Entering the round of eight was always meaningful, as it was the cut-off line to receive seeds into the next season of Code S. But this season, there's even more on the line in the quarter-final round. With the new WCS system, the top four players of every region are guaranteed a spot in the season finals, with a chance to go up against 'the best America and Europe have to offer' for a huge prize pool. Quite a tantalizing prospect for someone who clawed his way up to the top eight in Korea, wouldn't you say?
Maps:Red City - Daybreak - DF Atlas - Akilon Wastes - Star Station
The Soul Train
The SKT_PartinG Train has been running ahead at full speed this season. It first flattened Leenock and Last in the Ro32, and then moved onto the Ro16 where it met the obstacles of Life and Flash. While Life stalled PartinG in the first match, the conductor toss eventually crashed through that roadblock in the elimination match, sending Life out of Code S and gaining the temporary upper-hand in the rivalry. Not even being down a base and forty supply to Flash could stop PartinG as he was far too strong on defense, and he gave Flash a lesson in PvT as he sent The Man Called God packing back to Code A as well.
Having defeated both Life and Flash already this tournament, is there anything left for the Soul Train that could? Why yes, as we are entering that portion of the GSL where PartinG has yet to fully assert himself. In his six Code S tournaments, PartinG has made it to the Ro8 three times. Of those three times, twice he was the projected favorite to make it to the finals, coming in with a full head of steam and all the hype behind him. Both times he was violently derailed, first by the injured-ridden Mvp who taught him a harsh lesson about having respect for his elders, and then by his former teammate Curious who served him Ro8 elimination as a parting gift from Startale. All of this goes to show that while Parting has constantly been hailed as one of the world’s strongest Protosses, he has yet to even come close to winning the most prestigious of all StarCraft II honors, a GSL trophy. Having already personally defeated two of his strongest rivals for the finals in Life and Flash, this season seems to be his best chance yet to make that dream into reality.
Unfortunately for Parting, his next opponent is Soulkey. Soulkey is one of the only players on the planet that can legitimately claim that he, too, could have beaten the group of death. For Parting, this match should be very difficult as he has yet to show effective play against the Swarm host, corruptor, viper style of Soulkey. Still, Parting is now the most well-armed PvZ player in the world with larger and stronger arsenal of all-ins than anyone in the world. Here's a short sampling of his move-list: The Soul Train (immortal sentry all-in), Spirit Bomb (mothership rush), Triple Double (2 base 2 immortal 2 colossus all-in), Inca Special (DT rush), and the Huk YOLO (random gateway all-in). Basically, he's a fighting game character that jumped out of the screen. So long as Parting can control the tempo of the series, confuse Soulkey with his crossovers and mix-ups, then he has a good chance to break Soulkey's guard and get one step closer to ascending to Train Godhood.
Soulkey in the Shadows
Ever since his debut, Parting has always grabbed the fan's attention with his incredible in-game skill, and an out of game personality to match it. For Woongjin_Soulkey, nothing but his gameplay and results matter. Unless it relates to his friendly rivalry with fellow Woongjin Stars Zerg ZerO, Soulkey always prefers to let his gameplay do the talking. This has led to a fairly quiet StarCraft II career for Soulkey, at least in terms of the spotlight. Once heralded as the best Zerg player from Kespa and possibly their best Zerg period, Soulkey’s time as #1 was even shorter than the life of team MJ (ask your parents) as Rain, Flash, and Innovation quickly passed him by as the superstars of Kespa. Roro would then pass him by as best Kespa Zerg by winning the final WoL GSL. Even within his own team, sOs' domination of the Proleague has gotten him more attention than Soulkey's solid performances in the GSL.
It must all seem unfair for Soulkey. He does not have the charisma of Parting, the looks of Bisu, the Brood War legacy of Flash, or the GSL pin of Roro. What he does have is three consecutive Ro8 performances in the GSL, a top five record in Proleague, and victories over Flash and INnoVation in spite of their TvZ reputations. So while he doesn't grab the headlines like other players, his in game skill has already done all the talking he needs. He is a top 5 Zerg, a top 5 KESPA player, and as many would argue, a top 5 player in the whole world. While he has gone unnoticed and unsung, he is one of the most dangerous players in this tournament.
