Road to BlizzCon #14 - KT.Zest - WCS 2015 Text by TL.net ESPORTS Graphics by shiroiusagi, dravernor Story

Player Spotlight

Analysis The Road to Blizzcon - Ch XIV - Zest







Chapter XIV Hope is Kindled by DarkLordOlli







Sitting there, sunk down in his chair, was Life. His shadow had shrunk, his arrogance lost. The confidence that had engulfed the land had abandoned him. He stared at the empty table in front of him, which was a reflection of his own mind. He’d done amazing things for KT during his reign, but it was his defeat that had made them gather here—and he knew it better than anyone else.



The door opened with a nasty squeak as Ryu Won entered the room. It crashed behind him. Everyone stood up to greet their eldest, all eyes on him, as if they were expecting, nay, hoping, nay, begging him for a miracle.



“Take your seats,” his voice echoed off the stone walls as he did so himself.



A long pause followed as Ryu Won took his time to look at each of the attendees. Eventually, he stopped at Life who still hadn’t made eye contact with anyone. Under different circumstances, that would have been considered extremely disrespectful and he would have been punished on the spot. This time, however, no-one could really blame Life. They all felt for him.



“Life.”



The kid’s sunken stare rose to meet Ryu Won’s eyes.



“I’m sorry, master,” he pleaded quietly.



“What will you do?” Ryu Won finally posed the question they’d all been waiting for. Life took a second to respond.



“I’ll fight,” he said, yet everyone felt the uncertainty in his voice. It was a weak statement from a man at his very weakest.



“They will defeat you.”



And that was the problem. Life had taken such a heavy mental beating at the hands of Dream that none of KT had any faith in his mission to reclaim the throne. In his current, battered state, the youngster would only get himself killed again—and KT in even more trouble.



Ryu Won however was not fooling around. He knew how dire the situation was. “We cannot let you go.”



“We could wake—,” Flash began his suggestion but was quickly cut off by a hectic TY, “No, Flash. That should be our final option. He’s earned that right.”



“So should we just surrender and—,” Flash began enraged, but he was immediately interrupted again.



“We should at least consider it. If we don’t take part in this war, we might be able to convince the new king that we’re not their enemy. If we fight and try to get Life back on the throne, we’re all in. If we don’t succeed…” Stats had summed up the issue precisely. With Life at his lowest point, victory was not the most likely scenario for KT. Settling on a less favorable outcome while avoiding total cataclysm could be in their best interest.



“And what if the new king is from SKT?” First objected. “We can never convince an SKT king that we’re not their enemy.”



“I know, but—”



“We shouldn’t—”



“Quiet, all of you.” Ryu Won’s deep, calm voice broke the quarrel immediately. “I admire your dedication to our cause, but arguing without clear aim will get us nowhere.”



His eyes glanced back at Life. “Life, you can’t go alone. But none of us are strong enough to make a difference even if we join you.”



Ryu Won stood up, with a subtle hand gesture dictating everyone to stay in their seats. “When we took the throne, it was Zest who destroyed SKT’s army and all their champions. Single-handedly. What were his final words to you, my sons?”



Nobody wanted to answer. They all knew where Ryu Won's speech was headed.



TY finally broke the silence, “He said to wake him if we needed him.”



Ryu Won nodded. “He helped us win the throne. Now we’ve lost it. If we don’t reassert our claim now, it may be lost to us for good. Who knows what will happen to us if SKT appoint the next ruler of this land.”



He glared at them all again and they could see in his eyes a profound resolve—it radiated from him. “We need him now.”



“So we wake him and send him into battle with Life?” Flash asked and Ryu Won nodded.



“When?”



“Right now.”



A sharp, uncomfortable aura shot through the room. Nobody really wanted to be around for that procedure.



“You’re all scared of him?” Flash observed with disappointment. “He’s your leader! The captain of your clan! And you’re scared of him? You should be grateful for all he’s done for us! And you should be relieved beyond measure that he gave us the possibility to consult him in these dark times.”



Flash couldn’t believe them. Zest was the ultimate servant to KT Rolster’s cause. He had sacrificed himself to win KT the throne and had achieved countless victories over their nemeses SKT. And he was his friend. Their response showed how little they knew him.



“He’s going to hate us,” TY warned.



Flash sneered at him in disbelief. “He’s going to hate us?” he repeated slowly.



“We really screwed up in his absence, didn’t we? He left everything in our hands and we lost it all. We’re robbing him of his well deserved rest because we slept on defending our throne, Life’s throne.”



There was finally honesty in TY’s voice and arguments. A breath of fresh air in these halls after several long days filled with little but repression.



Flash couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s all?”



After hours and hours of beating around the bush, their biggest concern was what Zest was going to think of them? TY gave him a look that reminded Flash of a confused child. “Well… yeah... “



Flash shook his head with a relieved smile on his face. “Zest will never hate you. He would give his life for KT and all of you. You have my word.”



“TY,” spoke Ryu Won, “never put your personal feelings before the clan’s future. Even if he did hate you.”



“Yes, master…” TY mumbled.



Flash took one deep breath and gazed at the chandelier above them. The room appeared so much brighter now. There was a future for KT, an ending to this saga that could still favor them. And Ryu Won was guiding them towards it.



