt is Sora. There was a time last year when he was the hottest Protoss on the planet. His tear through WCG is considered one of the most impressive streaks in the game's history, but he has yet to show any signs of being the same player, much less a better player, today. When he won his first Proleague game against the league's most accomplished player in Flash, eye brows and expectations were raised. How things have gone awry in the 7 months since then. A dip in form is an understatement as Sora labored to a 3-6 record. He has barely been fielded in rounds 2 to 4, and he's unlikely to see any time during the playoffs. His Code S appearance in Season 1 was supposed to be promising, but two straight PvZ losses against Soulkey and Pet ended his campaign abruptly. In his stead, Hush has performed as CJ's second Protoss with a record of 7-3, with little hype or fanfare, and it looks like Sora is nothing more than a broken promise.

His mirror looks good on paper, with a 60% win rate, but he's played fewer games than either of his opponents. He's also only played 14 tournament PvPs in 2014, so it's difficult to truly gauge if Sora is on the comeback trail or merely lucky to survive Code B. His fortunes will likely rest on the loser's match, and he has shown little in the past few months for us to really have faith in him. It's now or never for him as Hush makes his GSL debut this season.

The final Protoss of the group is Avenge, who came out of retirement to join Jin Air. He hasn't done much since his unretirement, as he has not been fielded in Proleague and has not appeared in a televised match since Red Bull NY. Avenge has never found much success in individual leagues despite being a reliable team league player, so it's a mystery how the skilled Protoss has yet to see the booth ahead of 3-7 Terminator. In Code A, he had one of the more difficult paths as he faced hyvaa, Reality, TANGTANG, Creator, Hack, and MKP to qualify from the wildcard bracket. It was a good run, but none of those players have looked worthy of Code S in a long time. His return from hiatus has seen him settle back into mediocrity rather than a renewed vigour, so it's difficult to see him become anything more than a benchwarmer for Jin Air. Code A at least gives him a faint chance to supplant Terminator, though that doesn't mean much.

The three players above share another similarity aside from being the third best Protoss on their teams: they all have a weakness against Zergs. While the last player in the group, Sleep, is by no means a ZvP sniper, his performance in the matchup has improved markedly over 2013. Though he still retains a 48% winrate, he recently went on a 10 game win streak against the likes of Seed, Stork, Creator and State, before losing to Trap 1-2 in IEM Shenzhen qualifiers. Sleep has also did well in the two times he's appeared in Proleague, winning both ZvPs. It's a little bit of a stretch to say that he's now good at the matchup, but a 10 game win streak is nothing to scoff at. Let's not forget that he once made it to Code S Ro16 in season 3 last year, which is more than either Avenge or Sora have ever accomplished.

Overall predictions:

PartinG should have this, and the final match will likely be Sleep against Avenge or Sora. I'm picking Sora to face off against Sleep in the final match, and though he once had indomitable PvZ, it's been a long time since we've seen him look confident. His motivation to make good on his great promise will likely determine the group, but he just hasn't shown me enough to make me believe again yet.

PartinG > Sora
Avenge < Sleep
PartinG > Sleep
Sora > Avenge
Sleep > Sora

PartinG and Sleep advance to Code S.

by CosmicSpiral


Currently StarTale_Panic has the unenviable task of legitimizing his team’s sorry Protoss lineup, a chore that would have sounded farcical at the beginning of 2013. Once the crown jewel of StarTale’s roster, the hemorrhaging of Protoss talent following PartinG’s departure turned it into a hollow shell. The additional losses of Squirtle, Tiger, TREME, and (eventually) Avenge have made the bench a nonexistent factor, consigned to occasional appearances in online events. For now Panic is the only chance to bring a little recognition and respect to that aspect of StarTale’s lineup.

It won’t be easy considering Panic is no exemplary student of the game. Initially earning attention by trumping the best Axiom-Acer terrans back in GSTL Season 2, he remains proficient in the PvT matchup with a 67% career winrate. Unfortunately he’ll have to best at least two races if he wants to make his second Code S appearance, which is where things get sketchy. Panic has never been more than average in PvP and PvZ, and this flaw has been his downfall in every tournament. Even his 57% winrate in PvZ is generous considering how many foreigners he eliminates in every SEAcraft Weekly.

