GSL 2013 Season 1 Code S

Code S Ro8 Day 1
Innovation vs Symbol, Parting vs Curious.

Code S Ro8: TaeJa vs SoulKey
Preview.

Code S Ro8: MC vs RorO
Preview.


Brackets and results at Liquipedia

by: kollin

Results from Live Report Thread by UnholyMessias
+ Show Spoiler +

Symbol of Victory

The first match of the night was between two of the most talented players around right now. There is Symbol, the Zerg formerly of TSL, who showed some great results throughout 2012. Despite having been hyped up by Artosis, things were looking good for him, though he didn’t manage to take first place in any of the tournaments he attended. Symbol does have a history of choking in the Ro8, doing so twice before. He has only made it past the quarterfinals on a single occasion, in Season 1 of the GSL last year where he arguably looked his strongest.

His opponent was Innovation, formerly known as Bogus. The relatively unknown Terran player has been on the rise since KeSPA switched to SC2, and in his first GSL appearance made it to the semifinals before getting knocked out. Now he is widely considered one of the best, if not the best Terran player in the world, combining flawless mechanics with meticulous micro. That is not to say that he always displays this form, as he is forced to practice for both Proleague as the ace of his team and the GSL.

Opening on Cloud Kingdom, the first game looked fairly normal, with both players taking three fast bases. However, Symbol decided to throw a match in the tinderbox and add on two macro hatches, bringing him up to five hatcheries off three bases. A huge roach baneling attack came barreling down the doors of Innovation’s natural, however the single siege tank and some hectic micro meant the attack was held at bay. Some economic damage was sustained, but not enough to end the game as Symbol took an extremely late fourth. Both players stabilized and Symbol teched to ultralisks, while Innovation took his fourth. Both players harassed each other, Innovation killing Symbol’s fourth while Symbol returned the favor at his opponent’s third. Innovation took fantastic engagements from here on out, and after denying Symbol’s last mining base one too many times took the game.

The second game on the Proleague map Neo Planet S, started similarly to the first, but Symbol instead chose for a ling baneling attack on the Terran’s third, attempting to slow the economy and production of Innovation. It was a success, and delayed Innovation’s 2-2 timing by more than a minute. Symbol had more than enough time to get out ultralisks, and cleaned up the push without any trouble. He proceeded to deny his opponent’s fourth base, while shutting down Innovation’s constant efforts at harass. While it briefly looked like Innovation had clawed his way back into a previously lost game, he failed to scout a fifth base at the gold expansion, and eventually Symbol’s broodlord-ultralisk-infestor army broke through Innovation’s defense, and Symbol tied up the series.

The first two games had both been master classes in how to play the modern TvZ matchup, however the third game on the gargantuan giant of a map Whirlwind proved to be anything but. Symbol channeled the spirit of his creator Nestea through his body and opened with the insanely greedy 3 hatch before pool. Despite it being scouted, his opponent was powerless to stop it having opened CC first himself. Innovation, must have been watching Naama’s games, as he decided for a banshee heavy style building one starport for medivacs and another solely for banshees. However, Symbol got an ample amount of static defense and took very few losses, responding by making a lot of banelings and right clicking them on Innovation’s third base. Symbol managed to bust down Innovation’s simcity at his natural, and forced the GG out of his opponent, putting himself on game away from the Ro4.

The next game was far more normal, as Symbol looked for the quick win with a roach bane bust. Innovation defended fairly handily and Symbol backed off, taking a third base. Innovation did likewise and pushed with a sizeable marine tank army, intending to doom drop in his opponent’s main. Unfortunately for him, Symbol had been following the force with two burrowed infestors and as soon as everything loaded up, the Zerg unburrowed his infestors and hit two huge fungals, completely wiping out the Terran army with very few losses. The two enemies took fourths, and Symbol went for his preferred ultralisk based composition. Once again the Azubu Zerg displayed the power of his right click, as he traded his army for Innovation’s fourth base, which was a huge blow to his opponent’s economy. Innovation double expanded in an attempt to catch up, while counter attacking and taking out Symbol’s fourth base in the process. The game stabilized yet again, Symbol adding broodlords to his infestor-ultralisk-zergling composition, which Innovation responded to with thors and vikings. Innovation’s trademark harass picked off Symbol’s fifth, and stalled the Zerg’s economy quite heavily. Innovation pushed out one final time, taking the top center base as he took out not one, but two of his opponent’s bases putting him on three. Symbol was forced into engaging the STX Terran and while it was close, Innovation’s beautiful micro ensued in Symbol’s loss.

