David vs Goliath. This is the matchup of the guy practically owns the current StarCraft scene with his gaming prowess and his good looks versus a former pro from Samsung Khan who allied himself with a team of amateurs who are trying to breakthrough the mass of former pros currently dominating the scene.

For the first set which took place on PvT heaven, Gladiator, we got a cross position game with Bisu starting at the eleven o'clock position while Sharp started at the five o'clock position. Bisu scouted Sharp on the second attempt and immediately directed his zealots to his main. Sharp opened with everyone's favorite FD and used his vultures and marines to escort the zealots out of his natural and into the kill counter. Going with the standard build, he planted his CC on his natural and feigned a push a few times to keep Bisu on his toes. However, little did Sharp know that Bisu's zeal-first opening was just a smoke-screen for a proxy 2 gate DT he prepared on the side. And since the zeals and the first dragoon did just enough to keep Sharp from pushing out, Bisu was confident. As a prelude, the Ninja Toss ran his dragoon into the natural to clear any mines. The unusual move quickly noted Sharp of the oncoming trouble and laid mines on the path. Then Taek Shin happened and he defused mines and only got hit by one.


On Circuit Breaker, Bisu continued doing his zeal first, perhaps as a sort of mindgame on the less experienced Sharp. As soon the scouting probe confirmed no one was at five, the zealot from the forward gate at eleven walked to seven o'clock where Sharp can be found. Sharp found initial success against the pressure but Bisu's micro still allowed him to take a couple of marines. Even if the zeal pressure wasn't a mindgame, memory of the first game caused Sharp to scout early at the sides for any proxy. This time though, Bisu played straight up macro game. Sharp went along with the standard 3 bases off of 2 factories into securing a quick fourth base for the gas. For Bisu, his objective was simply to take the bases towards the top left while teching to arbiters. The real action started when Bisu took all of his forces and attacked Sharp's moderately fortified fourth base as six. This is where Bisu unleashed a new beastly tactic designed to scare Terrans into submission




With all the explosions that signified the incredible loss of life or supply (depends on how you see your units) on Sharp's side, blood was on the water and Bisu quickly pounced and landed a recall on Sharp's main. The recall was devastating as Sharp had no sufficient units to deal with them and a quick scan on the right platform leading to his six o'clock expansion revealed a stream protoss units. Sharp knew it was over and promptly GG'd.

On the map everyone loves to play in, Bisu spawned at the bottom left location while Sharp spawned directly vertical from him. Sharp was now down 2-0 and it would be a miracle for him to take three straight games off of Bisu but here is where he showed heart. I don't know if this was prepared before the game or was a complete improvisation but he went with Bisu's idea in the first game. Initially, Bisu went for the same zeal pressure opening he did in the previous games. Marines and zealots proceeded to dance around while Bisu plants an expo. The zealots fell back as factory units were going to be out soon and started looking around. Perhaps Bisu realized the scouting SCV hasn't returned to the terran base that he decided to look around. However it was too late when the real alert came in with two tanks coming out of the natural. Before Bisu can return, vultures got inside Bisu's unguarded base and laid mines that setup a sandwich with the tanks making up the other side.


It seems to me Sharp's motto is if it works don't fix it. Sharp spawned at the top left position on Match Point and quickly went about a really long scouting route to sniff out any proxy Bisu may be planning. The SCV finally stopped behind the min only mineral line where it planted not one but two factories. Bisu opened 12 nexus with 2 gates before core. The Bisu probe was denied by two marines standing guard over the natural entrance. It was only when a zealot took over did Bisu see that Sharp's barracks was not lit and he was still on 1 base. Bisu quickly became suspicious for dropship play so he spread his goons around the perimeter of his main. However, Bisu's suspicions were proven wrong when his curious probe discovered what was truly going on.


Sharp's proxy was exposed but it was too late for anymore preparation Bisu had to make do with four dragoons again as was the case last game.


