WCS Europe Playoffs

YoDa vs MC
Discipline Imbricated With Focus

Golden vs Happy
Not to be Forgotten

Bunny vs San
A Rare Breed

ForGG vs MMA
Rebellion and Dominion

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

When the groups for the Ro16 debuted, there was the very realistic scenario where half the Ro8 could have been foreigners. With Group A made up of 4 Europeans, Season 3 could have seen the highest number of foreigners in the playoffs since 2013. While more and more Koreans have flocked to the rich fields of the old continent, it would have been proof that Europe didn't need harsher region locking as it steadily improved in the face of Asian adversity.

Instead, Group A turned out to be the only group where foreigners advanced. Bunny and Happy were the survivors that day, and the duo stand alone against the dominant force in SC2.

While many considered the results of the Ro16 disappointing, many of those that advanced have been residents of the European Union for some time. MC and MMA are both WCS EU champions residing on the continent. San is a finalist on a Taiwanese team. Golden signed with Alien Invasion for a year before his military service. ForGG was one of the first big foreign team switchers with Milennium. YoDa recently moved into the GEM house to recapture his IEM WC 2013 glory.

"Will they be back next year?" is the question looming as the playoffs beckon. With little information given regarding the nature of Blizzard's region lock, the players must be considering their plans for 2015. Some may decide to stay in Europe and make it their semi-permanent home. Some of the less successful may join Golden in the military if they feel their careers have nowhere else to go. Some may return to the GSL for a crack at a greater prize pool. Certainly some will contemplate retirement. But there is still much of Season 3 left to play, and none of these players will be thinking past this weekend.

There's a chance that a Korean will be named the champion of Europe once more.. for the very last time.


by Trasko

The assertion of willpower and self control is essential to achieving success. A disciplined person is one who has established a goal and is willing to achieve that goal at the expense of his or her individuality. Discipline can also be compared to a person's well structured dedication to a particular task. When MC won his first GSL title he was only 19 years old. The Suicide Toss had come from an unsuccessful career in BW, but his move to SC2 has seen him become one of the most successful players in the sequel. What is most astounding about MC's SC2 career has been his consistency within the scene over such a long period of time. Most players reach their peak, stay relevant for a while, and sooner or later wind up as another evanescent contender. To this day MC continuously stays in line with the current meta and travels around the world, placing very high in tournaments. And he has done this by wildly swinging his style from either sharp all-ins to decisive macro focused play. His game on Overgrowth against Flash at IEM Toronto displayed an adaptable Boss Toss that tailored an old build, chargelot archon, to suit his opponent. His perpetual reinvention, eschewing his former tendencies when necessary, is what allows him to stay at the top.

Earlier this summer, the gentlemen from the GEM house released a training tips article that provided a few guidelines based on their own experiences. If the article had to be summarized in two words it would be 'extensive focus'. The amount of focus that goes into becoming the best of the best is unquantifiable. However, this focus has to be tailored correctly and must cover a variety of areas. Narrow minded focus can bite you in the back and it will definitely not let you flourish. In StarCraft 2 repeating mistakes is like tripping over your own feet; avoidable if you give it a bit of attention. When a player is blindsided purely from perpetuating poor habits, it will only hurt him in the long run. MC has shown that as long as you have a strong set of core mechanics and the ability to adapt in difficult situations, you should be able to make it to the top.

When YoDa won his first premier tournament he exploited one specific unit that eventually led him to victory: the widow mine. Players had not yet fully adapted to the widow mine's unforgiving nature and YoDa took note of this. One of the things that makes strategy so difficult is the lack of a panacea that can hold every variety of early game attack. You have to be open minded and prepared for many different scenarios which in the long run makes for a more interesting game. Unfortunately for him, this reign of triumph was short lived. Playing StarCraft 2 professionally is like riding a bicycle; to keep your balance, you must keep moving. YoDa's fall led to him completely disappearing from the scene up until just a few months ago, when he made his recurrence at WCS EU. While widow mines have received buffs that have ushered it back into use, YoDa will have to display more adaptability if he hopes to outsmart the Boss Toss.

The Depth Of The Dark

So how will YoDa and MC fair against each other? MC has showed us over and over again that he knows how to play like one of the world's best players. Ever since joining TCM and relocating to the GEM house, YoDa has been hyped as one of the players to look out for this season as he's looked fiercer than ever. Despite both of them having a lackluster showing at Dreamhack Stockholm, they can make amends as one of them has to advance today. However, one obscure tournament performance does not directly correlate to skill as either one of these two have a shot at making it all the way to the finals.

If you recall MC back in Wings of Liberty, he was most well known for his killer all-in abilities. In Heart of the Swarm he adapted to the shifted meta and can now play a very strong late game while snowballing early-game advantages into victories. YoDa, on the other hand, has always stuck to very standard game play, never relying on technicalities. With a very solid fundamentals he's managed to make his way back as one of the relevant players of the scene. YoDa's TvP is rather unstable right now as he lost to both Lilbow and Patience at Dreamhack whilst MC's PvT is 17-13 since August. Despite YoDa's chances of making it to Blizzcon being close to non-existent, a deep run this season would be the biggest thing to happen to his career since his early 2013 IEM win. That is, if MC lets him through as MC still hungers for more fame and recognition.

