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Avalon MSL Semifinal A
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10-1 in the Avalon MSL. That's 91%. The sole loss coming against Jaedong in ZvZ, and with 7 of 11 games against the two of the hottest players at the time. This image proves that Calm's disappointing performance in the Proleague playoffs is an anomaly. It shows Calm's true potential. He was always a third tier ace, a player not considered on the level of Bisu or Flash or Jaedong or even Effort or Fantasy or Leta. But now, who knows? It's one thing to beat a good player in a series -- everyone has a bad day. It's an entirely different thing to beat the two best Zergs in consecutive Bo5 series when ZvZ isn't your best matchup. Now, Calm could very well be better than Fantasy, better than Leta, better than Effort. He could be what a deep STX team needs most: a reliable closer capable of contending with other top tier aces.
I've been wrong twice thus far about this kid (to be fair, so has the majority of fans). Nobody expect him to beat Effort or Jaedong. But Calm did. Nothing can take that away, including the "Jaedong had to practice!" excuse makers. In his way stand two CJ players. Calm would be a slight favorite over Iris and a definite favorite over Kwanro. Right now, it's Calm's MSL to lose.
Semifinal A: Tyrant's Test
Calm 3-1 Jaedong | Live Report Thread
Overpool Bad Attack Micro < Jaedong @ Carthage 3+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +
Calm opens overpool while Jaedong opens 12-pool. Both players proceed to take their naturals and send lings at each other, passing without seeing each other. Calm 's lings score a few drone kills but Jaedong's do as well, and Jaedong remains ahead in drone count due to the openings. Calm attempts a ling attack as Jaedong's spire completes, but mutas spawn in time. Both players have relatively equal muta flocks, but Jaedong is ahead in drones and lings, and as the muta fight happens, uses those lings to kill all of Calm's natural drones. Jaedong eventually wins the muta fight with some nice anti-scourge micro, and Calm GG's.
Sneaky 2-hatch Attack > Jaedong @ Byzantium 3+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +
Calm opens 9-pool while Jaedong opens 12-pool. Jaedong gets a fast natural hatchery, and when Calm's lings arrive, Jaedong loses a critical zergling (sent out to scout) and is forced to pull two drones. Calm's lair finishes earlier, and he adds a second hatchery in his main. Calm's spire completes, and Jaedong hasn't started his spire, instead opting to turtle with spores, making two per mineral line. It's a tricky build from Calm because Jaedong doesn't see the second hatchery and doesn't adjust his ling numbers accordingly. As a result, when Calm attacks Jaedong's nat, Jaedong cannot defend Calm's ground army, especially with Calm's mutas scoring free hits on any reinforcing lings rallied from Jaedong's main. Calm eventually just runs Jaedong over with muta ling.
+1 Air Attack > Jaedong @ Outsider+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +
Jaedong opens 9-pool while Calm does a hybrid overgas-pool build. As a result, Calm's lair is significantly faster, but he is forced to lay a sunken when Jaedong catches him 8 lings vs 6 lings on Calm's ramp. Jaedong breaks in with speedlings a nice semicircle attack formation. Calm loses a few drones, and Jaedong is ahead 10-9 on workers, with speed, and a slightly later spire. The players trade their ling armies, but Calm's scourge arrive just in time in Jaedong's main to catch two of his three hatching mutalisks, giving him a slight gas advantage. Jaedong expands to his natural, while Calm continues to massing mutas off one hatch.
Calm's muta flock looks slightly larger, but Jaedong has scourges. When it cuts to Calm's FPV, his true plan is revealed: he researched muta attack upgrade, and absolutely destroys Jaedong's muta flock with +1 attack, something that is rarely used in a muta fight by the player on one hatchery and one base. Calm wins the muta fight easily and Jaedong taps out.
Calm's muta flock looks slightly larger, but Jaedong has scourges. When it cuts to Calm's FPV, his true plan is revealed: he researched muta attack upgrade, and absolutely destroys Jaedong's muta flock with +1 attack, something that is rarely used in a muta fight by the player on one hatchery and one base. Calm wins the muta fight easily and Jaedong taps out.
