EPTLet's Review...
by Darkhorse
Another exciting week of Proleague is in the books with results ranging from depressingly predictable (Jin Air vs Prime) to surprising and exciting (CJ vs MVP). The upstarts SBENU have been shot down and the standings are shifting towards the norm for 2015.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hIGPLQi.png)
There are quite a few things to take note of following week three. First, the Telecoms have taken the top two spots in the league heading into their week four showdown. The round two champions CJ have now lost two straight and still have to play KT and Jin Air, making it a possibility for them to finish under .500 for the round. SBENU may have lost this week but they are still certainly in contention for a playoff spot. Now that you know the broad storylines, let's get into the games.
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/a/a1/SBENUlogo_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/d/da/Rolsterlogo_std.png)
In the opening match SBENU, who were at the top of the standings following a week two win over Jin Air, faced their toughest challenge yet against KT and their former teammate, Life. The match started with a highly anticipated TvT pitting
MMA against Flash on Echo. Flash took some early damage from MMA's banshee, but rallied and actually had a somewhat hefty twenty supply lead going into the midgame. However, that was deceptive, as MMA's bio production kicked in and his upgrades were well ahead of his meching opponent. In the end, one solid engagement was the only thing MMA needed to decisively beat down Flash's hellbat heavy army and he took the first (and only) win for SBENU. Game two was probably the most exciting of this match, as it seemed
MyuNgSiK had caught Zest unawares with his early phoenix play. He sniped Zest's first mothership core, then built a void ray back home to be safe from any of Zest's stalker pressure. Both players pumped out as many phoenixes as they could, and the decisive moment came when Myungsik was across the map with his whole army. Zest swooped into Myungsik's main with a double digit phoenix count and killed nearly every probe the SBENU Protoss had. Myungsik, seeing no other option, decided to go for the throat and pushed into Zest's natural. Zest's few stalkers at home along with pulled probes managed to hold Myungsik's army until his phoenixes could get back home, and Zest ended up crushing Myungsik's army to pick up KT's first point of the match. 
Leenock vs Life got rolling quickly as Leenock attempted an early pool. Unfortunately for Leenock, Life is a master of those small engagements with drones, lings, and queens, and his brilliant hold put him in a position where his mutas came out quite a bit faster than Leenock's. While spore crawlers kept Life from straight up winning the game for a little while, Life always had the advantage in mutalisk count and never looked to be in serious danger after holding the first attack. Eventually, Leenock tried to fight Life's mutas head on, and when his last mutalisk fell he gave Life the GG. Finally we had the red hot
Stats facing Bomber, who still plays TvP like it is 2013. In case you couldn't guess from that previous sentence, Bomber went for an SCV pull. While the engagement was close, Stats had superb control with his phoenixes and colossus, eventually killing off Bomber's push and sealing the win for KT. ![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/e/ec/MVPlogo_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/d/dd/CJEntuslogo_std.png)
Our only upset of the week came in the form of MVP taking down the round two champions CJ Entus. This one was a bit of a shock, as CJ has surpassed their round two loss total already having now lost two straight in the first three weeks of round three. The match started with
DeParture showing the world that in Proleague, preparation can still allow you to beat a player that is significantly more skilled. While herO opted for a sentry heavy early game into a fast third nexus, Departure went for a very early burrow followed up by double roach warren to research both roach speed and tunneling claws. herO had only one immortal on the map when Departure's first wave of roaches crawled underneath his now essentially useless forcefields and the MVP Zerg devastated both the army and herO's third mineral line. herO's blink micro helped him stay in the game for a few more minutes but eventually the roach numbers were just too high and the upset was complete. Next,
GuMiho faced off against sKyHigh in a TvT that went horribly wrong for CJ right from the get go. Skyhigh attempted a very standard early marine drop with two hellions to support, but Gumiho's air tight defense resulted in Skyhigh losing every single unit in the drop without killing a single worker or army unit. While Gumiho's macro left a bit to be desired throughout the rest of the game, he never let his huge early advantage slip away and eventually won out with his mech composition over Skyhigh's bio/tank. In the third game