Prediction:
MC 3 - 1 Yoda


by Destructicon

The second UB quarterfinal features what many consider the quintessential SC2 matchup: TvZ. Whether this is due to the quality of games or its place in the lore, TvZ is often viewed positively regardless of the result. Strange then that the lone TvZ in the Ro8 features two players that many considered among the weaker players of their respective races, Empire's Happy and Alien Invasion's Golden. While their history and paths have converged to this moment, this showdown, a victory in this ring has very different meanings for each players.

Happy has a long history in the EU scene dating back all the way to Warcraft III. It is from that time that Happy draws many of the traits that continue to define him. He has extremely good micro, being one of the first players on the scene to display and master marine splitting. He displays extreme patience, being content with waiting out a situation to get the maximum advantage or simply to starve out his opponent. Yet he also displays extreme stubbornness, playing one build in each of his matchups. This is reflected in Happy's regular usage of mech and his willingness to go extremely late game TvP, the domain few players not named Taeja dare tread. Despite all this, and despite being respected as one of the best terrans on the EU server, Happy has yet to taste success like Bunny or Snute. He has come close a couple of times, most notably getting second to HyuN at Copenhagen Games Spring of this year. Interestingly enough Happy defeated Golden 3-1 back then on his way to the finals. If Happy can rely on his strengths and force Golden into an awkward spot, he might be able to repeat the feat and climb one step closer the ultimate goal: that of a championship title to call his own.

While Happy is patience, stability and consistency, Golden would be the exact opposite, chaos. He thrives in games that follow uncommon patterns, and he shines is situations that require unorthodox solutions. Similarly, his career has been anything but typical, as he started on fOu before moving to SlayerS, Light eSports, and Quantic before finally settling with StarTale. After a lackluster career where he only won the Red Bull Training Grounds, Golden decided it was time to throw in the towel and retired after a disappointing showing at Red Bull Battlegrounds New York. However, like the tide, Golden changed his mind. He came back and finally found a stable home on Alien Invasion. Ever since his return, Golden has looked like a changed man; he started improving steadily, culminating in last season's semi final against San. He was one win away from reaching the final of Europe's premier tournament, and now he's back for more.

Standing in the way of the heights of last season's semi final is a formidable opponent in Happy. If there is one glaring weakness that Happy has, one that Golden could absolutely exploit to its limits, it is predictability. Golden has already shown incredible cunning and wit, being able to read into San's plans after only one game and devising the perfect counters in the following games. If he can bring the same smarts to the table on Saturday, then the road could be open to another semi-final.

They stand against each other on the same road and with a similar goal. For Happy, a good showing in WCS EU would bring him back into the spotlight as one of the top terrans of EU. For Golden, this is possibly his last hurrah as he has decided that in 2015 he will retire for good to fulfill his military service. You almost sense a certain urgency in some of his games, an extra drive that pushes him further and further, to finally get that one big one.

Prediction:
Golden 3 - 2 Happy


by Heartland

Bunny is indisputably the best foreign terran at the moment; none have reached his level of success since Lucifron's heyday way back in the start of 2013. A victory in WCS EU will send him to heights previously unexpected from a European terran, and it will further cement his mark as one of the best foreign terrans of all time. This is his struggle, then: to go further and be even better. While others of his race have accomplished more--notably ThoZain and Jinro--, many soon fail and falter within months as their games become figured out. Defeating last season's runner up, San, will go a long way in allaying the fear that he is just another flash in the pan. As for San, he has been facing a strategical conundrum in PvT, much like the rest of his race. If there was any time for Bunny to beat San, it is now. On the other hand, the Yoe Flash Wolves protoss must beat Bunny to prove that he's the equal to the other Korean powerhouses and not just a PvZ specialist.

The two have faced each other in three sets over the last six months; Bunny is in the lead in both series (2-1) and games (5-3). However, the last encounter in WCS EU Ro32 went 2-1 to the Korean. The playstyles that they employed in that encounter were perfect examples of what's going on in PvT: terrans are discovering new avenues for harassment while protoss are searching for safer openings that allow them to reach the late game. The interesting twist is that it was not the foreigner on the backfoot and struggling to find answers. Rather, it was Bunny who set the pace of the games. Bunny played standard strategies albeit without any of the robotic mindlessness that plagues the playstyle of weaker foreigner terrans. He mixed in mine drops along with standard 1-rax expansions to ensure that his protoss opponent was never comfortable playing greedy.