Calm > Jaedong @ Heartbreak Ridge+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +
Calm opens 9-pool while Jaedong opens 12-pool, again going for the early natural expansion. Calm's lings get speed, and he attacks the morphing hatch. Calm then uses a really ingenious trick, attacking the hatch with only 6 of his 8 lings (hiding two off the side). Jaedong sees this and brings six slow lings down from his choke, and Calm quickly surrounds, getting in a few key hits and wins the ling fight decisively with very nice micro, forcing Jaedong to cancel his natural hatch, build a sunken, and drone drill continuously. Jaedong sneaks out three lings but Calm has enough lings to defend. Calm's spire finishes, and Jaedong attempts a ling attack, but Calm defends nicely. Calm's mutas spawn, and Jaedong is forced to build an evo and spore. For those keeping score, sunken + spore + evo = 425 minerals and lost mining time. Calm takes his natural while continuing to mass mutas. Jaedong can't really do anything but mass for a last ditch desperation attack, but Calm's muta count is just too much. When Jaedong's attack fails, he GGs.
And the fanboys scream, Jaedong would have won if he had more time to practice! Well, yes and no. It's almost certain Jaedong would have done better. But would he really have won the series? Would more practice allow Jaedong to predict Calm's +1 air attack build or hidden hatchery? Would more practice make Jaedong recognize that Calm hid two lings on Heartbreak? We'll never know for sure. But I don't deal with what-ifs. Jaedong had a build order advantage in three of the four games and was even BO-wise in the other, yet he lost 1-3. Calm outplayed Jaedong so thoroughly in this series that these unlucky disadvantages -- usually deadly against a player of LJD's caliber -- didn't matter.
Calm won with a combination of superior micro, execution, and creativity. The ling micro, the build order choices, the hidden units, the +1 air attack -- all these pale to Calm's belief that he could win this series. Calm did not panic after the first game when everyone thought it would be an easy 3-0 for Jaedong. Calm didn't let up after evening the series 1-1 or going up 2-1. So many times before, players have faced Jaedong with fear, but not this time. Yes, Calm celebrated like he won the lottery after the series. Yes, he was reduced to tears in the back room when he thought about how hard he worked to achieve this. Yes, he still has one more Bo5 to play. But the first step to becoming a Jaedong-level player is to truly believe you're at that level. And right now, Calm believes.
As I said, it's Calm's MSL to lose.
Avalon MSL Semifinal B Preview
Iris vs Kwanro+ Show Spoiler [Statistics] +
Player / Matchup / Last 10 / Last 3 Months / Head-to-Head
Iris / TvZ / 8-2 (10-5 with prelims) / 6-4 (3-1 with prelims) / 0-0
Kwanro / ZvT / 5-5 / 9-6 (11-7 with prelims) / 0-0
Iris / TvZ / 8-2 (10-5 with prelims) / 6-4 (3-1 with prelims) / 0-0
Kwanro / ZvT / 5-5 / 9-6 (11-7 with prelims) / 0-0
Teammate Bo5 series are so impossibly hard to predict. While Iris' recent 3-0 of Effort in GOM and Kwanro's 0-2 in Proleague playoffs to unheralded Samsung player Miracle may lead you to believe that Iris is a big favorite in this series, it's actually completely up in the air. Kwanro has always been known as one of CJ's best players in their team rankings, only to have his potential disappear on TV. Recently it seemed Kwanro finally broke through, doing very well in Proleague and individual leagues. Coach Cho put him in the stacked CJ lineup repeatedly in PL playoffs. Then Kwanro choked badly against Miracle, almost costing CJ the series. Which Kwanro will show up this week? Nobody truly knows how the tiny fireball Zerg will respond to playing against his teammate. This type of match could be more pressure for Kwanro (its the farthest he's gotten in a league), or it could be no pressure at all (he plays Iris on a daily basis). If I had to make a prediction, I'll stick with the general rule that when teammates play, Terran > Zerg. Familiarity with style benefits the Terran player in TvZ far more. Iris 3-1 Kwanro.
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