Hush continued to show that he is a master of PvP (4-0 so far in Proleague) and took out Panic in a long mirror match on Deadwing. While most of the game was about posturing and denying scouting, the key to Hush's victory ended up being his decision to go for Tempest tech and a mothership while Panic just tried to brute force his way to the win with archons and colossus. We all know tempest compositions are the superior late game compositions in PvP, and although Panic did a nice job limiting Hush's economy, his decision to never advance to the stargate side of the tech tree cost him the game. In game four,
ByuL simply outmaneuvered Losira completely in their ZvZ, as his lings constantly either canceled or killed the MVP Zerg's attempted third which led to his superior roach count winning the game ending engagement. CJ decided to put their faith in
herO for the ace match despite his loss earlier in the night, while MVP sent out YongHwa, who has been their most successful player this year (8-5 overall). The game quickly spiraled into the realm of the absurd as Yonghwa stole both of herO's gases, putting the CJ player's tech way behind. Then herO scouted Yonghwa's proxy oracle by chance as he attempted to set up his own proxy, but still lost twelve probes due to the fact that the gas delay left him with only two stalkers. While Yonghwa looked to be well ahead, herO performed the oldest trick in the book, "When behind, dark shrine". This is where things really started to get interesting. Yonghwa managed to push into herO's main and kill off his opponent's army, but DT defense wiped out much of his own. Meanwhile, DTs back at Yonghwa's main killed off every single probe but one and Yonghwa's stargate was temporarily unpowered, meaning he had no way to get more detection. Luckily for Yonghwa, he managed to get his last probe out and repower his stargate long enough to pump out one last oracle. The probe then died, leaving Yonghwa with no money and no hope of ever rebuilding. The unit count at this point: Yonghwa has two stalkers and one oracle. herO has two DTs and a probe. While herO keeps having his solitary probes sniped, he manages to get enough minerals every time to build another. Desperate, the CJ ace morphed his two DTs into an archon and the micro wars began. Eventually, Yonghwa's stalkers and oracle managed to get a good engagement on the lone archon and take it out, leaving herO with only two probes and no way to get back into the game, giving Yonghwa the hard fought GG and the victory to MVP. ![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/3/31/Green_Wings_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/8/84/Primelogo_std.png)
The third match of the week was one of the saddest things I have witnessed in around five years of watching Starcraft II. While people like to make jokes about Prime, I think most of us deep down are rooting for them just a little bit, which made this beat down just hard to watch. The first game of
Maru vs Creator should have been very exciting, as Creator is easily Prime's best player and the two of them had once been teammates, but Maru ended any intrigue the match had very early. He pulled out a two rax which Creator failed to scout, and his late zealot and mothership core were not enough to hold it off. Creator was visibly furious and disappointed with himself in the booth as he was forced to leave the game. The rest of the match went little better for Prime.
KeeN was put behind early against sOs' proxy oracle, and it seemed like every thing he tried to do to claw his way back into the game was thwarted. Drops were picked off or did little damage, pushes were turned back with relative ease, and sOs eventually just crushed Keen's army with a massive supply lead. Finally,
BBoongBBoong tried to answer the question that has already been answered a hundred times in ZvP: how many zerglings does it take to break through a Protoss wall? BBoongBBoong found out pretty quickly that throwing several hundred speedlings (yes, several hundred) at Trap's natural which was fortified with cannons and sentries, was never going to win him the game. He kept trying, however, long after most people would have attempted to get some kind of tech, so you have to give him a little credit for that. Eventually Trap had an army that could beat down the speedlings out on the map, and he pushed across for the easy GG. ![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/a/aa/Samsung_galaxy_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/0/06/SKT1logo_std.png)
The final match of the week pitted the first place SKT against the inexplicably bad Samsung. A roster that contains Solar, Dear, Reality, and Hurricane seems like it would be just fine in Proleague, but they have consistently been near the bottom of the table thus far. The first match was a ZvZ between