“I will do it,” he proclaimed before standing up.



Ryu Won nodded. “You’ve earned the right. Do it right after the meeting. Let them know who’s coming for them.”



He turned to KT’s council members, “You’re all dismissed for today. Life...” He took a long, deep look at the youngster, “We’re counting on you, but you’re not alone.”



Life nodded. He was ready to get up, but Ryu Won wasn’t done. “Everyone, make sure Life and Zest are prepared for everything before they leave. You all know how important this is. For you, for me, all of us. This is still our kingdom. Defend our throne!”



Ryu Won had done it again, Flash thought to himself. What a brilliant leader that man was. The members of KT’s council applauded their eldest as he left the room and then made haste to begin their preparations. A few seconds later the bell started ringing. KT wouldn’t go down quietly. KT would fight.



Flash stepped outside the building and looked up at the sky, but storm clouds had already covered the evening sun, ready to explode at any time. He made his way across the courtyard with decisive footsteps aimed for where KT’s most precious artifact rose from the middle of the plaza. It radiated a blue psionic heartbeat, dull but enough to act as a beacon. It wasn’t a statue, however. It was him. Zest had fallen into a state of eternal sleep, covering his body in a glasslike layer that allowed visitors see through to him. Both legs firmly planted on the ground, arms crossed, eyes closed. KT’s captain still looked the same as he did in that very moment. Now, here he stood, proudly watching over his clan.



“Wake me when you need me,” Flash recited as he finally arrived at his friend’s monument. He looked at Zest’s mighty features: the chiseled jawline, the sculpted torso, and hair frozen in place. Then, without further ado, he laid his hand on the cocoon as they’d been instructed to do if the time ever came.



“We need you, brother,” Flash whispered to the icy sheets. Within a second, there was a pulse. The glowing light inside the glass grew brighter. Flash took a few steps back; his heart was racing. The ground began to tremble. A first strike of lightning came down from the sky. More would come.



The glow turned into a blinding light, illuminating the entirety of the courtyard and casting a large, drawn out shadow behind Flash. He could feel the pressure rising in the air and he could feel the earth shaking. The clouds erupted with a growling scream and finally Zest’s shell burst. Shards of glass flew through the air only to evaporate instantly as a gigantic ray of blue psionic light shot into the sky and pierced the clouds. The sky lit up with lightning each second.



For a few breathless moments, the pressure in the air remained at its peak. It felt as though the air itself was shivering with excitement. Finally, when it almost began to feel like the wild energy would devour the clouds entirely, the light slowly began to thin out. The pressure sank. The world began to calm down. The energy engulfing KT's legendary captain dissipated and finally faded away.



“This,” Flash thought, “they will have seen around the world.”



A few seconds of silence followed, only accompanied by the dying down rumbling of the ground. Then, finally, Flash heard his breath. And then his voice.



“Why did you wake me, brother?” His waking words resounded in the courtyard and—it felt that way at least—the whole world. Zest’s eyes opened. Flash only needed one word to tell him everything.



“SKT.”



And Zest nodded.







