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Code S Ro8 Preview: Maru vs GuMiho, Zest vs Stats

Forum Index > SC2 General
18 CommentsPost a Reply

Code S Ro8 Preview: Maru vs GuMiho, Zest vs Stats

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
August 31st, 2018 23:35 GMT

Code S Quarterfinals - Day Two

Start time: Sunday, Sep 02 4:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

TY and Neeb were the first two players to reach the Code S semifinals, setting up a clash between grizzled veteran and upstart rookie. Now it's time to see who will prevail on the other side of the playoff bracket.

[image loading]


Global StarCraft 2 League Code S - 2018 Season 3

Quarterfinal #3: Maru vs GuMiho

by Orlok

Neeb vs. Rogue may have been a blockbuster battle in the eternal Korea-Foreigner conflict, but for GSL purists, Maru vs. GuMiho is undoubtedly the marquee match-up of the round-of-eight. THE story of this GSL season has been Maru's quest for a groundbreaking Code S three-peat that would cement him as a legend of StarCraft II. However, Maru now faces an entirely new kind of obstacle in GuMiho.

Despite his domination of other the races, Maru hasn’t had to face a truly elite Terran player in a long time. It's been well over a year since his last BO5+ TvT series in the GSL—a loss to GuMiho (surprise!) in the semifinals of Code S Season 2 of 2017 (VOD). The truth is, Maru's most memorable TvT moment of 2018 may very well have been when he resorted to consecutive proxy-rax cheeses to defeat Keen after going 0-2 against him in standard games.

GuMiho is, at the very worst, a solid TvT player who won't crumble easily under early game pressure. Maru may be a master of proxy-raxing, but chances are he's going to have to win a couple of games in the mid-to-late game chaos of Terran vs. Terran. Maru did look sharp when he picked apart Forte earlier this season, but we just haven't had the opportunity to see how he endures a tough TvT test against the likes of GuMiho.

Another irksome problem for Maru is his participation in the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Unlike GuMiho, who has had ample time to prepare after advancing from his RO16 group, Maru is short on time after committing four-odd days to represent Korea (and StarCraft II) at the Asian Games. Any amount of time not practicing at the last remaining KeSPA team house in Korea is time wasted, especially when facing a unorthodox player like GuMiho. While winning the gold medal was a fantastic achievement, Maru may be inadequately prepared as he jumps straight back into Code S.

On paper, GuMiho has everything he needs to stage one of the biggest upsets of the year. He waltzed through the group of death with masterful games against Dark and INnoVation, who many many assumed would outmuscle him. GuMiho also has the benefit of having had over two weeks to craft shrewd builds and strategies to vex Maru. To top it all off, GuMiho has desperation on his side. Double-qualified for the Global Finals, you never know when complacency might set in for Maru. On the other hand, GuMiho sits precariously at #8 in the WCS Korea standings with six players chasing close behind him. Advancing just one more round would give GuMiho enough points to make him a near-lock for the Global Finals. A loss would doom him to a chaotic Super Tournament royal rumble for the final spot.

GuMiho doesn't have the same cachet of some of Maru’s other opponents this year, but the stars have aligned for him to be the one who slays the dragon and denies him a third Code S championship. Winning here would not only let GuMiho bring him a step closer to BlizzCon, but it would give him a chance at reclaiming the Code S championship he won last year. This one series means everything for our Towel Terran. It's do or die time for GuMiho.

Under normal conditions, Maru would be favored against anyone he faces, but this time he's been dealt an unfavorable hand. But even with these disadvantages, Maru is still without a doubt the best player in Korea. His sheer dominance in 2018 inspires a kind of belief that defies conventional StarCraft logic, leading one to believe he will somehow prevail regardless of the circumstances.

Prediction: Maru 3 - 2 GuMiho

Quarterfinal #4: Zest vs Stats

by Mizenhauer

The Ro8 will conclude with (Wiki)Stats and (Wiki)Zest writing another chapter in StarCraft II’s most maligned matchup. While the community might not adore Protoss vs Protoss, at least the players themselves are two of the more affable ones in the scene. Congenial and reliable, Stats has the everyman’s charm. Mysterious and statuesque, Zest leaves us wondering what goes on inside that mind when there's no StarCraft to be played. Of course they won’t enter the FreecUP studio to win smiles from the crowd—they’ll dive into a battle with a spot in the GSL semifinals on the line.