soO and Solar, who would have both once been considered the ace players on their respective teams. It was a fairly standard game, as neither player did anything out of the ordinary in their openers, and the game progressed into mid game roach fights. Solar attacked first and was beaten back by soO's defender's advantage. After a number of skirmishes and some weak attempted burrow harass by Solar, soO ended up with the upgrade lead. With superior micro in the roach vs roach engagements, soO eventually managed to win out in the roach wars, and there was no coming back for Solar. By the way, Solar's 2015 Proleague record? 1-11, which would be shockingly bad for TerrOr, let alone a player as talented as Solar, who by the way won Gfinity just a few weeks ago. Who knows if he'll be able to recover, but right now he is without a doubt the worst Proleague player of 2015. The second game between these two teams was a PvP between two masters of their craft,
Classic and Dear. While Classic opened with blink, Dear opted for early phoenixes. While Dear didn't manage to pull of the nifty snipe of the mothership core that Myungsik did against Zest the day earlier, he did fly circles around Classic for awhile, doing economic damage and getting a full scout of Classic's bases. Classic knew he had to do something drastic, so he hid two stargates on the far side of the map and started pumping out a HUGE number of phoenixes while Dear went the more standard route of teching to colossus. Although Classic managed to keep Dear bottled up on two bases and a low Probe count with his phoenixes for awhile, Dear was able to move out with a much larger colossus based army and ended up crushing Classic's mostly phoenix army in a straight up engagement to take the win. While the third match could have been a bit scary for
INnoVation and SKT, considering BrAvO has an excellent TvT record this year in Proleague, the SKT ace took care of business quite easily. Both players opened very safely and went into marine/tank compositions with Innovation focusing more heavily on air control. While Innovation moved out to pressure BrAvO's natural, the Samsung Terran managed to sneak a marine drop into Innovation's mineral line. His economy ravaged at home, Innovation saw no other option but to siege BrAvO's natural and try to win the game then and there. His air control allowed him to maintain high ground vision while denying vision to his opponent, which eventually allowed his tanks to destroy all of BrAvO's defense. After a tense back and forth siege, the final engagement was shockingly one sided as BrAvO's tanks all went down for free and Innovations superior viking count demolished all of his opponents air units. 2-1 SKT. The final match of the night was TvT yet again.
Dream and Reality both safely went into mech armies but there were a few key philosophical differences in their play styles. Reality seemed to want air control at all costs, and subsequently ended up having the viking lead by double digits at some points. Dream, on the other hand, prioritized harassment with his blue flame hellions and opted to just build a few thors to counter the vikings. Dream had done plenty of economic damage with his harassment, and in the first major engagement he simply landed all of his own vikings, leaving Reality with a cloud of wasted supply with nothing to shoot at. Dream then sieged Reality's side of the map with his vastly superior tank count and Reality rolled the dice one last time by sending his massive viking count to land in Dream's natural. Eventually Dream was able to clean up all of the vikings in his base and simply pushed through Reality's much smaller ground army to seize control of Reality's main ramp, and eventually, the victory.Welcome to GSTL 2015!
by Darkhorse
+ Show Spoiler [Round 4 Lineups] +
2015 Proleague/Round 3/Round Robin![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t21SI.png)
Monday, Jun 01 9:30am GMT (GMT+00:00)
Dear < Coda LE > TANGTANGHurricane < Echo LE > KeeNJourney < Vaani Research Station > YoDaReality < Deadwing LE > CreatorAce:
Cactus Valley LE
+ Show Spoiler [2015 Proleague Record] +
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Dear - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/958_Dear">Dear</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="TANGTANG - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/5813_TANGTANG">TANGTANG</a>
Record 9-7 (13th) 0-2 (63rd)
Last 10 wlwwwlllww --------ll
PvT 3-4 (16th) 0-1 (56th)
Last 5 wwlll ----l
<a target="_blank" title="Coda LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/696_Coda%20LE">Coda LE</a> 0-1 (8th) 0-0
(PvT 1-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Hurricane - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/3815_Hurricane">Hurricane</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="KeeN - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2242_KeeN">KeeN</a>
Record 2-4 (46th) 0-4 (69th)
Last 10 ----wllwll ------llll
PvT 1-2 (34th) 0-2 (65th)
Last 5 --wll ---ll
<a target="_blank" title="Echo LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/697_Echo%20LE">Echo LE</a> 0-0 0-1 (11th)
(PvT 1-3)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Journey - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/4375_Journey">Journey</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="YoDa - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2039_YoDa">YoDa</a>
Record 2-2 (41st) 5-11 (24th)
Last 10 ------lwwl wwwlllllll
TvT 1-1 (30th) 4-2 (9th)
Last 5 ---lw wwwll
