SSL Ro16 Day 2

Yup. Just when we thought we were confused about the format of SSL, they decide that, yeah sure let's change it again. On the one hand, it's weird. On the other hand, potentially more INnoVation or soO (and whoever else ends up being bopped to the lower bracket). There's a little less pressure now knowing there's a small second chance for the losers, and it does give us more games. So this is probably a good thing. Assuming they don't change it again.



Stats (in Legacy of the Void vs other Koreans)
Soulkey vZ 31-15 (67%) in maps 13-3 (81%) in series, overall 81-54 (60%) in maps 33-15 (69%) in series
Solar vZ 41-29 (59%) in maps 16-9 (64%) in series, overall 170-91 (65%) in maps 63-23 (73%) in series

Previous matches in Legacy of the Void:
28/12/2015 Olimoleague Winter: Soulkey 3 - 2 Solar
20/12/2015 Olimoleague December: Soulkey 2 - 3 Solar
09/12/2015 Leifeng Cup: Soulkey 2 - 1 Solar

Last week, the full brutality of SPOTV’s decision to go for a Bo3 single elimination bracket for the Round of 16 of SSL became abundantly clear as two fan favourites fell in INnoVation and soO (though they received a reprieve with the format change). It’ll be no different in the following weeks—but zerg fans need to be especially strong this Thursday, as two gems of the race meet each other in battle. Only one will advance to meet either ByuL or Trust in the quarterfinals. It’s Soulkey versus Solar, everyone!

Almost exactly three years ago both of these players’ positions were reversed. Soulkey won the very first GSL championship of Heart of the Swarm, coming back in the grand finals after being behind 0-3 against his arch rival INnoVation, the destroyer of zergs. In the same season Solar failed to make it into Code S, eliminated in Code A. 2013 became Soulkey’s best year, raking in several top finishes and leading his race almost undisputed for most of the time. His Samsung colleague on the other hand was nothing more than a young benchwarmer, failing to make any kind of impact on the scene whatsoever.

In 2014 their fates began to change up. The world, so it seemed, suddenly turned the other direction. While Soulkey’s star slowly sank, Solar’s rose. In Season 2 of 2014 both reached the Round of 8 of Code S, in Season 3 it was only Solar who advanced into the quarterfinals. He also took a second place in an IEM, won MSI and conquered the foreign fans’ hearts with his sympathetic interviews and his excellent English skills. Solar had stolen the show—and he had no intention of giving up the spotlight. While Soulkey fell deeper into a crisis, even leaving KeSPA and ultimately taking a break from competitive play, Solar’s limit seemed to be sky high.

He hasn't managed to win a title in Korea, but overseas the Samsung player continued to take championships. He won the last DreamHack in Heart of the Swarm. And the first one in Legacy of the Void. Convincingly. Solar is cited to be the best player in early Legacy of the Void alongside a few other candidates. He certainly is the most successful, taking home 30.000$ USD from his DreamHack and SHOUTcraft titles—not even counting his mass of online triumphs.

In late 2015 another zerg stepped on the stage however. Soulkey was done with his break, had enjoyed life a bit and tanked some energy. Legacy of the Void was all he had waited for to initiate his comeback. New tools, new opportunities, an even playing field. He was already one of the most successful players in early Heart of the Swarm, so why shouldn’t he try again in Legacy?

Much has changed in the last three years. Solar is the top dog now, Soulkey is the man who seeks to prove himself. He is the man who wants to reclaim what he sees rightfully as his: The rule over the zerg race, the love of the fans and the throne of Korea.

Prediction

Solar didn’t become one of the most feared zergs in Legacy for nothing and the hundreds of hours he spent playing online cups certainly provided him with a great deal of experience. The stats favour Soulkey however, who seems to know how to take wins in ZvZ on a more consistent basis than Solar. The three encounters these two had in Legacy until now were super close and a Best of 3 is as shaky as it gets… so really anyone could take the win here and I expect a very quick and wonky series.

Soulkey 2 - 1 Solar



Legacy of the Void competitive record:
ByuL: 24-12 (4-3 in ZvP)
Trust: 17-13 (7-10 in PvZ)

A few quick months after his dual starleague finals late last year, ByuL is on the brink of going out in the qualifying rounds of both tournaments in Legacy of the Void’s debut season. It’s difficult to reconcile his image as the super-stable powerhouse of Heart of the Swarm with the zerg struggling to adapt to the new expansion, but ByuL’s always been more of a reactive than proactive talent.

His 2015 was a masterclass in refining the builds passed down the generations. Take his dominant anti-bio ZvT for instance, built upon the solid muta ling bane bedrock that’s been played for years now, or various elements of his play that he borrowed off others during the year (the swarm host nexus snipe build he used against herO in the SSL Finals, for instance). In a game where the gameplay was understood, he relied on his rock solid mechanics and tenacity to carry him through the game; now, though, that same innate sense of understanding isn’t quite as noticeable.

He may have reached the semifinals of the GSL Preseason (Week 1), but that was based off a distinctly HotS-esque style—one that was decisively shown up by aLive when the SBENU terran dumped him out of Code A with ease last week. At such an early juncture though, it’s impossible to call whether his slight tweaks from HotS are enough, or if more drastic adjustments in style are required. His results so far have backed up his choices, but it’s notable that of the games streamed, his two lost matches have come against herO and aLive—players who’ve shown a willingness to change things up.

While we can have a reasonable guess at what ByuL might show tonight, we have practically nothing to go on for Trust. The new KT Rolster acquisition has started off well—qualifying for the preliminary stages of both starleagues. Beating both Sacsri and Rogue so far in LotV is a decent achievement (depending on how deep JIn Air’s malaise has spread), while losses to Soulkey and DRG are hardly the most worrying of defeats. Things are possibly on the up for the ex-CJ protoss, but it remains to be seen if he can break out of the hefty shadows cast by Zest and Stats.

Predictions:

With nothing to go on for Trust, I have to favour ByuL here. I still have reservations about his style—he didn’t seem to play well at all against herO’s adept focussed, early harass routine—but for now, against such an inexperienced opponent, you’d have to back him to put it all together in time.

ByuL 2 - 1 Trust