Table of Contents
Round 6 Week 1 Review
Spoiler Alert!
Close but No Cigar
CBNC
Leapfrog
STX leaps over SKT
Games of the week
Jangbi vs Flash
Round 6 Week 2 Preview
Matches that Matter
Samsung's TurN
to Shine
Trust the Bunny
CJ Entus vs EG-TL
Match of the Week
SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster
SK Planet Proleague table and results at Liquipedia
Round 6 W1 Results
By: Wunder
Due to factors such as the WCS Season 1 Finals and LoL, the past few weeks have been strange to say the least. Nevertheless Proleague recaps continue on as we review the last half-week and the next half-week in this week's recap/preview combo. For this final round of Proleague this season, everything will be on the line as each match will actually mean something.
Round 6 Week 1 Matches
June 3
Samsung KHAN vs KT Rolster
RorO <Akilon Wastes> Zest
TurN <Korhal Floating Island> hitmaN
JangBi <Whirlwind> Flash
Reality <New Fighting Spirit> Puzzle
Shine <Neo Planet S> Stats
Stork <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Crazy
JangBi <Bel'Shir Vestige> Flash
KT Rolster wins 4-3!
CJ Entus vs Woongjin Stars
Bong <New Fighting Spirit> ZerO
herO[jOin] <Naro Station> Flying
EffOrt <Korhal Floating Island> sOs
Hydra <Neo Planet S> free
SonGDuri <Bel'Shir Vestige> Light
Bbyong <Whirlwind> Soulkey
Woongjin Stars wins 4-2!
RorO <Akilon Wastes> Zest
TurN <Korhal Floating Island> hitmaN
JangBi <Whirlwind> Flash
Reality <New Fighting Spirit> Puzzle
Shine <Neo Planet S> Stats
Stork <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Crazy
JangBi <Bel'Shir Vestige> Flash
KT Rolster wins 4-3!
CJ Entus vs Woongjin Stars
Bong <New Fighting Spirit> ZerO
herO[jOin] <Naro Station> Flying
EffOrt <Korhal Floating Island> sOs
Hydra <Neo Planet S> free
SonGDuri <Bel'Shir Vestige> Light
Bbyong <Whirlwind> Soulkey
Woongjin Stars wins 4-2!
June 4
STX Soul vs SK Telecom T1
Trap <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> PartinG
Dear <Whirlwind> soO
Mini <Naro Station> Brown
hyvaa <Bel'Shir Vestige> Bisu
INnoVation <Korhal Floating Island> FanTaSy
Classic <Neo Planet S> Rain
STX Soul wins 4-2!
Trap <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> PartinG
Dear <Whirlwind> soO
Mini <Naro Station> Brown
hyvaa <Bel'Shir Vestige> Bisu
INnoVation <Korhal Floating Island> FanTaSy
Classic <Neo Planet S> Rain
STX Soul wins 4-2!
Standings
Close But No Cigar
Because this is indeed the final round of Proleague before the playoffs, we want to reiterate the importance of each match this round and how heavily things could swing from one match, or even one game if it comes down to the wire. This week Samsung attempted to make their ascent back into the top four, with a win against KT being a huge boon. Most of the pieces fell into place, with JangBi taking a nail biting PvT out from under Flash and Shine beating out Stats. Unfortunately, with Stork losing to Crazy, it forced the ace match and while Jangbi attempted to pull the rug out from Flash with a 2 base allin, Flash was more than capable of handling it with a multitude of bunkers and SCVs to repair.While Samsung KHAN was dangerously close to overthrowing KT Rolster and upsetting the balance of the top four, it’s set a precedent for future opponents of Samsung as they seem to be the one team that can oppose the top teams above them. Unfortunately though, this sets them back further, now being 2 wins away from the 4th place holder, SKT1.