<a target="_blank" title="Vaani Research St... - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/684_Vaani%20Research%20St...">Vaani Research St...</a> 0-0 0-1 (23rd)
(TvT x3)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Reality - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/712_Reality">Reality</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Creator - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2838_Creator">Creator</a>
Record 3-3 (33rd) 5-9 (23rd)
Last 10 ----wwllwl wwllllllwl
TvP 1-1 (35th) 1-3 (39th)
Last 5 ---lw -wlll
<a target="_blank" title="Deadwing LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/672_Deadwing%20LE">Deadwing LE</a> 0-1 (27th) 1-3 (25th)
(TvP 11-4) Most played map (4)
<a target="_blank" title="Cactus Valley LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/685_Cactus%20Valley%20LE">Cactus Valley LE</a>
Most played <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="BrAvO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/689_BrAvO">BrAvO</a> (0-1) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Creator - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2838_Creator">Creator</a> (0-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="KeeN - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2242_KeeN">KeeN</a> (0-1)
Best player <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="BrAvO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/689_BrAvO">BrAvO</a> (0-1) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Creator - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2838_Creator">Creator</a> (0-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="KeeN - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2242_KeeN">KeeN</a> (0-1)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/tSDelDT.png)
MMA < Vaani Research Station > GuMihojjakji < Cactus Valley LE > PanicDongRaeGu < Echo LE > HerOBomber < Expedition Lost > SeedAce:
Coda LE
+ Show Spoiler [2015 Proleague Record] +
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="MMA - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/665_MMA">MMA</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="GuMiho - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2106_GuMiho">GuMiho</a>
Record 2-0 (37th) 2-0 (37th)
Last 10 --------ww --------ww
TvT 2-0 (17th) 1-0 (23rd)
Last 5 ---ww ----w
<a target="_blank" title="Vaani Research St... - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/684_Vaani%20Research%20St...">Vaani Research St...</a> 0-0 1-0 (4th)
(TvT x3)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="jjakji - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1979_jjakji">jjakji</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Panic - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/5346_Panic">Panic</a>
Record 0-0 3-2 (30th)
Last 10 ---------- -----lwwwl
TvP 0-0 1-0 (23rd)
Last 5 ----- ----w
<a target="_blank" title="Cactus Valley LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/685_Cactus%20Valley%20LE">Cactus Valley LE</a> 0-0 0-0
(TvP 1-2)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="DongRaeGu - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2627_DongRaeGu">DongRaeGu</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="HerO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/222_HerO">HerO</a>
Record 2-0 (37th) 2-3 (44th)
Last 10 --------ww -----lllww
ZvP 1-0 (27th) 0-2 (68th)
Last 5 ----w ---ll
<a target="_blank" title="Echo LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/697_Echo%20LE">Echo LE</a> 0-0 1-0 (1st)
(ZvP 0-2)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Bomber - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/561_Bomber">Bomber</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Seed - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2321_Seed">Seed</a>
Record 3-2 (30th) 0-3 (68th)
Last 10 -----lwwwl -------lll
TvP 1-1 (31st) 0-0
Last 5 ---wl -----
<a target="_blank" title="Expedition Lost - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/681_Expedition%20Lost">Expedition Lost</a> 1-0 (5th) 0-0
(TvP 1-0)
<a target="_blank" title="Coda LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/696_Coda%20LE">Coda LE</a>
Most played <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="MMA - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/665_MMA">MMA</a> (1-0) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="DeParture - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/3884_DeParture">DeParture</a> (1-0)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Center - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/4546_Center">Center</a> (0-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="MarineKing - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/959_MarineKing">MarineKing</a> (0-1)
Best player <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="MMA - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/665_MMA">MMA</a> (1-0) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="DeParture - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/3884_DeParture">DeParture</a> (1-0)
Tuesday, Jun 02 9:30am GMT (GMT+00:00)
Dream < Echo LE > ZestINnoVation < Deadwing LE > FlashClassic < Cactus Valley LE > LifeDark < Vaani Research Station > StatsAce:
