EPTWCS Season One
Premier League
WCS Ro32 Group E
puCK, FireCake, Sen, ForGG
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
WCS Premier League
Ro32 Group E
Saturday, Feb 21 5:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00)
The revamped World Championship Series is the tournament that gathers all of the world's best foreigners into one league. It is the pinnacle of competition, and everyone has a chance of making it as long as they have the skill, the determination, and a valid passport. Except if you come from a state or country with incompatible sports gambling laws, that is.
As one of the bigger controversies for the new system,
puCK was almost completely barred from competing in Premier League due to a few quirky state laws. Some state laws considered Blizzard's sponsorship of the game it created a form of conflict of interest, and the lateness in which the WCS Handbook was released meant that puCK would not have been able to switch states in time for his group. Fortunately, a solution was found and the American protoss won't have to forfeit his spot in the Round of 32. For now, he's still in Premier League, but he faces a tough challenge in keeping his dreams alive. puCK may have developed a reputation for being a tough and resilient sunofabitch, but it takes more than going down with a fight to survive in Premier League. As mentioned in previous articles, puCK enjoys playing a reactive and versatile style. He looks at his opponents' plans and tries to fashion a suitable response as proven by his manhandling of Guitarcheese in Challenger. Though he does like to use immortal based armies for PvZ, he isn't averse to other tech paths when necessary. PvZ remains his best matchup, and we'll likely get to see how puCK handles late game scenarios in his first match of the night.
That first obstacle will be the notorious
FireCake, and a very long, drawn out series could be in store for us. FireCake revels in playing the most frustrating styles possible, and his play often matches his persona: infuriating, brash, and unapologetic. While some have earmarked him as a Stephano 2.0, the Frenchman has yet to hit the heights of his predecessor, and it's difficult to believe he can invent something as reviled as the Stephano Roach Max. He defeated Starbuck in Challenger League by simply playing better, and there was little to draw from that series aside from the fact that he deserves to be here. If there's one thing to expect, it's probably swarm hosts against puCK, and ForGG's mech should it happen. He's not quite as mobile as Soulkey or as positionally aware as Snute, but FireCake knows how to drain the spirit from his opponents, and that's gotta count for something. Be ready for a long night.
Although one of the above players will end up in the winners' match, it's hard to argue that they'd be the favorites against the other two members of the group.
As one of the most successful foreigners of all time,
Sen has reached that mythical stage in his career where everybody respects him and nobody can ever count him out of randomly winning any tournament he enters. In 2014, he did it twice, first in January at ECL and then at Taiwan Open in August. Everyone knows by now that he's one of the few foreigners that has won a big tournament attended by Koreans in the past 3 years, and it's customary for him to throw his name into the ballot for best foreigner of the year out of nowhere. The well-loved old timer is just a gift that keeps on giving, and he's become one of the most universally liked players of all time.That said, WCS just hasn't been his tournament. He's never made it past of the Ro16, and he's even had stints in Challenger League. That's really bizarre for someone that can beat Bomber in a finals, albeit on home soil, and it seems like there's just something standing in his way in tournaments called WCS. Regularity isn't something Sen has been good at over the years, and his losses have often come in normal games. His experience against Has (who he dominates) and other Chinese and Taiwanese players has essentially made him immune to weirdness, and he could find himself in a hole if his groupmates play standard. His recent poor showing at IEM Taipei, where he crashed out 0-4 in a tough group, doesn't bode well for him, but that has always been Sen's way. Suck sometimes, win sometimes, smile all the time.
Unfortunately, he has to face
ForGG in his first match of the evening. The Millenium terran finally broke his duck at DreamHack Winter, but it seems like that tournament could remain the exception rather than the start of a new trend. A good string of results was dampened by a disappointing Ro16 exit at IEM Taipei, where ForGG lost all 4 of his games. He was ousted with a whimper, and he didn't even manage to beat Life, who he appeared to have had figured out at DreamHack. His play was poor and rusty, and he showed none of the decisiveness and control that allowed him to claim his first title. The banshee-infused mech play that he had used to down Life looked impotent the third time around, and it now looks like DreamHack was just a moment of inspiration.Even with these tempered expectations, ForGG should still win Group E. He's on a 35 match unbeaten run against foreigners, and his 75% winrate against them is still strong. Against zerg, expect him to play the same banshee mech style that he's revived in recent months, though playing bio is not out of the question. He's far more standard in TvP, and there's little question that the quality of opposition in this group is far less than what he's had to beat since his quarter final exit in WCS EU S3. ForGG gets to play this group on home turf, and he's not going to lose to foreigners just yet.
Overall thoughts and prediction:
puCK and FireCake strolled through Challenger League, but they now have to face two of the oldest and most experienced players in SC2. Sen and ForGG are both Premier Tournament winners, and their pedigree alone should make them favorites. While ForGG is almost certain of advancement, Sen has traditionally struggled in WCS having never made it past the Ro16. That's a big question mark on his resume, and it's not inconceivable that a good plan from either puCK or FireCake could knock him out.
puCK > FireCake
Sen < ForGG
FireCake < Sen
puCK < ForGG
Sen < puCK
ForGG and puCK to advance.
