Why Lecaf OZ Will Win the Proleague

1. Hunger

As you can see from this image, the Lecaf (PluS) boys are hungry – very hungry. Alright, maybe they aren’t literally famished anymore, but the point still stands. Lecaf has never won a Proleague before in its existence, and are keen on claiming one for their mantle.

2. A Winning Commitment

While all Proteams publicly claim that the Proleague is their #1 priority, many teams send out lineups that make us want to question their stance. I don’t know about you, but fielding squads like Hyuk/Lake/Shudder for their singles or not playing Nada isn’t exactly convincing.

As for Lecaf, a whopping 61 of the 66 singles matches played this season belong to Anytime, Jaedong and ForGG. For the statistically inclined folks out there, that’s 92% of the games being played by their aces. While this approach is certainly not ideal for growing their young talent, it sure has paid off; using a similar all-in approach, Lecaf placed 3rd in the SKY Proleague 2006 Season 2, their best finish ever. Does any other team field its absolute best lineup week in and week out?

Ah yes, it’s good to be a Lecaf fan.

3. The Aces

Whenever the Lecaf OZ team is the subject, you simply cannot avoid mentioning their aces: Anytime, Jaedong and ForGG. They are a combined 39-22 (63.9%) this season and have carried the team into the playoffs for a second straight session. Because their aces span all three races, Lecaf is blessed with a level of flexibility that is difficult to match.

Their record compares favorably to even those of the playoff favorites, Khan and Hero. When looking up the records of the most frequently used singles players, STX has a record of 26-17 (60.4%), Samsung 29-16 (64.4%), and MBC 28-12 (70.0%).

AnyTime..[gm] (오영종), n.Die_Jaedong (이제동)
and fOrGG_V(박지수) – Three of a kind

3.1. Anytime..[gm] (Oh Young Jong)
Anytime assumed the responsibilities for Monty Hall and Nemesis this season, compiling a record of 14 wins and just 7 losses. Because he played the two Protoss favored maps, his match list shows a disproportionately high number of mirror matches. In past seasons this would have been discomforting, as PvP was known to be Anytime’s most inconsistent match up. One could place the blame of Lecaf’s exit from last season’s Proleague on his two mirror match losses against MBCgame.

Perhaps it was because of this blunder that Anytime has transformed himself. There are hardly any signs of this weakness anymore, owning a 73% PvP winning percentage this season. He is a perfect 5-0 in the PvZ match up as well, but has been surprisingly weak in his PvT game.

But above all, there is no one more capable than Anytime when preparing specialized builds for a match. Knowing his map and opponent before hand (a luxury he didn’t have under last season’s Proleague rules), he will be able to use his Starcraft brain – the same brain that recently completely outthought the Terran master strategist UpMagic in Ongamenet’s Star Brain series – to the absolute fullest.

3.2. n.Die_Jaedong (Lee Jae Dong)
The Korean eSports media has dubbed Jaedong as Legend Killer, a title he has certainly earned. He obliterated his opponents to the tune of eleven wins and one loss last season, handling the majority of Lecaf’s games on Arcadia II. Nine of these wins were against a Zerg opponent, placing him in the upper echelon of ZvZ players. The acquisition of Jaedong in the spring of 2006 and his subsequent play was what elevated Lecaf from a bottom dweller into a playoff contender.

Opponents have learned to cope with Jaedong’s mirror match excellence by… avoiding the match up altogether. He was placed on Tau Cross, Shin Peaks and Python this season, compiling a record of 15-7. However, just two of these 22 opponents was a fellow Zerg, demonstrating the opponents’ special attention placed on Jaedong.

Despite not playing his best match up, Jaedong has still maintained a record well above .500, elevating his once questionable ZvP and showing signs of sheer brilliance in ZvT (just ask Sea how he felt after their ODC match). Although prone to some fluctuations in his form, Jaedong is perhaps the most capable of the three Lecaf aces in terms of pure gameplay.