Zest and Stats began August in diametrically opposite ways. Zest was, in a word, embarrassed by (Wiki)ShoWTimE at GSL vs. the World, while Stats made it all the way to the finals while defeating (Wiki)Maru in the Ro4. He may have lost to Serral a day later but he still gave an impressive performance in a narrow 3-4 loss—even if that fact went unnoticed in the wake of the Finnish Zerg’s victory.

Overall, Stats is quietly having a tremendous year. His early ejection from IEM Katowice remains at the forefront of many people’s minds, but he was playing in the Code S finals just a few weeks later. He ultimately lost to Maru, but he didn’t drop the ball the second time around, as he took out (Wiki)Dark in their latest finals bout to win the first Super Tournament. Combined with the aforementioned GSL vs. the World finals, that gives Stats more premier event finals appearance than (Wiki)Rogue, (Wiki)TY and his quarterfinal opponent, Zest, combined. Stats is almost certainly the best Protoss in Korea, a title seemingly held by everyone but himself at one time or another this year, and looks to be well positioned against his ex-teammate. Stats is 12-1 in offline PvP’s this year, the lone loss coming way back in February. Since then he’s beaten (Wiki)Classic, (Wiki)herO and (Wiki)sOs twice. And, while he beat Zest in Olimoleague earlier this month, the newly minted Scythe Protoss remains the only headlining son of Aiur he hasn’t faced in a high pressure environment since the turn of the calendar.

Zest, meanwhile, somehow rebounded from his atrocious showing against Die Mauer. His typically active self, Zest played 30 matches from that point on, posting a more than respectable 24-6 record, including a 14-2 run in the second half of August that culminated with his Master’s Coliseum 3 triumph over (Wiki)soO. Winning the Chinese tournament must have been a small but much needed relief for Zest, who showed a bit of that finishing ability and class which has characterized his play in years past. It's been a wild, up and down year for Zest, but the end result has been an upward trend. Recent victories show signs that he may be unearthing his old form, a welcome sign as the final season of GSL draws to a close.

Zest and Stats may be the least hyped quarterfinal matchup, but there’s plenty on the line. While both will be eyeing a PvT semifinal, possibly against Maru, Zest could virtually secure his BlizzCon spot with a win in what could very well be the last PvP in Code S this year.

Editor's note: Mizenhauer declined to make a prediction so ONCE MORE I'm making one in his place:

Prediction: Zest 3 - 2 Stats




Credits and acknowledgements

Writers: Orlok, Mizenhauer
Editor: Wax
Images: AfreecaTV
Statistics: Aligulac.com
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TL+ Member
minilance
Profile Joined June 2011
Canada500 Posts
August 31 2018 23:42 GMT
#2
gumiho and stats for my prediction!!
Bisu, Jangbang <3
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States30785 Posts
August 31 2018 23:52 GMT
#3
I'm giving Maru pure "Flash credit" here and saying he'll win solely on the virtue of being himself, even though I feel like he's a small underdog given the situation he's in
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
TL+ Member
neutralrobot
Profile Joined July 2011
Australia1014 Posts
September 01 2018 01:31 GMT
#4
On September 01 2018 08:52 Waxangel wrote:
I'm giving Maru pure "Flash credit" here and saying he'll win solely on the virtue of being himself, even though I feel like he's a small underdog given the situation he's in


It all depends on whether he can kick into beast mode again for the playoffs. If he does, nobody stands in his way. If not, maybe he can scrappily limp his way through, maybe not. He's done it two seasons in a row. I'm really curious about whether he has a third one in him.
Maru | Life | PartinG || I guess I like aggressive control freaks... || Reynor will one day reign supreme || *reyn supreme
Ishmael
Profile Joined June 2016
92 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-09-01 01:37:41
September 01 2018 01:35 GMT
#5
really hope Stats and Maru can go through, would love to see that rematch. Stats's play style is just so damn fun


also my critique remains that Mizenhauer's previews kinda feel like recap of their scoring records (with a dash of hyperbole) more than it does anything to do with the actual play style's, things to look out for, etc. Less of a preview, more or a kind of quick sketch of the scene. Not a huge deal but feels sort of empty.
The Nature of Infinity is this: That every thing has its own Vortex
FrostedMiniWheats
Profile Joined August 2010
United States30729 Posts
September 01 2018 02:48 GMT
#6
We're on a collision course for the first TvT finals (and mirror finals) since WoL. Pretty crazy.
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
FrkFrJss
Profile Joined April 2015
Canada1205 Posts
September 01 2018 03:06 GMT
#7
On September 01 2018 11:48 FrostedMiniWheats wrote:
We're on a collision course for the first TvT finals (and mirror finals) since WoL. Pretty crazy.

