EPTWCS EU Ro16 - Group D Preview
Protoss Champions, Millenium Terrans
Countdown:
2014 has been the year of protoss all around the world. Not only have protosses won 5/6 WCS titles this year, most of the bracket stages are littered with commanders from Aiur. Many felt that terran was the race underperforming the most this year in WCS, and with only 2 and 1 making it to the Ro8 of WCS season 1 and 2 respectively, it looked like the truth. However, that narrative has been turned on its head this season, as every single terran in WCS EU Ro16 has made it through so far. Bunny, Happy, YoDa and MMA all advanced to the bracket stages, ensuring that half the quarter finals will be the boys in blue with one more group to play. ForGG and Dayshi, the Millenium duo, have a chance to make it 6/8, but the two protoss champions of 2014 stand in their way.
After threatening to becoming the Kong of Europe,
MC finally became a WCS EU champion in the first season of 2014. As the father of aggressive, timing based protoss, the Boss Toss has had a long and illustrious career. Jang Min Chul was one of the first Koreans to leave KeSPA and switch to the new game, and he was the first to use the new protoss mechanics to become a champion. His use and abuse of forcefields, warp-ins and cheese variations became the identity of protoss for much of the first 3 years of SC2, and he has made an indelible mark on the race as an innovator and champion. He was one of the first to travel the world and part foreigners from their precious prize money and he was one of the first to leave Korea and embrace foreign lands and foreign currency. However, MC didn't always enjoy such success. In Brood War he lost each time he was sent out to play for MBC's team B and even received the nick name "Suicide Toss" after performing a neck slash ceremony prior to a game and then losing. One thing hasn't changed though: MC was and still is both a fighter and a showman. He loves to perform ceremonies that entertain and stir a crowd. It is those two qualities coupled with a fondness for benjamins, that has turned him into one of the most iconic players of SC2. Despite facing plenty of bad patches, including a 2 year tournament title drought that coincided with the KeSPA switch, MC is still going far in tournaments and putting foes to his sword. He's evolve from an aggressive, 2-base protoss into one of the most versatile players around, and he continues to change as the world changes around him. He was supposed to be the lame duck in IEM Toronto, and despite losing in the group stages, he performed well. He beat Flash in one of the more memorable games of the tournament in a scrappy game on Overgrowth where he used an outdated chargelot-archon-storm to stop the Ultimate Weapons rampaging TvP. In WCS EU, he has yet to finish outside the Ro8 since advancing to Premier League. The Boss Toss' ability to win no matter the tournament, no matter the opposition, is the one thing that hasn't changed.
In the other corner we have the reigning WCS EU champion StarDust. Much like MC,
StarDust started his career humbly in Brood War, not earning much recognition at the time. He then switched to SC2, not in search of new glory, but for new experiences after growing tired of the rigid KeSPA system. While MC had found success since the very beginning of SC2, it would take StarDust until HoTS to hit his stride. It was at DH Summer where he finally made his mark, and, much like MC, he won his first title using timing attacks and cheese. He showed a keen understanding of the new strengths of protoss in the expansion, and his few could figure out how to defend despite knowing what they were up against. Since then StarDust has become a regular of the EU scene, and, thanks to some training in the CJ house, he has augmented his already frightening skills in timings with a strong proficiency in macro play. The last time these two players clashed was in the quarter finals of WCS EU Season 1 2014, where StarDust took the first game before crumbling in the next 3. Even with his marginally better PvP, StarDust should prepare well for the BossToss as he'd prefer not to play more than one PvT. He's on a 5 series losing streak, and despite pushing Flash to 5 games, he's lost to Bunny, DeMusliM and MajOr within the past month. Their face off will come down to form on the day, as their stylistic similarities should make for a crisp encounter.Unlike both MC and StarDust,
ForGG was a former BW champion, winning a MSL in 2008 and being notable as the only player to defeat Jaedong in a BO5 series in that year. However he slumped after his championship, never performing up to those standards again and, in 2010, retired from BW. ForGG was considered one of the first elephants when he announced he'd take up SC2 in 2011. Many expected him to dominate the SC2 scene, but it was not to be as he was eliminated from Code S on his debut, in the RO32 by MC himself. Soon after, ForGG announced that he would move to Europe and become one of the first Koreans to be picked up by a foreign team. As the first permanent migrant worker on the continent, many expected him to dominate Europe. While he did look unstoppable initially--he reached the semi finals of WCS EU 2013 Season 1--ForGG succumbed time and time again to the might of other Koreans. He could get close, but each time he was stopped by his countrymen while occasionally showing weakness against the locals as well. For a brief period it looked like HoTS would be that final push that ForGG needed to reach out and touch the gold, but it was not to be. He again had plenty of chances but alas still no championship. However things are looking up for the Millennium terran. The latest patch has restored hopes to terrans all over the world, evening the playing field in both TvP and TvZ. The map pool seems a lot better for terrans as well, with lots of features to exploit on each map. Lastly both his protoss opponents, StarDust and MC, have experienced a small dip in form, while ForGG seems to be on a bit of an upswing. This could be ForGG's golden opportunity: the season is ripe with terrans ready to be decimated by his incredible TvT, but ForGG must first overcome this one massive obstacle.In a group with BW veterans, champions and Koreans,
Dayshi looks like the odd man out. Ever since Stephano stepped back to focus more on his studies the mantle of best Frenchman has been taken up by Dayshi. And while it's doubtful anyone will ever live up to Stephano's legacy, Dayshi has shown flashes of brilliance, defeating Bomber and Armani at HSC IX and posting good results overall in tournaments he partakes in. However in this particular group Dayshi has probably hit a brick wall. His monster TvZ cannot aid him here, his TvP was never particularly good. Faceing the deadliest PvT in Europe, that doesn't bode well for the lone foreigner. Lastly Dayshi is on the losing end of the most one sided head to head since ClouD vs GoOdy, sporting a 0-18 loss streak in games and 0-7 in series vs his team mate ForGG.Overall thoughts.
In terms of WCS chances, both MC and StarDust are locks for Blizzcon. ForGG has the most to gain from this WCS; not only would he obtain the championship that has eluded him for the past 3 years but he would also improve his odds of making it to the season finale. Out of all the players here tonight, ForGG should be hungriest for victory.
In terms of gameplay, expect the action to pick up early and never die down. Despite popularizing the cheesy and timing based variety of Protoss, it should not be forgotten that MC can still play a ferocious macro game. He's evolved with the times, and he can go to to toe with anyone due to his unmatched repertoire of builds. Likewise, StarDust has shown that his penchat for deadly timing attacks does not exclude an ability to play solid and intelligent long games. Its this deadly mixture of versatility coupled with calculated risk taking and keen killer instincts that makes me believe the protoss of the group are ultimately favored in this encounter. Whoever gets out first between MC and StarDust will come down to who is in better shape on that day, so I'm flipping a coin on this one.
MC < StarDust
ForGG > Dayshi
MC > Dayshi
StarDust > ForGG
MC > ForGG
StarDust and MC advance to the Ro8.
