EPTI'd love if you guys would take the time to read and critique some recent articles I've written for LighT and let me know what you liked, what could be changed, and what was utter shit that shouldn't have been published. If you only read one or two articles, make sure to let me know when you reply. Knowing the specifics can help in some cases.
As a note: the bit about GanZi in the most recent article holds true, I believe, as he has been performing decently of late. This particular tournament showed his wrist problems flaring-up quite severely, though, which I couldn't have predicted. Keep that in mind when you read my assessment -- which I still stand by.
I hope you enjoy, and really look forward to your feedback!
Rising Action
A New Story Arcs for LighT at MLG Championship
A New Story Arcs for LighT at MLG Championship
+ Show Spoiler [Rising Action - LighT MLG Summer Champ…] +
The edge of the sky looks real, as if you could go there; as if, finally, somehow, the setting sun is attainable, not just a mirage in a heat-stricken alien world. The stifling heat is gone with yesterday, signalling the end of a season -- but for LighT, it hasn't been a very hot one.
Adrian Kwong cycles his control groups during a warm-up game, his midnight practice on the Korean server about to begin. Not far from KawaiiRice's home, Tilea Flavall follows suite, chasing just behind his team-mates on the Korean ladder, mere points away. Farther south, California-based Sung Bin Lee opts away from the practice regiments of KawaiiRice and Knight, instead refining builds in hidden custom games. While Binski is grinding-out his TvT, Patrick Coury is focusing on his North American competition, covertly laddering on his secret America-server account, rather than his usual CaliberLighT.
It's been a tough grind the last few months, but you wouldn't know it judging such a determined group. While Summer may be coming to an end, what begins is a new chapter for LighT, the team renewed and emboldened. The sun sets, but it may just be attainable at the MLG Summer Championship.
Every character has his guide through the rough; the person that keeps them going, the support that keeps their spirits up, even if they themselves don't have a computer desk or chair to practice with. In times of doubt, Binski is that man, conjuring his magics to bring life to his team. If this MLG were a game of pure attitude, The Shaman would win it all.
Attitude isn't the only strength this Terran brings to his games. Those who doubt the last-minute seeds for the Groups stage will simply have to watch him in action. Whether it's the confidence that lead him from the literal bottom of the ladder to where he is now, or innate skill that's bolstered the confidence, he's got the mindset that's needed to contest his top-class opponents right from the start in MLG's Raleigh, North Carolina tournament.
His focused training for his first opponent is the very least that will be needed, as Complexity's GanZi has been on the rise lately. On-paper, GanZi's versus-Terran record is significantly more impressive than Binski's, but for someone who's already given Korean pros a run for their money at past MLGs and is still improving rapidly, that means little. The match does look favoured for the ex-SlayerS Terran GanZi, but the very least we'll see is a good 1-2 series from Sung Bin. If he can make it passed GanZi, he's in good shape for aLive and PuMa, the other Terrans of the group.
With such an initial Terran-heavy bracket, Binski's focus should be obvious. This makes one of the strongest Protoss in the world right now his hardest opponent: SlayerS' Alicia. Thankfully, before he has to worry about either Alicia or Sheth, the Shaman can test his mental fortitude in the TvTs immediately ahead of him, a chance to display his tactical cunning.
A lot more casual about his practice, but a lot more elusive, Caliber hides behind a number of pseudonyms to test his wiles. One thing we can feel confident in predicting is that our Random player will opt to race-pick his strongest, and compete as Protoss. His main race has been the demise of some notable players recently – SlayerSMiya in a recent NASL qualifier to name one. A mask well-worn by the Faceless One.
Our second seeded LighT player, Patrick Coury's group is a little bit more favourable than Sung Bin's. PvP being one of his strong suites, he should be going-up against Korean Protoss Daisy without nerves, even despite Daisy's recent victories. LosirA's ZvP in the second round is where things get difficult for Caliber. A realistic outlook sees even the best Protoss in the world having trouble with this fearsome opponent.
Thankfully, though he's got a wide variety of players to worry about, “Code-S” isn't a theme in his group, unlike Binski's. Korean Protoss First has been wreaking havoc lately, but falls in to the realm of PvP against Caliber, never to be under-estimated in the match-up. Complexity Academy's Sasquatch has recently been shut-out 2-0 by Caliber, which should be a repeat here in Raleigh, too. GoOdy, the group's last seeded opponent, is a little tougher, bringing the big Terran guns that have proved to be Patrick's weakness.