Expedition Lost
+ Show Spoiler [2015 Proleague Record] +
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Dream - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2241_Dream">Dream</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Zest - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/977_Zest">Zest</a>
Record 6-4 (18th) 12-11 (7th)
Last 10 wwllwwllww wlwwwlwllw
TvP 1-1 (30th) 2-4 (22nd)
Last 5 ---wl wlwll
<a target="_blank" title="Echo LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/697_Echo%20LE">Echo LE</a> 1-0 (1st) 0-1 (11th)
(TvP 3-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="INnoVation - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/663_INnoVation">INnoVation</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Flash - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/424_Flash">Flash</a>
Record 9-5 (12th) 6-10 (20th)
Last 10 wwwlwllllw lwwlwllwwl
TvT 3-1 (14th) 1-3 (39th)
Last 5 -wwlw -llwl
<a target="_blank" title="Deadwing LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/672_Deadwing%20LE">Deadwing LE</a> 4-0 (2nd) 3-1 (5th)
(TvT x2) Best map (+4) Best map (+2)
Most played map (4) Most played map (4)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Classic - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/680_Classic">Classic</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Life - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2747_Life">Life</a>
Record 8-3 (15th) 11-8 (8th)
Last 10 lwwwwlwwwl lwlwwwllww
PvZ 1-1 (29th) 1-3 (41st)
Last 5 ---lw -llwl
<a target="_blank" title="Cactus Valley LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/685_Cactus%20Valley%20LE">Cactus Valley LE</a> 0-0 1-0 (1st)
(PvZ 0-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Dark - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/4729_Dark">Dark</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Stats - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/611_Stats">Stats</a>
Record 13-7 (6th) 15-4 (2nd)
Last 10 wwlwlwwlwl wwwwwwwllw
ZvP 4-4 (10th) 4-0 (5th)
Last 5 wwlll -wwww
<a target="_blank" title="Vaani Research St... - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/684_Vaani%20Research%20St...">Vaani Research St...</a> 0-1 (23rd) 3-0 (1st)
(ZvP 2-3)
<a target="_blank" title="Expedition Lost - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/681_Expedition%20Lost">Expedition Lost</a>
Most played <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="soO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/634_soO">soO</a> (4-0) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Life - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2747_Life">Life</a> (1-3)
Best player <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="soO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/634_soO">soO</a> (4-0) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="TY - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/575_TY">TY</a> (1-0)
Bbyong < Coda LE > TerminatorSora < Echo LE > sOsByuL < Vaani Research Station > MaruherO < Deadwing LE > RogueAce:
Cactus Valley LE
+ Show Spoiler [2015 Proleague Record] +
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Bbyong - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/638_Bbyong">Bbyong</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Terminator - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/2038_Terminator">Terminator</a>
Record 8-8 (17th) 0-0
Last 10 llwlwlwlwl ----------
TvP 2-3 (22nd) 0-0
Last 5 llwwl -----
<a target="_blank" title="Coda LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/696_Coda%20LE">Coda LE</a> 1-0 (1st) 0-0
(TvP 1-1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Sora - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/5790_Sora">Sora</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="sOs - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1101_sOs">sOs</a>
Record 0-1 (56th) 11-11 (9th)
Last 10 ---------l lwwwwwlllw
PvP 0-1 (58th) 2-5 (24th)
Last 5 ----l llwll
<a target="_blank" title="Echo LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/697_Echo%20LE">Echo LE</a> 0-0 0-1 (11th)
(PvP x1)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="ByuL - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1097_ByuL">ByuL</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Maru - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1850_Maru">Maru</a>
Record 15-7 (4th) 17-6 (1st)
Last 10 wwwlwwwwlw wwwwwlwwww
ZvT 6-5 (6th) 3-5 (15th)
Last 5 wlwwl lwwwl
<a target="_blank" title="Vaani Research St... - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/684_Vaani%20Research%20St...">Vaani Research St...</a> 1-1 (12th) 3-0 (1st)
(ZvT 1-3)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="herO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/682_herO">herO</a> <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Rogue - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1099_Rogue">Rogue</a>
Record 15-8 (5th) 15-6 (3rd)
Last 10 wwwlwlwwll wwwwwwwlwl
PvZ 3-3 (14th) 5-1 (5th)
Last 5 lwlwl wlwww
