Where They Stand

SlayerS went through a very rough patch after winning two GSTL championships in 2011. They failed to make the play-offs in the previous two GSTLs, while they had trouble keeping pace with other Korean teams in various international competitions. Though SlayerS stayed one of the most popular teams due to MMA and Boxer, performance wise they were hanging with the ZeNEX's and TSL's of the world.

Much of it can be attributed to roster changes. A total of four first team regulars were lost: GanZi and TaeJa to foreign teams, Min and Alicia to a decline in skill. Ryung and Puzzle were able to tread water as reliable starters, but MMA lost his position as the GSTL's most reliable anchor and ace. And of course, who can forget SlayerS' suspension of CoCa, a crippling self-handicap for all its good intentions and basis in principle.

While the days have long been dark for SlayerS, it might finally be time to be optimistic. No, it would be impossible to find four new starters out of nowhere – wait what? Evil Geniuses and SlayerS have joined forces? Suddenly, SlayerS have JYP and PuMa at their disposal, two players who would be regulars on almost any team in the GSL. Additionally, YuGiOh and Crank have improved considerably (YuGiOh's development more gradual, Crank's more rapid) and become legit line-up options, and CoCa has returned as well (though looking somewhat diminished compared to his peak). When you add them to the existing core of MMA, Ryung, and Puzzle, the result is an extremely deep and solid – if unspectacular – team. If MMA can regain a fraction of his form from the early 2011 GSTLs, then this is a team that has a good shot to win it all.




Teams like SlayerS have existed in traditional sports forever: a world-renowned giant, a team bigger than its results, receiving the support of its fans even through its darkest stretches. New Star HoSeo is a very different, though no less ubiquitous type of team. It is a talented and underrated team that has largely escaped public notice, but is frequently championed by the most ardent fans of the game. Or as I like to say it: they are the hipster-nerd fan favorite.

2011's GSTL Season One showed NSH at its best, with its unknown but massively talented players wrecking the competition as they finished 1st in their group, and in the top four overall. Jjakji, Seal, and Sage took turns all-killing entire line-ups, showing that Code S success was not the only measure of talent (though, in Jjakji's case, he would win a Code S championship soon after).

Last season, 2012 GSTL Season One, represented NSH at its worst. For all their talent, the NSH players showed that pure talent alone isn’t enough to produce reliable results, and were all-killed twice in their exit. The first time around, they were defeated by another mercurial talent in Bomber, who was scorching hot while the entire NSH roster was cold. The second time, proven GSL veteran MarineKingPrime swept through the outmatched NSH line-up. With Jjakji unable to reproduce the GSTL form of some other GSL champions, NSH showed that they had potential, but not much more.

This season, the situation for NSH is looking even worse. Though Jjakji doesn’t appear to have declined in skill, he’s been in a rut in terms of getting tournament results. He seems to be more of a Polt than a DRG or MMA: a good team league player to have, but not one that will carry the entire team on his back. Tassadar and Sage have fallen off after looking good in 2011, Seal is still stuck showing glimpses of his ability but not really breaking out, and Sculp is still a hit or miss player. San’s revival and return to the starting line-up is the sole bright spot for NSH in 2012. There’s always the chance that things will start clicking for NSH at the right time, but it’s nothing to count on.


Key Players

Slayers-EG: YuGiOh, Crank, Puzzle

SlayerS’ team make up has changed quite a bit, and there are several players that could reverse their fortunes. YuGiOh is the most intriguing of them all, as he presents a rare case in pro-gaming of a player who has slowly and steadily improved over the course of over a year. He’s gone from a pesky Code A survivor to being crowned the tournament’s undisputed King, and he might have graduated for good this season by defeating MarineKingPrime to clinch a Code S seed in the final round. CoCa was a great Zerg ace before his suspension, but he’s yet to prove he’s anywhere near the same player in the drastically tougher Starcraft II landscape that greeted his return. Instead, YuGiOh has a chance to become the Zerg ace SlayerS has always needed.

