Comeback 101: Soulkey wins GSL Finals 4-3

 

 

In what can be considered the greatest upset of the GSL this year, Woongjin_Soulkey wins the Code S Finals against STX_Innovation after winning a solid 4 games in a row after reeling from a 3-game losing streak against the veteran Terran.

 

Woongjin_Soulkey looking confident and Zergy, yo

Games one and two went beautifully for Innovation, the first game dispatching Soulkey in smooth fashion with a well-executed bunker rush in the early game, and the second game with some effective drops in Soulkey's main to cripple his tech and economy. The third game would be a little shakier, with Soulkey leaving off with his traditional defensive macro style and going for some early aggression, catching Innovation slightly off-guard with a ling run-by into his main to snipe some tech. Innovation would quiclkly recover and macro back up to a position where Soulkey just couldn't dent the Terran's defenses any longer. Far behind in tech and economy against a superior bio-mine army, Soulkey had to tap out.

At this point viewers and players alike were of one mind: Innovation's got this.

Or so we all thought. The next 4 games will go down in GSL history as one of the best comebacks seen in the competition, in the finals, no less. Innovation walks into the fourth game with something of a swagger, a 3-0 lead against one of the best Zergs in the game can do that to you. Soulkey would not go down without a fight though, catching the Terran off-guard with a beautiful roach-bane attack that got scouted just a little too late. With banes ransacking his scvs and walls, and roaches baiting widow mines perfectly, Innovation had no choice but to concede, bringing the Woongjin Zerg back into the series with a 3-1 score.

The fifth game would go to Soulkey's favor once more, going for the exact same strategy he went for in the fourth game. Unfortunately for Innovation, he still didn't have a solid answer to the roach bane aggression and had to tap out at the 14minute mark, closing the gap between the two players even further.

The sixth game would be somewhat of a throw for Innovation, going for a desperate bunker-play to harass Soulkey's macro potential early on. It would result in the Zerg cancelling his natural hatch, but responding with some sound aggression of his own, racing banelings down his main to eliminate the bunkers and regain some map control from the Terran. Innovation bunkers up with a thick wall in anticipation of the attack that was to come, but it would not be enough. With the last of his hellions going out in flames, Innovation gg's out, leaving the score at 3-3.

The last game of the series would end in splendid fashion, with a back and forth battle from both players. Innovation would go for double drops in the main, but would be denied by Soulkey, losing only four drones in the process. A second attempt at a mega drop goes horribly for the Terran, losing 3 full medivacs to an intercepting muta flock. This very same muta flock would be Innovation's undoing, with some effective harass in the main, coupled with a baneling run-by to eliminate the Terran's third base, effectively crippling Innovation's economy. Forced to try and equalize the damage done to him, Innovation moves across the map but is shut down by Soulkey in a solid fashion. Mutas come to clean up what remains of the shattered army but it is unnecesarry, Innovation GG's, securing Soulkey's place in GSL history.

With viewer polls, progamers and casters predicting a Terran champion this year, Soulkey can add "comeback kid" and "OP underdog" to his already prolific list of titles.