He is especially dangerous against Parting. While Parting has played a decent amount of PvZ in HotS, Soukey has barely played any. What is there though is telling. Soulkey likes to open with hydralisks and ling aggression. If he sees weakness, he keeps pushing. If not, he transitions into the new late-game ZvP style focusing on Swarm hosts, corruptors, vipers and some infestors. All of this makes Soulkey well equipped to take PartinG's aggressive, early game focused style.
So for now, Soulkey will wait. He will let Rain and Bisu have his fangirls. He'll let Parting win over fans, let the worshippers of Flash tell the same story over and over again about how Flash will one day will the GSL. Because for Soulkey, all of that is just an illusion, a lie. The only thing that matters to him is victory, the GSL ladder. And one day he will get his fame, he will get his glory and he will do it over the broken bodies of his competitors. For Soulkey, the climb is all that matters.
Overall Predictions
The slight edge should go to Soulkey. While Parting has shown a lot of strength performing all-ins against Zerg and defending against them alike, Soulkey’s macro style should be a good counter to all of that. One key factor could be new 'triple-double' (two base, two immortal, two colossus) all-in, which seems to be the spiritual successor to the original soul train. If Parting realizes that Soulkey prefers hydra based strategies, then he may try to exploit that with any kind of colossus backed all-in. The key to this series will be preparation. Parting must find a weakness in Soulkey and take big risks to win the mind games. Soulkey has to not get caught up in Parting’s ploys and stick to his own style.
Prediction: Soulkey 3 - 2 Parting
sOs vs. Losira
by monk
Maps:Whirlwind - Bel'Shir Vestige LE - DF Atlas - Red City - Daybreak
The Other KeSPA Protoss
Rain, Rain, Rain. In terms of KeSPa Protoss, it's always been about Rain. So much so that one of the best Protoss players in the world seems to have been ignored. No matter how much Woongjin_sOs impresses avid watchers of Proleague, his achievements have always been overshadowed by those of his elder elephant, Rain. But sOs has quietly been massing results beneath our noses and it should no longer surprise us that he is now firmly on his way to being a potential GSL championship.
sOs is perhaps most known for his stellar performances in Proleague. For most of the current season of Proleague, sOs has topped the 'most wins' column. Only recently was he passed by titans such as Flash and Innovation (partly because they are on worse teams, and get to play more ace matches and rack up multi-kills in Winners League), but his current record of 23-12 still tells tales of his consistency. Along with Soulkey, sOs has led Woongjin Stars to a solid first place position in Proleague. Outside of Proleague, sOs has had individual league success as well. He placed first in the not much publicized Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games Qualifier, where he took down a who's who of current top players including RorO, Creator, EffOrt, INnoVation, and Life.
sOs' style of play can easily be compared to that of two other top KeSPA Protosses, Rain and Flying. Rain is the very definition of solid macro play. In contrast, Flying's play appears more haphazard and is often specifically geared towards sniping his opponents. sOs brings his own brand of solid play to the table, but adds his own little tricks to the mix. He exhibits extremely intelligent play, often making great use of hallucinations, warp prisms, and general deception to confuse his opponents. He also shares Flying's penchant for preparing specific builds against specific opponents, which is not a surprise since they're Woongjin teammates.
One of These Things is not Like the Other
When you look at the entire list of competitors currently in the round of 8, LG-IM_LosirA's (aka Kangho) name stands out and not in a good way. The rest of the players are all considered the best of the best, all having proven themselves in various other competitions outside of the GSL. Innovation, RorO, Soulkey, and sOs have consistently been the best KeSPA players both in and outside of Proleague. Parting took the WCS championship last year and proved himself yet again by escaping the group of death. Symbol surprised everyone by looking just as good in HotS, showing rock solid play and effectively breaking the GSL finalist curse. Even Bomber has consistently earned top placements at the end of WoL, especially in foreign tournaments.
