GSL Season Three
Code S

Group F Preview
soO, Trust, DongRaeGu, Stork

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

by TameNaken

There is a saying that no one ever wins second, one only loses first. For three of these players, those words ring loud and continue to push them to achieve what was once (or thrice) denied from them. Stork, of course, was one of the most famous kongs of BW. His career is littered with high placements, but only one OSL title. DRG may have had success at an MLG and several major tournaments, but his lone GSL trophy is a monument to his struggle not to be forgotten. soO on the other hand has yet to taste success and the three runner up ribbons are pinned permanently in his mind.

For Trust, even a fraction of their success remains a dream. This is his first time in Code S and that makes him the biggest variable in this group. Even for the most avid Entus fan, little is known about the CJ protoss. He was only sent out once in Proleague, and his only offline appearances have been in Code A. He did advance ahead of YongHwa and FanTaSy, two former Code S players, but his all in based PvP was not enough to overcome Stork. Like many up and coming players, he has made qualifiers his home. He defeated TAiLS, Stork and Sora before losing to Maru for IEM Toronto, while he downed Patience, ByuL, Panic and herO before losing to Hydra for Red Bull Global. Whether he can translate his online success into better offline performances will dictate where he places in this group, but it won't be easy. His 67% winrate in PvZ is largely inflated by lackluster opponents just like his better-than-50% PvP. He'll have to rely on surprises to upset the consistency of his opponents as he's the tin to their stainless silvers.

He faces the most successful Korean zerg of 2014, SKT T1 soO. Still, it's difficult not to feel sorry for the silver surfer. Because of the incredibly top heavy prize distribution in the GSL, each of Zest's or Classic's singular championships have netted them more cash than soO's past three tournaments combined. Since his last finals defeat, he has gone 1-3 in the Proleague playoffs and was knocked out 1-4 from the IEM Toronto qualifiers. In his defense, his qualifier losses were to Classic and Flash, while he did beat Sleep with a crisp timing attack in the Proleague Finals. Whenever soO finally looks vulnerable, he always finds a way to prove us wrong.

His ZvZ has been world class for over a year now--he beat Soulkey, Life, Solar and TRUE in the knockout stages of his finals runs--but his ZvP continues to be his bane. His composition of choice is muta corruptor, and any deviation is often a sign of something aside from a macro game. Though he has strong positioning and micro with his units, he often fails to close out games where he has an advantage. This manifested itself repeatedly against Zest and Classic, and it'll be interesting to see whether he changes his ways or sticks with what's been good enough for second place. soO is the only player in this competition for whom second place would be a grave disappointment.

On the other hand, anything past the Ro32 will be an improvement for DongRaeGu. That's strange to say for a former Code S champion, but the reality is he hasn't made it to the knockout rounds since July 2012. His consistency should be admired though; in an era when champions fall to Code B as often as players make their GSL debuts, he has remained in Code S for 13 straight seasons--since October 2011! It has been far from easy however, as he's had to survive Code A or the now-defunct Up&Downs 8 consecutive times. For some, that's an even more impressive feat than staying in Code S.

Not everything is grim for the former MVP ace though. He recently won Red Bull Battlegrounds Global ahead of Polt, MMA, Solar, Impact and Hydra, and his path through the qualifier was similarly impressive. He relied on his knack for ZvT to triumph yet that strength will be of no use today. He'll have to win at least one ZvP to have any hopes of advancing but he has always had problems in that matchup. Known for his supreme mechanics, DRG was famed for his control of zerglings mutalisks. That works as a mid game composition for ZvP, but DRG has shown a tendency to get stuck and fall apart in the late game. It's been a weakness of his dating as far back as the BL-Infestor era, when he was one of the few premier zergs to struggle along with Leenock. As last weekend's ZvZ Battleground showed, he can hold his own in the mirror, but unless he can beat a protoss, that's unlikely to matter tonight for the old timer.

No matter how "old" you are as a progamer, it's unlikely you've been around as long as Samsung's Stork. Yet he has a lot in common with each of the above players in one way or another. Like everyone else he knows the ups and downs of being a newcomer like Trust. Like soO, Stork knows what it’s like to come in second having lost a final to each member of TaekBangLeeSsang at least once. And while DRG has stood at the peaks of competition for over 3 years Stork has done the same for the better part of his 10 year career. And even after 10 years and a change of games Stork has recently been experiencing a revival in skill. In the last few months he’s qualified for several foreign tournaments, been sent out as Samsung’s ace in Proleague and was one game win away from reaching the GSL quarterfinals.

It's difficult to pencil Stork into any ranking of players due to his wavering skill level and a lack of an especially strong matchup. His games are often messy, bordering on sloppy, but he displays a mental wherewithal found in few players. He has a knack for knowing just how many units he needs for any situation; it's just his control and multitasking that sometimes let him down. His PvP is statistically his weakest, yet he swept both Trust and YongHwa in Code A. He went on a 23-6 PvZ rampage from March to May, but he is 13-17 since then. As unimpressive as his numbers might seem, Stork's experience and unrivaled perseverance have helped him develop a skill desired by many but mastered by few: the ability to win when it counts. The odds were also against him throughout last season, but the magic was there until the Ro16. Samsung fans will hope that the show goes on for the aging Commander.

Overall Predictions:

Everybody enters Code S equals, but the gap in quality becomes obvious as the going gets tough. This is Trust's first time in Code S and it's difficult to believe that he has what it takes to make a mark on his debut. DRG on the other hand hasn't been able to jump past the round of 32 hurdle for the last 2 season. They are going to have a tough time trying to overthrow the reigning silver surfer soO, and Stork's stock in SC2 continues to rise. Trust's all-in based play does make room for an upset as he only needs to win 2 Bo3s, but DRG and Stork should have a rematch in the final set. One thing's for certain: soO isn't going to come second tonight.

soO > Trust
DRG > Stork
soO > DRG
Trust < Stork
DRG < Stork

soO and Stork to advance.

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