EPT
The Weekly Preview
by munch![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/bird_blue_16.png)
- Munchkin365With Season 1 of both the Premier and Challenge divisions of the SSL finally complete, it’s a quieter week than usual in Korea. We’re still a week away from the do-or-die SSL Fast Lane qualifiers for Season 2 as a final hurrah of this year’s labyrinthine format, but what we’re lacking in quantity this week we’re getting in quality.
The Promised Land
It’s been an inordinate amount of time since
GuMiho was in this position. You have to look all the way back to GSL 2012 Season 1 for his last GSL semifinal appearance; a crushing 2-3 reverse sweep by eventual champion DongRaeGu. For years, he’s been that great “what if?” of the scene—a player blessed with all the talent and strategic ingenuity required save for the consistency to deliver day in, day out. He’s barely looked threatened at all so far this season—breezing past Zest and TvT phenom aLive in the opening group, bopping ByuL and Trap in the Ro.16 (albeit dodging Stats along the way), before holding his nerve to reverse sweep TY in the quarterfinals with his characteristic blend of heavy drop pressure and patient mech play.
He’s not the only one growing anxious for a win though. Their circumstances might seem completely different—GuMiho’s still searching for his first major win on LAN, whileMaru’s looking to become the first (and almost certainly the last) player to complete the SC2 set of OSL / SSL / GSL trophies—but Maru himself isn’t quite the all-conquering demon he’s often been made out to be. For a player who’s been a mainstay of the scene for nearly five years now, single handedly propping up his entire race at times in Korea, a mere pair of trophies on the mantelpiece must be a disappointment. The GSL in particular has been his Moby Dick—he’s had six apperances in the playoffs without even an appearance in the finals to show for it. Two challengers enter on Wednesday who've been stopped at this stage before; one spot in the finals awaits. Time to enter the Thunderdome.
Clichés
There are clichés in every sport ever played. “Good feet for a big man”. “He just has to play his natural game”. “He just wanted it more”. Not surprisingly, they’re just as infuriatingly popular in esports. In Starcraft 2, there’s nothing more ubiquitous than the phrase “Only Player X could have done this”, potentially applied to a play anywhere on the spectrum between a standard reaper timing allied to awful defensive play from his opponent, or to a mind-boggling bit of Maru control in 2015 TvP.
But there clearly are times when that cliché clearly applies though.
soO has progressed serenely to his sixth GSL semifinal. His current record in GSL playoff games (not including the finals...) is played 11, won 11. After his first GSL Finals loss, we were told that he wasn’t good enough; that he was fortunate to make it that far and that there were better zergs who’d usurp him in the following seasons. The same was said after the second; by the third, the story was that he’d never make it to the top; by the fourth (and his subsequent fall from grace), the story was the inevitability of his fall after the accumulated weight of failure. After his fifth GSL finals loss last season, people again were queueing up to comment. Will he be permanently broken by yet another defeat?
Well, one loss wasn’t enough. Two definitely weren’t; neither were numbers 3 and 4, and with one series left to maintain his spotless playoffs record in the GSL, it seems #5 wasn’t either. Players rise and fall in Starcraft all the time—rising to prominence off a week-long hot streak, or sinking to obscurity after a single crushing defeat—while soO reigns eternal. There are few players in the game as worthy of praise as soO; the phrase “only he could have done it” has hardly been more true or applicable. Let’s hope that come the close of play on 24 June, that phrase suddenly evolves to mean something wonderfully different.
SKT Fighting
Standing in soO’s way though is arguably his toughest test left in the bracket. What is it with SKT and (ex-)teamkills? If you’ll excuse the obvious wordplay opportunity, this is an absolute
Classic of a matchup, featuring the most mechanically gifted zerg to have ever played the game against one of the most cerebral and inventive protosses of his generation. And if you think that their former pairing on SKT (or even their current friendship) would stop Classic pulling out all the stops of utter bastardry, remember that this is the matchup where we once saw a successful quadruple cannon rush.