<a target="_blank" title="Deadwing LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/672_Deadwing%20LE">Deadwing LE</a> 1-1 (19th) 2-1 (9th)
(PvZ 5-5)
<a target="_blank" title="Cactus Valley LE - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/maps/685_Cactus%20Valley%20LE">Cactus Valley LE</a>
Most played <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(Z)" title="Zerg" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="ByuL - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1097_ByuL">ByuL</a> (1-1) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Maru - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1850_Maru">Maru</a> (1-0)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="sOs - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1101_sOs">sOs</a> (1-0)
Best player <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="herO - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/682_herO">herO</a> (1-0) <img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(T)" title="Terran" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="Maru - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1850_Maru">Maru</a> (1-0)
<img style="width:17px;height:15px;margin-right:3px" alt="(P)" title="Protoss" src="https://tl.net/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png"><a target="_blank" title="sOs - TLPD Information" href="https://tl.net/tlpd/hots/players/1101_sOs">sOs</a> (1-0)
The Proleague writing team has probably beaten you over the head with the fact that SBENU is full of GSTL all stars since the team formed, but you can't fault us for being excited about this one. This match is just filled with old GSTL storylines and intrigue. I know it seems a bit silly to get nostalgic over stuff that really only happened three or four years ago, but we here on the TL writing staff miss the GSTL, and it's cool to see some of its biggest stars squaring off in this matchup. Now if only Choya had played Yonghwa instead of Panic or Seed...
GSTL records:
MMA 22-14GuMiho 29-20jjakji 28-16Panic 4-9DRG 22-11HerO 6-7Bomber 25-22Seed 8-11Head to head records:
MMA 1-1 Gumiho
Jjakji 0-0 Panic
DongRaeGu 2-0 HerO
Bomber 1-0 Seed
Let's actually start by looking at the second match of the night. While it is probably the least hyped match, and is probably the match with the least amount of history (yes this whole preview will be nostalgic and matchups will be rated based solely on the year 2012) it is still cool that we will be seeing Jjakji in Proleague for the first time. Starting in Season 1 of 2011, Jjakji was one of the stars of perennial GSTL underdog NS Hoseo, and it was in the team league that he would really emerge into a star, even all killing FXO, before winning the GSL a few months later. Panic only played in the final two seasons of the GSTL (both for Startale) but did decently in the team league, even picking up a win over team league monster Innovation. So it'll be the GSTL veteran and Proleague newbie up against the GSTL newbie and Proleague... sort of newbie. He has a winning record this year (3-2)!
The fourth match of the night is probably second on the GSTL hype-o-meter, as Seed wasn't much of a team league player back when he was on IM. Honestly, it's not surprising, considering he was on an incredibly (heh) stacked roster and Yonghwa filled the role of Protoss team league beast back in those days. On the other hand, Bomber is one of the league's most storied players, having played in every single GSTL season ever (a feat matched only by MMA and Gumiho). Although his most notable game in the league was probably his fantastic throw against Marineking in the 2012 Season 1 Finals in Las Vegas, but that game shouldn't have happened anyway so we can give him a pass there. In a less nostalgic but more depressing note, Bomber will probably just go for an SCV pull. I guess we'll see if Seed watched Bomber's game against Stats from week three.
The third match of the night pits two titans of 2012 against one another. It's a shame that both players are quite a bit removed from their respective primes, but it will be fun to watch the matchup anyway. DRG, who is of course the former ace player for the team that he will be facing in this match, has long been considered a team league monster, and has looked superb in his first two appearances on SBENU (wins over Creator and Rogue). As the ace of MVP, he was the backbone of the team for much of its history, although oddly enough he was a bit of a passenger during the season that MVP actually won the GSTL. HerO on the other hand, has had his ups and downs in team leagues. He didn't get to play much in GSTL, as he was mainly only played when TL was partnered with oGs.In Proleague, HerO has had some strong showings, winning the Rookie of the Year award back in 2013 but only managing a 2-3 record so far this year. DRG has owned the matchup historically (9-4) and even won both of their GSTL meetings, but it has been months since the two have played and about two and a half years since the two have played in an offline setting. I can't be sure how this match will turn out, but I can only hope that we end up with a game that is worthy of the history of these two players.
