Table of Contents
Round 4 Week 4 Preview
Lineups
Now you see me
Now you don't
Soul,
STX Soul
Out of the Woodwork
And into the fire
Games of the week
sOs vs Rain
ZerO vs Fantasy
Innovation vs Soulkey
HerO vs RorO
SK Planet Proleague table and results at Liquipedia
Round 4 W4 Preview
By: Wunder
It's the final week of round 4, and it's been a hell of a ride. This week is all about questions, as we try to find out where in the world Taeja went to, as well as how STX Soul went from 7th to 3rd in the span of 4 weeks, and why do teams like to field b-teamers near the end of each round? All this and more in this week's Proleague Preview!
Note that this week, Sunday will be the day with only one match, instead of the usual Tuesday.
Thanks to xpaperclip for formatting!
Round 4 Week 3 Matches
April 27
STX Soul vs CJ Entus
INnoVation (Bogus) < Akilon Wastes > EffOrt
Classic < Naro Station > herO
Dear < Fighting Spirit > Bbyong
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > Bong
Last < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Hydra
Trap < Whirlwind LE > SonGDuri
Ace: Neo Planet S
Woongjin Stars vs SK Telecom T1
ZerO < Korhal Floating Island > FanTaSy
sOs < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Rain
Flying < Naro Station > soO
free < Fighting Spirit > Brown
Soulkey < Whirlwind LE > s2
Light < Neo Planet S > PartinG
Ace: Bel'Shir Vestige LE
INnoVation (Bogus) < Akilon Wastes > EffOrt
Classic < Naro Station > herO
Dear < Fighting Spirit > Bbyong
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > Bong
Last < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Hydra
Trap < Whirlwind LE > SonGDuri
Ace: Neo Planet S
Woongjin Stars vs SK Telecom T1
ZerO < Korhal Floating Island > FanTaSy
sOs < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Rain
Flying < Naro Station > soO
free < Fighting Spirit > Brown
Soulkey < Whirlwind LE > s2
Light < Neo Planet S > PartinG
Ace: Bel'Shir Vestige LE
April 28
Samsung KHAN vs KeSPa Team 8
TurN < Korhal Floating Island > Cure (Speed)
RorO < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > ALBM (check)
Reality < Naro Station > Terminator (Sang)
JangBi < Fighting Spirit > Argo (Jaehoon)
Kop < Whirlwind LE > Savage (Ryul2)
Stork < Neo Planet S > TY (BaBy)
Ace: Bel'Shir Vestige LE
TurN < Korhal Floating Island > Cure (Speed)
RorO < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > ALBM (check)
Reality < Naro Station > Terminator (Sang)
JangBi < Fighting Spirit > Argo (Jaehoon)
Kop < Whirlwind LE > Savage (Ryul2)
Stork < Neo Planet S > TY (BaBy)
Ace: Bel'Shir Vestige LE
April 29
STX Soul vs Woongjin Stars
Dear < Naro Station > Flying
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > BrAvO (hon_sin)
INnoVation (Bogus) < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
Classic < Neo Planet S > ZerO
Trap < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Light
Mini < Akilon Wastes > sOs (sHy)
Ace: Fighting Spirit
CJ Entus vs SK Telecom T1
EffOrt < Whirlwind LE > FanTaSy
rare < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Rain
herO < Neo Planet S > Brown
Hydra < Akilon Wastes > PartinG
Bbyong < Korhal Floating Island > s2
Bong < Fighting Spirit > BeSt
Ace: Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct
Dear < Naro Station > Flying
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > BrAvO (hon_sin)
INnoVation (Bogus) < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
Classic < Neo Planet S > ZerO
Trap < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Light
Mini < Akilon Wastes > sOs (sHy)
Ace: Fighting Spirit
CJ Entus vs SK Telecom T1
EffOrt < Whirlwind LE > FanTaSy
rare < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Rain
herO < Neo Planet S > Brown
Hydra < Akilon Wastes > PartinG
Bbyong < Korhal Floating Island > s2
Bong < Fighting Spirit > BeSt
Ace: Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct
April 30
KT Rolster vs KeSPa Team 8
Crazy < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > TY (BaBy)
Zest (P7GAB,Wooki) < Akilon Wastes > HS (Haruhi)
hitmaN < Korhal Floating Island > Cure (Speed)
Stats (Carno) < Naro Station > Argo (Jaehoon)
Flash < Neo Planet S > Terminator (Sang)
Action < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > TRUE (Alone)
Ace: Whirlwind LE
EG-TL vs Samsung KHAN
Revival < Whirlwind LE > Reality
HerO < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > RorO
Jaedong < Neo Planet S > Stork
JYP < Akilon Wastes > JangBi
aLive < Korhal Floating Island > TurN
Oz < Fighting Spirit > Kop
Ace: Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct
Crazy < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > TY (BaBy)
Zest (P7GAB,Wooki) < Akilon Wastes > HS (Haruhi)
hitmaN < Korhal Floating Island > Cure (Speed)
Stats (Carno) < Naro Station > Argo (Jaehoon)
Flash < Neo Planet S > Terminator (Sang)
