[Code A] Ro32 - Day Two Preview / Day One Recap

Results from Live Report Thread by Probe1
+ Show Spoiler [Results] +

Bombing Out
- Former Code S mainstays Bomber, Happy, and Jjakji all fall into the Up-and-Down Matches

In another disappointing GSL campaign for Bomber, the former self-proclaimed best player in the world, who couldn't make it past the second round of Code A. Bomber fought a close series against Gumiho, going into the final set, but it ended up being another loss in a long line of setbacks. Having shown good results in GSTL and at Red Bull Battlegrounds, expectations were that Bomber would pull off three straight victories in Code A and returning to Code S. However, Gumiho played his solid, Code S-level TvT, and got the victory against the favorite in a sorta-not-really upset.

Besides Bomber, Happy and Jjakji, two players who have made it to the semifinals and higher in Code S, both lost in the second round to two players on the rise in Hack and Creator. Jjakji was able to use his aggressive TvP style to take one game off the Prime Protoss, but Creator fought back and took the next two sets for a pass into the final stage of Code A. Happy, well...he got crushed. Hack played better than his teammate Bomber, ran over Happy and is now only one series win away from making his debut in Code S after a long struggle to get there.

OSL? Sorry, this is the GSL
- OSL qualifiers Vampire, Sniper and YuGiOh all fall in the second round of Code A

Qualifying for the OSL is cool, but tonight three players learned that while making OGN's first Starcraft 2 Starleague might be a big accomplishment, it doesn't mean you're unbeatable in Code A. The King of Code A, YuGiOh, was given a rude awakening by the polarizing Heart. For another season, YuGiOh will either have to get out of the Up-and-Down matches, or he will have to continue being the monarch of a land that everyone wants to escape.

Vampire and Sniper, two of MvP's new breakout players, were both coming off good results in the past few weeks and had momentum going into their Code A games. Sniper, having to face Hyun, wasn't prepared enough for the always evolving former Brood War pro. Every tournament you can see the improvement that Hyun is making at Starcraft II, and by the end of the series, Hyun had a 2-0 victory and a date with Genius next week for a Code S spot. Vampire had a better time with Startale's new player Line, but he still couldn't get the second victory and eventually fell in three games to the former Super Tournament quarter-finalist.

JYPvT is OP
- JYP wins his first PvT series in GSL history against friend and teammate Thorzain

JYP did it! Light the fireworks! Break out the champagne! Get the dancing booth girls! After a full year plus of PvT futility, JYP finally got the monkey off his back and claimed his first PvT series victory in the GSL. JYP, known for his awful PvT, for the last year has definitely improved in the match-up and done much better recently, but he still wasn't able to get over the hump and gain that all important series victory over a Terran.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, the player that he eventually beat to end the streak of losses was his teammate and friend Thorzain. The series wasn't a blow out for JYP, but he was able to take it by 2-1 scoreline and finally be able to say that facing a Terran isn't an automatic death. Next up for the new Terran Killer is a match with possibly the most impressive player of the night, Startale's Hack. Hack eliminated JYP's teammate Huk from Code A last season and with a Code S berth on the line, both will give it all they have to make it there.

Premium Only Matches

coL.GanZi << FnaticRC aLive

Following on fOrGG's heels, Ganzi decided to forfeit this match for personal reasons.

While it's been a flaw apparent in the new Code A system since November, it's taken a while for it to really come to the forefront. With Up/Down spots guaranteed just by getting past the first round, and the direct Code S spot not on the line until the Ro24, the Ro32 ends up being a weird in-between round with less stakes. It's not necessarily a fatal flaw in the system, but it does take out some of the excitement when progamers start to show they are willing to drop a Code A round since they know they can look forward to the Up/Down matches anyway.


coL.Killer vs ST_PartinG

A few months ago this would have been almost a joke of a match-up. PartinG was one of the hottest Protoss players in the world, if not the straight out best, while Killer was a player who was struggling to even beat foreigners. However, Killer has made a roaring comeback in July, most prominently a 10 – 2 record in the MCSL playoffs backed by an easy 2 – 0 victory over Tree in the first round of Code A.