3.3. fOrGG_V (Park Ji Soo)
Lecaf’s lineup stability this season would not have been possible without forGG’s meteoric rise as a monster Terran. Last season he only played 5 games for his team, as a platoon of players filled the 3rd singles spot after Anytime and Jaedong. This time around, he has mustered up a record of 10-8on Geometry and Python to round out Lecaf’s ace triumvirate.

I specifically use the term “Monster Terran” to describe forGG because of his otherworldly unit production. The manner in which he can out mass his opponent so badly even in mirrors defies comprehension. If there is going to be an heir to the monster Terran, this guy is it. ForGG’s “Mass up and Go” style may appear mundane at first, but its pure power is capable of steamrolling any opponent in his path.

While forGG’s particularly excels in mechanic play, his sometimes sloppy TvZ is nothing to dismiss either, as he owns a 3-1 record against Zergs this season. In a best of one situation such as the Proleague, overcoming the raw force of forGG’s army won’t be an easy task.

4. The Teamplay

So I just finished explaining how Lecaf is carried by its three singles aces, and now I’m going to claim that it’s 2v2 is one of the reason’s they’re going to win the Proleague? It may sound like nonsense, but I ask you to hear me out. The key here is that Lecaf players have the most clearly defined roles out of any Proteam. The 2v2 players are able to focus solely on teamplay, since the 1v1 lineup is such a fixture.

Dongrae and Shinhwa have been Lecaf’s ZT stalwarts throughout the season. Competent 1v1 players in their own right, they have considerable experience playing Vampire (they were assigned the map last season as well). They boast a 6-2 record this season, which compares favorably to even the highly regarded Samsung Khan 2v2 teams.

Shinhwa and Dongrae:
Owners of a 6-2 record this season

Coach Han Sang Yong has been tirelessly searching for their best ZP solution throughout the season – and he appears to have found the answer just in time. Bright[z-zone] and N.aCe)Ever have played the last four Chariots of Fire games with a perfect 4-0 for Lecaf; they even claimed a win against the winningest 2v2 team this season, Zergboy and Reach.

Combined with the three 1v1 mainstays, Lecaf is able to field very strong options in 5 out of the 6 slots for the playoffs – a luxury not many can afford.

5. The Sniper

Despite their three bona fide aces, the Lecaf OZ team is still not nearly as deep as say a MBC Hero or a CJ Entus. Because of this, the fourth singles player required in the playoffs has presented a problem for Lecaf. While this was particularly true last season – playing BackHo[WHITE] on Blitz isn’t exactly what you’d want – it’s a different story this year.

Lecaf now has two legitimate Terran options to fill the fourth slot. HiyA[fOu] and Lomo[fOu] have demonstrated their potential in the MSL and OSL preliminaries this year, particularly in mechanic play for Hiya and bionic play for Lomo. These two players have been used sparingly this season (due to Lecaf’s lineup stability), giving them the flexibility to train freely throughout these months. One of these two will surely be the fourth singles option for Lecaf, and it won’t be a cakewalk for whoever they face.

6. A Weakness?

Lecaf derives much of its strength from its lineup consistency. However, this is potentially their biggest weakness as well. Their uniformity in roster options translates into predictability, making the lineup easily counterable. Consider this though: every opponent knows that Lecaf’s aces will be playing on their respective maps. But despite having this knowledge, they have been unable to stop this team from marching into the playoffs.

Both Anytime and Jaedong have been “countered” throughout the season, but you wouldn’t know it from their records. They have dealt with it all season long, and will continue to prepare accordingly throughout the playoffs.

7. Motivation

If this isn’t enough for you, let me give you this line: Lecaf fielded a mind-boggling zero players to the OSL or MSL, making them the only team to accomplish such a feat this season (with even the lowly ACE team having Boxer in the MSL).

This team was one game away from getting to the finals against CJ last season, and they’re back again with a dramatically improved lineup. For the last 5 months, they have had nothing to play for other than winning the Proleague. Can any other team possibly want it as badly as these guys?

Last edit: 2007-07-19 02:19:10