GSL: Group E preview

Written by: Nydra

As we pass the halfway mark of the Ro32, we arrive at a group that is likely to not get people to excited, mostly because of the amount of silver stacked in one place. With the KeSPA vs eSF conflict rekindled, all eyes fall on Shine who finds himself in the company of two Code S finalists ready to prove that the "old school" of GSL has a lot more to show the world.

Every sport has a player that is always labeled "one of the strongest" but always falls just before the finish line and never becomes, well, "the strongest". In terms of StarCraft, we always think of the Yellows and MarineKings and, most recently, the Symbol.

The amount of power that Symbol's packing as he enters whatever tournament is unquestionable, yet he never seems to be able to walk the final mile. What's more ironical, there's always some Zerg to screw him over. First it was Violet at MLG Spring Arena 2, then it was Snute at HomeStory Cup VI and most recently it was RorO at the latest Code S finals.

Despite his numerous ZvZ misfortunes, the statistics say that, technically, the former finalist is "OK" in the match-up, holding a balanced 50% in Korean tournaments. Now, HotS didn't change ZvZ that much (besides that Mutas suddenly became crazy good) and Symbol can rely on much trained WoL antics and he'd be the logical favorite if there wasn't a KeSPA Zerg against him in the first match. Said Zerg is Shine, who although hasn't been having the most spectacular time in or out of Proleague, is still a Samsung KHAN player, meaning he can learn from the player that beat Symbol in the last GSL final - RorO.

Additionally, seeing how powerful KeSPA players have become with the new expansion, the former GSL finalist cannot not be on his guard, lest he face an early elimination.

Although nowhere near the fame of other rivalries, the one between Squirtle and Keen actually dates far back. The MVP Terran has been Squirtle's demise twice in 2012, beating him in the Iron Squid I qualifiers (thus barring him from participation) and being one of the reasons the now IM Protoss was eliminated in 2012 Code S Season 5. Another defeat over Squirtle puts Keen at cumulative 6-3 in his favor as far as year 2012 games are concerned. Not exactly good odds for the Protoss pokemon.

Usually a competitor that would remain off the radar, Keen and his victories over Squirtle assimilated a lot of attention. Now, after many defeats, Squirtle comes determined to shift the attention back to his arguably more renowned persona. Unfortunately for all betting enthusiasts, there's way too much volatility involved to make any accurate predictions. Keen has certainly showed that he has it within him to upset more powerful names, despite the fact that since 2011 he's never made it past the Ro16. Squirtle, on the other hand, has suffered from much greater amplitudes, varying from GSL finalist to a Ro32-eliminated in a way that makes assessing his next performance impossible.

Long story short: if you have betting money set aside, spare them for something else. This one's going to be wild.

Predictions:

Symbol > Shine
Squirtle > Keen
Squirtle > Symbol
Shine > Keen
Symbol > Shine
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Squirtle and Symbol advance