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France2061 Posts
March 27, 2010 -- 13:00 KST / 05:00 CET / 00:00 EST
Ahead lies that grand temple of progaming, MBCGame HERO, from whose inner sanctum crusaders emerged to spread the holy word of Starcraft -- the prophet  July burst forth and cast into the abyss the blasphemous Terrans who had nailed YellOw to the cross; the warrior-monk  Bisu addressed his homily to sAviOr, psiblade in hand. Today, the sermons are hammered into the opposition by  Sea and Light, whose siege tanks rain fire and brimstone upon the unbelievers. Repent sinner, or kiss the tank tread that rolls over thee.
The MBC missionary Light put the Winners League's format to good use, as he could sermonize across multiple games while crisscrossing the maps, marines in tow and medics bearing the holy water. 27 nonbelievers were forcefully converted, and thanks in large part to his efforts MBCGame secured a spot in the second playoff, only one match away from the finals.
Riding forth to contest this series, the pagan sons of GGPlay will have no part in this quaint Church and its boring psalmodies. To them, altars are meant to be desecrated, places of worship to be burned down. MBCGame recruiting Hyungjun to spice up morning mass doesn't change a thing. The Winners League's fourth place finisher, Woongjin Stars is on the warpath. The team defeated STX SouL in the previous playoff without even sending out its top players, thanks to an all-kill by Dream League prodigy Neo.G_Soulkey. Perhaps more relevant to this match than that wild ZvZ ride -- Soulkey previously met Sea in the OSL Offline Qualifiers, where he defeated him 2-0.
In this match he's being sent out as the starting player, and with Kwanro and ZerO guaranteed to have his back, the series is shaping up to be a momentous clash between Terrans and Zergs. Religious arguments amount to good-natured ribbing when compared to SC racial disputes, as cries of "imba!" ring louder than any "infidel!". Here the loser doesn't face conversion, only death. The winner's prize? A ticket to the finals to confront KT Rolster.
Two weeks ago, the first game would've been widely seen as "Winners League bonjwa vs scrub," and aside from Realpenguin everyone would've expected a one-sided domination by Light. But Soulkizzle delivered in spades against STX, while for his part Light blinked against Flash -- that's excusable -- then lost to PerfectMan in the OSL Ro36 -- that's laughable. Now I've hyped Soulkey above, but he's up against a Terran, not a Protoss on Roadrunner or three Zergs in the clusterfuck that is ZvZ. The Terran in question remains, until further evidence comes in, this round's top killer. To top it off, the game is on Neo Moon Glaive. The combination of these facts strongly points to Light taking this opening set. Either that or Realpenguin is Nostradamus and I'm his bitch.
Once Light beats Soulkey, Stars send out free as a buffer to protect their Zergs. Tornado is a good map for Terrans, and after his first win Light is back in his groove, so I think he should win. Then again, let me remind you that he was defeated by Perfectman -- this is a riskier prediction than expected. Sending out a second Protoss against a player warmed-up in the matchup would be almost as grievous an error as sending out three Zergs in a row against one novice Zerg (I'm looking at you STX), so Stars hold on to GuemChi and send out Kwanro. Kwanro 3-0ed Light in the NATE MSL Ro8, and whether it's a ling bust or a muta all-in or a combination of the two, his aggressive style will once again overcome the Invisible Terran.
Since this has been every team's M.O. during the Winners League, expect a ZvZ afterwards -- that's why it's better to send out Kwanro before Zero, as his superior ZvZ can remove Zergs from his ace's path. I expect the Kwanroller to prevail, but I also predicted that Modesty would beat Soulkey in the last match, yet Soulkey rolled him and went on to beat two more Zergs, so what the fuck do I know? Right. The ZvZ tripwire having proved ineffective against Kwanro, head priest Sea emerges from the choir. Sea's a beast, and because he's being kept in reserve to face the Zergs, he should have no problem avenging Light.
I've predicted Zero for the epic confrontation, but I wouldn't be too surprised if G-chizzle rears his head, although the risk is that if he loses Zero would have to play the ace game on Moon Glaive. Anyway, Zero has already beaten Sea on the same map during this round, and he should prevail once again. This brings us to an anticlimactic closing game, with Peace being sent out for the inevitable ZvZ. That choice doesn't come completely out of left field as Peace did beat Zero in the round-robin. If it does come to this -- and I certainly hope it doesn't, and chances are it won't and we'll get a koala all-kill or something equally ridiculous -- the outcome will be very uncertain, as it is in any ZvZ. Nonetheless I'll give the edge to our favorite cutie pie.