We haven’t seen much from Crank in high profile matches, but SlayerS management seems to be behind him. He’s constantly making it into the line-up for team leagues, and he was even deployed as the team’s ace once last season (it didn’t pay off then). He was also one of the few SlayerS players entrusted to represent the team at IPL4, a considerable investment for a player not many foreigners have heard about. All this reminds me of former SlayerS Terran Ganzi in the spring of 2011, who was constantly getting GSTL opportunities despite never having produced a notable tournament result. He finally showed people what he could do at MLG Anaheim, and later on in the GSL. If Crank can do as much for SlayerS as Ganzi used to, then it would instantly upgrade them to a legit championship contender.

Last, but not least, there’s the always reliable Puzzle. He hasn't lived up to past expectations of becoming a championship contender, but he’s been SlayerS’ most consistent player for over half a year now. Though MMA might be the psychological and symbolic heart of the SlayerS team, Puzzle has been their core in terms of being able to grind out a win or two in almost every appearance. Simply put, Puzzle is a player who delivers, and his contribution cannot be understated.


NSH: Everyone, but Seal in particular

NSH is a very unpredictable team, and it feels like they have quite a few players who could explode and rack up a string of wins on any given day. If I had to pick one, I would say Seal is the player who represents this capricious nature the best. He’s a player everyone looks at and thinks “wow, this guy could be really good!” without showing a shred of consistency. When he does play well, he makes a huge impact as four-kills against IM (including Mvp and Nestea) and ZeNEX have shown. It’s more likely that he’ll fold in an easy loss, but he’s a player worth looking out for.


The Aces

SlayerS_MMA:

MMA’s been having a very topsy-turvy time in the last few months. A first place finish at Iron Squid and a fourth place finish at IPL4 were a good check-up on his championship credentials, but his elimination from Code S in some horrible Up/Down games, and an even more humiliating elimination from MLG Arena at the hands of ESC.Goody confused just about everyone (including MMA himself). The defining characteristic of an Ace is consistency, and without that, an Ace’s value is greatly diminished.

Personally, I’ve decided to put my faith in MMA and his ability to get back on track. He might be shaky, and he might have stunk it up in the last GSTL, but you can’t forget how reliable and deadly he was as closer during SlayerS’s glory days. If Mvp’s GSL run has taught us anything, it’s to never, ever close the door on guys who have proven they can get it done in the past.


NSH_Jjakji

It might sound a little bit hypocritical, but it’s hard to give Jjakji the same kind of confidence as we're giving MMA. In terms of GSL performances, I’m sure he’ll make a comeback. He looks as good as he’s ever been, despite the fact that he hasn’t made an impact in recent tournaments. Eventually, he will probably get back to a stage befitting his skill, and make some more deep Code S runs.

However, the fact remains that he’s never really been a real “Ace” for NSH, and he’s stuck with the title by virtue of being the best player on the team. He’s a very skilled player who gets his teams wins at a very nice rate, goes on big win-streaks now and then, and is generally a good player to have around. However, he’s not always the last player used, he doesn’t rescue the team in dire situations, and doesn’t drag his team to victory when they’re trying their best to lose.

Yes, that’s a massively unfair criticism. Only two players, MMA and DongRaeGu, have lived up to that true ace reputation in the history of GSTL, and only a handful of players have ever fulfilled that role in the history of Korean Brood War either. Players like that are those who go on to become all-time greats.

However, that’s who Jjakji has to become. His supporting cast isn’t great – it's actually one of the worst in the GSTL. If Jjakji continues to be merely a good player, then yes, NSH can win games. But if they want to win it all, Jjakji must become something more.


Prediction:

A few of the SlayerS players have some dangerously weak match-ups, such as MMA & Ryung's poor TvP and JYP's poor PvT. Jjakji will probably murder JYP should he make an appearance, but it's doubtful as to whether San, Sage, and Tassadar will be up to sniping MMA. On the flip side, Jjakji could be sniped by either Ryung or MMA, so there should be a lot of interesting roster chess going on.

In the end, it boils down to depth. SlayerS can put out five live-tournament tested, Code S quality players - something not every team in the GSTL can say, and certainly not NSH. NSH's players can get hot and cause a few surprises, but unless Jjakji goes on a rampage, it seems hard that they'll be able to take down whatever combination of battle hardened veterans the SlayerS team wants to put out.

SlayerS-EG 5 - 3 NSH