What was supposed to be Sharp stamping his ticket back to Gladiator ended up being a rout of his 2 factory push. Bisu was left with 2 dragoons but was otherwise unscathed. Sharp's gamble didn't work the second time around and it left him no other choice but to declare GG.

In the end, as everyone expected, this match was a mere formality as Bisu advanced 3-1 to the finals.


We all know the background for these two. Both players have been in a finals series with the Ultimate Weapon but only one walked away with hardware and an unforgettable victory (hint it's the guy who doesn't wear glasses.) This series however had the atmosphere of uncertainty. In the post-KeSPA world, ZerO is the concensus better performer especially in ZvZ but he's also a famed choke artist. EffOrt on the other hand is relatively unproven and has a weak ZvZ matchup.

The matched kicked off on Circuit Breaker. ZerO appeared in the eleven o'clock position while directly below him was EffOrt. ZerO went for a 12 hatch opening while EffOrt opened with 12 pool gas. Both players scouted in the right direction. EffOrt took a quick natural expo afterwards, then both started getting lair. Because of the ZvZ 12 hatch> 12 pool rule of thumb, ZerO had the advantage of being able to rush out lings earlier than EffOrt as both rushed to get mutas. He quickly took map control and contained EffOrt inside his natural. Then ZerO morphed a sunken.


Then ZerO noticed he didn't even need the sunken and just straight up attacked and smashed any resistance in the natural expo. As is common in ZvZ, it was all over just like that. EffOrt skimped too much on lings and ZerO made him pay the price.

As everyone hoped the offensive sunken was a sign of things to come, the series resumed on Gladiator. EffOrt spawned at one o'clock and got the lucky scout on ZerO who started at eleven. The Alien Zerg opened with gas first aiming for a quick lair on one base while Queen Myung Woon opened with overpool then proceeded to take his natural. This time, EffOrt took command with superior ling numbers and ran to ZerO's natural. ZerO did a pincer but EffOrt was somehow able to get some lings inside and keep ZerO occupied. When ling numbers dwindled, ZerO rushed to EffOrt's main where he went up against a well-placed sunken and good micro. ZerO suicided all of his lings in the vain hope that EffOrt would delay sending his mutas over.

ZerO didn't pin all of his hopes on the lings though. He was able to put up some spore colonies that protected his mineral lines. Due to the effective deterrent, the mutas and some commando zerglings went after anything else that was outside the spores' range; including two pools, an evo chamber and an extractor. 400 precious minerals were gone from ZerO's coffers and caused a great deal of difficulty in defending the streams of speedlings from EffOrt.


Fighting Spirit was the site of the third set. ZerO spawned with brown at eleven while EffOrt got blue and started at seven. By virtue of the standard ovie scouting in FS, EffOrt scouted ZerO first. EffOrt, perhaps due to the success in the previous game took his gas first for a quick lair while ZerO 12 hatch'd. Knowing he had the advantage in tech, EffOrt camped above his ramp, waiting for mutas to pop out. Except what popped out weren't mutas, they were zerglings, a whole control group of them.


The blob of lings rushed to see ZerO planting a rushed sim city. Despite the apparent lack of defenses, ZerO's micro prevailed and that saved him from the immediate death by lings. EffOrt's early mutas gave him control of the skies but Windows 7 plagued him as wasted several mutas to scourges. The strength of the ex-Woongjin Zerg's spore and sunken defenses eventually gave way to stalemate, which gave him the opportunity to deal with mutas in another way -hive tech. He got a couple of queens to help with harassing the third. And that was the problem, I think ZerO panicked here because he didn't have the firepower to take advantage of ensnare, he could have used them defensively instead. But alas, ZerO forced the issue and got both of his queens sniped without any tactical returns. By the time devourers entered the field, they were greatly outnumbered and couldn't have turned the tide. EffOrt takes the game and went up 2-1.


