EPTGroup D Preview:
Terran it Up
by Darkhorse
You don't often see round of 16 groups consisting of only one race, and you especially wouldn't expect to see an all Terran group in 2014, but the almighty WCS group drawings have made it so. In this the final iteration of the non-region locked WCS system, two foreign Terrans from North America will battle to show that for them region lock isn't necessary. It's a bit of an odd coincidence that North American players seem to be hitting their WCS peak this season just before the changes will hit, what with Huk being the first North American to make the top eight since Scarlett did it over a year ago, but regardless, here we are. Neeb and MajOr has an opportunity to make it two North Americans in the round of eight for the first time in WCS history but they'll have to contend with Polt and especially Heart, who may be playing his final season of WCS America.
Unfortunately, things rarely go the way we initially expect them to, or even the way the players hope. A day before the group in question, HuK tweeted this:
Sorry MajOr, at least you can take solace in the fact that you've got a great record against Polt this year.
Meet the Foreigners
Given the state of WCS America over the last two years, the fact that
Fnatic.Neeb has been in the past five season's of Premier League is pretty shocking. In fact, the only season that Neeb was not in Premier was Season 1 of 2013 where he wasn't fortunate enough to get one of the twenty four invite spots and wasn't Korean enough to claim one of the eight spots in the qualifier. Either way, Neeb has been a fixture of the Ro32, and this year has been making an even bigger splash. Although Neeb wasn't exactly up against the best of the best in the Ro32 this season, (he advanced by beating Arthur and Guitarcheese while losing to Hyun) he has been impressive over the course of the year in WCS with wins over Check and Huk and close series against the likes of Polt and Revival. While Neeb has been pretty much below the radar,
ROOT.MajOr has been flying high over the last few months. As usual he dominated Copa America, but he also strung together some impressive online results including a 3-1 victory over StarDust in Warhounds Season 4. Perhaps most impressive of all and most relevant to this group is the fact that MajOr is 5-0 in maps against Polt over the last several weeks, proving that MajOr boasts some incredible TvT and has the credentials to get out of this tough all Terran group. Although Bunny seems to have snatched the title of "best foreign Terran" out from under his nose, MajOr would have had a strong case for himself by becoming the first foreign Terran ever to advance to the Ro8 of WCS America. With his forfeit, this will not come to past, and we'll be left wondering "What if?"Shot Through the Heart, but it's Too Late, You gave Polt 52 WCS Championships*
The two Koreans in this group are both Terran. Both formerly played for TSL and both are now on strong foreign teams. However, their situations heading into this group are very different.
CMStorm.Polt has already won two seasons of WCS America and has made the quarterfinals twice this year. Not only that, but he has a United States visa and currently resides in the land of the free and the home of the brave, so the changes to WCS coming next year will make him a big favorite to win even more seasons of WCS America. Polt's foray into North America has netted him four Premier Tournament titles, tons of prize money, and thousands of fans, and the future continues to look bright for Captain America.Contrast this all with the struggle of a player like
Ax.Heart. Heart has been known to be a solid Terran player for some time now, having claimed top four at two stacked MLG events back in 2012 and more recently top four in WCS America 2014 Season 2. However, he hasn't come anywhere close to the success, fame, or fortune that Polt has attained despite his best efforts. He fell just short of the finals last season, which would seem to be a performance which he could build on, but it is not to be. This could very well be Heart's last season in WCS America due to the region lock that will go into affect next year, and he will just be one talented player in a sea of others back in Korea.For the two players, this group means different things. Polt is still the only multi-WCS champion, and he can solidify his place as a WCS legend with another win this season. However, he isn't faced with much pressure. He has already locked down a spot at Blizzcon, and there will still be WCS America waiting for him next year. Heart, on the other hand, is in do or die mode. Winning this season could mean everything for Heart: fans, money, and a reason to potentially continue in WCS America. A loss here would be devastating, and it would be uncertain where his career would go in 2015.
Overall Thoughts and Prediction:
Looking past the storylines, this mirror matchup-fest of a group is a tough one to call. With how MajOr's TvT has looked on recently, he would have been a tough match for Polt. With his forfeit, Polt gains an almost insurmountable advantage in immediate seeding into the Winners' Match. Captain America has been a bit of a mixed bag, as he dominated Taeja 3-0 in the finals of Red Bull Detroit but lost 2-0 to Bunny at IEM Toronto a week later, but with only two more players in this group the odds are hardly stacked against him. Heart is facing a group comprised entirely of his worst matchup historically, and he hasn't played a notable TvT since his 1-3 loss to Bomber in the semis of Season 2. Rounding out the group is the underdog Neeb, who has a lot to prove but really nothing to lose in a group like this. After rolling this around in my head for awhile, I think Heart will win the group through sheer willpower despite Polt's advantage, but Polt will follow him in second place because WCS America will always belong to Polt.
Neeb < Heart
Polt -
Neeb -
Heart > Polt
Polt > Neeb
Heart and Polt advance! *all credit goes to stuchiu for this one
