On October 17 at 3:00 PM, the Google Play ASL Season 22 finals will take place at the Jamsil Lotte World Ice Rink.
The players advancing to the finals are Terran Yoo Young-jin and Zerg Kim Min-chul. Yoo was relatively unknown during his active pro-gamer career, but his performance bloomed after entering the ASL, reaching two finals so far. However, he finished as runner-up in both and has now returned to the finals after eight seasons in pursuit of his first career championship.
Opposing him is the formidable Kim Min-chul. A player who kicked off the dominant era of Zerg, Kim won four consecutive titles before Park Sang-hyun claimed two championships. Although he briefly conceded the throne to Park, Kim has once again made it to the finals in Season 22.
Yoo Young-jin had a somewhat tougher road to the finals. In the Round of 24, Yoo suffered a surprise defeat to Kim Yoon-joong before defeating Kim Taek-yong in the elimination match to reach the Round of 16. In the Round of 16, he lost his opening match against Do Jae-wook but secured a spot in the quarterfinals via the elimination match. The quarterfinals were no walk in the park either: he fell behind 0-2 against risk-taker Lee Young-han before mounting a 3-2 reverse sweep, and then overcame Lee Jae-ho 4-2 in the semifinals to advance to the finals. In contrast, Kim Min-chul lost only his first set in the Round of 16 against Cho Il-jang, cleanly sweeping Shin Sang-moon 3-0 in the quarterfinals and defeating Park Sang-hyun 4-2 in the semifinals to reach the finals.
Although Kim Min-chul is favored due to his vastly greater experience on big stages, Yoo Young-jin is not without a chance. For starters, the Set 1 map, KnockOut, is not bad for Terran, and Yoo's recent online form has been exceptional. In particular, his skill with pure Bionic play is outstanding. Solid Bionic fundamentals are naturally a massive strength in the Terran vs. Zerg matchup. If Yoo can bring well-crafted strategies and tactics tailored for the special stage of a final, and win the psychological warfare of when and how to deploy aggressive extreme builds like No-Barracks Double or Center BBS in a best-of-seven (BO7), securing his first-ever championship is within reach.
However, Kim Min-chul, who won four consecutive ASL titles, is a battle-tested veteran who has seen it all in these high-stakes matches. The main reason Park Sang-hyun and Kim Min-chul have sustained Zerg's dominance for so long is not merely superior macro play, but their ability to seize the right moments in long series—deploying 4-Pools or unique all-in strategies at the perfect timing. Taking place at the Jamsil Lotte World Ice Rink on October 17, this final promises to be a thrilling, heated showdown capable of melting away the chill in the air.
