vs. 
Wow, wow, wow... Before even talking about Jaedong vs. Hwasin I want to comment on how great all the Commentaries of the Week have been. Every game, despite most of them being completely gay and imba and only 2 of them having been fair, has been absolutely epic. It's been so much fun writing for these, and I really want to thank everyone for supporting these things, and fueling all the fantastic growth at SC2GG.com.
Now.
Jaedong vs. Hwasin. This is going to be another great game. Hwasin has really been a thorn in the side of Jaedong for a while now. The last two times they've played JD's been stuck with the short straw, but this one is going to be different, and I can tell you why in just two words.
Blue. Storm.
Blue Storm is a legendary Zerg favoring map, and was so imbalanced that Kespa officials had it patched so that mutalisks wouldn't be so darn annoying at either base's natural expansion. Despite this, Zerg players have continued to enjoy success here, and in no small part thanks to the effectiveness of mutas. The layout of the map makes getting anywhere on the ground a real hassle for anything fatter than a firebat, and the mobility of the muta exploits that beautifully here. Put the player with the best mutalisk control in the world at the helm, and you're guaranteed to see fireworks.
Hwasin's enjoyed success against Jaedong in the past, but never on a map so tailor made for JD's style of play. Because he's looked so strong lately, I don't expect any Terran cheese, but I truly believe that's the best chance Hwasin has of stealing this one. If he does decide to play it standard, expect him to be stuck in his base for a long time while Jaedong takes map control and techs to imbalisks and other 3/3 hive tech.
This one's a no brainer for me, JWD. Jaedong should take this game convincingly.
I sneer at your attempt to win the hearts of our readers through flattery, and I will attempt no such underhanded tactic. This isn't a popularity contest, it's a Commentary of the Week Faceoff! A no-holds-barred battle to the death! So, while you use your so-called "politeness" to woo our small audience, I'm going to get straight down to business - after pointing out my lead in our weekly Faceoff battle now stands at 4-2. Take that, sucka!
I actually have none other than your boy Jaedong to thank for one of my four precious Faceoff wins. In SC2GG's third Commentary of the Week game, the villainous Zerg lost to Mind on the map you claim is the reason he'll beat Hwasin this week: Blue Storm. Yes, just one month and two days ago Jaedong was looking utterly bewildered on this map as he squandered control group after control group of his Zerg minions to Mind's MnM and tanks. In fact, I'm not going to put any stock in your Blue Storm argument simply because, since its latest version toned down mutalisk harass from "automatic win" to "viable strategy" for play in the 2008 Proleague season, Zergs are an even 4-4 against Terrans on its azure slopes.
Blue Storm is even ground for Jaedong to face off against Hwasin, but this game will be imbalanced in one regard: Hwasin's beastly TvZ is going to maul Lee Jaedong. They don't call this STX SouL Terran the Red Sniper for nothing. TvZ is by far his strongest matchup, not surprising considering his over 66% career winrate there. And plus, as you'll see if you watch this short video, Hwasin can own two lurkers, two sunks and an evolution chamber with one fatally-wounded marine.
Hwasin has rode his superior TvZ ability to a 2-0 record against Jaedong this year, and this week's CotW game will be more of the same for this master of the matchup.
We shouldn't neglect the psychological significance of this game: in just three days Hwasin and Jaedong face each other in the GOMTV MSL S4 quarterfinal, which makes this Proleague encounter effectively the first set of their upcoming best-of-five. Over his accomplished Starcraft career, Hwasin has consistently raised his level of play when there are mind games at stake. Dating back to his GOMTV MSL S3 series with Bisu and as recently as his second shot at SK Telecom T1's Midas just two nights ago, the Red Sniper has turned in strong performances in emotional games. I expect this game against Jaedong to be no different - aware of the mental edge that is at stake, Hwasin will settle for nothing short of a dominant win.
I'm not going to attempt to discredit Hwasin's recent play. He's been doing extremely well in all of his matchups, and you're right...he's always shined brightest against Zerg opponents. Is he really ready to be considered an upper-echelon player, though? Do you really put Hwasin in the same company as the likes of Jaedong and Flash?
