EPTSBENU SC2 Starleague 2015 Season 2
S2SL Challenger
Zest vs San
Dark vs HyuN
TY vs Trap
Brackets and Standings on Liquipedia
Liquipedia
Zest vs San: Double Trouble
by Soularion and XXTN
You know a match is interesting when two writers end up writing about it, instead of, you know, none. Or maybe they just really wanna talk about PvP. Soularion and XXTN both decided to have a say about this match—who do you agree with?
Zest and PvP: A love Unchained
by SoularionZest and PvP first got truly intertwined fairly early—in the doldrums of 2013, where Zest was having to fight for the Siren's heart in the first Starcraft2 proleague. The then-not-ace went on a massive spree in the matchup, going a total of 10-2 across a month and a half. Zest was in love. Everything was working out, and life was good. And then, things went wrong. The veteran Bisu returned and—due to his good looks and trophies—PvP, the cold mistress that it is, left Zest for the SKT protoss This led to a harsh losing streak that lasted another month and a half, where Zest went 0-6 in PvP. Yet, PvP's lust for Bisu would not last.
It soon became clear that Bisu's sentry-frenzy was far too much, and PvP once more changed sides and went back to Zest's graceful arms. Spurred by the loss of his one true love, Bisu retired two weeks later, while Zest once more went on a PvP winning streak. This one lasted for a while, and the relationship at last saw stability. Until the end of 2013, Zest went 13-1 in PvP, which guided him through IEM NY and IEM Singapore qualifiers alike. On New Years Eve, 2014, PvP and Zest were intertwined. Perhaps not as husband as wife (you can't actually marry a matchup), but their love was undeniable.
So, PvP returned the favor, sending him forth. The KT protoss going 13-3 in the matchup, guiding him all the way to the GSL finals. After that, the love's luster was lost ever-so-slightly. Of course, things were far from bad, but PvP seemed a little more disinterested. They always came back together when things mattered most, guiding him towards victories in the Global Championship as well as the KeSPA Cup- and even helping him making another GSL Ro4. But, things didn't last forever. The dark side of PvP - the coin - plotted against him, and it came up with a plan. That plan was to taint herO, to shift the CJ player's mind into evil. He knew herO could vanquish the King- as he had already done so in Sandisk. So, the Coin went to herO, and promised him a championship if he could destroy Zest.
The handsome devil he was, herO accepted the bounty. Yet, he knew he couldn't do it alone. So- he enlisted the help of Zest's one true nemesis. Creator. Giving the Coin's power to Creator - as he knew Creator would be a much more humiliating loss - herO sat back and watched as the prime player crushed PvP Zest, one-two punching him in a Proleague match. Then, the CJ Entus toss did the same thing a couple weeks later. Yet- Zest always returns. He reclaimed some of his lost love by destroying herO's teammate Bbyong and Trap at Katowice, going on another streak in the matchup. Yet, PvP's heart wasn't with Zest anymore. It was with Stats. Stats, with his knowledge of the Coin, had impressed PvP. So much that it turned on his former master, knocking him of SSL.
Since then, Classic has claimed the crown of PvP by destroying the king of the Coin and successfully mastering both good and evil, leaving Zest without his love. Still, he's found a way, and wins over sOs and Stats prove that - while he certainly doesn't carry the 'one true ring' of PvP - he's doing great nonetheless. Zest holds in his hand the 'purity' of PvP. Yet, San is far from pure. San represents the very darkest powers of the Coin, the parts so mythical that not only are they told as legends, but scholars aren't actually sure if they'd work or not. If Zest can defeat San here, he continues his legacy of 'redeeming' PvP, and proving that anyone can be defeated without requiring the use of the Coin. Yet, if San wins, it proves that the Coin reigns over PvP, and that evil is real- and present.
Predictions
They play one 2gate game that people reply to with 'PvP is so fucking dumb' and one super wild cheese vs macro fest that people reply to with 'Holy fuck, PvP really is stupid'. Olli rips his hair out at least twice.
Zest 3 - 2 SanWhere Did 2014 Go?
by XXTNAnyone bestowed with the nickname,“Kingslayer” should be kicking ass and taking names. Thus far in 2015,
KT.Zest has failed to live up to his nickname. The breakout player of 2014, Zest is no longer the untouchable protoss maestro of yesteryear. Sure, he is still a top 10 player in Proleague and appears regularly for KT in ace matches, but he isn’t feared as he once was. The Kingslayer had shockingly early exits in both the KeSPA Cup S1, SSL S2, and has yet to play in Code S. For the KT poster child, this season of SSL could be the start to a strong finish in 2015.As of now, Zest sits at a precarious #10 in the global rankings. The same time last year, he was pretty much already guaranteed for Blizzcon. Having secured a Code A berth for GSL S3, Zest must defeat San if he hopes to solidify his hold on a Blizzcon seed. He won’t be playing in IEM Shenzhen or KeSPA Cup S2. This SSL season could be one of the few precious opportunities for Zest to restore his reputation as the premiere protoss in Korea. Overshadowed by the likes of herO and Classic, Zest’s performance in these next few weeks will show if he will become the alpha or fall right back into the pack.
