Table of Contents
Round 4 Week 4 Review
Spoiler Alert!
Evolution
In with the New
STX's still got Soul
Straight to the top
Games of the week
Innovation vs Effort
Innovation vs Soulkey
SK Planet Proleague table and results at Liquipedia
Round 4 W4 Results
By: Likeapen
The final week of the first round of Heart of the Swarm Proleague is over, and it’s time to reflect on what has come before, and what we have to look forward to. We have Rounds 5 and 6 still to go before the playoffs, but the rankings of teams is starting to take a more clear shape.
EG-TL ends off this round with a loss, bringing their record under Coach Park to a below average 3-4 with at -6 map score. Not a miracle by any means, and Coach Park is certainly feeling it. But let's move on to happier things.
Woongjin Stars are still the runaway favorites to take the title. They sit alone on the top of the ladder, five wins clear of their nearest rivals. Beneath them, however, is a very congested looking table. SKT1, STX Soul and Samsung Khan all have 15 wins, and KT, who defeated Stars convincingly last week, lurks just beneath them on 14. The winner is likely to come from this group, and you certainly can't write any one of these teams off.
Thanks to xpaperclip for formatting!
Round 4 Week 4 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
STX Soul wins 4-1!
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
Woongjin Stars wins 4-2!
INnoVation (Bogus) < Akilon Wastes > EffOrt
Classic < Naro Station > herO
Dear < Fighting Spirit > Bbyong
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > Bong
Last < Bel'Shir Vestige LE > Hydra
Ace: Neo Planet S
STX Soul wins 4-1!
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
Woongjin Stars wins 4-2!
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
Samsung KHAN wins 4-1!
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)
Ace: Bel'Shir Vestige LE
Samsung KHAN wins 4-1!
April 29
STX Soul vs Woongjin Stars
Dear < Naro Station > Flying
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > BrAvO
INnoVation (Bogus) < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
Classic < Neo Planet S > ZerO
Trap < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Light
Mini < Akilon Wastes > sOs (sHy)
Ace: Fighting Spirit
STX Soul wins 4-2!
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
SK Telecom T1 wins 4-2!
Dear < Naro Station > Flying
hyvaa < Korhal Floating Island > BrAvO
INnoVation (Bogus) < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
Classic < Neo Planet S > ZerO
Trap < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > Light
Mini < Akilon Wastes > sOs (sHy)
STX Soul wins 4-2!
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
SK Telecom T1 wins 4-2!
April 30
KT Rolster vs KeSPa Team 8
Crazy < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > TY (BaBy)
Zest < 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
KT Rolster wins 4-1!
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
Samsung KHAN wins 4-2!
Crazy < Newkirk Redevelopment Precinct > TY (BaBy)
Zest < Akilon Wastes > HS (Haruhi)
hitmaN < Korhal Floating Island > Cure (Speed)
Stats (Carno) < Naro Station > Argo (Jaehoon)
Flash < Neo Planet S > Terminator (Sang)
Ace: Whirlwind LE
KT Rolster wins 4-1!
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
Samsung KHAN wins 4-2!
Standings
Round 4 Final StandingsOverall Standings after Round 4
Evolution
Every week, we are treated to seven full matches of Proleague presented in the still-fresh game of HotS. But with the Proleague maps being so different, some focusing on two base play, others allowing players to get up to four bases quickly, we’ve seen great imagination in the strategies employed in Proleague. Proleague seemingly has a separately evolving metagame all to itself.For instance, Kop’s two-base mech play on fighting spirit was a great piece of thinking and execution, while the continued evolution of PvP is fascinating to keep an eye on. Proleague being so Protoss heavy, we do get a lot of chances, but watching players like Stats and Dear at work gives you an appreciation that some players have the matchup worked out more fully than others. ZvT this week also saw the focus placed directly on the Terran’s third base location. The Soulkey - INnoVation game was a perfect example, and is covered in our games of the week.
One key element underpins all of this evolution, however, and that is constant action all around the map. There are always going to be exceptions, of course, but almost every match-up is decided by action all around the map, not just in the midfield. Players are keen to take advantage of slow armies moving out and around the map, and defenders are becoming more savvy with their use of spells, buildings and units at home. Perhaps most importantly, there are usually several key battles deciding the fixture, rather than just one.
