EPT
The Weekly Preview
by TheOneAboveU![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/bird_blue_16.png)
- TL_TripleMPacked schedules used to be the norm for Korean SC2, but since the end of Proleague such marathon weeks have been in the minority. This week, however, SC2 action is guaranteed from Monday to Saturday, which means it’s going to be a divine week for enthusiastic viewers, while the players will probably curse whoever thought a schedule like this was a good idea. As usual, SSL Premier and Challenge introduce and round up the week, sandwiching all four remaining GSL Code S groups—yes, all four of them—as well as the playoffs of VSL Team League.
We March On…
What can we say? INnoVation’s merciless march of destruction in SSL Premier just keeps going. Even his past weak points in TvT couldn’t stop him from dismantling aLive last week to defend his number one spot with a flawless record. Behind him, the Protoss duo of Classic—who finally ended his losing streak against Maru—and Dear were able to keep up with him, although they’re already falling behind the Machine in the win/loss score.
Dark, Solar, Stats and herO have formed a mid-field, while ByuL and the two Terrans Maru and aLive have fallen behind—none of the three could win a series so far.
The mid-field does have the opportunity to catch up this week, however: Classic and Dear will fight amongst themselves, with Dear emerging as the favourite after several recent PvP victories. With INnoVation’s two top pursuers beating each other up, the rest of the field could use the opportunity to take over the loser’s spot. INnoVation himself, of course, must win his next match against Dark to keep the streak going and push his advantage over the other players even further. In the other TvZ of the week, ByuL and Maru duel each other with the prospect of closing in on the mid-field and leave the dangerous zone at the bottom of the rankings. Whoever loses this one will have a difficult journey before them to get out of this pit again. The same goes for aLive, who’ll face a tough opponent in Stats. Can the Terrans reverse their fortunes and start their climb up the rankings, or will ByuL and Stats leave them behind in the dust, while INnoVation continues to collect all the glory for his race?
… And On
Not surprisingly, INnoVation’s Team was the one with the most impressive showing in the VSL Team League. VSL’s beloved side attraction—unfortunately lacking an English broadcast—went into its’ second iteration this year last Friday with Team INnoVation facing Team Leenock and Team soO meeting Team Super.
INnoVation sent out his lieutenant Ryung first, and like all things INno touches at the moment, the decision turned out to be golden: Ryung first eliminated the opponent team’s best player in ByuN, and then went on to beat Hurricane, Jjakji and team captain Leenock himself for the all-kill in a very strong showing. The other series of the day was much closer, with Patience almost all-killing soO’s team after an initial victory by Hush over Creator. Before Patience could complete this triumph, however, soO swept the field to rescue his crew by taking out Patience, Super and Curious for the victory.
Next week, the Machine Men will meet the Kong Crew in the Winner’s Bracket, while Leenock’s and Super’s teams face not only each other, but also elimination in the Lower Bracket. The favourites should be clear, however: Team INnoVation may have a weak point in Pet, but with INno himself, Ryung and Solar backing the young Zerg player up, nothing much can go wrong. Team Leenock and Team Super only have underdog chances against whichever team falls down into the Lower Bracket. And while Team soO looks good on paper—soO, Classic, Impact and Hush are certainly a noteworthy bunch—their first collective showing didn’t impress. Worse, they don’t even have a Terran to throw at INnoVation. We should expect a final showdown between the teams of INnoVation and soO, with the latter collecting another silver medal—at least the burden would be shared with three others this time.
Foreigner Forecast: Dire, with a Chance of Advancement
So far, the foreign invaders couldn’t penetrate the Korean defences and were repelled in their Round of 32 groups. Now, the next wave has arrived and will try to advance into the Round of 16. How do their chances to achieve this feat look?
Most likely to advance is probably MajOr. The Mexican was thrown into a group with three players we haven’t seen much from recently. The toughest of them is, of course, TY, whom MajOr will meet in battle first. The Splyce player isn’t present in SSL this season and wasn’t able to make any impact in his last online appearances, so either his form just isn’t all too great at the moment, or he’s focussing his efforts on GSL—which would be bad news for MajOr. Even if he does lose to the Korean Terran, though, his remaining opponents would be sOs and Curious, who’ve both looked beatable in the last weeks and months. The Protoss player hasn’t won a PvT series since March and Curious, although he did have a little bit of an upsurge again in VSL recently, couldn’t back up his reputation as the Gatekeeper of Code S for several seasons now. If there ever was a great constellation for a foreigner to advance out of his Code S group, it’s this one.
