Gfinity Summer Masters I

by Seeker

This tournament only has 8 players. It has no WCS points on the line. It only has a prize pool of $10,000 so it's not even a premier status tournament. This tournament only features a very minimal number of players who have tasted championships before. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Why exactly should I watch this?" Well, lucky for you, the answer is really simple: It's because this tournament features only players with a BUNCH of hidden talent. We'll go down the list from least established to the most established, and one by one, figure out exactly what each player can bring to the table. The Gfinity Summer Masters I may not be the most prestigious tournament in SC2 right now, but it certainly has the potential to be a tournament to remember.

#8: DeParture


DeParture is a player that has been around since forever. His pro gaming debut was well over 3 years ago and he still continues to play to this day. And yet, if you were to go around the SC2 community and ask people if they knew who he was, I'm pretty sure most people would say "Who?" For a player like DeParture, who has been in the SC2 scene for so many years, why exactly does no one know of his existence? The answer is this: DeParture is a player who is always just shy of making the cut. He participates in all kinds of qualifiers but he can never break through to where all the big boys are at. He is hardly ever featured in televised broadcasts and he has almost never really been sent to overseas events. In summary, he really just doesn't have a lingering presence in the SC2 scene.
That's exactly why it's so exciting to see him finally get a chance to shine. This Gfinity tournament could very well be DeParture's opportunity to create an identity for himself within the SC2 world. He had a chance back in 2014 with the Taiwan Open, but he was sadly eliminated in the Ro16 and once again disappeared into the abyss. But the fact of the matter is, despite not being well known, DeParture is actually a really good player. If you look at MVP's lineups for Proleague 2015, DeParture is sent out pretty often. For a guy who is relatively unknown, the fact that he can continue to get fielded for Proleague means DeParture definitely has what it takes to become a winner. Either that, or it's a Choya thing. Or you know what? Maybe even a combination of both. Also, if you look at the list of players he's beaten: Flash, jjakji, herO, Pigbaby, Leenock, it's pretty darn impressive.
Of course, it's impossible to predict as to whether or not DeParture will be able to perform well during this tournament. We've seen it all before: Players who break under the pressure because they can't handle the fact that they're finally getting their shot under the spotlight, and players who excel like crazy and surprise everyone watching by performing beyond expectations. Will DeParture be capable of pulling off the latter? Only time will tell.

#7: BlinG


It's hard to really determine if BlinG is a well known player or not. He's been around since the early WoL days and the only team he's ever been on is Dignitas, so he definitely has a history within the world of SC2. But the fact of the matter is, except for one offline tournament win back in 2012, BlinG doesn't really have very notable results to his name. He was really well known during the early WoL days and he is still a very much active player. However, he is still unproven for HotS. He definitely falls under the category for "players with potential," but exactly how well he can bring out that potential for this tournament is a rather giant question mark.
Of course, the one thing BlinG definitely has going for him though is that he's super active. By no means is this a player who has been lying dormant and then all of a sudden decided to show up in a tournament. go4sc2 cups, WCS, SC2ITL, IEM, HSC, etc. etc. BlinG continues to participate in whatever he can SC2 wise and is doing his best to stay relevant in a very competitive environment. It's also a very positive note that his overall record for 2015 is 77-50, so he has a higher than 50% win percentage on top of his constant activity. However, a champion is not someone who is just active. A champion is someone who grabs wins left and right. BlinG needs to do just that for this tournament. We will soon find out if he can pull that off or not.

#6: MarineLorD


If you've been watching WCS this year, (if you haven't, I highly recommend that you start doing so) then this player shouldn't be a stranger by any means. So far in 2015, MarineLorD has established three 5 - 8th place finishes in WCS, HSC, and DH. He's already pulled off several upsets before this year by taking down players who were favored to win against him (Jaedong, HyuN, HerO, viOLet). He consistently participates in all kinds of tournaments (offline and online) and has proven himself to be pretty beastly when he's on fire.
If there's one thing however, that's keeping MarineLorD from becoming more established than he already is, is the fact that he has no significant placements in Premier tournaments yet. 5 - 8th is mighty impressive yes, but you don't really receive prestige or notoriety until you at least place into the top 4. MarineLorD hasn't been able to step foot on those stages yet, but perhaps Gfinity may finally be that stepping stone he's been searching for. Again, it won't be a Premier status achievement, but at the very least, how much of a badass do you think he would look like if he stands there with his Gfinity trophy at the very end?

#5: First


For a player who changed his ID to First, he really hasn't grabbed first in anything for a really long time. I'm sure many people are wondering the same thing I'm wondering right now, "What exactly have you been doing ever since your IEM championship win?" First was really relevant to the SC2 scene during 2012-2013, somewhat less in 2014, but almost nonexistent during 2015. Fact of the matter is, it's really hard to decipher where he's at right now skill-wise. So much so that I actually have no idea if he's going to do well this time or not.
None the less, you cannot deny the fact that this man was one of the strongest and prominent protoss players during his time on Incredible Miracle. It was disappointing to see IM disappear the way they did, but fans saw some hope of seeing this guy more often when First announce that he had joined TCM-Gaming. Sadly, his time with TCM-Gaming was a little too short, and not as significant during his time with IM. He also did not impact the SC2 scene as much as people had hoped for. However, First didn't allow himself to disappear into the abyss. He re-joined his former team KT Rolster, and found himself back in Code S during Season 1 of the 2015 GSL. He may not be the most feared player in the SC2 scene right now, but First is the kind of player who has what it takes to bring forth an intimidating aura when need be. Alongside training with players like Flash, Life, Stats, Zest, TY, and many more, for sure First definitely is a scary player that people should watch out for. Perhaps Gfinity will become First's comeback that people have been waiting for?