Finally, we have the big one. It may seem like a bit of a shame that this match has been pushed to first in the lineup, which means we will essentially be eating our Starcraft dessert first, but it is really only fitting. In case you are fairly new to Starcraft, or perhaps joined the scene in Heart of the Swarm, allow me to explain. In the finals of GSTL Season 2 back in 2012, FXO would take on Slayers. It was of course the all kill format, and the opening match was announced to be MMA for Slayers and Gumiho for FXO on Antiga Shipyard. What followed was one of the best games of Wings of Liberty ever played, and it was played on the biggest stage. It ranked #1 on our best games of 2012 list and is still my favorite Wings of Liberty game ever.
+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +
I won't spoil the outcome for anyone who hasn't seen it (although I doubt many people haven't) but I will say that the winner of that incredible TvT went on to all kill the opposing team and win the GSTL trophy single handedly. While such feats aren't possible in the Proleague format, the memories of that matchup and that GSTL Final makes this one a must-watch. If it is anything like their matchup in 2012, we could be in for a real treat.
Of course it is 2015, so we could also be in for a one sided ten minute affair decided mostly by a single cloak banshee. Who the hell knows. Either way, as a long time fan of Starcraft II and the GSTL, I love everything about this match. A lot has changed since the early days of Wings of Liberty, and the fight between these two teams will be a fun test to see how far we've come.
Match of the Week
powered by banjoetheredskin
Although this is a matchup between two titans of their respective races, it might not be the most extensively prepared-for game we'll see. Dream's innate TvP abilities have been enough already to carry him past nearly every Protoss he has faced. With superb army control and a diverse range of openings, Dream has earned the distinction of second best TvP player, if not second best Terran overall. However, this will be the first of many TvP games he will be playing this week with GSL and S2SL coming up. Zest has his consistent weaknesses in the matchup, and Dream will most likely play a normal game with heavy drop pressure to exploit that, rather than look to flaunt a newly polished factory opening. Therefore, the ball is in Zest's court to either work on tightening up his mechanical shortcomings or pull out a counter to what he anticipates from Dream.
Although INnoVation's mirror matchup has improved since it was once his crippling weakness, vastly inferior to his other two, he still has a way to go before he can break into the upper echelon of TvT players. Unsurprisingly, however, in this era dominated by hyper-aggression that rewards solid mechanics, INnoVation and Flash have both found success where they previously could not. The primary shortcomings both players have had is the methodical aspect less-commonly seen in TvT nowadays, the chess-like element of WoL TvT. Flash and INnoVation both prefer the new-age mech play with heavy focus on macro, and will likely look to avoid the marine tank positioning war. Assuming Flash's playstyle hasn't changed much, INnoVation may try to repeat what MMA did last week with a quick cloaked banshee into an offensive posture to punish any greed.
At the risk of getting fired by my editor, I will say with confidence that Life is in a bit of a slump right now. Normally form has little to no effect on the outcome of a Proleague match, but Life really seems to be struggling with finding the combination of preparation and attitude that are instrumental in winning one. Aside from that, last time they played Classic was able to prove that his macro PvZ can be on par with the best, and since then he has only affirmed that. With swarm hosts gone, Classic is basically unstoppable with his capacity for phoenix or blink focused playstyles. Life has had success before, specifically against Classic, with early pools and attacks, so maybe the key lies in avoiding Classic's formidable mid and late game entirely.
While Stats has shown impressive PvP and PvT quite a bit recently, not much can be said for his PvZ. He is particularly skilled at defending all forms of aggression, and his style could be described as standard the majority of the time. But that describes a lot of Protosses, we can safely say he's good at the matchup and less than exciting. Dark has, like many zergs, toyed around with roaches and roach hydra quite a bit since the swarm host patch, dropping quite a few games in the process because of over-committal to roaches or the lack of utility of infestors. On a map that is good for any macro style, Dark could very well have something planned to either derail Stats' standard affairs or startle him with an experimental tech path.
