EPT
The Weekly Preview
by TheOneAboveU![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/bird_blue_16.png)
- TheOneAboveUWe're still not back to the regular drill in Korea, but this week is still going to be a busy one: Alongside SSL Premier, which got shaken up quite a bit last week, the long awaited GSL vs. the World event will take place from Thursday to Sunday, providing a worthy replacement for the regular GSL matches. Will foreigners be able to stand their ground and take revenge for their losses in GSL, or will the Koreans sweep the field once more to assert their dominance? Make sure to check this Week's Focus piece for more insight on GSL vs. the World. First, we'll once more discuss the scenario at hand in SSL Premier.
Earthquakes All Around
Things certainly got shaken up last week in SSL Premier with several upsets happening and the gaps in the rankings closing for the most part. For some, this opens new opportunities to make good some lost ground, while others see their leading position crumbling away and their fortunes turning. Let’s take a look at who won, who lost and what’s next for them.
Biggest Winners: Stats and Dear
Stats took over the first rank from Classic in a direct duel between the two players in dominating fashion, so one can doubt he is worthy of the leadership position. However, dark clouds gather above next week’s battlefield, as Stats’ early elimination from IEM Shanghai by the hands of Chinese Zerg 
iAsonu casts a sinister omen on the Splyce player’s upcoming PvZ series. Although Dark utilizes a completely different style than iAsonu with his rather rare Swarm Host play, Stats also showed weakness against early attacks—and with those Dark is familiar indeed. Will Stats suffer the same fate as Classic? Will he take over the lead of the rankings for merely one week and then be quickly dethroned? His struggles in Shanghai, paired with the personal history between him and Dark, strongly indicate such a scenario. Despite assuming the leading position, Stats faces an uphill battle next week.
The second big winner of last week isDear. The Protoss player showed, that his elimination from Code S and the other bad results in that week only have been the consequence of some bad days, not the symptoms of a larger issue: You don’t beat 
INnoVation on the way to a slump, after all. Thus, Dear inflicted the second loss in a row on the Machine, pushing the defending champion back into the middle of the table for the first time this season. Dear now sits among the top four players and in contrast to Stats, his next challenge looks much easier to manage. Poor ByuL—now the only competitor without a win—could be the next stepping stone on Dear’s way to the pole position. So far though, the Protoss hasn’t proved himself to be the incarnation of consistency and ByuL might very well transform from a stepping stone into the obstacle bringing about Dear’s fall.
Just Regular Winners: Dark, Maru, aLive
Dark missed a chance at sharing the top position for the week with Stats by dropping a map to ByuL, but a win is a win at the end of the day, and the former Telecom Zerg was able to stay among the top two players at least, giving him the chance to finally grab the pole position next week in the direct duel against Stats. As things look now, Dark seems to be destined to claim the leadership position, having won several of the last series against the Protoss player.
Maru finally got rid of his negative score indicator by disposing of herO last week, advancing into the mid-field, and thus within striking distance to sunnier spots in the ranking. This puts him into direct confrontation with his next opponent INnoVation, now also at a 2-2 score. The odds obviously look favourable to the Machine, since INno already took out Maru in Shanghai, where Maru did sell himself dearly at least. And with INnoVation on a down streak in SSL anyways, the Jin Air player definitely has the opportunity to bring about the defending champion’s fall, while finally gaining a positive score himself. For this, he has to shake off the TvT losses at IEM against INno and ByuN—maybe he'll get his happy birthday song after all.
Then there isaLive, who could celebrate his first season win last week by surprisingly beating Solar. The Splyce player now is part of the mid-field trio with INnoVation and Maru. While the two Terrans battle each other, though, Solar will meet Classic, who despite his loss to Stats last week, still resides in the top four. Classic might have lost that PvP, but otherwise there is no indication of a general weakness of the Protoss player, making him the favourite against Solar, who is in danger of losing the connection to the upper half of the ranking in case of a defeat. As for aLive, he is scheduled to be in a direct duel with herO, the only fellow competitor with the same 1-3 score as himself. Four losses are basically a death sentence for anyone hoping to reach the playoffs, so next week’s match for those two players is literally about… staying alive.