Which brings us to LosirA. The last time LosirA placed well in any tournament was in 2011, when he famously lost 0 - 4 to his teammate, Nestea, in the GSL finals. After this heartbreaking loss, LosirA went into a downward spiral, never returning to his former glory. Perhaps this is the reason LosirA changed his name to Kangho at the start of HotS, to signify a new beginning after the disappointment that was the later half of his WoL career.
And though Losira has recently seen a slight resurgence in the past half year, you can't help but speculate that he might still not belong here in the big leagues, the round of 8. After all, LosirA qualified in second place in arguably the weakest group in the round of 16, only beating soO and Gumiho after initially losing to Gumiho in his first match.
The Grim Prognosis
What we can expect from sOs:
A variety of different builds and styles
At least three different types of hallucinations
A sudden tech switch that LosirA doesn't scout on time.
Perhaps a colossi push! Those seem to be popular lately.
What we can expect from LosirA:
Close to 400 APM
Besides that, who knows? LosirA has only played one ZvP game in HotS, where all he had to do was hold a gateway all-in to win. Seeing as there's so many styles in ZvP these days, we have no idea about which ones he'll use. Roach/hydra/corruptor is a good standard, but LosirA has never been one for the standards. Swarm host builds also seem too slow for LosirA's style. Ling/Ultra seems to be the new trend and that's the style he prefers in ZvT, so that seems like a likely choice.
Whatever the strategy, Losira will have a hard time dealing with the KeSPa titan that is sOs. Losira's style may be more unknown and he may have had more experience in a high pressure Bo5 format, but those advantages alone will not be able to catapult him past the heavy favorite in sOs.
Awesome right-up. Kind of agree about Losira being an underdog, but the way I see it, it is a huge accomplishment for him to reach the ro8 and I hope he continues to improve. Soulkey and sOs to advance!
"It first flattened LosirA and ByuN in the Ro32" Wait what? PartinG didn't play either of them in the Ro32 and ByuN isn't even in Code S this season or am I going crazy? He did that last season, this season was Last and Leenock.
On May 14 2013 08:07 Thrillz wrote: "It first flattened LosirA and ByuN in the Ro32" Wait what? PartinG didn't play either of them in the Ro32 and ByuN isn't even in Code S this season or am I going crazy? He did that last season, this season was Last and Leenock.
On May 14 2013 08:07 Thrillz wrote: "It first flattened LosirA and ByuN in the Ro32" Wait what? PartinG didn't play either of them in the Ro32 and ByuN isn't even in Code S this season or am I going crazy? He did that last season, this season was Last and Leenock.
Soulkey vs PartinG gonna be the most exiting and closest match of ro8. RorO, according to recent PL results gonna get his face pummeled by Innovation, sOs vs Losira no comments, Bomber vs Symbol - 2 eSF players, irrelevant.
"Here's a short sampling of his move-list: The Soul Train (immortal sentry all-in), Spirit Bomb (mothership rush), Triple Double (2 base 2 immortal 2 colossus all-in), Inca Special (DT rush), and the Huk YOLO (random gateway all-in). " I could not stopping laughing, especially at the HuK YOLO part :D my only disagreement is PartinG 3-2 Soulkey, maybe even 3-1
I'm new to this site and I was wondering if these games will be live streamed on this site, or at least have replays afterwards when it's over? Thanks!
Feel bad about the way that Gumiho went out in the group. That is the only problem with the dual tournament system. I think the round of 8 with him instead of Losira would have been great.
On May 14 2013 08:30 Lisker_ wrote: I'm new to this site and I was wondering if these games will be live streamed on this site, or at least have replays afterwards when it's over? Thanks!
