by Destructicon
- TL_Destructicon

We’ve certainly seen it all in this RO32 of GSL. Some superstars cruised, while others suffered shocking upsets. Last year’s Global champion got knocked out, while we saw the first foreigner advance to the the RO16 since what felt like forever. The final Ro32 group, Group H, seems like it will have a more predictable flavor, with the established players poised to advance over their underdog counterparts.

Our first player of the group is perhaps the most consistent and successful Protoss since the days of MC. ROOT herO has had a remarkably consistent career. After his IEM Singapore 2013 win he’s managed to earn a steady string of titles ever since. The most amazing part is that his victories also come from Korea, where he was a finalist in two GSL Super Tournaments last year. While other Protosses have certainly had higher highs, won more money, or have been generally more impressive in their play, it is herO who got the job done. While he’s had some dips in form due to poor results in IEM qualifiers, his PvT has remained strong. "The Smiling Assassin" should be quite satisfied with this group draw.

Our next contender is one of IM’s former hopefuls RagnaroK. Once upon a time, it seemed as if RagnaroK was destined to pick up the Zerg mantle for IM and become the next NesTea, after Losira failed to make a significant impact. While Ragnarok has sometimes shown sparks of brilliance in the Korean team leagues, he hasn’t been able to make much of an impact either. Due to a lack of recent matches, it is hard to judge his exact form. But looking at his historical performances in Code S, it doesn’t seem like he has a much of a chance of advancing.

Poor KeeN’s career is one of tragedy. He started out as one of team MVP's prospects: He had good results in Code A and GSTL, and even had a few Code S RO16 appearances to his name. On top of that, he was charismatic and expressive player that everyone hoped would succeexc. Unfortunately he met his nemesis NaDa one-two many times in the early days of his career. No matter how hard KeeN fought, how strong his position in a game was, he never managed to vanquish the legend. Since those glory days of WoL, Keen has struggled to remain relevant. He managed to win the Gfinity Summer Masters II 2015 (beating then favorites Lilbow, MyuNgSiK and MarineLord), but it's not exactly a surprise to see a low-tier Code S player enjoy success abroad. Keen did manage to create a stir in GSL S1 2017, making it out of a group with both Zest and Rogue by beating both back to back. While he was eliminated in the RO16, he did manage to take a series off sOs before he went down. It's those kind of results that keep us believing that KeeN might still have the fighting spirit and skill to make it to the next round.

Our last combatant also has his own tragic story, but for entirely different reasons. While Maru has tasted victory on Korean soil and he has proven he can beat the best in the world, and do so with flair, the sad reality is that he's "only" a contender at present time. It mostly comes down to his style, for Maru’s greatest strength is also his weakness. Maru’s micro and multi-tasking centric play—while spectacular and overwhelming—simply falls short if the opponent is skilled enough to deflect the blows. SC2 is a very all-or-nothing game in this aspect: units produced for harass can either do overwhelming damage or nearly none at all, depending on an opponent’s level of skill. Maru can't merely be a "very good" version of himself to compete for titles—he has to be the BEST version of himself. This group does look good for Maru, by virtue of him facing opponents he can still overwhelm. However, going forward he’ll need to improve considerably if he wants to avoid another RO4 exit.

Predictions
I think herO and Maru have this one in the bag. The Smiling Assassin should clean up and advance due to his awesome PvT and good recent form, and Maru should be able to skate by and buy himself some more time to practice before the RO16.

herO 2 – 0 RagnaroK
KeeN 0 – 2 Maru
herO 2 – 0 Maru
RagnaroK 1 – 2 KeeN
Maru 2 – 0 KeeN

herO and Maru advance

Wednesday, Jan 31 8:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) —GSL Code S
RO32 GROUP H
herO vs RagnaroK
KeeN vs Maru