Things don’t look so rosy for the others. TIME probably still has better chances to advance than NoRegreT, but even the Chinese Terran faces horrible odds. Classic is solid as always, Dear is reaching new heights at the moment and even Bunny looks pretty consistent right now, which is quite surprising. Of course, there is the scenario of TIME somehow overcoming Classic and meeting a victorious Bunny in the winner’s match, who messes up and hands TIME the ticket into the next round. But with the former CJ Terran being as solid as he is for the moment, even this potential situation has become more difficult for the foreigner.
Last, there is NoRegreT. For the Canadian Zerg to advance, a small miracle would need to happen. All three of his competitors are clearly superior to him in basically every category, from past achievements to GSL stage experience. Could a few well-placed cheeses maybe win NoRegreT a map or two? Sure, we’ve seen such things in the past. And the two qualifier victories over Impact aren’t to be underestimated, of course. But Dark and herO are players on a whole different level compared to Impact. We haven’t seen much of Trap recently, but he’s one of those guys, who then show up well prepared for such a group, because he very well knows, that this might be his only chance to make a deep run for the rest of the year. A win over Trap would be a great success already, but beating herO and Dark seems impossible.
The Bigger They Are…
Let’s also take a short look at SSL Challenge, because some big names were upset big time there last week: Bunny was able to prove his consistency by beating none other than soO, which might be one of his biggest career victories to date, and got himself the first of six tickets into the second stage of SSL Challenge. In the same group, sOs once more missed a chance to end his free fall: Jjakji won the series against him, putting the Protoss player on the last place of the group. The Million Dollar Man and soO are both in deep red territory now, while Jjakji and Patience sit right behind Bunny. With Patience facing sOs and Jjakji meeting the already qualified Bunny, there is a good chance of them creating some distance between themselves and the two superstars.
In Group B Rogue and Zest were able to score their first victories and thus closed the gaps between all of ByuN’s pursuers. But while Zest has the opportunity to follow up his first win and maybe build up some momentum for himself by dethroning ByuN—the odds certainly won’t favour him in this one—, Rogue will have to take a break, perhaps losing the fuzzy feelings of victory until his next match. The series between Hush and Impact could decide about Impacts fate: A loss would mean elimination for the VSL Season 1 champion.
Weekly Schedule:
MON – SSL Premier –
herO vs. 
Solar / 
aLive vs. Stats / Maru vs. ByuL / INnoVation vs. Dark / Dear vs. Classic
TUE – GSL Code S – Group E:Maru / jjakji / Patience / Solar
WED – GSL Code S – Group F:herO / NoRegreT / Trap / Dark
THU – GSL Code S – Group G:Classic / TIME / Dear / Bunny
FRI – VSTL – Playoffs: TeamINnoVation vs. Team soO / Team Leenock vs. Team Super
SAT – GSL Code S – Group H:TY / MajOr / Curious / sOs
SAT – SSL Challenge –soO vs. Bunny / Rogue vs. Impact / jjakji vs. sOs / Hush vs. Zest
We March On…
What can we say? INnoVation’s merciless march of destruction in SSL Premier just keeps going. Even his past weak points in TvT couldn’t stop him from dismantling aLive last week to defend his number one spot with a flawless record. Behind him, the Protoss duo of Classic—who finally ended his losing streak against Maru—and Dear were able to keep up with him, although they’re already falling behind the Machine in the win/loss score.
Dark, Solar, Stats and herO have formed a mid-field, while ByuL and the two Terrans Maru and aLive have fallen behind—none of the three could win a series so far.
The mid-field does have the opportunity to catch up this week, however: Classic and Dear will fight amongst themselves, with Dear emerging as the favourite after several recent PvP victories. With INnoVation’s two top pursuers beating each other up, the rest of the field could use the opportunity to take over the loser’s spot. INnoVation himself, of course, must win his next match against Dark to keep the streak going and push his advantage over the other players even further. In the other TvZ of the week, ByuL and Maru duel each other with the prospect of closing in on the mid-field and leave the dangerous zone at the bottom of the rankings. Whoever loses this one will have a difficult journey before them to get out of this pit again. The same goes for aLive, who’ll face a tough opponent in Stats. Can the Terrans reverse their fortunes and start their climb up the rankings, or will ByuL and Stats leave them behind in the dust, while INnoVation continues to collect all the glory for his race?
