EPTWhat we learned
Solar reigns supreme
Different foreigners lead the charge
Michael Bay's PvP
Recommended Games
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
Dreamhack Winter 2015: What We Learned
Detailed results at Liquipedia.
The first Legacy of the Void Premier tournament surely proved the enormous entertainment potential of this new expansion, burning of a firework of excellent games from both Koreans and Foreigners. Even though the group stage was fairly predictable regarding the advancements (our competitor compendium picked eleven out of twelve players correctly) the exact group orders were a surprise with Foreigners claiming two first places over their Korean opponents.
The playoffs went on to become a hot affair, providing several great games and above all an abundant amount of study material for fans and progamers alike. Much can be learnt from the plays of this tournament, setting the pace for the next few weeks of LotV competition.
Here’s what we took away from the tournament in Jönköping.
Solar Reigns Supreme
Widely regarded as the favourite to win this DreamHack beforehand,
Solar proved his terrifying reputation with a commanding performance throughout the tournament. The zerg didn’t drop a single map in the group stage and then advanced into the grand finals only losing one sole game to his greatest rival for the championship—
PartinG. Only in the last and deciding series, where he once again was met in battle by the protoss player, Solar was pushed to the edge of defeat. However PartinG wasn’t able to finish the series off after taking a 3-1 lead, allowing Solar to perform a comeback and take his third DreamHack title, putting the Samsung player only two trophies behind top dog
TaeJa. History repeated itself this day, as both players already were in a similar position last year at MSI in Taiwan.Thus Solar continues to reign supreme. Since the release of the expansion the zerg player is undefeated, having won 26 series and 70 maps, only dropping the ball and losing maps 16 times—this equals a winrate of 81%.
![[image loading]](/staff/TheOneAboveU/Players/DHW15_PartinG_BenjaminCotton.jpg)
PartinG's history of struggling in grand finals continued at DreamHack Winter 2015.
Photo: Benjamin Cotton, dreamhack flickr
Different Foreigners Lead the Charge
A great deal of people had expected
HuK and Lilbow to do well at DreamHack, but it was a different group of Foreigners that lead the charge in Sweden. Although Lilbow was able to win a series against TY he wasn’t able to advance out of his group—Nerchio, puCK and FireCake on the other hand were not only able to overcome Korean opposition, but also got into the playoffs. There it was ShoWTimE, who at least challenged PartinG’s PvP skills, making things difficult for the Flash Wolves player, giving Europe a great showing once more.Overall things didn’t look all too great on the Foreigner vs Koreans front however. Despite being in a new, unexplored expansion—a phase in which Foreigners traditionally are more likely to upset Koreans than in a figured out meta—the stats don’t exactly give reason to feel more hopeful than before: In the duels against Westerners the Koreans won 45 maps while losing only 12.
![[image loading]](/staff/TheOneAboveU/Players/DHW15_puCK_SebastianEkman.jpg)
The strong American hope of DreamHack Winter 2015: puCK.
Photo: Sebastian Ekman, dreamhack flickr
Michael Bay's Protoss vs Protoss
What to make of the protoss mirror match-up after this tournament? PartinG and ShoWTimE showcased a style relying heavily on the usage disruptors, which led to both sides dancing around each other, shooting and dodging the explosive payload of the robotic units—and sometimes failing to get away, resulting in giant losses of supply.
What looked like a case of MAD (‘Mutual Assured Destruction’, a strategic concept revolving around nuclear retaliation during the Cold War), was amazing to spectate for most viewers: It was intense, dramatic and flashy. It had a lot of close calls, last second blinks and dodges and most of all giant explosions with carnage flying all around the place. It required the players to pay attention without any little break whatsoever—if you look away for one second there may not be an army for you to command anymore. Patience and great control are a must-have for this style as well—and all of it visible to the spectator, since a small deficit in any of these areas lead to destruction.
It seems like this kind of PvP is the ultimate result of David Kims “spectators first” philosophy implemented with LotV.
Viewers may grow tired of this deadly dancing after some time, but for now the majority seems satisfied with that kind of play. What about the players though? Everything said above—that you need to pay attention 100% of your time, that you need patience as well as precise, fast control and that everything can be over after one disruption—may be amazing to watch, but incredibly difficult to pull off on the field of battle. Losing a long game in this meta may feel very frustrating and draining. We’ll have to see how long players are willing to invest so much energy before searching for different ways to win.
![[image loading]](/staff/TheOneAboveU/Players/DHW15_ShoWTimE_BenjaminCotto.jpg)
ShoWTimE performed one of the most impressive runs in Jönköping, even challenging PartinG in PvP.
Photo: Benjamin Cotton, dreamhack flickr
Recommended Games
There are few games we’d like to recommend you checking out, in case you missed parts of the tournament and are looking for some good VODs: Fans of TvT might want to watch
Bomber vs TY for some excellent holds of aggression and other craziness. (Youtube) Terrans looking for inspiration—and anyone else looking for amazing entertainment—should absolutely watch game 3 and 4 of PartinG vs TY. Game 3 showcased an excellent macro battle between the two players, while game 4 was just outright crazy and intense. (Youtube)
If you’d like to see what this new PvP is all about, check out PartinG vs ShoWTimE (game 3 especially) and be ready to watch some explosions—protoss haters might also enjoy this, since a lot of the stuff you hate is exploding and flying all over the screen. (Youtube)
And last but not least the grand finals between PartinG and Solar produced a great game 4, showing protoss players a way to deal with the swarm. (Youtube)
If you are struggling against zerg and need some additional ideas you might also want to follow ShoWTimE’s run through the tournament—he murdered three of Europe’s finest zergs on his way.
DreamHack might be done, but more Legacy of the Void craziness is soon to come with Nation Wars 3 and the next edition of HomeStory Cup. For players and viewers alike this means only one thing: There is more terra incognita to be explored and showcased, as this new world opens itself up to us.
Credits:
Writers: TheOneAboveU, Destructicon.
Editors: lichter.
Graphics: lichter.
Photos: Blizzard.
Stats: Aligulac
Writers: TheOneAboveU, Destructicon.
Editors: lichter.
Graphics: lichter.
Photos: Blizzard.
Stats: Aligulac
