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[Code S] soO vs sOs - Semifinals Preview - S1 2017

Forum Index > SC2 General
46 CommentsPost a Reply
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[Code S] soO vs sOs - Semifinals Preview - S1 2017

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
Graphics byshiroiusagi
March 13th, 2017 22:57 GMT

soO vs sOs
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

soO vs sOs



You can’t lose the battle you never fight

When a season of GSL begins, every competitor has the same thing on their mind – the bright lights of the finals and glorious victory on that stage. That goes doubly for (Z)soO, who has surely been craving a return to the site of four consecutive follies with the chance to write a new tale.

In the early stages soO was seen as one of the favorites, only to have that image quickly melt away as this period of Terran dominance began. As things progressed he found himself disadvantaged against a number of foes. Resiliency won out, however, as soO refused to give in despite the odds. An improbable win against (T)TY means (P)sOs is the final enemy barring the entrance to the promised land.

And it is the promised land, isn’t it? soO is human so it’s safe to assume he’s played what comes next time and again in his head. As everyone knows things never quite go as planned. Since his victory in the quarterfinals, soO has struggled. A flawless run in the Wardi Season Finals should give him some confidence, but it's just one victory amid a sea of defeats. In one week he failed to qualify for SSL and VSL while also dropping out of TING season 3 and being eliminated early in Olimoleague. That would be enough to shake anyone’s confidence and for someone like soO, who has been threading the eye of the needle for weeks, it threatens to undermine everything he’s done thus far.

Once doubt creeps in, it’s a slippery slope. soO has rarely lost prior to the finals in GSL, but given some of his tweets after his losses one might think he might have preferred to. He’d receive less prize money, but his psyche wouldn’t take the same hits. At this point losing in the finals is a substantially bigger blow than his failure to qualify for SSL and the chance for riches and a Starleague title.

soO obviously yearns to win, but with his frailties becoming more and more apparent maybe he would prefer to be spared the humiliation of a finals defeat. It would be easier to pick himself up after a loss to sOs and begin the next season anew.
The bottom line is that soO has done what no other Zerg could do this season. He has made it this far through overwhelming will as much as in-game skill. With this last obstacle hurdling towards him, he’ll have to remember what brought him here. Sure, it might be preferable to lose now rather than on March 25th, but you can’t win the battles you never fight. And this is one battle soO needs to win.


Winning quietly for a change

If there was one word that has never been used to describe sOs, it would have to be unassuming. And yet after a euphoric end to HotS that’s the way things have been for one of the most decorated players of all time. An underwhelming start to 2016 seamlessly blended into a GSL campaign in season 2 in which he really didn’t get much fanfare. Lo and behold, sOs found himself in the finals, albeit against a much more hyped player. The world was on (T)ByuN’s side and sOs’ defeat was the expected result rather than the upset as it might have been in years past.

Flash forward a few months and Proleague, sOs’ former stomping ground is gone, talk of sOs has fizzled. At the same time Jin Air kept him out of online cups, further reducing his visibility. To top it all off, a shaky start to GSL certainly didn’t inspire his fans. sOs endured, however, somehow finding himself in the Round of 8 against herO. Finally, after months of anonymity, people started to notice. A victory over (P)herO was viewed as a mere formality by many, but the hard fought series was the first example of how good sOs might be right now. He’s better than back to back second places in the group stages would indicate. He is every bit the championship contender he used to be.

Winning GSL would be a first for sOs, but beating soO would mark his second consecutive final, a feat only accomplished a hand full of times before. sOs has reached this precipice flying under the radar while players like (Z)Dark, ByuN, (T)INnoVation and TY have commanded the spotlight.

Despite the lack of attention, sOs is doing the same things he’s always done. Moments of strategic genius and crisp execution are paired alongside head-scratching mistakes and calamitous errors. soO is a player that has been at his best when amid structure and no one can deface the norm like sOs. He is the antithesis of standard and will surely approach this match with that in mind.

sOs is probably the least talked about semifinalist leading up to the Round of 4, but that’s a position he’s grown increasingly comfortable with. He doesn’t seem to care if people notice. A win is a win and he’s only two away from a title no one will be able to ignore.


