GSL Code A Day 3

Another day, another round of Code A. While SSL's strict Ro16 leaves very little space for new kids to display their skills, Code A's massive 60-man lineup could present more than a few surprises from unknowns and old timers alike. In Day 3, DeParture molasses slow crawl towards legitimacy could receive a shot in the arm should he grab a Code S berth, while total newcomer DRGLing offers us a glimpse at one of the few genuine rookies in SC2. The final match of the evening is a veteran's memorial with Bomber and Seed matching wits, but only one of the old timers will advance.



When the results just aren’t coming, when is it time to call it quits? It’s always going to be a difficult question for any player. By virtue of having made it to the professional scene, it’s obvious that they have to have a certain degree of skill; a certain degree of self belief. But having gone through two iterations of the game with little to show for his efforts, you wouldn’t be surprised if DeParture had doubts.

In a way, it’s a shame that Legacy of the Void arrived when it did for him, as 2015 was his best year yet. His 5-9 record in Proleague might be poor on paper, but in comparison to his 0-7 year in 2014, showed a healthy amount of progress. In particular, his double roach warren snipe build against herO was one of the highlights of the year—an elegantly devised and executed counter to the CJ protoss’ predictable style. Meanwhile, in his one trip outside Asia to date, he took a convincing win at Gfinity Summer I, trampling over MarineLorD, Bunny, Snute and First in convincing fashion. The revelation that he was atop the Korean ladder at the time gave credence to the claims that behind the bundle of nerves in the booth lay a quality competitor threatening to break out. Still though, the fact remains that in five years of programing, he has fallen in the Code A qualifiers without fail; in beating MC in the qualifiers, he has now gone further than ever before in the Korean system. Being one of the last Koreans to claim a WCS affiliated tournament win is nice, and the faith of his coaches and team in Proleague might be comforting, but failing to make any headway at all in the Korean leagues must be dispiriting. Hopefully he can make his chance count.

Of all the peaks and troughs in form for Koreans last year, Stats’ fall in the second half of the year was one of the most baffling and unexpected. Opening up the year with dual top 4 placements in SSL and one of the best records in Proleague (alongside dual failures in the GSL qualifiers, it has to be said), he was practically non-existent in the second half of the year. Offline win percentages of 65% (from January to May) and 40% (June onwards) are revealing, even when considering the low sample size during his slump. It’s even stranger when you take his reputation as one of Korea’s most consistent players into account—solid in all matchups, comfortable in all styles, and able to mix it up in the late game as well as hit early with cheese. His online resurgence towards the end of the year did suggest an upturn in fortunes though, racking up an impressive hitlist in the Kung Fu Cup, although we’ve already seen that HotS results are hardly indicative of the way things are going in Legacy so far.

Predictions:

DeParture’s results against protoss so far in LotV consist of a sole win against MC, and losses to MyuNgSiK and Hurricane online, both of whom performed well in the GSL Preseason. Meanwhile, Stats has wins against Dark and Symbol, while losing to Rogue, so the comparison on that front is hardly convincing either way. I think I’ll opt for Stats for now, although DeParture’s ability to devise and execute plans in a preparation format should be respected.

DeParture 2 - 3 Stats



While it's already been 2 months since Legacy of the Void's launch, a lot of the game is still being figured out, with much of it still resembling one large uncharted body of water—and it needs pioneers of all kinds to plot its every unknown end.

And there are few as apt for that role as Bbyong. The CJ terran didn't quite have the same impact on the game as his more accomplished brothers, Mvp, on who's work HotS meta was built, or INnoVation, who refined most of the builds. However Bbyong still found his own ways to impact the game, as he created his own unique take on the 1/1/1 in the form of Gangnam terran on Habitation Station. He also brought out mech vs protoss and used it to great effect against Classic in 2014 PL.

The combination of new units and crazy new maps also helps Bbyong's cause. The meta is so chaotic that players such as INno, that rely on refinement and execution, might struggle to find their footing. However, players such as Bbyong, who thrive on anarchy, should feel right at home. And it could very well be from his work, and that of players like him, that the makings of new unit compositions, strategies, and a whole meta, could arise. For while Bbyong won't be the one to refine the builds, he'll certainly be the one paving the road.

While we do have a few ideas how Bbyong will or will not play, DRGLing is a complete mystery. What we do know is that he is a new zerg player from Sbenu and he managed to win his series vs Ryung 2-1 to qualify for the GSL. There are a few things we might deduce though. The team Sbenu is full of older, more experienced players nearing the twilight of their careers, but also players that are not at all shy about busting out the cheese.