The final game was on a newer map in the GSL map pool, Icarus. A lot of Zerg players had been trying out two base roach timings here, and with roaches being Symbol’s favorites unit it was unfair to expect him to do anything else. He opted for an extremely hard hitting roach nydus build, and despite Innovation pumping out marines and marauders he didn’t have the production to keep up with his opponent. Eventually his army and SCV count was whittled down too low, and while Innovation microed his heart out it wasn’t enough. Game, set and match in Symbol’s favor, advancing him to the Ro4 for the first time in around a year, where he could well end up going onto the final.

Breaking the Curse

Coming into this series, most would think Parting pretty much had this in the bag. Bar some kind of miracle play from Curious, surely Parting’s former teammate had no chance. After all, Curious was just some random Zerg who had always been loitering around the lower echelons of Code S and who had finally managed to break through. However looking at the up and coming Zerg’s recent results paints a different picture. Looking at his Code S run this season he has so far beaten TY, Leenock, MC and Gumiho. Some of the most talented players in the world were swept aside by Curious, and it just shows that he is to be taken seriously and Parting should not underestimate him.

On the other side of the ring we have the SoulToss TraitorToss himself, Parting. The inventor of the WonWonWon, the all-in he solely trained and practiced with constantly against Zerg. After refining it to perfection, Parting was widely seen as the greatest Protoss player in the world. Breezing through Zergs like an afternoon wind, it seemed the only player that could stop him was arch nemesis and former teammate Life. Alas, Parting is not looking as unbeatable in PvZ as he once was. His WonWonWon is not a 100% WinWinWin, as Zergs realize they just need to turtle in their natural behind an enormous wall of spines until they wear down the immortal sentry army. That is not to say that Parting relies on this as a crux, his late game control is excellent and should be respected and even feared by a lot of Zerg players.

The first game would not see a Soul Train, instead it would be an insanely long macro game which ended up in the rarely seen ‘super lategame’. The openers from both players were nothing too strange, Curious wanting to put the pressure on early with a fast pool which Parting neatly defended. Both players went up to three bases, and the game seemed to be progressing nicely along. That is until a significant amount of the mutalisks Curious had been building, which were unscouted from Parting, flew into his base and began annihilating the probe line. By some miracle Parting held them off with very few stalkers, so Curious backed off and transitioned into infestor-brood lord. Curious’ army was getting closer and closer to the perfect composition, as the number of infestors, brood lords and corruptors increased. Parting tried to harass, but Curious dealt with it excellently. Parting, accepting that he was going to have to fight Curious’ army head on, went into turtle mode. He began adding void rays and carriers to his composition, while constantly forcing small engagements with the infestor-brood lord ball. Curious constantly denied Parting the gas needed for the SKT Protoss to get his own ultimate army, and when the final engagement came it was swift and brutal. Parting’s carriers fell quickly to the corruptors, the high templars were swarmed by a sea of broodlings and the void rays were frozen by fungals and shot down by the infested remains of the Terran’s who previously inhabited Daybreak. A long macro game ended in a crushing defeat for Parting.

The second game showed that Parting didn’t seem to be all too confident in his play. Despite his experience in tournament situations, he seemed to choke very hard when it came to a crucial moment of decision. While both players with standard builds, Curious decided to start playing HotS and produce a large amount of mutalisks. Despite Parting’s seeing a coming dilemma, he reacted horribly. He first started a templar archive, before wavering on that decision and cancelling it for an extremely delayed fleet beacon. Needless to say the result was not pretty and slaughter of probes and stalkers alike ensued. To the shock of nearly everyone in the known universe, it put Curious in a position to sweep.

The final game was a saddening one, to say the least. Parting went for a fast third base and Curious scouted it with a small set of zerglings. Parting chose a seven gateway timing attack off the back of his third base, by some insane coincidence Curious chose the army composition that directly counters these kinds of pushes, hydra-ling. As Parting’s push came, so did the signature on his death warrant. While for a minute it looked shaky, Curious’ excellent control resulted in the push being destroyed, taking some drone losses in the process. The counter attack came and it was not pretty. The third base and the gateways located at it fell. The rocks to the natural fell. The wall at the front of the natural fell. Parting’s miniscule army fell, and as it did so did his hopes and dreams of winning the final WoL Code S, he typed GG and left the game. Curious had done the impossible, David swept Goliath. After this victory his status as one of the best Zergs in the world is assured, and from here it seems no foe can stop him. Whether he will go all the way and win Code S, or fall to his next opponent is hard to say, but people will not forget when the unknown, unrecognized StarTale Zerg got revenge for his teammate’s demise in the GSL. The Curse of ST had come full circle, with Squirtle and Parting, the two traitors, having been hyped up and then promptly obliterated. StarTale does not forgive, and it does not forget.

Writers: kollin, Zealously.
Graphics: Meko.
Editor: Heyoka.