Action < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > TRUE (Alone)
Ace: Whirlwind LE
EG-TL vs Samsung KHAN
Revival < Whirlwind LE > Reality
HerO < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > RorO
Jaedong < Neo Planet S > Stork
JYP < Akilon Wastes > JangBi
aLive < Korhal Floating Island > TurN
Oz < Fighting Spirit > Kop
Ace: Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct
Now you see me
Through the weeks, we’ve had multiple features about the return of certain players. Bisu and TaeJa specifically made reappearances in round 4 where they've shown strength and performed well for their respective teams. However, for some reason or another, the coaches have decided not to field them for the last week of the round. Taeja went 2-0 this round, beating out INnoVation and Brown in exciting games. Meanwhile Bisu went 2-2, starting out strong with wins against Action and TurN, but then losing to Classic and ALBM in the later weeks. So as we see, both players did reasonably well and certainly met people’s expectations. So why were they benched?Well, we can take a look at their upcoming schedules for clues. Taeja recently attended the Premier Division group nominations where he was matched up against a gauntlet of players in the form of Shine, sOs and Bomber. Maybe he decided it would be best to take a week or two off from preparing for Proleague matches and instead spend that time prepping some secret builds to get ahead in his group. Or perhaps he wanted to rest his wrists; Taeja had said during the group nominations that his wrists were still hurting him, so the less strain he puts on it before his individual matches, the better he’ll perform for the group later on. Even though EG-TL is in dire need of the Taeja booster shot, it’s reasonable that Liquid and Taeja would prefer to put more weight on individual leagues rather than on a team league where they are already performing poorly.
In the case of Bisu, since he failed to qualify for the Challenger Division this time around, he really doesn’t have much to look forward to other than Proleague. So why did Boxer bench him? Well, as was discussed earlier in the round, SKT T1 added both PartinG and Brown to its roster this round, and combined with Rain, ParalyzE and BeSt, that adds to a total of six Protoss to their potential line-up. So when a Protoss underperforms on that team, he is always under the threat of being replaced. Perhaps Bisu has hit a dry patch. Or perhaps Brown showed some real potential last week; after all, he has effectively replaced Bisu's spot in the lineup this week. Whether or not we will see Bisu return in round 5 remains to be seen, but since it will be under the all-kill format, I speculate that it’s doubtful that Bisu will ever show up unless SKT T1 has specifically prepared him for a snipe.
The Soul of STX
With so much Proleague every week, it’s hard to break away from the successes of SKT1 and domination of Woongjin Stars. But this week, we’re attempting to break the monotony by covering one of the less popular teams, STX Soul. At the start of this round, they were at 7th place, tied with Samsung KHAN with a score of 9-12. Now, at the start of week 4, they’re in 3rd place with a score of 4-1 this round so far. So how did they do it? How did a team with only one star player as their anchor pull it off?If you take a look at their results this round, you’ll notice a strange trend: almost every win was a 4-2. That doesn’t mean a whole lot, but it does mean that INnoVation has never played an ace match this round. That means that they aren’t solely relying on Innovation as an anchor, that they aren’t just barely scraping by, and that this isn’t a mere fluke. Let’s take a step back for a second, and take a quick look at another team, KT Rolster. They too, feature a sole Terran as their ace player, but they exploded into the lead at the start of Proleague, finishing first at the start of the season and getting multiple all-kills in the second round. How did they do it?
The answer, and it’s the same one that STX Soul has, is Protoss players. Zest and Stats helped push KT up while Flash did his thing, and they shouldered the burden even when their ace was faltering. Similarly, STX has no shortage of Protoss players, but it was only after the expansion did these Protoss players truly come into their own. Trap, Dear and the newly converted Classic, all have remarkably good records this round and are pulling their weight, right next to their champion, Innovation. Finishing off the round, STX Soul has the potential to upset Woongjin Stars and finish first in the round's standings, an achievement Stars has held for two rounds in a row. Though he was absent for week 3, Classic is making a reappearance to help bring Soul through the final stretch where they have the chance to make that final leap into stardom.
