Table of Contents
EG-TL, Team 8, and CJ eliminated
Results from Week 2
Round 6 Week 3 Preview
Flash vs. Innovation (?)
SK Planet Proleague table and results at Liquipedia
Must See TV
Here, watch this game. It's really imperative you do so before we continue this write-up.
I mean seriously, WATCH THIS GAME.
Now that your life has been enriched and you are a better human being for having watched that game, we can go forward.
Round 6 Week 2 Results
June 10
8th Team vs Woongjin Stars
Cure <Whirlwind> Soulkey
TY <Neo Planet S> sOs
Terminator <Bel'Shir Vestige> Light
Argo <Naro Station> free
check <New Fighting Spirit> Flying
Savage <Akilon Wastes> ZerO
Team 8 wins 4-0!
CJ Entus vs EG-TL
Bunny <Korhal Floating Island> JYP
Trust <Bel'Shir Vestige> Revival
EffOrt <Akilon Wastes> Oz
rare <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Jaedong
herO <Whirlwind> TaeJa
Hydra <Naro Station> HerO
Ace: Hydra <Neo Planet S> Jaedong
EG-TL wins 4-3
Cure <Whirlwind> Soulkey
TY <Neo Planet S> sOs
Terminator <Bel'Shir Vestige> Light
Argo <Naro Station> free
Team 8 wins 4-0!
CJ Entus vs EG-TL
Bunny <Korhal Floating Island> JYP
Trust <Bel'Shir Vestige> Revival
EffOrt <Akilon Wastes> Oz
rare <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Jaedong
herO <Whirlwind> TaeJa
Hydra <Naro Station> HerO
Ace: Hydra <Neo Planet S> Jaedong
EG-TL wins 4-3
June 11
Samsung KHAN vs Team 8
Reality <Korhal Floating Island> TY
Stork <Bel'Shir Vestige> Terminator
JangBi <Akilon Wastes> Argo
TurN <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Cure
Shine <Whirlwind> Savage
RorO <Naro Station> Pigbaby
Team 8 wins 4-2!
June 13
SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster
FanTaSy <Neo Planet S> Flash
Sacsri <New Fighting Spirit> Stats
Rain <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Puzzle
s2 <Whirlwind> Crazy
PartinG <Akilon Wastes> Zest
Bisu <Korhal Floating Island> hitmaN
SKT wins 4-1!
Samsung KHAN vs STX Soul
Shine <New Fighting Spirit> INnoVation
RorO <Naro Station> Dear
Reality <Korhal Floating Island> Trap
TurN <Neo Planet S> Classic
Stork <Bel'Shir Vestige> Mini
JangBi <Whirlwind> hyvaa
Samsung KHAN wins 4-2!
FanTaSy <Neo Planet S> Flash
Sacsri <New Fighting Spirit> Stats
Rain <Newkirk Redevelopment Precint> Puzzle
s2 <Whirlwind> Crazy
PartinG <Akilon Wastes> Zest
SKT wins 4-1!
Samsung KHAN vs STX Soul
Shine <New Fighting Spirit> INnoVation
RorO <Naro Station> Dear
Reality <Korhal Floating Island> Trap
TurN <Neo Planet S> Classic
Stork <Bel'Shir Vestige> Mini
JangBi <Whirlwind> hyvaa
Samsung KHAN wins 4-2!
Down for the Count
EG-TL officially out of the running for the playoffs: Finally, EG-TL is done for good. Or as some would say, our long national nightmare is over. No more hanging on to tiny, insignificant slivers of hope; with SK Telecom T1 taking the win over KT Rolster on Thursday it is now impossible for EG-TL to reach that coveted 4th place spot. Perhaps if Coach Park was with them from the start they would have come closer, but that's just one more 'what if' in a season that's been a long list of 'what if's.'
KeSPA 8th team and CJ Entus eliminated: The 8th team actually managed to win TWO 4 - 0 victories last week, but somehow found themselves getting eliminated nonetheless. Like the other bottom ranking teams, their only hope was a very specific sequence of colossal failures from the teams at the top, something akin to Papa John's hoping McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, KFC, and Pizza Hut all suffered simultaneous puppy-meat contamination scandals so they can become the #1 fast food chain in the world. Those hopes were dashed as as soon as SKT and Samsung won a match.
