WCS Season One
Premier League

WCS Ro32 Group G
MorroW, Hydra, ShoWTimE, iAsonu

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

Friday, Feb 27 11:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00)


When everyone was forced to go back home to Korea, one man chose to travel in the opposite direction. With the help of ROOT, he was able to acquire an athlete's VISA and the accreditation necessary to compete in WCS. After spending 6 years in Korea as a workhorse for Hite Sparkyz and then CJ Entus, Hydra chose to follow the footsteps of other progamers that had begun to yearn for the adventure of foreign leagues.

Of all the former champions that have migrated to WCS in the past—ForGG, Mvp, MMA, MC, the list goes on—Hydra can perhaps be considered the most obscure. As a MSL winner just like ForGG, Hydra's career was supposed to take off in 2011. The retirement of EffOrt combined with his rising stature meant that he was appointed the next great zerg, but his star failed to fuse. He remained a serviceable starter for CJ Entus in Proleague and he reached the semi finals in 2 more tournaments, but that would be it for him. When KeSPA transitioned to SC2, not much changed. Realizing that his career had reached a plateau, he followed ForGG's lead and hopped on a plane to try and live a different life.

Since the turn of the year, Hydra has been on a tear. He is 104-37 in games and 75-13 against foreigners. There really is no reason to believe that Hydra won't go far in WCS, and his form suggests that very few will be able to stop him. Though his games can appear sloppy at times, Hydra has some of the best mechanics in the business. It doesn't look as fancy as some of the other zergs' micro—runbys and burrow roach harass aren't trademarks of his play—but Hydra is one of those players that is impossible to frustrate with multitasking. It often covers up some deficiencies of attention, but he has never let his one bad eye keep him from competing at the highest level. WCS is his chance to recapture the glory of 2011, something his compatriot ForGG only recently attained.

Similarly, MorroW is a champion that many may have forgotten. He won the very first premier tournament in SC2 history, claiming the gold at IEM Cologne 2010 over Idra in the finals. There weren't any Korean at that tournament, and it was at a time when cheese pretty much reigned supreme, but it was a legitimate win by one of SC2's earliest innovators. He's fallen down the pecking order since 2011, but he remains a competitive player and a consistent Premier League threat.

While many consider him over the hill, MorroW has experience a second wind. He is one of the hottest players in Europe based on form, and he's currently on an 11 match winning streak. While his winrates are inflated by wins over no-names online, MorroW is still 43-18 (70.49%) in 2015. That renewed vigor comes at the perfect time, as this presents his best chance to reach the Ro16 of a premier tournament in a long, long time. If he ever hopes to remind us of his championship past, now is the time to do so.

Looking wistfully at those histories are the newcomers ShoWTimE and iAsonu.

For followers of WCS EU, ShoWTimE has become a familiar name as this is his 4th season in Premier League. He's only made it to the Ro16 once, and he's one of those players that has yet to carve out a niche for himself in the eyes of a wider audience. His defining moment for many remains his double win over Mvp, but he also won two ESL Pro Series: Germany titles in 2014. The German is actually the highest ranking player from his country on Aligulac right now, and just outside the top 10 for non-Koreans.

Yet the expectations that come with those numbers must be dampened with actual results. ShoWTimE waited for the very last day to qualify for Challenger League through the last chance bracket, losing matches to Complain, Boombox and PsiOniC along the way. He isn't immune to losing against middle tier Europeans, but he did beat Lilbow to reach Premier League. This could be as far as he gets, however, as he has yet to show the ability necessary to reach the Ro16 consistently. Fortunately for him, the group may line up well for him. He faces a zerg first and likely another zerg in the winners' match should he win, avoiding his current terran handicap (60% winrate but 4-7 form). He has gone 25-7 in his recent PvZs, and he must capitalize on his 64% winrate to advance. Players should be well aware of his penchant for greedy builds, and he'll have to tighten the ship to ensure he isn't broken before he's ready to push.

Like other groups, a new name is welcomed into the fiery pit of Premier League: iAsonu. It's a name unfamiliar to most, as he had only made one appearance in Challenger League before this season. The Chinese zerg isn't as well traveled as the likes of XiGua or TooDming, but like many of China's best players, he plays for Invictus Gaming. The undergraduate student is slowly making a name for himself in local tournaments, placing 2nd in the 2014 G-League (2-3 vs Jim in the finals) and National Electronic Sports Tournament (0-2 to XY in the finals). He's beaten all the big name Chinese players in their tournaments, and all he needs now is to become a recognizable name in WCS.

Based on the few times we've seen him, iAsonu prefers to play macro games. His aim is always to reach the late game, and his style is reminiscent of the SKT zerg Dark. It will match up well with how ShoWTimE likes to play, but we haven't really seen what compositions or builds the Chinese zerg prefers. For all we know, he could surprise us all with a varied, well prepared set of strategies. For now, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Overall outlook and predictions:

When Challenger League was concluded, many sarcastically predicted an all Korean semi finals. One has already fallen, but it's difficult to imagine two going down in the Ro32. Hydra may not have the foreign experience that was insufficient for viOLet, but he's a capable player that has proven immune to foreigners so far. As for the three remaining players, ShoWTimE is the man with trajectory, MorroW the man with history, and iAsonu the man of mystery. For now, I side with momentum.

MorroW < Hydra
ShoWTimE > iAsonu
Hydra > ShoWTimE
MorroW > iAsonu
ShoWTimE > MorroW

Hydra and ShoWTimE to advance.

Writers: lichter.
Editors: lichter.
Graphics: v1.
Stats: Aligulac