[WCS KR] Ro32 - Group D Preview/C Recap (S1) Text by TL.net ESPORTS Graphics by shiroiusagi

2013 GSL Season 2 WCS Korea Season 1 - GSL





Code S Ro32 Group C

Recap: sOs and soO advance





Winner Interviews

sOs and soO





Code S Ro32 Group D

Preview: TaeJa, Fantasy, TRUE, Losira





Brackets and standings on



Recap: sOs and soO advancesOs and soOPreview: TaeJa, Fantasy, TRUE, LosiraBrackets and standings on Liquipedia Code S Ro32: Group C Recap by Waxangel



Results via Live Report Thread by opterown.

+ Show Spoiler [Results] + Curious vs. soO

Curious <Whirlwind> soO

Curious <Star Station> soO

Curious <Akilon Wastes> soO



wins 2-1! soO wins 2-1!



sOs vs. MarineKing

sOs <Star Station> MarineKing

sOs <Bel'Shir Vestige> MarineKing

sOs <Daybreak> MarineKing



wins 2-1! sOs wins 2-1!



Winners' Match

soO <Daybreak> sOs

soO <Whirlwind> sOs

soO <> sOs



wins 2-0! sOs wins 2-0!



Losers' Match

Curious <Daybreak> MarineKing

Curious <Star Station> MarineKing

Curious <> MarineKing



wins 2-0! Curious wins 2-0!



Final Match

soO <Atlas> Curious

soO <Daybreak> Curious

soO <> Curious



wins 2-0! soO wins 2-0!





sOs and soO advance to Code S RO16!







Not So Shy

- KeSPA players sOs and soO advance from Group C



It's a great time to be a KeSPA fan. RorO won the last GSL, EG-TL's revival is bringing foreign eyes back to the Proleague, and three groups into Code S, four of the six players qualified for the Ro16 hail from The Association. Wednesday night proved to be another big triumph for KeSPA, with and knocking both and down to the Challenger League (formerly Code A). Both MKP and Curious are stalwarts of Code S with countless GSL seasons under their belts, and their elimination at the hands of relative neophytes from KeSPA will have doomsayers declaring that the



Starting Matches: Curious vs. soO and MKP vs. sOs



The first series of the night turned out to be an odd ZvZ bout, with Curious and soO playing a muta-less series. It ran counter to mutalisk-heavy ZvZ metagame inHotS, though it was hard to tell if their series was a sign of a changing meta-game or just a result of the rush oriented strategies used by both players. The very first game saw soO crush Curious with a roach-bane bust before Curious could hatch mutalisks, and the second game saw Curious hold off a roach timing with ling-infestor to tie the series. The final game was also devoid of mutas, with Curious losing to a roach-nydus attack after his ling-bane bust failed to break soO's defenses.



MKP vs. sOs was a series notable for the Woongjing Protoss' use of slightly unorthodox strategies that are becoming more popular in HotS, and he was rewarded with a 2 –1 victory. In game two in particular, he countered MKP's reaper-triple orbital with a very fast triple Nexus of his own. While sOs did lose his third Nexus to a bio-timing by MKP, he killed enough troops for it to be worthwhile trade. This led into sOs just rebuilding his nexus and patiently building up his army and tech, crushing MKP in a slow and steady manner that was reminiscent of Rain or Creator in Wings of Liberty. The other strategy sOs brought to the table was a DT drop after expanding (not the super-fast version used by TAiLS or Flying). While this led to sOs getting fleeced by MKP's medivac drops in game one, he got the better of the drop vs. drop exchange in the deciding game, allowing him to win in a macro game later down the line.



Friends by Association



The all-KeSPA winners' match between soO and sOs ended with a result you might have expected from looking at the two players' respective Proleague stats, with the 18 – 8 sOs rolling over the 12 – 9 soO. The first game saw sOs go for a bit of trickery, hiding a stargate away in a corner and to quickly pump out three oracles. soO didn't realize something was fishy until it was too late, and the oracles devastated his queens and drones. After that, it didn't take much effort for sOs to follow-up with an immortal-sentry attack for the victory.