The VSL Continues
To wrap up the week, the VSL continues with its most interesting group so far this season. There’s the win-win scenario of either watchingINnoVation run a train through a pair of zergs, or of watching the newly minted SSL champion fall hilariously short; we’ll have our first look at last season’s surprise champion Impact back in the VSL, desperate to prove that his win wasn’t a flash in the pan; while jjakji and Curious are the veterans attempting to throw a spanner in the works. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the latter at anything near his best—his Indian Summer of mid-2015 may well prove to be the cap to his career once all’s said and done—but it would be vintage Curious for him to upset one of the favourites here.
Weekly Schedule:
Wed - GSL Semifinal #1 - GuMiho vs Maru
Fri - VSL Season 2 Ro.16 - Group C - Curious / INnoVation / Impact / jjakji
Sat - GSL Semifinal #2 - Classic vs soO
The Promised Land
It’s been an inordinate amount of time since
GuMiho was in this position. You have to look all the way back to GSL 2012 Season 1 for his last GSL semifinal appearance; a crushing 2-3 reverse sweep by eventual champion DongRaeGu. For years, he’s been that great “what if?” of the scene—a player blessed with all the talent and strategic ingenuity required save for the consistency to deliver day in, day out. He’s barely looked threatened at all so far this season—breezing past Zest and TvT phenom aLive in the opening group, bopping ByuL and Trap in the Ro.16 (albeit dodging Stats along the way), before holding his nerve to reverse sweep TY in the quarterfinals with his characteristic blend of heavy drop pressure and patient mech play.He’s not the only one growing anxious for a win though. Their circumstances might seem completely different—GuMiho’s still searching for his first major win on LAN, while
Maru’s looking to become the first (and almost certainly the last) player to complete the SC2 set of OSL / SSL / GSL trophies—but Maru himself isn’t quite the all-conquering demon he’s often been made out to be. For a player who’s been a mainstay of the scene for nearly five years now, single handedly propping up his entire race at times in Korea, a mere pair of trophies on the mantelpiece must be a disappointment. The GSL in particular has been his Moby Dick—he’s had six apperances in the playoffs without even an appearance in the finals to show for it. Two challengers enter on Wednesday who've been stopped at this stage before; one spot in the finals awaits. Time to enter the Thunderdome.Clichés
There are clichés in every sport ever played. “Good feet for a big man”. “He just has to play his natural game”. “He just wanted it more”. Not surprisingly, they’re just as infuriatingly popular in esports. In Starcraft 2, there’s nothing more ubiquitous than the phrase “Only Player X could have done this”, potentially applied to a play anywhere on the spectrum between a standard reaper timing allied to awful defensive play from his opponent, or to a mind-boggling bit of Maru control in 2015 TvP.
But there clearly are times when that cliché clearly applies though.
soO has progressed serenely to his sixth GSL semifinal. His current record in GSL playoff games (not including the finals...) is played 11, won 11. After his first GSL Finals loss, we were told that he wasn’t good enough; that he was fortunate to make it that far and that there were better zergs who’d usurp him in the following seasons. The same was said after the second; by the third, the story was that he’d never make it to the top; by the fourth (and his subsequent fall from grace), the story was the inevitability of his fall after the accumulated weight of failure. After his fifth GSL finals loss last season, people again were queueing up to comment. Will he be permanently broken by yet another defeat? Well, one loss wasn’t enough. Two definitely weren’t; neither were numbers 3 and 4, and with one series left to maintain his spotless playoffs record in the GSL, it seems #5 wasn’t either. Players rise and fall in Starcraft all the time—rising to prominence off a week-long hot streak, or sinking to obscurity after a single crushing defeat—while soO reigns eternal. There are few players in the game as worthy of praise as soO; the phrase “only he could have done it” has hardly been more true or applicable. Let’s hope that come the close of play on 24 June, that phrase suddenly evolves to mean something wonderfully different.