Losira-sOs is a total mismatch. It's a bantamweight vs an elephant, but no one's gonna stop the fight even after Losira gets KO'd. Losira rode his luck to get here over some pretty soft opposition: prevailing over the very average True twice to get past the first round, and then somehow coming back from 0-3 down in the ro16 to claw his way back into contention, capitalizing on some poor decisions from a tired Gumiho. Now we're about to see what it looks like when a man steps into the ring with an elephant.
Parting-Soulkey should be very close, but I think Soulkey has the edge, being one of the hottest players in HotS so far, winning 9 of his last 10 games, which includes victories over Innovation and Flash, two of the best in the world. I think he might have the best record in Proleague in HotS, with 11 wins and just 2 losses. The deciding factor between these two I feel will be game 5 on star station, which is just a tough map for protoss.
On May 14 2013 10:42 Evil_Sheep wrote: Losira-sOs is a total mismatch. It's a bantamweight vs an elephant, but no one's gonna stop the fight even after Losira gets KO'd. Losira rode his luck to get here over some pretty soft opposition: prevailing over the very average True twice to get past the first round, and then somehow coming back from 0-3 down in the ro16 to claw his way back into contention, capitalizing on some poor decisions from a tired Gumiho. Now we're about to see what it looks like when a man steps into the ring with an elephant.
Parting-Soulkey should be very close, but I think Soulkey has the edge, being one of the hottest players in HotS so far, winning 9 of his last 10 games, which includes victories over Innovation and Flash, two of the best in the world. I think he might have the best record in Proleague in HotS, with 11 wins and just 2 losses. The deciding factor between these two I feel will be game 5 on star station, which is just a tough map for protoss.
sOs + Soulkey advance
A tired Gumiho, yep..way to not give Losira any credit. What if Losira was tired from owning sOo in a very intense ZvZ? He had less rest between the matches after all..
Going to laugh so hard if he wins tonight. We don't really know how his ZvP in HotS is just yet and he does have an abundance of different protoss styles to play against with his IM teammates.
On May 14 2013 10:42 Evil_Sheep wrote: Losira-sOs is a total mismatch. It's a bantamweight vs an elephant, but no one's gonna stop the fight even after Losira gets KO'd. Losira rode his luck to get here over some pretty soft opposition: prevailing over the very average True twice to get past the first round, and then somehow coming back from 0-3 down in the ro16 to claw his way back into contention, capitalizing on some poor decisions from a tired Gumiho. Now we're about to see what it looks like when a man steps into the ring with an elephant.
Parting-Soulkey should be very close, but I think Soulkey has the edge, being one of the hottest players in HotS so far, winning 9 of his last 10 games, which includes victories over Innovation and Flash, two of the best in the world. I think he might have the best record in Proleague in HotS, with 11 wins and just 2 losses. The deciding factor between these two I feel will be game 5 on star station, which is just a tough map for protoss.
sOs + Soulkey advance
A tired Gumiho, yep..way to not give Losira any credit. What if Losira was tired from owning sOo in a very intense ZvZ? He had less rest between the matches after all..
Going to laugh so hard if he wins tonight. We don't really know how his ZvP in HotS is just yet and he does have an abundance of different protoss styles to play against with his IM teammates.
I'm sorry, it's true, I don't give Losira much credit. I have nothing against the guy, but of the final 8, he's the only one who clearly doesn't deserve to be here. I don't know if it was fatigue or nerves, but Gumiho just seemed to be making some poor decisions in his final match with Losira after he had owned him in their earlier match. He certainly copped a lot of criticism from Tastosis for his play in game 1 with his failed scv-pull all-in and the way he split up his army poorly.
sOs is out of Losira's weight class and I think it will show tonight.
On May 14 2013 10:06 Shinespark wrote: I have the hide spoilers option on, but clear as day, on the front page, I see the matchups.
Great job, TL. No, really.
You had ample time to watch the Ro16. You can't expect everyone to hold back the results for a while longer just because you weren't able to watch it for whatever reason.