It was dark in KT’s meeting room. The chandelier dangling from the ceiling high above the gigantic, mahogany table provided only scant lighting that day, as if it had felt the atmosphere in the room and had adjusted to it. Its occasional flickers of light sent shadows crawling across the faces of KT’s finest. The trophies that packed the room had all shined brighter in the past and now looked pale in the face of the all encompassing feeling of helplessness and, indeed, despair that could be felt in every corner of this giant stronghold.Sitting there, sunk down in his chair, was Life. His shadow had shrunk, his arrogance lost. The confidence that had engulfed the land had abandoned him. He stared at the empty table in front of him, which was a reflection of his own mind. He’d done amazing things for KT during his reign, but it was his defeat that had made them gather here—and he knew it better than anyone else.The door opened with a nasty squeak as Ryu Won entered the room. It crashed behind him. Everyone stood up to greet their eldest, all eyes on him, as if they were expecting, nay, hoping, nay, begging him for a miracle.“Take your seats,” his voice echoed off the stone walls as he did so himself.A long pause followed as Ryu Won took his time to look at each of the attendees. Eventually, he stopped at Life who still hadn’t made eye contact with anyone. Under different circumstances, that would have been considered extremely disrespectful and he would have been punished on the spot. This time, however, no-one could really blame Life. They all felt for him.“Life.”The kid’s sunken stare rose to meet Ryu Won’s eyes.“I’m sorry, master,” he pleaded quietly.“What will you do?” Ryu Won finally posed the question they’d all been waiting for. Life took a second to respond.“I’ll fight,” he said, yet everyone felt the uncertainty in his voice. It was a weak statement from a man at his very weakest.“They will defeat you.”And that was the problem. Life had taken such a heavy mental beating at the hands of Dream that none of KT had any faith in his mission to reclaim the throne. In his current, battered state, the youngster would only get himself killed again—and KT in even more trouble.Ryu Won however was not fooling around. He knew how dire the situation was. “We cannot let you go.”“We could wake—,” Flash began his suggestion but was quickly cut off by a hectic TY, “No, Flash. That should be our final option. He’s earned that right.”“So should we just surrender and—,” Flash began enraged, but he was immediately interrupted again.“We should at least consider it. If we don’t take part in this war, we might be able to convince the new king that we’re not their enemy. If we fight and try to get Life back on the throne, we’re all in. If we don’t succeed…” Stats had summed up the issue precisely. With Life at his lowest point, victory was not the most likely scenario for KT. Settling on a less favorable outcome while avoiding total cataclysm could be in their best interest.“And what if the new king is from SKT?” First objected. “We can never convince an SKT king that we’re not their enemy.”“I know, but—”“We shouldn’t—”“Quiet, all of you.” Ryu Won’s deep, calm voice broke the quarrel immediately. “I admire your dedication to our cause, but arguing without clear aim will get us nowhere.”His eyes glanced back at Life. “Life, you can’t go alone. But none of us are strong enough to make a difference even if we join you.”Ryu Won stood up, with a subtle hand gesture dictating everyone to stay in their seats. “When we took the throne, it was Zest who destroyed SKT’s army and all their champions. Single-handedly. What were his final words to you, my sons?”Nobody wanted to answer. They all knew where Ryu Won's speech was headed.TY finally broke the silence, “He said to wake him if we needed him.”Ryu Won nodded. “He helped us win the throne. Now we’ve lost it. If we don’t reassert our claim now, it may be lost to us for good. Who knows what will happen to us if SKT appoint the next ruler of this land.”He glared at them all again and they could see in his eyes a profound resolve—it radiated from him. “We need him now.”“So we wake him and send him into battle with Life?” Flash asked and Ryu Won nodded.“When?”“Right now.”A sharp, uncomfortable aura shot through the room. Nobody really wanted to be around for that procedure.“You’re all scared of him?” Flash observed with disappointment. “He’s your leader! The captain of your clan! And you’re scared of him? You should be grateful for all he’s done for us! And you should be relieved beyond measure that he gave us the possibility to consult him in these dark times.”Flash couldn’t believe them. Zest was the ultimate servant to KT Rolster’s cause. He had sacrificed himself to win KT the throne and had achieved countless victories over their nemeses SKT. And he was his friend. Their response showed how little they knew him.“He’s going to hate us,” TY warned.Flash sneered at him in disbelief. “He’s going to hate us?” he repeated slowly.“We really screwed up in his absence, didn’t we? He left everything in our hands and we lost it all. We’re robbing him of his well deserved rest because we slept on defending our throne, Life’s throne.”There was finally honesty in TY’s voice and arguments. A breath of fresh air in these halls after several long days filled with little but repression.Flash couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s all?”After hours and hours of beating around the bush, their biggest concern was what Zest was going to think of them? TY gave him a look that reminded Flash of a confused child. “Well… yeah... “Flash shook his head with a relieved smile on his face. “Zest will never hate you. He would give his life for KT and all of you. You have my word.”“TY,” spoke Ryu Won, “never put your personal feelings before the clan’s future. Even if he did hate you.”“Yes, master…” TY mumbled.Flash took one deep breath and gazed at the chandelier above them. The room appeared so much brighter now. There was a future for KT, an ending to this saga that could still favor them. And Ryu Won was guiding them towards it.“I will do it,” he proclaimed before standing up.Ryu Won nodded. “You’ve earned the right. Do it right after the meeting. Let them know who’s coming for them.”He turned to KT’s council members, “You’re all dismissed for today. Life...” He took a long, deep look at the youngster, “We’re counting on you, but you’re not alone.”Life nodded. He was ready to get up, but Ryu Won wasn’t done. “Everyone, make sure Life and Zest are prepared for everything before they leave. You all know how important this is. For you, for me, all of us. This is still our kingdom. Defend our throne!”Ryu Won had done it again, Flash thought to himself. What a brilliant leader that man was. The members of KT’s council applauded their eldest as he left the room and then made haste to begin their preparations. A few seconds later the bell started ringing. KT wouldn’t go down quietly. KT would fight.Flash stepped outside the building and looked up at the sky, but storm clouds had already covered the evening sun, ready to explode at any time. He made his way across the courtyard with decisive footsteps aimed for where KT’s most precious artifact rose from the middle of the plaza. It radiated a blue psionic heartbeat, dull but enough to act as a beacon. It wasn’t a statue, however. It was him. Zest had fallen into a state of eternal sleep, covering his body in a glasslike layer that allowed visitors see through to him. Both legs firmly planted on the ground, arms crossed, eyes closed. KT’s captain still looked the same as he did in that very moment. Now, here he stood, proudly watching over his clan.Flash recited as he finally arrived at his friend’s monument. He looked at Zest’s mighty features: the chiseled jawline, the sculpted torso, and hair frozen in place. Then, without further ado, he laid his hand on the cocoon as they’d been instructed to do if the time ever came.“We need you, brother,” Flash whispered to the icy sheets. Within a second, there was a pulse. The glowing light inside the glass grew brighter. Flash took a few steps back; his heart was racing. The ground began to tremble. A first strike of lightning came down from the sky. More would come.The glow turned into a blinding light, illuminating the entirety of the courtyard and casting a large, drawn out shadow behind Flash. He could feel the pressure rising in the air and he could feel the earth shaking. The clouds erupted with a growling scream and finally Zest’s shell burst. Shards of glass flew through the air only to evaporate instantly as a gigantic ray of blue psionic light shot into the sky and pierced the clouds. The sky lit up with lightning each second.For a few breathless moments, the pressure in the air remained at its peak. It felt as though the air itself was shivering with excitement. Finally, when it almost began to feel like the wild energy would devour the clouds entirely, the light slowly began to thin out. The pressure sank. The world began to calm down. The energy engulfing KT's legendary captain dissipated and finally faded away.“This,” Flash thought, “they will have seen around the world.”A few seconds of silence followed, only accompanied by the dying down rumbling of the ground. Then, finally, Flash heard his breath. And then his voice.“Why did you wake me, brother?” His waking words resounded in the courtyard and—it felt that way at least—the whole world. Zest’s eyes opened. Flash only needed one word to tell him everything.“SKT.”And Zest nodded.