The second game saw sOs go for more air based trickery, making two stargate phoenixes. While soO sniffed out the attack and defended himself without taking much damage, it didn't bring him any closer to winning. sOs simply transitioned into a regular game, and put together an unusual but effective immortal and high-templar composition. SoO got caught in an unenviable spot where he was forced to go hydra-roach-viper forever, unable to tech switch for fear of immediate death, but still doomed to lose eventually due to the weakness of his composition in the late game. Even with an almost 270 degree surround on sOs' army, soO was ravaged by what seemed like infinite storms from sOs, and he tapped out of the series.



Soo... What's Next?



Down in the losers' match, the inter-federation match of Curious vs. MarineKing ended up being about as one-sided as the inter-association game between soO and sOs. The first game on Daybreak saw MarineKing get crippled by a speedling runby for what seemed like the twelfth time in the past few months, though perhaps it wasn't a surprise considering Curious is teammates with Life. MarineKing was able to play better in the second game on Star Station, but looked decidedly lackluster as he fell to Curious' ling-muta-bane composition.



With that, the final match of the night was determined as a rematch between Curious and soO for the final Code S spot. The two players seemed to have used all their tricks in their first series, and their rematch played out more like a standard HotS ZvZ with both sides putting on moderate ling-bane aggression as they progressed to a muta war. At that, soO proved to be superior, taking the first game after winning the crucial air fight. The second game was slightly more complicated, with both players finding the breathing room to add infestors to their compositions. The difference was that soO had his infestors in the right place, at the right time during the crucial battle of the game (and just simply MORE of them), starting to chain fungals on Curious' army before Curious could return the favor with his own infestors. This led to a crushing air victory for soO, and a GG from Curious that soon followed.



In Conclusion:



sOs: While sOs looked like the strongest player on the night by advancing in first place, he didn't seem so pleased with his own play. In the post match interviews, sOs said that looks were deceiving, and his play was not up to his standards. For a player who already looks like one of the top Protosses in the world, the thought that he has even more room to improve should be downright terrifying to his GSL Ro16 opponents.



soO: For soO this wasn't the most convincing way to qualify, especially considering his erratic performances in the Proleague. He definitely looks like the weakest player advancing into the Ro16 so far, but the 2~3 weeks until his next game could see him improve.



Curious: Curious made look MKP look foolish with speedling runbys and then lost two ZvZ's to get knocked out of Code S, adding further proof to the theory that he is slowly absorbing Life's essence.



MKP: HotS has not been kind to MarineKing at all. While the death of infestor-BL allowed players like MMA and jjakji to extricate themselves from their graves, somehow MarineKing – a player who was still pretty good at TvZ even during the height of BL-infestor – looks even worse in the new expansion. Hopefully he will perform better in the GSTL and Challenger League matches.





Winner Interviews Woongjin_sOs



Q: You advanced in first place, how you feel?

A: When I saw the group I didn't think it would be easy, but I feel relieved I advanced in first place.



Q: It LOOKED easy to us.

A: The other players prepared to play the way they usually do, but I put in a lot of thought and changed things up from the norm, so I was able to play the way I wanted.



Q: So everything went the way you wanted?

A: Against MKP, how shall I say it, my settings weren't right? I couldn't manage my minerals so I got hurt by the first reaper and lost... I got my bearings after that, and I focused more.



Q: You seemed to have good builds and series strategies, how did preparation go?

A: vsT I just did what came to mind, Free suggested me a build to use against Zerg in the first game and I modified that slightly. The second game I just played the way I typically would.



Q: You won a really one-sided victory against soO on the second map, how did you do that?

A: When soO came in for an early poke, I showed him a colossus and he went for hydra-roach-viper. But the colossus was a fake, and I was going for an immortal and HT based composition so it was easier for me. I kept winning fights when it was the time for him to go swarm hosts, and I think he couldn't switch because he felt he was in danger of losing.