On the topic of close games, CJ Entus tried to cause a stir as well, going 2-4 against Woongjin Stars in a series that was much closer than one might think, looking at the score. With Woongjin’s full armada coming out to defend their 1st place standing, it was initially looking grim for CJ, as Bong started the match with a failed all-in. However, though ZerO defended it, there were moments where the second string Woongjin Zerg looked determined to throw the game away, engaging in terrible positions and almost allowing Bong to come back into the game. It was all for naught though, as ZerO crashed through the Protoss’ forces and took the game.
The rest of the series played out as one might expect, with the better player winning the game. While EffOrt and SonGDuri tried their best to win their games, sOs and Light both played solidly and neither player could find an opening and though they were decent macro games, it was simply a matter of time before both players moved out and crushed the Zerg army. With only six more games to go and CJ at a four game deficit from the playoff spot, they are rapidly running out of time. Without consistent performances from at least four players, CJ cannot hope to make the playoffs in the state they are in.
Leapfrog
While the bottom four teams are squirming and trying to worm their way into the top four, the top four teams are duking it out and battling for a prime spot in the playoffs. STX vs SKT1 was that exact match this week, with STX taking it 4-2. In the preview we had said that STX Soul vs SK Telecom T1 would be one of the most important matches this round and while we may not see the full repercussions of this match till we near the end of this round, it is already evident by the updated standings what STX Soul achieved with that win.Starting the round off, both teams were tied 19-16, with SKT1 leading in map score. Now, STX Soul is but one win away from tying with KT Rolster and a chance to grab an even further placing in the playoff bracket. The match itself was interesting, due to the obvious fact that INnoVation could only contribute a finite amount. So how did STX manage to pull off a win against SKT1? It comes down to three factors: the reliability of Innovation, the evolution of Classic and the blunder of Brown. First and foremost, Innovation’s reliability - having just come off a heartbreaker of a finals, he’s instantly bounced back and has retaken his seat as STX’s anchor. Taking out FanTaSy in an intense TvT, Innovation has proved that even a finals loss won’t faze him when it comes to taking wins for his team.
With the security of starting most matches up 1-0, STX Soul has used their resources elsewhere and as a result boast a huge Protoss roster. Though Dear, Trap and Mini all have their wins here and there, the most interesting Protoss and the one that I feel should receive the most attention is Classic. A player that started the season as Terran evolved into a Protoss player when Heart of the Swarm was released and has only continued to improve and impress. This time was no different. Though he suffered a crushing loss to Rain in the previous round, whereby Classic took an early lead but lost to the SKT1 Protoss while he was transitioning to voidrays, he took that loss and learned the intricacies of PvP so that should the two players ever meet again, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. It definitely showed, as after the two players clashed in the final and pivotal game of the match, Classic brought out a unit out and used it in a way that is rarely seen.
Not only did he use a warp prism to drop flanking zealots and to tank colossus shots, he also didn’t make the same mistake as he did last round. That is, he stayed on the appropriate ground tech and crushed Rain with it. This win not only symbolizes Classic’s total transformation as a Protoss player, but also sealed STX’s win over SKT1.
However, though both Innovation and Classic played an integral role in where STX Soul is today, there is one important factor that could have changed the outcome of the entire match. It was the game between Mini and Brown, whereby Mini attempted to take a free win by proxy gating Brown inside Brown’s main. Brown miraculously scouted it and correctly put down a second gateway before his gas and things were looking fantastic for the ex-SlayerS player. It was written over Mini’s face the second the proxy was scouted - this was over. But Brown panicked. When Mini’s zealots ran toward Brown’s mineral line, he pulled massive amounts of probes and followed Mini all the way back to where Mini’s zealots had squeezed into a choke and were allowed to attack freely. Flustered, Brown put down his core much later than Mini, who was smartly teching as fast as he could. Then, Mini simply warped in stalkers with his much faster warpgate tech and waltzed into Brown’s base.
This singular blunder from Brown changed what would have been a won game for SKT1 to a worrying catch-up game for the team. What was Classic’s amazing closing game against Rain, would have been Classic’s clutch save and the match would have continued on to an ace match whereby we might have seen Innovation clash with Rain. Though it’s easy to say that Innovation would have bested a defeated and demoralized Rain, it’s never as simple as that, especially in Proleague. This mistake from Brown will haunt him for the rest of his days, especially if SKT1 somehow get knocked out of their playoff spot. Everything can be traced back to this one moment, where instead of continuing to micro his probes away to wait for more zealots, he panicked and lost the game.
