RorO stomps Taeja, advances to GSL Finals

 

 

Another legendary chapter in professional StarCraft 2 nears its thrilling end as Samsung Khan's RorO defeats Liquid'Taeja 4-1 in a decisive Best-of-5 semi-final at the GSL Ro4, paving the way for the last Wings of Liberty (WoL) Final at the GSL.

 

The achievement is a good omen for the StarCraft 2 "elephants"—pro-gamers from KeSPA that have made the transition from Brood War to WoL. Of those who have made the switch, RorO has arguably made the most solid case in distinguishing himself as one of the better veterans in SC2 by racing right up to Code S, only getting knocked out after an unfortunate slip-up brought him back down into Code A.

 

Taeja began the series in top form, utilizing Cloud Kingdom's layout to its maximum potential. By deploying a delayed hellion drop on RorO's main, Taeja caused a decent amount of economic damage but more importantly dictated the tempo of the match which left a clearly flustered RorO in a battle to regain his balance. RorO however, could only muster a messy attempt at engaging Taeja in an effort to defend his bases. An easily cut-off backdoor attack was all it took to seal Game 1 with a victory in Taeja's favour.

 

However, Taeja's game plan would lose its shine in the subsequent games, with RorO putting Zerg mobility to good use in the next three games. Snapping up Game 2 through sheer determination and a well-implemented ling-bane-muta style, RorO broke the spine of Taeja's steadfast defense. Games 3 and 4 fell into place in stereotypical TvZ fashion, with the Liquid Terran falling to a 2-base roach rush and a classic baneling bust, respectively.

 

The final game of the series was fought out on Daybreak—in a match that could not have gone better for the KeSPA Zerg. RorO dominate all phases of the game, controlling the tempo and sealing his advancement to the Ro2 in impeccable fashion.

 

Victory for Samsung Khan's golden boy comes as no surprise to the majority of StarCraft 2 fans, who in the light of recent controversy regarding Zerg’s imbalance in WoL expected nothing short of a Zerg vs Zerg finals; which will, for the third consecutive time, produce a Zerg champion.

 

However, with Heart of the Swarm being released soon, the heat of the balance arguments have somewhat dissipated. Regardless of what race is picked, everyone will be looking forward with great anticipation to the last match in an era that has rocked eSports to its core.

 

The race debate should be the least of RorO’s concerns though as Azubu's Symbol awaits him in the Final; and you can be sure he will bring nothing less than his A-game to the table. Here’s hoping they both do, so that Liberty can fold its wings with pride.