• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 19:15
CEST 01:15
KST 08:15
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Season 1 - Final Week6[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall10HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0
Community News
Firefly given lifetime ban by ESIC following match-fixing investigation17$25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced7Weekly Cups (June 30 - July 6): Classic Doubles7[BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China10Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL76
StarCraft 2
General
The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings RSL Revival patreon money discussion thread Weekly Cups (June 30 - July 6): Classic Doubles Server Blocker RSL Season 1 - Final Week
Tourneys
RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo) $25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome Mutation # 478 Instant Karma
Brood War
General
Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL BW General Discussion A cwal.gg Extension - Easily keep track of anyone Script to open stream directly using middle click ASL20 Preliminary Maps
Tourneys
2025 ACS Season 2 Qualifier [Megathread] Daily Proleagues Small VOD Thread 2.0 Last Minute Live-Report Thread Resource!
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Path of Exile Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread CCLP - Command & Conquer League Project The PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch Thread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine The Accidental Video Game Porn Archive Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! [Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Men Take Risks, Women Win Ga…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 614 users

Code S RO32 Preview: GuMiho, MMA, herO, Solar

Forum Index > SC2 General
13 CommentsPost a Reply

Code S RO32 Preview: GuMiho, MMA, herO, Solar

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
July 12th, 2018 21:23 GMT

Code S Round of 32
Group D: GuMiho, MMA, herO, Solar

by Destructicon
[image loading] - TL_Destructicon

Four groups into the GSL RO32 we arrive at a real treat, with four fan-favorites battling for survival. Long-time fans of StarCraft might notice it's also a throwback KeSPA vs eSF battle from 2013, with the 'old' guard protecting their turf against the newcomers. Everyone's old in Korea nowadays, so perhaps an undercurrent of kinship—not rivalry—will run through this group.

Global StarCraft 2 League Code S - 2018 Season 3
Start time: Saturday, Jul 14 4:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)


The Towel Terran himself has had quite an uneventful year. Despite posting some decent results (Ro16 and Ro8 in Code S, top 16 at IEM Katowice), (Wiki)GuMiho hasn’t done much to get excited about. He sits at a modest 14th place in WCS Korea point rankings, but it's not enough for him to be the gatekeeper between good and great. The pressure is on for him to make a deep run this season if he wants to return to the Global Finals. GuMiho has certainly proven he can consistently make it to the halfway point of a tournament, but that Code S championship run in 2017 is looking more and more like a once-in-a-career break.

His initial adversary is a first-generation veteran, former champion, and legend of StarCraft II. After months of arduous practice following his discharge from the military, (Wiki)MMA is finally back in Code S. Before leaving for his mandatory military service, MMA had already built a championship-rich legacy for himself. His first title came all the way back in June 2011 at MLG Columbus, and his last championship was obtained in December of 2015. In between, he won GSL, IEM, Dreamhack, WCS, and Blizzard Cup titles for a total of 9 premier trophies. That count equals that of the great Mvp (though MMA lacks Code S titles in comparison).

The most impressive aspect of MMA is that despite peaking early in his career, he survived huge shifts in the StarCraft II scene and remained a relevant title contender for years. However, MMA now faces what may be his greatest challenge. Korea's mandatory 2-year military service is considered a death sentence for a progaming career, and all who have tried to resume their careers found their abilities severely diminished. So far, MMA has not been an exception. He failed to qualify for the two previous Code S tournaments, and he was quite unimpressive at the recent HomeStory Cup XVII. He barely survived the group stage in Krefeld and was promptly eliminated by Zest in the bracket. MMA commands our respect for simply returning as a progamer and qualifying for Code S at all, but he has a long road ahead of him if he is to inspire fear and awe once more.