… And On
Not surprisingly, INnoVation’s Team was the one with the most impressive showing in the VSL Team League. VSL’s beloved side attraction—unfortunately lacking an English broadcast—went into its’ second iteration this year last Friday with Team INnoVation facing Team Leenock and Team soO meeting Team Super.
INnoVation sent out his lieutenant Ryung first, and like all things INno touches at the moment, the decision turned out to be golden: Ryung first eliminated the opponent team’s best player in ByuN, and then went on to beat Hurricane, Jjakji and team captain Leenock himself for the all-kill in a very strong showing. The other series of the day was much closer, with Patience almost all-killing soO’s team after an initial victory by Hush over Creator. Before Patience could complete this triumph, however, soO swept the field to rescue his crew by taking out Patience, Super and Curious for the victory.
Next week, the Machine Men will meet the Kong Crew in the Winner’s Bracket, while Leenock’s and Super’s teams face not only each other, but also elimination in the Lower Bracket. The favourites should be clear, however: Team INnoVation may have a weak point in Pet, but with INno himself, Ryung and Solar backing the young Zerg player up, nothing much can go wrong. Team Leenock and Team Super only have underdog chances against whichever team falls down into the Lower Bracket. And while Team soO looks good on paper—soO, Classic, Impact and Hush are certainly a noteworthy bunch—their first collective showing didn’t impress. Worse, they don’t even have a Terran to throw at INnoVation. We should expect a final showdown between the teams of INnoVation and soO, with the latter collecting another silver medal—at least the burden would be shared with three others this time.
Foreigner Forecast: Dire, with a Chance of Advancement
So far, the foreign invaders couldn’t penetrate the Korean defences and were repelled in their Round of 32 groups. Now, the next wave has arrived and will try to advance into the Round of 16. How do their chances to achieve this feat look?
Most likely to advance is probably MajOr. The Mexican was thrown into a group with three players we haven’t seen much from recently. The toughest of them is, of course, TY, whom MajOr will meet in battle first. The Splyce player isn’t present in SSL this season and wasn’t able to make any impact in his last online appearances, so either his form just isn’t all too great at the moment, or he’s focussing his efforts on GSL—which would be bad news for MajOr. Even if he does lose to the Korean Terran, though, his remaining opponents would be sOs and Curious, who’ve both looked beatable in the last weeks and months. The Protoss player hasn’t won a PvT series since March and Curious, although he did have a little bit of an upsurge again in VSL recently, couldn’t back up his reputation as the Gatekeeper of Code S for several seasons now. If there ever was a great constellation for a foreigner to advance out of his Code S group, it’s this one.
Things don’t look so rosy for the others. TIME probably still has better chances to advance than NoRegreT, but even the Chinese Terran faces horrible odds. Classic is solid as always, Dear is reaching new heights at the moment and even Bunny looks pretty consistent right now, which is quite surprising. Of course, there is the scenario of TIME somehow overcoming Classic and meeting a victorious Bunny in the winner’s match, who messes up and hands TIME the ticket into the next round. But with the former CJ Terran being as solid as he is for the moment, even this potential situation has become more difficult for the foreigner.
Last, there is NoRegreT. For the Canadian Zerg to advance, a small miracle would need to happen. All three of his competitors are clearly superior to him in basically every category, from past achievements to GSL stage experience. Could a few well-placed cheeses maybe win NoRegreT a map or two? Sure, we’ve seen such things in the past. And the two qualifier victories over Impact aren’t to be underestimated, of course. But Dark and herO are players on a whole different level compared to Impact. We haven’t seen much of Trap recently, but he’s one of those guys, who then show up well prepared for such a group, because he very well knows, that this might be his only chance to make a deep run for the rest of the year. A win over Trap would be a great success already, but beating herO and Dark seems impossible.
