EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/cdlsXJC.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LmTH2PO.png)
Group A:
In:
sSak and 
ShuttlesSak wins group A in first place. His impressive showing reminds us all that he was a top Terran in 2013. Shuttle advances second and finally gives viewers an opportunity to see him play more than the first round of a tournament.Out:
Lazy and 
TerrorLazy had impressive PvP results during the 1st Sonic Proleague. However, those skills didn’t show up as Shuttle another PvP zen master ended his short run. Terror loses early once again which brings up the question, can he earn the results he used to have in 2012?Recommended games:
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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/N4yTgtZ.png)
Group B:
In:
Mong and MovieMong advanced first place in the group of death. This should be no surprise. Mong has earned is his place not only as a top terran, but top player, over the past year of Starcraft. His impressive results in LoveTV Starleague on solidifies his consistency.Movie placed last in his ro16 group of LoveTV Starleague and before that he was under performing in the Sonic Proleague. The veteran has now proven he’s still capable of good results.Out:
Killer and KwanroKiller wins LoveTV only to be treated with an early exit from the All Stars tournament. It’s a disappointment, but let’s let this one slide.Kwanro was the expected last place finisher and proved us correct. He has been unable to win against better players since the end of SSL9.Recommended games:
+ Show Spoiler +
Match 1 - Game 3. Long TvZ with a nice comeback.
Match 2 - Game 1. Dark archons fighting from a slight deficit. Big shuttle plays.
Match 2 - Game 1. Dark archons fighting from a slight deficit. Big shuttle plays.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/IsrEArY.png)
Group C:
In:
PianO and MindPianO first place run was great as the 26 year old put on a TvZ clinic along with Mind.Mind advances to the ro8 and holds on to hope the he can make another finals run in his career of Brood War.Out:
ZerO and ModestyZerO managed to take one game off Mind and win a ZvZ. While it was nice to see him win a game, the beatings he took in his losses erased any good feeling.Modesty places last meaning both LoveTV finalists have been eliminated. This is the most surprising result as he is praised as a ZvT monster.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/oVFUiz2.png)
Group D:
In:
by.hero and freeby.hero places first and becomes the only option for zerg fans. What better hero to have then the SSL9 silver medal winner in route to take a gold.free advances second and continues to show improvement since he resumed playing SC1. He will be a dark horse in the ro8.Out:
HiyA and LarvaHiyA loses his second ro16 group in a row. 4 Terrans make the ro8 showing and while many wished Hiya was among them, we may be thankful to avoid more TvTs in the ro8.Larva also lost in the ro16 of LoveTV. He is a charismatic player and very skill, but it seems Larva is unable to find an edge against more experienced pros. Round of 8 Predictions
Mind and Free have not had the opportunity to play each other yet. Free comes in with a record of 8-9. 4 of his losses come from Terran players. However I think this can finally be over looked. Advancing past the ro16 is the first positive step we have seen for Free. Conquering this road block is going to be a big tell if we will ever see him back in form (yes he even used to be the Woongjin Stars Ace).
Mind enters the match up with 31 wins and 21 losses. However, the majority of this winning percentage comes from his almost impeccable record of 13-1 against zerg opponents. While Mind remains 12-11 against protoss he is the clear favorite here based on experience and overall results in the Sonic Era.
Since the start of the Sonic era Shuttle has won 110 games and Mong has won 220 combining 330 wins in under 3 years. That is quite remarkable. Both these players have become true top tier players, but especially Mong who has 9 gold medals and 3 silvers in the past 2 years in just Sonic tournaments alone. He has also consistently placed high in other tournaments such as the LoveTV Starleagues. With both players having over 60% win rates in PvT I am confident this will be the series to watch.
After seeing 4 Terrans qualify the odds were we would get at least one TvT in the ro8 so no surprises here. The real story here is that sSak has a near 70% win rate putting Piano's 58% win rate to shame. While the most memorable TvT with sSak in the past year may come from his SRT finals stomping by Sea, he's still the hot hand here in this match up. Regardless, Piano is playing outstanding and has won 68% of his games since returning to the pro scene. Expect a long, cut throat series. TvT fans, make extra popcorn for this one!
For a moment I feel sickened. I said Shuttle vs Mong was going to be the best series of the ro8 yet Movie and by.Hero are playing each other. The games still may be great, but the trend here is not. Movie is 12-18 against hero in individual leagues and to make matters worse is 1-5 in series of bo3 or greater. While the majority of the series played went to the ace match, it's clear that by.hero really knows how to close out against Movie. We can speculate it's the pure endurance and high intensity the by.hero brings to each game or the fact the he is a vP genius at the moment. It's really hard to pick this one, but let's go with the trends!
