EPTWCS Season One
Challenger League
The Duo Down Under
iaguz vs EnDerr
PiG vs KingKong
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
The Duo Down Under
by Soularion
Much like the rest of non-Korean Asia, SEA is a very, very strange place. However, unlike China (which are usually defined by their builds and general shenanigans), SEA is defined by their race much like Taiwan. While the rest of the world seems to be intent on getting rid of top-tier zergs, SEA is still very much ruled by the swarm. 12 of the 16 players in the qualifiers were zergs, so it's no surprise to see a 3:1 ratio persist in Challenger. It does still seem that your life in SEA is very much determined by your vZ matchup, a matchup that seems to be be dwindling in the rest of Asia.
iaguz vs 
EnDerr
The only non-zerg to reach Challenger AUS/NZ/SEA this season, iaguz should be familiar to you by now. While he isn't as well-known as PiG or Petraeus, iaguz has slowly climbed the foreigner charts over the past few months. He reached the Ro16 in WCS AM S3 with thumping victories over Alicia and Jim, and he put in a good shift at MSI Beat IT. He first came to our attention in 2013 at IEM Shanghai, where he gave Polt a run for his money in an exhilarating TvT. He's upped his profile since then, and he's now considered one of the best players in the SEA region. While many still insist that the foreign terran hope is still a distant myth, iaguz is as good a bet as any to propel himself to stardom.
On the other hand, EnDerr remains largely a mystery. His name is ever present in SEA qualifiers and online events, but Caviar Napolean (his actual name, not kidding) has yet to have a breakout performance to put him on the map. His achievements have been isolated to minor events, but he did make Challenger League in 2014 Season 1 ahead of Blysk and Petraeus. He's had to contend for the title of the best of the non-Australian in the SEA scene with DemiLove and Blysk, but he defeated both of those players to qualify for this season's Challenger. If he somehow defeats iaguz to reach Premier League, he will be the first Philippine player and SEA player outside of Australia/NZ to reach the highest level of competition.
Unfortunately for EnDerr, it'll be a tough task unseating iaguz from Premier League. Gimli Terran owns the head-to-head with a 10-6 advantage and 4-1 in series, and he's by far the more experienced of the two players. EnDerr does own a respectable 60% winrate in ZvT, but the quality of his opponents is suspect at best. While his 60% winrates in every matchup were enough to catapult him to Challenger, it'll be interesting to see if he can maintain that win ratio in WCS' main event. iaguz on the other hand has already been tested by Korean opponents and found competitive. What's most interesting about this match is how WCS chose to seed it - both of these guys met in the loser's semifinals of the qualifer, where iaguz won 2-1. Still, they've generally had close series whenever they've met, and it isn't a foregone conclusion that the Philippines zerg will be the one staying home.
Prediction :
iaguz 3 - 1 EnDerrPiG vs KingkOng
The winner of the match above will be joined by one of these two established players who regular contend for the title of best Australian player. Or at least, the best player currently playing from Australia. King Kong, of course, is a Korean player currently living in Australia. Once employed by StarTale and even STX SouL back in BW, KingKong has the pedigree to dominate the entire scene. He's picked up several gold medals from major and minor tournaments in the region, often defeating PiG or iaguz in the finals. Strange then that he's yet to translate that into an appearance in Premier League. He's been stuck in Challenger for the past 4 seasons including this one, and he's definitely hoping to make his debut soon. His 75% winrate in ZvZ should be enough to make it happen, but his teammate and opponent has also been making strides in his career.
As the consensus best Australian ever since mOOnGLaDe left for the greener streams of Team Salmon, PiG has been the only Australian to truly show that he can tango with Koreans. With wins over Solar, eMotion, and Heart over the past few months, it's clear that PiG is comfortable playing as the predicted underdog. The charismatic zerg player will face the same odds against his long-time nemesis KingKong, as he is an abysmal 17-34 against his teammate. Curiously most of PiG's wins in their head-to-head has come from WCS Qualifiers, so a victory here is not out of the question. With a single appearance in Challenger League and zero Premier League appearances, PiG appears to be as inexperienced as KingKong, but his travels in 2014 have definitely filled him with more desire and verve. Whether that translates into a win may depend on practice:
Despite the overwhelming odds, PiG has repeatedly shown that he can beat KingKong when it matters. a 75% winrate after all is just history and not a forecast, and KingKong's history of tearing flawlessly through Australians in entire events shouldn't phase the porky zerg. KingKong has probably fried his bacon more times in HotS than any other player. But now, it's time for vengeance.
Prediction :
PiG 3 - 2 KingkOng
