Code S RO16
Group D: Stats, ByuN, sOs, GuMiho

by Destructicon
- TL_Destructicon

The last group of the RO16 contains players whose play-styles can be described as... ...unorthodox. At their best, they flummox and disorient opponents until they are forced to concede. At their worst, they fall apart as viewers wonder how their plan was ever supposed to work. And in the middle of it all is one of the most stable, consistent players in StarCraft II, who must be amused to be surrounded by such opponents.



That odd man out is Stats. He's been excellent as usual in 2018, earning a second place finish in Code S and a championship trophy in the Super Tournament. Yet, he still finds ways to keep his fans on the edge of their seats. He narrowly advanced to the RO16 after losing decisively to Rogue and playing a close series vs ByuL. While Stats is still a great player, somehow he doesn't seem quite as dominant or solid as he has been in the past. As Stats now faces a group of tricky opponents, one wonders if he'll be the one to employ mind games and surprise tactics in order to get his victories. He’ll definitely have his work cut out for him given that he has to face the Trickster and the King of Chaos.

While Stats has been the epitome of consistency in LotV, the same can’t be said for ByuN. After suffering an early exit in the previous season of Code S as well as the Super Tournament, the former champion was moved to tears when he survived to reach the RO16. ByuN’s RO32 was quite rocky, as he was categorically outmatched by Classic, and needed to win an extremely tight series against Elazer to advance. Not only does his form bode ill for him, but he is also stuck in a group with two powerhouse Protoss players. ByuN has been notably terrible against Protoss this year, so bad that a Marauder buff isn't going to help him all that much. Unless he has access to a hyperbolic time chamber, it looks pretty grim for ByuN here.

sOs had almost the opposite experience of Stats this year, with fan hope in him slowly eroded away after a number of uncharacteristically un-clutch losses in big matches. While RO8 in Code S, RO12 at IEM Katowice, and second place at IEM PyeongChang aren’t bad results, they're pedestrian for a player of sOs' quality. We haven't seen much of sOs since his early exit in the GSL Super Tournament. His Code S RO32 matches were a bit worrisome, as he played some too-close-for-comfort games against TRUE and Keen to advance. But sOs still managed to outsmart his opponents and advance anyway, which reminded us that wits can be more important than execution.

While sOs has been more or less a ghost over the past few months, GuMiho has been doing what he always does, grinding out online tournaments in preparation for his offline matches (or for a modest but steady payday). In contrast to his in-game antics, GuMiho has settled into a comfortable and stable RO16 to RO8 level of strength. He does a great job of leaving his lower level opponents utterly stupefied, but always struggles when he hits stronger and more composed opponents. What happened to the refined mechanics that allowed him to win a Code S at long last in 2017? As such, this group will be quite tough for the Towel Terran. While his TvT is more than a match for ByuN, he faces two equally crafty and adaptable Protosses. Yet, it doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility for GuMiho to blindside both with some crafty builds.

Predictions
This is another painfully hard group to predict. Overall I think the Protoss players have a greater chance to advance due to their overall superior PvT skills and the weakness the Terrans have shown against the sons of Aiur. I think sOs will probably take 1st place given his form and Stats will also make it out in second, just as he has in the last group.

Stats 2 – 0 ByuN
sOs 2 – 1 GuMiho
Stats 1 – 2 sOs
ByuN 0 – 2 GuMiho
Stats 2 – 1 GuMiho

sOs and Stats to advance.