Weekly Schedule
MON – SSL Premier –INnoVation vs. Maru / Dear vs. ByuL / herO vs. aLive / Solar vs. Classic / Dark vs. Stats
THU – GSL vs. World –Stats vs. herO / MajOr vs. Kelazhur / INnoVation vs. iAsonu / Serral vs. ByuN
FRI – GSL vs. World –Neeb vs. sOs / TY vs. Scarlett / Nerchio vs. Dark / soO vs. ShoWTimE
SAT – GSL vs. World – Quarterfinals & Semifinals
SUN – GSL vs. World – Team Competition & Grand Final
Earthquakes All Around
Things certainly got shaken up last week in SSL Premier with several upsets happening and the gaps in the rankings closing for the most part. For some, this opens new opportunities to make good some lost ground, while others see their leading position crumbling away and their fortunes turning. Let’s take a look at who won, who lost and what’s next for them.
Biggest Winners: Stats and Dear
Stats took over the first rank from Classic in a direct duel between the two players in dominating fashion, so one can doubt he is worthy of the leadership position. However, dark clouds gather above next week’s battlefield, as Stats’ early elimination from IEM Shanghai by the hands of Chinese Zerg iAsonu casts a sinister omen on the Splyce player’s upcoming PvZ series. Although Dark utilizes a completely different style than iAsonu with his rather rare Swarm Host play, Stats also showed weakness against early attacks—and with those Dark is familiar indeed. Will Stats suffer the same fate as Classic? Will he take over the lead of the rankings for merely one week and then be quickly dethroned? His struggles in Shanghai, paired with the personal history between him and Dark, strongly indicate such a scenario. Despite assuming the leading position, Stats faces an uphill battle next week.The second big winner of last week is
Dear. The Protoss player showed, that his elimination from Code S and the other bad results in that week only have been the consequence of some bad days, not the symptoms of a larger issue: You don’t beat INnoVation on the way to a slump, after all. Thus, Dear inflicted the second loss in a row on the Machine, pushing the defending champion back into the middle of the table for the first time this season. Dear now sits among the top four players and in contrast to Stats, his next challenge looks much easier to manage. Poor ByuL—now the only competitor without a win—could be the next stepping stone on Dear’s way to the pole position. So far though, the Protoss hasn’t proved himself to be the incarnation of consistency and ByuL might very well transform from a stepping stone into the obstacle bringing about Dear’s fall.Just Regular Winners: Dark, Maru, aLive
Dark missed a chance at sharing the top position for the week with Stats by dropping a map to ByuL, but a win is a win at the end of the day, and the former Telecom Zerg was able to stay among the top two players at least, giving him the chance to finally grab the pole position next week in the direct duel against Stats. As things look now, Dark seems to be destined to claim the leadership position, having won several of the last series against the Protoss player.
Maru finally got rid of his negative score indicator by disposing of herO last week, advancing into the mid-field, and thus within striking distance to sunnier spots in the ranking. This puts him into direct confrontation with his next opponent INnoVation, now also at a 2-2 score. The odds obviously look favourable to the Machine, since INno already took out Maru in Shanghai, where Maru did sell himself dearly at least. And with INnoVation on a down streak in SSL anyways, the Jin Air player definitely has the opportunity to bring about the defending champion’s fall, while finally gaining a positive score himself. For this, he has to shake off the TvT losses at IEM against INno and ByuN—maybe he'll get his happy birthday song after all.Then there is
aLive, who could celebrate his first season win last week by surprisingly beating Solar. The Splyce player now is part of the mid-field trio with INnoVation and Maru. While the two Terrans battle each other, though, Solar will meet Classic, who despite his loss to Stats last week, still resides in the top four. Classic might have lost that PvP, but otherwise there is no indication of a general weakness of the Protoss player, making him the favourite against Solar, who is in danger of losing the connection to the upper half of the ranking in case of a defeat. As for aLive, he is scheduled to be in a direct duel with herO, the only fellow competitor with the same 1-3 score as himself. Four losses are basically a death sentence for anyone hoping to reach the playoffs, so next week’s match for those two players is literally about… staying alive.Weekly Schedule
MON – SSL Premier –
INnoVation vs. Maru / Dear vs. ByuL / herO vs. aLive / Solar vs. Classic / Dark vs. StatsTHU – GSL vs. World –
Stats vs. herO / MajOr vs. Kelazhur / INnoVation vs. iAsonu / Serral vs. ByuN FRI – GSL vs. World –
Neeb vs. sOs / TY vs. Scarlett / Nerchio vs. Dark / soO vs. ShoWTimESAT – GSL vs. World – Quarterfinals & Semifinals
SUN – GSL vs. World – Team Competition & Grand Final
GSL vs the World
by Mizenhauer - Mizenhauer Three Matches to Watch For
Put aside discussions of the merits of having a fan vote determine the attendees. GSL vs The World is only a few days away and the community should be salivating at the veritable feast arrayed before them. AfterGuMiho’s vanishing act at IEM and sOs’ stellar job topping his GSL group, there’s not doubt that the fans got things right for the most part. Thanks to Gyuri’s immaculate pairing techniques, the Round of 16 features a host of titillating matchups. Things only get better from there, though, with endless possibilities indicating nothing but enthralling games. With a nod towards those possible scenarios, here are three matchups, one definite and two potential that should leave fans counting the seconds until the tournament begins.