I'd Really like PartinG to beat Soulkey, but Soulkey looks incredible recently uhm He looks incredible for a long time now ...still I hope PartinG can take this Championship .. Otherwise, I'd LOVE to see a final Soulkey vs INnoVation ...
Also, if sOs & Soulkey win, they have to face each other ... that's the sad story of Woongjin Stars this season in GSL ^^ Prediction : Soulkey 3 - 1 PartinG sOs 3 - 0 LosirA
Finnally, Bisu's going to win the GSL in 3 season. Calling it now ! Prepare yourself guys =D
Parting doesn't get no love? He was written to getting eliminated in the Group of Death last time and he got out! Parting will succeed this year! This match is going to be great regardless! GOGO PARTING!
Sure, Soulkey is a strong player, and perhaps a better long-term strategist than Parting, but I'm not very convinced by the OP's analysis of the matchup. It's very hard to get to a safe position playing against an aggressive protoss with Parting's level of control. Soulkey will have to think on his feet at some point, and that's when we'll see if he's the best zerg in the world or not.
He gives me the same vibe as Flash right now, not quite there yet.
On May 14 2013 08:30 Lisker_ wrote: I'm new to this site and I was wondering if these games will be live streamed on this site, or at least have replays afterwards when it's over? Thanks!
The games will be streamed live on GOMTV.net and will also be available afterwards but only with a subscription.
P.S. I know Soulkey is damn good and I've been scared about this match up for PartinG, but I still say he wins and plays sOs in the semis to ensure a protoss in the final. On the other side I want to see a Bomber vs Innovation semifinal
On May 14 2013 10:06 Shinespark wrote: I have the hide spoilers option on, but clear as day, on the front page, I see the matchups.
Great job, TL. No, really.
How are the match ups a spoiler? Where the players are in the draw is available information in the Ro16, and is definitely shown many times while the Ro16 was played... There is nothing more to be said
On May 14 2013 08:30 Lisker_ wrote: I'm new to this site and I was wondering if these games will be live streamed on this site, or at least have replays afterwards when it's over? Thanks!
The games will be streamed live on GOMTV.net and will also be available afterwards but only with a subscription.
P.S. I know Soulkey is damn good and I've been scared about this match up for PartinG, but I still say he wins and plays sOs in the semis to ensure a protoss in the final. On the other side I want to see a Bomber vs Innovation semifinal
The live stream is 720p free, but the VODs require subscription. Just to make your points clear, no offense;;
Lisker : yes you'll find the stream links here (on the right of your screen you should have a calendar, look for "3h 48m [Code S] RO8 Day 1" (the 3h48 is the time left before event starts, and when it starts the mods put the stream links), or just go to the official GOM TV live page : http://www.gomtv.net/live/index.gom?conid=80088
Soulkey's ZvP is not his particular strength, I'd say PartinG has a very good shot. I also think PartinG's been up to something: he stopped showing up in Proleague.
The first part of this preview it's "a lets bash Flash" article and insinuate that he's overrated...Very cheap! Author seems to forget Flash demolished Soulkey in RO32..Show some god damn respect! You don't need to trash Flash to hype Soulkey and Parting. Just saying..
Soulkey and sOs are the smartest players of their races. They always execute the proper responses given enough information and they never choose a bad engagement. Other players like Life, Flash, and Innovation may have slightly better mechanics overall but nobody "out-strategizes" these two.
Parting is a micro specialist. He can pull off a mean all-in even when it's scouted, so he has a decent shot at beating any zerg. The first match is really a coin-toss. The only way sOs will lose tonight is if he suffers build order losses before he can gather the required information.
On May 14 2013 18:13 p14c wrote: The first part of this preview it's "a lets bash Flash" article and insinuate that he's overrated...Very cheap! Author seems to forget Flash demolished Soulkey in RO32..Show some god damn respect! You don't need to trash Flash to hype Soulkey and Parting. Just saying..
I like how Flash fans always come out of the woodwork to be angry whenever Flash is not described as 'the best'. Flash is currently doing extremely well, but still at a rather inconsistent pace.
