Rain vs Rogue

There is something to be said about the virtue of consistency. We celebrate it with the NesTea award for 10 straight Code S stints, and we eagerly await consecutive titles from prospective champions. Yet there remains a middle ground between the contestants and the contenders that we often neglect, a group of players that perform early in the season only to falter once they reach their plateau.

For soO, that glass ceiling appeared to be the finals. For Rogue, the slippery step on the ladder is the Ro8. This year, the Jin Air Zerg has made a whopping 4 Ro8s in Korean leagues alone, and he's still in the running for another one in Code S—which could make him the only player to accomplish that feat this year. Unfortunately, his striking ability to reach the bracket stages is matched by his disastrous tendency to falter in long sets. In S2SL Season 1, he was comprehensively beaten by Stats 3-0. In Code S, herO survived his tech switches 3-2. The following season, Curious embarrassed him in ZvZ in another easy sweep. It seems that every tournament, the Sexy Boy gathers a head of steam with his ingenious play only to run out of ideas as the season progresses. Perhaps that is an unfair assessment of the zerg sOs' ability to prepare for long series, but so far he hasn't shown the same brilliance that he has in individual games.

Take for example his game against Bbyong on Terraform. The map, of course, has been dubbed Mechaform due to the prevalence of mech, and many powerful zergs have been ground to mince in its wheels. Rogue had a novel solution: harassment. It is something some zergs have tried, but only with mutalisks. Rogue added a sprinkling of flying locusts, and it was enough to destabilize the terran. Perhaps it did not pay for itself in pure damage, but it kept Bbyong guessing and pinned on three bases. Rogue's late game army of ultras, hydras, and 10+ vipers was also a very technical composition to control, and it looked like the solution zergs needed. It was a truly revelatory game, and it should go down as one of the best games of the year.


"You just can't handle my brand of sexy."

Unfortunately, he has not had as much success against protoss. While he has had no trouble taking care of second tier players such as Hurricane, YongHwa, or Trust, Rogue has yet to find his footing in the matchup since the swarmhost patch. His KeSPA Cups both ended at the hands of protoss (his series against MyuNgSiK providing more laughs than awe), though he did show some revival against Classic in Code S. While the former champion did not play his best, Rogue did put an exclamation mark on the series by ending it with a proxy hatch. Yet as another 5-game series looms, he will again be put under the microscope. Until he finally leaps over this hurdle, he will always be known as the zerg that wins battles but never the war.

Once upon a time, Rain was his complete opposite: a man that cared not about his monotonous play because it resulted in titles. Immediately after his switch to SC2, Rain was an OSL champion. That cemented his own way to play, often described as overly defensive and conservative. He was not the type of protoss that walked out into the middle of the map to risk pressure, and he was not the type to skip detection or go cheap on the cannons. He was as close to impenetrable as a protoss could be, and for a long time it looked like a recipe for success. Yet his opponents eventually figured out his tendencies—if he's not going to attack me, I'm playing extra greedy!—and his 2013 to 2014 were comparatively lean. In fact, Rain has not been back to Blizzcon since 2012. That's an alarming absence for one of the best protoss in the world since his debut, but this year will mark his return to the game's biggest stage.


"I was the original sexy boy."

His climb back to the top has not gone without some changes, however. In fact, some may even call it a transformation. Unlike the Rain of the past, the mYi Protoss is far more keen to punish openings and take advantage of holes. He has whipped out the proxy oracle against terran on occasion, and he displayed a strong blink-sentry mid game against zerg early in the year. This is no longer the Rain that only made minor adjustments to his play, but a man willing to take u-turns if it means a shorter path to his destination. Occasionally, he ends up driving himself off a cliff—out in the group stages at IEM Shenzhen, 1-3 against DeParture at Gfinity Masters 1—but Rain has realized that there are some risks worth taking. He finally conquered Code S last season after years on the cusp and added the HSCXI title for his first foreign championship. Praised as one of the smartest protoss in the world, his growing arsenal can no longer be predicted.

The fact that we do not see Rain week in, week out in Proleague casts some mystery on his play. While other players can be dissected and analyzed with each map, Rain has been allowed to save his strategies for individual leagues. Many of Rogue's best games have come in Proleague Bo1s, while Rain has won 6 consecutive Bo5+ series. Few protoss have been as dependable as Rain throughout the game's history, but it is his diversification that has pushed him to new heights.

There is something to be said about the virtue of consistency. Rain has been at the top for close to 4 years, and he has taken turns sitting on the peak of the mountain of protoss. Rogue is once again standing on his familiar plateau, studying the climb ahead of him, and he could be running out of chances to prove he can endure the harsh realities of life near the summit.

Prediction:

It has been a long time since Rain added more flavor to his vanilla shake, but Rogue will likely be the player to initiate non-standard games in this series. He should have more than 2 interesting builds in store for us, but Rain is a player that can't be beaten with trickery alone. ByuL realized as much in the Code S Finals last season as he failed to test Rain's ability to adjust. Rogue is by far the more unconventional zerg, but is that a blessing or a curse? He's once again pressed against his ceiling, and it's time to find out whether there's a second floor.

