EPT
Classic and 
TY were first up, and while their openers were pretty standard, TY’s transition into battlecruisers was anything but. Classic countered with carriers and both settled into the long game. Both players poked and prodded around the map while Classic added void-rays and TY mixed in widow mines. Classic harassed more effectively, but he lost his entire army when he lost his mothership core and was forced to fight. From there on it was a foregone conclusion and Classic eventually tapped out. Classic bounced back in games two and three, though, using phoenix/adept to even and then take the series.Next,
herO and Dear took it to Bel’shir Vestige for a PvP. Both players opened with immortal/blink, but when it came time to fight Dear took the lead and never gave it back. Abyssal Reef saw herO return the favour—taking out Dear's third and macroing to victory. The deciding map was Newkirk Precinct, and game 3 got off to a bad start for Dear as he lost 14 workers to oracle harassment. Dark templars worsened the situation and a faster third and a landslide fight sealed the deal for the ROOT Protoss. Although they entered the mid largely unhindered in game 3, herO got the better end of every engagement with superior blink and disruptor control to complete the comeback. With that he became the second player to earn a victory.
Losira, took game one of the first TvZ of the day against Ryung as a ling flood off four hatcheries spiraled out of control when he added banelings and mutas. In game two, Ryung found himself ahead going into the midgame due to crippling hellion and banshee harass. He kept the pressure on Losira from there on out, eventually pushing the series to a rubber match with a prolonged attack on Losira’s fourth. Trying to close things out, Losira followed up a devastating early roach attack with a roach/queen nydus that set Ryung even further behind. Ryung tried a last ditch move out, but he was caught by the fungal/corrosive bile combo, completing the upset for Losira.In the final match of the day,
ByuN got to a good start by pushing jjakji into his main with a cyclone/marine push while also killing jjakji’s first proxy banshee seconds before cloak. After that he was forced into a basetrade–esque scenario with both players forcing their opponents into their mains and establishing contains. Eventually they backed off, resetting the game with ByuN on two bases to jjakji’s one. Jjakji hung around for a while, but after falling further and further behind, a single drop on his only base was enough to force him out of the game. On Whirlwind, jjakji started off with a marine/cyclone push that killed seven workers. ByuN ended up with an army advantage though, and after repelling jjakji’s drops, he attacked when jjakji moved out. Jjakji had no option but to commit with his doom drop as ByuN killed his natural CC. ByuN reacted quickly to the attack, killing off jjakji’s army and locking in his first win of the SSL.Join us on Monday and Saturday next week for Week 2 of the SSL.