Q: You're the ace of Woongjin, and you've really grown a lot. How do you feel about your progress?

A: I don't have a title worth showing people yet, so I'm not pleased with myself, so I need to work harder in the future.



Q: Anyone you want to meet in the Ro16?

A: If possible, I'd like to face a weaker player.



Q: Any final comments?

Q: I'm happy I advanced. It could have looked like I played well, but I wasn't happy with my play. I will try to show better play in the Ro16. Thanks to my fans who cheer for me and my parents. I want all the KeSPA players to do well!





SKT_soO



Q: How do you feel about reaching the Ro16?

A: When I got to Code S, that was my first goal, and I'm glad to reach it. I'm a bit disappointed that I won only ZvZ's to advance.



Q: How was it competing in your very first Code S?

A: Getting all the way here from the first round, there being no best of one, it's quite tiring.



Q: How are the booths here?

A: They helped me concentrate. They're good because they're very neat, and optimized for gaming.



Q: You said you were disappointed to play just ZvZ. Why was that? Did you want to play other match-ups?

A: I like ZvT, and I expected to play it. I was disappointed I didn't get the chance.



Q: You won easily in the final match. What did you think of your own play?

A: Curious prepared well, so I wasn't able to adjust that well myself. I think both of us didn't play so well.



Q: ZvZ is a muta war these days, why were there no mutas in first series against Curious?

A: Mutas are so good these days, and people try to lead the game towards muta fights. Both of us expected mutas, and both of us prepared builds that would beat mutas.



Q: After you lost to sOs, did you feel like you were in danger?

A: Because there was T or Z left, I felt confident about my chances.



Q: ZvZ is now more like Brood War, do you like that?

A: I wasn't confident when HotS started because I wasn't good at muta ZvZ in WoL, but I thought about the the way I used mutas in BW so I think it helped some. It was more fun when we had roach wars.



Q: So who do you want to play in the Ro16?

A: Who's in it?

Q: Bomber, YoDa, RorO, Flying.

A: Whoa, they're all good. I think a lot of toss players will come up, so I have to prepare ZvP. I want to avoid them if possible, but I think a lot of them will advance. I want to pick Prime players if they come up.



Q: Why?

A: They just seem easy, the Prime team.



Q: Any final comments?

A: Thanks to those who helped me. And thanks to HyuK who always comes to take care of me.



