WCS Season One
Premier League

WCS Ro32 Group H
iaguz, MacSed, HuK, Welmu

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

Saturday, Feb 28 11:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00)


With 8 zergs through to the Ro16, Group H arrives at the right time to try and sway the racial balance of power. While it won't be able to make much ground in that regard, this 3 protoss, 1 terran group is quietly one of the more talented foursomes in the Ro32.

As the sole terran in Group H, iaguz has the advantage of preparing for only one matchup. However, if you follow iaguz on twitter, you'd know that it's not a matchup he particularly likes. Or more accurately, he isn't very fond of the protoss race. This is his chance to eliminate two of their kind and stamp his name on the list of playoff contenders. His journey to Premier League hasn't been that smooth, however, as he placed third in the Australian qualifiers and almost capitulated his spot to EnDerr in Challenger. He scraped together a close 3-2 win after going down 1-2 against zerg all-ins, and it's a weakness that might be exploited by his opponents tonight. His 60% winrate is good, but many of his losses have actually come from Koreans in various tournaments. His numbers jump up to 70.63% against only foreigners, though he does possess a losing record against his first opponent.

The current flavor of mine drops and early marine move outs aligns well with iaguz's style, and Maru's recent demolition of herO in the Proleague Round 1 Playoffs should be the prototype that the Gimli Terran follows. As long as he is able to preserve his medivacs and mines while depleting the mothership core of energy, iaguz should be able to gain incremental advantages in the early game. Though he must be wary of the trap of harassing without purpose and focus on closing out games, iaguz has all the tools to repeat his glorious WCS S3 where he defeated Alicia and Jim to advance in first place of their group.

In his own words:


However, MacSed should have something to say about that. With a 9-2 record against iaguz all time, MacSed may have the mental advantage against his opponent. Though their most recent meeting in Kung Fu Cup last November ended in favor of the Australian, MacSed's PvT is still his best matchup by a hair. He has a history of using phoenix-colossus like most Chinese protoss, and we could see him rely on this composition to combat the possibility of drops. Yet should he fall against his first opponent, MacSed has always done best in the protoss mirror. His 56% winrate doesn't look impressive, but many of his losses have come against Koreans or his rival Jim, and his experience in the land of the strange gives him an advantage in atypical PvPs.

MacSed has now been in Premier League 6 consecutive times, though his results have started to wane. After peaking with consecutive Ro8s at the end of 2013, MacSed only advanced from a group stage once in 2014. With two Ro32 exits in Seasons 2 and 3, some may be ready to the Chinese veteran past his prime. But fan of the Chinese scene know that he continues to do well in local tournaments, reaching the finals in 3 major tournaments in 2014 and 1 in 2015. Though he has yet to claim the grand prize since June 2012, MacSed remains one of China's leaders.

For the other two players competing in Group H, their reputation as the best player from their respective countries is on the line. Kane and Serral surprised many by topping their Ro32 groups, meaning HuK and Welmu now have competition for the title of #1 player from Canada and Finland respectively.

After Scarlett's retirement, it appeared like HuK had a clear path to once again become Canada's leading export. He remains one of the few foreigners to ever win a premier tournament attended by Koreans, though that was way back in 2011. He has spent the past 4 years as an able competitor, but he's only reached the semi finals of a big tournament once since 2012. It once looked like HuK had settled into the middle of the pack, but a resurgent Ro8 berth in WCS AM Season 3 showed that he still has what it takes to storm the podium.

One of the most interesting facets of HuK's play is his love of gateways. It's a quirk well known to many, yet Koreans and foreigners alike still fall to his gateway attacks. It's difficult to tell whether his ability to win with such predictability is due to his self-proclaimed Top 3 Control or his game savvy developed over years of battle, but it just works. Even when it doesn't look like it'll work, HuK macgyvers a way to pull off a win. Although it's been a while since we've seen him consistently win in the late game, very few players can do more on two bases than this Evil Genius.

Scouting will be the key for Welmu if he wishes to continue his streak of never being knocked out in the Ro32. It's an impressive record that includes 3 Ro8s, and as we mentioned in his Challenger League preview, Welmu has put together a good case for himself as the best foreign player in WCS. His survival will depend on his ability to sniff out whatever his opponents have planned for him, as he has shown that his long game can compete with the best in the world. And though we've come to expect slow and steady styles from Welmu in both matchups, he has incorporated more all ins in his recent televised matches.

Since last we saw him, Welmu claimed first place at Assembly Winter for the second consecutive year, beating Serral to prove that he's still the Finnish King. With his compatriot through to the Ro16 for the first time in his career, Welmu will hope to match his rival's success and show the world that Finland should be considered one of the best countries in Europe.

Overall outlook and predictions:

iaguz is up against it with 3 very different protoss blocking his way to the Ro16, but he proved his mettle last year with his stomping of Jim and Alicia. As long as he plays confidently and watches out for all ins, iaguz's ceiling should keep climbing. That means there'll be PvPandemonium to decide 2nd place, and though all three are worthy, HuK should have the wherewithal to outlast the other two players.

iaguz > MacSed
HuK > Welmu
iaguz > HuK
MacSed < Welmu
HuK > Welmu

iaguz and HuK to advance.

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