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WCS Premier League Ro32 Group A Preview - S1 2015

Forum Index > SC2 General
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WCS Premier League Ro32 Group A Preview - S1 2015

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
February 14th, 2015 12:55 GMT
2015 WCS Season 1

WCS Season One
Premier League



WCS Ro32 Group A
XiGua, Astrea, uThermal, Snute

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

WCS Premier League
Ro32 Group A


Saturday, Feb 14 11:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00)


We watched the qualifiers as well as Challenger League with much anticipation. There, the best of each region competed to finally reach a global league with representatives from every corner of the world. No longer will we have a scene separated by continent; every foreigner will have an opportunity to take home a singular WCS trophy. While there are still Koreans—4, in fact—in Premier League, Group A represents the first all foreigner group in the Round of 32.

Undoubtedly the most popular member of the group is Team Liquid's own (Z)Snute. Even though the Norse demigod had a good year in 2014—2nd at WEC, Ro4 at DH: Moscow, several Ro8s—absolute victory eluded him on the biggest stages. However, the biggest knock on his pedigree has been his inability to surmount the throngs of Europeans in WCS in order to defend the continent from its invaders. His placements in SC2's premier tournament circuit plunged from Ro8, to Ro16, to Ro32, and it will continue to be the asterisk beside any assertion that he is the best foreigner currently playing the game.

The new WCS system will be his opportunity to change that. His 74.32% winrate against non-Koreans is striking, and should he perform up to this lofty standard there should be little standing in his way towards the playoffs. Of course, that's what we repeatedly said last year before he lost to Harstem and Miniraser in Seasons 2 and 3 to be knocked out early. But form is a powerful thing, and Snute is currently on a 13 series unbeaten run against foreigners, with a match score of 31-1 during that time. Certainly an incredible streak, but Mr Swarm Host still has something to prove in WCS, and he must dispel any inkling of overconfidence that he might feel.

His greatest threat will likely be (Z)XiGua. The Chinese zerg has been around forever—even when Starcraft 2 had yet to be released in China—and he dominated their scene in 2011 with 5 major wins. Since then he has become one of the staple Chinese players in WCS AM, though his reign atop the Chinese scene has now been usurped by Jim (and arguably others, like MacSed or TooDming). The 28 year old "Chicken Buster" remains a strong contender as his nickname implies, but it also appears to be a limitation. His Chinese nickname is an idiom for someone who "never loses to someone he shouldn't lose to". XiGua eats underperforming or unknown players like "chicken" for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but he has also been unable to beat the cream of the crop. The Watermelon Zerg has repeatedly choked on the Korean Corn Cob, but that won't be a problem for now.

While Astrea should be one of his chickens, uThermal will present more of a problem. One of XiGua's most memorable games last year was his collapse against Heart, where he failed to transition from muta ling bling and was outmatched by Heart's micro. That hardheadedness is often his downfall, and he must remain open minded in his approach in a potential match against uThermal. He has lost just about every ZvT he has played against non-chickens, and the Dutch Terran should prove difficult to chew.

In order to advance to his first Ro16, (T)uThermal will likely have to get the best of at least one zerg. It remains his worst matchup statistically at 58%, but his matches against DongRaeGu (1-3), TerrOr (2-1) and Solar (1-2) recently showed that he is competent albeit unspectacular. He mopped up Bly in Challenger League in order to make it this far, and he defeated four other zergs in the qualifiers. After cleaning up in online tournaments throughout 2014, it's now uThermal's chance to become one of Europe's terran hopes. Fortunately, there aren't any terrans in Group A, the matchup he insists is his worst..

As for (P)Astrea, there's really not much to say. He defeated a Scarlett that had rarely practiced, once in the qualifiers and again in Challenger League, but the games did not look pretty. It appeared that it was Scarlett conceding into retirement rather than Astrea making a statement of intent. Their game on Deadwing was particularly difficult to watch, as both players looked bent on throwing away the game. Fortunately for the young protoss, all it takes is one good outing to change everyone's perception of his play. There's a good chance that nerves and inexperience played a role in his poor series against the retired Canadian, and he's being tossed from the waffle iron and into the oven that is Premier League. And there's no better place to change our minds.

Overall Predictions:

Let's get one thing straight: Snute is the favorite. Yet that seems to be a burden more than a blessing for him, as he continues to impress more in tournaments he can't win (by defeating Koreans) than in tournaments that he should (by losing to foreigners). He's basically a reverse XiGua, and the two players will likely meet one way or the other. uThermal will be the difference maker in Group A, and his TvZ will be put to the test. As for the youngster Astrea, he'll need a few more seasons before we can really write anything about him.

XiGua > Astrea
uThermal < Snute
XiGua < Snute
Astrea < uThermal
XiGua < uThermal

(Z)Snute and (T)uThermal to advance.