Stats are from Aligulac.com







The bigger they are, the harder they fall. After bestriding the Korean scene like a Colossus for the whole of 2014, Zest’s start to his 2015 campaign was catastrophic. A loss to MarineKing in the Hot6ix Cup shattered his dreams of matching Mvp’s record of four Korean championships in a calendar year, while losses in three of the first four starleague qualifiers of the year (including, incredibly, to TANGTANG in Season 2) meant that he saw little action for the first few months of the year in individual competition.



The one notable exception, of course, was his redemptive victory at the IEM World Championships. While he was far from the dominant, controlling presence of last year, his tenacity and will to win saw him scrap his way to the title. Hard fought 3-2 victories over Hydra and INnoVation were followed by better performances against Bbyong and Trap as he played himself into form as the tournament went on. Just like that, seemingly, a switch had been flipped. The three quarterfinal exits would have been disappointing to the championship calibre player of last year, but to a Zest battling his way back into WCS contention, the points they represented were vital additions to his tally. The fact that his points total was gathered from a mere five competitions shows the fine line between success and failure. However, you can only keep a good player down for so long, and Proleague Round 4 saw Zest return to form with a perfect 11-0 record, showcasing again the ability to effortlessly control a game that had been sorely missed from his play earlier in the year. Along with INnoVation and sOs, he comes to BlizzCon as one of the form players. A year on from his demoralising loss to Life in the Round of 16, he’ll be looking to do much, much better.





WCS Points:





Top 5 Games







1. Zest vs Hydra, IEM Katowice 2015 - Secret Spring

After a botched immortal all in lost him game 1, and a strong swarm host siege from Hydra lost him game 2, Zest was on the ropes in Katowice. He may have won set 3, but here on Secret Spring, Zest was still perilously close to dropping out at the first hurdle. Attempted warp prism / DT harass was shut down easily by the ROOT zerg, who began to switch into a mutalisk-heavy swarm host composition. The muta flock took out the fourth, while a ling runby made its way into the main. However, the harassment had bought Zest enough time to finally reach his tech of choice, and began to make his move. A great engagement at the front with his ground army sectioned off a large chunk of swarm hosts, while upgraded phoenixes removed all of Hydra’s corruptors from the map. Without sufficient ground forces to buffer, the remaining swarm hosts were mopped up with ease by the powerful colossus-based core of Zest's army, while mutalisks were powerless against his stalker / phonenix combo. Hydra was forced to tap out, and Zest gingerly took his first steps towards the title.









2. Zest vs Trap, IEM Katowice 2015 - Deadwing

It’s natural for the pace of a game to slow down once the lategame is reached, and in no matchup is this more true than in PvP. Once Zest and Trap both warp in their motherships, the frenetic pace of the early game is well and truly ditched for a tactical battle of attrition. When watching Zest play in the mirror matchup, it’s almost difficult to immediately pinpoint why he’s as good as he is. His micro is effective, if not on the level of PartinG or herO, while his macro still lapses occasionally when the pressure mounts. It’s Zest’s positioning and decision making, though, which elevates him above the rest. Simply put, while he might not be the very best in the world at executing the minutiae of a strategy, he’s always in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. It’s a maxim which underlies his gameplay, and once again it serves him well here. The decision to sacrifice a large pack of stalkers to harass and scout opened up supply space for another handful of tempests, and once the air war was won, there was only going to be one winner.









3. Zest vs Bbyong, SSL 2015 Season 2 - Vaani Research Station

Trust Bbyong to take a game completely off the beaten path. Bopped twice in standard games with bio, Bbyong flipped all the way round into full blown mech in game 3. Whether Zest’s response was an amused riposte to Bbyong’s unorthodox challenge, or a genuine, prepared strategy honed in the KT teamhouse, we’ll likely never know. All that’s certain is that, for the second time this year, carriers were released onto the field of battle. A laboured opening from Bbyong saw him struggle against Zest’s constant blink stalker harass, taking full advantage of the terran’s poor positioning and lack of mobility. It delayed Bbyong to such an extent that by the time Zest moved out on 200/200 supply, he had ten carriers ready to go, which proceeded to shred Bbyong’s expensive army within seconds.









