GSL Ro32 Group C Recap



On a rather cheesy night in Gangnam, it was (P)Rain who advanced first, outclassing (P)Panic and emerging victorious in an aggressive series over (Z)Life. The Blizzcon champion would have to settle for second place in the group, sending (T)GuMiho down to Code A with two 2-0 victories.

The first match of Group C would set the pace for the night. GuMiho’s greed got the better of him; after dealing decent early damage with a proxy 2rax, he started his expansion on the low ground. Life’s lings were able to force a cancel, and from there, a baneling bust secured an easy win. GuMiho opted for more heavy pressure in game 2 with a hellbat push combined with an SCV pull, but Life held with great baneling connections, forcing GuMiho to tap out instantly.

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Rain similarly crushed Panic in the other opening match. On King Sejong Station, Panic’s 3 gate was scouted early, and Rain held the rush with ease. The follow-up game on Merry Go Round gave us one of the most egregious misplays on the night. When Rain’s oracle cast revelation on Panic’s stalkers, Panic inexplicably retreated into his main, giving Rain a full scout of the freshly planted dark shrine. Fully prepared for his opponent’s stalker / DT pressure, it was another easy hold for the mYinsanity protoss.

The pattern of early aggression continued in the winner’s match. Rain took first blood with a 7-gate on Overgrowth, while Life returned the favour with a 10 pool on Foxtrot Labs. Contained on one base, Rain’s defense was admirable, but a gold base expansion gave Life an insurmountable advantage.

Game 3

Catallena

Life Z12 RATING:

Life played safe and responded with three hatches against nexus first. Because of his diligent scouting he was able to reach 90 workers unimpeded, but his tendency towards aggression got the better of him. He was baited into seemingly favorable engagements, but he didn't account for the immobility of hydras off creep. He attacked without a backup plan, and he single-mindedly tried to win with his composition. That overextension proved deadly as he watched his units get picked off in retreat.

RATING:

After 2 quick games, both players decided to reach 3 early bases. The lull did not last long as Life massed hydras to pressure the third, and it looked like Life was close to overwhelming Rain's forces. Yet with photon overcharge and immaculate blink, the mYi protoss held against all expectations. Rain abused his mobility to gain positional advantages in the succeeding fights, and Life was routed on the retreat. A desperate drone pull was not enough to block (P)Rain's clinical deathblow.

P9 mYi RainRATING:

Typically lauded for his safe, macro-oriented play, it would be Rain’s micro which earned him the victory in the winner’s match. Things looked grim when he was 40 supply down against an unbeatable force, but his perfect control allowed him to preserve his army count. His blink control and army management were spotless, and he held against all odds. Aggressive and well placed blinks against the retreating army allowed him to whittle down the swarm, and a clutch scout revealed that his opponent had no tech. He took advantage with a counterattack that won him the game.



Predictably in the losers' match, Panic came into this group as the rank underdog to progress to the Round of 16. Unfortunately for him, none of his gameplay contradicted that assumption. GuMiho tore him apart with his multitask on Catallena, harassing three mineral lines at once and dealing considerable damage. His incorporation of tanks in his composition seemed to leave Panic unsure of how best to engage, and losing all of his colossi caused the MVP protoss to GG. Game 2 showed a similar disparity in skill level; GuMiho’s widow mine drops and marine harass did an unforgivable amount of damage. Forced into an unsuccessful immortal all-in, Panic was the first player from Group C to drop out of Code S.

Game 1

King Sejong Station

Life Z11 RATING:

Life revealed in the post-match interview that he had prepared extensively for GuMiho’s preferred mech style, and it definitely showed in this second series. An early attack set the pace, and his heavy focus on creep spread ensured he knew exactly where the mech army was located. His control with his spellcasters (infestors and vipers) coupled with his swarm host positioning sealed a comfortable win. Though he had trouble dealing with drops with his composition, he never allowed it to deplete his bank and larva.

RATING:

The game of the night by far. Though the game appeared over in the first 10 minutes, the veteran terran almost dragged himself back from the grave by sheer force of will. GuMiho was able to max out despite experiencing early damage, while he was able to keep Life in check with his harassment. He pushed into a choke point of swarm hosts, ultras and blinding cloud, but surprisingly emerged victorious. However it was an advantage short lived as Life instantly remaxed and strangled the terran on two bases for a suffocating win.

T5 Invasion.GuMihoRATING:

Despite returning to his preferred mech style, GuMiho was unprepared for Life's early aggression. That's essentially a death sentence for any meching terran, and the damage was effectively game ending. GuMiho battled back admirably from his deficit and made the most out of his two and a half bases. His multitasking was on full display as he used banshees and thor drops to kill several mining bases while playing mech in as mobile a fashion as possible.



Unfortunately for GuMiho, the final game of the night followed a similar pattern. An early roach bust, combined with quick expansions, simply gave Life far too much of an economic advantage alongside his map control. Restricting the meching terran to two bases again, (Z)Life took the win, and yet another spot in the Code S Round of 16.