On the other side of the group we have the former KeSPA boys, starting with the Smiling Assassin. With only a Code S Ro16 and Super Tournament semifinal finish this year, (Wiki)herO will know he's performed below expectations. Failing to qualify for Code S Season 2 was an embarrassment for a player of his character, but the loss of WCS points probably hurt him more than the shame. He's down at #17 in the Korea rankings (just below Scarlett), and in the unenviable position of having to make incredible runs in Code S and the second Super Tournament to keep his BlizzCon dream alive. Given herO’s recent results, those look like mighty tall and particularly jagged mountains to climb. herO's form seems jitter with him getting wins against respectable players in online cups but he also often loses against the top players like INnoVation, Dark, Rogue or Zest. As such herO might be able to survive the earlier rounds, but he’ll need to pull off a real miracle once he meets the heavyweights.

The last combatant of the group, (Wiki)Solar, has had year comparable to GuMiho. He's been solid across the board—in Code S, IEM Katowice, and the Super Tournament—but hasn't made a real impression. His best result was a quarterfinal finish at IEM Katowice, but it's remembered for all the wrong reasons as he became a crash-test dummy for Maru’s newly unveiled Raven TvZ style. This mixed bag of results sees Solar as #13 in the WCS Korean points ranking, just above GuMiho but not by a whole lot. As such, Solar is put in the same, rickety boat as many others, needing to make a deep GSL run during the age of Maru.

Predictions

Due to his wide array of builds, solid mechanics, complete unpredictability and, dare I say it, shear consistency, GuMiho has the best chances of advancing out of this group. He also has no particularly glaring weakness and is facing players whom have struggled this year. Solar technically has proven enough to show he can advance, but he has also suffered enough weird losses that I wouldn’t put it past herO to upset him and clinch the second place spot. I don’t yet see MMA advancing, even given all his incredible dedication, hard-work and preparation it still takes time to adjust after such a long period of absence.

GuMiho 2 – 0 MMA
herO 2 – 1 Solar
GuMiho 2 – 0 herO
MMA 1 – 2 Solar
herO 0 – 2 Solar

GuMiho and Solar to advance.


S-Class: A GSL Fan Fiction

by Mizenhauer
Mizenhauer [image loading]


The cult hit fanfic takes on its most daunting narrative challenge yet in Group D.

GuMiho

“Everything looks fine, sir,” GuMiho stated crisply. Seated before a glowing monitor, he blinked and wiped the sweat from his brow as he waited for a response.

“Sounds good. Let me know if you see anything,” his supervisor answered in a rather disinterested tone.

It always rankled GuMiho if he were to be honest. The skies around Incheon airport may have been clear at the moment, but without constant vigilance and thorough upkeep, a disaster could strike at any moment.

It wasn’t that he needed to be in control as people frequently told him, he just craved order and felt at home when everything fit in its right place. He liked it when things went as they were supposed to and the unpredictable was kept at bay. Maybe there was merit to chaos in the way it influenced a sporting event or that team building exercise where you stand on one leg and bash into each other, but this was real life and there wasn’t room for craziness.

GuMiho became an air traffic controller for precisely that reason and, after a few years of hard work, he was starting to rack up benefits and secure his future. Security was paramount when it came to things working out as intended. He’d do anything to guarantee things went as they were supposed to.

Was risking a bit of chaos to get the security he so desired worth it then? Entering the ring to take on Maru, and what was sure to be a gallery of rogues, was absurdly dangerous, but imagine what he could do with all that power. He’d put money where it belonged, in public transportation and infrastructure. Korea would run like never before and he’d be at the helm leading it all.

A less responsible man would have simply stood up and marched out the door, but GuMiho knew better. He’d stick around for the rest of the work day and file the proper paperwork to take a few days off. Sure he was risking a bit of chaos, but that wasn’t a reason to be truly reckless.

MMA

Man, he sure loved the scent of sterile medical equipment in the morning.

MMA took a deep breath before the freshly opened container of capped syringes before placing them in bins to be carried off to the various rooms in Seoul Veteran’s Hospital. He moved quickly, efficiently, the paragon of excellence born from hundreds of hours of training. One had to be diligent in the hospital, diligent, wary and prepared, but also caring, empathic and joyful.

