EPT![[image loading]](http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6446/logobj.png)
It is self-evident to any ardent follower of professional Brood War that SK Telecom T1 will be the Proleague Champions again this year. However, some of you may not have realized this truth yet, perhaps being less observant fans of this beautiful e-Sport, so here are some indisputable facts to help you understand why SK Telecom T1's victory is inevitable again this year.
The Order of the Universe
![[image loading]](http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5915/starsde.jpg)
In the natural order of things, the proleague championship belongs to SKT T1. It is an anomaly when other teams somehow rise to the top. Did you know that no team has ever won the proleague championship more than twice? No team other than SKT T1, that is, who have claimed victory no less than four times (or more, depending on exactly how you categorize past events). Other teams may somehow climb to the top once or twice, but their reign is always fleeting, and the championship inevitably returns to SKT T1. Any pretenders trying to even get a glimpse of the championship trophy are fighting an uphill battle against the laws of ESPORTS, and SKT T1 is ready to take down all challengers to the throne.
The Main Line
![[image loading]](http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/5415/topline.png)
Fantasy, Bisu, Best. SKT T1's aces who can handily rip apart any other team's lineup. No other team has a 1-2-3 punch as strong as SKT T1's main line. Some might have a superlative ace, or maybe a pair of relatively strong players, but nothing that approaches the majesty of SKT T1's strength. Even Flash and Jaedong have shown signs of weakness in recent times. But this month, someone else has stepped up to snatch the sigil of reliability, and that player is the cornerstone of SKT T1's main line.
Fantasy
You may not have realized it, but this past round, Jung Myung Hoon was the best terran and best player overall in proleague, with an 8-1 record, and in addition, he's qualified to the Ro16 of both individual leagues as well. While it's always debatable which player is currently strongest in skill, there's no debate as to who is currently most reliable, with the undisputed highest win percentage in proleague R5 (not counting those one game winners, of course). And he shows now sign of stopping. Many players have stepped up their game and changed their strategies to face the former most reliable Terran, and have started to snatch an increasing number of wins from the player once thought of as unbeatable, but that's not the case with Fantasy. Despite everyone's realization that Fantasy's signature vultures and dropship play often spell doom to his opponents, others have yet to assemble a reliable counter to neutralize them. And Fantasy further ups his game during the playoffs (see: last year), with the legendary Terran Oov at his side as his coach and mentor. If there's any one player that's going to dominate these playoffs, it is Fantasy, not whoever else you might have had in mind.
Bisu
The freshly revitalized Revolutionist is once again ready to stomp on the carcasses of his foes, returning to proleague as well as the Ro16 of both individual leagues. Having undergone special training to recover from a minor setback, Kim Taek Yong is back to assume his position as the first among the protoss dragons, the head of the tribe. Some may argue that his recent televised matches did not involve opponents who could serve as definitive tests to judge whether or not he has regained his form, but those observers are looking at things the wrong way. The fact of the matter is that the peak of Bisu's current strength has yet to be revealed. Those that paid attention to his matches will see that his harassment, his multitasking ability, his micro and macromanagement are once again impeccable, having returned to or even surpassed their previous levels. Still, despite evidence in the form of the skillful play that Bisu has shown off recently, many may dare to claim or think to themselves that Bisu is no longer a top player in Brood War. Be prepared to eat crow during these playoffs as Bisu once again brings down the hurt while SKT T1 marches to the top of the podium.
Best
The Monster Macro Machine still terrorizes his enemies with an unending stream of protoss might. As long as Doh Jae Wook has his probes and his gateways, his opponents will cower before an unending flow of units ready to march in and tear apart any sort of defense they might mount. Terrans tremble before his might. Protosses would do well to fear him. And zergs - well, they can no longer rest easy the way they once did when they meet him on the battlefield. While it cannot be denied that this dragon does exhibit a weakness against the Swarm, his vulnerability is less than it once was - no longer does he simply roll over and die to the weakest of zerg cerebrates. And God help any Terran victim who faces Best on the battlefield.
