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WCS Spring Preview: Clash of Kings

Forum Index > SC2 General
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WCS Spring Preview: Clash of Kings

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
May 16th, 2019 21:54 GMT

WCS Spring Preview: Clash of Kings

By: Soularion and Wax

2019 WCS Circuit: Spring


After a season of experimentation in which the WCS Circuit was split into two tournaments with fresh formats, the regions have been reunited into a traditional WCS Circuit Championship. After ruling over their respective fiefs in the Americas and Europe, the time has come for Neeb and Reynor to try and claim the unified WCS Circuit title. But more importantly, 2019 Global Champion Serral looms over all the contenders as the favorite to reclaim his crown.


Serral: 2018 WCS Global Champion, 2018 WCS Circuit Grand Slam Winner (4 of 4 titles)

It was inevitable that we'd indulge in the narrative of Serral being 'dethroned' after his 3-4 loss to Reynor in the WCS Winter Europe finals. 'Who can beat Serral?' was the burning question at the heart of the WCS Circuit, and Reynor deserved to be celebrated for answering that question by avenging his loss to Serral at WCS Montreal by winning the WCS Winter title.

However, as much as we loved the drama of that moment, we knew that Serral's arc was far from over. He's still widely considered the best foreigner in the world and he's yet again the favorite to win a WCS Circuit tournament. If you look past the narrow 3-4 loss to Reynor at WCS Winter, you'll recall that Serral absolutely destroyed PtitDrogo and HeRoMaRinE in the playoff gauntlet. The latest European Challenger tournament in the lead-up to WCS Spring further reaffirmed Serral's stature. Serral went 5-0 in series and 12-3 in maps, defeating Nerchio, Elazer, souL, uThermal, and ShowTimE on his way to winning the Challenger title. On the other hand, his supposed usurper Reynor limped through the group stage after getting upset by MarineLorD and then lost to uThermal in the playoffs (thus failing to win a direct seed into group stage #3).

Still, Serral goes into this event as something he hasn't been in a while: a mortal. For the longest time, he's been the overwhelming favorite, more an inevitable force of nature than a living, breathing competitor. After failing to win WESG, IEM, and WCS Winter in 2019, that aura of total invulnerability is gone. Perhaps it's just splitting hairs to say he's the 'huge' favorite to win instead of an 'overwhelming' favorite. But if that means his opponents now truly believe they can take him down, and are no longer waiving the white flag before the matches even begin, it could be all the difference in the world.


Reynor WCS Winter: Europe Champion

Any criticism Serral has received for his 2019 'decline' could just as easily be converted to compliments for soO, INnoVation, and Italy's very own Reynor. At WCS Winter, Reynor didn't seem intimidated at all when the Finnish Phenom reached the finals after brutally sweeping PtitDrogo and HeroMarine in the playoffs—Reynor still beat him straight-up in a seven game series. It capped off a fantastic tournament run from Reynor where he went 11-1 in series with an impressive 24-9 map score in the toughest region of the WCS Circuit.

Dominant ZvZ has played a huge part in Reynor's ascent, as Reynor hasn't lost a single ZvZ series in WCS Circuit tournaments in the 2019 season (his overall ZvZ win-rate is a more 'modest' 67%). With Zerg being the power race of the WCS Circuit over the past couple of years, this is one of the biggest advantages a player could have.

Yet, despite having the power to defeat the Circuit's final boss, Reynor has shown vulnerability against players of other races. Neeb took out Reynor 3-2 in the RO16 playoffs of WESG, while the not-so-formidable Creator was able to contribute to Reynor's elimination at IEM Katowice. Reynor's recent 1-3 loss to uThermal in WCS Europe Challenger further suggests he has not conclusively separated himself from the rest of the famously tough European pack. If Reynor wants to truly become known as the best foreigner and take on Serral's mantle, he's going to consistently beat that tier of players. Viewers should be cautious about penciling in a Reynor vs Serral rematch—plenty of things could go awry before we arrive there.


Neeb: WCS Winter: Americas Champion, 3x WCS Circuit Champion (2017)

In the wake of WCS Europe's storm, Neeb's championship run in WCS Winter Americas definitely went overlooked. And it was not without good reason—Neeb has simply been consistently better than his regional peers for nearly two years now. SpeCial and Scarlett can match Neeb when they're playing their best, but SpeCial's surprise RO16 elimination took a lot of the wind out of WCS Americas early on. When the best version of Scarlett didn't show up for the finals match against Neeb, it couldn't help but feel like a routine tournament victory for the American.