The Bigger They Are…
Let’s also take a short look at SSL Challenge, because some big names were upset big time there last week: Bunny was able to prove his consistency by beating none other than soO, which might be one of his biggest career victories to date, and got himself the first of six tickets into the second stage of SSL Challenge. In the same group, sOs once more missed a chance to end his free fall: Jjakji won the series against him, putting the Protoss player on the last place of the group. The Million Dollar Man and soO are both in deep red territory now, while Jjakji and Patience sit right behind Bunny. With Patience facing sOs and Jjakji meeting the already qualified Bunny, there is a good chance of them creating some distance between themselves and the two superstars.
In Group B Rogue and Zest were able to score their first victories and thus closed the gaps between all of ByuN’s pursuers. But while Zest has the opportunity to follow up his first win and maybe build up some momentum for himself by dethroning ByuN—the odds certainly won’t favour him in this one—, Rogue will have to take a break, perhaps losing the fuzzy feelings of victory until his next match. The series between Hush and Impact could decide about Impacts fate: A loss would mean elimination for the VSL Season 1 champion.
Weekly Schedule:
MON – SSL Premier –
herO vs. Solar / aLive vs. Stats / Maru vs. ByuL / INnoVation vs. Dark / Dear vs. ClassicTUE – GSL Code S – Group E:
Maru / jjakji / Patience / SolarWED – GSL Code S – Group F:
herO / NoRegreT / Trap / DarkTHU – GSL Code S – Group G:
Classic / TIME / Dear / BunnyFRI – VSTL – Playoffs: Team
INnoVation vs. Team soO / Team Leenock vs. Team SuperSAT – GSL Code S – Group H:
TY / MajOr / Curious / sOsSAT – SSL Challenge –
soO vs. Bunny / Rogue vs. Impact / jjakji vs. sOs / Hush vs. Zest
The Heat is On
by hexhaven - thehexhavenWith only two weeks completed, it might be a tad early to really draw any conclusions about SSL Premier. However, with some surprising results, this might be the perfect time to take a look at how some of the competitors have fared so far, especially compared to last season. With seven more days of matches to come, the race still has plenty to offer, but curiously enough, the second week standings in the first season were pretty good predictors for the final results. aLive was the biggest outlier, while the top four players ended up in the same spots both in week two and week nine. Should you use this information to predict the results for the second season? It’s likely better to wait a few more weeks until patterns can be drawn.
On the Streets, Inside Your Head
The Terran powerhouseINnoVation started his season 1 run just as strongly. Two 2-0 victories the first two weeks in both seasons just underline his position as the best Terran in Korea. Of course, INnoVation also famously finished the first season at the top of the standings, only losing two matches during the entire nine week run. The victory over aLive would suggest the Machine has finally managed to overcome his trepidation in TvT, and if that’s indeed the case, he’s going to be nigh unstoppable. Seeing him in the grand finals this season wouldn’t exactly be a surprise to anyone. Next two opponents are Dark and Dear, likely easy snacks INnoVation.
Speaking of aLive, he was one of the players last season who managed to climb out of his rut. Two losses during the first two weeks had aLive briefly at the very bottom, but in the end he was able to finish fifth in the standings. This season he likewise started with two losses, albeit against Dark and INnoVation. There’s still plenty of time left for the Pajama Terran to regain his prowess from last season, and at the very least avoid the lowest rungs of the standings. Going up againstStats and Solar won’t be an easy task by any means, but aLive has shown time and again that he will never just roll over.
Classic is one of the new faces we see in Premier Division this season. He’s climbed through the Challenge ranks, and he’s hungry for a title. With a 4-1 record in maps, he stands just below INnoVation. He will face Dear and Stats next, which two extremely difficult PvP matches are about to test his mettle. He did reach the semifinals in the second season of GSL, taking down Stats 3-1, and out of all his matches in 2017, his PvP is certainly the best. Fans are hoping that the rather lackluster start to the year is finally behind him, and Classic has the perfect opportunity to prove just why his 2015 was so celebrated. His record against Dear is 2-2 this year, and as with all things PvP, anything might happen.
ByuL almost had it. After a convincing 6-3 result in the first season’s pennant race, he fell 2-3 against Solar in the post season. What’s worse, the Splyce Zerg was unable to close out the finals, leaving ByuL to wonder if he would’ve been strong enough to take the Machine in a TvZ. No matter, the season is behind us, and it’s time to focus on the here and now. The problem is, the here and now isn’t looking too hot either. After his resurgence, ByuL is now looking to be in dire straits. His failure to qualify for Code S is only reinforced by his 1-4 map score in the SSL. Victories against Classic and Solar should’ve been entirely within the reach of the ByuL we saw in the previous season, but it was not to be. Is this a slump? Is this just a breather where ByuL gathers his wits to come back more powerful than we can imagine? He defeated Maru 2-0 in the first season, it’s time for a repeat performance.