The SKT Zergs
![[image loading]](http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/3448/zergs.png)
Once the laughingstock of the league, the SKT zergs are now a dangerous force to be reckoned with. Did you know that a SKT Zerg has the best win percentage among all zergs in proleague R5, with 6 clear victories and only 1 loss (815 with one game doesn't count)? Or that the 3 SKT Zergs together have the same or more wins than the entire zerg lineup of any other playoff-bound team? Last year, while "SKT Zerg" was still an insult, SKT T1 easily took the championship in a total of 8 sets to 3. What kind of massacre will now ensue now that SKT T1 has augmented its strength with strong zergs? Be ready to watch as this zerg trio overwhelm any opposition they face with their newfound abilities.
The Overseer
![[image loading]](http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4914/park.png)
Somehow, for every coach there are voices claiming that the particular coach is some sort of genius or master planner, but the reality is that Park Young Woon outsmarts them all. Still, any evidence that might be put forth in support of this fact will likely be greeted with accusations of luck or coincidence, so it may be more instructive to focus on other qualities that set the SKT T1 coach apart.
Guts and courage. Remember that bet offered during last year's proleague grand finals? The head-shaving bet that Oz's coach Cho was too chicken to accept? That's just one example of how confident SKT's coach is in his players, as well as a sign of the coach's willingness to put things on the line. As another example, some are saying that SKT T1 stepped over the line by making a move that would result in OGN rescheduling its group selection. These people are mistaken and are interpreting events in an incorrect manner. Instead, the truth is that the managers and coaches of the other teams were too timid and lacked the courage to take action in response to OGN's entirely unreasonable scheduling. Only the SKT coach considered and challenged OGN's fiat and forced the broadcaster to switch to a more reasonable day.
Empathy and a connection with his players. Those that pay attention to the players and teams between games would notice that the SKT coach is always ready with a pat on the back or a hug for all his players. While some might look down upon such actions and dismissively label this approach as "touchy-feely", one cannot argue with the results and team cohesion that the coach has created. Others may somehow be deluded into thinking that a cold, unapproachable front that many coaches adopt is somehow better, which is untrue. It's more likely that this kind of attitude is adopted by those coaches who aren't able to bring themselves to reach out to the players the way Coach Park has.
The Emperor
![[image loading]](http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9972/boxer1101908.jpg)
While it's clear Lim Yo Hwan is no longer the dominant player he was years ago, he still serves as a guide and a mentor to the team, as well as its figurehead. What other team can claim to have one of the forefathers and the most significant pioneer of professional Brood War among its ranks? The player who was the moving force behind the creation of player teams in the first place? Boxer can provide an unrivaled amount of experience that his teammates can drawn upon for strength, and he continues to devise more strategies and mold his successors to reach their potential. Boxer is the X-Factor behind SKT T1 that no other team possesses or could even hope to replicate.
The Resurgence
![[image loading]](http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/2271/uparrowe.jpg)
While SKT T1 displayed some weakness mid-season, they have come back stronger than ever on the road to the playoffs. Other teams are entering the playoffs on the back of strong performances early in the year, and are currently underperforming below whatever ephemeral potential they showed earlier this season, while SKT T1's strength continues to increase, with no signs of plateauing. With the exception of MBC, every team headed to the playoffs not named SK Telecom T1 has had a worse R5 when compared to R4, and MBC has merely improved from a godawful 4-6 to a mediocre 6-5.
The Bunkie
![[image loading]](http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/7665/074g.jpg)
That's right. No other team has been able to make a mascot work like SK Telecom T1. That's because Bunkie is baller.
There you go, folks. Unassailable evidence that SK Telecom T1 will once again emerge as the champions of proleague in a few short weeks. Those of you still not convinced, I only pity your blindness. In any case, when Coach Park once again hoists the trophy over the beaches of Gwangahnri, I will not be called a seer accurately predicting an unlikely outcome, merely a realist stating the obvious.