If DRGLing is anything like his team mates Leenock, Bomber, Super, Billowy or Keen, then he certainly won't hesitate to bring forth these weapons to bear. However he also has Bomber and Curious to fall back on, thus if the going gets tough he might rely on some ferocious macro and late game prowess. More than anything though, DRGLing represents a lot of potential, being a relatively new player he might not have any preconceived notions about how the game should play out. He might not build off old ideas and instead try to make them new, more than even Bbyong. DRGLing has the potential to bring something new and fresh to the table.

Predictions:

As is usually the case when two players such as these meet, the result could either be super close and exciting, or extremely one sided. If this was HotS I'd rate Bbyong's chances higher given his proficiency with mech and his veterancy. However in Legacy, mech as we know it is struggling and Bbyong's experience won't be of much use, making the series potentially closer.

Overall I'll still go with Bbyong.

Bbyong 3 - 0 DRGLing



Entering the sixth year of competitive SC2, SBENU.Bomber is one of the last stars of his generation left still competing in GSL. The likes of Mvp, MC, and most recently, MMA have all called it quits, save for Bomber who is still determined to grind out one last title in the twilight of his illustrious career. For the former Startale standout, a new year and new expansion hopefully means a fresh start—a chance to reset the table and bounce back from a dismal 2015. Last year was a real struggle for Bomber, who failed to make top 16 in a major tournament for the first time in his six year career. But given his reputation, Bomber managed to score a wildcard invite to Dreamhack LotV Championship, where he barely squeaked through the group stages only to lose a close TvT to TY in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, the veteran terran has failed to qualify for SSL—dropping consecutive series to Maru and ByuL—but won two TvZs to secure a spot in Code A. Now going up against Seed, he has a real chance of returning to Code S.

Bomber played two televised matches against protoss at Dreamhack, winning against PitiDrogo and losing against puCK. In those games, Bomber relied on his typical three-base macro play in which he fully saturates three bases and out-produces his opponent - a style that Bomber has perfected over the years and is now bolstered by the defensive prowess of the Liberator. In addition to this safe style of play, Bomber is also notorious for mixing in cheeses as well as retro builds from previous installments of StarCraft. Given the new expansion and volatile meta, Bomber may rely on builds from HotS or possibly even WoL - builds that he is more confident and comfortable with. We may even see the infamous SCV-pull all-in that Bomber helped popularize in 2014. Needless to say, Seed will have his work cut out for him.

When he won GSL S3 way back in 2012, MVP.Seed seemed to be the next in a long line of prodigies produced by Incredible Miracle. But looking back, that championship was undoubtedly the summit of Seed’s career. A cerebral player known for outthinking his opponents, Seed won IPL TAC3 for IM by defeating the then unstoppable TaeJa and closing out HerO. But that feat feels like it occured a lifetime ago. Since leaving IM, Seed has become quite the journeyman, joining two teams and even competing briefly in WCS America before he finally settled in with team MVP and returned to Korea. For a player who once showed so much promise, this flamboyant Protoss has struggled hard to return to prominence. Like his opponent, Seed has also had a difficult 2015, failing to advance past the first round of Code S in two tries. However, MVP seems to have revitalized the the former GSL champion, who has shown a steady improvement in performance over the past few months.



Under the tutelage of Choya, Seed may even be able to rediscover the aggressive all-in style that once played a crucial role in his one and only GSL title run. Seed’s current record against Korean Terrans in ranked LotV matches is 4-4. He was denied a spot in SSL S1 by FanTasy, but now he is presented with a second shot at another Terran; this time to secure a highly coveted spot in GSL Code S.

Predictions
Here we have two veterans clinging on to the hopes that a new expansion will even the playing field and perhaps give them one last decent shot at a title before their respective windows close. Bomber and Seed have only squared off on three occasions throughout the years, with Seed holding a slight 3-2 lead in games. Both players have quirky playstyles and seem to revel in chaotic situations, making it difficult to predict how the series will unfold. I would have to give a slight edge to Bomber, who is by far the more accomplished player. That being said, Bomber is well known for tilting and losing lopsided games against lesser opponents. If Seed can throw a few curve balls to disrupt Bomber’s game plan, then this series could go either way.

Bomber 3 - 1 Seed