GSL Code A Recap

After a hectic couple of weeks, Code A came to a close last Friday. A healthy mix of old favorites and new blood qualified for Code S, with more than a few upsets along the way. Old champions like Dear, MC and DongRaeGu crashed out; we might have seen the last of the old Code S stalwart SuperNova, who announced prior to his match that this would be his final season, while one man retirement hype train TaeJa continued his excruciatingly long goodbye. Elsewhere soO finally awoke from his winter slumber, easing his way back into Code S alongside a renewed sense of purpose in Proleague, and a possible new star in Sorry rose to the fore. Let’s take a look back at the major themes of this period.

Format Controversy

It wouldn't be a fresh season of GSL without yet another change to the Code A format. Originally conceived as a standalone tournament that provided Up-and-Down seeds, GSL has treated its little sideshow like a hot potato. Over the years it has mutated into various forms, from round robin group stages to one-shot solo matches, that have never successfully stuck. Currently its present incarnation has drawn much ire from the foreign fanbase, with many pointing out that a 1v1 playoff bracket devalues the concept of earning a spot in Code S. Now more than ever, bracket luck plays a vital role in determining who gets through (Billowy in particular must have cursed his misfortune in drawing Maru). It's telling that out of the 24 matches held this season, only 7 went the full distance.



There were some advantages from changing things up. Bo5 matches partially shifted emphasis onto extended series planning as a crucial component to advancement. It was great to see players come fully prepared to play against only one opponent, and Panic and HerO particularly impressed on this front, overcoming opponents with better track records. In light of this, only one player on a non-KeSPA team managed to defeat a KeSPA player in Code A. Patience played well to win but MarineKing is at one of the lowest points of his career (I've discounted HerO since he lives and trains at the MVP team house as well as plays for them in PL). It's been debated ad nauseum whether KeSPA makes players better or has a monopoly on attracting and retaining the talent. Unfortunately, as Super and DongRaeGu have discovered, it might be both.

Old hands and Young Blood

There are few things more exciting than watch a player break through. We've seen Sorry before in Proleague, with a couple of notable wins this season over BrAvO and Curious, but individual leagues are a completely different story. While TaeJa may be cruising off into the sunset on his retirement tour, he’s still a formidable opponent, especially in the late game. Sorry showed off a great range of games here, from the aggressive 2 base style that's become increasingly definitive in the Terran mirror, as well as more macro oriented games, and it'll be interesting to see if he can emulate his teammate Dream's rise over the next few months.

On the other hand, it’s always nice to see the old guard return for another try. Bomber’s match against Shine was a highlight thematically, if not for actual good Starcraft. Up against the popular Terran, Shine lived up to his image by quickly going up 2-0 against a Bomber who was playing terribly. However, remembering that he’s only meant to play well against good opponents, Shine proceeded to lose the next 3, including one bizarre game on Merry Go Round featuring an almost pure marine composition from Bomber. Meanwhile, FanTaSy continued his resurgence over the past couple of months with a convincing victory over Pigbaby, while Curious was delighted when given the chance to send yet another player to Code B.

Balanced game?

One of the oddities of running the S2SL qualifiers and challenger rounds simultaneously with the GSL is the vastly differing set of results we got. We’re currently in a meta where it’s universally recognised that Terran is in much better shape than during the Blink era a year ago, but with only two Terrans qualifying for S2SL Challenger, we’ve been given a baffling glimpse of the past. Indeed, Maru and Dream are now the only two Terrans left in that competition, and both were seeded through directly after Season 1. On the contrary, for the GSL, it’s a second season of near identical race proportions (9 Terrans, 8 Protoss, 7 Zergs in Code S after qualifying through Code A). We're currently in the most packed Korean Starcraft schedule we've ever seen, and some players may simply have been too burnt out to remain competitive in both competitions. With online qualifiers also a distraction, it's likely that the S2SL results are simply an anomaly. Of course, we’re still yet to see the full effects of the swarm host patch though, so perhaps the Round of 32 will be more revealing.

Recommended games

Games have come thick and fast over the past fortnight, especially on nights when the GSL and S2SL schedules overlapped. To help you catch up, here’s a brief rundown of the games I enjoyed the most (in chronological order). Since GOM has made all of their VODs available on Youtube now, this week is the perfect time to catch up before the leagues start again in earnest.



The first real nailbiter in Code A this season. The first three games displayed less than stellar confidence from both players, and were subsequently decided by a single daring move. Games 4 and 5 proved to be the highlights though—a proxy marauder opening giving way to a tense game on Expedition Lost, while Vaani Research Station gave us the longest match of the series—a position-focused game of marine-tank wars that hearkened back to the glory days of TvT.



This series was particularly notable for the consistently excellent build order choices of Panic, matched up against Trap’s superior skill. It went all the way to a 5th set, as Panic somehow threw away two won games. While there were certainly mistakes made by both sides, Trap’s miracle holds and Panic’s cerebral play here makes the series well worth a watch.



After endless disappointment since his victory at IEM Cologne last year, it seems as if HerO might be back. There’s been a certain crispness in his play that’s been missing every time he’s come out for MVP in Proleague, but he certainly looked on form here. Terminator was one of last season’s surprises—progressing much deeper than expected in both leagues—but HerO here seemed to finally overcome the nerve issues that have plagued him throughout his career. He's always been one of the more cerebral Protosses, and here, all his cards came up trumps as he read Terminator completely from start to finish.



If you told me back in 2013 that one day, I’d be happy to see broodlord-infestor make its return, I’d have laughed in your face. However, Curious made it work here in one of the final series in Code A. All the talk pre Legacy of the Void has been about making the game faster; more intense, as if sheer speed and difficulty of execution is the only thing to enjoy in Starcraft. Curious and BrAvO offered a fitting counterpoint here; a slow, methodical game of position that was utterly engrossing to watch.