The week started off fantastic for KT, taking an easy 4:1 victory in the first playoff match against STX. For those unaware, the SPL playoffs are in a BO3 format instead of the usual BO1, except for the final which is only a single match. Taking the lead on the first day is often the shot of confidence that teams need to get a good run into the post-season and KT’s form looked stunning. While Stats struggled, throwing away a marginal lead to an in form Bogus, the rest of KT stood up to bowl over STX’s heavy hitters.

Hoejja had an easy win over Calm, going 9 pool speed against Calm’s 12 hatch for an easy victory. Barracks and Classic played an exciting TvT which harkened back to previous seasons. Both opened with 2 factory builds, and the game extended on with both players utilizing mass drops to try and defeat their opponent with Barracks coming out on top. Flash easily took down Last with an impressive display of total domination, getting three quarters of the map in the map split and backing Last into a corner he couldn’t recover from. Finally Action took the match home with an easy win over Kal, using mutalisks to get a lead that Kal’s DT harass couldn’t even bring him back from.

All in all an impressive display from the KT lineup, showing none of the shakiness they were exhibiting late in round 6.



After being decimated by KT earlier in the week, STX came out firing with their Proleague life on the line. KT, probably hoping to capitalize on their dominating win sent out Flash to open up. Unfortunately the STX coach predicted this move and Flash was comprehensively torn apart by a sharp looking Shuttle, delaying his carrier tech for a mid game goon timing attack that Flash couldn’t recover from. Classic came out next and destroyed Action with a cute 2 port into Bio play off 1 base that Action couldn’t defend. Crazy-Hydra then lost to Modesty by being far too aggressive without having a proper mutalisk number advantage and was out microed comprehensively. Finally Stats and Hyvaa played an entertaining PvZ on relatively low economy. Stats came close to breaking Hyvaa’s defenses on a number of occasions but in the end Stats couldn’t secure a fourth base and mined out, giving Hyvaa and STX the win.



Coming into the final match of the series everything was on the line for both teams. The winner of the match would be going through to face the winner of the Khan vs Stars series in the next round of the playoffs. The match opened up with a ZvZ between Calm and Action, with Action doing his normal thing of getting a lead, and then blowing it, granting Calm the win. Flash and shuttle then had a rematch, with Flash getting his revenge in the form of an easy victory. Shuttle attempted to use disruption web to shut down Flash’s tanks, but it was relatively ineffective. Hoejja then took an easy victory over Hyvaa, managing to do a ling bust that cripple Hyvaa’s drone count going into the midgame. Classic then fell to an in form Barracks, as he did earlier in the week, with Barracks exhibiting some good drop defense before utilizing drops of his own to win.

Stats continued his poor showing with another loss to Bogus. This time it was an incredibly long game, with Bogus forcing a map split that Stats was unable to break, even with some good recalls. Finally Crazy-Hydra came out and sealed KT’s victory over the slumping Kal. Kal opened up with a cannon rush to seal Crazy-Hydra in his main, but Crazy-Hydra was having none of it, and came back easily with a combination of drops and containment that meant that Kal was unable to expand off his 2 bases, and eventually lost the game. This victory means that KT should have a lot of confidence going into the rest of the playoffs, which should spell for some exciting games in the future.



Khan opened their playoff series strong, with a 4-2 victory over a competent Stars lineup. Grape took an easy win over Really, with constant pressure leading to the victory. Light and Reality played an exciting TvT on Beltway, with Reality setting up a superior map split in the midgame and denying Light’s attempts to break his siege lines excellently. Jangbi, on a roll of late, was cheesed out by Soulkey who implemented a double hydra den strategy for a super fast 3 hatch hydra play that Jangbi couldn’t defend. Stork won against the rookie, Woon, who attempted some slow drops but Stork seemingly outclassed him and held it off.