MMA had become an orderly to save lives and cure people’s illnesses. To make their situation a more comfortable one and find ways to spare patients and their loved ones grief and heartache. He wasn’t a surgeon or a doctor, but he was a proud member of a machine that bettered people’s lives.

MMA went so far as to volunteer at various jobs in his free time. That’s how committed he was to making the world a brighter place. He always kept his ears open and his eyes peeled. You never knew from where a cry of help would come.

Like the other day, one of his patients, a polite old woman who was recovering from a bout of severe arthritis kept talking about her son and how he’d left home to join some sort of contest. It was a worrisome story, especially given the news floating around that Maru’s gladiatorial games were kicking off again. Could her son really have gotten involved in something that serious?

It was none of his business, but MMA was going to find out. The second his shift ended he was heading downtown to see if anyone had any news. It was going to be dangerous, but sometimes one needed to take risks if they were going to make the world a better place. For now he was going to enjoy that sterile scent and the echo of footsteps against the tiled floor. His time would come soon enough, he wasn’t trying to rush into it.

herO

“You ever been to an amusement park and seen the sign that says ‘You Must Be At Least This Tall to Ride This Ride’?” The woman seated next to him at the bar nodded faintly as she took a sip from her neon green drink. “How do you think they make those?” There was a pause as she cast a longing glance towards the teeming dance floor.

“A ruler?” She responded with a shrug. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me.” herO slid a little closer and winked.

“They use me, baby.” She had already gotten up and sauntered off in her five inches heels, but herO was too absorbed in his speech to notice. “You see, the Korean government realized that I’m the perfect height when it comes to safety regulations. Without me there would be people falling off of roller coasters left and right. The whole fabric of our society would fall apart.” He took a long, loooooong sip of his beer with the type of self satisfied aahhhhh at the end you’d see in a Sprite commercial.

Now, one might have thought herO would be discouraged after being turned down so disdainfully, but he merely turned to his right.

“You ever been to an amusement park and seen the sign that says ‘You Must Be At Least This Tall to Ride This Ride’?” This woman merely stared at him incredulously. Hey, it was his last night in Busan, could you really blame him? Tomorrow he’d be heading north to Seoul to become the next king of the world. Sure, Maru’s whole competition was a tad overblown, but it was a solid opportunity to reaffirm his fame as a man of the perfect height for amusement park safety regulations.

“What are you talking about?” She inquired. It wasn’t the correct response, but tonight, he wasn’t slowing down.

“They use me, baby. You see, the Korean government has realized that I’m the perfect height...”

Solar

On the long list of sh!@#y jobs this had to be the sh!@iest.

It was 2018 for !@#$ sake. There had to be a better way to do this. Shouldn’t the world’s elite scientists have invented some new-fangled machine with fancy sensors that could detect a freshness enzyme or something like that.

Freshness enzyme!?! How sh!@#y of a spot did you have to be in to even think about something like. It must have been the mercury getting to his brain…

Lung flukes? No. Those were from crabs. Yellowtail couldn’t do that to you, even when you ate 30 kilograms a day.

Solar took another bite, nearly choking as the scales grated against his throat. He’d been at this job for three years, but he knew within a week that being a freshness taster for supposedly sushi grade fish had to be the sh!@iest job out there.

Sure, most of the fish was the type of stuff you paid 100,000 per meal for in Seoul, but there were some wild cards mixed in that made the whole operation a real hazard. Cramps, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea so bad ten gallons of Pepto Bismol couldn’t save him were a regular occurance. Of course he still had to report to work the next day and scarf down more of the poisonous garbage.

He needed a way out, but it was hard enough to go grocery shopping with the absurd security escorts. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who realized how terrible his job was and how difficult it would be to replace him.