In a way, the more natural response to Serral's 2019 'decline' isn't to crown Reynor as the new king of the Circuit—but it's to look for Neeb to revive his 2017 dynasty. The shadow of Neeb's WCS Circuit inconsistency throughout 2018 looms large, but perhaps it's symbolic of his progression as a player since winning three Circuit championships in 2017. His career advanced past the phase where he needed to prove himself on the Circuit—he would instead by defined by what he achieved at mixed-region events such as GSL Code S (where he reached the top four) or IEM Katowice (where he helped eliminate Maru). Even without Circuit success, Neeb has managed to keep himself in the conversation for the best foreigner-not-named-Serral. However, for the fans, it would be fantastic to see the 2017 version of Neeb return to the Circuit and finally deliver the Neeb vs Serral dream-rematch we've been desperately awaiting.


SpeCial: Code S RO16, 4x WCS Circuit semifinalist

Though not quite a king, we couldn't resist talking a little bit about one of the more peculiar lords of the realm.

Admittedly, it's not like SpeCial's WCS Circuit results warrant him being included in this conversation. Top four is his best finish at a WCS Circuit event, and he's been eliminated from the group stages on a number of occasions. His WCS Winter Americas performance was one of the most disappointing in his career, as he failed to escape the RO16 in one of the weakest 'premiere' events ever.

So, why talk about SpeCial? Well... He reached the top four of BlizzCon 2017. He eliminated Classic at BlizzCon 2018 to become the only non-Serral foreigner to reach the playoffs. He just 4-0'd sOs in GSL Code S, making it to round of sixteen for the first time in his career. Slumping or not, sOs is one hell of a player, and not someone who loses to foreigners often. To beat him the way SpeCial did, outsmarting him tactically, is extremely impressive and reminds us that "SpeCial with preparation" is not just a meme. The potential of SpeCial is just too intriguing to pass by. He's the Batman StarCraft—give him enough data and time, and he can prepare a strategy to beat anyone.

Unfortunately, the rapid-fire format of the WCS Circuit doesn't suit SpeCial's style. But if you're looking for a dark horse to cheer on, why not pick SpeCial? The man is due at least a finals appearance after getting eliminated in six major semifinals, and he's bound to deliver us a very explosive Terran gun-show.



Credits and acknowledgements

Written by: Soularion and Wax.
Photos: Carlton Beener, courtesy of Blizzard

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TL+ Member
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33339 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-05-16 21:57:02
May 16 2019 21:56 GMT
#2
Leave it to Soularion to go for the GoT reference but not use "a dream of spring" in fucking WCS Spring
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
Nakajin
Profile Blog Joined September 2014
Canada8989 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-05-16 22:39:04
May 16 2019 22:35 GMT
#3
Nice read
If Neeb can just survive until he get Serral I think this one is his.

On May 17 2019 06:56 Waxangel wrote:
Leave it to Soularion to go for the GoT reference but not use "a dream of spring" in fucking WCS Spring


I know I was waiting for it all throughout the article but it never came.

... wait this man is genius
Writerhttp://i.imgur.com/9p6ufcB.jpg
TentativePanda
Profile Joined August 2014
United States800 Posts
May 16 2019 22:49 GMT
#4
Glad Special was put on here. He deserves it
JJH777
Profile Joined January 2011
United States4400 Posts
May 17 2019 00:18 GMT
#5
Hopefully Neeb doesn't get PvPed out. I really feel like he's favored vs Serral but seems to always drop out in a PvP before they can meet.
NinjaNight
Profile Joined January 2018
428 Posts
May 17 2019 02:14 GMT
#6
I hope Special can win this, would be huge for him. He has been in pretty awesome form actually from what I've seen.
burnturn
Profile Joined December 2015
United States59 Posts
May 17 2019 03:29 GMT
#7
On May 17 2019 09:18 JJH777 wrote:
Hopefully Neeb doesn't get PvPed out. I really feel like he's favored vs Serral but seems to always drop out in a PvP before they can meet.


That seemed to be the problem with any of the great rivalries that could have happened last year. The best players that could really challenge Serral kept getting knocked out before they could meet.
sOs is best
sudete
Profile Joined December 2012
Singapore3054 Posts
May 17 2019 04:16 GMT
#8
I hope superneeb turns up
Year of MaxPax
gophersnake
Profile Joined July 2018
48 Posts
May 17 2019 04:31 GMT
#9
Get on the Juanito hype-train now
pdd
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Australia9933 Posts
May 17 2019 04:32 GMT
#10
So TL writers only predicted these 4 to win?

This means an underdog dark horse will probably win.

TL writer curse too stronk.
TI4 Champions: EE-Sama | B7-God | A-God_2000 | Kappa Lord | pieliedie
Die4Ever
Profile Joined August 2010
United States17665 Posts
May 17 2019 06:27 GMT
#11
LET'S GO HAS!!!!
"Expert" mods4ever.com
Durnuu
Profile Joined September 2013
13320 Posts
May 17 2019 07:57 GMT
#12
2019 grand slam winner eh?
BUNNYYYYYYYYY https://i.imgur.com/BiCF577.png
Phredxor
Profile Joined May 2013
New Zealand15076 Posts
May 17 2019 07:58 GMT
#13
On May 17 2019 16:57 Durnuu wrote:
2019 grand slam winner eh?


