GSL Season Three
Code S

Group D Preview
Soulkey, Terminator, Bbyong, Stats

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

by Trasko

After a curious week where every single match was either PvZ or PvT, Code S finally sees a group with all three races. Group D is quite unique as each Top 4 SPL team is represented in the group, but the four players contending will have to prove their mettle in an individual league setting.

Things didn't go well for Soulkey during the playoffs as he failed to win a game in 3 tries. He lost to Hydra and EffOrt in the semi finals and lost to Stats in the first game of the SPL finals. Ever since SKT's acquisition of Soulkey it seems as though he's fallen off his high horse. He has not had a single top 4 placement in individual tournaments all year, which is a stark contrast to last year when he placed top 4 in five premier tournaments, winning two of them. This has also been reflected in Proleague as he's not been sent out as the ace player in a very long time. While this could be attributed to SKT T1's stacked line up, the former Woongjin star isn't even the best zerg on his team anymore as his place has been usurped by the ever consistent soO. For a player once considered the best zerg in the world, his lack of success in 2014 has been alarming.



Describing him as a slumping player may be exaggerating things a bit, but players of his caliber are rated against their lofty expectations. The picture above clearly shows that only a few months back, he was destroying players left and right. Though his form has tapered since then, he is still the most experienced player in the group. He has shown before that he knows how to plan for groups and longer series, and his fate will depend on that preparation. But will his recent vulnerability in best of ones follow him to Code S?

Looking to take advantage of his seeming vulnerability is Terminator. Though he has rarely been fielded, his position as the captain of Jin Air Green Wings means he had a big role in preparation and team morale throughout the season. Even though his record is a paltry 3-8, his support was surely instrumental in his team's successful campaign. As a player, he is unremarkable, relying mostly on mid game timings. He has yet to show much strength in late game situations, but he did prepare well enough to beat both Leenock and EffOrt in Code A. That whole group was an unconvincing affair, but it does show that Terminator can win when given time to prepare for his opponents. He'll face much more difficult opponents tonight, and only the most enthusiastic Green Wings fans will give him a shot at advancing.

This season has seen terrans strike back all over the world, and few are as hot as Bbyong. Though he has yet to make it past the Ro16 in Code S, this could be the season where he finally makes it to the knockout rounds. As one of the most successful terrans in Proleague, Bbyong has shown that he does things his own way and knows how to win with it. His Bbyongnam Terran received its own TL Strategy article, and he has recently been trying to popularize mech against Protoss, even in high stakes games. He has evolved from a mechanical player devoid of strategy into one of the most interesting players in Code S, like a more fundamentally sound SuperNova. He's been raking in fans since his 4th place run in Shoutcraft Invitiational, and this could be the season where he makes the next step into stardom.

This is the CJ Terran's 5th Code S appearance in a row, and though he has only advanced twice from the Ro32, it's difficult not to call that experience. While he is still prone to moments of madness, he has buckled down as CJ Entus' second best player behind herO, and his rise could see him displace the powerful protoss in the future. A good tournament in the last Code S of 2014 will see his stock soar to new heights, and Bbyong has never been afraid of going for the gold.

Scouting will be important for Stats as he faces the Bbyongnam Terran in his initial match. As one of the key players in KT's Proleague success, Stats enters this group with the most momentum. He went 3-0 in the SPL Playoffs with victories against Maru, TRUE and Soulkey, a path that even championship contenders would balk at. In his last two GSL appearances, he was knocked out of Code S Ro32 and Code A by two zergs, but he has since gone 9-2 in PvZ since last season. That ability to adjust also manifested itself when he beat SuperNova's mech with carriers, a strategy that Rain used to beat Bbyong. Should the CJ Terran use his patented composition, expect Stats to know how to handle it.

A factor that could affect Stats' performance is the preparation that must have gone into the Proleague finals. Though they were able to win the title, Stats was unlikely to have had much practice outside of PvZ on Outboxer. He's had 4 days since then, but it's difficult to say whether that is a sufficient amount of time to prepare for such a difficult group. Stats did show that he had the presence and clarity of mind to adjust his game to beat Soulkey, and he has as good a chance as any to repeat that feat if he has to.

Overall Predictions:
Stats just became a Proleague champion, and while his game against Soulkey displayed some nerves, it did prove that he can tighten things up when things matter. We'll find out whether his victory high will be a boon or a burden, but the disciplined protoss should turn it into motivation heading into his Code S group. Soulkey's lack of results and inability to take games when it matters in Proleague could be signs of chinks in the Iron Zerg's armor, and he's now as fallible as he has ever been. He should still be good enough to beat the lackluster Terminator, but don't expect him to get the best of Bbyong, one of the most rapidly improving players in Korea who could become the breakout star of season 3.

Soulkey > Terminator
Bbyong > Stats
Soulkey < Bbyong
Terminator < Stats
Soulkey < Stats

Bbyong and Stats advance to the round of 16.

Writers: Trasko.
Graphics: Meru.
Photo: GOMeXP.
Editor: lichter.