If there’s one thing Solar learned from last season, it’s that INnoVation is on entirely different level when it comes to TvZ. The Splyce Zerg spent the entirety of the first season near the top, eventually fighting his way to the finals in the post season. His 3-2 map score is hardly indicative of anything just yet, so it’s very possible that Solar will be able to reach the post season the second time in a row. His next opponents,herO and aLive, won’t certainly be pushovers, but despite his occasional inconsistency, Solar should never be counted out. His Code S group will be played the very next day after SSL, so he certainly has his hands full.
Another new face in the Premier Division is Dear, and his 4-2 map score is certainly a good start. After 2013 it seems he’s usually been stuck in semifinals, but still making deep runs in tournaments despite predictions to the contrary. Taking down Maru and Stats is commendable, but his true test of skill is only about to start. Taking down Classic seems to be within reach, but INnoVation will likely end up being insurmountable. Despite his rather mediocre year so far, Dear still has a certain legacy to his name, and 2017 might be the year he really shows up. And for Dear, just once could be more than enough.
On the Streets, Inside Your Head
The Terran powerhouse
INnoVation started his season 1 run just as strongly. Two 2-0 victories the first two weeks in both seasons just underline his position as the best Terran in Korea. Of course, INnoVation also famously finished the first season at the top of the standings, only losing two matches during the entire nine week run. The victory over aLive would suggest the Machine has finally managed to overcome his trepidation in TvT, and if that’s indeed the case, he’s going to be nigh unstoppable. Seeing him in the grand finals this season wouldn’t exactly be a surprise to anyone. Next two opponents are Dark and Dear, likely easy snacks INnoVation.Speaking of aLive, he was one of the players last season who managed to climb out of his rut. Two losses during the first two weeks had aLive briefly at the very bottom, but in the end he was able to finish fifth in the standings. This season he likewise started with two losses, albeit against Dark and INnoVation. There’s still plenty of time left for the Pajama Terran to regain his prowess from last season, and at the very least avoid the lowest rungs of the standings. Going up against
Stats and Solar won’t be an easy task by any means, but aLive has shown time and again that he will never just roll over.Classic is one of the new faces we see in Premier Division this season. He’s climbed through the Challenge ranks, and he’s hungry for a title. With a 4-1 record in maps, he stands just below INnoVation. He will face Dear and Stats next, which two extremely difficult PvP matches are about to test his mettle. He did reach the semifinals in the second season of GSL, taking down Stats 3-1, and out of all his matches in 2017, his PvP is certainly the best. Fans are hoping that the rather lackluster start to the year is finally behind him, and Classic has the perfect opportunity to prove just why his 2015 was so celebrated. His record against Dear is 2-2 this year, and as with all things PvP, anything might happen.ByuL almost had it. After a convincing 6-3 result in the first season’s pennant race, he fell 2-3 against Solar in the post season. What’s worse, the Splyce Zerg was unable to close out the finals, leaving ByuL to wonder if he would’ve been strong enough to take the Machine in a TvZ. No matter, the season is behind us, and it’s time to focus on the here and now. The problem is, the here and now isn’t looking too hot either. After his resurgence, ByuL is now looking to be in dire straits. His failure to qualify for Code S is only reinforced by his 1-4 map score in the SSL. Victories against Classic and Solar should’ve been entirely within the reach of the ByuL we saw in the previous season, but it was not to be. Is this a slump? Is this just a breather where ByuL gathers his wits to come back more powerful than we can imagine? He defeated Maru 2-0 in the first season, it’s time for a repeat performance.If there’s one thing Solar learned from last season, it’s that INnoVation is on entirely different level when it comes to TvZ. The Splyce Zerg spent the entirety of the first season near the top, eventually fighting his way to the finals in the post season. His 3-2 map score is hardly indicative of anything just yet, so it’s very possible that Solar will be able to reach the post season the second time in a row. His next opponents,
herO and aLive, won’t certainly be pushovers, but despite his occasional inconsistency, Solar should never be counted out. His Code S group will be played the very next day after SSL, so he certainly has his hands full.Another new face in the Premier Division is Dear, and his 4-2 map score is certainly a good start. After 2013 it seems he’s usually been stuck in semifinals, but still making deep runs in tournaments despite predictions to the contrary. Taking down Maru and Stats is commendable, but his true test of skill is only about to start. Taking down Classic seems to be within reach, but INnoVation will likely end up being insurmountable. Despite his rather mediocre year so far, Dear still has a certain legacy to his name, and 2017 might be the year he really shows up. And for Dear, just once could be more than enough.