Also 2019 Global champion. Serral bias actually worse than Taeja bias. Disgusting.
Harris1st
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Germany6880 Posts
May 17 2019 09:25 GMT
#14
HYPPPPPPPUUU
Go Serral! GG EZ for Ence. Flashbang dance FTW
Xain0n
Profile Joined November 2018
Italy3963 Posts
May 17 2019 09:26 GMT
#15
On May 17 2019 12:29 burnturn wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 17 2019 09:18 JJH777 wrote:
Hopefully Neeb doesn't get PvPed out. I really feel like he's favored vs Serral but seems to always drop out in a PvP before they can meet.


That seemed to be the problem with any of the great rivalries that could have happened last year. The best players that could really challenge Serral kept getting knocked out before they could meet.


It kind of happened with Maru and Neeb, but I hope you don't think that was the reason for Serral winning everything.

Also, Serral is 2018's WCS Global Champions and "WCS Grand Slam" winner; no bias here, just one error.
nadavu
Profile Joined February 2014
44 Posts
May 17 2019 11:33 GMT
#16
Why no English streams for group stage #1
westernira
Profile Joined May 2019
1 Post
Last Edited: 2019-10-21 14:51:45
May 17 2019 13:38 GMT
#17
It's good. But I am also waiting for https://routerlogin.one/192-168-10-1/ but it can't come right now i guess.
NinjaNight
Profile Joined January 2018
428 Posts
May 17 2019 13:41 GMT
#18
<3 <3 <3

Let's have some great games!
WombaT
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Northern Ireland25014 Posts
May 17 2019 13:44 GMT
#19
On May 17 2019 06:56 Waxangel wrote:
Leave it to Soularion to go for the GoT reference but not use "a dream of spring" in fucking WCS Spring

Haha yeah, I’d have kept Clash of Kings in my locker and use it whenever there’s a Clash of Kongs meself!
'You'll always be the cuddly marsupial of my heart, despite the inherent flaws of your ancestry' - Squat
opisska
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Poland8852 Posts
May 17 2019 16:37 GMT
#20
On May 17 2019 06:56 Waxangel wrote:
Leave it to Soularion to go for the GoT reference but not use "a dream of spring" in fucking WCS Spring


Because that would mean we never get to see it happen.
"Jeez, that's far from ideal." - Serral, the king of mild trashtalk
TL+ Member
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8987 Posts
May 17 2019 19:48 GMT
#21
On May 17 2019 09:18 JJH777 wrote:
Hopefully Neeb doesn't get PvPed out. I really feel like he's favored vs Serral but seems to always drop out in a PvP before they can meet.

Imo he was favoured against Serral in a lot of the WCS events last year. I definitely think he wins Montreal and Leipzig had he made the finals vs Serral.
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
TheDougler
Profile Joined April 2010
Canada8304 Posts
May 18 2019 21:08 GMT
#22
All four in the top 8! Impressive!

(Still wish Scarlett was here though )
I root for Euro Zergs, NA Protoss* and Korean Terrans. (Any North American who has beat a Korean Pro as Protoss counts as NA Toss)
Parrek
Profile Joined May 2016
United States893 Posts
May 19 2019 07:39 GMT
#23
On May 19 2019 06:08 TheDougler wrote:
All four in the top 8! Impressive!

(Still wish Scarlett was here though )


Why didn't she attend? Wasn't her plan to just play in the open bracket?
pdd
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Australia9933 Posts
May 19 2019 07:54 GMT
#24
On May 19 2019 16:39 Parrek wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 19 2019 06:08 TheDougler wrote:
All four in the top 8! Impressive!

(Still wish Scarlett was here though )


Why didn't she attend? Wasn't her plan to just play in the open bracket?

Apparently she's choosing to recover from her recent Lasik surgery.

It seemed to bug her during her recent GSL games, where she had to continuously mosturise her eyes and at one point paused the game to ask the admins to lower the lights.
TI4 Champions: EE-Sama | B7-God | A-God_2000 | Kappa Lord | pieliedie
fededevi
Profile Joined April 2018
Italy45 Posts
May 19 2019 15:12 GMT
#25
TL is clearly match-fixing :D
zumpy
Profile Joined August 2011
United States122 Posts
May 20 2019 21:23 GMT
#26
this article aged very well
well won
eaglesha
Profile Joined May 2019
2 Posts
May 24 2019 14:19 GMT
#27
Clash of Kings Nice one.
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