Where to watch:
http://tv.zeroboy.net/mystlord
http://tv.zeroboy.net/hateplow
mms://stream.gundam.eu/sc
http://ogn.ferron.pe
Thank you Mystlord, boesthius and aers!
+ Show Spoiler +Game 2. + Show Spoiler +
Solid game from the winner, unflappable in the face of aggression, and great late-game control.
Game 3. + Show Spoiler +
Long, epic game. The winner survives relentless harassment and pulls ahead thanks in part to his nice battle micro.
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France2061 Posts
Finally I have the chance to interview my childhood hero. Ladies and gentlemen - FakeSteve
How do you feel about the outcome of last weeks match (Stars vs STX) ? Are you satisfied that your team is up against Stars or you preferred STX instead?
FakeSteve :
Surprised is an understatement. The best way to describe my feelings is a palette of varying colours representing rage, disappointment, resentment, more rage, anger, fury, and rage. Bob Ross would show us how to display hate on a canvas in soothing tones that belie his own deep-rooted personal problems. If Michaelangelo had painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel while experiencing my emotional turmoil, it would have been a startling collage of skulls, monster trucks, snakes, and dead children.
For a team with as much depth as STX to be all-killed by Woongjin is to defy logic, and deny the STX bench's hard work throughout the season on a happenstance, freak occurrence. The capper is that their defeat came at the hands of a rookie with only a single Proleague win under his belt.
That said, I vastly prefer that MBC Hero face Woongjin, so as a die-hard MBC Hero supporter and world's #1 Sea[Shield] fan, I suppose the two emotions balance out.
What do you think about the opening set and coaches decision to send out soulkey and Light first?
FakeSteve :
There are two decision-making processes that have clashed here. Woongjin's coach is sending out his prize rookie in the first set, confident that his all-kill of STX was no fluke. Coach Ha, in his infinite wisdom, chose to send Light out first, seemingly in anticipation of Woongjin's choice. After Light decimates SoulKey, the next map on the list is Neo Tornado. Woongjin will be forced to send out one of their A-list players to face Light on a heavily Terran-favoured map. If Light can unlock, so to speak, and defeat Zero, there is no outcome but a Heroic victory. It seems most likely that Zero will appear in set 2, as he has a strong grasp of Neo Tornado despite its Terran advantage.
Make your predictions.
FakeSteve :
1 Set Neo.G_Soulkey < Neo Moon Glaive > Light
2 Set ZerO < New Tornado > Light
3 Set GuemChi < Match Point > Light
****This map is bullshit, Light could easily lose to a Protoss here****
4 Set GuemChi < Fighting Spirit > Sea[Shield]
5 Set Kwanro < Roadrunner > Sea[Shield]
MBC Hero with a stunning victory!
It seems to me that the Woongjin coach must be somewhat aware that a) A Zerg needs to be sent out to snipe Light, be it Kwanro or Zero, simply because none of their other players are up to the task, and b) Kwanro is terrible on Neo Tornado. That leaves Zero as the obvious choice.
Eager to knock off Light, Woongjin will probably send Free to fight on Match Point. I don't see Light losing to anyone else on this map, but free will be a tough opponent. From this point, with Zero out of the picture, Sea is free to clean up the scraps, and throw this terrible Woongjin squad directly into the garbage can.
I don't expect to see any of Woongjin's relatively inexperienced Terran players in the lineup, however, their faith in SoulKey was decidedly strange, so anything's possible. If one of their infant squad of baby Terrans show their face, they'll be quickly dismantled by basically anyone on MBC Hero's roster. I suspect that the one-two punch of Light and Sea[Shield] will be enough to deal with Woongjin, however, if the unthinkable happens look for HyuN and han to fill in the holes.
Are you satisfied with the quality of the games in this years WL? After its great success in 2009, the return of the format was eagerly awaited, do you think this season lived up to the hype?
FakeSteve :
Unquestionably yes, on both accounts. This season has been a wonderful combination of strong players rightfully carrying their teams (with the exception of Oz) and unexpected triumphs from unlikely sources. This format is vastly superior to the pre-set matches of other seasons, and I hope further seasons adopt this structure permanently! Though undoubtedly dulled by the release of the StarCraft II Beta, the hype this season has been like wildfire, except instead of fire it's just a bunch of nerds and they're all talking nonsense on my forum. Get off my forum you goddamned crazy kids! In my day we didn't cheer for chumps like Leta and Kwanro
Joking aside, it's been a wonderful season. Professional StarCraft lived up to the hype us fanatical fans create this season, and then some. We've seen some of the best games in years come out of this season of Winner's League.