Match Point. ZerO is now down 2-1 thanks partly due to nerves. He appeared at the bottom left spawn point. EffOrt appeared at the other side and opened gas first. Likewise, Zero stuck with the same opening from the previous game -12 hatch that got canceled by EffOrt's lings. ZerO managed to deter any significant harassment with a single sunken and some lings and got a spire. But he didn't account for what EffOrt will do next.


EffOrt pumped a few more lings and sniped ZerO's spire. It meant that ZerO's muta production would cease for a while. Because of this, ZerO had no other choice but to keep EffOrt in his base with ling runby's. Then there was a quiet phase, with both of them seemingly sizing each other up. When they engaged over ZerO's now built natural, it was a whirlwind of wings, glaives, spores and explosions. It wasn't clear who's ahead until ZerO's muta count was a clear 0. No pun intended.

The enthusiastic ex-MBC commentators shouted geeeegeeeeeeeeeeee and EffOrt booked the ticket to a finals match with the now eyebrowless Bisu. (Thanks partly to him too.)

Kim Taek Yong unsurprisingly makes it to another finals in an offline league outside of the Kongdoo Starz League(where he was eliminated by Mind) and SSL10 (which he did not play in). He has been in every major finals since his debut in SSL9.

Bisu has not played EffOrt in a televised match in 5 years and has never played him in a best of series either in the KeSPA era. This is also the first time Bisu and EffOrt will be facing off against each other in a tournament in the Afreeca era which is quite an interesting thing to note as Bisu and EffOrt often play against each other while streaming in Sponmatch series. There, Bisu usually takes the series by winning in the early to mid game with his first army of zealot/dragoon/HT. With EffOrt's insane win rate against every other protoss out there, what is the revolutionist doing that is so different from the rest of his protoss compatriots?


Scouting is the most integral part of early game PvZ , more so than in any other matchup and it is Bisu's specialty to keep his scouting probe alive longer than any zerg could ever be comfortable with. Being the one to popularize it, Bisu's +1 Sair/Speedlot opening and execution is the bread and butter build in the protoss arsenal. Specifically against the hydra bust openings, the tough +1 3gate speedlot timing will punish the lack of defenses at the Zerg's third.

Bisu is also known for mixing in some cheese as shown by his cannon rushes in the Ro32 against Bale and Kwanro. All in all, in a lot of ways, Bisu is the one who is the usual aggressor in the series compared to EffOrt who likes to secure 4 gases and play defensively before busting out in the late game with ling/hydra/lurker.



Map Analysis:
Circuit Breaker (Set 1 & 5)
Results say a lot in favour of Zerg for this map, 123-75(62.1%). Understandable since it is not easy for the protoss to take hold of the mineral only expand and it will be extremely difficult to hold it especially against someone like EffOrt who will run by a group of lings when given the chance. Without this base, taking the third gas at the 6 or 12 o'clock base is much harder to hold. I expect bisu to stay on 2 bases and focus on getting a force of zealots out on the map to put pressure on the Zerg's bases while securing his own expansions. The pace of the game would depend on the success of the initial zealot force on the map.

Gladiator (Set 2)
The last OGN made map. Since it is a map with low ground mains, I fully expect Bisu to go for shuttle harass plays and as such Bisu, he has to be able to keep a corsair fleet alive for as long as possible. His ground army will face tough times on the map in terms of mobility once EffOrt gets lurker tech up and takes control of the ridges with them. This also means that dragoon heavy compositions are the way to go. Taking a third will also pose a problem since the mineral only is extremely exposed between two ridges and the distance between the natural and the third gas base is quite far.

Fighting Spirit (Set 3)
The epitome of balance! Of the 400 Afreecan era tournament games on the map, the scores are 201-199 (50.2%) in favour of protoss. FS is a standard map with an easy to take third base for protoss on the high ground and narrow ramps help with defence. Knowing Bisu, if the score is either in his favour or tied, he is likely to go for a cannon rush like he did against Kwanro and Bale or a gateway first build and get the aggression advantage over EffOrt who will try to play the standard 4base into hive transition into the late game.

