[OSL 2008] EVER Day 6 Ro16 May 30

The Hope's Bazaar
Today is the last day of group-play in this spring's OSL. And mostly, it is former stars, who want to prove that they are not done for yet. Let us see them one by one.

GGplay had some much promise after his OSL win last year. From there, the road went straight downhill. He picked Bisu for the next OSL and got horribly trounced. He never regained his momentum, despite the switch to Cj Entus. His proleague stats are 1-3 and definitely not against the cream of the crop. This OSL is what he clings to. He walked through the early stages in a blaze, only to face elimination now after losses to the two of sharpest Terrans of now. His opponent now is good old Rock. Rock's popularity, besides face surgery, needs explaining. I think it is because he reminds us so much of ourselves, not as invulnerable as progamers usually appear, he sometimes plays great, he sometimes makes grave mistakes. That might make him a man of sympathy. But will it make him a man of success?

Nada is a phenomenon, time and time again. Who is in the MSL Ro16? Who needs just one more win to get into OSL Ro8? Who has more golden badges than Stork has 2nd and 3rd places? Nada's win against Jangbi was important. Losing to BeSt is something everyone does nowadays. But after his personal storm fiasko against the "best protoss of Samsung", this win kept him in the OSL and gave him sweet revenge. On the other side, I cannot help but feel sorry for Stork. In my mental picture, he is an old man sitting on a bench in front of his house, no teeth left, watching the road, telling of the times he was once a priced boxing champion. Come on Stork, show some fire once more!

July vs. YellOw is irrelevant for results. But the July fans, awakened from their year-long slumber, want to see the 2nd brother's blood as well. It would be style: Matching the brothers against each other, trouncing them, feasting off rooster for a month. This would set a sign.

Last but not least, Protoss civil war for straight advancement. Who is BackHo, hidden Monster or Bystander? How is Bisu, hurting wrist or back to shape? As for me, I still rely on the "Bystander"-Thesis concerning "da Ho", no matter how many Starleagues he sneaks into. After Bisu vs. Mind, it would be said to lose the Revolutionist that early into this tournament. My personal favourite would be the Bisu vs. July rematch. No disconnect this time, proper Bo3.

GGplay < Rock ---> Rock advances as A2!
Nada < Stork ---> Stork, NaDa, and JangBi going into tiebreaker!
July < YellOw[ArnC] ---> July still C1, Luxury C2
BackHo > Bisu ---> BackHo advances as D1

Further elaboration:
In this OSL, we thus see the following lineup for Ro8:

A1: Flash
A2: Rock

B1: BeSt
B2: Stork / Jangbi / Nada

C1: July
C2: Luxury

D1: BackHo
D2: Much