LosirA, shortly followed by GoOdy sets-up the expectation for an early out after three rounds, but records go to show that match-ups are no limitations for a man of many masks. Caliber has shattered expectations alongside some heavy-hitters in the past, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him upsetting this group hard.
Cautious and exhaustive, the methodical tactics of Knight will ruin the will to continue for many players unfortunate enough to meet him at Raleigh. Behind the ridged plating of his planetary armour, he will pick at you slowly yet surely, and by the time you out-manoeuvre the strategic pokes of his pole-arm, he has half the map.
Despite his 1-2 loss to mOOnGLaDe, his stellar play and innovative style gained him accolades from a host of new fans, making KnightLighT the dark-horse hero of WCS Oceania. With such persistance and patience, we have a player perfectly suited for both TvT and the radically-flipped TvZ meta-game, which so many Terrans are troubled to adapt to. On the other hand, his 67-minute game against mOOnGLaDe was the game to watch of the entire tournament, and probably snagged the interest of many competitors destined for the Summer Championship.
Barring exposure as a worry, Tilea Flavall has one visible chink in his armour. His macro-oriented style seems quite susceptible to early aggression and all-ins, which has taken him out in the past, even just recently at that very Oceania tournament that's turned heads. Has his training created an even more tenacious warrior – a truly unbreakable Knight?
The master of troupe movements, KawaiiRice's ability to manage aggression on multiple fronts has earned him the respect of seasoned veterans of the battlefield. Mechanics predating his SC2 career has helped him defeat feared Korean warlords time and again, infantry drops ripping contenders' attention from one side to the other, while his main force rips theirs apart.
After suffering a number of defeats, Adrian Kwong has regrouped and is pushing back out for a victory, his recent practice drills becoming more and more successful. Prior to his small slump, he showed some great wins at his last MLG tournament. Despite being knocked-out deep in the open bracket, he took games off both ByuL and CraymovING – both Championship Bracket contenders – and defeated Eifer, theognis, desRow and who is usually his TvT bane, qxc.
With his game on the upswing, and his performances against top Korean tacticians becoming more consistent with each tournament, we're set for some great games as usual, and quite likely a third Championship-Bracket placement. This time around, though, can the General take the fight to day three?
Original post: http://www.lightesports.com/news/rising-action-light-mlg-summer
Adrian Kwong cycles his control groups during a warm-up game, his midnight practice on the Korean server about to begin. Not far from KawaiiRice's home, Tilea Flavall follows suite, chasing just behind his team-mates on the Korean ladder, mere points away. Farther south, California-based Sung Bin Lee opts away from the practice regiments of KawaiiRice and Knight, instead refining builds in hidden custom games. While Binski is grinding-out his TvT, Patrick Coury is focusing on his North American competition, covertly laddering on his secret America-server account, rather than his usual CaliberLighT.
It's been a tough grind the last few months, but you wouldn't know it judging such a determined group. While Summer may be coming to an end, what begins is a new chapter for LighT, the team renewed and emboldened. The sun sets, but it may just be attainable at the MLG Summer Championship.
The Shaman
Every character has his guide through the rough; the person that keeps them going, the support that keeps their spirits up, even if they themselves don't have a computer desk or chair to practice with. In times of doubt, Binski is that man, conjuring his magics to bring life to his team. If this MLG were a game of pure attitude, The Shaman would win it all.
Attitude isn't the only strength this Terran brings to his games. Those who doubt the last-minute seeds for the Groups stage will simply have to watch him in action. Whether it's the confidence that lead him from the literal bottom of the ladder to where he is now, or innate skill that's bolstered the confidence, he's got the mindset that's needed to contest his top-class opponents right from the start in MLG's Raleigh, North Carolina tournament.
His focused training for his first opponent is the very least that will be needed, as Complexity's GanZi has been on the rise lately. On-paper, GanZi's versus-Terran record is significantly more impressive than Binski's, but for someone who's already given Korean pros a run for their money at past MLGs and is still improving rapidly, that means little. The match does look favoured for the ex-SlayerS Terran GanZi, but the very least we'll see is a good 1-2 series from Sung Bin. If he can make it passed GanZi, he's in good shape for aLive and PuMa, the other Terrans of the group.