Games of the Week
by kollin
The best game last week is another PvT, Jangbi vs Flash. While Flash has been noted in the past for strong TvP, Jangbi looked on a next level and took the game without too much trouble. An interesting note is this gives Jangbi the record for 'shortest amount of time to hold the UWC (Unofficial World Champion) title' as he beat Flash, who was the previous holder of the title, before losing to Flash in the ace game and handing the title back over.
JangBi < Whirlwind > Flash - VOD
The game started out with Flash doing a build he has been using a lot in Proleague recently, the reactor reaper expand into hellbat drop. Jangbi had either prepared for this, or assumed it was coming as he opened with a gateway expand into stargate, giving him phoenixes to shut down the impending drop while an oracle so he could dish out economic damage of his own. While the oracle failed to achieve the absolute devastation it could have potentially caused due to lack of energy, it still was far more successful than Flash's hellbats, which achieved virtually nothing.
The disadvantage of going stargate is your robo is vastly delayed, and Jangbi made up for this by getting a templar archives and a robo at the same time. His upgrades were slower than a more standard double forge build would provide, but Flash started his +1 attack eleven minutes into the game, by which point Jangbi was nearing 2/2. Both players secured their thirds, and Jangbi's warp prism harass gave him an even larger economic advantage, which he converted into a colossus archon army. Flash attempted to assault Jangbi's force head on, but had no idea about the two colossus which were out on the field at this point and thus had no vikings in response. His bio hellbat composition fared poorly in the ensuing battle, and Jangbi took a minute to gather his forces before moving in for the killing blow. This game is an excellent example of why preparation is often king in Proleague, and how stargate builds aren't always a bad choice against top Koreans such as Flash.
The game started out with Flash doing a build he has been using a lot in Proleague recently, the reactor reaper expand into hellbat drop. Jangbi had either prepared for this, or assumed it was coming as he opened with a gateway expand into stargate, giving him phoenixes to shut down the impending drop while an oracle so he could dish out economic damage of his own. While the oracle failed to achieve the absolute devastation it could have potentially caused due to lack of energy, it still was far more successful than Flash's hellbats, which achieved virtually nothing.
The disadvantage of going stargate is your robo is vastly delayed, and Jangbi made up for this by getting a templar archives and a robo at the same time. His upgrades were slower than a more standard double forge build would provide, but Flash started his +1 attack eleven minutes into the game, by which point Jangbi was nearing 2/2. Both players secured their thirds, and Jangbi's warp prism harass gave him an even larger economic advantage, which he converted into a colossus archon army. Flash attempted to assault Jangbi's force head on, but had no idea about the two colossus which were out on the field at this point and thus had no vikings in response. His bio hellbat composition fared poorly in the ensuing battle, and Jangbi took a minute to gather his forces before moving in for the killing blow. This game is an excellent example of why preparation is often king in Proleague, and how stargate builds aren't always a bad choice against top Koreans such as Flash.
Week 2 Preview
by Wunder
Thanks to xpaperclip for formatting!