It's a great time to be a KeSPA fan. RorO won the last GSL, EG-TL's revival is bringing foreign eyes back to the Proleague, and three groups into Code S, four of the six players qualified for the Ro16 hail from The Association. Wednesday night proved to be another big triumph for KeSPA, with Woongjin_sOs and SKT_soO knocking both MarineKingPrime and ST_Curious down to the Challenger League (formerly Code A). Both MKP and Curious are stalwarts of Code S with countless GSL seasons under their belts, and their elimination at the hands of relative neophytes from KeSPA will have doomsayers declaring that the Day of the Elephant is finally at hand.The first series of the night turned out to be an odd ZvZ bout, with Curious and soO playing a muta-less series. It ran counter to mutalisk-heavy ZvZ metagame inHotS, though it was hard to tell if their series was a sign of a changing meta-game or just a result of the rush oriented strategies used by both players. The very first game saw soO crush Curious with a roach-bane bust before Curious could hatch mutalisks, and the second game saw Curious hold off a roach timing with ling-infestor to tie the series. The final game was also devoid of mutas, with Curious losing to a roach-nydus attack after his ling-bane bust failed to break soO's defenses.MKP vs. sOs was a series notable for the Woongjing Protoss' use of slightly unorthodox strategies that are becoming more popular in HotS, and he was rewarded with a 2 –1 victory. In game two in particular, he countered MKP's reaper-triple orbital with a very fast triple Nexus of his own. While sOs did lose his third Nexus to a bio-timing by MKP, he killed enough troops for it to be worthwhile trade. This led into sOs just rebuilding his nexus and patiently building up his army and tech, crushing MKP in a slow and steady manner that was reminiscent of Rain or Creator in Wings of Liberty. The other strategy sOs brought to the table was a DT drop after expanding (not the super-fast version used by TAiLS or Flying). While this led to sOs getting fleeced by MKP's medivac drops in game one, he got the better of the drop vs. drop exchange in the deciding game, allowing him to win in a macro game later down the line.The all-KeSPA winners' match between soO and sOs ended with a result you might have expected from looking at the two players' respective Proleague stats, with the 18 – 8 sOs rolling over the 12 – 9 soO. The first game saw sOs go for a bit of trickery, hiding a stargate away in a corner and to quickly pump out three oracles. soO didn't realize something was fishy until it was too late, and the oracles devastated his queens and drones. After that, it didn't take much effort for sOs to follow-up with an immortal-sentry attack for the victory.The second game saw sOs go for more air based trickery, making two stargate phoenixes. While soO sniffed out the attack and defended himself without taking much damage, it didn't bring him any closer to winning. sOs simply transitioned into a regular game, and put together an unusual but effective immortal and high-templar composition. SoO got caught in an unenviable spot where he was forced to go hydra-roach-viper forever, unable to tech switch for fear of immediate death, but still doomed to lose eventually due to the weakness of his composition in the late game. Even with an almost 270 degree surround on sOs' army, soO was ravaged by what seemed like infinite storms from sOs, and he tapped out of the series.Down in the losers' match, the inter-federation match of Curious vs. MarineKing ended up being about as one-sided as the inter-association game between soO and sOs. The first game on Daybreak saw MarineKing get crippled by a speedling runby for what seemed like the twelfth time in the past few months, though perhaps it wasn't a surprise considering Curious is teammates with Life. MarineKing was able to play better in the second game on Star Station, but looked decidedly lackluster as he fell to Curious' ling-muta-bane composition.With that, the final match of the night was determined as a rematch between Curious and soO for the final Code S spot. The two players seemed to have used all their tricks in their first series, and their rematch played out more like a standard HotS ZvZ with both sides putting on moderate ling-bane aggression as they progressed to a muta war. At that, soO proved to be superior, taking the first game after winning the crucial air fight. The second game was slightly more complicated, with both players finding the breathing room to add infestors to their compositions. The difference was that soO had his infestors in the right place, at the right time during the crucial battle of the game (and just simply MORE of them), starting to chain fungals on Curious' army before Curious could return the favor with his own infestors. This led to a crushing air victory for soO, and a GG from Curious