PartinG is still pretty good, but he has diminished slightly, dropping out of a Ro32 group of death in Code S to be forced into this match-up. His claim to fame is his PvT, and his other race match-ups aren't really anything special. Throw in the fact that this is PvP – the eternal, cosmic coinflip – and you couldn't even call it an upset if Killer triumped here.

In the end, I've decided to jump aboard the accelerating Killer bandwagon. Though the two seem fairly evenly matched in most criteria, Killer's superior momentum gives him the slight edge.

Prediction: Killer 2 – 1 PartinG


FXOLeenock vs. ST_Life

This match has a lot of similarities to the later Polt vs. Maru match-up. Leenock is the established veteran, having made it to the finals of a Code S, winning a major championship at MLG Providence, and leading his team to the GSTL semifinals. Life is the new Zerg on the block, using his wacky strategies and unpredictable style to troll demolish opponents and make him one of the most talked players of 2012.

Leenock hasn't had the same amount of success since his final run in November, but he is still one of the best Zergs in the world. No, he wasn't able to catch up to DongRaeGu and try to make a claim of being the best Zerg in the world, but he is still there alongside Nestea and Symbol as a player who could argue to be the second best. Leenock was able to exorcise some demons in his last GSTL match, beating Jjakji, the player who defeated him in the Code S November finals, and helped his team make it to the GSTL semifinals for the second season in a row.

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. Will he go for a fast spire and kill you early with mutas? Will he go for a super fast third and maybe even a fourth? Wait, no, he is going to go for a fast nydus!? Oh, no, not that either, he is going to 6 pool and kill you before you can even take a good guess at what strategy he is going for. While his ZvP still needs work, his ZvT and ZvZ can be considered top five in the world and with his wide array of builds that he is never afraid to unleash, Leenock will have to keep on his toes.

Both these players are not afraid to 6 pool, cheese, or try something new. Given that, it is difficult to say who is going to win this series. Their skill is very similar and while Life might statistically be better in ZvZ, it really is going to come down to who can read the player better and guess what type of strategy they will go with first.

Prediction: Life 2 - 1 Leenock


TSL_Polt vs. MaruPrime

Polt, for possibly the first time in almost a year since his Code S semifinal appearance during Code S August, played a pretty flawless series against ZeNex's Startale's Xtreme to get passage into the second round. Xtreme is a good and up-and-coming player, someone who might make it into Code S with a bit more experience, but the next road block for the Super Tournament champion will be a much tougher test. Maru, one of Prime's Terran Trio alongside with MKP and Byun, will face Polt, one of the members of Prime's old Terran Trio that consisted of MKP, Polt and Maka.

If you are talking pure GSL results, Maru has the advantage. Polt, who used to be just as consistent as Nestea and Supernova in Code S, has had a long drought of Code S success. He got a Code S seed last season, fell 1-2 to Parting and 0-2 to Oz, and then had to claw his way back against though Code A before getting beat 2-1 by Ganzi in the second round.For the last two Up-and-Down series Polt has been in, he has come only a game short of qualifying for Code S, and you can see that he just hasn't been in his best condition for his games in Korea.

Maru has been doing incredibly well, qualifying for Code S for two straight seasons and even making a Ro16 appearance in his debut season before losing in the final game of his group stage against Oz. If you are looking at foreign results, Polt has the advantage there. While Maru did go to IPL4 and participated in the Open Bracket, he didn't do well and Polt went on to get a top eight finish. For the entire year of 2012 so far, you could say Polt has been trading GSL results for foreign success. With big money finishes at every live international tournament he has gone to this year, Polt has been able to beat Code S players at foreign tournaments, but not in the GSL booth.

If Polt plays like 2012 GSL Polt, he will more than likely lose 2-0 or 2-1 to Maru. If Polt plays like 2012 Foreign Tournament Polt, then I would give the edge to Polt and say he takes it 2-0 or 2-1. Considering that Polt has said that he is focusing solely on GSL at the moment, stopped streaming, and even declined offers to international tournaments, you would have to say that his only goal for the next few months are making it back to Code S and helping his team win the GSTL.

Prediction: Polt 2 - 1 Maru


Free Matches


Liquid`HerO vs SlayerS_MMA

This is a match where the in-game content will almost certainly be overshadowed by the drama surrounding it. A considerable number of viewers will be more interested in seeing if MMA shows up in his SlayerS jersey, than if he actually wins his match or not.

