EPTCode A Ro48: Day 3 Preview
Afternoon Matches - 04:10 GMT (+00:00)
MVP.Vampire vs. 
KT_CrazyThe first match of the night is between two players who are familiar with playing supporting roles. Vampire is a fringe Code A/S player from MVP who gives MVP some depth during team leagues, whose strongest result has been making it into Code S in season 5. Crazy (who probably changed his name from Crazy-Hydra after realizing Hydras are not quite as good in SC2) is one of the supporting players on KT
It’s a bit of a mystery match as Crazy hasn’t played many ZvP’s recently. Even with Protoss becoming a more popular option on Neo Arkanoid, Crazy himself has continued to play only ZvT and ZvZ with a mixed record. However, he did manage to take down Jangbi in the Code A qualifiers, which is a solid win on his record. On the other hand, Vampire lost his only broadcast PvZ in recent memory to Jaedong, and took a game off LG-IM's Byul in the IPTL. With so little information to go on, you could predict either player winning here. I’ll give the edge here to Vampire as he’s consistently stayed in Code A for most of 2012, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Crazy won either.
Prediction: Vampire 2 - 1 Crazy
Woongjin_Flying vs. ArthurWhen Kespa first switched over, Flying was one of the first players to gain acclaim. He had a 6-1 score in the hybrid Proleague. He beat Innovation, Rain, MVP and Parting in his OSL run. But then, much like Icarus he quickly plummeted downward, barely scraping by in both GSL and Proleague once KeSPA made the full switch. Now over half a year later, he is just another player in the mix trying to make a name for himself and regain that form that he initially had in the early days.
Facing him is Arthur, the only player from Slayers who has yet to find a team. He has been on an odyssey trying to find "the THING," as team ZeNEX once put it. He wasn’t able to make an impression in Slayer’s last GSTL. At NASL S4 he went down 3 - 2 to Golden and barely lost his chance to make his first international appearance and get the THING. Tonight’s GSL Code A will be his third chance and his most desperate. With so many skilled players in Korea, the least he can do is make himself one of the dozens of regulars in the GomTV studios.
This is a match between a man who wants to stop the fall and another who's already at the bottom and needs to rise up. Anything can happen here, but I’ll give the edge to Arthur as he has more riding on this than Flying.
Prediction: Arthur 2 - 1 Flying
Woongjin_sOs vs. SKT_s2The third match of the afternoon will be one of the few GSL matches between two KeSPA players. sOs (aka sHy) was another one of the Kespa Protosses who showed great promise in SC2. He crushed his way through hybrid Proleague and made a strong run through Code A. While his GSL run was stopped by the hope-killer known as Sniper, sOs is back for more. While he hasn't been winning at his old rate, sOs is still one of the stronger players to have switched over, playing well in Code A and being a dominating force in Proleague.
On the other hand, s2 has only just recently started making lineup appearances for his team in Proleague. While s2 has had some impressive wins to justify his appearances, none of those came against Protoss. While he did beat Axiom's Crank in the qualifiers, it's hard to put that much weight into a WoL victory over a player who looks more focused on HotS. With the disparity in appearances and results, sOs should take this one easily.
Prediction: sOs 2 - 0 s2
ST_Hack vs. 8th_TRUEThe last match of the afternoon is a TvZ between Hack and TRUE. Hack is a player who worked his way slowly up from Code A into Code S during the 2012 season, showing steady improvement. While he's the more accomplished player in this duel, he has always had problems against Zerg, especially against top class Zergs like DongRaeGu or Stephano.
Luckily for Hack, TRUE is no where near being a top class Zerg, playing for Team Eight as their #2 Zerg in the rotation. If TRUE's poor record in the Proleague and limited opportunities are any indicator, the more established Hack should have this one in the bag. Still, there's the chance of an upset from the lesser known player who hasn't shown us much ZvT at all.
Prediction: Hack 2 - 1 TRUE
Evening Matches - 09:10 GMT (+00:00)
STX_Trap vs. aLiveFollowing the theme of the afternoon matches, yet another Kespa Protoss is up to play tonight. Trap's career has been parallel to Flying’s, starting off strong during the early switch, but then falling off as the months moved by. The similarities may scare Alive a little, as the last time he was knocked out, it was by Flying.
Despite that, Alive’s strongest matchup has always been his TvP, and he's recently talked about how he's rediscovered his focus. If aLive can play TvP at the level we know he's capable of, he should have no trouble taking down Trap.
Prediction: Alive 2 - 1 Trap
SKT_FanTaSy vs. Liquid`ZenioCongratulations Zenio, it has been 7 months and 2 weeks since your last appearance in the GSL. Your reward is to now play one of the strongest current KeSPA players and fan favorite in Fantasy. Having said that, Fantasy has been having a hard time recently in Proleague after looking good in December, losing his last 7 matches. Four of those losses came against Zerg, which doesn't bode well for him going into this match-up.
Despite his losing record, Fantasy has showed some great skills in defeat, even playing one of the best games of the year against Effort. All said and told, this matchup will be hard for both sides. Both players haven’t performed as well as they would have hoped in Proleague, both have shown very inconsistent play, and both players are having a hard time with the TvZ matchup in general. But I’ll favor Fantasy here, because he's showed he is capable of playing at a higher level, like in his game against effort.
Prediction: Fantasy 2 - 1 Zenio
MVP.Shine vs. SKT_RainFor three seasons in a row, Shine has fallen out of the Up/Down groups in 3rd place, but has always helped at least one player advance by winning a match where he had nothing to gain. As if to show that no good deed can go unpunished, Shine must now face OSL champion Rain. While Rain is no longer the number one Protoss in the world after having been usurped by new teammate Parting, he is still a force to be feared.
GomTV must feel conflicted about this match. On one hand, they would welcome the return of a star like Rain, even if he did snub them in the past by forfeiting his Code S seed in favor of MLG. On the other hand, Shine's dedication to playing 100% in even meaningless games has protected the GSL from complaints about the flawed Up/Down format where such games are an inevitability. The angel on Mr.Chae's shoulder will be rooting for Shine, while the devil will be cheering for Rain. While Shine will probably give Rain a run for his money, in the end I can’t see any other outcome beyond Rain taking this match. Sorry Shine, see you in the Up/Down matches 2 seasons from now.
Prediction: Rain 2 - 0 Shine
LG-IM_NesTea vs. 8th_HSThis is a tale of two players. A tale of Dr. Nestea and Mr. Zergbong. While players like Bomber have a consistency issue with bringing their best play on any given day, Nestea has a problem of keeping up consistent play through a single game. Nestea is one of the best Zerg players in the early and mid game, often out thinking his opponents with superior build orders and mind games. He then goes into the late game with an advantage much larger than most other zergs. Then, a dreaded transformation occurs as Dr. Nestea starts to slowly lose focus and game sense, and he becomes the hideous Mr. Zergbong. The terrible transformation continues until it is complete, and you get Nestea vs Noblesse game 3.
HS is a completely new player from Team 8 that has had 0 official games. With so little information about the opponent, the match will come down to two questions: Can Nestea win before his transformation? Can HS take advantage of his complete anonymity and sucker punch Nestea for a victory? I have no clue how this match will pan out, but I’ll give Nestea the nod here as outside of Code S, he showed his strongest games in both Iron squid and the Up.Down matches before that.
Prediction: Nestea 2 - 0 HS
