With the Up & Down groups concluded, the lineup for the final season of WCS Korea in 2013 is SET!

Let us walk back in time, through happier moments for the Zerg race:

2013 GSL Season 1:
14 Zergs lead the field, along with 13 Terrans and a pitiful 5 Protosses. 3 of the last 4 players standing fight for the Swarm, and the Wings of Liberty era ends with Roro defeating Symbol in the finals.

WCS Korea Season 1:
As Heart of the Swarm arrives, the player pool still reflects games played in WoL as 14 Zergs again lead the way in the first WCS competition, with 11 Terrans and 7 Protoss. They also deliver another championship in the form of Soulkey's defeat of Innovation, but trouble looms on the horizon as his victory looked nowhere near as assured as it would have in the BL-infestor days.

WCS Korea Season 2:
Disaster arrives for the Swarm. For the third straight season, 14 Zergs begin play along with 8 Terrans and 10 Protosses, but the early rounds see them decimated and only two advance past the round of 16. Both of these brave players - Symbol and the defending champion Soulkey - fall in the quarterfinals. With only two players guaranteed entry into the next season of WCS KR from this season's performance, and the remainder having to fight through challenger league to get there - would they succeed?

Which leads us to...

WCS Korea Season 3

12 Protoss
11 Terran
9 Zerg.

YOUR PLAYERS

Rain
First
Jangbi
Parting
sOs
Yonghwa
Super
Hero
Pigbaby
Trap
Dear
Swagger

Bomber
Maru
Innovation
Supernova
Gumiho
Bbyong
Dream
Reality
Flash
Keen
Jjakji

And last, and definitely least:
Soulkey
Symbol
True
Sleep
Hyvaa
Songduri
Soo
DRG
Losira

We have, like, three Zergs in that list that have ever been good. No bsball, Losira doesn't count. God help us.

LET US GSL (in a few weeks after the season 2 finals)

It would be so awesome if Losira wins this. IM is probably due for another GSL after all.

soooo...GSL is now WCS correct?

And there appears to be no such thing as an offseason in esports

protoss silently becoming most op

in for terran tho

I am not worried, Artosis will curse him before he gets far enough to do damage.

Yeah pretty much. This season reverts to the GSL branding and is hosted by GomTV, whereas last season was the OSL and hosted by OnGameNet.

lol Losira counts didn't he just make 3 straight Ro8 or something?

Lots of new (well, some old) and not so scary names this season: Pigbaby, Killer (LOL what a career resurrection I guess), Bbyong, Reality, jjakji, True, Sleep, Songduri.

GSL S1: Ro16
WCS KR S1: Ro8
WCS KR S2: Ro16

I'm gonna root for Dream this season, cause he got skillz.

This seems like a really high variance season

killer, really? dude hasn't been good in years. if you watch his u/d games he gets through by a combination of MKP gonna MKP and weird previously unseen all ins vs zergs

You dont need skill if you got swag.

YOLO

You just described every protoss player ever.

That player list is pretty lol-worthy. No wonder I don't even watch the game anymore. I think I'll keep waiting for Blizzard to make an intelligent change (so basically forever or LotV).

test

ps: sora 12-0 in WCG vs pretty much the best of the best ? sick new player

Innovation just 2-0'ed Soulkey to qualify to WCG. He is now 10-1 against SK in games that wouldn't have won him the GSL lol.

GROUPZZZ, remember that the dates are evening KST which means Aug 28 is late previous night/early morning USA time

Group A: Aug 28
Soulkey vs. Pigbaby
Parting vs. Swagger

Group B: Aug 29
Symbol vs. Reality
Keen vs. Trap

Group C: Aug 30
Supernova vs. Dear
sOs vs. Jangbi

Group D: Sep 4
Maru vs. Sleep
Bbyong vs. Dream

Group E: Sep 5
First vs. Jjakji
Flash vs. Hyvaa

Group F: Sep 6
Innovation vs. herO
Gumiho vs. DRG

Group G: Sep 11
Rain vs. Songduri
Losira vs. True

Group H: Sep 12
Bomber vs. Super
Soo vs. Yonghwa

A: Soulkey/Parting
B: Symbol/Keen
C: Dear/sOs
D: Maru/Dream
E: First/Hyvaa
F: Innovation/herO
G: Rain/True
H: Super/Soo

Interesting statistic imo:

9 korean players played all 3 seasons in WCS korea
13 "europeans" played all 3 seasons (includes 4 koreans)

America remains to be seen after up and down.
But very significant proof already that WCS korea has higher variance, which is exactly what I feared.


Currently 4 players from the top 16 in WCS points compete in WCS KOrea
6 from America, 6 from europe.

Bomber and Rain could possibly move up after WCS season finals though, while all 4 from WCS korea in the top 16 are in the top 10 so they're decently save atm.

why would anyone think anything else? its far and away the lowest skill gap and will always have the best players from top to bottom

Winning Race
Terran 1.935 (-107)
Protoss 3.000 (+200)
Zerg 5.000 (+400)

how things have changed

there are also odds up for each group winner

Group Winners

would bet supernova, symbol, innovation, rain if i could

Some of those odds seem really off.

life won't be there ?

Time flies, Group A is tonight! Starts in 9.5 hours (2am PT, 5am ET)

lezgo

i love me some pigbaby but want soulkey and parting!

I'd cry inside if swagger eliminated one of em lol

back to bo3s? gonna be a lot harder for swaggers skillz to work this way

parting 1st, 2nd soulkey just so he can lose to a terran again later

tasteless still doesn't know void ray charge doesn't work vs mutas

toss +200 imo