With such an initial Terran-heavy bracket, Binski's focus should be obvious. This makes one of the strongest Protoss in the world right now his hardest opponent: SlayerS' Alicia. Thankfully, before he has to worry about either Alicia or Sheth, the Shaman can test his mental fortitude in the TvTs immediately ahead of him, a chance to display his tactical cunning.
The Faceless One
A lot more casual about his practice, but a lot more elusive, Caliber hides behind a number of pseudonyms to test his wiles. One thing we can feel confident in predicting is that our Random player will opt to race-pick his strongest, and compete as Protoss. His main race has been the demise of some notable players recently – SlayerSMiya in a recent NASL qualifier to name one. A mask well-worn by the Faceless One.
Our second seeded LighT player, Patrick Coury's group is a little bit more favourable than Sung Bin's. PvP being one of his strong suites, he should be going-up against Korean Protoss Daisy without nerves, even despite Daisy's recent victories. LosirA's ZvP in the second round is where things get difficult for Caliber. A realistic outlook sees even the best Protoss in the world having trouble with this fearsome opponent.
Thankfully, though he's got a wide variety of players to worry about, “Code-S” isn't a theme in his group, unlike Binski's. Korean Protoss First has been wreaking havoc lately, but falls in to the realm of PvP against Caliber, never to be under-estimated in the match-up. Complexity Academy's Sasquatch has recently been shut-out 2-0 by Caliber, which should be a repeat here in Raleigh, too. GoOdy, the group's last seeded opponent, is a little tougher, bringing the big Terran guns that have proved to be Patrick's weakness.
LosirA, shortly followed by GoOdy sets-up the expectation for an early out after three rounds, but records go to show that match-ups are no limitations for a man of many masks. Caliber has shattered expectations alongside some heavy-hitters in the past, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him upsetting this group hard.
The Resolute Knight
Cautious and exhaustive, the methodical tactics of Knight will ruin the will to continue for many players unfortunate enough to meet him at Raleigh. Behind the ridged plating of his planetary armour, he will pick at you slowly yet surely, and by the time you out-manoeuvre the strategic pokes of his pole-arm, he has half the map.
Despite his 1-2 loss to mOOnGLaDe, his stellar play and innovative style gained him accolades from a host of new fans, making KnightLighT the dark-horse hero of WCS Oceania. With such persistance and patience, we have a player perfectly suited for both TvT and the radically-flipped TvZ meta-game, which so many Terrans are troubled to adapt to. On the other hand, his 67-minute game against mOOnGLaDe was the game to watch of the entire tournament, and probably snagged the interest of many competitors destined for the Summer Championship.
Barring exposure as a worry, Tilea Flavall has one visible chink in his armour. His macro-oriented style seems quite susceptible to early aggression and all-ins, which has taken him out in the past, even just recently at that very Oceania tournament that's turned heads. Has his training created an even more tenacious warrior – a truly unbreakable Knight?
The General
The master of troupe movements, KawaiiRice's ability to manage aggression on multiple fronts has earned him the respect of seasoned veterans of the battlefield. Mechanics predating his SC2 career has helped him defeat feared Korean warlords time and again, infantry drops ripping contenders' attention from one side to the other, while his main force rips theirs apart.
After suffering a number of defeats, Adrian Kwong has regrouped and is pushing back out for a victory, his recent practice drills becoming more and more successful. Prior to his small slump, he showed some great wins at his last MLG tournament. Despite being knocked-out deep in the open bracket, he took games off both ByuL and CraymovING – both Championship Bracket contenders – and defeated Eifer, theognis, desRow and who is usually his TvT bane, qxc.
With his game on the upswing, and his performances against top Korean tacticians becoming more consistent with each tournament, we're set for some great games as usual, and quite likely a third Championship-Bracket placement. This time around, though, can the General take the fight to day three?
Original post: http://www.lightesports.com/news/rising-action-light-mlg-summer
LighT vs Dark ESEA Round One
The Forces of LighT Battle the Evil Geniuses
The Forces of LighT Battle the Evil Geniuses
+ Show Spoiler [LighT vs Dark - ESEA Week One Preview] +
The fifth season of the Electronic Sports Entertainment SC2 league has begun, opening with a bang by putting two of North America's best teams head-to-head in Week One. To add tension to an already close match, both teams have a lot to prove heading in to this season. I asked Geoff “iNcontroL” Robinson of Team EG if he'd share his opinion on the coming match, and shed some light from a different angle.