Tonight was the night, though, the night Solar put it all on the line and ran. He needed to get to the big city because that’s where his salvation would lie. He’d enter the gladiatorial contest and turn his life around. Solar smiled. He’d have all the money in the world and he’d never need to even look at another fish again.



Credits and acknowledgements

Writers: Destructicon, Mizenhauer
Editor: Wax
Images: AfreecaTV
Statistics: Aligulac.com
Facebook Twitter Reddit
TL+ Member
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33347 Posts
July 12 2018 21:23 GMT
#2
Okay I'm starting to get worried about this fanfic idea....
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
pvsnp
Profile Joined January 2017
7676 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-07-12 21:52:27
July 12 2018 21:48 GMT
#3
Polar opposites is a reasonable starting point, but I'm confused as hell about the rest of these fanfics. They seem to be getting more unhinged, if such a thing is possible.

Also, rip Destructicon, your sensible, no-nonsense, down-to-earth preview will be completely ignored by people too rattled by Mizenhauer's............work.
Denominator of the Universe
TL+ Member
NinjaToss
Profile Blog Joined October 2015
Austria1383 Posts
July 12 2018 21:49 GMT
#4
I had to read the Fanfic section twice to make sure that I'm reading everything right, but it felt like my brain just disintegrated....
I'm sorry for all those that got their hearts broken by Zest | Zest, Bisu, soO, herO, MC, Maru, TY, Rogue, Trap, TaeJa", Favourite foreigners: ShoWTimE, Snute, Serral and Nerchio| KT BEST KT |
Neuling
Profile Joined October 2013
Germany45 Posts
July 12 2018 21:58 GMT
#5
GuMiho 2 – 0 MMA
herO 1 – 2 Solar
GuMiho 1 - 2 Solar
MMA 0 – 2 herO
herO 2 – 0 GuMiho

Solar and herO to advance.
Riner1212
Profile Joined November 2012
United States337 Posts
July 12 2018 22:24 GMT
#6
Gumiho and MMA to advance.
Sjow "pretty ez life as protoss"
FrostedMiniWheats
Profile Joined August 2010
United States30730 Posts
July 12 2018 22:48 GMT
#7
Could be the group of death if MMA somehow shows up in form. Not expecting it though:

(T)GuMiho 2-0 (T)MMA
(P)herO 1-2 (Z)Solar
(T)GuMiho 2-1 (Z)Solar
(T)MMA 0-2 (P)herO
(P)herO 0-2 (Z)Solar
NesTea | Mvp | MC | Leenock | Losira | Gumiho | DRG | Taeja | Jinro | Stephano | Thorzain | Sen | Idra |Polt | Bomber | Symbol | Squirtle | Fantasy | Jaedong | Maru | sOs | Seed | ByuN | ByuL | Neeb| Scarlett | Rogue | IM forever
The_Red_Viper
Profile Blog Joined August 2013
19533 Posts
July 12 2018 23:04 GMT
#8
herO's fanfic part is the highlight so far, it was hilarious :D
I hope TL keeps experimenting with their content


MMA is the clear underdog, other than that it's imo hard to say who will make it out.
IU | Sohyang || There is no God and we are his prophets | For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.” | Ignorance is the parent of fear |
Moobutt
Profile Joined May 2011
United States1996 Posts
July 13 2018 03:11 GMT
#9
Heart says MMA, Head says not MMA.

MMA was one of the first Starcraft players I was a huge fan of. His stardom led to my discovery of Brood War by watching old BoxeR clips.

I don't think he stands a fucking chance against GuMiho. I seriously doubt MMA can even take a single game off him in TvT. MMA's best path to victory is hoping GuMiho can beat the winner of herO vs Solar.