San’s current PvT playstyle is part of the overall search for a strong PvT strategy that many protoss are involved in. This is why Parting's Big Boy build exists. The shift back into colossus openings before an eventual switch in templars is also a reaction to the strength of mid game bio pushes. San's solution to the conundrum is to open blink and use the scouting and map control gained to branch into a vast variety of builds. Early blink builds in PvT are designed to beat early drop play as well as the pre-medivac infantry attacks that terrans enjoy doing. While San slaughtered Bunny’s 1-1-1 through this opener in the To32, the Dane should be able to find holes in San's armor if he does his homework. The Yoe Flash Wolves protoss often hides 2 forges behind his blink, and Bunny should be able to find an alternate timing to hit that doesn't allow San's quick 2-2 to become a factor.

San has had plenty of failures with his blink-based play that can be analyzed. Both Polt and YoDa manhandled him with the sort of textbook play that the foreigner excels at. Bunny just has to do what he does best: play standard TvP. It is actually up to San to make something happen and to prove that he can beat the best terran foreigner. Bunny's career has been on a steady upward curve for years, but the very last season of 2014 might reveal just how much greatness he's capable of.

Prediction:
Bunny 3 - 1 San


by XXTN

Since they left Korea for WCS EU, Acer.MMA and Mill.ForGG have battled their way to the top of the European food pyramid. MMA has produced better results thus far, but recent evidence suggests this could be ForGG’s time to shine. The man is just godly in TvT at the moment, winning 10/11 ranked games in the month of September. That being said, the recent DH Moscow champ is certainly no pushover. Evenly matched yet stylistically different, these two have the potential to show us why TvT is oftentimes lauded as the most entertaining matchup. Get ready to see some fast-paced, action packed games between two of Europe’s most explosive terrans.

The Rebellion

With an end of the year victory at DH Moscow and top 8 finish at DH Stockholm, MMA has made a late RSVP for Blizzcon. The pressure may be off for now, but don’t expect this multi-time champion to slack off. His competitive edge has only grown sharper over the years, and he will give his all to defeating ForGG. With MC on the opposite side of the bracket, MMA certainly has the incentive and motivation to reach the finals for a possible shot at the man who denied him the S1 title. However, that is much easier said than done. MMA has gone a mediocre 10-11 in TvT during September, and now he has to play the strongest TvT-er in Europe. Does he have what it takes to usurp the king of TvT? Though he lost the first rebellion at Stockholm, it appears the war is not over just yet. In the past, MMA has proven capable of overcoming adversity and winning when it matters most. At Moscow, he fended off some of Europe’s finest terrans including YoDa in the Ro16 and then jjakji in the finals.

In those games, MMA relied heavily on his typical hyperaggressive marine/tank style. He is the type of player who likes to force the issue but sometimes gets too aggressive for his own good. MMA is also not afraid to abuse the medivac boost and go for yolo-swag doom drops at any given moment. A lesser opponent would crumble under the pressure, but ForGG will not fall so easily. His guerrilla tactics must be on point if he hopes to overthrow the Dominion. Finally, like any great terran champion, MMA isn’t afraid to mix in the occasional double proxy-rax...especially in a Bo5. A smart rebel knows the common theme in every successful rebellion: win at all costs.



The Dominion

Arcturus Mengsk is perhaps the only man more successful than ForGG at killing fellow terran comrades. The Millenium Terran’s TvT record stands at a whopping 71.6%, which makes him one of the world’s best when it comes to this matchup. ForGG crushed both Polt and MMA 2-0 en route to a surprising semifinal finish at a stacked DH Stockholm. However, he's yet to win a premier tournament title in SC2. When news broke of his relocation to Europe, many expected him to finally break his duck. Unfortunately, he never quite found the same level of success that other imports like Stardust, San, and MMA achieved. But judging by his recent form, this could potentially be his defining season. In September, he went 10-2 in ranked matches and topped his WCS Ro16 group; he won a rematch of last season’s semis against Stardust and flattened his teammate Dayshi. Now he finds himself with a TvT in the Ro8 and a solid chance to reach back-to-back WCS semis - a result that will surely bring him into the limelight.

ForGG’s unique style and deep understanding of the matchup are paramount to his TvT success. In his Stockholm matches, ForGG almost exclusively depended on mass hellion/banshee openings. His goal with this build was to deal early economic damage and search for opportunities to end the game. Furthermore, his impeccable banshee micro allowed him to retain these units and pick off unprotected tanks for a slight edge in head on engagements. MMA had no answer to this unorthodox opening into mech play when they met in Stockholm. This style has proven to be extremely effective in ForGG’s hands and there seems to be no reason to deviate for this upcoming match.

Overall thoughts and predictions
The stats do not favor MMA, who has dropped three consecutive matches against the Millenium Terran. While ForGG is the overwhelming favorite on paper, I believe this will be a close, hard-fought series with MMA emerging victorious. If MMA can deflect the earlier harassment and avoid straight up fights, then he will reach his comfort zone. In addition, he needs to make good use of his drops and exploit the meching player’s general immobility. As one of the game’s most decorated players, MMA has the experience and skills to pull off another upset. I believe he has what it takes to overthrow the Dominion.

MMA 3 - 1 ForGG

Writers: Trasko, Destructicon, Heartland, XXTN.
Photos: ESL.
Graphics: shiroiusagi.
Editors: lichter, stuchiu