SBENU GSL
Season 3 Code A

The Final Challengers
Patience vs Zest
herO vs Armani
GuMiho vs HyuN

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

by lichter and munch

Patience vs Zest

Much has been made of Zest's PvP. If you believe Olli or Aligulac, Zest has the best PvP in the world by far, and he has only lost 1 game in his last 15. His last series loss was to Stats in last season's SSL, and many chalk that one up to the strangeness of teamkills. Even though no one doubts Zest's skill in the matchup, there is a certain curiosity about how he's able to be such a dominant player in the mirror.

When we analyze individual components of Zest's game, we can see that while he borders on great, there are many players superior to him in each aspect. His micro, for example, has always given us moments to criticize, as he has made blunders that players such as PartinG would never commit. He isn't as impenetrable on the defensive as Rain, and his forcefields are good but not great. Watching specific moments from his matches, it seems easy to dissect him and find inadequacies in his play. And yet, here he is, at the top of the PvP hill with nary a contender.

What sets him apart is something that is difficult to notice but beautiful when seen. Zest has some of the best movement in the game. He knows where to go, where to be, and where to pass at almost every moment. He flows like water, filling the right cracks—on offense and defense—at the best possible opportunity. Watching him position his units in PvP reveals a man ahead of the curve. He has won more unwinnable engagements than any other protoss simply by standing in the right place at the right time.

This does not bode well for Patience. Even though he continues to defy expectations by qualifying for tournaments and going far at LANs, people still have this perception that he is a middling player. Perhaps compared to championship contenders, Patience is an also-ran. Yet he more than deserves a place in Code S when he plays up to his standards. However, it looks like his tenure will be cut short with an unfortunate tie. Patience seems like the type of player easily swept by the tide.

The only way to stop a river is to lead it to the dam. Whether Patience has the cunning and the force of will to direct the flow of battle remains to be seen.


No shit you're number 1. At PvP at least.
Photo by Shayla.

Predictions:

Patience bamboozles Zest in one game but crumbles in every other

Patience 1 - 3 Zest

herO vs Armani

As hard as it is to term a multiple Starcraft 2 champion an underachiever, it’s been another year without a Korean league title for herO. While it’s undeniably been a solid year for the CJ ace—two Round of 16 appearances and two semifinals, alongside his KeSPA Cup championship—it’s difficult to shake the feeling that without a Starleague victory on the mantelpiece, herO’s collection still remains incomplete. It’s unfortunate then that herO comes into Code A off the back of a terrible streak in PvZ. Once his signature matchup, with a ridiculous 73% win rate in 2014, it currently stands at a rather mediocre 56% this year. In the past two months alone, he is 3-12 in the matchup, with his sole series win coming over DemiLove. You’d expect such a notable purveyor of blink stalkers to be happy in the current one-dimensional PvZ meta, but perhaps the increased tendency of zergs to all-in is playing havoc with a player who remains utterly predictable in all three matchups.

His opponent tonight couldn’t be further away from him on the Starcraft spectrum of success. Armani has been a player bubbling under the surface for quite a while now—a staple of the online scene—and he comes into his second Code A appearance off the back of some decent form, with four top 4 finishes in the daily Leifeng Cups so far this month. However, appearances on LAN have unfortunately been few and far between. He’s played a mere 21 games offline this year, mostly coming in Starleague qualifiers. Although he did notably pick up a maiden Proleague victory against Creator’s hapless PvZ, in the absence of any truly significant results or performances, the outlook is pretty bleak for the young Samsung zerg.

While it’s likely that herO’s opponent tonight is simply not on the same level as him, many would have said the same thing about DeParture, and look how that turned out in Proleague. Granted, a one-off victory is very much different to winning a best of 5 match, but the danger is still there if herO turns up with the same kinks in his play. However, a little variety tonight, and a degree of safety in his play, should see him home safely. That is, assuming he’s learnt how to wall off on Cactus Valley.

Predictions:

herO dies once to early ling aggression due to a dodgy wall off.

herO 3 - 1 Armani

GuMiho vs HyuN

Everytime we try to pound a few nails on HyuN's coffin, it seems like he takes it as personal motivation to do better and prove us wrong. His name has never really been associated with anything more than roaches and a great personality, but everyone is starting to realize what a disservice that is to such a distinguished career. When everyone expected him to tumble into obscurity on his return to Korea, he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and managed to reach two SSL main events in a row. Now, he's in Code A too. Add his two semi final berths from DreamHack Tours and Valencia, and you've got a pretty solid year. It looks like there's no getting rid of HyuN, and it's about time we recognized that there are more nuances to his game than we often allow ourselves to identify.

If there is one thing HyuN knows well, it's how to make the most of his units. He may not have the best micro or the best positioning, but somehow he's one of the zergs who do best at harassment. The roach hit squad is a trademark of his play, and he gets more out of them than many better zergs. His surprising 3-0 of Dark in S2SL showed just how good he is at efficient attacks, serving Dark (the guy that 3-0'd Life in a quick series of his own) a taste of his own medicine. In ZvT, he pushed his way past an out of form TaeJa in DreamHack Valencia and qualified for S2SL Challenger off wins against Center and Cure. The old man has been in this game longer than almost everyone, yet there's still a lot left in the tank.

GuMiho, on the other hand, has never had to battle against perception. The Towel Terran has been a fan favorite since his debut, due in part to his odd necessity for a towel over his mouse hand, but largely because of his manic, energetic play. GuMiho vs Losira will always be referenced whenever his name is involved in a TvZ, and we continue to long for the days when he was a passable contender. Even though those days are gone, it's inarguable that GuMiho's fortunes have changed recently. The inception of HotS was unkind to him, and it took until 2015 for his career to pick back up. Medivac boost basically killed the uniqueness of his drop-em-to-death style (because now, everyone could do it), and he has been forced to slowly develop a different approach. He has now become one of the most stable mech terrans, though fans may cry out for him to return to a more Dream-esque method in the matchup.

Still, people remember the days when he was the most exciting player on the planet. Everyone still hotly anticipates his games hoping that maybe, just maybe, he ends up playing another series for the ages. Meanwhile, it seems he's content to just plod through some zergs with his mech.

Predictions:

A crummy Code A series to end a mostly disappointing Code A.

GuMiho 3 - 2 HyuN

Writers: lichter, munch.
Editors: lichter
Graphics: shiroiusagi.
Photo: Shayla.
Stats: Aligulac