It’s certainly made for spectacular viewing so far.
STX's still got Soul
As mentioned in the preview earlier this week, after two rounds of the first Starcraft 2 Proleague, you could be forgiven for thinking that STX Soul was going to be the underdog throughout. After all, rounds 1 and 2 had seen them rack up only two wins each. They sat rooted to the bottom of the ladder, even below the now infamously underachieving EG-TL team. A 4-10 record surely saw them written off by all good judges as having any chance of taking the Proleague title.How silly they’ve made that prediction look now. STX now sits in third spot on the ladder, above their highly fancied rivals KT Rolster, and now pipping Samsung Khan on map score as well. They’re now 15-13 with a map score of +7, contrasting with Khan’s score of -12 despite having the same number of wins.
Their 6-1 record in round 1 was punctuated by their two performances this week. A 4-1 demolition of CJ Entus was followed by a tough, grafting win over title favorites Woongjin Stars.
Much of the talk in Proleague has been about the way the backup Woongjin Protosses have carried on the good work of leaders like Soulkey, sOs and Light. But this can now be equally applied to STX Soul, who have their big name in INnoVation backed by a host of quality Protoss players including the Terran convert, Classic, the very dangerous Trap, and the rising star of Kespa Protosses, Dear.
It was their Protoss stars who proved the difference over Stars, with Dear and Mini proving their adeptness at PvP over their highly rated opponents. Both games followed an eerily similar course. The STX players were contained to one base by blink stalkers. Both teched to colossus and pushed out and ended up rolling their opponents due to their superior tech. Dear built a superior void ray count, while Mini favored brute force with larger immortal numbers.
In fact, Dear might just be the story of the entire Round 4. He finished the round with a 4-1 record, defeating the likes of Bbyong, Terminator and Flying along the way. His only loss came in week one to JangBi, where the Samsung Khan player sneaked a pylon into Dear’s main that demolished his one base economy.
The addition of maps like Fighting Spirit and Naro Station have obviously been of assistance to Protoss heavy teams, but the fact we’re talking about STX Soul here and not SKT1 shows how far they’ve come.
Games of the Week
by kollin
Looking back on this week's games, two in particular stand out. Unsurprisingly for most, both of them are from the top Terran in KeSPA, Innovation. Both games feature him against Zergs, which is also unsurprising due to how he seems to have mastered that match-up. However, the following two similar games end with surprisingly contrasting results.
INnoVation < Akilon Wastes > EffOrt
VODS: Free Korean on Youtube - HQ English on Twitch
Our first match looked fairly standard at the beginning from both sides, a reaper opener into 3CC and fast double engineering bays from Innovation, while Effort opted for double evolution chambers while taking a third. Innovation then added on barracks while going into the bio mine style he so dearly loves. After the STX Terran had gotten his major infrastructure up, the real brunt of the pressure got going. Effort was barely given a moment to breath, whether it be due to drops, the main army shoving down his front, or both. Nevertheless, he dealt with the constant pressure extremely well, and began to establish a growing lead.
Unfortunately, Effort is cursed. He is cursed to always come so close to winning TvZ's, but never quite finish his opponents. This curse afflicted him once again, and despite the fact he had ultralisks out as well as a base count lead against his opponent, it was not enough. Eventually the waves of bio whittled him down and spread him too thin. Effort attempted to transition from ultralisks to brood lords, but they were all caught in the middle of the map and killed for free. Having lost his fifth, while Innovation established his own, the CJ Zerg went for a desperate last ditch attack, which Innovation's never-ending waves of reinforcements managed to stave off. Left with no army and a significantly worse economy, Effort tapped out. While Effort put up a good fight all game long, Innovation's constant multi-pronged attacks proved to be overwhelming and so Effort fell like so many Zergs before him.
