SBENU GSL
Season 2 Code S Finals

A Storm of Order and Chaos
Rain vs ByuL

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

by Soularion

Reaching Out for the Brass Ring

The greatest strength, or perhaps the greatest obstacle, of Starcraft II as an e-sport is that consistency doesn't hold much water compared to other ventures. At this point, prestige only informs us so much concerning the outcome of games. This GSL season has been a testament to that. Dream, herO, Maru and other incredibly talented players have all fallen in situations where they were favored. It doesn't reward the most popular or the most accomplished player, only the one who is better on that day. If there's any player that understands this, it is Rain. The first KeSPA player to rise to prominence in WoL, Rain erupted onto the scene like a pillar of fire to capture the OSL, make an impressive Ro4 run in one of the most beloved GSLs of all time and emerge victorious in WCS Asia. Since then, he's only won a Hot6ix Cup. That doesn't mean his play hasn't been impressive—he's remained another Protoss chasing the holy grail of perfection, proving his superiority in macro games while gaining the impetus to play dirty from time to time. So, what's changed to throw him off his course?

In many ways, Rain encompasses the ideal traits of a championship player. He is one of the most humble players in the scene, his skill is indisputable, he's focused on playing well in all aspects rater than trying to overwhelm opponents in one, and he reinvented the way Protoss was played back in 2012. Yet beyond his golden era, he's only won one championship at the end of 2013. It seems that his greatest weakness is that he always burns brightly but never bright enough. Losses to Maru and Zest pepper his two closest attempts until now, while he's looked lost in the playoffs in other seasons. It feels like Rain has every quality of a star, except for the 'X-factor' that distinguishes champions from the talented. Rain's troubles lie not in getting to a good position, whether being the favorite or gaining the upper hand in-game, but capitalizing on those advantages to close it out. Has that changed? Has Rain gained the instinct of a champion, or will he remain stuck one step behind the best players in Korea?

The Rise of the ByuLtimate Weapon

ByuL doesn't change. He's eternal. He's forever destined to be the crafty, cheesy zerg who also happens to be pretty damn great at the macro game. For a while this worked. His stay in America brought him a long-desired breakthrough, ending in him defeating the newly-kong'd soO and newly-lovable duckdeok at the WCS Season 3 Finals. Then, ByuL vs Revival happened. It was possibly one of the most ridiculous games ever played, and it knocked ByuL back to his native stomping grounds. ByuL's very nature as a tricky, mind-gaming oh-god-please-don't-let-me-play-him type of player betrayed him. Here most players would retreat a little, electing to forgo risky all-ins for the predictability of macro games. Especially on Korean soil, where players generally study better and are simply better than their american counterparts. But ByuL never slowed down. He became the ace of IM, had a largely successful Proleague season, and turned into a Code S mainstay. Yet, he aimed his sights ever higher. Upon qualifying for his first Code S since returning to Korea, he was asked what his goals were. He replied, "The championship."

Not all dreams come true immediately, and he was sent home after quickly failing his Ro32 group. Only now has he returned, and a lot has happened since—namely, he's moved over to CJ. His Proleague success has continued unabated, climaxing when he 3-killed Jin Air to give his team a miracle victory in the Round 2 playoffs. But something else changed during that period: he became a great player in individual leagues. It's the state that had eluded him since the beginning of his career, and this season has been his first time even breaking the Ro32. In a scene dominated by sudden, fierce runs (INnoVation, Soulkey, Maru, Dear, Cure, Life), ByuL seems like the most recent variation of that trend. Back during his days in America, he was called NesTea's protege. This was as much for his variations in play and his fondness for mutalisk base trades as it was due to NesTea's mentorship on IM. Now he is the last son of NesTea, the heir of the first great WoL zerg. It's a mighty legacy to handle but ByuL finally seems fit to hold it. He appears ready to inherit one of NesTea's proudest possessions: A GSL Trophy.

The most interesting part is he actually hasn't changed all that much. He still loves muta and roach-based play, and he's still largely cheesy with enough macro skill to avoid an one-dimensional approach. This is echoed by his post-patch ZvP play, which has been on absolute fire throughout his GSL run. Sure, he's gotten by with some smart tricks (and fortunate PartinG slip-ups), but he showcased excellent macro against sOs. As long as he's not playing Classic, ByuL is looking nigh-unstoppable in the matchup.

On a strategic level ByuL is like Rain's duinum, negative destined to cancel out his metaphysical brother. Rain is mostly macro with some cheese mixed in, while ByuL is mostly trickery with some macro mixed in. While Rain is an idealistic champion, ByuL's a player who by all means should be relegated to Proleague god and solo league upset. While Rain wins by crushing his opponents with superior solidness, ByuL cheats, steals and scavenges every piece of a win he possibly can. This is a battle of opposites, chaos and order. This is a battle between two players who have always faltered before the trophy before. Yet, on Sunday, one of them will finally achieve the ultimate dream.

Predictions

Soularion : Rain 4-1 (or ByuL 4-1, flip a coin)
Templar : Rain 4-1
Lichter : Rain 4-2
stuchiu : Rain 4-2
DarkLordOlli : Rain 4-3
CosmicSpiral: ByuL 4-2
banjoetheredskin: ByuL 4-3

Writers: Soularion.
Editors: CosmicSpiral
Graphics: shiroiusagi.
Photo: GOMeXP.
Stats: Aligulac