TeamLiquid StarLeague 5 in 
EPT- Machine's bad luck
There is no doubt the player with the absolute worst MLG luck in 2010 has been EG.Machine. In Raleigh he had to play his teammate iNcontroL in round 1. In DC he had to play Liquid`Ret in round 1 and then iNcontroL again in losers bracket round 3. This is ridiculously bad luck for one of the best zerg players in North America. He goes into Dallas with no MLG points as a result of all of this ridiculously horrible bracket luck so again he will be relatively unseeded and at risk of playing another massive first round or two.
EDIT: Is it really happening again?! WTF! (pic courtesy of Whiladan)+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/lQUns.jpg )
- Sheth Who?
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8525/capturels.jpg)
One of the most interesting players on all of the player list for MLG Dallas is that of the zerg player named Sheth (or Chosen) who has quite a history of being an extremely good player but almost never showing up to lan events in person. I won't go into much detail about it here but the average viewer should know Sheth doesn't participate in lan's. He just doesn't. To be on the list for Dallas, even if he is very inactive lately, is absolutely something to watch for...
afterthought edit: even if it's watching for his post somewhere on TL saying "sorry can't make it." it's still worth watching for. Why would he purchase a $60 pass to not show up?
- NrG (Sixjax) players
NrG is sending 4 players to Dallas. They are still pretty far under the radar in terms of name or player recognition but anyone who followed broodwar would know they had quite a solid broodwar squad and look to be now emerging as a formidable SC2 force. ahhboxxah a really talented terran player recently all killed team EG in a clan war. dde is playing very solidly on ladder as is Vibe a very solid zerg player. All of them will be worth watching for and any of them could easily upset a major EG, Liquid, Root or Fnatic player. - MLG debut of TLO, AlLaboUtyOu, Fenix, Sen, new EG faces and more
AlLaboUtyOu is making his MLG debut, as are Liquid TLO and Fnatic beasts Fenix and Sen. Not to mention new EG acquisitions of Axslav and Strifecro are making both their MLG debut AND live EG debut. AlLaboUtyOu is a very strong Terran player who has spent time at #1 in the world rankings on the ladder and won various different tournaments and online events. There are also plenty of other top quality players attending their first MLG event but it'd take forever to list them all here. All kinds of amazing things to watch for in terms of new MLG faces and storylines. - Hoods up (and other random traditions/things)
A recent trend that has started to spread thanks mainly to Huk is more and more top players are starting to game with hoodies on and hoods up. Maybe it helps the player keep focus on the monitor when fans are crowded around? Maybe it's because MLG keeps their event locations freezing cold. Either way players like Huk, ajtls, Nony(Tyler) are spotted with hoods up during major matches. + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/MLGRaleighPhotos/Huk.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/MLGRaleighPhotos/Lastshadow.jpg)
Will there be more players with hoods up, maybe sunglasses on (Elky style!?) Who knows, maybe it's a non story but it's something I like to watch for and MLG is great at providing player cameras and live coverage, cant wait! - How will Torch do?
Torch qualified for GSL season 1 and did decently well at D.C, he is definitely a talented and unique player. Some say he's quite allin, he personally doesn't see himself as that allin. He goes for what Koreans would call, strategic plays. He's going to be seeded going into Dallas because he has MLG points. He recently qualified and played some intense games vs LzGaMeR in the EG cup. How will he fare at Dallas? Only time will tell. - Will SeleCt make another deep run?
Select was a hero of D.C, having to play his way through the long and daunting road of the losers bracket. He got 2nd place in the end losing to IdrA in the grand finals. He's going to be playing in GSL3 qualifications soon and has no doubt been practicing quite a bit over the past few weeks since his strong showing in D.C. How will he do in Dallas? - Mothership watch
Will we see a mothership in Dallas? Prehaps the most memorable moment from D.C was when Huk used a very strange and definitly unplanned strategy of mothership rushing against SeleCt in game 2 of the loser bracket finals. Needless to say it did not work out very well for him but hey, it was one of the fan favorite moments of the entire event.
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://i54.tinypic.com/2vvklsl.png)
"tahts halo"
"don't worry"
Odds are low that this kind of feat will be repeated in Dallas but who knows... - IdrA vs Nony
Any and every SC2 fan should absolutely root for this matchup to happen at some point during MLG Dallas. Considering how well both players are playing recently it may very well. Nony's been constantly having better results as of late and after dominating IdrA 4-1 in a gosucoaching showmatch earlier this week, he definitely seems to be on the upswing. IdrA is IdrA, always a threat and practically a favorite to win any event he enters. These two have quite a long history, both are Americans, have faced off in WCG USA, TSL2, and countless other showmatches and in practice. Both are very exciting players to spectate and always seem to put on a good show. Please let a Nony vs IdrA matchup happen! Either way, it'll absolutely be interesting following both players navigate their brackets in Dallas and both will be expected to do well.
So these are a few of the fun things I'll be watching for. How about you?
Polls and player list here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=165514
