Thursday, Apr 30 10:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) by lichter
While the wild west of PvP has settled down over the years, it remains the mirror with the most number of unpredictable variables. Protoss tech choices have become more forgiving in HotS, but the build order roulette wheel can still hit jackpot as often as it hits bankrupt. This array of choices and paths has led to most elite PvPers developing a style of their own, and each player in Group D belongs in that upper echelon of Aiur.
Unfortunately, talking about PvP can get a little dry. Defenders of the race insist that it's the best mirror, while many still remember the horrors of 2010-2011. All these players have had their individual styles analyzed thoroughly in past previews, and it's about time we took a more creative approach to understanding their play. The tactical nature of Starcraft 2 makes it an interesting analogue to football, and individual playstyles can be compared to different positions.
If there is one underappreciated protoss in Korea, it has to be Stats. Though he has yet to break into a significant grand finals, Stats has been stringing together impressive wins for years now. As a loyal servant of KT, Stats has been doing the dirty work for the team while carrying it on its back when necessary. While he has had a fairly quiet record for KT in Proleague, his all-kill of SKT T1 in the quarterfinals showed that he can be a man for the big occasions.
What makes Stats such a great protoss is his ability to do everything well. While he isn't the best at any one aspect, his average skill at the different facets of the game—defense, positioning, movement, control, trickery—nets out to be above even his illustrious opponents. It can be a thankless task when those around him dance in their stylish ways, but Stats' bullish no-nonsense approach can bulldoze the dandies that stand in his way. He just has to remember not to slip when it counts or overtly put his foot out on someone 45 seconds into the game.
If there is one position that results in moments of brilliance as often as moments of madness, it has to be the ball playing centerback. On the one hand, his powerful runs from deep can launch counterattacks without warning. On the other hand, his aggressiveness can leave him with no last line of defense. When his mind is open and his skills are at their peak, there are few players quite like Dear—unshakable at the back and constantly pressuring his opponents. Yet when he's distracted and overeager, he can run around like a headless chicken, susceptible even to a gust of wind.
Dear's fall from grace is well documented, but his rise back to decency has come with a lot of pessimism. While he has shown some good games on his way back to Code S, he's also floundered and baffled in Proleague. The genius of his double WCS victory in late 2013 seems to have deserted him, and all we're left with is a frustrating but talented player. David Luiz, is that you?
While many players have bragged about their mastery of control, few have really displayed it quite as well as PartinG. Trying to beat him in a game of control is folly, as he's held unscouted 2gates against his own late gateway before (against Stats on Habitation Station). PartinG's false nine can weave his way in and out of trouble with the ball at his feet, and it takes more than just a bumrush tackle to take him out. However, the yoe Flash Wolves protoss isn't just about lavish moves; his quality in other areas—dropping deep to help defend, identifying lanes for darting runs—allows his control to propel him forward.
If PartinG has one weakness in PvP, it's that he has less experience than others in the very-late-game. His energetic approach to the midgame often results in games that end in under 25 minutes, and it's uncertain whether this mode of play is the most effective once both players have maxed out on power units that prioritize positioning and movement over micro. PartinG can dazzle more than anyone in the mirror, but he must ensure he doesn't trip on his own shoe laces.
Make a mistake and herO will pounce on it. Though he doesn't have the brute force of a center forward or the nimbleness of the false nine, herO's fox-in-the-box is excellent at identifying the smallest holes and taking advantage of them. One game that highlights this is Zest vs herO from SHOUTcraft Invitiational Ro4 on Merry Go Round, where herO managed to chop down the wily Zest in a tight PvP. herO is the posterchild for the protoss that lives and dies by his instincts. Sometimes, he is able to take engagements that no other protoss can imagine; sometimes, he's just too lazy to scout and dies to a proxy. Positioning and timing are key attributes for the fox-in-the-box as he relies on his intuition more than his physical attributes.
While players like herO can take wins where others cannot, this type of player is vulnerable to equally clever players. Devious proxies often tackle these single-minded players into the ground, while feints can catch them offside. In order to advance, herO must remain vigilant in his scouting against Dear, patient against Stats' defense, and decisive against PartinG's micro.
Predictions:
The group will last 5 hours, longer than expected for a PvP group
Stats will win the group but no one will notice
Dear will play like a god in his game 1s, then play like a blockhead in the rest of each series
herO will be 2-gated at least twice
PartinG will mis-micro his army in a final battle but recover in time to win anyway
The casters will pretend like they really really like PvP
The LR Thread won't break 40 pages
Even though PvP is all about skill now (hi Oz!), there's still a large amount of unpredictability in the matchup. An entire group of PvP presents the most difficult thing to predict, then. While winrates and form can tell you a lot, the mirror relies on instinct and gut feeling over common sense in many situations. Sometimes you just have to dive left and hope for the best, or aim straight down the middle and pray your opponent doesn't spot the obvious. So, I'm not gonna bother explaining myself and just go with what my intestines tell me.
Not a huge fan of the Tempest change simply because of the impact it left on PvP.
It's no longer really viable to go for Tempests unless you get away with expanding and your opponent fails to scout you, AND they choose not to attack/kill you during your transition.
There used to be more variations in the builds, nowadays it's just always Immortals, Charagelots and Archons, then eventually to Colossus tech. And if we're lucky, a player will sprinkle in a bit of DT/phoenixes into the mix.
On April 30 2015 10:47 MoonyD wrote: Not a huge fan of the Tempest change simply because of the impact it left on PvP.
It's no longer really viable to go for Tempests unless you get away with expanding and your opponent fails to scout you, AND they choose not to attack/kill you during your transition.
There used to be more variations in the builds, nowadays it's just always Immortals, Charagelots and Archons, then eventually to Colossus tech. And if we're lucky, a player will sprinkle in a bit of DT/phoenixes into the mix.
It's still very powerful and we've seen some high profile PvP's still use tempests. It's no longer a direct counter to colossus, but it's one way to force engagements and push your opponent into attacking. It's far less punishing than it was before if you didn't transition to skytoss early enough, but it still makes a big difference if you are proactive with your tempests.
Defenders of the race insist that it's the best mirror,
For the record, I have never, and will never defend PvP kill it with fire, unless it is herO v MC at Blizzcon or one of the other insanely good PvP series that we have seen...not that there are many
Wonder why so much hate on pvp? It's the most fun mirror, constant scout and decision making to produce the right units. One wrong choice of production could be game ending. So much more interesting compared to tvt. I fall asleep on most tvt. Makes MMMM all day everyday.
I love both football and PvP. Needless to say I love the preview.
I think herO has got a good chance honestly! It's not like his PvP is terrible, I would only put it a tier below the absolute best PvPers. In this group I'd only rate Stats over him.
Sooo... Previews use 3SL, LR threads use S2SL and the banner shows "StarCraft 2 Starleague", without mention of SBENU. How about you standardize things? d: thanks And cool preview, although the lack of prediction on the number of games featuring DTs is disappointing.
On April 30 2015 17:10 DarkLordOlli wrote: I love both football and PvP. Needless to say I love the preview.
I think herO has got a good chance honestly! It's not like his PvP is terrible, I would only put it a tier below the absolute best PvPers. In this group I'd only rate Stats over him.
I think his PvP has made strides to the point where I would favor him and Parting out of this group. I wouldn't be really surprised with any result here, though.
Oh it wasn't a pass. He slipped and let the ball go to Ba, just a few days after passionately shouting at his team that their lead in the league "does not slip now". You couldn't have made it up.