In Match 1 of the Google Play ASL Season 22 semifinals held at FreecUP Studio in Daechi-dong, Seoul on October 5, Yoo Young-jin defeated Lee Jae-ho 4-2 in a TvT matchup, reaching the finals for the first time in eight seasons since Season 14. Yoo, who was a runner-up in Seasons 12 and 14, earned a long-awaited opportunity to challenge for the championship.
In Set 1, Yoo Young-jin took the early initiative. After expanding, he built multiple Factories and overwhelmed Lee Jae-ho in early Vulture battles, securing a victory in about seven minutes. Set 2 began with Vultures after natural expansions and developed into a positional battle centered around multi-Factory setups. Lee Jae-ho then gathered cloaked Wraiths along with Vultures and Tanks, breaking through Yoo's Tank line and advancing all the way to Yoo's natural expansion to tie the series 1-1.
In Set 3 on Odyssey, Lee Jae-ho took advantage of the main base's Fast-Map style mineral layout to prepare an extreme all-in. He constructed a proxy 2-Factory in the center to set up a Vulture and Siege Tank contain. In contrast, Yoo Young-jin prepared a standard natural expansion macro build, but Lee's timing attack arrived faster than expected. Establishing his position at Yoo's natural expansion, Lee completely locked down the entrance to win Set 3, turning the series around to 2-1.
Lee Jae-ho took another gamble in Set 4. Instead of expanding, he constructed a hidden Starport. However, Yoo Young-jin also deviated from standard play. Prioritizing a fast 2-Factory over an expansion, Yoo dealt heavy damage with Vultures and successfully defended against Lee's Vulture drop. Though both players were low on resources, Yoo had a slight economic edge and inflicted further damage with Wraiths, taking Set 4 to tie the series at 2-2.
In Set 5 on Octagon, both players opted for standard Fast Expands before engaging in Vulture battles. However, Lee Jae-ho built a fast Starport and attempted harassment with a small number of Wraiths. Despite taking considerable damage from the Wraiths, Yoo Young-jin secured prime positions with his ground forces to gain an advantage through a siege contain. With Lee contained right outside his natural expansion, Dropships became his only hope.
Lee succeeded in dealing heavy damage using Dropships and sneaked Vultures. However, Yoo Young-jin maintained his contain on Lee's natural and secured a 3 o'clock expansion; as long as he had time to regroup, Yoo remained in a manageable position. Lee managed to lift Yoo's 3 o'clock Command Center using two Dropships. Although Lee had a higher supply count, the key was whether he could break through the contain line outside his own natural expansion. Yoo held his contain line until the end, executing a suffocating play to win Set 5 3-2 and reach match point.
In Set 6, Yoo Young-jin attempted an early proxy center Barracks to inflict damage through Marine harassment, but the meticulous Lee Jae-ho spotted it early with a scouting Marine and defended well, leading both players to take their natural expansions. Yoo went for a 1-Factory, 1-Starport setup with Wraiths and Tanks, while Lee ran a 2-Factory system. Yoo even landed a Barracks inside Lee's main base, drawing attention with Marine and Wraith harassment while advancing his Tank attack to establish a position at Lee's natural expansion.
Lee Jae-ho prepared Goliaths to counter the Wraiths, but Yoo Young-jin successfully set up a siege contain at Lee's natural expansion with Siege Mode just like in previous sets. Lee gathered Wraiths from two Starports to quickly break the contain.