Round 6 Week 2 Matches
June 10
8th Team vs Woongjin Stars
Cure (Speed) < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
TY (BaBy) < Neo Planet S > sOs (sHy)
Terminator (Sang) < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Light
Argo (Jaehoon) < Naro Station SE > free
Check (ALBM) < New Fighting Spirit > Flying
Savage (Ryul2) < Akilon Wastes > ZerO
Ace: Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct
CJ Entus vs EG-TL
Bunny < Korhal Floating Island > JYP
Trust < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Revival
EffOrt < Akilon Wastes > Oz
rare < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Jaedong
herO < Whirlwind LE > TaeJa
Hydra < Naro Station SE > HerO
Ace: Neo Planet S
Cure (Speed) < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
TY (BaBy) < Neo Planet S > sOs (sHy)
Terminator (Sang) < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Light
Argo (Jaehoon) < Naro Station SE > free
Check (ALBM) < New Fighting Spirit > Flying
Savage (Ryul2) < Akilon Wastes > ZerO
Ace: Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct
CJ Entus vs EG-TL
Bunny < Korhal Floating Island > JYP
Trust < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Revival
EffOrt < Akilon Wastes > Oz
rare < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Jaedong
herO < Whirlwind LE > TaeJa
Hydra < Naro Station SE > HerO
Ace: Neo Planet S
June 11
Samsung KHAN vs Team 8
Reality < Korhal Floating Island > TY (BaBy)
Stork < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Terminator (Sang)
JangBi < Akilon Wastes > Argo (Jaehoon)
TurN < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Cure (Speed)
Shine < Whirlwind LE > Savage (Ryul2)
RorO < Naro Station SE > Pigbaby (HS,Haruhi)
Ace: Neo Planet S
Reality < Korhal Floating Island > TY (BaBy)
Stork < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Terminator (Sang)
JangBi < Akilon Wastes > Argo (Jaehoon)
TurN < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Cure (Speed)
Shine < Whirlwind LE > Savage (Ryul2)
RorO < Naro Station SE > Pigbaby (HS,Haruhi)
Ace: Neo Planet S
June 13
SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster
FanTaSy < Neo Planet S > Flash
Sacsri < New Fighting Spirit > Stats (Carno)
Rain < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Puzzle
s2 < Whirlwind LE > Crazy (Crazy-Hydra)
PartinG < Akilon Wastes > Zest (P7GAB,Wooki)
Bisu < Korhal Floating Island > hitmaN
Ace: Naro Station SE
Samsung KHAN vs STX Soul
Shine < New Fighting Spirit > INnoVation (Bogus)
RorO < Naro Station SE > Dear
Reality < Korhal Floating Island > Trap
TurN < Neo Planet S > Classic
Stork < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Mini
JangBi < Whirlwind LE > hyvaa
Ace: Akilon Wastes
FanTaSy < Neo Planet S > Flash
Sacsri < New Fighting Spirit > Stats (Carno)
Rain < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Puzzle
s2 < Whirlwind LE > Crazy (Crazy-Hydra)
PartinG < Akilon Wastes > Zest (P7GAB,Wooki)
Bisu < Korhal Floating Island > hitmaN
Ace: Naro Station SE
Samsung KHAN vs STX Soul
Shine < New Fighting Spirit > INnoVation (Bogus)
RorO < Naro Station SE > Dear
Reality < Korhal Floating Island > Trap
TurN < Neo Planet S > Classic
Stork < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Mini
JangBi < Whirlwind LE > hyvaa
Ace: Akilon Wastes
Samsung's TurN to Shine
One of the two teams that plays twice this week, Samsung KHAN is possibly the only team out of the bottom four that could make a leap to break through and grab a playoff spot. Being only two games behind fourth place SK Telecom T1, Samsung has the potential to tie the score between them and would only be a hop, skip and a jump away from jumping on board the playoff train. They have a real chance too, with one of their matches being up against Team 8, a team that they have beaten for three rounds in a row.
With RorO at the sixth position, Samsung will have to win at least two games before that. However in order to prevent RorO from being a factor, Team 8 has decided to field their best four players in the initial line-up. With TY and Argo getting their best match-ups, Team 8 is betting it all in an attempt to sweep it 4-0, or risk Samsung fighting back hard in a 4-3 victory. The game to watch will be JangBi vs Argo, as the winner of that should determine whether or not Roro will be able to play.
