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General12 years agoRadoslav "Nydra" Kolev

GOMTV GSL Code S Round of 4: The Fantastic Four - Preview

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Barely clairvoyant: Code S Semi-Finals Preview


Match 1: Korea FnaticAlive vs Korea MVP_Genius

I will be very frank with you: I would've never guessed that Genius would make it that far. If his Ro32 was not hard enough having sC, DRG and JYP in it, the Ro16 surely was a total nightmare. Genius was once again in the company of his famed zerg team-mate, plus MarineKing and NesTea. I bet there are people that have skipped school or work to watch this group unfold.

As you know, DongRaeGu, NesTea and MarineKing all fell victims to Genius, and so did the acknowledged PvP master MC in the quarter finals, making me wonder why this guy never made it to top four before. The protoss enters the semi-finals full of confidence, proving to all of us (and to him most of all) that he is capable of beating the best in the world. In the shadow of his past opponents' glory, Genius' semi-finals challenge seems to dwarf.

Now I know what you are thinking: "You fool, Alive is a monster, just you wait and see!" Don't worry, I am not here to argue. In fact, I have a strong urge to stay away from this statement and, if possible, convince all the non-believers (if they are any left) that Alive is indeed sick good.

Alive climbed to Code S mid 2011 but had trouble showing results to prove that he is actually worthy of the status. "Untapped talent" was a phrase used very often and with great accuracy. His Code S run now stands as testimony that his talent is now pouring from all sides. Truly, his group stage slalom did not include beating every champion possible but as compensation he had to play MMA in the quarter finals, defeating him 3-1 against all bets. Furthermore, if Alive showed us anything it's that he is capable of pulling off the craziest plans: it doesn't matter if it's a ten-minute nuke push to climb a high-ground or a batshit crazy auto-turret rush - this young terran has it all.

Still, at the end of the day I place my wager on Genius just because he has been tempered to the state of invincibility thanks to the matches he had to play to end here. If he does not underestimate the full potential of Alive, he should emerge victorious.

Prediction: Genius 3-2 Alive

Match 2: Korea MVP_DongRaeGu vs Korea FXO_Gumiho

Or to put it in other words: the world's most accomplished ZvT specialist against the phantom menace of the GSL.

With NesTea being in a slump, DongRaeGu is almost unanimously labelled the best zerg in South Korea. Even more so when it comes to beating down terrans, being probably the best in the trade. On paper, DRG had this won before it even started.

Yet, this is the Code S Ro4 and anything can happen, especially when there is Gumiho's name involved. A quick look at his record shows us the not at all funny 70% TvZ win-rate as well as reminds us of last GSL season where he left Bomber and DongRaeGu himself out of the tournament. Of course, games were Bo1 then and here he will have to beat DongRaeGu thrice in order to advance to the grand final. Still a mission impossible in my eyes.

Overall, Gumiho's biggest strength is also his weakness. He has been showing us a very solid high-economy style garnished with constant multi-pronged aggression which won him countless games but by this time DongRaeGu would have surely figured it out. If the series develops towards more than three games, I feel Gumiho will be in a dire need of a new strategy, because if a zerg is capable of dissecting a player from three sides at once (DRG vs Parting in the Ro8) he surely won't be intimidated by a few medivacs hoping to draw enough attention so a frontal attack can be made possible.

DRG is just too smart for that and will not/should not fall for that.

Prediction: DongRaeGu 3-1 Gumiho

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