that soon followed.While sOs looked like the strongest player on the night by advancing in first place, he didn't seem so pleased with his own play. In the post match interviews, sOs said that looks were deceiving, and his play was not up to his standards. For a player who already looks like one of the top Protosses in the world, the thought that he has even more room to improve should be downright terrifying to his GSL Ro16 opponents.For soO this wasn't the most convincing way to qualify, especially considering his erratic performances in the Proleague. He definitely looks like the weakest player advancing into the Ro16 so far, but the 2~3 weeks until his next game could see him improve.Curious made look MKP look foolish with speedling runbys and then lost two ZvZ's to get knocked out of Code S, adding further proof to the theory that he is slowly absorbing Life's essence.HotS has not been kind to MarineKing at all. While the death of infestor-BL allowed players like MMA and jjakji to extricate themselves from their graves, somehow MarineKing – a player who was still pretty good at TvZ even during the height of BL-infestor – looks even worse in the new expansion. Hopefully he will perform better in the GSTL and Challenger League matches.You advanced in first place, how you feel?When I saw the group I didn't think it would be easy, but I feel relieved I advanced in first place.It LOOKED easy to us.The other players prepared to play the way they usually do, but I put in a lot of thought and changed things up from the norm, so I was able to play the way I wanted.So everything went the way you wanted?Against MKP, how shall I say it, my settings weren't right? I couldn't manage my minerals so I got hurt by the first reaper and lost... I got my bearings after that, and I focused more.You seemed to have good builds and series strategies, how did preparation go?vsT I just did what came to mind, Free suggested me a build to use against Zerg in the first game and I modified that slightly. The second game I just played the way I typically would.You won a really one-sided victory against soO on the second map, how did you do that?When soO came in for an early poke, I showed him a colossus and he went for hydra-roach-viper. But the colossus was a fake, and I was going for an immortal and HT based composition so it was easier for me. I kept winning fights when it was the time for him to go swarm hosts, and I think he couldn't switch because he felt he was in danger of losing.You're the ace of Woongjin, and you've really grown a lot. How do you feel about your progress?I don't have a title worth showing people yet, so I'm not pleased with myself, so I need to work harder in the future.Anyone you want to meet in the Ro16?If possible, I'd like to face a weaker player.Any final comments?I'm happy I advanced. It could have looked like I played well, but I wasn't happy with my play. I will try to show better play in the Ro16. Thanks to my fans who cheer for me and my parents. I want all the KeSPA players to do well!How do you feel about reaching the Ro16?When I got to Code S, that was my first goal, and I'm glad to reach it. I'm a bit disappointed that I won only ZvZ's to advance.How was it competing in your very first Code S?Getting all the way here from the first round, there being no best of one, it's quite tiring.How are the booths here?They helped me concentrate. They're good because they're very neat, and optimized for gaming.You said you were disappointed to play just ZvZ. Why was that? Did you want to play other match-ups?I like ZvT, and I expected to play it. I was disappointed I didn't get the chance.You won easily in the final match. What did you think of your own play?Curious prepared well, so I wasn't able to adjust that well myself. I think both of us didn't play so well.ZvZ is a muta war these days, why were there no mutas in first series against Curious?Mutas are so good these days, and people try to lead the game towards muta fights. Both of us expected mutas, and both of us prepared builds that would beat mutas.After you lost to sOs, did you feel like you were in danger?Because there was T or Z left, I felt confident about my chances.ZvZ is now more like Brood War, do you like that?I wasn't confident when HotS started because I wasn't good at muta ZvZ in WoL, but I thought about the the way I used mutas in BW so I think it helped some. It was more fun when we had roach wars.So who do you want to play in the Ro16?Who's in it?Bomber, YoDa, RorO, Flying.Whoa, they're all good. I think a lot of toss players will come up, so I have to prepare ZvP. I want to avoid them if possible, but I think a lot of them will advance. I want to pick Prime players if they come up.Why?They just seem easy, the Prime team.Any final comments?Thanks to those who helped me. And thanks to HyuK who always comes to take care of me. Code S Ro32: Group D Preview