Rain 2 - 3 Rogue

herO vs MyuNgSiK

A man's reputation will always precede him. In sports, that means even more. With only the game and some surrounding gossip to go on, fans often fabricate their own narratives based on what they see. Wins and losses replace storyline; playstyle replaces characterization. It makes sense then, that MyuNgSiK is considered by most a villain. In fact, one of the few left in the scene. And who could blame them? Between his unending team switches, baffling games, and favorite killing, MyuNgSiK gives his anti-fans amunition each and every week. However, he wasn't always the heel de rigueur.

It all started in January 2014. Stuck in the back rows of KT Rolster, MyuNgSiK was mostly known for his use (or misuse, in most cases) of phoenix colossus in PvT. However, he managed to qualify for Code S for the first time in Season 1 of 2014. What fans will never forget, however, was his game against Symbol on Yeonsu in Code A:

http://www.twitch.tv/gsl/c/3556764

It was the birth of a legend. MyuNgSiK almost succeeded with his proxy 2gate after being immediately scouted, but both players decided to take turns trying to bash each other over the head with a rock and failing. It was a 20 minute game of successively worse all ins, until MyuNgSiK finally survived with his life intact. That game would remain fresh in everyone's minds throughout the year, and MyuNgSiK continued to cause moans and groans throughout 3 consecutive Code S Ro32s. Somewhere along the way, he inherited the fabled Stupid Gun, and his list of crimes grew.


Sweet, delicious tears

When the great purge of 2015 occurred, many predicted that MyuNgSiK would finally succumb to qualifiers. By this time he was already on Prime, which only amplified the abuse that he had to suffer. Yet his disdain for expectation continued as he qualified for tournament after tournament. He reached the Ro8 of Code S Season 2 amid a switch to StarTale/SBENU, and even managed another quarter finals in KeSPA Cup Season 2. This season—now teamless, of course—, he is once again in the Ro8.

Say what you will about MyuNgSiK—that he's the wrong kind of protoss, that his games are the worst, that no one really likes him—but he has proven that he deserves to be mentioned at the business end of tournaments. He may lack the solidity of Stats, the cleverness of sOs, or the finesse of Classic, yet he has gone farther than each this season. MyuNgSiK may rely on trickery and deceit more than most, but he has the uncanny understanding of how to play and win ugly—like the Bad Boy era Pistons or George Graham era Arsenal.

That will to survive and that ability to endure punishment is a trait that should be respected and not reviled, but his reputation is already firmly embedded in the collective consciousness of Starcraft. He is willing to do anything to win, and only the ultimate prize will vindicate a career spent as the brute.

Perfect, then, that he should face one of the most likable personalities in the game. It seems that no matter what herO decides to do, he will forever be considered the people's champion. His positive demeanor and boyish good looks contrast MyuNgSiK's curmudgeonly lack of appeal, and herO has won his fair share of foreign tournaments. He finally sealed his name alongside the protoss greats with his first Korean trophy at KeSPA Cup Season 1, and success seems to be a question of when rather than if for herO.

So far, he has missed out on a Starleague final on two separate occasions. In Code S Season 1, Life survived him despite playing into his hands. In Season 2, Dream comprehensively smashed his cookie cutter builds and predictable movement. That he is predictable, of course, has been the single greatest criticism levied against the CJ Ace throughout the years. It cost him $100,000 against sOs and his 2gates back in early 2014, and it cost CJ a win last week against Solar's zerglings. Yet it is an approach that has won him tournaments and earned him the adoration of fans—why should he change now?


Who needs to change when you're this beautiful?

After all, it got him out of one of the most difficult groups we've had all year. He flustered INnoVation with his warp prism play and repelled his attacks with ease. Against Life, herO avoided his self-destruction against ling runbys and timed his moves into creep perfectly. When herO is allowed to play his game, very few protoss look as beautiful and fully realized. Yet when things fall apart, as it did against Solar or as it always seems to do against sOs, that beauty looks skin deep.

As this PvP approaches, both players will likely take a long look at their own ideology for how a protoss must play because they could not be more dissimilar. While MyuNgSiK isn't opposed to changing his style at every turn, herO is adamant that his own refinements result in the best way to play. Looking at their respective successes and failures, it appears as though herO is correct. Yet more than once he has been proven wrong by a player like MyuNgSiK.

Neither player has much reason to change things as they are: the herO wants to remain the hero, and the villain couldn't care less.

Predictions:

herO has the prestige, the name, the fans. MyuNgSiK has a chip on his shoulders and a point to prove. Based on history and matchup ratings, herO should be the clear favorite. He's going to play the way we've always known him to play, and for most PvPs that should result in a win. But against MyuNgSiK, that approach could be what costs him his season. The teamless protoss will have a few tricks up his sleeve, and it will be a disservice to the game if he is vilified for what sOs might otherwise do in his place. MyuNgSiK is once again in the Ro8, and it's time he got his due.

herO 2 - 3 MyuNgSiK