Sweep City

You kinda expect teams to finally figure out how to Proleague by the time round 4 rolls in, because it would be nice to get closer matches as the season nears its climax. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case as week 2 had two sweeps and two 3-1s. Only CJ and SKT T1 have secured their spot in the season playoffs, so there's still room for change in the table. Even though the scores haven't been pretty so far, the points still could be close.

Week 2 Highlights

Solar finally wins a game

After close to 5 months of futility, Solar finally won his second game in Proleague. His previous win came against sOs waaaay way back in March, and it looked like there was no way his 1-13 record would be bested worst-ed. Thankfully for Solar, there is such a thing as BBoongBBoong. It was fate that brought the two together, as they had a combined 2-22 record in Proleague 2015. The battle of witless ended in favor of Solar—who looked a step ahead at every moment in the game—, and B4 now looks likely to end the season with record breaking ineffectiveness. Prime have no choice but to play B4 due to their inadequate roster, and unless Gerrard field him fourth every time, there's a good chance he ends up with something worse than 1-10.

Jin Air swept again

There seems to be some kind of malaise of confidence poisoning Jin Air Green Wings. After their obliteration of CJ and KT in the playoffs last round, JAG looked like the closest contender to SKT T1 for the crown. Now, that assertion looks steeped in doubt after two consecutive sweeps to start round 4. Classic controlled Maru just as well as Zest had in SSL last week, though he did look a bit shaky trying to close out the game. INnoVation had little trouble downing Rogue, and soO capitalized on sOs' greed on Cactus Valley, of all places. The Green Wings players are performing okay in individual leagues, but their reliance on Maru and sOs has caught up to them this round. Cure, Rogue, and Trap all need to step up now that their aces are stuck in quite a big hole.

SKT T1 sweep again

Another week another sweep. SKT T1 look far and away the best team in Proleague. The team is 5 champions deep, which is just unfair in a 4 player (excluding ace) team league. 2 bops to start the round will set the pace for another big stack of points, and it's very unlikely that another team will vault ahead of them in the overall table. Their ticket to the Grand Finals is all but booked, and round 4 is all about flexing their muscle and maintaining their confidence.

Prime won a map

1 down, 3 to go (to improve on round 3).

Good or not so good?

Of all the playoff teams, CJ is the most perplexing. Yes, they did win round 2, but they were also 1 map away from finishing 6th in round 3. herO remains a force to be reckoned with, and he did top a tough group in SSL last week. ByuL is consistent, but he isn't the type of player to carry you over the top. Bbyong has had a very tepid few months, and they still don't have a definite 4th or 5th player. That's problematic for an aspiring champion, and round 4 is their last chance to solve their problems. Their win against SBENU looked good, but that team is just as confusing. SBENU have the opposite problem: they have so many players that can win spotty games, but no true ace player. Their lineup shifts week in week out, and it's impossible to tell how good they are. Their win over MVP looked solid, but they fell flat against CJ in week 2.


Only one of them will be laughing at the end of the round, probably.
Photos by Shayla

Match of the Week

With a week full of one sided scores, KT vs MVP once again provided the most thrills. The series could have gone either way, but MVP made the right adjustments in order to come out on top.

The first game should end up on the list of the dirtiest cheeses of the season. Blaze, spawning bottom left, wasn't in the mood for a macro game. So, in true protoss fashion, he decided to 2-gate at the central watch tower. Life, of course, felt comfortable enough on Cactus Valley to spawn 2 more drones after his hatch first, and he didn't spot the zealots until they were entering his natural. No amount of drone dancing could save him, and even with a spine crawler in his main Life was decimated. We haven't seen a 2-gate work against zerg in a very, very long time, though it probably won't be the solution to protoss' hydra ling timing woes.



Zest did not follow his protoss brother's lead in game 2 against Losira, and it turned into a long macro game decided by engagements. Losira attempted a few cute tricks such as roach drops and even a 1 ultralisk drop harass—which killed the templar archives, at least!—but he could never find enough separation to prepare a transition. His ultra ling infestor army looked impotent on Terraform as its many alleyways and channels proved too narrow for a favorable engagement. A desperate fight near the central gold base was disastrous for the zerg; with pylons in the way and no ranged units, Zest had all day to feedback every single infestor. Even with blinding clouds Losira's army was routed, and no amount of ultralisk reinforcements could save the day.



