CrazyHydra vs ZerO

ZerO opts to apply some early harassment, and profits by picking off a few of CrazyHydra’s drones and generally being a headache. CrazyHydra responds by embracing his newly diminished economy, distracting with zerglings of his own, embarrassing ZerO with superior micro.

Overall, it seems fair enough to say that ZerO was both outmicroed and out-multitasked, despite his early advantage. A game well played and a deserved win for CrazyHydra.


Hoejja vs Light

While Hoejja springs for a quick third, Light opens with some mech play complemented by wraiths. He then transitions into bio, while Hoejja shifts up to four bases and techs to hive. Afterwards, Light returns to his mech-play and settles into a pattern of dogged aggression, managing to mass 36 kills between two particularly well-used tanks (that number climbs higher still if you include the number of dreams crushed). Light backs it all up with some impressive science vessel control, closing the game out.

Hoejja, taps out.


Stats vs Hon-Sin

Stats plumps for a proxy robo, leading directly to a sly elevator for his dragoons. He applies pressure to great effect, and soon Hon-Sin is in trouble. With the window for a comeback already closing, Stats manages to slam it shut with some elegant reaver control.

A decisive game.


Barracks vs Really

Barracks opens with a 14 command centre, coupled with some really dubious scouting, before transitioning into some ultimately ineffectual dropship play. Meanwhile, Really digs in, positioning himself well and gearing up for strong pushes.

As things wear on, the late game becomes a dropship war, in which Really’s solid mid-game play becomes a respectable economic advantage, putting Barracks in an awkward position from which he can’t recover. Really takes the game.



Flash vs Soulkey

Flash powers up to five rax to apply some aggression as Soulkey prepares to take his third at a standard timing. As well we know, if you’re Flash and you’re specifically preparing to swat down expansions, that tends to result in fairly few expansions being set up. Stymied, Soulkey then opts to pick up an expansion at the nine o’clock, but it’s already too late.

Flash’s solid medic/marine control is enough to consistently prevent Soulkey expanding, and Soulkey seems unable to provide an answer. Flash takes the game.



Action vs Free

Free opens gateway-first to apply some pressure and cover his own early expansion. Actions responds well to the pressure and gets ahead, moving into a big, two-base dragoon/Templar hanbang to smash Action.

Action has no answer for Free’s attack and is devoured in short order.



Flash vs ZerO

Day one closes with a rematch of the MSL finals, in which Flash did depraved and unspeakable things to ZerO. The big question had been whether whatever psychic scarring Flash had imposed would be fresh enough to wound ZerO’s play, or if it would prove just enough to encourage ZerO to overcome the odds and rock Flash.

While Icarus generally favours two-hatch mutalisk play, ZerO opts for a more standard three-hatch macro play. He then masses up lurkers rather than take a third base, eventually teching to hive off two bases. An impeccably placed stop-lurker proves particularly effective, quashing Flash’s medic/marine force.

Once he’s secured his hive tech, ZerO expands and starts laying down some drops. Flash has difficulty dealing with the multi-pronged harass and soon ZerO has whittled down his SCV count. ZerO capitalises, using swarm and lurkers in tandem as he secures a fourth base, with Flash pretty much incapable of stopping him.

Flash, down on SCVs, having been harried throughout and now being attacked on all sides, cannot withstand ZerO’s pressure, ceding the game to ZerO.




Hoejja vs Free

Hoejja jumps right into five-hatch hydra with no lair, using his hydra contain as a cover as he expands. Free responds with a zealot/templar attack, which Hoejja repels, maintaining his economic advantage. Hoejja then transitions into lurkers, while Free’s dragoon count is still worryingly low (and made only weaker by his slow upgrades).

Free attempts to break out, but is firmly mired in the combination of dark swarm, superior upgrades and Hoejja’s macro. Hoejja uses that macro to accumulate himself some ultralists, and Free is left with little choice but to GG.



Stats vs Hon-Sin

A rematch of Day 1’s game in which Hon-Sin is given the opportunity to respond to Stats’ proxy robo.

Stats opts to set up a quick third, while Hon-Sin jumps right into a proxy factory after his expansion. Stats deflects Hon-Sin’s harassment well, responding by diving right in with a speedlot/goon timing attack. That attack, complemented by Stats’ superior macro, sees Hon-Sin outclasses for a second time in as many days.



CrazyHydra vs Light

Light goes for a two-rax, but it feels imperfect and is swatted swiftly. CrazyHydra fails to capitalise and allows Light to retreat, giving him space to mastermind a comeback. Eventually, the game develops into a long, split-map affair, and CrazyHydra effectively lets Light walk away with it.

This was a game not so much of either player winning, but of one losing less.


