A is for Anchovies

by munch

With the SSL group stages drawing to a close, it’s only natural that the incumbent champion finally gets his run-out. Picking up the Starleague and IEM Shenzhen titles in quick succession may have belatedly brought him the accolades he’s craved, but Classic’s results all year long have suggested a return to the top tier of the Starcraft scene. It’s easiest to let the statistics speak for themselves—since mid-March, Classic has been running at 70+% in each of his matchups. We often speak in awe of legendary runs—Squirtle through the IPL 4 bracket of hell; Sora’s miracle run through WCG; NesTea’s unbeaten GSL—but to show such consistent dominance for nearly half a year is practically unheard of (although again, as ever, Mvp got there first; recording similar statistics over the course of 2011). In 2014, Classic was seen as the forgotten GSL champion; the race switcher who lucked into the greatest streak of protoss dominance over the course of Starcraft 2. Whether he crashes out in flames this season, or if he pushes himself to new heights, no one’s going to make the same mistake again.




For a glimpse at just how far he’s come, you only need to look back to the Proleague Playoffs this time last year. On the back of a 1-6 run in Proleague, and having failed his GSL title defence at the first hurdle earlier in the week, Classic stepped into the booth determined to turn his fortunes around. A couple minutes later, he’d step right back out again, as TY’s bunker rush killed any hopes of SKT victory on the night. A year on, it’s interesting to see how their paths have diverged. Both players have stayed true to their styles, but while Classic has ironed out all the kinks in his game, TY’s old familiar inconsistencies still remain. He’s still liable to bust out a supremely dirty build every so often, but while that may make him an infuriating opponent in Proleague’s best of one format, it’s less conducive to a deep run through the individual leagues. Having said that though, he’s had recent success at the past two IEMs—deep runs through both stacked qualifier brackets, as well as his eventual top 4 finish in Shenzhen—so perhaps his fortunes have turned as we approach the business end of the Starcraft year.


TY: "Predicting me to go last? Cold, man, cold."

One player who we’ve got used to seeing competing at every weekender in existence is HyuN, and it’s been one of the mysteries of the year as to why his attendance rate has suddenly dried up. Whatever the case, it’s interesting to see that despite the enforced move back to Korea, HyuN’s still been capable of establishing a role for himself in the scene. Dual top four finishes at Dreamhack Tours and Valencia have given us a display of his old touring ways, but it’s his showings in Korea which have whetted the appetite the most. In particular, his pair of 3-0s to get through the SSL Challenger in seasons 2 and 3 have been vintage HyuN, eliminating two strong ZvZers in Losira and Dark with consummate ease. He may be derided as a bit roach-centric, but those two series show him to be a dangerous sniper when given the time to prep for an opponent. And hey—whenever there’s a roach max to be hit, he’ll always be a threat.

Rounding out the group is our second zerg of the night. Rogue’s sudden improvement over the past year has been impressive to say the least. Over 2013 and 2014, he scored a total of three Code S appearances (falling out in the first group stage each time), but so far this year, he’s already grabbed three top 8 spots. In fact, with successful qualification for each of the 6 starleague seasons so far this year, he’s in with a shout of being one of the most consistent players of the year. That’s even before you get to his continued excellence in Proleague for Jin Air, cementing his role as Maru’s second in command so far this campaign.But as is the case in all walks of life, success only begets further ambition, and breaking the round of 8 barrier is the next target on the list. He’s had some close calls so far (a heartbreaking 2-3 loss to herO in GSL Season 1) and some … less close ones (the shellackings from Stats and Curious), and it’ll be interesting to see which way he goes this season.


Rogue: "Why yes, I do plan to use a build you never thought would work."

Predictions"

If you’ve been paying attention at all this year, this should be like a lazy Sunday of fishing for Classic. Out of the other three though, TY’s notably had difficulty against zergs, despite looking pretty solid against Snute in Shenzhen. He's failed to have any real consistency at all in the matchup, and against two highly aggressive zergs, it looks like he’ll struggle. In the final match of the night, ZvZ is as difficult to predict as ever, but I reckon HyuN’s bag of party tricks is just about deep enough to get him past Rogue.

Classic > HyuN
TY < Rogue
Classic > Rogue
HyuN > TY
Rogue < HyuN

Classic and HyuN to advance to the Ro8.