by Fionn



Group D: TaeJa, Fantasy, TRUE, LosirA



"The American Dream" Liquid`TaeJa



Hearing the news that Taeja – one of the most consistent Terrans the GSL has ever had – is moving to the WCS America region next season and competing in what is quickly becoming GSL Jr. with a few token Americans, raises a lot of questions as he walks into his final Code S season for the foreseeable future. He is being allowed to compete in one final Korean tournament, but will have to go through the qualifiers and have no shot of playing in the WCS NA Premiere League for the first season.



What if he makes yet another top four run, or even wins it all? Does that mean those points carry over to America? Would that mean that TeamLiquid could simply go, 'Hey, uh, about the whole moving to America thing, can we just forget that whole conversation ever happened and just let Taeja continue on in Korea? If Taeja gets far in this tournament - and anyone who has watched GSL in 2012 knows that this is a strong possibility - how will that work with the thrown together WCS system? Will he be playing in the qualifiers for WCS America and also playing the later rounds of Korea's Premiere League? [Editor's note: The answer to the last question is actually 'yes,' according to current information.]



All these questions will be asked as Taeja steps into the GSL booths for potentially the last time, hoping to make it to his first GSL finals. With so many star players leaving their system, the GSL can be glad that TaeJa is playing at all, though it was unlikely the bigwigs at Blizzard HQ would have allowed their regional partners to poach from each other's premier divisions so freely. Having made it to three quarterfinals and a semifinal in the past year, Taeja has been on the cusp of greatness before getting knocked down in devastating fashion. TaeJa always seems to run into a finalist hitting his peak, with Life, Squirtle and Roro all having made Taeja look outclassed in their late round meetings. With wrist issues, region confusion, and the knockout rounds being his greatest enemies, we don't really know what to expect from Liquid's ace as the tournament continues. But, if there is one player who you can count to bring it in the early rounds, then it's TaeJa, a truly a prince of the group stages.



"The Crown Jewel" SKT_FanTaSy



The eternal Terran rival to his friend Flash, Fantasy is keen on making his on impact in Heart of the Swarm. Unlike Flash, he hasn't qualified for any major individual leagues before this season, but he's been able to get back on track in Proleague, busting out of a month long slump and starting to pick up the wins again. When it was first made known that the KeSPA players would be finally transitioning over to SC2 from Brood War, Fantasy was pegged as one of the players who would benefit the most from the switch. Many people – including Fantasy himself – said that the fast paced nature of SC2 would fit his playstyle even more, giving him a chance to earn the title of best player in the world that he was denied throughout his career by players like Flash, Jaedong, and even JangBi at the end of BW.



While getting well deserved hype when he first switched to Starcraft 2, Fantasy hasn't fully delivered so far. That's not to say he's been a disappointment, as getting to Code S already proves that he is on his way to being one of the better Terran players in Korea, but Fantasy isn't a player who should be satisfied with simply being one of the best thirty-two players in the world. With his talent, mechanics and a Terran legend like Boxe behind him, he should be aiming for nothing less than a championship every time he starts a tournament. The results might not be there yet, but Fantasy is a special player. Much like like Flash, he has all the makings of a future champion in Korea.



"The True True" 8th_TRUE



In another edition of two Korean players having the same exact name, Team 8's TRUE (all capitals) has seemingly beaten his clone, LG-IM's True when it comes to naming rights. TRUE hasn't set the world on fire by any means, having a record under 50% overall in his SC2 games, but LG-IM's True hasn't played an official match in Korea in over six months, so I think we can feel comfortable giving the title of the true True to TRUE, the player who most would rank at the bottom of their power rankings in this Code S season.



He got through all three rounds of Code A, beating Hack, Crazy and B4 on his way to Code S, but he wasn't necessarily impressive in victory. All three players you would consider good, but we've already seen Crazy perform in Code S, getting beat down on the first day of the season, dropping out of the tournament without a single victory. The three players TRUE beat can all be called Code S players on their best days, but they'd all be ranked at the bottom of the ladder alongside TRUE, hoping for a big upset in the first round and sneaking into the round of sixteen.



I don't want to start digging TRUE's grave just yet, seeing as this group should be considered one of the weakest in the Ro32, but he's going to have his work cut out for him against three players who can play amazing on their best daays. Taeja, Fantasy and Kangho might not all be at the top of their games these days, and all having questions surrounding them heading into this Code S group. But all three of TRUE's opponents have the potential to have breakthrough nights and make it deep in the tournament, while TRUE himself has shown nothing of the sort.



"The You're Still LG-IM_LosirA" Kangho



Alright, Losira, I know why you changed your name. You have been out of the limelight for the past year, you wanted to shake things up, and Kangho is your actual name, so it all makes sense. But seeing as you've actually made a Code S final under the ID Losira, it's hard to swallow calling you a new name after so many years of knowing you as Losira. I can try to accept this as I've accepted your constant hair color changes, but I hope you Google translate this and know that I'm not happy about it.