What is Greatness?

Greatness is one of those nebulous terms that gets thrown around in the sporting world ad nauseum. StarCraft II is no exception. The community loves to debate who’s better than who, using all manner of criteria as a basis to vault their personal champion to the top of the list.

sOs and soO are two players who are fortunate to be a part of that conversation. Both were included in TeamLiquid’s power ranking for greatest StarCraft II player ever in 2015 and not much has changed since then. sOs won another BlizzCon and soO added 2 more final appearances (including a victory at KeSPA Cup). Even though they find themselves in the same rarified air, it’s impossible not to remember that they reached it in very different ways.

sOs is the definition of a winner. soO, on the other hand, has an unfortunate knack for falling just short of glory. They have reached a similar number of finals, but have converted on those opportunities at remarkably different rates. That is only the first of many ways in which these two titans diverge. soO reached the majority of his finals during a period of remarkable prosperity. sOs prefers to pop his head out of the ground just long enough to win 100,000$. soO has struggled to duplicate his 2014 form, with the positive results since feeling more like anomalies than the norm. sOs seems to have discovered how to capture the limits of his play like lightning in a bottle, to be deployed whenever the need arises. It is for this reason that he has seen so much success in weekend events while typically stumbling to a halt in Starleagues. sOs possesses the most recent GSL finals appearance among the two of them, but he will almost assuredly never equal soO’s mark in that regard. sOs has begun to hone his skill in Starleagues over the past year, but this format of play is what made soO a legend and he has displayed deadly proficiency in it throughout this competition as well.

soO and sOs are different sides of the same coin. Their long and exceptional careers are highlighted by well-defined peaks and valleys, maybe more so than other players of their pedigree. Their charge to the semifinal has been characterized by perseverance, but part of that is because they have often looked vulnerable. While soO must see this semifinal as another step towards validation, sOs has little to prove. He’s already one of StarCraft II’s greatest champions. If he were to win nothing else for the rest of his career that would not change. Their goal may be the same, but their perspective is as different as can be.

Prediction:

(Z)soO 4-3 (P)sOs



Credits:
Writers: Mizenhauer.
Editors: Olli.
Graphics: shiroiusagi.
Stats: Aligulac

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TL+ Member
Cricketer12
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
United States13973 Posts
March 13 2017 23:04 GMT
#2
My sig says it all, but soO looks so much better right now. Great writeup as always
Kaina + Drones Linkcro Summon Cupsie Yummy Way
FrostedMiniWheats
Profile Joined August 2010
United States30730 Posts
Last Edited: 2017-03-13 23:10:12
March 13 2017 23:10 GMT
#3
I agree with the score. Good write up
NesTea | Mvp | MC | Leenock | Losira | Gumiho | DRG | Taeja | Jinro | Stephano | Thorzain | Sen | Idra |Polt | Bomber | Symbol | Squirtle | Fantasy | Jaedong | Maru | sOs | Seed | ByuN | ByuL | Neeb| Scarlett | Rogue | IM forever
AxiomBlurr
Profile Blog Joined November 2012
786 Posts
March 14 2017 00:25 GMT
#4
sOs tooo tricky for soO. Great write up but prediction is askew.
Poopi
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
France12790 Posts
March 14 2017 00:44 GMT
#5
Nice write-up however sOs hasn't looked super good, albeit we didn't see much of him!
WriterMaru
ParksonVN
Profile Joined October 2015
Australia370 Posts
March 14 2017 01:00 GMT
#6
It's funny that at the beginning, everyone was doubting about sOs's form, calling him weak player. And now he's in the semi final.
Cricketer12
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
United States13973 Posts
March 14 2017 01:33 GMT
#7
On March 14 2017 10:00 ParksonVN wrote:
It's funny that at the beginning, everyone was doubting about sOs's form, calling him weak player. And now he's in the semi final.