INnoVation vs iAsonu
iAsonu has been playing professionally since 2013, but the newest member of the famous ‘92’s didn’t really step into the spotlight until IEM Shanghai. A pair of victories over Stats and GuMiho may have been on the back of cheese, but iAsonu’s will and tenacity were undeniably crucial to winning those matches. TY showed little concern for such glowing attributes, however, summarily dismissing the Chinese Zerg in a three game series more akin to a beheading than anything else. But while iAsonu found no purchase against the Terran most renowned for his defense, his first opponent in GSL vs The World is famous for his failings in that department.
INnoVation went into IEM on top of the world. He left the victim of another brusque dismissal; this time at the hands of herO. INnoVation has been a peculiar and unsettling case in 2017. He’s entered nearly every tournaments he’s played in as the prohibitive favorite, but a complete collapse against Stats in Season 1 of GSL, an abomination of a group in Season 2 and disappointing showings at IEMs in Katowice and Shanghai have nearly overshadowed his victories in SSL and VSL. Once more INnoVation finds himself the massive favorite on paper, but against a crafty and inventive player like iAonsu, that’s no guarantee of victory. iAsonu will surely stretch INnoVation to his limit; the question is whether the Machine will break like he did against Soulkey all those years ago.
Neeb vs TY
It’s been eight months sinceNeeb planted the American flag smack dab in the middle of Seoul. The next seven months were just as divine, with Neeb claiming a pair of WCS titles and catapulting himself among the ranks of the best ever foreigners.
His return to Korea, a campaign that would see him qualify for, and eventually conquer GSL, has not gone so swimmingly. No longer the big fish in a small pond, Neeb failed to reach the starting gate of either GSL Season 3 or IEM Shanghai. No longer the conquering hero, Neeb is struggling to make any headway in his return journey. GSL vs The World will be his last chance to do so. But after taking out sOs in a PvP that should harken back to past triumphs, Neeb may very well face off against TY, his first Terran test in two years of Korean weekenders. He avoided the race last year, but he’ll have no such luck if he wants to win another one. And TY will prove to be a stern test.
Or so one would think. After a brief departure, aka winning a pair of tournaments, TY is back in familiar territory. He won his first nine games at IEM, only to fall flat on his face, never find the tenth victory and miss out on the finals. By and large, TY has made a career of losing when he isn’t supposed to. On paper Neeb looks like an easy matchup for him, but TY has proven time and again that being the heavy favorite is no guarantee of victory. This match represents redemption for both players as they try overcome recent disappointment to reclaim the top spot.
Nerchio vs soO
Nerchio can’t be too unhappy with his Round of 16 draw. On the one hand, Dark has been untouchable by foreigners for quite some time. His weakness in the mirror matchup is well documented at this point, however, and should he share Elazer’s perspective as to the strength of foreign Zergs, he should fancy this a real match and not the walk over a fair number of fans are be predicting.
But should he navigate the troubled waters that are the EX-SKT Zerg, he very well may find himself against another once Telecom leviathan,soO. soO has looked hapless against Terran as of late, but unfortunately for Nerchio he is not an elite Korean Terran. He’ll have to contend with soO’s ZvZ which might just be the best in the business, Korean or otherwise. Nerchio is no slouch in the matchup either, though, and should give soO all he can handle. Despite being a widely reviled matchup, this ZvZ may very well turn out to be one of the highlights of the tournament.