Currently Hwasin's ELO rating is sitting at 2211, barely behind Luxury and BeSt, but significantly behind the two champions mentioned above. His play lately has been impressive, but like so many others who have been so passionately touted lately, he has not really accomplished anything.
Couple that with the fact that Jaedong has been steadfast atop the ELO ratings despite his play being sub-par (by his standards, at least) and what we have is a good Terran player squaring off against a great Zerg. Hwasin can run his marines in circles all day long, but dodging lurker spikes will forever be a far cry from beating the best Zerg in the world.
The fact that these guys are playing each other so many times over the next few days only furthers the argument that Jaedong should walk all over Hwasin when they square off in Proleague play. You can spout off all the trivia in the world about Hwasin playing well when the pressure is on, and doing well in multi-game sets, but Jaedong is no stranger to "best of" play, and unlike Hwasin, has a pair of Starleague championships under his belt. What does this mean? Well, Jeadong has been in this situation before. He's had his feet to the fire and came out on top to win both major championships. The pressure is firmly on Hwasin in this one, JWD. Jaedong's got nothing left to prove, and should easily coast to victory.
Your argument is well-put, but I take issue with several of its main points. First, I have to dispute your claim that Hwasin "has not really accomplished anything" in his Starcraft career. Last summer he clawed his way through every one of 2007's top players to win WCG Korea 2007 and the chance to represent South Korea at WCG 2007 - a coveted prize. That tournament saw him plow through rA, Much, sAviOr, and finally Stork in best-of-three series. While we're discussing history, I should mention that Jaedong also played at WCG Korea 2007. He went out 0-2 in its first round of play.
Hwasin has been a Proleague staple since 2004, and a qualifier in five MSLs and three OSLs. The only reason he hasn't yet come away with a title is that he has a knack for being barely edged out by Bonjwas: eventual runner-up sAviOr 2-3 in the GOMTV MSL S1, eventual champion GGPlay 1-2 in the Daum OSL, eventual champion Bisu 2-3 in the GOMTV MSL S2, eventual runner-up Bisu 1-2 in the GOMTV MSL S3, and Flash in the GOMTV MSL S4. That's a lot of horrible draws for one man to handle, but Hwasin just keeps trucking. Now up against Jaedong in the quarterfinal of the Arena MSL, he's out to claim what should long ago have been his: a Starleague title - and a win in their upcoming Proleague game is the first means to that end.
Though Hwasin is down a couple championships on Jaedong, he's way ahead in experience. The Red Sniper's professional career has 48 games and two years on Jaedong's, and I expect him to bust out every single trick he's had a chance to learn but Jaedong hasn't. With a five-game winstreak in his immediate past and his best shot at a Starleague title in his immediate future, Hwasin is a man on fire for STX SouL, and Jaedong is about to get burned.
Oh, and one more thing MrB: something I actually forgot to add to last week's CotW Faceoff. The following version of our Faceoff goes out to scnoob:
MRB: JAEDONG PWN NOOB TERUN!11!
JWD: NO HWASIN R WIN GUD KTHX
JWD: NO HWASIN R WIN GUD KTHX
More heartbreak for Hwasin, or another rough ZvT for Jaedong? Catch the Commentary of the Week to find out!
Faceoff HistoryShow/Hide Spoiler
JWD 4 : 2 MrBitter
Week 2: Flash > JangBi
Week 3: Mind > Jaedong
Week 4: BeSt > Flash
Week 5: BeSt < Mind
Week 6: XellOs < Nal_rA
Week 7: Firebathero > Luxury
Week 8: Hwasin : Jaedong
Week 2: Flash > JangBi
Week 3: Mind > Jaedong
Week 4: BeSt > Flash
Week 5: BeSt < Mind
Week 6: XellOs < Nal_rA
Week 7: Firebathero > Luxury
Week 8: Hwasin : Jaedong
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