EPTGSL Season One
Code S
Deja Vu
Ro32 Group E:
Maru, Hack, First, PartinG
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
Deja Vu
by TameNaken
The last time these 4 players were in the GSL together, it was late 2012. The Curiosity rover had landed on Mars only 3 short months ago. Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier with a 24 mile skydive, and infestor/broodlord was at its peak. 2012 GSL Season 5 was the first time Hack had qualified for Code S; Maru had recently earn a ticket back into the league; PartinG had qualified for his 6th season in a row; First was just knocked out in the first round of Code A. Since that point, countless things have changed but this group is a reminder that the past occasionally repeats itself.
Since that time, despite changing teams twice, yoeFW.
PartinG has stayed in the upper echelon of competition. Currently on his 12th straight Code S, PartinG is the latest player to receive the Nestea award; in each of the last 6 Code S appearances, PartinG has advanced to the Ro16. During his first month after signing with Yoe Flash Wolves, he took 1st place in Homestory Cup X and 32 Boys 1 Cup as well as 2nd place in MSI Beat It. Just a week ago PartinG won ASL Season 3 with a 5-0 win over 
Ryung. In all these tournaments PartinG owes his success to marvelous PvT form. He has won his last 11 games in the matchup and will be looking to extend that streak tonight. Before Parting can face a Terran he’ll have a PvP against KT’s latest recruit,
First. Anyppi's career began on KT Rolster so perhaps his return signals a desire for comfort, an inviting place where he can realize his potential again. Throughout 2014 First participated in WCS Europe and while his results there might seem meager, they are deceptively modest when talking about his ability. In Season 2, First reached the quarterfinals without dropping a series and only lost to the eventual champion StarDust. In Season 3 he had to face YoDa and MMA, the two eventual finalists, in his Ro32 group. More recently First had an impressive GSL qualifier run with 2-0 wins over Daisy, ParalyzE and MC. In the modified Swiss format used by GSL, you’d think victory would be necessary at all costs. However, the dynamics of the group ensure it almost doesn't matter which protoss climbs to the winners match and which one falls to the losers. The gap in skill level between Maru and StarTale.
Hack means the former ought to be favored against everyone else in this group and the reverse for the latter. Hack isn't necessarily a bad player but the level of competition at GSL is at an all-time high. High-level players like 
soO, Zest and sOs couldn't make it past the qualifiers. Meanwhile, only PenguiN made a Code S debut, and his spot in the limelight was...short. The current GSL has an extremely low tolerance of error and Hack has never been known for pristine play, especially against Protoss. In the recent ‘Hey Look Koreans’ tournament he lost 0-2 to Super and First. His records against tonight's competition are small but not encouraging: 1-4 against PartinG, 0-4 against First, and 0-2 against Maru. As small as the sample sizes are, it is indicative of the mountain Hack will have to climb. JinAir.
Maru stands head and shoulders above his contemporaries here. Formerly regarded as an up-and-comer stuck in perpetual improvement, he has firmly established himself as a sterling representative of Terran's strengths. The Jin Air ace hasn't fared too well in the GSL lately, failing to advance to the quarterfinals last season. That's partially thanks to PartinG. who ended Maru's road back in their Ro16 group. Recently things have looked much brighter for Maru. He was one of the 12 players who were able to qualify for NSSL and GSL. Additionally, he completed an impressive run in the IEM Taipei qualifier, where he bested the likes of San, Dream and Life. When Maru is in prime condition he is either the best TvP player or the second best. Given that Maru faces Hack first and is guaranteed a TvP as the followup, he has a high chance of advancing in first place without a single loss. Predictions:
PartinG's greatest hurdle in this group is knowing where to hedge his bets. His PvP is good but not great, certainly not dominant enough to make him the clear favorite against First. His PvT is excellent due, in large part, to his wide assortment of early aggressive builds; he regularly uses proxy strategies and off-kilter timings like 10 gate and 7 gate blink. That would be sufficient if he were facing 2 players at the skill level of Hack, yet Maru makes things considerably more complicated. Fortunately First's PvP prowess has been recently put into grave doubt. During his tenure in Europe he gained a reputation as the strongest PvP player in the region, regularly taking the role of party pooper whenever he dashed MC's hopes. Going 6-0 in his GSL qualifier was an encouraging start, but he followed that up with some mediocre performances against better players. Yet given that PvP is Parting’s worst matchup, First’s recent results should be enough to put Parting’s chances of reaching the winners match in doubt.
If Hack is still brave enough to cling onto hope, it must lie in his off the beaten track builds. One of his characteristic quirks is regular 2 rax usage in TvT and TvP (ironically, he avoids it in TvZ). Given that TvT is Maru’s worst matchup, Hack could scrap together a win with fortuitous coincidences like a 11-11 versus gas first. As for TvP, Hack will have to work a lot harder for the same result. But even Hack receives a free 1-0 lead, his ability to close out the series against foes like First and Parting is doubtful. In short, any position that isn't last would be an upset in Hack’s favor.
Maru > Hack
First > PartinG
Maru > First
PartinG > Hack
PartinG > First
Maru and PartinG to advance. 