INnoVation < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
VODS: Free Korean on Youtube - HQ English on Twitch
The next game we will look at played out quite differently. Innovation opened with the build he seems to love, the one he used against Effort. Soulkey chose to tech up to a spire before taking his third, and inflicted some minor economic damage onto his opponent with the following mutalisk harassment. Both players transitioned into fairly normal styles, but there was one key point where Soulkey differed from Effort. Instead of constantly taking head on engagements and eventually getting overrun by wave after wave of bio mine, he constantly harassed Innovation with zergling and baneling run-bys onto his third. While at first the Zerg's harassment was held off with relative ease, all of a sudden Innovation's third exploded. He had let it get too low on health and a few rogue banelings came in to finish the job, putting Soulkey on five bases against only three.
Innovation did his best to equalize the playing field by dropping all over the map, but Soulkey's well upgraded mutalisks quickly arrived on scene to stop it. Innovation's supply took a nosedive as Soulkey's hive tech upgrades and ultralisks kicked in, and the zergling run-bys continued to devastate his third's worker line. Without a full economic to fuel his consistent stream of units and drops, Innovation was eventually overrun by Soulkey's relatively unscathed economy. Left with a 100 supply and three-base deficit, Innovation left the game.
Soulkey's play was extremely interesting, as he opted for a lot of mid-sized zergling baneling attacks onto Innovation's third. It seems they worked, as the Terran's economy was a lot more stifled when compared to his game against Effort. While Whirlwind is a Zerg favored map due to the size, it still shows that Innovation isn't infallible and that he can be beaten by Zergs whose names aren't Life.
VODS: Free Korean on Youtube - HQ English on Twitch
Our first match looked fairly standard at the beginning from both sides, a reaper opener into 3CC and fast double engineering bays from Innovation, while Effort opted for double evolution chambers while taking a third. Innovation then added on barracks while going into the bio mine style he so dearly loves. After the STX Terran had gotten his major infrastructure up, the real brunt of the pressure got going. Effort was barely given a moment to breath, whether it be due to drops, the main army shoving down his front, or both. Nevertheless, he dealt with the constant pressure extremely well, and began to establish a growing lead.
Unfortunately, Effort is cursed. He is cursed to always come so close to winning TvZ's, but never quite finish his opponents. This curse afflicted him once again, and despite the fact he had ultralisks out as well as a base count lead against his opponent, it was not enough. Eventually the waves of bio whittled him down and spread him too thin. Effort attempted to transition from ultralisks to brood lords, but they were all caught in the middle of the map and killed for free. Having lost his fifth, while Innovation established his own, the CJ Zerg went for a desperate last ditch attack, which Innovation's never-ending waves of reinforcements managed to stave off. Left with no army and a significantly worse economy, Effort tapped out. While Effort put up a good fight all game long, Innovation's constant multi-pronged attacks proved to be overwhelming and so Effort fell like so many Zergs before him.
INnoVation < Whirlwind LE > Soulkey
VODS: Free Korean on Youtube - HQ English on Twitch
The next game we will look at played out quite differently. Innovation opened with the build he seems to love, the one he used against Effort. Soulkey chose to tech up to a spire before taking his third, and inflicted some minor economic damage onto his opponent with the following mutalisk harassment. Both players transitioned into fairly normal styles, but there was one key point where Soulkey differed from Effort. Instead of constantly taking head on engagements and eventually getting overrun by wave after wave of bio mine, he constantly harassed Innovation with zergling and baneling run-bys onto his third. While at first the Zerg's harassment was held off with relative ease, all of a sudden Innovation's third exploded. He had let it get too low on health and a few rogue banelings came in to finish the job, putting Soulkey on five bases against only three.
Innovation did his best to equalize the playing field by dropping all over the map, but Soulkey's well upgraded mutalisks quickly arrived on scene to stop it. Innovation's supply took a nosedive as Soulkey's hive tech upgrades and ultralisks kicked in, and the zergling run-bys continued to devastate his third's worker line. Without a full economic to fuel his consistent stream of units and drops, Innovation was eventually overrun by Soulkey's relatively unscathed economy. Left with a 100 supply and three-base deficit, Innovation left the game.
Soulkey's play was extremely interesting, as he opted for a lot of mid-sized zergling baneling attacks onto Innovation's third. It seems they worked, as the Terran's economy was a lot more stifled when compared to his game against Effort. While Whirlwind is a Zerg favored map due to the size, it still shows that Innovation isn't infallible and that he can be beaten by Zergs whose names aren't Life.