Zero similarly outclassed Brave, with a standard 5 hatch hydra play that caught Brave unawares and lacking storm. Finally Byul came out against Free and took an easy win as free attempted to proxy some gateways for a zealot timing push that were spotted by an overlord and easily taken down. All in all a poor showing from Woongjin, with only their Zerg aces managing to win any games.



After their disappointing loss earlier in the week, Stars came out with a vengeance and outmuscled Khan with only Stork and Brave managing to take wins. Light got to play another TvT, this time against Sharp and he thoroughly outclassed him and won the wraith/valkyrie wars that are oh so common in modern TvT. Zero and Jangbi played a fairly exciting game, with Jangbi using an interesting build with some ranged goons, speedlots and 2 port corsair to thoroughly counter Zero’s strategy, but was left wanting when Zero made a whole lot of hydralisks and Jangbi didn’t have enough storm to fight them off.

Brave proxied Flying on Bloody ridge and won with a deft cannon push and superior micro. Soulkey won an easy ZvZ over Juni, catching him making too many drones after they mirrored each other’s opening build orders. Stork destroyed Guemchi with a simple 4 gate 2 reaver timing push and out microing Guemchi with easy. Finally Really took down Reality comfortably to clinch the set for Stars, leveling the series 1-1.



Stars managed to take two matches in a row to clinch the series 2-1 with an exciting set of games against Khan. Jangbi once again faced off against Zero, and was outdone by a complex cheese that involved Hydra drops off 3 hatcheries, catching Jangbi attempting to tech way too fast in all different directions. Light came back from a disadvantage against Reality to take the game, granting the invisible terran his revenge from their game at the start of the week.

Turn knocked over a struggling Guemchi with a quick 1-0 8 factory timing push that came out too quickly for Guemchi’s carrier tech to kick in. Stork had his way with hon_sin, opening with a gas steal into nexus before his own gas, while hon_sin went for 2 barracks and attempted to bunker push. Stork was having none of it, and outmicroed the rookie, and while he was finishing him off actually planted a manner nexus. Soulkey and Brave played a sloppy game with Soulkey managing to come out on top with a strong 4 base play. Grape and Free played a dynamic PvP, with the lead in the game swinging back and forth to both players before finally Grape was victorious, forcing the match to an ace game.

Unfortunately for Khan, January was allowed to pick the player to go out, and the series concluded with a disappointing loss by Turn against Zero, who thoroughly dominated the rookie. All in all Stars played well and deserve their spot in the next round. However, one can’t help but think we were denied the awesome ace game by January not picking her ace player for the final match.

The wind has blown and the chaff has been blown away. What now remain are the four strongest teams in Proleague -- SKT, CJ, Woongjin, and KT. And now, Woongjin and KT battle for the right to challenge CJ.

The match is interesting, although my prediction is that it will lean heavily in the favor of Woongjin. KT is a wounded lion -- former champions, but it's quite a miracle that they managed to make it this far given their terrible luck this season. KT is still a lion after all and it has shown itself to have quite the bite, as it finished third despite losing Violet to Leukemia, ForGG retiring, and their ultimate weapon not in the finest shape. This is accompanied by a slumping Stats, Action who has proven himself a lemon, and Hoejja, whom no one can quite believe he has a six game winning streak in Proleague.

Woongjin on the other hand, could care less about the fact that Free is not as reliable as he used to be. Without a solid Protoss, Light can be safely played on any map considering Light's amazing TvZ and decent TvT. Zero has been unstoppable this last month -- he's on a 10 game winning streak. Soulkey may be still be feeling unwell, but he's still capable of destroying any player KT sends at them, even maybe Flash. Meanwhile, Really's tendency to go 50% his winrate tells us that he's overdue for a winning streak.

Woongjin is obviously favored, but not because KT is a bad team -- KT was just terribly unlucky this season. Flash won't make a full recovery until next season, so then it's up to the rest of their players. Can KT's backup cards come back in time to restore KT's glory and forever dispelling what's really in our minds -- that KT can't win without Flash? Or will Woongjin's many purchases take them one step closer to Shanghai? We will see.