Realpenguin has a chance to 2-kill in these interviews. He specifically insisted that I get you for this prematch talk. Do you have anything to say to him or to the other Stars fans out there?
FakeSteve :
Realpenguin? That chump? He's just lucky he hasn't run into an interviewee backing a REAL team yet. Realpenguin, I am going to feast on your dismay, and satisfy my recommended daily sodium intake with your tears. None of this California diet nonsense, either. In Canada, we like our sodium.
To the other Stars fan: I don't know who you are, but get a job you incompetent weasel!
Thank you for your time ! Last words?
FakeSteve :
Last words are for people without something to do tomorrow. In my case, 'something to do' is watching MBC Hero decimate KT in the finals, and 'tomorrow' is whenever the hell that match is. Now if you'll excuse me, I must away, as my yacht won't cruise around my lake of liquified gold by itself.
Seeking his second kill in the prematch interviews, everyone's favorite Realpenguin
Are you surprised by the way your team beat stx last week?
Realpenguin :
Well, I was partly surprised. I knew someone was going to allkill, but I didn't think it would be Soulkey. I was pretty much expecting any other Stars player to pick up the allkill, but Soulkey pulling it off (as a very "unknown" player) made my night.
The all-killer from the last match, soulkey, is up against Light. What do you think about the opening set?
Realpenguin :
Seems like a one-sided opening set, right? Yeah, I think so too. Soulkey will wipe the floor with Light. The last time Light played against the Stars in Winner's League, he struggled to pull out a win against PianO, and was rolled afterwards by GuemChi. To add to that, Soulkey just pulled an amazing allkill against STX, and I know he can do it again, especially against a team that's a lot more "shallow."
Make your predictions.
Realpenguin :
Soulkey will go for at least 3 kills before being taken out. After that, MBC's last player (presumably Sea) will be humiliated in a grand way. Have a bucket ready near your desk FakeSteve, you will be crying a river tonight after your beloved MBC gets tossed around like a WoW player in the SC2 Beta.
When I asked you who do you want to face for this weeks interview, you put FakeSteve above everyone else. Why is that? Do you have anything to say to him or to the other mbc fanboys from the TL's staff?
Realpenguin :
This question makes it sound like some sort of competition, haha. FakeSteve is a pretty cool guy, but he's cheering for MBC tonight, and that makes him a terrible terrible person. Same goes for the other MBC fans in the TL staff. Cheer for a better team, please.
I just want to see what stupid excuses he'll make when his team gets rolled. The other MBC fans are too manner 
Thank you for your time ! Last words?
Realpenguin :
MBC sucks kthxbye
Writing by snowdrift
Gfx and interviews by disciple
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LOOOOOOOL <3 i lovee FakeSteve
ahah
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Wow superb OP!!!
Go stars!!!
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Baa?21242 Posts
Stars fighting. Zerg solidarity gogogo, smash the Terran scum!
+ Show Spoiler +You can have WL, but STX will just take the grand finals.
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awesome interviews, I'm saving the long predictions read for my morning coffee tomorrow. BE NOT AFRAID FELLOW MBC FANS, FOR WE SHALL BE VICTORIUS!
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I don't get it.
These two teams are beating each other up for a shot at getting destroyed by KT. It just makes no sense.
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United States11637 Posts
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Damn, fakesteve knows his shit.
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oh hell this game going to be exciting
My predictions are exactly as of FakeSteve
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I really wanna Woongjin to win this because we already had KTF vs MBC not long ago and we all saw what MBC can do against FLASH = absolutely nothing :D
Too bad broadcast time is really bad for europe 5 am ....well gonna see the vods on youtube after i wake up.
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this is going to be close but absolutely amazing!
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Netherlands6142 Posts
This op is awesome - excellent work!
Pretty motivated to get up early to watch this now :p
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Koala all-kill would be incredible, he's gonna buttdance his way to victory.
But really, I kinda want MBC to win this, but I'm afraid they're gonna get kwanrolled tonight...
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Canada5565 Posts
Wow that banner is awesome, one of the best I've ever seen
I'm really looking forward to this, everyone will be going all out! I hope we see Guemchi crawling his reavers across the middle of Fighting Spirit again hehe 
ZerO vs. Light is the match I'm most looking forward to.
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FREEAGLELAND26781 Posts
Hehe you make much better OPs than I do, so keep at it!
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haha nice interviews. I love the banners!
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FREEAGLELAND26781 Posts
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