Drama or not, HerO is the easy pick to win this match. Already known for his weak TvP, MMA has declined so much that he's getting dropped from SlayerS' GSTL starting line-up on top of that. Considering how poorly he performed in the Up/Downs, it's wouldn't be hard to believe if MMA got dropped to the B-team for skill based reasons alone. HerO might be coming off some bad showings at NASL and Code S, but his overall recent form is still way better than MMA's.

Prediction: HerO 2 - 0 MMA



FnaticRC Oz vs LG-IMYoDa

This is the deepest Yoda has been in the GSL in a very long time, and he's qualified for the Up/Down matches even if he loses here. However, you can't deny that he's been a bit lucky to make it this far. The toughest opponent he had to play in the preliminaries was ClassicPrime, a player who has never played in the GSL, while his first round Code A opponent was an antiquated JulyZerg.

Objectively, Oz should be favored by a considerable margin. Even through his rough stretch during the spring months, he was still a lower-tier Code S player at worst. After seeing his rejuvenated run through the OSL preliminaries, one could cautiously predict that he's returning to his old form of being one of the top Protoss players in the world. While YoDa has been a reliable player for LG-IM in team leagues, he hasn't had much success against players at Oz's level.

Yoda risks being exposed in this match against Oz, who is a challenge on a completely different level than what he has faced so far. But at the same time, it could also be Yoda's golden chance to prove that he truly deserves a chance to play for a Code S spot.

Prediction: Oz 2 – 1 YoDa


TSL_Shine vs. ST_Ace

Obviously, since AcE lost to Shy in the GSL Cross Match Showmatch Series Thingy, there is no way he can with this series, right? Because we all know that since AcE lost that series, he is an awful player and that he will never be good again. I am surprised that we haven't shipped Ace off to some deserted island so that we never have to watch him play again after losing to a KeSPA player.

Alright, come on now, people. Yes, Ace lost to Shy in the GSL vs. KeSPA series, but that doesn't mean anything. He still might be a lower level Code S player at best, but he will always be a player that can give the best players a run for their money. His Code S debut wasn't as glorious as he hoped it would be, but he will get a chance at redemption as he first must get through one of TSL's strongest Zergs in Shine.

Shine is on a mission, people. Virus? The player that hung onto the outskirts of GSL for almost two years and would never die? Shine cured the infection and sent him packing to Code B. Now he is facing Ace, another player who the community puts down over and over again for celebrating too much and not being a good enough player compared to his teammates Parting and Squirtle. Almost acting as some sort of Community Grip Reaper, Shine could axe Ace into the Up-and-Down matches and force him to make it through another strenuous group.

When looking at how well Symbol and Hyun have been doing this season, with Hyun in third round of Code A with a 2-0 win over Sniper, and Symbol only a win away from the Code S semifinals, Shine is penciled in as the third of TSL's new Zerg Trio that might be the strongest of any team in the world. With his dominating performance over Virus in the first round, the new Grim Reaper of Players The Community Doesn't Think Deserve Their Code S Spot, is lurking towards Ace and brandishing his scythe.

Prediction: Shine 2 - 0 Ace


SlayerS_Puzzle vs ST_Curious

In some ways, Curious and Puzzle are two sides of the same coin. They're both very consistent and reliable players, based on the fact that they play a solid, textbook style. They're both Code S regulars, but at the same time very far detached from being title contenders. While it's hard to say exacty what it is, both seem to be missing some elusive quality – be it killer instinct, composure under pressure, or just straight up luck (the best players seem to manufacture their own luck).

Curious and Puzzle play both sides of the ZvP match-up very well, and this should be one of the best matches we see in the Ro32. Both players have a bit of trouble playing up to their full potential in Code S, but they're beasts in Code A and the Up/Downs. This is a Code S quality match, if not high Code S.

The two players are evenly matched, but because of the maps, I'm giving Curious the slight edge to win in the end. The first map, Cloud Kingdom is decent enough, but the following Whirlwind and Atlantis Spaceship will be too difficult for Puzzle to overcome.

Prediction: Curious 2 – 1 Puzzle