EPTSBENU GSL
Season 2 Code S
Time to Go Solo
Solar, Sorry, GuMiho, Rain
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
Time to Go Solo
by lichter
In the age of Proleague, one of the best reflections of a player's form is their team league production. With each team playing week in and week out, we get to see the best players—usually the ones battling in big-time individual leagues—play against each other. For outsiders trying to discern the results of next week's group stages, it has become a surrogate barometer for someone's condition. Although the correlation between PL performance and individual league performance is sketchy at best, the former occasionally serves as a reification of Chekhov's gun. Observe some perfectly executed timings out of a formerly washed-up relic, and you know that turnaround will pay dividends in a few weeks. That measuring stick is of no use for Group A. Rain and GuMiho don't play in Proleague these days, Sorry is largely stuck on the bench as an alternate, and Solar has always been the last person you'd trust to carry over success from one format to another.
On paper,
Solar should be Samsung's ace. He has the best results by far, he has shown his ability is a consistent vector, and he is the team's most charismatic figure. Sadly, his current legacy is one of exclusive disjunction: he will astound us with a sweeping LAN victory or an all-kill against the best competition. but never simultaneously. The inability to tap into both states, even for a brief moment, is a mystery lingering over his head. Last season Solar qualified for both tournaments with ease and while he didn't win either, his results were fairly good within context. He immediately dropped in the NSSL, but it was against a TvZ savant in Dream; he narrowly missed out on Code S Ro4 against eventual runner-up PartinG. His GSL showings demonstrated he is one of the best Zergs in Korea, combining a strong backbone of defense with some clever tricks. During this time, he has amassed an abysmal record of 1-9 in Proleague. His opponents have all been the best players around, but someone of his pedigree should alter the chances to a coinflip. The failure to turn it around after 2 miserable rounds is unforgivable, especially since Samsung seems to have with all the other pieces in place. Despite that monumental struggle, Solar remains a great player. His ZvP has always stood out among his peers, where his penchant for finding small holes has shined the most. Such expertise is not replicated in his current ZvT, which has evolved into a major stumbling block. Although he turned around his NSSL loss to Dream in their Code S rematch, he has since gone 6-13 in the matchup. His struggle is emblematic of many Zergs: vulnerable in the early game, strong in the midgame, anemic in the late game. If he's unable to take a big advantage from the ling/bling/muta stage, he may have a difficult time against his two Terran opponents.
The antithesis to Solar's Ace-in-a-Slump, the bright newcomer
Sorry is the latest promising talent from SKT T1's Terran line. He's been on the team's books since 2013, but he's only made token appearances in Proleague and Code A so far. He's finally made up for lost time, though he almost crumbled against a struggling TaeJa. Besides those facts we don't know much about him stylistically or personally, His match history suggests he can best all of the bottom dwellers without touching established threats. He only had to defeat Kan, Stork, and Alicia to qualify for Code A (he lost to MyuNgSiK as well) , and all his other qualifying runs have been stopped by the cream of the crop. This will be Sorry's biggest test so far: will he be mid-tier filler or will he be able to claim a regular berth in the toughest league imaginable? He has shown us no concrete reason to believe in him, but he could make a few fans in his debut with flashy play.That, of course, is
GuMiho's bread and butter. The Towel Terran plays with a certain untethered joy, attacking where others dare not attack, moving where others dare not stand, dropping where others dare not fly. It's this chaotic underpinning that has made him a fan favorite since the dawn of Starcraft 2, and he remained a popular player even during his lowest career arcs. After an eternity in the gallows, GuMibro announced his return last season by qualifying for GSL and NSSL. Yes, he did crash out in both group stages but he did it his way, sticking to his own style. This season, he only has Code S after suffering heartbreak in one of the most difficult NSSL qualifying groups ever seen. After plowing through Terminator, Rain and Soulkey, he was stopped by Dark at the last step, Soulkey in the rematch, and DongRaeGu in the wildcard bracket. His TvZ looked vulnerable, but he did sandblast Impact in the most lopsided Code A series of the season. In many ways his style has been perfected by the likes of Maru and Dream, and it'll be interesting to see whether he can elevate his play to match them.That style will be put to the test against
Rain, once renowned as the best defensive Protoss in Aiur. In a show of strength matched only by a few, Rain has made 6 consecutive Ro16s (including WCS KR S2). That consistency can be forgotten and even downplayed considering the expectations, and for many fans his recent form represents a low point in his career. He hasn't won a tournament in over a year: IEM San Jose was his last chance at a title, and he's failed to reach the semi finals since March 2014. That's a very long time for someone of his stature, and he's naturally tumbled down the Protoss ladder behind the likes of herO, Zest, and PartinG. Harsh assessment aside, it's a just assessment considering the wealth of talent the race possesses.Last season, he matched his status quo by beating Panic and Life before stumbling against Rogue and Dream. While the paragon of standard remains nearly impenetrable in standard games, he is still vulnerable against unorthodox strategies. Solar might not be as unconventional as Rogue, but he is known to throw in strange build orders in spasms. GuMiho has also beaten Rain in every series they have ever played, so we could see Rain out of the Ro32 for the first time in almost 2 years. It is paramount to Rain's success that he knows what his opponent plans. Expect map vision to be the crux of his victory/defeat. While many current Protosses have designed their approach after the mYi star, the successful ones have an unaccounted factor that carries them beyond consistency. What was once Rain's X-factor is now the norm, and it's good enough to carry him for the Ro16. However, everyone knows the Ro16 is not good enough for Rain, and he knows that it will take something special to set himself apart.
Overall Thoughts and Predictions:
Based on recent individual league success, it looks like Solar and Rain are both locks for the Ro16. They've done it before and odds are they'll do it again. Much of this group will be decided by how high GuMiho and Sorry can reach. The Towel Terran has been ascending since the beginning of the year, and Sorry is one of the few genuinely new faces in Code S from the past few seasons. While Solar and Rain are coasting, GuMiho and Sorry are still looking up. Something tells me at least one of the two will be looking down from above after this group.
Solar > Sorry
Rain < GuMiho
Solar < GuMiho
Rain > Sorry
Solar < Rain
GuMiho and Rain advance.
