Creeping up like a thief in the night is the new season of the Shinhan Bank Proleague. This thief has a few new tricks up his sleeve as well, changing some rules in addition to the normal map swapping
Taking a quick look at the maps first, two maps from last season appear in the list, although one of these has had a face lift. Two older maps from olden days appear in the updated list as well:
| Map Pool | ||||
| Map name | Spawns | TvZ | ZvP | PvT |
| Colosseum 2 | 2-1 | 0-1 | 2-3 | |
| Raid-Assault 2 | 6-5 | 4-2 | 5-2 | |
| Neo Requiem | 14-15 | 32-34 | 21-7 | |
| Destination | 1-0 | 0-1 | 1-1 | |
| Medusa | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2-1 | |
| Andromeda | 17-11 | 24-15 | 26-17 | |
| Chupung-Ryeong | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2-2 | |
| Sword in the Moon | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
The observant reader will note something interesting: None of the above maps are 2v2 maps, which brings us to the new format for this season.
The Format Has Changed
The most noticeable change in the format is that there is no more 2v2. This means that matches will have four 1v1 games and an Ace game if needed. For most viewers this is a welcome change, as not too many enjoyed watching 2v2s. For some teams this is more troublesome, as some of them have relied on a solid 2v2 team to keep the wins coming in. Now teams with a weaker 1v1 lineup will be somewhat at a disadvantage. Of course, some teams with weak 2v2 lineups rejoice at this change, as they only stand to gain from it. Time will tell what kind of impact this will have.
The second change is more subtle, but very important. A team may not field the same race on the same map twice in a row. That is, if a team plays a Zerg on Colosseum for one match, they must field either a Protoss or a Terran for the next match. This will force teams to think even more carefully about whom to play where, and shake up the traditional matchups on the various maps. It will be most interesting to see how the different teams incorporate this limitation in their strategies.
For the third round of the season the format will be the popular King of the Hill format used in the STX Masters event. It's a Bo7 where the winning player keeps playing until he loses.
The playoffs structure has changed a bit as well. Previous seasons saw only the top four teams advance to the playoffs, this season will see the top six teams square off.
For further reading on all things Proleague, SC2GG has posted a comprehensive feature on the workings, the maps and the teams. Check out the link below for a good read. The first matches of the season were recently played as well, so look for a recap of the first round soon!
Links
sc2gg.com - Source
