EPTGroup C Preview:
The Melting Pot
by lichter
Diversity is a strange thing. On the one hand, it can add flavor and interesting storylines. On the other hand, it can dilute identity and make things difficult to follow. Without a doubt, diversity itself has become WCS AM's very identity, and it has arguably made the tournament the most compelling in terms of stories. No other group in the Ro16 encapsulates the variety of personalities in AM as much as Group C, where we have: a Korean living in the US sponsored by an Austrian company; a Chinese Protoss that plays and wins using builds that you can only call standard in his home country (which is a country known for its inherent unpredictability). We have a former KeSPA Korean who was one of the first to join a European team before ending up in Taiwan with Wayi Spider; and a Canadian who has lived and played all around the world as one of the most successful foreigners of all time. WCS AM is a melting pot in more ways than one, as it remains one of the most unpredictable regions where almost anyone can win on a given day. There are no favorites, only champions who have exceeded expectations.
Nobody understands that lesson better than
Bomber. Last season, he defeated the Axiom duo of Alicia and Heart to reach the finals where he found himself up 3-1 and staring at his reflection on the trophy. Yet it would slip from his grasp as Pigbaby won three straight games to win the tournament in one of the most surprising cinderella stories ever. Bomber was supposed to be the favorite, but in WCS AM, that title means very little. He made amends--even if just a little bit--a week later when he won Red Bull Atlanta, but he followed that up with failures in Valencia and Taiwan. Whenever the Red Bull Terran starts a tearin', his precipitous fall seems certain to follow. It's a pattern that has plagued his career since 2010, and the clock is ticking as his military service beckons. More often than not, it is his TvZ that lets him down. He's one of the few Terrans that still uses marine tank, and while many look at his games fondly, it is a composition that doesn't put him in the best position to win in the current metagame. Compounding his troubles in the matchup is his tendency not to scout, and if we tallied the number of times every Terran has been baneling busted, Bomber likely falls in the Top 2 along with MarineKing. This hard headedness often results in him pushing against defensive brick walls, as he prefers to push along a straight line instead of using drops and runbys. The diffuse style of TvZ has become more popular since the widow mine and thor buffs, and the INnoVation machine method of pushing the fourth for 10 minutes straight has gone out of favor. Sen masterfully took advantage of this predictability in the Taiwan Open by pulling Bomber apart with mutalisks and runbys while retaining enough banelings at home to halt every assault. It is strange that he has reverted to playing in such a one dimensional way when he continues to exhibit a far more diverse TvP. When not relying on his macro to steamroll opponents, Bomber was one of the few Terrans who used early stim timings, 1/1/1s and early drops before the current resurgence of his race. His ability to get damage done while macroing strongly behind it is a signature of his TvP that has somehow been lost in his current vZ. Fortunately for Bomber, there are two Protoss in his group.
His first obstacle from Aiur is none other than
Jim. The Chinese wunderkind became famous worldwide for his use of phoenix colossus in PvT, but surprisingly it happens to be his weakest matchup. Though he remains the country's big hope for international Starcraft silverware, he is actually the "least Chinese" in terms of his play, if that makes any sense. Their insular scene has developed its unique brand of play that relies heavily on aggression and mind games and Has and Shana are the extremes to Jim's conservativeness. Still, he isn't averse to throwing a curveball just to stay unpredictable, so don't be surprised to see a build made in China. He is the first true "Chinese+foreigner" in experience and playstyle, and he represents the diversity of the region as well as anyone. That duality shows in his disregard for normalcy while trying to resemble the global standard, typified by his glaring dislike for using storm. Whether that is just another quirk of his homeland or the result of 400ping, it's become one of his trademarks anyway.He finished in 3rd/4th at IEM Shenzhen, defeating Taeja, Life, and San before falling to ZvP master Solar. Outside of Chinese tournaments, Shezhen has been his best tournament outing since getting 4th place at WCG 2013 where he came within a game of beating Soulkey. And yet, despite tournaments where it looks like he is starting to go toe to toe with the best in the world, he has a tournament like WEC where he loses to Top and Has. Perhaps his time in the foreign scene has made him vulnerable to the China's strange expectations, but it shows that he still a lot of tightening up to do.