#4: Bunny


Ahh Bunny... Bunny, Bunny, Bunny... Bunny is quite the confusing player. One minute he's dominating like crazy, the next minute he's getting eliminated before people have even properly found their seats. For well over a year now, Bunny has been going around pretty much everywhere in the SC2 scene and competing furiously to prove himself. Many pro gamers acknowledge Bunny's skills, and yet, I'm sure he himself has to admit that there are blunder moments that never really should have happened. I mean, for a player that has grabbed a 3/4th place finish two seasons in a row for WCS this year already, and for a player who has grabbed a plethora of Major/Minor titles within his career, Bunny should be feared right?
Except, Bunny has no notable championships that allows him to solidify himself within the SC2 scene. It's disappointing really that a player of his caliber cannot seem to get over the hurdle that is the finals. Rest assured however, this Gfinity tournament will be a great chance to prove to all his fans just how good of a player Bunny can truly be. He doesn't have to undergo tons of matches in a short span of time like most of his other tournaments. He only has to look out for 7 other players. In hindsight, Bunny should be in a very good position to place high during this tournament. However, the real questions remaining is, which Bunny is going to show up: Dominating Bunny, or Disappointing Bunny?

#3: Snute


When TL signed Snute, they made this statement: It Jens Makes Sense. Well, I think it Jens makes sense that Snute is here at #3. Snute is a beast and possibly the best foreigner in the world of SC2 right now. He's kind of slowed down recently and has been losing here and there so maybe it's safer to say that he's ONE of the best foreigners... But the dude's a beast, period. Go to Snute's liquipedia page, click on "Achievements" and then look at his results for Major/Minor tournaments. That should be more than enough to show you guys just how capable Snute is at dominating when it comes to this game. He may not be killing Koreans left and right, but at the very least, he can perform up to par with them. If Snute brings his A game, there's just no stopping him.
Winning the Gfinity tournament means Snute can add another 1st place finish into the Major section of his achievements. And of course, also make a statement in the process that could send shivers down any pro gamer's spine. Hopefully Snute won't be in a slumping state when he plays in Gfinity. As long as Snute stays focused, doesn't mess up, and keep trucking forward no matter what, Snute should easily grab a decent placement in this tournament. Hell, Snute could win the championship. Snute's ridiculous 72% win percentage should easily convince the viewers just how good he is at this game, Snute definitely has a shot at winning it all here. Let's just hope he doesn't mess it up in the very beginning though...

#2: TRUE


True or False? TRUE is THE player to watch out for during this tournament. TRUE! Back when this guy was on KeSPA's 8th Team, he felt kind of insignificant and trivial to the SC2 scene. He was good but... Not that good... And then JAGW happened. Thanks to Proleague, TRUE became one of the strongest players in the SC2 scene. The transformation was magical and inspiring. He began performing well in individual leagues as well, and became one of the regulars for JAGW's Proleague roster. At one point, when you thought of JAGW, you thought of Maru, sOs, and TRUE. The big 3. TRUE seemed unstoppable... But then, sad news broke out when TRUE announced that he would not renew his contract with JAGW. All seemed lost... Until Dead Pixels stepped in and said, "You know what? This guy is sick good. We're going to sign him and fly him to all these overseas tournaments so that he can dominate them."
You know what? Money well spent! Although TRUE hasn't actually won any championships yet, he's created a reputation for himself within the SC2 community and has established his own identity. TRUE is a very good player, and no one can refute this. All eyes are going to be on TRUE to see if he can finally win his first championship. The player pool is a really small one this time so TRUE really should be able to pull this off. However, it is important to note that TRUE has been on a rather disappointing losing streak in zvz. If he wants to overcome Snute/DeParture/Jaedong, then TRUE better have practiced a whole bunch of zvz before heading to London. The only thing stopping TRUE from becoming a champion... Is himself...

#1: Jaedong


So here we are. We've finally arrived at our #1 player. And it just so happens that this particular player doesn't really need an introduction. He's already pretty much a legend within the StarCraft world. Lee "Tyrant" Jae Dong (j/k he uses the ID Jaedong) was a force to be reckoned with in his BW days. When you think of BW dominance, you think of Flash, Stork, Bisu, JangBi, FanTaSy, and many more. Well JD was right there at the very top of the top with them and people quivered when they thought about having to go up against this monster.
In SC2, unfortunately, JD hasn't really established an equivalent reputation to his BW one. While it is true that JD placed into the top 4 for MANY premier status tournaments during the 2013-2014 years, the sweet taste of winning a championship was done only once for both years. He pulled it off once during the 2013 ASUS ROG in Germany, and then once in 2014 in China for the World E-sport Championships. Other than, everything else was either a 2nd place finish or 3/4th. It may be mighty impressive for other players, but for a player like JD, it's not enough. The fans wanted more, the SC world wanted more, JD himself wanted more. So then... We should get more of JD right?
Alas... 2015 happened... We're already into the month of August, and JD has had 1, EXACTLY 1, significant premier tournament placing. Other than that, JD hasn't been able to make any kind of impact and he's been feeling MIA for many because his presence in the SC2 world is lacking currently. But perhaps all is not lost. What better way to make a statement of his revival than with a championship victory at Gfinity? If Jaedong is able to once again bring forth the Tyrant mode and proudly show off his check and trophy, then perhaps he'll finally find the stepping stone into relevancy once more, and make people fear the name JD during the year 2015 as well. But of course, as always, it's up to him to make that happen.