SKT Fighting
Standing in soO’s way though is arguably his toughest test left in the bracket. What is it with SKT and (ex-)teamkills? If you’ll excuse the obvious wordplay opportunity, this is an absolute
Classic of a matchup, featuring the most mechanically gifted zerg to have ever played the game against one of the most cerebral and inventive protosses of his generation. And if you think that their former pairing on SKT (or even their current friendship) would stop Classic pulling out all the stops of utter bastardry, remember that this is the matchup where we once saw a successful quadruple cannon rush.The VSL Continues
To wrap up the week, the VSL continues with its most interesting group so far this season. There’s the win-win scenario of either watching
INnoVation run a train through a pair of zergs, or of watching the newly minted SSL champion fall hilariously short; we’ll have our first look at last season’s surprise champion Impact back in the VSL, desperate to prove that his win wasn’t a flash in the pan; while jjakji and Curious are the veterans attempting to throw a spanner in the works. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the latter at anything near his best—his Indian Summer of mid-2015 may well prove to be the cap to his career once all’s said and done—but it would be vintage Curious for him to upset one of the favourites here.Weekly Schedule:
Wed - GSL Semifinal #1 - GuMiho vs Maru
Fri - VSL Season 2 Ro.16 - Group C - Curious / INnoVation / Impact / jjakji
Sat - GSL Semifinal #2 - Classic vs soO
The Real Opponent
by Mizenhauer - mizenhauerMaru is one of the most popular figures in Starcraft 2. Outside of the game he’s reserved and shy, more prone to a coy smile than a toothy grin. He’s cute, like Momo trying to look unhappy cute. He has a knack for stumbling into adorableness in spite of himself. In game he’s nothing like that. He’s vicious, relentless, obstinate, sometimes senseless, but always fearless. He’s been diving on colossi and dropping when everyone else would scream "BAD IDEA!" for years. He’s had a knack for taking disgustingly good engagements as long as anyone can remember. And he’s done all this while executing some really head-scratching strategies that he inexplicably pulls off.
It’s hard not to love Maru’s playstyle. He pushes the pace, dictating the terms of the game until his opponent is left shaking their heads as their plan falls apart. It’s dynamic and exciting, chaos rooted in calculated intent. Casual fans adore the never-ending stimulation and excitement he brings to the most banal skirmishes; hardcore devotees coo over his exact control and the exquisite knowledge needed to pull off his gambles.
Throughout his career this approach has paid off in spades. Back in the prehistoric time when KeSPA had yet to enter Starcraft 2, Maru quickly gained attention as a prodigy. He showed flashes of excellent control back in the GSL Open, but he was young and far from a finished product. When he finally did put it all together he made sure everyone knew. When his breakout OSL run started, he was usually dismissed for any serious conversation; Tasteless and Artosis could have gone broke from betting against Maru in match after match. When he 4-0'd INnoVation, he was labeled a one-dimensional cheeser who only won through surprise. By the time he had beaten Rain it become impossible to deny his talent. Maru was the total package and his best days were still ahead of him.
Maru was the lone Terran to see success in 2014. He became the first player to win two different Starleagues when he won SSL Season 1 in 2015. He’s been to BlizzCon and was the only player to reach the 30 win mark in a single season of Proleauge from 2014-2016. He also won 100,000 dollars at WESG. The one thing he hasn’t done is win a GSL. Scratch that, he’s never even made the finals.
When Maru beat ByuN in a stunning beatdown it was an emphatic declaration: Maru is still Maru. He remained someone to be feared, a wildcard it would be unwise to doubt. With that, his seven year quest to win GSL and become the first player to take title in every Starleagues drew one step closer to completion.
So what’s stopping him? The threat of GuMiho for one, but it’s hard to consider him as an equal. GuMiho may have the best win percentage of those remaining in GSL and TvT has historically been his best matchup, but Maru is Maru. Right?
And that’s been his stumbling block over the years. When Maru’s in form he’s unstoppable. Every move, no matter how reckless it may appears just goes his way. He makes people look silly. He even makes people cry. He’s a wrecking ball and his opponents are reduced to an unsightly destitute wall you find yourself wanting to fall.
