EPT
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/2024/codes1/ro8groups1.png)
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/2024/codes1/ro16results.png)
Amid the never-ending balance debates of the StarCraft II community, GSL Code S offered its own 'take' on the situation as Zergs crashed and burned in the RO16. Dark was booted from the tournament by the unlikely duo of Classic and Stats, while reigning champion Solar was sent packing after giving two dismal 0-2 performances against Ryung and herO. SHIN was the only Zerg player to survive to see the RO8, but only after eliminating fellow Zergs DRG and soO.
That leaves us with a Terran vs. Protoss themed RO8, with SHIN lurking as a potential spoiler. With popular sentiment suggesting that Terran has the advantage in the TvP match-up at the moment, the exact timing of the upcoming balance patch could have a huge effect on how things ultimately play out (the EPT qualifiers are set to begin on April 5th).
The RO8 will begin on Thursday, Mar 28 9:30am GMT (GMT+00:00) with Maru, Classic, ByuN, and herO playing in Group A.
Group A: The RO16 began with a predictable result on paper as
Maru and SHIN advanced from Group A. However, heavy favorite Maru actually had a much harder time than expected, struggling to get a 2-1 win against soO in his initial match, and then being pushed to the precipice of defeat by SHIN in the winners' match. It was only Maru's trademark turtle style, helped by some late-game mistakes from SHIN, that allowed him score a major comeback victory in game three to advance in first place (VOD).Fortunately for SHIN, he was not made to rue this missed opportunity, as he won the ZvZ three-way against
soO and DRG to advance in second place.Group B: Protoss doom and gloom was forgotten for a day as the duo of
Stats and Classic advanced at the expense of championship contender Dark. Despite being hand-picked by Dark during the group selections as a supposedly 'easy' opponent, Stats scored a massive upset against the Talon Esports Zerg before going on to take first place with a winners' match victory against Classic. The highlight of Stats' night was his come-from-behind win against Dark on Site Delta, where he repeatedly exploited the immobility of Brood Lords with multi-directional attacks (VOD). Dark's ZvP woes continued in his losers' match against Classic, but this time, there was no second chance awaiting him. Following an ill-fated attempt at a mass Muta-Corruptor strategy in game two, he was forced to bow out of the tournament when he was caught off-guard by Classic's Blink Stalkers in game three.While Group B gave hope to fans waiting for Classic and Stats to return to their prime form, the actual content of their games against Dark warranted more patience. Even in defeat, Dark looked to have better multi-tasking and combat micro (except in the aforementioned Site Delta game against Stats), and the Protoss duo often needed to lean on early-game advantages to take their victories.
Group C: Group C ended up being the only group to play out without any major or minor complications, with
ByuN taking first place and GuMiho taking second place as projected by both Aligulac and Liquibet. In particular, ByuN was in fantastic form on the night, 2-0'ing both Creator and GuMiho in games where his famed micro shined bright. The battle for second place featured many chaotic and scrappy bouts, and fittingly, it was a master of chaos in GuMiho who won out over Creator and NightMare.Group D: The RO16 concluded with another top Zerg getting the boot, as reigning champion
Solar was eliminated in last place. Solar was unusually careless and wasteful with his units the entire night, resulting in him losing 0-2 to both Ryung and herO. Instead, first place in the group went to
Cure, whose aggressive and cheesy plays earned him a quick ticket to the RO8 as he took care of both herO and Ryung in speedy 2-0 series. herO managed to claim the second place spot, defeating Solar in the losers match and fighting off a spirited challenge from underdog Ryung in the decider match.