The Evil Geniuses are coming-off a two-season hiatus from the ESEA, with no better timing, as their American team has been largely off the radar in terms of results in the last year. Season 5 will be a proving grounds for a resurgent EG, all their States-side players stepping-up their play in recent months. With none of the heavy-hitter Koreans of EG signed-up for the league just yet, it'll be a true test of their mettle.
LighT eSports is in the same boat. Though they boast individual talent and potential, as a team they've lingered at the midway mark, seeing difficulty in the earlier stages of most team leagues and only managing Third and Fourth in their first two ESEA showings. Roster instability rocked the team hard last month, but with new recruits and a bolstered line-up, the team has gained confidence and is looking to show their power.
In our first series we see a test of mental strength; LighT's KawaiiRice will be taking-on EG's IdrA, both notable for tilting; both recently taking steps towards a stronger mentality. Whereas Greg “IdrA” Fields has started showing the results of his sports counselling by taking games off TaeJa and other top-tier opponents of late, KawaiiRice has started fighting his way from mid-Masters back to his GM MMR on the Korean server after his own slump.
With recent competitive performances, the consensus might be favoured to IdrA to take the series. Geoff notes Adrian “KawaiiRice” Kwong's historical performance in the match-up, though, and recent tournament results showing the matchup is still in the air. “Kawaii has been training on the KR server and has always had a fantastic TvZ. Should be a great match. IdrA himself has even said with the changes going on in the meta-game for ZvT at the moment, it isn't the match everyone thinks it is these days.”
Next-up, iNcontroL himself takes-on LighT's new recruit, ex-BW Pro Son “M18M” Seok Hee, now known as Sson. The Korean Protoss has an innate advantage going in to this PvP, KeSPA players notoriously performing well in their mirror-matches, despite little SC2 experience, thanks to their mechanics.
“PvP is still my worst [match-up], but I feel a lot less terrible at it these days,” Geoff comments. “I am excited to play a guy I used to watch in BW. He was a fantastic player then and I expect him to be great now.”
Series number three will pit zero-to-hero LighT Terran Binski, who started in the Copper League in the SC2 beta, against EG's newest Superstar Zerg, Suppy, another amateur-gone-pro grassroots story. Going in to this round, though, Binski arguably has the advantage: Conan “Suppy” Lui has been enjoying the spotlight, but his play-style might as well be written-down in a study book and handed to Sung Bin “Binski” Lee.
Geoff is confident in his team-mate, though. “Being exposed has it's pros and cons for sure. On the one hand he is the known player facing an unknown. on the other, Binksi has his hands full with a really on-fire player at the moment.” Binski has been known to take upset wins, though, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Recent EG recruit and internationally-acclaimed Terran Marcus “Thorzain” Eklöf will close-out their line-up in game four, against LighT's own new Terran, Seo “SeoHyeon” Hyeon Park. This mirror-match is a bit of a toss-up; Thorzain is famous for a reason, having taken one-sided championship series against the likes of TSL's Polt. On the other hand, he's largely inconsistent, being knocked-out just as lopsidedly by surprising opponents in the first rounds of tournaments.
Some posit that it's a matter of preparation, which would undoubtedly give him the upper-hand in this series, given he's researched his opponent. Then again, back to the other hand, SeoHyeon has a good winning record when it comes to engagements between the two. Geoff takes another angle -- “Thorzain is a competitor. When something is on the line, he is a different player than when he plays on the ladder. Korean vs non-Korean is always fun, but there is a reason why Thorzain is a household name.”
Undoubtedly, Markus will be just as confident going in to the match as Seo Hyeon has said he is against Thorzain. With the forecast of the upcoming match looking tooth-and-nail close, it's like we'll get to see just who's got the top TvT, and an Ace Match to boot.
Want to watch the match live? Check ZoiaLighT's stream – http://www.twitch.tv/starcraftsquad – at 8PM PDT/11PM EDT, August 16th. Find the details and join-in o nthe discussion inn the Team Liquid live-report thread – http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=360910
Original post: http://www.lightesports.com/news/light-vs-dark-esea-week-1-preview
The Evil Geniuses are coming-off a two-season hiatus from the ESEA, with no better timing, as their American team has been largely off the radar in terms of results in the last year. Season 5 will be a proving grounds for a resurgent EG, all their States-side players stepping-up their play in recent months. With none of the heavy-hitter Koreans of EG signed-up for the league just yet, it'll be a true test of their mettle.