Match Point (Set 4)
Match Point is a map that Bisu would want to play the long game and try to split the map because a split map will always favour the protoss over the zerg. As such, it will be EffOrt who'd want to make the big plays to take control of the map and Bisu to anticipate them. Big plays include doom drops into the extremely large main or ling runbys into the 10/5 3rd gas expansion. It is imperative that Bisu limits EffOrt expansion on the map and keeps a constant hold of his high ground infront of the 3rd gas base. This means that he can move his army very easily between the mineral only, 3rd gas and the 4th gas base at 12/6. If Bisu can expand and split the map comfortably, then he should be able to take the map easily.

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Their first encounter in the tournament is quite possibly the most hyped of the era. It is the finals that most people have been anticipating since SSL11 which EffOrt unfortunately dropped out of. With all the recent drama regarding EffOrt's involvement the eyebrows incident, looks like this is going to be a match that Bisu will not take lightly. Fear the revolution because Bisu is coming!




The Messiah. The Alien Zerg. Hawkeye. Kim Jung Woo will clash with the Revolutionist Bisu in a culminating and hype final. We will give a brief examination of his history and analyze his current form to paint the picture of his victory.


EffOrt’s illustrious career starts off by facing ToSsGirL in the GOM Classic Season 1, where he ended up winning the series, 2-1. He was recognized by CJ Entus and quickly filled the old Zerg ace role left by sAviOr for Proleague matches. With the extra responsibility, EffOrt quickly rose through the charts and became a well known S-class player. While his Proleague performances were respectable, his individual tournament results were lacking. He only made it to the Round of 8 once in the MSL and made the Round of 16 a few times for the OSL. It wasn’t until the Korean Air OSL finals when EffOrt finally managed to break into the winner’s circle and won an intense series against FlaSh. Surprisingly, he retired but returned shortly after to resume his career at CJ Entus. From there, EffOrt returned to stardom but wouldn’t find the same success in the Brood War KeSPA era again. Now, he has been thriving in since his return to Brood War in the post-KeSPA era.


EffOrt has been known for his excellent ZvP. It should be key to note that EffOrt has not dropped a single BoX ZvP series ever. Some might point out that his sample size is too small to make this point, but it is still an impressive feat for the Messiah. His adaptation in series is immaculate and it shows through his results. How else did the Alien Zerg manage to pull off an impossible comeback vs FlaSh when down 0-2 in the finals of the OSL? EffOrt is very difficult to knock down, and it shows through his resiliency when at a disadvantage. Overall, EffOrt’s mental game is one of the strongest and will be a key advantage in his match against Bisu. It’s also crucial to note that Bisu fell apart in the SSL11 finals against hero and got rolled 3-0. The loss still haunts Bisu and the momentum is on EffOrt’s side.


While his mental preparation for series is top-notch, it should not detract from his unfathomable ZvP abilities. Arguably his best matchup, he currently boasts an incredible 18-3 win rate in the post-KeSPA era. Even in the KeSPA era, EffOrt had a well deserved 67.14% vP. EffOrt has shown his near flawless ZvP abilities in recent tournaments, such as the KDS SL2, where he smashed Luna and then proceeded to pick apart GuemChi with his insane multitasking. The same fate fell upon Free when EffOrt 2-0d him in the Round of 16. GuemChi was smashed 3-1 by EffOrt in the Ro8 of the VANT NSL. Watching his games, I was awestruck by his flawless macro all while keeping so much pressure on the Protoss. He attacks from so many different angles using his amazing army control and swoops down and sandwiches the Protoss. Bisu will have no chance in head to head fights where EffOrt will be able to decimate his army and launch his own counter-attack. Not only that, but EffOrt will gladly sacrifice a small army to draw the attention of the Protoss elsewhere while he uses his main force to kill off the Protoss bases. Watching his previous games, we can see EffOrt send a few hydralisks to the Protoss natural while waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. When the Protoss gets out of position, he is able to decimate the undefended third base.