How confident are you of that prediction, though? Gumiho and Neeb have a decent chance at upsetting their opponents, and if Stats wins, he should never be underestimated against either Gumi or Maru.
"Keep Moving Forward" - Walt Disney
genji11111
Profile Joined May 2018
12 Posts
September 01 2018 04:42 GMT
#8
(T)Maru and (P)Zest
Psychonian
Profile Joined March 2012
United States2321 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-09-01 05:11:37
September 01 2018 05:09 GMT
#9
On September 01 2018 11:48 FrostedMiniWheats wrote:
We're on a collision course for the first TvT finals (and mirror finals) since WoL. Pretty crazy.

Extremely bold of you to assume that neither the winner of Zest vs Stats, nor Neeb can take down their terran opponents. It's certainly a possibility, but none of these are players that can simply be counted out, no matter how good Maru and TY may be, especially considering that Stats did take out Maru in GSLVW.
Trans Rights
dummy1
Profile Blog Joined April 2018
420 Posts
September 01 2018 05:36 GMT
#10
Super tough call. I'd say Maru 3-2 and Zest 3-1. Maru 'cause he can outmacro Gumiho. Zest 'cause it's a chance for rehabilitation.
https://www.youtube.com/c/DepressingStarcraft <- Maru VODs and stuff | END REGION-LOCK NOW
tagliatelle
Profile Joined August 2018
Canada69 Posts
September 01 2018 06:39 GMT
#11
Head: (T)Maru and (P)Stats
Heart: (T)GuMiho and (P)Stats
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8376 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-09-01 07:43:16
September 01 2018 07:42 GMT
#12
On September 01 2018 08:35 TeamLiquid ESPORTS wrote:
The truth is, Maru's most memorable TvT moment of 2018 may very well have been when he resorted to consecutive proxy-rax cheeses to defeat Keen after going 0-2 against him in standard games.

I really don't know why everyone follows the narrative that Keen beat him 2-0 in standard games when Maru took game ending damage relatively early on both times. In game 2 he lost to three cyclones after trying to go up to 3CC too fast. If anything, the fact the games went on for long after is credit to Maru being a better macro player, not the other way around.

Regardless, I do think Gumiho wins here. Probably 3-1 or 3-2. Maru wins if the games go late, but his build order choices in TvT have bitten him a bit this year, and that's where Gumhio shines.
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
SHODAN
Profile Joined November 2011
United Kingdom840 Posts
September 01 2018 12:55 GMT
#13
HEAD: GUMIHO
HEART: GUMIHO
FINGERS: GUMIHO
TOES: GUMIHO
NIPPLES: GUMIHO
NOSE: GUMIHO
Ishmael
Profile Joined June 2016
92 Posts
September 01 2018 15:11 GMT
#14
You can book it:

(T)Maru > (T)GuMiho
(P)Stats > (P)Zest

(P)Stats > (T)Maru
(T)TY > (P)Neeb

(P)Stats > (T)TY
The Nature of Infinity is this: That every thing has its own Vortex
The Taxman
Profile Joined July 2018
37 Posts
September 01 2018 15:44 GMT
#15
Probably it will go the other way TL predicted it. So GuMiho 3-2 Maru and Stats 3-2 Zest
RaiKageRyu
Profile Joined August 2009
Canada4732 Posts
September 02 2018 06:36 GMT
#16
Well got one of those exactly right.
Someone call down the Thunder?
snzStorm
Profile Joined August 2015
Russian Federation20 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-09-02 11:04:14
September 02 2018 08:44 GMT
#17
On September 02 2018 00:11 Ishmael wrote:
You can book it:

(T)Maru > (T)GuMiho
(P)Stats > (P)Zest

(P)Stats > (T)Maru
(T)TY > (P)Neeb

(P)Stats > (T)TY

You're wrong on the second match.
Edpayasugo
Profile Joined April 2013
United Kingdom2124 Posts
September 04 2018 17:46 GMT
#18
No INno, no party
FlaSh MMA INnoVation FanTaSy MKP TY Ryung | soO Dark Rogue | HuK PartinG Stork State
[F_]aths
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
Germany3941 Posts
September 05 2018 10:38 GMT
#19
I like to acknowledge the "improbable run" phrase on the front page's teaser. Finally! Not "impossible" hyperbole, but "improbable".
You don't choose to play zerg. The zerg choose you.
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