LighT eSports is in the same boat. Though they boast individual talent and potential, as a team they've lingered at the midway mark, seeing difficulty in the earlier stages of most team leagues and only managing Third and Fourth in their first two ESEA showings. Roster instability rocked the team hard last month, but with new recruits and a bolstered line-up, the team has gained confidence and is looking to show their power.
KawaiiRice vs IdrA
In our first series we see a test of mental strength; LighT's KawaiiRice will be taking-on EG's IdrA, both notable for tilting; both recently taking steps towards a stronger mentality. Whereas Greg “IdrA” Fields has started showing the results of his sports counselling by taking games off TaeJa and other top-tier opponents of late, KawaiiRice has started fighting his way from mid-Masters back to his GM MMR on the Korean server after his own slump.
With recent competitive performances, the consensus might be favoured to IdrA to take the series. Geoff notes Adrian “KawaiiRice” Kwong's historical performance in the match-up, though, and recent tournament results showing the matchup is still in the air. “Kawaii has been training on the KR server and has always had a fantastic TvZ. Should be a great match. IdrA himself has even said with the changes going on in the meta-game for ZvT at the moment, it isn't the match everyone thinks it is these days.”
Sson vs iNcontroL
Next-up, iNcontroL himself takes-on LighT's new recruit, ex-BW Pro Son “M18M” Seok Hee, now known as Sson. The Korean Protoss has an innate advantage going in to this PvP, KeSPA players notoriously performing well in their mirror-matches, despite little SC2 experience, thanks to their mechanics.
“PvP is still my worst [match-up], but I feel a lot less terrible at it these days,” Geoff comments. “I am excited to play a guy I used to watch in BW. He was a fantastic player then and I expect him to be great now.”
Binski vs Suppy
Series number three will pit zero-to-hero LighT Terran Binski, who started in the Copper League in the SC2 beta, against EG's newest Superstar Zerg, Suppy, another amateur-gone-pro grassroots story. Going in to this round, though, Binski arguably has the advantage: Conan “Suppy” Lui has been enjoying the spotlight, but his play-style might as well be written-down in a study book and handed to Sung Bin “Binski” Lee.
Geoff is confident in his team-mate, though. “Being exposed has it's pros and cons for sure. On the one hand he is the known player facing an unknown. on the other, Binksi has his hands full with a really on-fire player at the moment.” Binski has been known to take upset wins, though, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
SeoHyeon vs Thorzain
Recent EG recruit and internationally-acclaimed Terran Marcus “Thorzain” Eklöf will close-out their line-up in game four, against LighT's own new Terran, Seo “SeoHyeon” Hyeon Park. This mirror-match is a bit of a toss-up; Thorzain is famous for a reason, having taken one-sided championship series against the likes of TSL's Polt. On the other hand, he's largely inconsistent, being knocked-out just as lopsidedly by surprising opponents in the first rounds of tournaments.
Some posit that it's a matter of preparation, which would undoubtedly give him the upper-hand in this series, given he's researched his opponent. Then again, back to the other hand, SeoHyeon has a good winning record when it comes to engagements between the two. Geoff takes another angle -- “Thorzain is a competitor. When something is on the line, he is a different player than when he plays on the ladder. Korean vs non-Korean is always fun, but there is a reason why Thorzain is a household name.”
Undoubtedly, Markus will be just as confident going in to the match as Seo Hyeon has said he is against Thorzain. With the forecast of the upcoming match looking tooth-and-nail close, it's like we'll get to see just who's got the top TvT, and an Ace Match to boot.
Want to watch the match live? Check ZoiaLighT's stream – http://www.twitch.tv/starcraftsquad – at 8PM PDT/11PM EDT, August 16th. Find the details and join-in o nthe discussion inn the Team Liquid live-report thread – http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=360910
Original post: http://www.lightesports.com/news/light-vs-dark-esea-week-1-preview
A Golden Summer
A Look at Golden's Time with LighT eSports
A Look at Golden's Time with LighT eSports
+ Show Spoiler [A Golden Summer - Golden's Time…] +
It's Swarm Season: the Summer of Zerg is here, and around the world heralds have raised their banners – among them, Golden shines as one of the brightest. Quick to establish his power in North America as a transplant for LighT eSports, Myung Jo Hwan showed impressive play and a massive amount of potential in event after event, attending many LANs across the United States and leading his team alongside KawaiiRice in team leagues. With results progressively getting better with time, he faces his final challenge as a member of Team LighT, ready to take his Gold.