4. Zest vs Maru, SSL 2015 Season 3 - Iron Fortress

While Maru’s dominance against protoss as a whole this year was absolute, he seemed to save much of his derision for Zest. Time after time he slapped him down, recording six consecutive flawless series victories against his personal whipping boy. So when matched against Maru in the SSL group stages for Season 3, Zest couldn't have been feeling too confident. However, showing much improved PvT (and possibly up against a Maru who wasn’t firing on all cylinders), Zest beat the Jin Air man not once, but twice to make his way out of the group. The highlight of the six sets played was this game on Iron Fortress. Rushing out a hidden dark shrine showed us that Zest had no intention of playing standard against his nemesis, but up against a triple CC build, damage done was minimal. Significantly behind, Zest upped the ante, harassing with DTs in the main and at the third while adding on a third of his own. Massing colossi, Zest pushed in for a frontal assault. Maru’s style works because of his ability to constantly trade off cheap bio units for protoss tech, leaving a climactic engagement that much easier to handle. Without those prior engagements, Maru realised he was in trouble, and he teched to both ghosts and vikings in a desperate bid to stave off the coming assault. Too late though; Zest crashed through the third, and with the economic advantage, waited for another round of reinforcements before doing the same to the natural.









5. Zest vs DongRaeGu, SPL 2015 R4 Playoffs - Vaani Research Station

One of the great stories bubbling under the surface during the second half of this year’s Proleague was DRG’s sudden return to form. Despite failing to qualify for a single starleague in 2015, the SBENU zerg quietly put together one of the best runs of the year in the teamleague, with an eventual 9-3 record. Coming into the ace match on a six win streak, it’s inevitable that the only player to beat him in the final round had to be Zest. It was in Round 4 that the KT ace truly returned to the dominant form that he’d displayed last year, with a scarcely believable perfect 11-0 round. The truly great thing about this match is that it really shouldn’t have been this close; on any other day, against any other player, Zest’s gateway attack should have easily been enough to win. That it didn’t came down to DongRaeGu’s champion spirit resurfacing, which in turn forced Zest to raise his own game, giving us a tense and breathless finale.





The bigger they are, the harder they fall. After bestriding the Korean scene like a Colossus for the whole of 2014, Zest’s start to his 2015 campaign was catastrophic. A loss to MarineKing in the Hot6ix Cup shattered his dreams of matching Mvp’s record of four Korean championships in a calendar year, while losses in three of the first four starleague qualifiers of the year (including, incredibly, to TANGTANG in Season 2) meant that he saw little action for the first few months of the year in individual competition.The one notable exception, of course, was his redemptive victory at the IEM World Championships. While he was far from the dominant, controlling presence of last year, his tenacity and will to win saw him scrap his way to the title. Hard fought 3-2 victories over Hydra and INnoVation were followed by better performances against Bbyong and Trap as he played himself into form as the tournament went on. Just like that, seemingly, a switch had been flipped. The three quarterfinal exits would have been disappointing to the championship calibre player of last year, but to a Zest battling his way back into WCS contention, the points they represented were vital additions to his tally. The fact that his points total was gathered from a mere five competitions shows the fine line between success and failure. However, you can only keep a good player down for so long, and Proleague Round 4 saw Zest return to form with a perfect 11-0 record, showcasing again the ability to effortlessly control a game that had been sorely missed from his play earlier in the year. Along with INnoVation and sOs, he comes to BlizzCon as one of the form players. A year on from his demoralising loss to Life in the Round of 16, he’ll be looking to do much, much better.After a botched immortal all in lost him game 1, and a strong swarm host siege from Hydra lost him game 2, Zest was on the ropes in Katowice. He may have won set 3, but here on Secret Spring, Zest was still perilously close to dropping out at the first hurdle. Attempted warp prism / DT harass was shut down easily by the ROOT zerg, who began to switch into a mutalisk-heavy swarm host composition. The muta flock took out the fourth, while a ling runby made its way into the main. However, the harassment had bought Zest enough time to finally reach his tech of choice, and began to make his move. A great engagement at the front with his ground army sectioned off a large chunk of swarm hosts, while upgraded phoenixes removed all of Hydra’s corruptors from the map. Without sufficient ground forces to buffer, the remaining swarm hosts were mopped up with ease by the powerful colossus-based core of Zest's army, while mutalisks were powerless against his stalker / phonenix combo. Hydra was forced to tap out, and Zest gingerly took his first steps towards the title.It’s natural for the pace of a game to slow down once the lategame is reached, and in no matchup is this more true than in PvP. Once Zest and Trap both warp in their motherships, the frenetic pace of the early game is well and truly ditched for a tactical battle of attrition. When watching Zest play in the mirror matchup, it’s almost difficult to immediately pinpoint why he’s as good as he is. His micro is effective, if not on the level of PartinG or herO, while his macro still lapses occasionally when the pressure mounts. It’s Zest’s positioning and decision making, though, which elevates him above the rest. Simply put, while he might not be the very best in the world at executing the minutiae of a strategy, he’s always in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. It’s a maxim which underlies his gameplay, and once again it serves him well here. The decision to sacrifice a large pack of stalkers to harass and scout opened up supply space for another handful of tempests, and once the air war was won, there was only going to be one winner.Trust Bbyong to take a game completely off the beaten path. Bopped twice in standard games with bio, Bbyong flipped all the way round into full blown mech in game 3. Whether Zest’s response was an amused riposte to Bbyong’s unorthodox challenge, or a genuine, prepared strategy honed in the KT teamhouse, we’ll likely never know. All that’s certain is that, for the second time this year, carriers were released onto the field of battle. A laboured opening from Bbyong saw him struggle against Zest’s constant blink stalker harass, taking full advantage of the terran’s poor positioning and lack of mobility. It delayed Bbyong to such an extent that by the time Zest moved out on 200/200 supply, he had ten carriers ready to go, which proceeded to shred Bbyong’s expensive army within seconds.While Maru’s dominance against protoss as a whole this year was absolute, he seemed to save much of his derision for Zest. Time after time he slapped him down, recording six consecutive flawless series victories against his personal whipping boy. So when matched against Maru in the SSL group stages for Season 3, Zest couldn't have been feeling too confident. However, showing much improved PvT (and possibly up against a Maru who wasn’t firing on all cylinders), Zest beat the Jin Air man not once, but twice to make his way out of the group. The highlight of the six sets played was this game on Iron Fortress. Rushing out a hidden dark shrine showed us that Zest had no intention of playing standard against his nemesis, but up against a triple CC build, damage done was minimal. Significantly behind, Zest upped the ante, harassing with DTs in the main and at the third while adding on a third of his own. Massing colossi, Zest pushed in for a frontal assault. Maru’s style works because of his ability to constantly trade off cheap bio units for protoss tech, leaving a climactic engagement that much easier to handle. Without those prior engagements, Maru realised he was in trouble, and he teched to both ghosts and vikings in a desperate bid to stave off the coming assault. Too late though; Zest crashed through the third, and with the economic advantage, waited for another round of reinforcements before doing the same to the natural.One of the great stories bubbling under the surface during the second half of this year’s Proleague was DRG’s sudden return to form. Despite failing to qualify for a single starleague in 2015, the SBENU zerg quietly put together one of the best runs of the year in the teamleague, with an eventual 9-3 record. Coming into the ace match on a six win streak, it’s inevitable that the only player to beat him in the final roundto be Zest. It was in Round 4 that the KT ace truly returned to the dominant form that he’d displayed last year, with a scarcely believable perfect 11-0 round. The truly great thing about this match is that it really shouldn’t have been this close; on any other day, against any other player, Zest’s gateway attack should have easily been enough to win. That it didn’t came down to DongRaeGu’s champion spirit resurfacing, which in turn forced Zest to raise his own game, giving us a tense and breathless finale.

