GPL Spring 2014 Preview: Semifinals
Riot·4/4/2014, 1:32:34 AM·0 votes·770 views
The GPL Spring semifinals are this week, bringing a sense of deja vu to the circuit's audience. Yet again, the Taiwanese teams dominate the top four positions – in fact, "yet again" applies to every single team, including the Saigon Jokers. But while a face-off between AHQ, Taipei Snipers and reigning champions Taipei Assassins is identical to the winter split, the challenges and successes of each individual team has taken on an entirely different hue than when they last faced off for the GPL title.
Taipei Assassins
The undefeated kings of the GPL look as strong as ever, boasting a 10-0 group stage record and easily sweeping aside rookie team Insidious Gaming in a one-sided quarterfinal set. With solid performances out of Morning and stealth ganks from DinTer, their coherent, map-wide strategies are at an unrivaled level of nuance and capability.
Team captain Bebe, in particular, has been an indomitable mainspring to the team's successes, tearing up the competition with seemingly every single AD carry available in the game. In fact, it's quite common for him to end games with double-digit kills without a single death to interrupt his streak.
Taipei Snipers
It's been a relatively rough split for the Snipers. Though they were once co-dominant with the Assassins, they ended the group stage this split 8-2 – the same record they had in winter, but one loss more than fellow Taiwanese peers AHQ. That leaves them in a not-so-terrible second place, but there's reason to worry when the difference between them and the third place Saigon Jokers had narrowed to just one game.
The good news is, even as their coherency as a team's been lessened with the loss of Mistake, the team's looking stronger after every game. And their secret weapon, in the form of jungler Winds, remains an irrepressible presence. Though they'd ignobly gone from the expected favorites to the underdogs, their brothers on TPA had already proven last split that underdogs have nasty bites.
AHQ Esports Club
True to their reputation and successes in Taiwan's domestic circuit, AHQ has been dominant in Group A, tying with TPA in win streaks. They've been a powerhouse team in the GPL for as long as TPA – while their rivals were in a slump in Season 3, they'd taken the spotlight that year and continue to demonstrate strong showings now.
But there are some key reasons for them to worry, coming into the semifinals. Dominating their group speaks highly of their skill; but unlike TPA, it wasn't flawless. A single loss to the Saigon Jokers might be a fluke, but it comes contextualized against their tendency for long, drawn-out games and highly tentative strategies past the half-hour mark.
Saigon Jokers
The Vietnamese scene has been ascendant this split, and the Jokers have led the charge. They've always been the wild card of the GPL circuit, famously taking out top teams despite a history of inconsistency, but with a 7-3 group record this split, they've gone from wild card to recognizable threat. The gap between them and their Taiwanese rivals have shrunk, at least from the numbers alone. But even by perceived quality of play, something definitely seems different about them now – a crispness and exactness of play that suggests they are now operating under a defined long-term strategy.
If the Vietnamese region's truly reached a new level of play, it's entirely on the Jokers to prove it. They were forced to knock out the Saigon Fantastic Five in a bitter five-game series to once again challenge AHQ. And as the team who broke AHQ's win streak in the first place, the Jokers seem far from hopeless. The stage is set for the GPL to have co-dominant regions as the Taiwanese teams are truly challenged for the first time since the circuit's inception.
The GPL semifinals kick off this Friday, April 4, at 6:45 PM PDT / April 5, 3:45 AM CET. English broadcasts are available.
AZUBU FRATRICIDE
First up: a clash between brothers. The Azubu teams were last split's finalists, with the favored Snipers eliminated in full five rounds as the Assassins reclaimed the GPL crown. The Snipers weren't nearly as dominant this spring, while their brother team has seemingly only grown in strength.
Taipei Assassins
The undefeated kings of the GPL look as strong as ever, boasting a 10-0 group stage record and easily sweeping aside rookie team Insidious Gaming in a one-sided quarterfinal set. With solid performances out of Morning and stealth ganks from DinTer, their coherent, map-wide strategies are at an unrivaled level of nuance and capability.
Team captain Bebe, in particular, has been an indomitable mainspring to the team's successes, tearing up the competition with seemingly every single AD carry available in the game. In fact, it's quite common for him to end games with double-digit kills without a single death to interrupt his streak.
Taipei Snipers
It's been a relatively rough split for the Snipers. Though they were once co-dominant with the Assassins, they ended the group stage this split 8-2 – the same record they had in winter, but one loss more than fellow Taiwanese peers AHQ. That leaves them in a not-so-terrible second place, but there's reason to worry when the difference between them and the third place Saigon Jokers had narrowed to just one game.
The good news is, even as their coherency as a team's been lessened with the loss of Mistake, the team's looking stronger after every game. And their secret weapon, in the form of jungler Winds, remains an irrepressible presence. Though they'd ignobly gone from the expected favorites to the underdogs, their brothers on TPA had already proven last split that underdogs have nasty bites.
REGIONAL RIVALRY
The second semifinals aren't lacking for drama, even in comparison to the Azubu showdown prior. AHQ, considered among the strongest teams in Taiwan, are bound by patriotic duty to lock down the top three GPL spots yet again as they face off against the Saigon Jokers.
AHQ Esports Club
True to their reputation and successes in Taiwan's domestic circuit, AHQ has been dominant in Group A, tying with TPA in win streaks. They've been a powerhouse team in the GPL for as long as TPA – while their rivals were in a slump in Season 3, they'd taken the spotlight that year and continue to demonstrate strong showings now.
But there are some key reasons for them to worry, coming into the semifinals. Dominating their group speaks highly of their skill; but unlike TPA, it wasn't flawless. A single loss to the Saigon Jokers might be a fluke, but it comes contextualized against their tendency for long, drawn-out games and highly tentative strategies past the half-hour mark.
Saigon Jokers
The Vietnamese scene has been ascendant this split, and the Jokers have led the charge. They've always been the wild card of the GPL circuit, famously taking out top teams despite a history of inconsistency, but with a 7-3 group record this split, they've gone from wild card to recognizable threat. The gap between them and their Taiwanese rivals have shrunk, at least from the numbers alone. But even by perceived quality of play, something definitely seems different about them now – a crispness and exactness of play that suggests they are now operating under a defined long-term strategy.
If the Vietnamese region's truly reached a new level of play, it's entirely on the Jokers to prove it. They were forced to knock out the Saigon Fantastic Five in a bitter five-game series to once again challenge AHQ. And as the team who broke AHQ's win streak in the first place, the Jokers seem far from hopeless. The stage is set for the GPL to have co-dominant regions as the Taiwanese teams are truly challenged for the first time since the circuit's inception.
The GPL semifinals kick off this Friday, April 4, at 6:45 PM PDT / April 5, 3:45 AM CET. English broadcasts are available.