He is also fantastic at enforcing pressure through aggressive usage of zerglings. His attention to aggressive play allows him to expose early and mid game weaknesses that Protoss inherently have. This allows him to abuse cost-efficient units; hydralisks and zerglings. He is able to control his hydralisks against the small forces of the Protoss to create favorable supply gaps and carry it to the win.

Not only does he have the micro, but he also excels at macro and late game management. He favors the 4 base 6 hatch turtle game, where he sends streams of units at every chink in the Protoss armor. If we see EffOrt reach this scary late game, Bisu will not stand a chance. His micro comes in handy for his late game, utilizing seemingly endless amounts of APM. You can see EffOrt microing 3 different frontal assaults, using a small diversion force into the natural while attacking with his army at the third as well as a drop into the main. It will be extremely exciting to watch EffOrt’s peak performance on full display.

Map Analysis:

Circuit Breakers will be played as the pivotal first and final set for this best of 5. The map features a wide open center with standard main, natural, and third layouts. This map hides its imbalance, but has seen an incredible 62.1% win rate for Zerg in ZvP post-KeSPA. Zergs have the option to go for both a closer mineral-only third, or play for the long game and go for their standard 4 base turtle. One might suspect that with mineral only bases, Protoss would be favored. But with so many avenues to attack the exposed bases, Zergs get the upperhand. Wide open centers allow for dynamic army positioning, enabling flanks to occur. Expect EffOrt to take full advantage of this map and earn comfortable wins.


Gladiator features an interesting circular map with ridges that point towards the center. There are a few gas bases on high grounds. This map has seen a pretty equal match-up for ZvP so inherently there is no advantage. Lurkers on the high ground ridges can be neutralized by dragoon heavy compositions. When looking at past matches, Protoss have tended to opt for the 4-6 gate dragoon build to abuse the ridges. Zerg’s primary choice for counter-play revolves around heavy hydra usage backed by hordes of speedlings. Should the game proceed to the mid game, Protoss struggle grabbing a 3rd on this map, as the forward mineral only is exposed to the center. The high ground gas bases, while offering decent protection from the ground, are distant from the Protoss natural and are susceptible to drop play. Overall, we can expect a good game on this map, but EffOrt will be able to end the game quickly should Bisu opt for the wrong build.


Fighting Spirit is the king of balance. In both KeSPA and post-KeSPA, we’ve seen a very even matchup in ZvP. However, since this map features close 3rd bases on high ground with narrow ramps, allowing for easier Protoss play, expect a much more even map for Bisu. This will be Bisu’s map to take here, as I’m sure he will go for shuttle play to sneak DTs into the main bases. With such a standard map, it will be on the players to multitask properly to eke out a win.


Match Point, while having a good win rate for Zerg, is personally one of my most hated maps for Zerg. The third is hard with 2 ramps leading up to it, and the 4th gas is almost impossible to take. The only thing that EffOrt might be able to abuse on this map is the myriad of attack paths to the opponent’s side of the map. He can attempt to spread Bisu’s forces thin with drops and ling runbys, holding important parts of the map with his main army. Otherwise, I think EffOrt will be hard pressed to win this match if it gets to late game.


Ultimately, EffOrt looks incredibly strong moving into this finals. His mental fortitude definitely outclasses Bisu, who fell apart against hero in SSL 11. His ability to utilize every part of the Zerg arsenal is unprecedented. Alongside a reasonable map pool for Zerg, EffOrt looks poised to take home another big championship.

Writers: c3rberUs, FlaShFTW, BLinD-RawR, amazingxkcd, BigFan
Graphics: v1
Editors: BigFan, 2pac
Photo Credits: Liquipedia and DailyEsports