Coming out of the Woodwork
Something bizarre occurs during the last week of every round of Proleague and we can’t seem to pinpoint the reason. During the final week of Proleague, teams like to give their B-teamers, players who just haven’t had the chance to play, their one-shot at success. It’s bizarre because they usually pick the final week to test drive their players rather than a match-up they feel they could win. There is no advantage in playing a player less likely to win in the final week; you don’t get more or fewer points, so why would teams play weaker players in potentially lose-able matches? In any case, this round is no exception, with up to five teams fielding someone who hasn't appeared in Proleague this round.SKT1 kicks things off with the Zerg s2, who prior to this round, played exceptionally well for his team, going 6-1 in round 3. Maybe he transitioned poorly into Heart of the Swarm and SKT1 decided it was best to wait a few weeks until he regained his composure or maybe they just had too many players to choose from and he had to be benched. Either way, we’ll finally get to see his expansion debut as he is put up against Woongjin’s Soulkey, and CJ’s Bbyong. Speaking of Woongjin, we have the return of BrAvO, who went 3-1 last round, and is making his Heart of the Swarm debut against STX Soul’s hyvaa. With Light performing as well as he has, and Woongjin as stacked as they are, it’s not that surprising that Bravo got benched for this round, as they just simply don’t have room for any more players. They barely fit him in this week as well, with him only playing once in their line-up. Next up we have Revival, who made a small appearance at the start of this round when he lost against sKyHigh. We haven’t seen him since then, but since his qualification to WCS NA, he has been given the opportunity to prove himself, this time against another Terran in the form of Reality.
Finally rounding things off, we have Kop from Samsung and HS from T8 making their debut this round, with HS’ debut being his Proleague debut as well. Not much is known about these players, and with HS playing Zest and Kop playing Savage and Oz, it will be a proving ground for these players as their welcome to Proleague is essentially a baptism by fire. Whether or not these players will come out unscathed remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure, if they perform well, you might be able to see more of them in the following rounds.
Games of the Week
by monk and Wunder
Strangely enough, the most anticipated match of the week is a PvP. This match pits two of the strongest, if not THE strongest, Protoss in the world against each other. With a dominating record in Hybrid Proleague and an OSL title to his name, Rain has been the king of KeSPa Protoss ever since KeSPa switched to StarCraft II. Meanwhile, sOs has been more under the radar, but his recent advancement to the GSL Ro16 as well as his tournament win in the 2013 Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games Korean Qualifier are sure to turn heads. Most notably in this not much publicized qualifier, sOs overtook a who's who of top Korean progamers: RorO, Creator, EffOrt, INnoVation, and finally, Life.
To get another perspective of how incredible these two players are, Rain and sOs currently hold the two best records in all of Proleague. Rain is currently standing at 22-10 while sOs barely trails behind him at 21-10. Whoever wins this match will step one step closer to the most wins award in Proleague, killing two birds with one stone by earning another win and at the same time, taking the competition down a peg.
The last time these two titans clashed resulted in perhaps the best WoL PvP of 2013. In a period where PvP was often labeled as mundane or dull, sOs and Rain were somehow able to turn the game into a tense and nail-biting spectacle. Who knows what they'll be able to do with PvP in HotS?
Our next game of the week comes to us in the form of a TvZ, with what are arguably ‘third string’ players for their respective teams. While ZerO is a great player, he is usually overshadowed by his Zerg compatriot, Soulkey, as well as the Protoss ace, sOs. Similarly, Fantasy has been relegated to simply standing in the shadow of both Rain and PartinG, and while both of these players have been performing well in Proleague, they haven’t garnered the same attention and recognition as the players mentioned above. So, in this battle for third place, both ZerO and Fantasy will be vying for the recognition of their team and the fans.
Now that our starter course of TvZ has whet your appetite, served up hot for you is the main course - a great match-up between Innovation and Soulkey. Both players are Code S level players and are still both in the Premier Division of WCS Korea, so this match is set to be explosive from the start. Prior to this, Soulkey has grabbed wins over players like Flash and Cure, while Innovation has beaten players like True and Action. With Soulkey preparing for his match against Yoda in Code S, and Innovation having to prep for the possibility of facing Life in his group, the outcome of this match should give a good indication of how each players handles a high level TvZ.
Closing out the round, we have a PvZ featuring EG-TL’s HerO against Samsung KHAN’s RorO. With RorO coming off a first place finish in his Code S group, he will no doubt be ready and waiting to receive anything HerO throws at him. Meanwhile, HerO lost both his PvZ encounters this round against Soulkey and True. Though RorO has the upper hand, HerO is no slouch in preparation and can still be a force to be reckoned with. This match will be a key victory for both teams as a win for Samsung would shoot them past STX Soul into 3rd place. Meanwhile, a win for EG-TL gets them one step closer back into the competition.