With the series tied, it was up to GuMiho and TY to give their team the lead. Realizing that GuMiho was once again aiming for mech, TY attempted an early tank marine drop in the natural, thinking the MVP player would not have enough units to repel it. Yet a tank was perfectly placed to deny much damage. Even though TY was able to keep GuMiho stuck on 2 bases for a very long time, he could not find any way to deal damage and stop the mech army from growing. GuMiho eventually secured his third, and TY desperately tried to transition. However, he curiously tried to match GuMi's tank count instead of shifting to Sky Terran. Without air control and upgrades, TY could not stop the MVP Terran from marching towards his side of the map. With some clever thor drop micro GuMiho entrenched himself deeper and deeper into TY's territory until the KT player was forced into an ill fated attack.



With the game on the line, KT had the luxury of relying on Flash to tie the game. MVP on the other hand had chosen DeParture, once known for being another Prime tenderfoot. The casters expected the young zerg to all in or rely on doing damage early, but it was not to be. DeParture opted for a very economical early spire (on 2 bases but with a 3rd soon after), which forced Flash to switch from a banshee to a viking. Though the mutas found a few free SCVs, both players were allowed to macro to their hearts' content. Flash, however, decided to move out and attack the fledgling fourth. Caught with an inadequate number of banelings and a late baneling speed, DeParture was compelled to sacrifice his base. However, as soon as it erupted into goo, he caught Flash unprepared and wiped his forces clean. With his army cut in half, Flash could no longer set foot on the map. DeParture evened up his upgrades, morphed as many banelings as he could, and seized several favorable engagements. Suddenly, Flash's supply plummeted and the swarm invaded his base. With a final green explosion DeParture had earned his very first MVP award after an impressive macro game.

Week 3 Preview

Overview: The top two teams of the round so far meet to decide who takes pole position. Samsung memorably routed Jin Air in Week 1 before taking care of Prime in Week 2, but this will be the sternest test so far of their playoff ambitions. A good round could yet see them make the top 4, but SKT T1 have been on an undefeated streak for the ages. Coach Byung Gu has done wonders for Samsung (minus Solar) and they remain the most underestimated team in Proleague. But is that enough to topple the Titans?
What to Watch Out For: With no "strongest" line up Samsung are difficult to prepare for. INnoVation misses this week, but it might not be so bad considering TvT is his weakest (if we can even call it "weak") matchup; BravO and Journey are both solid in the mirror. Impact could have a hard time against Reality, and soO has never won a series against Dear. This isn't as straight forward as it seems.
Map of the Match: Dear vs soO on Cactus Valley - Will soO hit another ling hydra timing, and will he finally beat Dear?



Overview: CJ Entus may be safe from dropping out of the playoffs, but it's in their best interest to get a high seed. Round 4 is all about getting back into shape for them, with Bbyong misfiring for a while now and a fourth player still in flux. Hush gets his shot this week, and in his good matchup too. MVP on the other hand need to start racking up wins if they want to be in that race for fourth.
What to Watch Out For: GuMiho and DeParture both looked good against KT, though they've drawn different matchups this week. MVP need to find more stability if they want to crawl into contention, and they could be the team's most in form players.
Map of the Match: GuMiho vs herO on Iron Fortress - Will GuMigod mech it happen?


Overview: If this were any other round, we'd be calling this an easy 3-0 for Jin Air. However, the Green Wings have endured a torrid first two weeks in round 4. Sweeps at the hands of Samsung and SKT T1 suddenly put their title ambitions into question, and Prime have even won more maps (1) this round than they have. If they struggle against the bottomfeeders this week, we might have to reassess their title potential. This is Jin Air's chance to get a breather, but suddenly it looks a lot less certain.
What to Watch Out For: KeeN is the only Prime player to nab a win in the past 4 weeks of play. He and BBoongBBoong will be arriving from Helsinki jet lagged, and it's not like they really need an even bigger handicap.
Map of the Match: YoDa vs Check on Iron Fortress - This map will set the pace for the rest of the match


Overview: The defending champs sit precariously in 4th place, and a win against their closest contenders would go a long way towards securing their spot. Yet the team has underperformed given their wealth of talent while SBENU have surprised since their name change. This seems like another potential slip up for KT (like MVP last week) if they don't come prepared.
What to Watch Out For: Flash has had trouble with TvZ, but the rest of KT drew favorable matchups. Zest seems to have figured out PvT while LifevZ and StatsvT look good.
Map of the Match: Flash vs DongRaeGu on Cactus Valley - Will we see the TvZ we hope for or a TvZ we'll dread?