if you are going to compare Classic Dark and TY to Keen Bunny and herO you are out of your damn mind
Kaina + Drones Linkcro Summon Cupsie Yummy Way
Malgo
Profile Joined March 2015
Germany76 Posts
Last Edited: 2017-03-14 01:35:42
March 14 2017 01:35 GMT
#8
On March 14 2017 10:00 ParksonVN wrote:
It's funny that at the beginning, everyone was doubting about sOs's form, calling him weak player. And now he's in the semi final.


his Ro.32 and Ro.16 performances were incredible bad, tho he won in a PvP quarterfinal which is always more a random matchup. soO will take this
attomac
Profile Joined March 2015
Peru14 Posts
March 14 2017 01:53 GMT
#9
I believe soO will get to the finals, sOs is not in good form. I want sOs to win everything though.
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33339 Posts
March 14 2017 02:16 GMT
#10
ultimate winner vs ultimate loser

what a maaaaaatch ~_~
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
Qwyn
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2779 Posts
March 14 2017 02:41 GMT
#11
SOO! Find vengeance, please! Realize your dream and avenge the Tyrant!

I believe in you, and will be watching!
"Think of the hysteria following the realization that they consciously consume babies and raise the dead people from their graves" - N0
stuchiu
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Fiddler's Green42661 Posts
March 14 2017 03:09 GMT
#12
This could have been the ultimate finals.
Moderator
warlocke
Profile Joined September 2015
97 Posts
March 14 2017 03:20 GMT
#13
need the cheese for ma' pizzas
an average player whom can only F2 + a-move
Alarak89
Profile Joined January 2016
United States882 Posts
March 14 2017 03:55 GMT
#14
On March 14 2017 10:00 ParksonVN wrote:
It's funny that at the beginning, everyone was doubting about sOs's form, calling him weak player. And now he's in the semi final.

Haters'tear is the best thing to watch, so that shouldn't be a problem.
sOs is THE ONLY player I pay attention to
bduddy
Profile Joined May 2012
United States1326 Posts
March 14 2017 04:41 GMT
#15
Normally I'm detached about these kinds of things but I want soO to win an unhealthy amount. Go on! Show everyone that coming back, fighting on, and keeping at it really do matter!
>Liquid'Nazgul: Of course you are completely right
MoonyD
Profile Joined December 2013
Australia191 Posts
March 14 2017 07:40 GMT
#16
As much as I'm a fan of sOs and his crazy strategies, I can't see him beating SoO. Unless SoO decides to choke and go for silly cheeses or crumbles to cannon rushes.
The world wants to be deceived
Linkinparktoss
Profile Joined March 2017
16 Posts
March 14 2017 07:55 GMT
#17
On March 14 2017 16:40 MoonyD wrote:
As much as I'm a fan of sOs and his crazy strategies, I can't see him beating SoO. Unless SoO decides to choke and go for silly cheeses or crumbles to cannon rushes.


I wasnt impressed of soOs play. I mean his Ro32 and Ro16 werent that great, and his Quaterfinal nearly got him 0:3. Okay his comeback was impressiv. but against the true king of mindgames in a Bo7? sOs is allways the best in long games. I mean look at his WCS wins, he allways struggled in group phase and Quaterfinal
Argonauta
Profile Joined July 2016
Spain4906 Posts
March 14 2017 08:28 GMT
#18
Head: SoS

Heart: soO
Rogue | Maru | Scarlett | Trap
TL+ Member
Ziggy
Profile Blog Joined June 2013
South Korea2105 Posts
March 14 2017 08:32 GMT
#19
No way soO wins this, sOs has had the entire roster of JAGW to practice with, none of the boys went to Katowice and I doubt they had any other matches to prepare for.
WriterDefeating a sandwich only makes it tastier. @imjustziggy
fishjie
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
United States1519 Posts
March 14 2017 08:53 GMT
#20
i want soo to win but don't wanna get my hopes up and let down, so i think sos is gonna take it. but really, i'm rooting for soo ryung and sos (not that dirty protoss stats tho)
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