Writers: lichter.
Editors: lichter.
Graphics: v1.
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TL+ Member
The_Templar
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
your Country52797 Posts
February 14 2015 13:00 GMT
#2
Can't really argue with these predictions, seems clear-cut. Maybe Xigua will surprise or uThermal will screw up?
Moderatorshe/her
TL+ Member
SetGuitarsToKill
Profile Blog Joined December 2013
Canada28396 Posts
February 14 2015 13:03 GMT
#3
On February 14 2015 22:00 The_Templar wrote:
Can't really argue with these predictions, seems clear-cut. Maybe Xigua will surprise or uThermal will screw up?


I think Xigua can do it.

Also, retired, retired... she can still come back! I mean, it's super unlikely, but I have faith.
Community News"As long as you have a warp prism you can't be bad at harassment" - Maru | @SetGuitars2Kill
OtherWorld
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
France17333 Posts
February 14 2015 13:09 GMT
#4
Such bold predictions.
Anyway GO SNUTE you're the best at this, wreck them all (:
Used Sigs - New Sigs - Cheap Sigs - Buy the Best Cheap Sig near You at www.cheapsigforsale.com
ROOTSolO
Profile Joined April 2012
Norway37 Posts
February 14 2015 13:46 GMT
#5
Astrea fighting <3
https://twitter.com/ROOT_SolO
digmouse
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
China6327 Posts
February 14 2015 13:48 GMT
#6
#2 is a toss up betwen uThermal and XiGua.
TranslatorIf you want to ask anything about Chinese esports, send me a PM or follow me @nerddigmouse.
MavivaM
Profile Joined November 2011
1535 Posts
February 14 2015 13:48 GMT
#7
Snute seems a safe pick, but I'm really interested in uThermal: relentless multipronged aggression seems like the "correct" way to play terran, and currently I don't see many EU players who can do that at a seriously competitive level.
Going with the article's predictions this time!
Your Opinion has been counted. Only 3 more Opinions needed for a reddit thread.
digmouse
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
China6327 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-14 14:18:07
February 14 2015 13:50 GMT
#8
On February 14 2015 22:48 MavivaM wrote:
Snute seems a safe pick, but I'm really interested in uThermal: relentless multipronged aggression seems like the "correct" way to play terran, and currently I don't see many EU players who can do that at a seriously competitive level.
Going with the article's predictions this time!

Arguably Bunny is the best aggression EU Terran, tho uThermal could be a close second along with Happy.
TranslatorIf you want to ask anything about Chinese esports, send me a PM or follow me @nerddigmouse.
Megafather
Profile Joined February 2015
138 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-14 14:12:03
February 14 2015 14:10 GMT
#9
Major? Just asking.

Edit: Or are you just talking about european terrans?
Boucot
Profile Blog Joined October 2011
France15997 Posts
February 14 2015 14:15 GMT
#10
On February 14 2015 22:50 digmouse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 14 2015 22:48 MavivaM wrote:
Snute seems a safe pick, but I'm really interested in uThermal: relentless multipronged aggression seems like the "correct" way to play terran, and currently I don't see many EU players who can do that at a seriously competitive level.
Going with the article's predictions this time!

Arguably Bunny is the best aggression Terran, tho uThermal could be a close second along with Happy.

MarineLorD is the best 2-raxer though.

I predicted Snute first and XiGua second but it's going to be really close for the second place with uThermal. I really don't know who's the better player.
Former SC2 writer for Millenium - twitter.com/Boucot
digmouse
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
China6327 Posts
February 14 2015 14:17 GMT
#11
On February 14 2015 23:10 Megafather wrote:
Major? Just asking.

Edit: Or are you just talking about european terrans?

Yeah European. Edited my post.
TranslatorIf you want to ask anything about Chinese esports, send me a PM or follow me @nerddigmouse.
Zenbrez
Profile Joined June 2012
Canada5973 Posts
February 14 2015 14:21 GMT
#12
Is this offline?
Refer to my post.
OtherWorld
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
France17333 Posts
February 14 2015 14:33 GMT
#13
On February 14 2015 23:21 Zenbrez wrote:
Is this offline?

It is.
Used Sigs - New Sigs - Cheap Sigs - Buy the Best Cheap Sig near You at www.cheapsigforsale.com
Megafather
Profile Joined February 2015
138 Posts
February 14 2015 14:34 GMT
#14
On February 14 2015 23:21 Zenbrez wrote:
Is this offline?


yep, in a studio in the states

On February 14 2015 23:17 digmouse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 14 2015 23:10 Megafather wrote:
Major? Just asking.

Edit: Or are you just talking about european terrans?

Yeah European. Edited my post.


My bad actually, it was clearly about eu.