The next match for Samsung is a bit less palatable, going up against STX Soul, a team that just put themselves on the map as their star player just won the World Championship Series Season 1 Finals. With INnoVation riding high after his win, Samsung may find themselves hard pressed to win this match. Due to the fact that Innovation could probably beat anyone on Samsung’s roster right now, Samsung would want to try their best to win without going to an ace match. The game to watch will most likely but Stork vs Mini, with the declining Stork having to play a pivotal role in this match. Going up against one of the lesser Protoss of STX Soul, Stork has the opportunity to rack up a win for his team as well as for himself. WIth Samsung trying their darnedest to pull into the playoffs, Stork will have pull his weight sooner rather than later.
Trust the Bunny
CJ is on the verge of being knocked out of a chance for a playoff spot, and with their loss against Woongjin Stars last week, they are shaking things up this week, throwing out Bbyong, Bong and SonGDuri in favor of the rookies, Bunny and Trust, as well as an oldie, rare. Going up against EG-TL this week, this may be CJ’s best chance to test out the new rookies, although it could be a little too late, with only a handful of matches remaining. With Bunny and Trust both almost making it out of their Up and Down groups, they already have some experience under their belts and some may wonder why they weren’t sent out during the last round.
While rare has been abysmal whenever he’s come out, his matches have been against tough opponents such as Rain or Flash. Unfortunately, rare draws the short straw once again, being pit against EG’s Jaedong, a player renowned for ZvZ both in SC2 and BW. While CJ may think EG-TL is a pushover and a great chance to test drive some new players, EG-TL isn’t giving up without a fight, fielding TaeJa in the place of aLive. Though he lost the two games he played last round, they were against Innovation and Flash, and the games were on a knife’s edge with both having the potential to have gone TaeJa’s way. Going up against herO[jOin], this will be a critical match for both teams as a win for EG-TL could bounce them ahead of Team 8 and one step closer to their 6th place goal, while a win for CJ would continue their dream of becoming back-to-back Proleague champions.
Additional things to notice:
- If EG-TL loses this match, they are mathematically out of the playoffs.
- If EG-TL is going for the sixth place spot, as Coach Park has said, the match against current sixth place CJ Entus will be their most important match this round.
- We have to ask, after CJ Entus' loss last week, are they throwing in the towel or playing their wild card with these rookies?
Match of the Week
SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster
Probably the most important match of the week, this match will either continue SKT1’s slippery slope into decline or have their two game losing streak cauterized by the familiar feeling of beating KT Rolster. Having won their last engagement in Round 5, SKT1 leads the head-to-head score 3-2 this season. And while KT may be in the lead for the overall standings, SKT1 has been a constant thorn in their side. This match could be what helps flip the momentum around for SKT1. Let’s take a look at the important match-ups.
FanTaSy < Neo Planet S > Flash
One of the more important matches, Fantasy vs Flash is a perfect way to kick off this final match in the regular season between SKT1 and KT Rolster. While Fantasy hasn’t been doing as amazing as his KT counterpart, he did manage to qualify for the OSL and has been pulling his weight for his team in Proleague. Going up against Flash this week sets himself up for the 1-2 Punch combo of Innovation/Flash that hit TaeJa last round, a combo that not many Terrans can stand up to and live to tell the tale. The KT Rolster Terran has been on a tear lately, after dropping out of WCS Korea early thanks to the group of death, with a 16-3 record since the group. While Flash encountered a minor hitch in the form of Jangbi last week, he put the Samsung Protoss in his place in the ace match. With wins against Innovation, Taeja and Ty, Flash looks set to add yet another name to his list, and Fantasy will be hard pressed to deny him.
PartinG < Akilon Wastes > Zest
With both players commanding a 75% or greater win rate in PvP for HotS, the match between the two lieutenants will be explosive. With PartinG losing to Lieutenant #2 Stats last round, Zest would no doubt have picked his teammate’s brain about strategies as well as reviewed the game. With Zest grabbing wins over HerO, sOs and free, Zest has been KT Rolster’s PvP specialist and has improved leaps and bounds in Heart of the Swarm, to the point where he has established his position as the second best player on KT Rolster, rather than sharing it with Stats. If both these matches go the way of KT, SKT1 will quickly find themselves backed into a corner and unless their Zerg gambles of s2 and Sacsri pull them through, they will be out of luck.