GuMiho 2 – 0 MMA
herO 1 – 2 Solar
GuMiho 2 – 1 Solar
MMA 2 – 0 herO
MMA 2 – 1 Solar
3/22/16 The Day EG Died
ZertoN
Profile Joined February 2014
Germany214 Posts
July 14 2018 00:18 GMT
#10
these fanfics, wut am i reading
"I don't like games that i need to think a lot, i am not interested in those games." - TaeJa, 2016
Frudgey
Profile Joined September 2012
Canada3367 Posts
July 14 2018 00:45 GMT
#11
While I'm really looking forward to seeing some GuMiho play, can we take a moment to appreciate that there is official fan fiction posted on the Team Liquid news site?

They're great. I hope they keep coming. The herO fan fiction in particular was incredible.
It is better to die for The Emperor than live for yourself.
SHODAN
Profile Joined November 2011
United Kingdom1072 Posts
July 14 2018 01:29 GMT
#12
gumiho's TvT has been looking real shaky lately (see gumi vs alive olimoleague). those fast 3CC builds aren't working out vs 2-base aggression. looking forward to seeing what kind of adjustments he has made
zealotstim
Profile Joined February 2015
United States455 Posts
July 14 2018 05:25 GMT
#13
Wow, great games so far with the first two matches!
Kurao
Profile Joined April 2018
215 Posts
July 15 2018 10:24 GMT
#14
This was a really sick group, glad to see herO advance after not getting in last season! He played out of his mind, especially the mindgame with the robo opening was so cool to watch.

As for MMA, even though he finished last, he was definitely not a pushover. He won a sick macro game against GuMiho on Dreamcatcher; it was definitely a champion caliber playing, with a thin rust coating. I feel like he is definitely ro16-caliber MINIMUM, once he gets more time to adjust to the meta and playstyle of today.
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
18:00
RO8 Round Robin Group - Day 1
Bonyth vs QiaoGege
Dewalt vs Fengzi
Hawk vs Zhanhun
Sziky vs Mihu
Mihu vs QiaoGege
Zhanhun vs Sziky
Fengzi vs Hawk
ZZZero.O243
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Livibee 148
Nina 100
ProTech60
StarCraft: Brood War
ZZZero.O 243
NaDa 75
Dota 2
monkeys_forever203
Pyrionflax146
canceldota15
League of Legends
Grubby4887
Counter-Strike
fl0m1606
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor315
Other Games
summit1g9472
ViBE197
Trikslyr69
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick60487
StarCraft 2
angryscii 31
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 19 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• davetesta89
• musti20045 41
• tFFMrPink 19
• HeavenSC 12
• Kozan
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• sooper7s
• intothetv
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• Pr0nogo 1
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota22330
League of Legends
• Doublelift4614
• Jankos1941
Other Games
• imaqtpie1967
Upcoming Events
Sparkling Tuna Cup
10h 45m
RSL Revival
10h 45m
Classic vs Clem
FEL
15h 45m
Elazer vs Spirit
Gerald vs MaNa
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
18h 45m
Bonyth vs Dewalt
QiaoGege vs Dewalt
Hawk vs Bonyth
Sziky vs Fengzi
Mihu vs Zhanhun
QiaoGege vs Zhanhun
Fengzi vs Mihu
Wardi Open
1d 11h
Replay Cast
2 days
WardiTV European League
2 days
PiGosaur Monday
3 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
[ Show More ]
The PondCast
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
Epic.LAN
5 days
CranKy Ducklings
6 days
Epic.LAN
6 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
6 days
Bonyth vs Sziky
Dewalt vs Hawk
Hawk vs QiaoGege
Sziky vs Dewalt
Mihu vs Bonyth
Zhanhun vs QiaoGege
QiaoGege vs Fengzi
Liquipedia Results

Completed

KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
HSC XXVII
NC Random Cup

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL 2v2 Season 3
Acropolis #3
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
2025 ACS Season 2: Qualifier
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
Championship of Russia 2025
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters

Upcoming

CSL Xiamen Invitational
CSL Xiamen Invitational: ShowMatche
2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
K-Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
SEL Season 2 Championship
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
Underdog Cup #2
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.