Egalitarian Week

Banjoe was feeling rather egalitarian this week, so coverage will feature shorter but more inclusive segments on every team. And it's not just because he feels bad for Prime (he doesn't).

Week 1 Recap

SK Telecom T1 3 - 0 Prime

To nobody's surprise, SKT T1 demolished their opponents in a quick 3-0 sweep. You can't fault Prime for trying their best (presumably), and it's not like they had any adjustments to make without Creator—they only have four players left sans the iG guys. It guarantees that KeeN, B4, YoDa and TANGTANG all have to be fielded, which makes planning against them even easier. Even though their current 'best' player, YoDa, was matched up against INnoVation in the SKT Terran's weakest matchup, they still couldn't steal a game from the Round 3 Champs. It's going to be a very, very short round for Prime.
Fact of the Match: soO is still undefeated in ZvZ (9-0).

Samsung Galaxy 3 - 0 Jin Air Green Wings

Didn't see that coming, did you? Stork sure made Cha Ji Hoon feel silly for not playing his A-team against Samsung's Terran Trio Plus Dear. Yes, BravO is considered one of the craftiest TvT snipers in Proleague, but it was an odd sight to see him straight up outplay Maru. Journey rounded off the win with a flawless defense of Trap's dark templar play, solidifying his position as Samsung's alternate. Perhaps Samsung have actually turned the corner and supplant one of perennial playoff players. Perhaps Stork shuffles his deck again and they barely miss the cut.
Fact of the Match: Dear still loves his gateway allins in PvZ.

MVP 2 - 3 Sbenu-yoe Flash Wolves

Seed: "At least Solar's still worse at ace matches than I am."
Photo by Shayla

In the only match that lasted all five sets in Week 1, the DreamHack Valencia champion Curious solidified his status as a top Zerg with two wins to secure Sbenu's victory. After his defense of HerO's clever build and DongRaeGu's defense of LosirA's extreme aggression, MVP managed to take back a couple games with solid macro out of Blaze (Panic) and DeParture, despite the latter's failed bust early on. Curious' mutalisks proved to be too much for Seed in the ace match, and MVP questioned their decision not to play MarineKing instead. Just kidding.
Fact of the Match: Jjakji tried to bait DeParture's mutalisks into a six widow mine trap, similar to what won him Game 5 at IEM Katowice in 2014, but it didn't work.

CJ Entus 1 - 3 KT Rolster

Flash: "I was like, 'oh wait you're dead lol'"
Photo by Shayla

Only a slight improvement on their previous performance against KT, CJ managed to win one game this time before dropping the next three. Somehow that one map that CJ managed to win could be the most damaging. All the progress that Stats has made in earning recognition for his skill has likely taken a hit due to his loss to Trust and his subsequent ouster from S2SL. The Waldo Toss should be able to recover; fortunately his teammates are finally up to speed. Life controlled the game against ByuL from start to finish, Flash denied herO his revenge, and Zest held on after Bbyong's army suicide killed 16 probes but not a nexus. Another disappointing loss for CJ in the books sends them down to 6th place to start off Round 4.
Fact of the Match, sponsored by TL Strat: If a Terran takes no damage with a fast (earlier than 6 minutes) third command center opening against herO Protoss, the SCV pull will be nearly unstoppable.

Week 2 Preview

Overview
Although they could not return the favor against KT last week, CJ will try their best to do so against Sbenu this week after losing 1-3 to them in Round 3. Sbenu, on the other hand, have shown marked improvement since their roster revamp, and should be out to punish CJ for sliding into the Round 3 playoffs spot that Sbenu had all but secured.
What to watch for: Despite CJ's overall strength against Zerg, Sbenu have chosen to field three. Most intriguing is the rematch between Leenock and ByuL, who already played one of the most entertaining ZvZs in Proleague this season. Also noteworthy is another PvT for herO against another Terran who loves SCV pulls.
Map of the Match: Curious vs Bbyong on Cactus Valley - Will Curious' rise continue?





Overview
KT decided that this week they would play TY instead of Stats, which has thus far been essentially their only roster deviation. MVP's only adjustment was to give HerO a rest in favor of the now-Code S GuMiho. These two teams have already produced some of the most entertaining matches this season—each with one win in the ace match—and with any luck they will continue that trend.
What to watch for: Blaze didn't draw Flash this time, so if there's a hilarious allin he's planning, it'll have to be against Life, who is equally likely to cheese him first. TY vs GuMiho has the potential to be a great TvT with cool builds from both sides.
Map of the Match: Zest vs Losira on Terraform - Which side of the gold base will Losira take?





Overview
If Samsung have what it takes to 3-0 Jin Air, then Prime's chances of winning this match look slimmer than their roster size. However, Samsung decided to play the unrivaled worst player in Proleague this season, Solar (1-13), and the remarkably inconsistent Armani and Hurricane. Yup, that's Coach Stork for you.
What to watch for: It's unclear if BBoongBBoong's best matchup is ZvZ or if he's just fodder for players like soO, but he is fortunate enough to be playing Solar, so there is a glimmer of hope for Prime. YoDa against The Designer Zerg is also winnable, and that means there might be a rematch of Dear versus TANGTANG. That will realistically only be exciting because of the Prime Terran's flavorful use of caps lock, but exciting nonetheless.
Map of the Match: BBoongBBoong vs Solar on Cactus Valley - Someone has to win, right??







Overview
If this had been any other week, this likely would have been the highlight of the week. The Round 3 finalists both feature lineups that are at least five men deep with Code S or S2SL talent, but Jin Air's capitulation against Samsung coupled with some rough form from Rogue and Cure (and arguably Maru) suggest that this could be a bop. Even though this tie always promises at least one or two games that could just as easily be the semifinals of a premier league, Bo1s often favor the team with momentum.
What to watch for: Maru and Classic are arguably the best players in the TvP matchup currently, so this should certainly be a treat. Rogue couldn't quite handle INnoVation in the Round 3 Finals, but his ZvT overall is still extremely strong. There's no doubt this one could go the other way around. Cure has beaten Dark in all three of their Proleague meetings, but they are both also top level in the ZvT matchup with ridiculous mechanical skill.
Map of the Match: sOs vs soO on Cactus Valley - This probably won't be standard