Aridhol
Profile Joined June 2013
Germany59 Posts
February 14 2015 14:50 GMT
#15
Hope for Snute and Xigua.
Enstein
Profile Joined April 2013
Russian Federation134 Posts
February 14 2015 14:53 GMT
#16
The link on the Teamliquid.net home page is wrong - had to search for this manually, admins please fix it
Rooting for MaNa, Snute and Bunny. Europe holds!
swag_bro
Profile Blog Joined July 2014
Japan782 Posts
February 14 2015 15:01 GMT
#17
On February 14 2015 22:50 digmouse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 14 2015 22:48 MavivaM wrote:
Snute seems a safe pick, but I'm really interested in uThermal: relentless multipronged aggression seems like the "correct" way to play terran, and currently I don't see many EU players who can do that at a seriously competitive level.
Going with the article's predictions this time!

Arguably Bunny is the best aggression EU Terran, tho uThermal could be a close second along with Happy.


Happy? No. this will be an offline event, and the Russian casters will probably have delay this time.

User was temp banned for this post.
They hate us 'cause they ain't us.
OtherWorld
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
France17333 Posts
February 14 2015 15:02 GMT
#18
On February 15 2015 00:01 swag_bro wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 14 2015 22:50 digmouse wrote:
On February 14 2015 22:48 MavivaM wrote:
Snute seems a safe pick, but I'm really interested in uThermal: relentless multipronged aggression seems like the "correct" way to play terran, and currently I don't see many EU players who can do that at a seriously competitive level.
Going with the article's predictions this time!

Arguably Bunny is the best aggression EU Terran, tho uThermal could be a close second along with Happy.


Happy? No. this will be an offline event, and the Russian casters will probably have delay this time.

Someone's not afraid of being hammered down once more >.>
Used Sigs - New Sigs - Cheap Sigs - Buy the Best Cheap Sig near You at www.cheapsigforsale.com
Seiniyta
Profile Joined May 2010
Belgium1815 Posts
February 14 2015 15:05 GMT
#19
Ugh, this one is so late >.>
Pokemon Master
TsogiMaster
Profile Joined October 2014
191 Posts
February 14 2015 15:13 GMT
#20
I will go wtih Xigua and Snute.
Gaming is love. Gaming is life.
BaneRiders
Profile Joined August 2013
Sweden3630 Posts
February 14 2015 15:39 GMT
#21
On February 15 2015 00:05 Seiniyta wrote:
Ugh, this one is so late >.>


Yeah, that really sucks. They could have started at noon local time, would that be so terrible? I wonder what kind of viewer counts the groups played in the US will get compared to those in Germany...
Earth, Water, Air and Protoss!
BaneRiders
Profile Joined August 2013
Sweden3630 Posts
February 14 2015 15:40 GMT
#22
Also I think EU will hold here, Snute and uThermal will move on.
Earth, Water, Air and Protoss!
Cricketer12
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
United States13970 Posts
February 14 2015 16:33 GMT
#23
Oh no swag bro got hit again!
Kaina + Drones Linkcro Summon Cupsie Yummy Way
Shrinkzxo
Profile Blog Joined August 2014
Dotoland672 Posts
February 14 2015 18:05 GMT
#24
I know it is clichéd, but I still say it is TL bias.
https://twitter.com/shrinkzxo
OtherWorld
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
France17333 Posts
February 14 2015 18:08 GMT
#25
On February 15 2015 01:33 Cricketer12 wrote:
Oh no swag bro got hit again!

Called it.
Used Sigs - New Sigs - Cheap Sigs - Buy the Best Cheap Sig near You at www.cheapsigforsale.com
Die4Ever
Profile Joined August 2010
United States17646 Posts
February 14 2015 19:26 GMT
#26
dammit swag_bro, try not to get banned
"Expert" mods4ever.com
Makro
Profile Joined March 2011
France16890 Posts
February 14 2015 19:46 GMT
#27
On February 15 2015 01:33 Cricketer12 wrote:
Oh no swag bro got hit again!

here we go #freeswag_bro
Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of shitposting, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
TL+ Member
TheDwf
Profile Joined November 2011
France19747 Posts
February 14 2015 19:47 GMT
#28
On February 15 2015 03:05 Shrinkzxo wrote:
I know it is clichéd, but I still say it is TL bias.

No cliché, TL bias is the main explanation to most disasters in the world
w3c.TruE
Profile Joined November 2013
Czech Republic1055 Posts
February 14 2015 22:42 GMT
#29
Snute and uThermal, EZ.
Dream, Dark, herO, PartinG, RorO, Bbyong, Rain, soO, PtitDrogo <3. Goodbye RorO, MC you were awesome! You will be remembered!
Antatra
Profile Joined April 2014
5 Posts
February 15 2015 09:14 GMT
#30
Are the VODs out yet?
Sharkken
Profile Joined October 2012
Jordan141 Posts
February 15 2015 10:13 GMT
#31
What's with the stupid timing???!!! I had to miss all games because I have work in the morning, I can watch GSL but not WCS!!!! that weird bro.
Liquid HerO Best Toss in the World
Antatra
Profile Joined April 2014
5 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-15 10:33:30
February 15 2015 10:33 GMT
#32
VODs are of course out here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-tournaments/119948-small-sc2-vod-thread
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