Golden wastes no time. Within a month of recruitment he was representing his new team well with two show-match wins, one against the WCS USA winner ViBE and the other against his infamous ex-SlayerS team-mate, Dragon. In the next three months he would take-on some of the world's greatest, competing in the premiere-league GSL, making the top-16 bracket of the 2012 ONOG Invitational and two top-24 finishes in the MLG Winter and Spring Championships. Along the way he grabbed a cool $500 as winner of Playhem's $500 EU tournament, and even brought some high-profile players down with him in the brutal IPL 4. These are just a few of his accomplishments.
In June, the GESL Invitational would test Golden's ZvZ, zergs being chief among the Korean-heavy competition. A six-man showdown would be his first challenge in the tournament's groups stage. Cerebrate-vs-cerebrate knife-fights would be his dirty road out, beating American zergs Mystik and Machine, and kicking a protoss Insur down during the fray to clench third-place and advance from his group.
The Playoffs bracket wouldn't prove any easier at any point. In his first match, Golden would face GSTL-contender MvPTAiLS, winning 2-1 against the 'toss and moving-on to face a probably-pissed-off team-mate of TaiLS. Korean terran DreamMVP would make the Quarter-Finals as difficult as the last round, but Golden emerged victorious with a 2-1 win.
The semi-finals seemed a bit brighter. Another Korean-gone-foreign, Sleep, was on the losing side of most matches with Golden in their team-league ZvZs. CheckSix's Ace would finally see vengeance, though. The former SlayerS team-mate of Golden would wrestle a 3-2 win and a spot in the finals away from him, leaving Golden with a fourth-place, $500 finish.
Less than a month later, Myung would fly-out to Germany and pick-up where KawaiiRice left-off at HomeStory Cup 4. Team LighT watched in concern over the weekend as jet-lag reared it's ugly head, yet the young zerg still proved strong enough to power his way through the tourney with his aggressive, ling-heavy style.
Golden's first day showed some poor play thanks to his travels, resulting in some close matches. Somehow, he persevered, the only match lost being to GSL superstar terran MVP in a close 1-2 series. Group deliberations dropped Myung in to arguably the hardest group in the tournament the following day, once again with MVP in his way. The World's Best Terran would again prove to be Golden's biggest hindrance, with a 2-1 win over our zerg. Despite this, Golden's wins over Team Liquid's King of Drones, Ret, and the MVP-killer Naama would put him at the top of his group and win him a spot in Playoffs bracket.
sLivko, a survivor of the tournament's other Group of Death, would be the first opponent on the final day of HomeStory Cup 5. Another close Playoffs-knife-fight, the ZvZ would end in Golden's favour, 3-2. Though making another notable tournament's Semi-Finals, this match sadly wouldn't be as close as the last. Incredible Miracle's YongHwa would take a convincing 3-1 win. Golden would move to the consolation match against the world's best protoss, MC, where he would be knocked-out of the tournament with another fourth-place finish – but not without claiming a sizable $2000.
The Hive is not wont to sit-down and accept defeat, and Golden will find himself right back in the colosseum. The MLG Summer Arena is nigh, and it'll be a brutal battle from the start, Code-S talent waiting for our fighter at every step.
In Round One, the former oGs terran TOP will be waiting, teamless and hungry for the glory he needs to impress those looking-on who might share riches with him. Passed this formidable foe will more than likely be another highly-respected terran warrior. With all due respect to ESC's Daisy, aLive should have no problem smashing passed him to try and stop Golden in his climb to the top.
As skewed as some might say ZvT is at the moment, our Zerg damn-well have taken his preparation against such opponents seriously, because victory will not come easily. In Round Three, it's most like he'll face Losira or SaSe, but in Round Four he's almost guaranteed another terran in either PuMa, Taeja or GanZi.
Recently giving the Number-One Terran in the world a run for his money, the least we're looking at are some good games from Golden in this tournament, and quite possibly a bloody tear to the top for our capable young Zerg. The MLG Summer Arena is now free-to-watch, so make sure to check-out one last, brilliant display from Golden under LighT's banner.