Paved With Good Intentions
by mizenhauer - MizenhauerWCS Valencia was only a day away and GSL was preparing for its busiest week in over half a decade. But on Wednesday GSL vs The World, quite possibly the most anticipated event of the 2017 WCS calendar, stole all the headlines. Starting with an ambiguous photo denoting the tournament as one of two global events on the road to BlizzCon, speculation and hype slowly built up over the first half of the year. Yet the final announcement was met with equal parts outrage and enthusiasm. It turned out seven of the sixteen attendees would be determined through a fan vote instead of earning a spot through their own merit. Players would have to rely on the goodwill of supporters to get their hands on some of the $100,000 prize pool.
Over the years, tournament organizers have traditionally relied on qualifiers or a ranking system that weighed recent performances and top showings at premier events. Invitations were more frequently relied on for smaller events, but the largest ones stuck what they perceived as more meritocratic formats. Ostensibly a qualifier approach gave lesser-known players the opportunity to prove themselves, while the ranking system a la WCS rewarded consistency over time. The ideal compromise would keep the best overall competitors in perpetual rotation while preventing the player pool from becoming stagnant.
Why then would Blizzard uproot this well-established system that naturally creates tension and excitement from start to finish? By sequestering WCS vs The World from the point system and structuring it as they did, the event has lost any claim to representing the spectacular showdown promised in the title. Unless we’re magically blessed with an improbable alignment between votes and skill, it won’t be a war between the best of the best. WCS vs the World will probably be transformed from one of the most anticipated events of 2017 to a caricature of a low stakes showmatch.
The likely outcome of the Korean Terran vote illustrates the hiccup when popularity clashes with merit.GuMiho, the most recent GSL champion, has become one of the most feared and respected players in the world. While he retained a fiercely loyal cult following after Wings of Liberty, middling performances made it difficult for him to expand his initial bastion of support into a larger, more robust one. By contrast ByuN has no problem reeling in the fans. Last year’s BlizzCon champion is still one of, if not the most, popular players in the world. His admirers are probably quite forgiving of his tumble from grace this year, and will vote for him regardless of his lackluster results. GuMiho cannot compete with ByuN in the realm of fan support; neither can Maru, the other expected challenger for the fan vote.
The primary issue is that few categories have a conspicuous favorite. No Korean Zergs besidessoO has truly separated themselves from the pack this year. Instead, fans will have to choose between Dark, Solar, ByuL and Rogue: none of the four have posted stellar results. TRUE has had an enormous swelling of support in his home country, separate with his level of play, which may make him a dark horse for the Foreign Zerg vote. sOs is a fan favorite among Korean Protoss, and his popularity will likely catapult him to the short list over more in-form players like Classic, herO and Dear. Foreign Zergs Scarlett and Snute will compete for a single spot while Has and ShoWTimE face much shallower competition. Whether it’s arbitrary advantages above equals, categories with drastic discrepancies in player quality or players appealing to sentimental hearts, there’s a high chance the end result will be a field out of sync with the current skill hierarchy.
Starcraft 2 was created with grand aspirations. Blizzard wanted it to be more than an engaging game for competitors. It would capture the hearts of audiences and kickstart a self-sustaining culture and community. It’s fair to say the spectator and fan experience were a paramount focus during its development.
This announcement is a prime example of Blizzard’s original intentions going astray. The final participants in GSL vs The World are just sixteen of the numerous talented individuals trying to continue their dream of playing Starcraft professionally. Available money in the scene is so restricted that placing highly in tournaments is often the only means for a sustainable income. When the opportunity to compete in an event of this magnitude is taken out of their hands, it diminishes the effort they put forth on a daily basis. And while the players’ sense of stability is left precariously fragile, many fans get their wishes fulfilled. They get to ‘distribute’ substantial rewards among their favorites and create games and matchups tailored to their whims.