Action vs Zero

The game opens with a twelve-hatch vs overpool, effectively a build-order win for ZerO, who takes advantage of his position by massacring Action’s drones. He then cuts gas and moves into pure zergling production, eradicating Action in short order. No real surprises, but at least it was mercifully quick.

Flash vs Really

Really opts for a two-factory opening, while Flash diverges with a one-factory expand. Having secured the economic advantage, Flash plays it safe and establishes a contain. Though well contained, Really maintains a hidden island expansion and attempts to manufacture a comeback with some clever dropship play, but it never quite comes together.

Perfect freak that he is, Flash manages to be everywhere at once, closing out the game.


Perfective vs Soulkey

Perfective runs with a twelve-hatch where Soulkey starts out with a twelve-pool. The build order advantage plays out, allowing Perfective to put together a big mutalisk cloud before closing out the game neatly.






CrazyHydra vs Soulkey

Soulkey opens with a twelve-hatch, while CrazyHydra opts for a twelve-pool. Both grab +1 carapace, but Soulkey combines more units with better micro and there’s little CrazyHydra can do to stop him closing the game out.



Hoejja vs Hon-Sin

Hon-Sin opens with a forward eight-rax, using his engineering bay to black Hoejja’s hatchery. Continuing the offensive-building theme, Hon-Sin then uses a supply depot to blog the choke. Hoejja is forced to cancel the hatchery and responds to being stuck on one-base by going air, using mutalisks and a zergling runby to drag himself back into the game.

Despite an excellent opening from Hon-Sin putting him in an untenable position, Hoejja manages to topple Hon-Sin, securing the game.

+ Show Spoiler +



Flash vs Really

Flash goes air with a wraith/valkyrie composition, the mobility of which allows him to get the better end of the map split the game becomes. Flash then proceeds to outclass Really in the wraith-fights that unfold.

At the end of the day, Really is only human. Flash takes the game.


Action vs Light

Both players go for standard openings, while Light applies persistent pressure to Action’s third base. Light then transitions into mech play, and mass-expands. Action morphs queens and repeatedly manages to do damage to Light, though Light manages to hold on to one mining base.

Despite his only having one mining base, Light also has a menagerie of siege tanks, which he employs to great effect, wiping out Action’s mining bases and smashing drones. Action is forced to GG.


Stats vs ZerO

Both players open standard, though Stats attacks early with +1 zealots. ZerO takes an enormous amount of damage, affording Stats a sizeable economic lead. ZerO then moves into hydra/lurker play, but Stats keeps him entirely under control with a high dragoon count and consistent storms.

Stats crushes ZerO under the weight of his superior production, like lurkers crushed under the weight of so many dragoons.



Perfective vs Free

Free goes corsair/reaver, adding an island expansion, while Perfective counters with a four-base hydralisk hanbang. The hydra attack overwhelms free, who then GGs, though it seems somewhat premature.

The most effective summary of the day is that shot of Free, sitting in the booth, looking unassailably miserable and quite alone.

A team that was peaking at the right time with the right people, led by a clutch Terran who made sure they won the games that mattered. A team that had been stretched nearly to the limit in its effort to reach the top. Opposing them was a team with incredible depth and variety in what they could throw at them, commanded by a crafty Zerg and a solid Protoss. Some have already said that this was history repeating itself. The question is, will it happen again? Will fate make it that there is an inevitable repeat of what has gone before? Or will the change in players make the outcome different?

KT Rolster has once again shown that it is still a force to be reckoned with, but one who has already shown some vulnerabilities in its play. After having disposed of STX, it was treated to a much more difficult path against Woongjin Stars. One could say that Woongjin lost this series more than KT won it, with their second-string players all melting down in a horrible fashion (hOn_sin I'm looking at you). However, that does not take away from KT's accomplishments, with Stats finally in form and winning all of his games in the series, and their Zergs having stepped up their play (see Action vs Light on Day 3) despite still being inconsistent in clinching wins.

On the flip side, CJ Entus is coming off of a two week break, with only Hydra playing in OSL, while Snow and Horang2 managed to qualify for the MSL Ro32. That means that we may be looking at a potentially rusty team, however they are 3-1 vs KT in PL format [2x 4-2 and 4-1 wins vs a 3-4 loss] this year. Still, KT has the firepower to take out CJ's big guns, as shown by WL wins by Stats, Action and of course, Flash. What they do have however is depth; as they can field at least five solid players, though one of them (Leta) has been notorious for choking in pressure situations. Despite that, they are still the deepest team in PL right now in terms of consistency, and they have to leverage that advantage if they want to get to Shanghai

What this means in this series is that KT once again has to show that their Zergs are up to the task of taking at least one win for the team if they want to take the series to at least an Ace match, while CJ has to prevent the support for Flash from materializing.