Providentially there’s a rookie to pick on. Being a first-timer to Code A Samsung.Galaxy_TurN is the obvious underdog in this group. Besides qualifying for Challenger League in OSL Season 2 and holding a 9-11 record during the 2012-2012 Proleague season, he has almost no results to speak of. In the latest Proleague season he went 2-1, beating KassiA and Action while losing to Zest. That confirms that anyone can beat Action’s and Kassia’s preternaturally terrible ZvT, but that’s about it. It also shows Zest can beat a guy who’s never made Code S, which everyone already knew. So TurN is still an enigma in terms of meaningful analysis. Without any solid evidence to go on I can only fall back on the old rule concerning newcomers. Something something pressure in the booth, mind cracks, brains all over the floor, leaves in defeat. Unless TurN has supreme confidence or extreme ninja skills unknown to the public, the standard expectations concerning public composure should hold.

Meanwhile you may know KT_MyuNgSiK as Artosis Victim #1047, unfortunate enough to catch the black cat’s eye during his run in the IEM Shanghai qualifier. Wins over Dear, Trap, Hyun, and San (while nearly triumphing over Innovation) were enough to set tongues wagging, only to silence them with flat showings in the main event. Curse jokes aside, it was unrealistic to hype him up as a possible prodigy. Plenty of talented rookies make unexpected runs in online qualifiers: it wouldn’t be Korea if the standard wasn’t so ludicrously high for everyone. Considering how far he got on PvP and how little talk of his play existed beforehand,

It comes as no surprise that Myungsik has been relatively quiet afterwards. Recently he made Code S twice and fallen back to Code A, both times in unspectacular fashion. He went 2-2 in Proleague and 1-1 in Round 4, a show of faith from management without the results to conclude much else. Similarly his second place finish in the Warrior’s Challenge is up for interpretation: beating Center and Daisy is good but completely expected for a player of his caliber. As of now he’s squarely in the solid but unglamorous role of gatekeeper Protoss. One thing has changed though. Pictures of his once-vaunted PvP are now plastered on the back of milk cartons: since Shanghai he is only 18-24 (43%) in games and 6-12 (33%) in overall series. Those upsets are nowhere to be found, replaced by losses to the likes of Sohel, Billowy, and Zoun. Such a shift may play a factor in his first match against Panic.

Myungsik is not the only player with a bad case of inertia. After watching MLG Anaheim we can safely conclude nothing has changed concerning MVP_DongRaeGu. He filled out all the usual boxes: wear the aura of Korean supremacy, take down anyone not born in the motherland, play some moderate to good ZvZ series, and eventually lose to Protoss. This time the last part was executed in amusing fashion as he was surprised by an ingenious race switch from Scarlett. Notwithstanding her proficiency with 6 gates, it is a reminder of how precarious DRG’s hold over ZvP can be. At face value his performance has not been bad: over the last three months he has a 19-17 (53%) record against other Koreans. Considering his record is composed of top-tier competition it is perfectly respectable. But that neither reflects how variable DRG has looked in those games, nor how his decisions wildly fluctuate. At certain points he looks like he can see into his opponent’s mind; at other times he makes a boneheaded mistake that costs him everything. Panic and Myungsik are not Code S material but they are competent enough to capitalize on such errors.

It’s been a difficult couple of months for DRG. He was unable to lift MVP out of the dungeon during Proleague Round 4, finishing with a 1-4 record with little support from his team. He just barely rose to expectations at Anaheim and managed to finish in the top 8, yet it could have been better if he hadn’t crumbled to Scarlett’s mindgame. And now he has to fight for another shot to reach Code S again. A victory here won’t wash the bitter taste of his dismal Proleague performance away or console him over the fact he hasn’t reached a tournament final since Iron Squid II. But that’s just life these days. Unless you’re soO, there are no guarantees for a zerg player anymore.

Overall predictions:

Myungsik < Panic
DongRaeGu > Turn
DongRaeGu< Panic
Myungsik > Turn
DongRaeGu > Myungsik

Panic and DongRaeGu advance.

Writers: lichter, CosmicSpiral.
Graphics: GOM eXP.
Editor: lichter.