On May 14 2013 18:13 p14c wrote: The first part of this preview it's "a lets bash Flash" article and insinuate that he's overrated...Very cheap! Author seems to forget Flash demolished Soulkey in RO32..Show some god damn respect! You don't need to trash Flash to hype Soulkey and Parting. Just saying..
I like how Flash fans always come out of the woodwork to be angry whenever Flash is not described as 'the best'. Flash is currently doing extremely well, but still at a rather inconsistent pace.
He said about Flash his skill is a lie and he will never win a GSL...Let's forget he has most wins in Proleague, he 2-0d Soulkey and Rain in GSL, he has a wining record against Innovation and Roro etc...You people are not Starcraft fans. You people are fanboys. I don't need to bash Soulkey or Rain to support Flash...
On May 14 2013 18:13 p14c wrote: The first part of this preview it's "a lets bash Flash" article and insinuate that he's overrated...Very cheap! Author seems to forget Flash demolished Soulkey in RO32..Show some god damn respect! You don't need to trash Flash to hype Soulkey and Parting. Just saying..
I like how Flash fans always come out of the woodwork to be angry whenever Flash is not described as 'the best'. Flash is currently doing extremely well, but still at a rather inconsistent pace.
He said about Flash his skill is a lie and he will never win a GSL...Let's forget he has most wins in Proleague, he 2-0d Soulkey and Rain in GSL, he has a wining record against Innovation and Roro etc...You people are not Starcraft fans. You people are fanboys. I don't need to bash Soulkey or Rain to support Flash...
i fail to see how that part of the preview was bashing flash?
Because Soulkey played like I don't know what.... Maxing on roach hydra allowing the protoss to get to four bases, never even threathening the third. WTH.
On May 14 2013 10:42 Evil_Sheep wrote: Parting-Soulkey should be very close, but I think Soulkey has the edge [...] The deciding factor between these two I feel will be game 5 on star station, which is just a tough map for protoss.
sOs + Soulkey advance
Damn. It's scary how well I, and everyone else, was able to predict that. It's scary because with these players skill, it shouldn't be that predictable. For all of Parting and SK's skill, and their epic back and forth games, it was almost like they just ended up following a script. Series tied at 2-2, as predicted by everyone, goes to the ace match on star station, Parting knows he can't go 3-base on this map so he has to 2-base all-in, SK knows he can't go 3-base so he double OL scouts at the exact right time to confirm what he already knows, that Parting's going to 2-base all-in, Parting tries to move out, SK initiates a base trade which is impossible for Parting to win, Parting tries to save his base but of course it's impossible, gg.
I, random scrub, knew what was going to happen. Artosis knew what was going to happen. Parting and SK knew what was going to happen. (Tasteless, thankfully, did not know what was going to happen because he predicted an Innovation-Parting finals )
I have to say Star Station is a shit map for an ace match in a PvZ...
Havent seen a Protoss playing as terrible as Parting did.
He lacked basic understanding of the matchup and just played godawful and then managed to win 2 Games trough broodforce and micro. Quite sad that I wasted 2 hours watching those shitty games.
The most awesome thing was in G5, where he pretty much expected mutas lost half his probes didn`t kill a base of Soulkey and then just recalled with his Mothershipcore. I just facepalmed.
On May 14 2013 21:35 straycat wrote: That zealot/void ray strat. Is corruptors really the way to go? Swarm host infestor seems like it could be way better (fill up with hydra). Or?
Woogjin stars Sos !!! The guy is just too good. I would love to see a pvp, him vs rain. But unfortunately that cant happen =(. My predictions for the gsl finals are Sos vs innovation. Probably will go down as one of the best series in starcraft history.
I see ZvZ finals here... both Soulkey and RorO have been tearing up proleague lately. INnoVation has been on a three game losing streak. The two remaining ESF players will have to cheese their way out of RorO/INnoVation if they want a chance.