Several months have passed since the WCS region lock was implemented, and Koreans returning from abroad have been struggling mightily. MC is now retired, Taeja hasn’t been seen in months, and
yFW.San is also nowhere near the same caliber he was at last year. San finished top-four or better in six premier tournaments last year but has yet to make top-four once this year. Last season, he failed to qualify for Code S and the SSL main event. In addition, San has a mediocre 3-7 record in Proleague. No doubt, these results have to be disappointing for a player who was among the upper echelon of WCS EU last year. San needs to find his footing soon, and advancing to the SSL S3 would be the perfect start. Prediction
San has a great mind for the game and excels at preparing builds. He can identify an opponent’s weakness and tailor some unique strategies to counter them. That being said, San might find it hard to find many flaws in Zest, who has been historically excellent in PvP. Both Zest and San are on the path to recovery and want nothing more than to relive their glory days from 2014. Unfortunately, only one can move on to the Ro16.
Zest 3 - 1 SanDark vs HyuN
by lichter
Every player has that one most memorable series in each matchup. Well, I guess that depends if the player even plays enough to be remembered. But for most fan favorites and tournament contenders, there's going to be that one series that ends up typifying their game forever.
Dark's best ZvZ series lasted around 40 minutes. HyuN's series lasted I don't even want to recall how long.In the first season of KeSPA Cup 2015, it looked like Dark's run was going to be stopped short by then GSL title holder Life. Instead, it was the silliest Bo5 in Life's career, as Dark simply killed him whenever he felt like it. The KT Zerg is known as one of the most aggressive zergs on the planet, but he somehow found himself on the receiving end of Dark's early attacks. Where once Life was ahead of the pack in terms of control and ling usage, Dark showed that the world was catching up to the original Royal Roader. Dark cut down the champ to the cheers of many fans on his way to a silver medal.
In
HyuN's case, his unforgettable ZvZ series occurred in the Season of Evil, sometimes known as Code S Season 5 2012. It will forever be known as the day Sniper won, but HyuN could have just as easily been crowned the king of Evil had he been victorious in that painful Bo7. The two zergs denied a potential INnoVation vs Ryung TvT, which could have been one of the greatest finals ever played. Of course, people forget that the 7-game series the two zergs played was actually pretty good, since all we remember now is brood lord infestor and globs of roaches puking on each other. HyuN, despite being considered one of the biggest proponents of the power of roach, eventually lost the series in a tight 7th game to earn his silver medal.So, on the one hand, we have Dark, slayer of Life, player of short series, KeSPA Cup runner up. On the other hand, we have HyuN, king of roach, loser against Evil, Code S runner up. Nostalgia may beg the fans to cheer for HyuN, but Dark is simply the stronger player playing a stronger game. It will take all of HyuN's best tricks to get into the main event. That is, if Dark even let's him get to Lair.
Predictions:
HyuN dies in hatch, lair and hive tech once each
Dark 3 - 1 HyuNTY vs Trap
It must be a little weird being
Trap and 
TY right now. The two players barely feature for their respective teams in Proleague—and often only appear as snipers or surprise picks—, yet the two have had decent success in individual leagues in 2015. Trap came in 2nd at IEM WC, and he was in the main event of SSL last season. TY on the other hand reached as far as the Ro8 in Code S Season 1 and again made it into the tournament in Season 2. The two players would be natural starters on lower rung teams like Prime and MVP, yet they have to settle for a spot on the bench on Jin air and KT Rolster.In Round 3, Trap played twice in the round robin, defeating BboongBboong and DeParture. The clever protoss has always known how to dispatch zergs in large numbers, though he did fall short against ByuL and Life in SSL Season 2. TY on the other hand claimed wins over YoDa and Solar before losing to Losira. While it sounds like their situations are completely similar, there is one startling difference: Jin Air have enough faith in Trap to send him out as their ace.
In Round 2, Jin Air were on the ropes against Samsung Galaxy, with Maru and sOs losing their matches against Dear and Solar respectively. Knowing that either of those two players was likely to be the ace, Jin Air sent out Trap and he duly triumphed over Dear. Trap appeared in both their Round 2 playoff matches even though he lost, cementing the team's faith in him in high pressure situations. In Round 3, sOs and Maru all killed in consecutive playoff matches, but their might was not enough to topple the great SKT T1 titan. sOs fell second and Maru fell third after claiming two wins. With a round title on the line, Jin Air sent Trap who easily cut down Dark. Unfortunately, the kinetic style of Dream proved too much, but it once again showed how much belief Jin Air have in their man.
TY, sadly, will never appear as KT's ace. He's seen more as a counter-player, and he's only appeared once in the playoffs. Though many will point to the fact that he's on a team with Life, Zest, and Stats, Trap is also on the same boat with Maru, sOs and Rogue ahead of him. Yet Trap has proven that he can tussle with the big boys, and you have to believe that Jin Air have a reason for putting so much responsibility on a player they rarely field. Trap and TY are both very talented players, but their potential paths to stardom are isolated in individual leagues for now. Unfortunately, only one of them will tread further.
Predictions:
They play 1 game that will appear in the year end Best Games list, and play 1 game that makes the casters question their job
TY 2 - 3 Trap
(I'm an English major)
