EPTSBENU GSL
Season 2 Code S
A Year of Renewal
PartinG, RagnaroK, Dark, MyuNgSiK
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
A Year of Renewal
by munch
Ever since Blizzcon, a curious shift has emerged in the Starcraft scene. Where 2014 was the age of great macro champions, such as Zest, soO and INnoVation, we’ve recently seen the renewed importance of more micro intensive strategies. The new-old guard have fallen astray, with Maru, Dream, Life and PartinG taking their places as by far the most successful players in the new-look Starcraft scene for 2015. However, while Maru and Life reaped the rewards of the dual Starleague system,
PartinG was left with the scant reward of a pair of weekend championships at Gfinity and Copenhagen Games. For a player of his repute, his ongoing failure to capture that elusive GSL title must haunt him. This season marks his 14th consecutive season in Code S—a new record—but the truly notable aspect is how seldom he has challenged for the title. Last season marked the very first time that he had made it to the finals, and a single additional appearance in the semifinals back in 2012 shows that while PartinG has all but cemented his spot in Code S, it’s far too rare that he’s a true contender. Now in the best form of his career, this season is the time to change that.Speaking of players showcasing the best Starcraft of their career, 2015 has been the year that
Dark finally shed the dreaded ‘promising' tag. Having served lengthy apprenticeships, first at SlayerS and then at SKT, he’s finally emerged from the shadows. For years now, we’ve heard tales of the star zerg hidden away in the depths of his teamhouses, secretly outperforming his more illustrious practice partners, but until recently we had very little to show for it. The mass cleanout at SKT this year gave the young zerg his big shot, and in Proleague at least, Dark has delivered, sealing his spot as the team’s ace. For all his success in the team league format though, players will always be judged on their individual league results, and on that front, Dark still has plenty of work left to do. The crescendo of hype surrounding him as he qualified for dual Starleague Round of 16s was just as kneejerk as the chorus of boos when he fell immediately in both. Like many aspects of Starcraft, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of those two reactions; he’s certainly displayed plenty of skill in short bursts—notably making the semifinals at Katowice—but whether he has the experience and mindset to battle through a GSL bracket is quite another.Much like Dark,
RagnaroK has spent the early years of Starcraft in a fruitless quest for relevancy. First he was eclipsed by the hordes of zergs on TSL; then he was abandoned by the shady circumstances surrounding the disbandment of AZUBU. Finally, teamless and in search of a reason to keep fighting on, he hit the jackpot he had been searching for all career long. His top 6 finish at MLG Anaheim was by far the standout of his career so far. However, what should have proved a springboard to push on was anything but; RagnaroK fell out of Code A the following season, and disappeared from the public eye. However, just when it seemed that he would join the ever growing ranks of players spiralling off into retirement, his career got the shot in the arm it needed. Picked up by CJ Entus as their backup zerg, he finally found a spot on a stable team after a year in the wilderness. The results speak for themselves—this is his first appearance in a premier tournament since that MLG almost a year ago. It’s been a long time coming, but perhaps this is RagnaroK’s time to shine.MyuNgSiK has baffled me whenever he’s appeared this season. Serving as one of PRIME’s core players in Proleague, he was excellent whenever I wrote him off, and awful the moment I started to believe in him. A career best top 16 individual league placement last season was paired with wildly inconsistent performances in Proleague. Part of the issue may have been the sheer necessity for him to perform on such a weakened roster; anyone who remembers his failure for KT in the SPL playoffs last year against TRUE will have difficulty thinking of him as a clutch player when the pressure’s on. Maybe now that he’s moved to a more balanced Sbenu roster we’ll see the best of him.
Predictions
It would be an incredible shock for PartinG to fall out at this early stage. He stands on the cusp of a singular achievement—10 consecutive Round of 16 appearances in Code S—and one-upping the NesTea award would be a good demonstration of just how much better he is compared to the rest of his group. Of the other three, it all comes down to MyuNgSiK’s preparation on the day. Dark should be the clear favourite to advance in second place, but given the Sbenu protoss’s proclivities for trickery, his weakness in ZvP could prove to be his Achilles’ heel.
PartinG > RagnaroK
Dark > MyuNgSiK
PartinG > Dark
RagnaroK < MyuNgSiK
Dark > MyuNgSiK
PartinG and Dark to advance.
