Hot6ix GSTL Season 2

Triple A Rating
Axiom-Acer and Azubu win in opening week


Week 2 Preview
Axiom-Acer vs. SouL
FXOpen vs. Azubu


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Axiom-Acer and Azubu triumph in opening week

by lichter and Waxangel

The latest season of GSTL kicked off last week amidst some very unusual circumstances, with three former championship teams in MVP, LG-IM, and Prime announcing they had left the eSF and would not be participating in the GSTL. While their departure was clearly a huge hit to GomTV, the blow was at least somewhat mitigated by the equally unexpected arrival of Proleague champions SouL and INnoVation in the GSTL. But even that announcement came with its own share of drama, as SouL and their former ace arrived separately due to INnoVation's shocking signing with Team Acer.


So, about that. It turns out signing the super-ace of a Proleague championship team is a pretty good idea! Team Acer's blockbuster signing INnoVation didn't have to wait long to get a chance to show off his skills, all-killing two-time GSTL champions FXOpen in his debut in a green shirt.

FXO.sC gave INnoVation his toughest challenge, even taking what seemed to be a game-winning lead with strong mech play. However, put in a rare situation where he was actually playing from behind, INnoVation got to show that he's fully capable of pulling off brilliant comebacks. A desperation push in two-base vs. three-base situation allowed INnoVation to even up the economic situation and eventually take the comeback win in a lengthy game.

Other than that, FXOpen wasn't able to put up much of a fight. Hurricane and Seed may have seemed like good snipers on paper after INnoVation's shock loss to NaNiwa at WCS, but his recent string of TvP wins suggests that was only a one-off. That, or NaNiwa is our hidden PvT bonjwa.

And of course, it was no surprise that Zerg player Leenock got crushed in the ace match. While Leenock has certainly been clutch for FXOpen enough times in the past to be deserving of a respect-pick as ace, you can't help but feel that INnoVation vs. Zerg is something you avoid at all costs.


Hold Tight Your Buns

The second match of the season proved to be far more exciting than the first, as it went down to the 7th game, allowing us to see all the new maps as well as the max amount of players.

Things started out well for Startale, as their Season 1 MVP Avenge took out BBoongBBoong with a sneaky Soul Train. B4's scouting overlord completely missed the robotics facility, spotting only a group of sentries. Full steam ahead, nice force-fields, GG.

Azubu were sufficiently worried about Avenge's momentum to send out their ace Symbol as their second player. It proved to be a worthwhile gamble as he was able to take out Avenge in a close game on Haeundae's debut. Symbol showed great crisis management to defend a ramp-block sentry with no scouting at all, and he crushed the follow-up all-in from Avenge with an overwhelming number of roaches.

With the score tied at 1-1 and only 3 players left, Startale wasted no time in sending out Life. It was admittedly a curious choice given Life's patchy form as of late, especially in ZvZ. It ended up being the wrong choice as well, as Symbol took him out easily after the former's ling-bane all in proved ineffective.

One Million Years Dungeon!

With the amount of all-kills we've seen in GSTL the past two seasons, Symbol's momentum was starting to look scary. And it would have continued too, if not for an unrooted spine crawler. His next match against Curious began in interesting fashion as Symbol opened with a 9pool that denied Curious' hatchery-before-gas-before-pool. Having a speed advantage early, Curious then committed to more zerglings after rebuilding his natural, but a quick queen block and a spine crawler denied Curious entry into the main. In a stroke of genius, Symbol sent his patrolling lings to Curious' natural instead of returning to defend and outright killed the hatchery.

This put Symbol far ahead, and everyone and their mothers would have called Curious dead. Knowing that he would never match Symbol's drone count, Curious committed to even more zergling pressure, but Symbol continued to deny the ramp. It was looking like one final hold for the Azubu Zerg, but his overconfidence allowed Curious back into the game. He unrooted a spinecrawler above his ramp which defended the blocking queens, allowing the zerglings to eventually kill them all. Suddenly, Symbol no longer had queens for larva, and the difference in production proved costly as the Zerglings broke through to kill all but a handful of drones. The game stabilized after the attack, but this time the difference could not be overcome. Curious teched to mutas before Symbol could reach his roach timing, and as they walked below a rain of glaive wurms, Symbol GG'd after what looked like a won game.

They Didn't Understand The Lemon Styles

In an unexpected twist, Azubu sent out new signing Patience (formerly Lucy Prime) on new map Fruitland to try and retake the lead. And it proved to be the most entertaining game of the evening, if only for the cast. Khaldor and Wolf spent the entire game talking about fruits as well as the destructible lemons in the middle of the map that yield 500 minerals. Despite multiple opportunities for both players to take advantage of the lemons, neither player grabbed their chance for that sweet mineral bonus.

The game also looked relatively standard, but how was anyone supposed to pay attention to anything but the fruit puns? Patience eventually hit a timing just as Brood Lords finished, and took out Curious with a unique Immortal-heavy composition (at one point, 4 immortals were reinforcing). It lemonstrated that new maps need some lime to develop as the map meta has yet to ripen.* .

UNACCEPTABLE

Down to their last man, Startale sent out WCS Champion Bomber who immediately got to business. There was little to note as Bomber simply macro'd to three bases, pulled SCVs, and demolished Patience a few seconds before storm could finish. The WCS Season 2 Champ looked strong, Patience looked weak and Tristram looked a desolate boring wasteland compared to Fruitland.

With everything on the line in one final ace-match, Azubu sent out SuperNova in a TvT against the seemingly unbeatable Bomber, who had a 75% winrate in the matchup, beating players like Taeja, Innovation, and Flash along the way. It didn't look like a favorable choice for Azubu, but SuperNova had been known for his well-planned builds and ability to take anyone in a best of one. He was going to have to bring his best if Azubu wanted to start the season with a victory.

The game started well for SuperNova, as his double reaper opening ensured his early expand was safe, scouting everything in Bomber's main. Bomber had decided to open with cloaked banshees, but inexplicably left his front door open for the reapers to scout his build. SuperNova didn't skimp on his defense as he built two widow mines, three turrets and a viking to ensure he took no damage. Bomber, unable to take advantage of his opening, gathered his forces for a marine-tank timing, but a counter-cloak from SuperNova proved to be his undoing. With no Ebay at home, one scan, and little in the way of units, Bomber rushed up the ramp to no avail. The bunker finished, SuNo pulled his SCVs to repair his hellions and banshee which outlasted the scan, and everything died. With nothing left, Bomber gg'd and handed Azubu the win. It was an uncharacteristic loss for the recently crowned WCS champ, and but not an entirely unexpected one in a chaotic SC2 scene.

*All puns courtesy of DarkLordOlli, Waise and openbox1.

Writers: lichter and Waxangel
Graphics: Pathy.
Editor: Waxangel.