It is almost impossible to cater to both players and fans. In organizing GSL vs The World as they have, Blizzard have put players and fans at odds. As spectators, fans naturally want to watch games that suit their interests. Maps, matchups and balance patches should align with their interests. Meanwhile players simply look for an even playing field where skill is rewarded. Instead of pitting these factions against one another, Blizzard should have taken another route. They should have put the power in the hands of those who have earned it through tireless dedication to the game. The ones who make magic happen, who spellbind us, mesmerize us and keep us following Starcraft 2 through thick and thin: the players.
Over the years, tournament organizers have traditionally relied on qualifiers or a ranking system that weighed recent performances and top showings at premier events. Invitations were more frequently relied on for smaller events, but the largest ones stuck what they perceived as more meritocratic formats. Ostensibly a qualifier approach gave lesser-known players the opportunity to prove themselves, while the ranking system a la WCS rewarded consistency over time. The ideal compromise would keep the best overall competitors in perpetual rotation while preventing the player pool from becoming stagnant.
Why then would Blizzard uproot this well-established system that naturally creates tension and excitement from start to finish? By sequestering WCS vs The World from the point system and structuring it as they did, the event has lost any claim to representing the spectacular showdown promised in the title. Unless we’re magically blessed with an improbable alignment between votes and skill, it won’t be a war between the best of the best. WCS vs the World will probably be transformed from one of the most anticipated events of 2017 to a caricature of a low stakes showmatch.
The likely outcome of the Korean Terran vote illustrates the hiccup when popularity clashes with merit.
GuMiho, the most recent GSL champion, has become one of the most feared and respected players in the world. While he retained a fiercely loyal cult following after Wings of Liberty, middling performances made it difficult for him to expand his initial bastion of support into a larger, more robust one. By contrast ByuN has no problem reeling in the fans. Last year’s BlizzCon champion is still one of, if not the most, popular players in the world. His admirers are probably quite forgiving of his tumble from grace this year, and will vote for him regardless of his lackluster results. GuMiho cannot compete with ByuN in the realm of fan support; neither can Maru, the other expected challenger for the fan vote. The primary issue is that few categories have a conspicuous favorite. No Korean Zergs besides
soO has truly separated themselves from the pack this year. Instead, fans will have to choose between Dark, Solar, ByuL and Rogue: none of the four have posted stellar results. TRUE has had an enormous swelling of support in his home country, separate with his level of play, which may make him a dark horse for the Foreign Zerg vote. sOs is a fan favorite among Korean Protoss, and his popularity will likely catapult him to the short list over more in-form players like Classic, herO and Dear. Foreign Zergs Scarlett and Snute will compete for a single spot while Has and ShoWTimE face much shallower competition. Whether it’s arbitrary advantages above equals, categories with drastic discrepancies in player quality or players appealing to sentimental hearts, there’s a high chance the end result will be a field out of sync with the current skill hierarchy.Starcraft 2 was created with grand aspirations. Blizzard wanted it to be more than an engaging game for competitors. It would capture the hearts of audiences and kickstart a self-sustaining culture and community. It’s fair to say the spectator and fan experience were a paramount focus during its development.
This announcement is a prime example of Blizzard’s original intentions going astray. The final participants in GSL vs The World are just sixteen of the numerous talented individuals trying to continue their dream of playing Starcraft professionally. Available money in the scene is so restricted that placing highly in tournaments is often the only means for a sustainable income. When the opportunity to compete in an event of this magnitude is taken out of their hands, it diminishes the effort they put forth on a daily basis. And while the players’ sense of stability is left precariously fragile, many fans get their wishes fulfilled. They get to ‘distribute’ substantial rewards among their favorites and create games and matchups tailored to their whims.
It is almost impossible to cater to both players and fans. In organizing GSL vs The World as they have, Blizzard have put players and fans at odds. As spectators, fans naturally want to watch games that suit their interests. Maps, matchups and balance patches should align with their interests. Meanwhile players simply look for an even playing field where skill is rewarded. Instead of pitting these factions against one another, Blizzard should have taken another route. They should have put the power in the hands of those who have earned it through tireless dedication to the game. The ones who make magic happen, who spellbind us, mesmerize us and keep us following Starcraft 2 through thick and thin: the players.