Zest vs Maru

S2SL 2015 Season 3 Ro16 - Cactus Valley

by: DarkLordOlli



Zest opened with a perfectly standard single gas gateway expand on Cactus Valley. Having been on the receiving end of a proxy stargate into blink all in here in their previous encounter, Maru decided to take no risks this game, checking around with an SCV while opening with a cookie-cutter reaper opening. Zest started a zealot as a safety measure against possible ebay blocks. Here's where he put in his first nifty trick of the game. Anticipating the first possible scout timing from Maru's SCV, he snuck a probe to the natural, hiding it from the SCV scout that did in fact come in at the first possible opportunity. That simple move allowed Zest to cancel the zealot safely and start the natural nexus unopposed.



To round out his perfectly standard opening, he followed up with a mothership core, gas and third pylon before resuming probe production and building his first stalker. This build sets protoss up to transition into any tech of their choice. In the meantime, he used another really smart adjustment to make sure he obtains scouting information. Sending his probe through the middle of the map instead of taking the direct path, Zest's probe avoided Maru's reaper and scouted the entire Terran setup - reaper expand with CC followup, straight up to factory. Awesome. Through two simple yet elegant tricks, Zest had managed to avoid any hiccups in his opening of choice and obtained a perfect scout. He knew all he needed to know and had the perfect setup to react in any way he wanted. His tech of choice after all that was a stargate.





This probe is the very start of Zest's win.



Why the stargate? If executed well, a stargate opening perfectly deals with any sort of factory opening. Oracles provide detection and/or counterdamage against possible widow mine drops or hellion openings, and stay useful throughout the entire game. And, perhaps equally important, an early phoenix after the oracle immediately puts a stop to any drop shenanigans. Note the small adjustment in Zest's build to make up for the heavy gas commitment to stargate and phoenixes - he built a zealot after his first stalker. In almost every other scenario, this would be a second stalker.



Nifty building placement prevented Maru's reaper from scouting Zest's tech, although the zealot could and perhaps should have tipped Maru off. Zest proceeded with a second stalker to add DPS to his army, and a robotics facility really quickly. After skipping the oracle in favor of phoenixes right off the bat, this robotics facility was timed to perfection. His first observer would come out just in time to deal with any widow mines, while two phoenixes, two stalkers and a zealot would easily dispatch hellions. Zest at this point was perfectly set up to deal with absolutely anything Maru could be throwing his way - and all because of his brilliantly constructed early game.





Completely denied.