Woongjin Stars confirmed for at least a 3rd place finish: At least someone had some good news, as Woongjin confirmed at worst a third place finish even in defeat, thanks to Team Eight's two win week. Considering that the difference between 3rd and 4th is basically zero come the playoffs (3rd vs. 4th -> winner plays 2nd), it shouldn't really matter too much to WJS, but it does guarantee a slightly larger regular season prize money payout.
Games of the Week
This week there will be no games of the week, just a .gif of the game you should have watched when we told you to.Now that you are convinced, here is the link to the game again.
Flash vs. Fantasy, Neo Planet S
Week 3 Preview
by Wunder
Thanks to xpaperclip for formatting!
June 16
Team 8 vs CJ Entus
Terminator (Sang) < Naro Station SE > herO
Savage (Ryul2) < Akilon Wastes > Bunny
Argo (Jaehoon) < New Fighting Spirit > EffOrt
TY (BaBy) < Korhal Floating Island > Trust
Cure (Speed) < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > rare
TRUE (Alone) < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Hydra
Ace: Whirlwind LE
Woongjin Stars vs EG-TL
Light < Neo Planet S > Oz
free < New Fighting Spirit > JYP
sOs < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Zenio
ZerO < Whirlwind LE > Revival
Soulkey < Akilon Wastes > HerO
Flying < Korhal Floating Island > aLive
Ace: Naro Station SE
Terminator (Sang) < Naro Station SE > herO
Savage (Ryul2) < Akilon Wastes > Bunny
Argo (Jaehoon) < New Fighting Spirit > EffOrt
TY (BaBy) < Korhal Floating Island > Trust
Cure (Speed) < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > rare
TRUE (Alone) < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Hydra
Ace: Whirlwind LE
Woongjin Stars vs EG-TL
Light < Neo Planet S > Oz
free < New Fighting Spirit > JYP
sOs < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Zenio
ZerO < Whirlwind LE > Revival
Soulkey < Akilon Wastes > HerO
Flying < Korhal Floating Island > aLive
Ace: Naro Station SE
June 17
SK Telecom T1 vs Samsung KHAN
PartinG < Naro Station SE > RorO
ParalyzE < Akilon Wastes > TurN
s2 < New Fighting Spirit > Stork
FanTaSy < Korhal Floating Island > Reality
Rain < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Solar
Bisu < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > JangBi
Ace: Whirlwind LE
KT Rolster vs STX Soul
hitmaN < Korhal Floating Island > INnoVation
Flash < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Dear
Puzzle < Akilon Wastes > Classic
Zest < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Trap
Stats < Whirlwind LE > hyvaa
Action < Naro Station SE > Mini
Ace: Neo Planet S
PartinG < Naro Station SE > RorO
ParalyzE < Akilon Wastes > TurN
s2 < New Fighting Spirit > Stork
FanTaSy < Korhal Floating Island > Reality
Rain < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Solar
Bisu < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > JangBi
Ace: Whirlwind LE
KT Rolster vs STX Soul
hitmaN < Korhal Floating Island > INnoVation
Flash < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Dear
Puzzle < Akilon Wastes > Classic
Zest < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Trap
Stats < Whirlwind LE > hyvaa
Action < Naro Station SE > Mini
Ace: Neo Planet S
June 18
EG-TL vs Team 8
Zenio < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Cure (Speed)
HerO < Whirlwind LE > Check (ALBM)
JYP < Naro Station SE > Argo (Jaehoon)
Oz < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Terminator (Sang)
aLive < Korhal Floating Island > TY (BaBy)
Revival < Neo Planet S > Pigbaby (HS,Haruhi)
Ace: New Fighting Spirit
Zenio < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Cure (Speed)
HerO < Whirlwind LE > Check (ALBM)
JYP < Naro Station SE > Argo (Jaehoon)
Oz < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Terminator (Sang)
aLive < Korhal Floating Island > TY (BaBy)
Revival < Neo Planet S > Pigbaby (HS,Haruhi)
Ace: New Fighting Spirit
Proleague keeps trucking on, and as we narrow down the list of teams that can actually be eligible for a playoff spot, each game becomes incredibly important for that team. That being said, not every match this week carries as much weight as others, which is why we’ll be previewing the two most important matches this week: SK Telecom T1 vs Samsung KHAN and KT Rolster vs STX Soul.