Looking at the handy dandy Korean GM ladder, you can see that Kangho is doing quite well for himself, hovering around a 58% win rate. When looking at championship contenders like Squirtle and Innovation, both around 66% and 69% respectively, you might not call Kangho the same caliber of player, but the round of sixteen or even a knockout round appearance isn't out of the question. With Nestea saying peace out y'all and taking his spaceship to the foreign lands of this planet called the United States, Kangho is left the responsibility of becoming LG-IM's new Zerg ace of the Korean leagues. While this would have probably happened anyway, with Nestea slipping down the mountain and Kangho making his way back up, this just makes it official that Kangho is the leader of the Zerg line-up for LG-IM.



Overall thoughts and predictions:



I don't really trust anyone in this group, so it's hard to make a prediction. Taeja has bum wrists and is crossing the streams by being in WCS NA and WCS Korea at the same time, so I don't know what's going to happen there, know what kind of motivation he has to do well this season given the circumstances. Fantasy should be a really good player one day, on the same level as a Life or Flash, but is still lagging behind in development, and he has a lot to prove in his first Code S appearance. The only thing we really know about TRUE is that he is more relevant than the other True, but is that really enough to give him a ticket to the round of sixteen? Finally, the artist formerly known as Losira is finally getting back to where he once was, as a staple of the Code S line-up, but the times have changed and the old staples of Code S have either died off or are all moving to Europe or America for an easier chance at making money.



When all else fails, you go with the Terran players, because they have super fast medivacs and I heard on Reddit that they are overpowered and unstoppable.





Fantasy > Taeja

Kangho > TRUE

Fantasy > Kangho

Taeja > TRUE

Taeja > Kangho



Fantasy and TaeJa advance.