Phoenixes caught the medivac and even though they didn't kill it, they picked off both widow mines. With phoenixes already on the map, Maru cannot continue any factory based aggression. What's next for Zest? Well, he found himself in the perfect position. Stim was naturally delayed by Maru's opening which got completely shut down for absolutely zero damage. Zest was free to do whatever he wanted and he made the right calls. Forge, robotics bay, third base, two extra gateway (he'd been on only one gateway until this point). This spot in the game is one every protoss LOVES. Freely flowing economy, heavily delayed stim, complete freedom to tech and expand while having constant scouting and harassment potential through five phoenixes? I can confirm how amazing that feels.





Yes please.



Zest proceeded into the midgame with a significant advantage forged by perfect adjustments to brilliant early game management. He continued harassing and scouting with his phoenixes while starting +1 armor, thermal lance and his first colossus. Note: Zest stopped all probe production during this time to save up for another three gateways, taking him up to six, before resuming worker production to saturate the finishing third base. Maru essentially could not move out until stim. Phoenixes would simply swoop in and wreck his reinforcement line, as well as disrupting his mining heavily. His first potential moveout - and Zest knew this - came with +1 attack, stim and combat shields, accompanied by medivacs. In the meantime, Zest warped in a sentry purely for guardian shield and a few zealots to tank for his colossi. Playing a blinkless build, stalkers would have been entirely useless in this scenario.



As soon as Maru did move out, phoenixes were back in his base, picking off reinforcements and gas mining SCVs. Zest had adjusted his build to be as greedy as possible. As Maru's army attacked his third base, he had the bare minimum of units necessary to defend it without any issues. The magic unit in this scenario is the second colossus, which popped just in time. To help shut down the attack as hard as possible, Zest brought his phoenixes back home in order to chase down Maru's army. Maru found himself in a lose-lose position. Moving out with this army against ever present phoenixes and a strong enough ground army is absolutely not what you normally want to do, but he also could not let Zest get away with his already saturating third base freely - especially because his own had just started.



Maru did well to back out of the fight immediately or he might have lost the game right there. Having deflected the attack with only a single phoenix and none of his ground army lost, Zest continued down his path of powering up. More probes, safety cannons in his natural, a twilight council and more upgrades. A crucial second poke by Maru did very little as Zest was quick to split off a colossus to support the army in his natural while cutting off a chunk of army with forcefields at the third base at the same time. Another successful defense for Zest, minimal damage taken. With phoenixes still his main tool to deflect drops and a lot of zealots already warped in to buffer for his colossi, Zest decided to skip blink in favor of charge as his initial twilight council upgrade. Sensing his window closing rapidly, Maru forced a committed fight between Zest's third and natural while at the same time poking at the third. This happened before charge finished, but Zest anticipated the move perfectly, reinforcing his army in the natural constantly and moving his phoenixes into position to aid the defense. Note: Zest had been replacing lost phoenixes throughout the entire game. Maru's attack failed and he was forced to retreat all the way to his base, phoenixes chasing down a few medivacs.





This does not end well for Maru.



This set up the move Zest had been waiting for all game. After shutting down Maru's army, he immediately switched to offense, besieging Maru's natural with four colossi, forcing the Terran to evacuate and relocate his third base. Maru attempted a drop that killed the robotics facility - Maru's biggest kill of the entire game. Zest's phoenixes were back immediately and a warpin of charge zealots sealed the drop's fate. Attacking into the natural at the same time, Zest traded evenly with Maru's army while killing 26 SCVs. Playing it safe, Zest didn't immediately commit to a killing blow but first finished cleaning out the third base and the barracks located there. Six more gateways, +2 attack, blink, a templar archives, a dark shrine and constant colossus production all cemented his win.





Good luck next game.



With three DTs ravaging Maru's relocated third base and a giant protoss deathball knocking at the front door a few minutes later, Maru's desperate basetrade attempt was easily shut down by DT and zealot warpins. Without his army at home, Maru stood no chance of defending Zest's final blow and after all his units across the map were taken out by DTs, Zest forced Maru out of game 1, proceeding to win the series and eliminating Maru from the tournament.