Fighting for their survival: Samsung vs. SKT
Samsung KHAN is the only team in the bottom four that has a chance of making it to the playoffs. CJ Entus, Team 8 and EG-TL will continue to play their matches and hope for a decent finish, but none of them have a snowball in hell’s chance of getting to the top four. Samsung has managed to persevere through a terrible start and have shot back up in the rankings with the release of Heart of the Swarm. With one of their most crucial matches on the line, it’s time for Samsung to make their move.
Key Matches:
- PartinG vs RorO: Probably the most important game of the entire match, SKT has managed to pair up one of their strongest Protoss players against Samsung’s star Zerg. PartinG’s PvZ, while fearsome and dangerous in Wings of Liberty, has not yet found its familiar strength in Heart of the Swarm, and with a 1-3 loss to Roro in the consolation matches of WCS Korea, PartinG will be out for a bit of revenge. Roro on the other hand, will have to do everything in his power to stop PartinG’s attacks. Having lost to HS last week, he will have to play a safe and patient style so as to not lose to a simple all-in or proxy, while keeping a close eye on any mistakes PartinG might make. Whoever wins this game, could very easily clinch the match for their team.
- FanTaSy vs Reality: A match that could easily be passed off as a win for Fantasy, the same thing could have been said about the Fantasy vs Flash match just last week - Fantasy had been performing subpar lately and against the monstrous Flash, one could have predicted Flash to take it without much controversy. However, Fantasy won that game, and we’re presented with a similar situation this week. Reality doesn’t have much experience with TvT, with a 2-3 record in HotS, but those matches are extremely telling. He has a 1-1 record against both Ty and Flash, experts in the TvT match up, which should give you an idea of how strong of a player he really is. With Fantasy riding high over his win, he could underestimate the Samsung Terran and that would be all it takes for Samsung to make their fantasy a reality.
A Brewing Rivalry STX vs. KT
While Samsung fights for their tournament life, we are once again presented with the latest rivalry in Starcraft 2. Innovation vs. Flash is turning out to be the next hottest thing and whenever they meet up, fireworks happen. With Innovation taking home the WCS Season 1 Finals trophy and Flash getting a good lead in the most Proleague wins, both players are hoping for a rematch. There isn’t one in the starting games, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in the cards if an ace match presents itself.
Key Matches
- Puzzle vs Classic: While KT has many strong Protoss players, Classic has managed to escape the wrath of Zest and Stats, leaving him with a much more palatable Puzzle. While neither player have had many PvPs under their belt, Classic boasts a 1-1 record over Rain, while Puzzle has not yet taken a game off a korean, losing to HerO at Dreamhack 0-2 as well as the aforementioned Rain last week. Classic should be able to outsmart Puzzle to take the match, though Puzzle might have finally found his footing in Starcraft 2 once again and bring back the Puzzle that terrorized GSTL.
- Flash vs INnoVation: Alright, fine, this isn’t happening for sure, but if it does go to an ace match (and it very well could) then this will definitely be the game to watch. Being the only two Terrans players in the top 10 wins of Proleague, these two players have not only been carrying their own teams, but their race as well. Meeting in Round 5, Flash and Zest squashed STX Soul 4-1, with Flash taking the win over Innovation in a great positional marine tank game. Now, in the final round of regular play, the TvT meta game has shifted from marine tank into a deadly fight of hellbat drops and mech play. With Flash pulling out a crazy 3 base battlecruiser push out against Fantasy, who knows what this game will turn out to be, if it even happens. But if it does, it will be yet another notch in the Flash vs Innovation rivalry, and it will help secure either team’s position in the playoffs greatly.