Group C's most unique player is undoubtedly ZeLot—the gosu all-in Zerg user, as Koreans know him. What makes this appearance special is that this will be ZeLot's first time playing in a major tournament since Sonic Starleague 8. His upcoming match vs Best is far more than just a novelty though.

Sacsri also makes a return to the scene. Though he never made a splash in the Kespa days outside of some 2v2 play, Sacsri went on to a relatively successful StarCraft 2 career where he netted over $30k in prize money and took a DreamHack title home. Since his retirement in 2016, Sacsri went quiet for a little over two years before returning to competitive Brood War during the Moo Proleague Season 2.

ZeLoT vs Best on Block Chain

Of all the top ex-pros ZeLot could be matched up with, Best is the most susceptible to cheeses. Best's shaky early and mediocre mid game are weaknesses ZeLot can capitalize on using his signature 3 hatch hydra. However, it's likely ZeLot will perhaps utilize the assimilator pathways for a more unorthodox cheese. Best’s chances on such a unique map only go down as the possibilities for cheeses grow larger. Most likely though, we will simply see ZeLot pull out the classic hydra bust to win the first game.

Sacsri vs Mong on Block Chain

Sacsri, while a pretty good Zerg, simply has mechanics and play that lag behind the best. Block Chain might be what bridges the gap by giving him a larger variety of play to choose from, though. We've seen Mong get flustered by specialized builds, including Crazy Zerg on Gold Rush and Shine's guardian/hydra play. I'm guessing Sacsri won't play the standard game and will instead use the isolated assimilator bases for a Crazy Zerg style...or maybe he’ll just surprise us with solid standard play. Despite Sacsri's best efforts, on the live stage and against Mong’s mechanical ability, I don’t see him taking a game off his Terran opponent.

Winners Match: ZeLoT vs Mong on White Out

ZeLot's signature ZvT build is 2 hatch muta, and he most likely will pull it out here. However, I imagine Mong will have prepared for the build with especially good control. He will also conceive of any possible cheese play like lurker drops, lurker bust, or early ling aggression. I feel ZeLot will have to pull off a play similar to what Miso displayed against Light in the KSL. Here, this performance will show if ZeLot has the range to compete at the top. While the prospect sounds promising, most likely ZeLot will overextend and Mong will simply have a good enough defense to win the game.

Losers Match: Sacsri vs Best on White Out

Historically, Sacsri is a good ZvP player, but he still needs to work out the kinks before he can get on the same level as Best. On a map like White Out, Sacsri will likely do overlord drops or some other adaptive play, and we could even see him open 3 hatch hydra as a mind game against Best. Best's usual 2 base DT drop shenanigans are too predictable, so I think Best will opt for a standard game where his army control and macro can won him games despite being behind in the early or mid game. As much as I want to believe in Sacsri, I don't think he will cut it against such a strong macro player like Best.

Final Match: ZeLoT vs Best on Match Point

The same trick won't work twice, especially on a two player map. Or maybe it will, because that's the kind of player ZeLot is. Be prepared to see yet another 3 hatch hydra that may or may not fail horribly. Who knows, ZeLot may be our first non ex-pro to make it past the Ro24.

Predictions:
ZeLot > Best // Block Chain
Mong > Sacsri // Block Chain
Mong > ZeLot // Whiteout
Best > Sacsri // Whiteout
ZeLot > Best // Match Point

Mong and ZeLot advance to the Ro16!