And then he’s none of that. Maru's inability to maintain composure in critical situations is probably the greatest flaw that’s prevented him from becoming the best player in SC2 history. Go back to his biggest failures and watch how he manages to flub what ought to be simple tasks. He fails to build turrets against dark templars. He leaves depots down against zergling run bys. Overcommitting into marine surrounds. The community understandably tries to strike these errors from memory, but the simple fact remains. Just as Maru can be the best player in the world, he's prone to crumbling in an instant.
When Maru went to WESG, the consensus among those present was that he was better than TY. Yet he lost in a closely fought series. When Maru fell to Ryung in Season 1, he was regarded as the superior player in nearly every department. In the end, none of that praise mattered as he still come out the loser. As Maru prepares for the third GSL semifinal he once more finds himself the favorite. But he won’t just be playing against GuMiho. If he wants to reach the finals and take another step towards glory he’ll need to beat the one person who’s always stood in his way: himself.
It’s hard not to love Maru’s playstyle. He pushes the pace, dictating the terms of the game until his opponent is left shaking their heads as their plan falls apart. It’s dynamic and exciting, chaos rooted in calculated intent. Casual fans adore the never-ending stimulation and excitement he brings to the most banal skirmishes; hardcore devotees coo over his exact control and the exquisite knowledge needed to pull off his gambles.
Throughout his career this approach has paid off in spades. Back in the prehistoric time when KeSPA had yet to enter Starcraft 2, Maru quickly gained attention as a prodigy. He showed flashes of excellent control back in the GSL Open, but he was young and far from a finished product. When he finally did put it all together he made sure everyone knew. When his breakout OSL run started, he was usually dismissed for any serious conversation; Tasteless and Artosis could have gone broke from betting against Maru in match after match. When he 4-0'd INnoVation, he was labeled a one-dimensional cheeser who only won through surprise. By the time he had beaten Rain it become impossible to deny his talent. Maru was the total package and his best days were still ahead of him.
Maru was the lone Terran to see success in 2014. He became the first player to win two different Starleagues when he won SSL Season 1 in 2015. He’s been to BlizzCon and was the only player to reach the 30 win mark in a single season of Proleauge from 2014-2016. He also won 100,000 dollars at WESG. The one thing he hasn’t done is win a GSL. Scratch that, he’s never even made the finals.
When Maru beat ByuN in a stunning beatdown it was an emphatic declaration: Maru is still Maru. He remained someone to be feared, a wildcard it would be unwise to doubt. With that, his seven year quest to win GSL and become the first player to take title in every Starleagues drew one step closer to completion.
So what’s stopping him? The threat of GuMiho for one, but it’s hard to consider him as an equal. GuMiho may have the best win percentage of those remaining in GSL and TvT has historically been his best matchup, but Maru is Maru. Right?
And that’s been his stumbling block over the years. When Maru’s in form he’s unstoppable. Every move, no matter how reckless it may appears just goes his way. He makes people look silly. He even makes people cry. He’s a wrecking ball and his opponents are reduced to an unsightly destitute wall you find yourself wanting to fall.
And then he’s none of that. Maru's inability to maintain composure in critical situations is probably the greatest flaw that’s prevented him from becoming the best player in SC2 history. Go back to his biggest failures and watch how he manages to flub what ought to be simple tasks. He fails to build turrets against dark templars. He leaves depots down against zergling run bys. Overcommitting into marine surrounds. The community understandably tries to strike these errors from memory, but the simple fact remains. Just as Maru can be the best player in the world, he's prone to crumbling in an instant.
When Maru went to WESG, the consensus among those present was that he was better than TY. Yet he lost in a closely fought series. When Maru fell to Ryung in Season 1, he was regarded as the superior player in nearly every department. In the end, none of that praise mattered as he still come out the loser. As Maru prepares for the third GSL semifinal he once more finds himself the favorite. But he won’t just be playing against GuMiho. If he wants to reach the finals and take another step towards glory he’ll need to beat the one person who’s always stood in his way: himself.