Similarly, Wayi's
Check has developed a style of play that straddles the line between two standards, in his case Korean and Taiwanese. After leaving KeSPA and Team 8, he first joined Western Wolves near its dissolution. He had actually begun to make a name for himself in online tournaments such as ATC, performing as their best Zerg and occasional ace. His European adventure quickly ended when the team closed its doors, and his next adventure brought him to the land of Zerg Taiwan. He hasn't quite reached the levels of local domination that San has achieved, but a 3rd place in TeSL recently is nothing to scoff at. At the very least it has honed his ZvZ and it is his best matchup in HoTS, especially with the return to all-roach compositions. Unfortunate then that he forfeited his spot in the qualifiers for the Taiwan Open, which ended up becoming a ZvZ slaughterhouse. That isn't to say he is a slouch in other matchups. Though he has yet to play a single vZ this season, he's made it to the Ro16 as one of the first place finishers in the Ro32. Check was somewhat fortunate though, as he relied on early roach attacks to dispose of Illusion in his initial set, and waiting for Pigbaby to overextend before overwhelming his forces in the winners' match. Their entire group was filled with odd games, and while it doesn't speak much about Check's ability to get it done against the best players, it at least showed that he can think on his feet and make things happen when it counts. Curiously, his play resembles that of HyuN the most, in that they both like roaches in pretty much every matchup. His use may not be as deft and incisive, but he still offers movement and harassment like the season 1 champion.
Despite all his travels from Korea to Europe to Taiwan and now WCS AM, Check still has a long way to go before becoming as worldly as
HuK. His name was ubiquitous in every tournament roster from 2010 to 2013, but 2014 has been a different story. His attendances have become fewer due to difficulty in qualifying, and when he has made it to the main events, he has often disappointed in the early rounds. His results page actually shows no results in premier and major tournaments outside of WCS AM and Red Bull Atlanta because he was knocked out so early in the competitions he attended. HuK is actually the most accomplished player in this group (sorry, Bomber), but he has never made it to the knockout rounds of WCS AM.In 2014, HuK hasn't changed that much and he still relies his control above all else to win him games. HuK's various YOLO gate builds have become his signature, and it often happens that players expect it yet still die anyway. His trump card has always been his great PvP, and he retains close to a 50% winrate all time against Koreans in the mirror where he often chooses to play with initiative. The man of action is not known for his lategame, and many of his matches end before reaching more than 4 bases. He lives and dies with his attacks, and his advancement from the Ro32 relied on his aggressiveness. Whether it was a cannon rush or a 4gate to get ahead in the early game or an 8gate to end things early, HuK's micro was there to save the day. He was even able to win an engagement up a ramp against Arium while down in supply and on similar tech, highlighting just how much his hands can make a difference. It's not much, but it might just be enough to finally get him to the Ro8 for the first time.
Overall thoughts and predictions:
Though Group B is rightfully called the group of death, Group C doesn't fall far behind in terms of talent. All four are considered top players of their respective countries (assuming we consider Check half-Taiwanese), and you wouldn't be surprised to see any of these players in the Ro8. Bomber has had the most recent success after finishing as the runner up last season and winning Red Bull Atlanta, and with mandatory army service looming, he doesn't have a lot of chances left to become a proper WCS champion. His desperation alone should be enough to get him by, but he'll be aided by the fact that vT happens to be the weakest matchup of all his opponents. Jim has had no problems dispatching of lesser Protoss, but if he should meet HuK he may be in trouble. Check will likely be the true test for either Protoss, and whoever beats him should advance in second place.
Bomber > Jim
Check > HuK
Bomber > Check
Jim < HuK
Check < HuK
Bomber and HuK advance to the Ro8.
