Maru wins Code Season 1 (2024)

On April 17 2024 11:20 tigera6 wrote:
As Maru fanboy, I want him to suck in GSL S2, get eliminated in group stage and then focus on the prep for EWC. While his TvP and TvT has regained certain stability, his TvZ still need more work imo base on his matches in this GSL. Granted that was on the previous map pool, I still need to see more to feel good about it.

On April 17 2024 15:04 Vindicare605 wrote:


If he plays the way he played against Serral at IEM Katowice on these maps he can win. That Ratushet game in particular was bullshit. No way Serral pulls off that Infestor shit as effectively on a map without that many places to hide infestors because every attack pathway is gigantic.

He didn't look that hot in the Ro16 but then again he rarely does. I'm not putting too much into that.

On April 17 2024 22:07 Balnazza wrote:


I like how the copium is so strong that people just equal the entire Bo7 with that game on Radhuset, the only game that was even remotely close. On three out of four maps, Maru got completly outclassed, it never felt like he had any chance of winning.
And honestly, I feel like that is Marus biggest weakness: He doesn't know how to win when he isn't the better player (at the moment). When Maru wins, it is usually by his sheer skill. But when he isn't at the height of his power or someone is just better, he lacks something to punch above his current paygrade. Can't even exactly tell what that is. Creativity? Willpower?

And don't get me wrong, I wouldn't particularly say that this is Serrals strongsuit either. But in the last few years Serral is rarely the lesser player to anyone at any given moment, so it doesn't happen as often. Reynor would be an example for someone who isn't necessarily better as Maru and Serral when he wins, but he knows how to make everything messy enough to equal the field.

On April 17 2024 22:41 Vindicare605 wrote:


It matters because if you watch the series the tone of the series COMPLETELY changed after Ratushet. Maru was defeated after that, he didn't even try to play another game like that again because why would he when despite everything he did to win that game he still lost?

We see it all the time in Best of series in Starcraft. One game is the pivotal make or break point for a player, and in that series that's the game that decided it. If Maru wins that game then he stays with that style that was working for him instead of moving away from it like he did into styles where Serral has him beat.

Everyone including me, including the casters including the audience all knew that Serral won the series after winning that game. The rest of the games were just a formality. Now you can make the argument that the series wasn't over yet and that Maru still could come back despite being down 0-2, but that's arguing what should happen instead of what actually did happen. Maru was done after that game, you could see it in his play. The fact the rest of the series was over and done with so quick after that was not a coincidence.

On April 17 2024 23:52 Balnazza wrote:


Game 3/4 looked exactly like Game 1. Game 2 was the only one that was close and I still don't buy the entire "ohhhh, infestors soooo OP, poor Maru"-bs. Or that the map is that OP towards Zerg when Terran still has a positive winrate on it...It might be slightly favored for Zerg, but it isn't Lost Temple (RoC), so calm down. Not to mention how disrespectful it honestly is. You (like certain other people) honestly pretend like Serral was just showing up wishy-washy on that 2nd map and didn't do anything. Guy fought like a lion to fend off Maru and like on G1, in the end was the better player on that map aswell. In a game btw that must have been extremly frustrating, considering how generally frustrating it is to crack down a Terran on such a high level.

And even IF we pretend that everything you said is true and poor Maru was just shived by this one map: Not getting tilted is also a skillset which he apparently then lacks hugely. What is that logic? "Maru is the greatest ever, but please don't tilt him that is unfair, only play straightup games. Oh and if he ever has to scan defensively that is cheating and OP, please nerf!!1"?
Just a reminder that Serral last Katowice win was over Reynor and that Bo7 was the equivalent of a bareknuckle fight. So what, Maru would have drowned in that match from the get-go?

Oh, as an addendum: You are correct in one aspect, I also was kind of sure that Serral would win after Game 2. Because he proved that he was better than Maru at his best. And as I said earlier, Maru lacks the creativity/willpower/whatever to overcome that.

On April 17 2024 22:07 Balnazza wrote:


I like how the copium is so strong that people just equal the entire Bo7 with that game on Radhuset, the only game that was even remotely close. On three out of four maps, Maru got completly outclassed, it never felt like he had any chance of winning.
And honestly, I feel like that is Marus biggest weakness: He doesn't know how to win when he isn't the better player (at the moment). When Maru wins, it is usually by his sheer skill. But when he isn't at the height of his power or someone is just better, he lacks something to punch above his current paygrade. Can't even exactly tell what that is. Creativity? Willpower?

And don't get me wrong, I wouldn't particularly say that this is Serrals strongsuit either. But in the last few years Serral is rarely the lesser player to anyone at any given moment, so it doesn't happen as often. Reynor would be an example for someone who isn't necessarily better as Maru and Serral when he wins, but he knows how to make everything messy enough to equal the field.

On April 18 2024 00:26 Vindicare605 wrote:


There's no point talking to you if you're going to CONSTANTLY put words in my mouth because you're so defensive about Serral.

At no point do I say that Serral didn't win that series or that he wasn't the better player in that series. I'm simply pointing out the fact that he had a map advantage in the critical game that decided the series. If Maru wins that game like I believe he should have, then a 1-1 series going into game 3 is a COMPLETELY different series than down 0-2 going into game 3. Anyone that understands the Bo7 format in any sport understands that.

At the level Maru and Serral play at, they are so good that if you give one of them a map advantage they are almost certainly going to use it to their advantage. Serral had the advantage at Katowice, with this current map pool Maru does now.

On April 18 2024 05:03 Charoisaur wrote:

I mean, in game 1 and game 3 Maru lost to an allin. Well prepared from Serral, congrats to him, but I wouldn't exactly consider that 'outclassed'. Or did Rogue completely outclass Serral in the bo7 he won in 20 minutes vs him?
game 2 was the only game out of the first 3 (didn't watch game 4 so no idea what happened there) where Maru got to play his game and it was extremely close despite the map being Zerg favored

On April 21 2024 11:37 Yoshi Kirishima wrote:


I mean, recent GSLs have much less money in them compared to other tournies.
GSL and KR tournaments specifically are relatively less competitive.