These are just three of the many enthralling matchup fans might see at GSL vs The World. Combined with the Best of 9 match between Korean and foreigners, the event promises to be the worthy successor to the 2011 GSL World Championship and 2014 GSL Championship and the spectacle fans have waited more than half a year for.
Put aside discussions of the merits of having a fan vote determine the attendees. GSL vs The World is only a few days away and the community should be salivating at the veritable feast arrayed before them. After
GuMiho’s vanishing act at IEM and sOs’ stellar job topping his GSL group, there’s not doubt that the fans got things right for the most part. Thanks to Gyuri’s immaculate pairing techniques, the Round of 16 features a host of titillating matchups. Things only get better from there, though, with endless possibilities indicating nothing but enthralling games. With a nod towards those possible scenarios, here are three matchups, one definite and two potential that should leave fans counting the seconds until the tournament begins.INnoVation vs iAsonu
iAsonu has been playing professionally since 2013, but the newest member of the famous ‘92’s didn’t really step into the spotlight until IEM Shanghai. A pair of victories over Stats and GuMiho may have been on the back of cheese, but iAsonu’s will and tenacity were undeniably crucial to winning those matches. TY showed little concern for such glowing attributes, however, summarily dismissing the Chinese Zerg in a three game series more akin to a beheading than anything else. But while iAsonu found no purchase against the Terran most renowned for his defense, his first opponent in GSL vs The World is famous for his failings in that department.INnoVation went into IEM on top of the world. He left the victim of another brusque dismissal; this time at the hands of herO. INnoVation has been a peculiar and unsettling case in 2017. He’s entered nearly every tournaments he’s played in as the prohibitive favorite, but a complete collapse against Stats in Season 1 of GSL, an abomination of a group in Season 2 and disappointing showings at IEMs in Katowice and Shanghai have nearly overshadowed his victories in SSL and VSL. Once more INnoVation finds himself the massive favorite on paper, but against a crafty and inventive player like iAonsu, that’s no guarantee of victory. iAsonu will surely stretch INnoVation to his limit; the question is whether the Machine will break like he did against Soulkey all those years ago.Neeb vs TY
It’s been eight months since
Neeb planted the American flag smack dab in the middle of Seoul. The next seven months were just as divine, with Neeb claiming a pair of WCS titles and catapulting himself among the ranks of the best ever foreigners.His return to Korea, a campaign that would see him qualify for, and eventually conquer GSL, has not gone so swimmingly. No longer the big fish in a small pond, Neeb failed to reach the starting gate of either GSL Season 3 or IEM Shanghai. No longer the conquering hero, Neeb is struggling to make any headway in his return journey. GSL vs The World will be his last chance to do so. But after taking out sOs in a PvP that should harken back to past triumphs, Neeb may very well face off against TY, his first Terran test in two years of Korean weekenders. He avoided the race last year, but he’ll have no such luck if he wants to win another one. And TY will prove to be a stern test.
Or so one would think. After a brief departure, aka winning a pair of tournaments, TY is back in familiar territory. He won his first nine games at IEM, only to fall flat on his face, never find the tenth victory and miss out on the finals. By and large, TY has made a career of losing when he isn’t supposed to. On paper Neeb looks like an easy matchup for him, but TY has proven time and again that being the heavy favorite is no guarantee of victory. This match represents redemption for both players as they try overcome recent disappointment to reclaim the top spot.
Nerchio vs soO
Nerchio can’t be too unhappy with his Round of 16 draw. On the one hand, Dark has been untouchable by foreigners for quite some time. His weakness in the mirror matchup is well documented at this point, however, and should he share Elazer’s perspective as to the strength of foreign Zergs, he should fancy this a real match and not the walk over a fair number of fans are be predicting.But should he navigate the troubled waters that are the EX-SKT Zerg, he very well may find himself against another once Telecom leviathan,
soO. soO has looked hapless against Terran as of late, but unfortunately for Nerchio he is not an elite Korean Terran. He’ll have to contend with soO’s ZvZ which might just be the best in the business, Korean or otherwise. Nerchio is no slouch in the matchup either, though, and should give soO all he can handle. Despite being a widely reviled matchup, this ZvZ may very well turn out to be one of the highlights of the tournament.These are just three of the many enthralling matchup fans might see at GSL vs The World. Combined with the Best of 9 match between Korean and foreigners, the event promises to be the worthy successor to the 2011 GSL World Championship and 2014 GSL Championship and the spectacle fans have waited more than half a year for.