click here to watch the game



Zest opened with a perfectly standard single gas gateway expand on Cactus Valley. Having been on the receiving end of a proxy stargate into blink all in here in their previous encounter, Maru decided to take no risks this game, checking around with an SCV while opening with a cookie-cutter reaper opening. Zest started a zealot as a safety measure against possible ebay blocks. Here's where he put in his first nifty trick of the game. Anticipating the first possible scout timing from Maru's SCV, he snuck a probe to the natural, hiding it from the SCV scout that did in fact come in at the first possible opportunity. That simple move allowed Zest to cancel the zealot safely and start the natural nexus unopposed.To round out his perfectly standard opening, he followed up with a mothership core, gas and third pylon before resuming probe production and building his first stalker. This build sets protoss up to transition into any tech of their choice. In the meantime, he used another really smart adjustment to make sure he obtains scouting information. Sending his probe through the middle of the map instead of taking the direct path, Zest's probe avoided Maru's reaper and scouted the entire Terran setup - reaper expand with CC followup, straight up to factory. Awesome. Through two simple yet elegant tricks, Zest had managed to avoid any hiccups in his opening of choice and obtained a perfect scout. He knew all he needed to know and had the perfect setup to react in any way he wanted. His tech of choice after all that was a stargate.Why the stargate? If executed well, a stargate opening perfectly deals with any sort of factory opening. Oracles provide detection and/or counterdamage against possible widow mine drops or hellion openings, and stay useful throughout the entire game. And, perhaps equally important, an early phoenix after the oracle immediately puts a stop to any drop shenanigans. Note the small adjustment in Zest's build to make up for the heavy gas commitment to stargate and phoenixes - he built a zealot after his first stalker. In almost every other scenario, this would be a second stalker.Nifty building placement prevented Maru's reaper from scouting Zest's tech, although the zealot could and perhaps should have tipped Maru off. Zest proceeded with a second stalker to add DPS to his army, and a robotics facility really quickly. After skipping the oracle in favor of phoenixes right off the bat, this robotics facility was timed to perfection. His first observer would come out just in time to deal with any widow mines, while two phoenixes, two stalkers and a zealot would easily dispatch hellions. Zest at this point was perfectly set up to deal with absolutelyMaru could be throwing his way - and all because of his brilliantly constructed early game.Phoenixes caught the medivac and even though they didn't kill it, they picked off both widow mines. With phoenixes already on the map, Maru cannot continue any factory based aggression. What's next for Zest? Well, he found himself in the perfect position. Stim was naturally delayed by Maru's opening which got completely shut down for absolutely zero damage. Zest was free to do whatever he wanted and he made the right calls. Forge, robotics bay, third base, two extra gateway (he'd been on only one gateway until this point). This spot in the game is one every protoss LOVES. Freely flowing economy, heavily delayed stim, complete freedom to tech and expand while having constant scouting and harassment potential through five phoenixes? I can confirm how amazing that feels.Zest proceeded into the midgame with a significant advantage forged by perfect adjustments to brilliant early game management. He continued harassing and scouting with his phoenixes while starting +1 armor, thermal lance and his first colossus. Note: Zest stopped all probe production during this time to save up for another three gateways, taking him up to six, before resuming worker production to saturate the finishing third base. Maru essentially could not move out until stim. Phoenixes would simply swoop in and wreck his reinforcement line, as well as disrupting his mining heavily. His first potential moveout - and Zest knew this - came with +1 attack, stim and combat shields, accompanied by medivacs. In the meantime, Zest warped in a sentry purely for guardian shield and a few zealots to tank for his colossi. Playing a blinkless build, stalkers would have been entirely useless in this scenario.As soon as Maru did move out, phoenixes were back in his base, picking off reinforcements and gas mining SCVs. Zest had adjusted his build to be as greedy as possible. As Maru's army attacked his third base, he had the bare minimum of units necessary to defend it without any issues. The magic unit in this scenario is the second colossus, which popped just in time. To help shut down the attack as hard as possible, Zest brought his phoenixes back home in order to chase down Maru's army. Maru found himself in a lose-lose position. Moving out with this army against ever present phoenixes and a strong enough ground army is absolutely not what you normally want to do, but he also could not let Zest get away with his already saturating third base freely - especially because his own had just started.Maru did well to back out of the fight immediately or he might have lost the game right there. Having deflected the attack with only a single phoenix and none of his ground army lost, Zest continued down his path of powering up. More probes, safety cannons in his natural, a twilight council and more upgrades. A crucial second poke by Maru did very little as Zest was quick to split off a colossus to support the army in his natural while cutting off a chunk of army with forcefields at the third base at the same time. Another successful defense for Zest, minimal damage taken. With phoenixes still his main tool to deflect drops and a lot of zealots already warped in to buffer for his colossi, Zest decided to skip blink in favor of charge as his initial twilight council upgrade. Sensing his window closing rapidly, Maru forced a committed fight between Zest's third and natural while at the same time poking at the third. This happened before charge finished, but Zest anticipated the move perfectly, reinforcing his army in the natural constantly and moving his phoenixes into position to aid the defense. Note: Zest had been replacing lost phoenixes throughout the entire game. Maru's attack failed and he was forced to retreat all the way to his base, phoenixes chasing down a few medivacs.This set up the move Zest had been waiting for all game. After shutting down Maru's army, he immediately switched to offense, besieging Maru's natural with four colossi, forcing the Terran to evacuate and relocate his third base. Maru attempted a drop that killed the robotics facility - Maru's biggest kill of the entire game. Zest's phoenixes were back immediately and a warpin of charge zealots sealed the drop's fate. Attacking into the natural at the same time, Zest traded evenly with Maru's army while killing 26 SCVs. Playing it safe, Zest didn't immediately commit to a killing blow but first finished cleaning out the third base and the barracks located there. Six more gateways, +2 attack, blink, a templar archives, a dark shrine and constant colossus production all cemented his win.With three DTs ravaging Maru's relocated third base and a giant protoss deathball knocking at the front door a few minutes later, Maru's desperate basetrade attempt was easily shut down by DT and zealot warpins. Without his army at home, Maru stood no chance of defending Zest's final blow and after all his units across the map were taken out by DTs, Zest forced Maru out of game 1, proceeding to win the series and eliminating Maru from the tournament.