Original post: http://www.lightesports.com/news/golden-summer
Do What Zerg Do Best
Golden wastes no time. Within a month of recruitment he was representing his new team well with two show-match wins, one against the WCS USA winner ViBE and the other against his infamous ex-SlayerS team-mate, Dragon. In the next three months he would take-on some of the world's greatest, competing in the premiere-league GSL, making the top-16 bracket of the 2012 ONOG Invitational and two top-24 finishes in the MLG Winter and Spring Championships. Along the way he grabbed a cool $500 as winner of Playhem's $500 EU tournament, and even brought some high-profile players down with him in the brutal IPL 4. These are just a few of his accomplishments.
In June, the GESL Invitational would test Golden's ZvZ, zergs being chief among the Korean-heavy competition. A six-man showdown would be his first challenge in the tournament's groups stage. Cerebrate-vs-cerebrate knife-fights would be his dirty road out, beating American zergs Mystik and Machine, and kicking a protoss Insur down during the fray to clench third-place and advance from his group.
The Playoffs bracket wouldn't prove any easier at any point. In his first match, Golden would face GSTL-contender MvPTAiLS, winning 2-1 against the 'toss and moving-on to face a probably-pissed-off team-mate of TaiLS. Korean terran DreamMVP would make the Quarter-Finals as difficult as the last round, but Golden emerged victorious with a 2-1 win.
The semi-finals seemed a bit brighter. Another Korean-gone-foreign, Sleep, was on the losing side of most matches with Golden in their team-league ZvZs. CheckSix's Ace would finally see vengeance, though. The former SlayerS team-mate of Golden would wrestle a 3-2 win and a spot in the finals away from him, leaving Golden with a fourth-place, $500 finish.
HomeStory Cup 5
Less than a month later, Myung would fly-out to Germany and pick-up where KawaiiRice left-off at HomeStory Cup 4. Team LighT watched in concern over the weekend as jet-lag reared it's ugly head, yet the young zerg still proved strong enough to power his way through the tourney with his aggressive, ling-heavy style.
Golden's first day showed some poor play thanks to his travels, resulting in some close matches. Somehow, he persevered, the only match lost being to GSL superstar terran MVP in a close 1-2 series. Group deliberations dropped Myung in to arguably the hardest group in the tournament the following day, once again with MVP in his way. The World's Best Terran would again prove to be Golden's biggest hindrance, with a 2-1 win over our zerg. Despite this, Golden's wins over Team Liquid's King of Drones, Ret, and the MVP-killer Naama would put him at the top of his group and win him a spot in Playoffs bracket.
sLivko, a survivor of the tournament's other Group of Death, would be the first opponent on the final day of HomeStory Cup 5. Another close Playoffs-knife-fight, the ZvZ would end in Golden's favour, 3-2. Though making another notable tournament's Semi-Finals, this match sadly wouldn't be as close as the last. Incredible Miracle's YongHwa would take a convincing 3-1 win. Golden would move to the consolation match against the world's best protoss, MC, where he would be knocked-out of the tournament with another fourth-place finish – but not without claiming a sizable $2000.
LighT's Gladiator
The Hive is not wont to sit-down and accept defeat, and Golden will find himself right back in the colosseum. The MLG Summer Arena is nigh, and it'll be a brutal battle from the start, Code-S talent waiting for our fighter at every step.
In Round One, the former oGs terran TOP will be waiting, teamless and hungry for the glory he needs to impress those looking-on who might share riches with him. Passed this formidable foe will more than likely be another highly-respected terran warrior. With all due respect to ESC's Daisy, aLive should have no problem smashing passed him to try and stop Golden in his climb to the top.
As skewed as some might say ZvT is at the moment, our Zerg damn-well have taken his preparation against such opponents seriously, because victory will not come easily. In Round Three, it's most like he'll face Losira or SaSe, but in Round Four he's almost guaranteed another terran in either PuMa, Taeja or GanZi.
Recently giving the Number-One Terran in the world a run for his money, the least we're looking at are some good games from Golden in this tournament, and quite possibly a bloody tear to the top for our capable young Zerg. The MLG Summer Arena is now free-to-watch, so make sure to check-out one last, brilliant display from Golden under LighT's banner.
Original post: http://www.lightesports.com/news/golden-summer
