Yes, you read that correctly. And I’m not joking around either. STX has always had big aspirations, and this time, they should be no lower than winning the entire league. Remember the STX of the previous season, 2009-2010? They are back with a vengeance, and they are about to shatter the delusions of those who are simply unable to compete. Already I hear the sounds of those mocking the choking tendency of STX, when it actually comes down to it. It is true, STX does not have any major titles, or many individual league wins. But it always had the potential to, and now we challenge fate once more, for the throne is rightfully ours.
STX has something that noone else does - it is a team like no other, and this is obviously because they have a lineup like no other. When they win, they win together, when they lose, they do so together, as a team. That’s the STX moto, as recently stated by Shuttle. And in a bo7, these are not empty words. The number of decent players is more important than having a few good players. STX has a team full of both good and decent players, and this is why they are more deserving to win the title.
Protoss:
Victory after Victory.
He's tall as well!
Kal
Kal is probably the best Protoss in the league at the moment. The pretenders have been struck down, and now he could easily be the one to finally usher in this new golden era of Protoss. He gave both Jaedong and Flash a great fight, and shows potential to beat them time and again. For Proleague, such a player is invaluable, and while other jealous teams might accuse him of inconsistency, he doesn’t have as glaring errors in PvZ as Best or a dreadful PvT such as Bisu. And when you train with a PvP expert like Shuttle, you can beat any Protoss. Smugtoss has a reason to be satisfied with himself, and the way things are going, Flash and Jaedong will fall before him eventually.
Shuttle is looking right.at.you.
Shuttle
Shuttle is more matchup orientated, but in 2010, a PvP sniper is invaluable. Furthermore - it’s not like he’s bad at the other matchups! You’ll see a lot more of Shuttle this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if he advanced in the individual leagues as well. May god have mercy on Shuttle’s opponents, because Shuttle surely won’t.
Insert a meme that is not funny anymore here.
Trap
Trap is the ultimate proof of the willingness of STX to invest into the future. Sure, he hasn’t been too succesful, but look at his only game in this season and tell me the kid doesn’t have promise. To make things even better, his opponent was M18M, a very good PvP-er out of the Samsung stock, and he was on the backfoot for a lot of the game. STX’s Protoss lineup looks great.
Terran:
The Pride of War.
Words aren't necessary.
Bogus, FrOzean and Classic
STX’s Terran line has had a lot of difficulty over the years, but they form a strong backbone now. With Classic on the team and players like FrOzean and Bogus to pad out the lineup, STX has a lot of Terran playstyles at it’s disposal.
It’s true, none of them are spectacular, but STX is no longer defenseless against Terrans. The last time SKT underestimated STX, Bogus gave Fantasy a well-deserved beating, and Classic is at least solid in every matchup, well showcased by his performance in the individual leagues. FrOzean is arguably the most shaky of the bunch, but he has shown vast improvement compared to the previous season, and with his qualification into the individual leagues, the future looks even more hopeful.
Having 3 so-so Terrans is a lot better than what Stars or SKT have now, and if one should slump, the others (or Last, who can be played to even further deepen the lineup) will pick up so that the weak player has time to recover. If Fantasy, Flash or Really( who already does slump) play badly for a few weeks, their teams strategic arsenal is drastically reduced. These teams have dug their own grave, and STX SouL will waste little time mourning.
Zerg:
Overcome all.
With the possible exception of Woongjin Stars, STX has the most varied Zerg line of all the teams: Calm, hero, Modesty, hyvaa and yCh[z-zOne].
Calm is even cuter than flamewheel. :3 But he is as deadly as they come.
Calm
Brain Zerg is about to come back, and his demolishings of Tyson and the Wildcard victory in the OSL are but testaments to his re-ascendance. This is not something new! If we look at the history of STX July was basically considered history before joining STX, and he won an OSL after that. Calm will follow in his footsteps, and lead STX to victory, possibly snatching an individual league title on the way. He still excells at smart, strategic play, and if he regains his confidence, there will be no stopping him.
He's all messy from moving at 500 APM.
by.hero
What Calm might be considered to lack, hero has plenty. The 500 APM monster-Zerg is well-known for his aggressive play, and he’s often considered to be the mantle-bearer of the great July himself. By.hero is not afraid of anyone, and he's definitely someone everyone but the S-class looks out for in the Proleague. This Zerg duo compliments itself perfectly, and STX has even more aces up their sleeve.
NeverGG has informed TL that Modesty makes one hell of a hydralisk impression.
Modesty
Modesty needs to redeem himself, but he still has virtues. His ZvZ ELO is monstrously high for a reason - only Jaedong can be expected to micro mutas and zerglings like Modesty has done in the past! The guy sniped Jaedong every once in a while, for Christs sake, and not many other Zergs can boast that feat. If his slump ends, (hopefully his other matchups will improve as well), Stars and JaedongOZ will have lots of trouble.
Last, but not least, we have hyvaa and the less known yCh[z-zOne] (Even his name sounds badass!)
Should any of the above Zergs slump, STX has still 2 to choose from, or add an extra layer of variety to STX’s pool of strategy. While hyvaa is inconsistent and yCh is as wet behind the ears as they come, they have performed better in the individual leagues than Best , and underestimating either of them in Proleague might be any teams fatal mistake. Remember Flash vs. hyvaa on Match Point? Hyvaa has the brains to pull off something incredible every once in a while, and they are not bad compared to other races choices as 6-th players. Knowing the culture of STX, yCh will have a chance to prove himself as well, and woe to his opponents when he does.
Why settle for the merely effeminate when you can have the real deal?
In summary:
Even without any strong Ace player, STX would be a strong contender in this years Proleague, and now that Calm and Kal are finally returning back to form, there is no way any team is stopping us.
This is the team that gives new players and old players chances time and again, instead of relying on the old guard no matter what. This is the team with the biggest variety, yet a strong sense of unity. This is the team that will either live or die together. These are the true qualities of champions. STX will finally triumph in 2011.
Proleague Gold, here we come.
Disclaimer: This is my 1000-th post. It wouldn't have been possible without Carnivorous Sheep. STX fighting!
Edit: You might also want to check out ideas' thread from just half a year ago. I found it to be an awesome read, and hope I can hype STX better in the future.