Hearing the news that Taeja – one of the most consistent Terrans the GSL has ever had – is moving to the WCS America region next season and competing in what is quickly becoming GSL Jr. with a few token Americans, raises a lot of questions as he walks into his final Code S season for the foreseeable future. He is being allowed to compete in one final Korean tournament, but will have to go through the qualifiers and have no shot of playing in the WCS NA Premiere League for the first season.What if he makes yet another top four run, or even wins it all? Does that mean those points carry over to America? Would that mean that TeamLiquid could simply go, 'Hey, uh, about the whole moving to America thing, can we just forget that whole conversation ever happened and just let Taeja continue on in Korea? If Taeja gets far in this tournament - and anyone who has watched GSL in 2012 knows that this is a strong possibility - how will that work with the thrown together WCS system? Will he be playing in the qualifiers for WCS America and also playing the later rounds of Korea's Premiere League?All these questions will be asked as Taeja steps into the GSL booths for potentially the last time, hoping to make it to his first GSL finals. With so many star players leaving their system, the GSL can be glad that TaeJa is playing at all, though it was unlikely the bigwigs at Blizzard HQ would have allowed their regional partners to poach from each other's premier divisions so freely. Having made it to three quarterfinals and a semifinal in the past year, Taeja has been on the cusp of greatness before getting knocked down in devastating fashion. TaeJa always seems to run into a finalist hitting his peak, with Life, Squirtle and Roro all having made Taeja look outclassed in their late round meetings. With wrist issues, region confusion, and the knockout rounds being his greatest enemies, we don't really know what to expect from Liquid's ace as the tournament continues. But, if there is one player who you can count to bring it in the early rounds, then it's TaeJa, a truly a prince of the group stages.The eternal Terran rival to his friend Flash, Fantasy is keen on making his on impact in Heart of the Swarm. Unlike Flash, he hasn't qualified for any major individual leagues before this season, but he's been able to get back on track in Proleague, busting out of a month long slump and starting to pick up the wins again. When it was first made known that the KeSPA players would be finally transitioning over to SC2 from Brood War, Fantasy was pegged as one of the players who would benefit the most from the switch. Many people – including Fantasy himself – said that the fast paced nature of SC2 would fit his playstyle even more, giving him a chance to earn the title of best player in the world that he was denied throughout his career by players like Flash, Jaedong, and even JangBi at the end of BW.While getting well deserved hype when he first switched to Starcraft 2, Fantasy hasn't fully delivered so far. That's not to say he's been a disappointment, as getting to Code S already proves that he is on his way to being one of the better Terran players in Korea, but Fantasy isn't a player who should be satisfied with simply being one of the best thirty-two players in the world. With his talent, mechanics and a Terran legend like Boxe behind him, he should be aiming for nothing less than a championship every time he starts a tournament. The results might not be there yet, but Fantasy is a special player. Much like like Flash, he has all the makings of a future champion in Korea.In another edition of two Korean players having the same exact name, Team 8's TRUE (all capitals) has seemingly beaten his clone, LG-IM's True when it comes to naming rights. TRUE hasn't set the world on fire by any means, having a record under 50% overall in his SC2 games, but LG-IM's True hasn't played an official match in Korea in over six months, so I think we can feel comfortable giving the title of the true True to TRUE, the player who most would rank at the bottom of their power rankings in this Code S season.He got through all three rounds of Code A, beating Hack, Crazy and B4 on his way to Code S, but he wasn't necessarily impressive in victory. All three players you would consider good, but we've already seen Crazy perform in Code S, getting beat down on the first day of the season, dropping out of the tournament without a single victory. The three players TRUE beat can all be called Code S players on their best days, but they'd all be ranked at the bottom of the ladder alongside TRUE, hoping for a big upset in the first round and sneaking into the round of sixteen.I don't want to start digging TRUE's grave just yet, seeing as this group should be considered one of the weakest in the Ro32, but he's going to have his work cut out for him against three players who can play amazing on their best daays. Taeja, Fantasy and Kangho might not all be at the top of their games these days, and all having questions surrounding them heading into this Code S group. But all three of TRUE's opponents have the potential to have breakthrough nights and make it deep in the tournament, while TRUE himself has shown nothing of the sort.Alright, Losira, I know why you changed your name. You have been out of the limelight for the past year, you wanted to shake things up, and Kangho is your actual name, so it all makes sense. But seeing as you've actually made a Code S final under the ID Losira, it's hard to swallow calling you a new name after so many years of knowing you as Losira. I can try to accept this as I've accepted your constant hair color changes, but I hope you Google translate this and know that I'm not happy about it.Looking at the handy dandy Korean GM ladder, you can see that Kangho is doing quite well for himself, hovering around a 58% win rate. When looking at championship contenders like Squirtle and Innovation, both around 66% and 69% respectively, you might not call Kangho the same caliber of player, but the round of sixteen or even a knockout round appearance isn't out of the question. With Nestea saying peace out y'all and taking his spaceship to the foreign lands of this planet called the United States, Kangho is left the responsibility of becoming LG-IM's new Zerg ace of the Korean leagues. While this would have probably happened anyway, with Nestea slipping down the mountain and Kangho making his way back up, this just makes it official that Kangho is the leader of the Zerg line-up for LG-IM.I don't really trust anyone in this group, so it's hard to make a prediction. Taeja has bum wrists and is crossing the streams by being in WCS NA and WCS Korea at the same time, so I don't know what's going to happen there, know what kind of motivation he has to do well this season given the circumstances. Fantasybe a really good player one day, on the same level as a Life or Flash, but is still lagging behind in development, and he has a lot to prove in his first Code S appearance. The only thing we really know about TRUE is that he is more relevant than the other True, but is that really enough to give him a ticket to the round of sixteen? Finally, the artist formerly known as Losira is finally getting back to where he once was, as a staple of the Code S line-up, but the times have changed and the old staples of Code S have either died off or are all moving to Europe or America for an easier chance at making money.When all else fails, you go with the Terran players, because they have super fast medivacs and I heard on Reddit that they are overpowered and unstoppable.> Taeja> TRUE> Kangho> TRUE> Kangho