EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Kennigit/PSTSL/PS_TSL_Banner.png)
History is written by the winners. From Troy to Normandy, the accounts of the world's battles are penned by the living, not the dead.
TSL, TSL, TSL. The acronym has been used widely over the past few weeks. The truth however, is that the real TSL is only just beginning. Last week, we looked at the all out brawl that were the R2 and R3 qualifiers. Now, as we head into the hallowed Ro16, we're looking forward to a very different kind of encounter. Yes, the gloves are still off, but the battles, ah, the battles have become far more complicated.
Let us look closely at the Ro16, for it truly is the backbone of Starcraft. From the current OSL down, and indeed from progaming's earliest times, the Round of 16 has been the sweet spot, the exact amount of diversity and focus that organisers chose and fans appreciated. With each player just three series away from the finals, the prize seems attainable by all. Yet, it is how each player approaches these said games that separates him or her from the rest.
Make no mistake, fans of Broodwar, the Ro16 is what makes the TSL what it is. We can have groups and qualifiers and thousands and thousands of ladder replays. Hotkey analysis aside though, it is here, now, in these days before the quarterfinals that players are made or broken. With games, pride and indeed, a lot of prize money on the line, this is the stage where everything can come together, or as it has happened many a time, come undone.
But I digress. When we look back on this TSL, we may remember the prize pool, we may remember the viewer counts and yes, we may remember the hype. However, there is one thing we are certain never to forget - the winner. The Razer TSL saw Canadian Jian Fei reaver drop his way to victory, beating some of the biggest names in foreign Starcraft in the process. In an action packed final he narrowly edged the Polish Protoss Draco. Yet, when we speak of the first TSL we speak of JF and JF alone.
History is written by the winners. From conventional wars to the virtual battles we watch on our streams, the way things were is penned by those who stand to tell the tale. Travel with me for a moment to the year 490BC and stand together with me at Marathon, Greece. The most influential battle of the first Persian War is about to take place and Miltiades the Younger, a Strategos or General stands in command of the Grecian force. The Persians numbered between 20,000 - 100,000 infantry and a further 1000 cavalry. Greece sported 10,000 Athenians and 1000 Plataeans. Herodotus, a Greek historian, records the battle as follows.
In 450BC Herodotus wrote:
So when the battle was set in array, and the victims showed themselves favourable, instantly the Athenians, so soon as they were let go, charged the barbarians at a run. Now the distance between the two armies was little short of eight furlongs. The Persians, therefore, when they saw the Greeks coming on at speed, made ready to receive them, although it seemed to them that the Athenians were bereft of their senses, and bent upon their own destruction; for they saw a mere handful of men coming on at a run without either horsemen or archers. Such was the opinion of the barbarians; but the Athenians in close array fell upon them, and fought in a manner worthy of being recorded.
So when the battle was set in array, and the victims showed themselves favourable, instantly the Athenians, so soon as they were let go, charged the barbarians at a run. Now the distance between the two armies was little short of eight furlongs. The Persians, therefore, when they saw the Greeks coming on at speed, made ready to receive them, although it seemed to them that the Athenians were bereft of their senses, and bent upon their own destruction; for they saw a mere handful of men coming on at a run without either horsemen or archers. Such was the opinion of the barbarians; but the Athenians in close array fell upon them, and fought in a manner worthy of being recorded.
The Greeks won, and Herodotus wrote the history.
In 450BC Herodotus wrote:
In this battle of Marathon there died, of the barbarians, about six thousand four hundred men, and, of the Athenians, one hundred and ninety-two
In this battle of Marathon there died, of the barbarians, about six thousand four hundred men, and, of the Athenians, one hundred and ninety-two
Miltiades goes down as one of the greatest generals Athens ever had. If not for his tactic of drawing the Persian center in and then hammering the flanks, the battle was all but lost. The Greeks were outnumbered, but Miltiades knew the enemy. He had wined with them and dined with them and later led his Ionian countrymen in a revolt against the megapower that was Persia. Just a few years later, his defence of Athens at Marathon saved all of Greece. Although Thermopylae has been immortalised through many works of history and more recently through the pure genius of Gerard Butler's beard, it is at Marathon that the madness began.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/riptide/tsl/tsl_miltiades_ubermicro.png)
Now, let's pause for a moment to think about what would have happened if Miltiades failed. Athens would have been sacked, and much of Western history would have been very different. Men like Miltiades, and later Leonidas, made sure that the Greek peninsula stayed clear of Persian rule. If they had failed, we can't say whether history would have been better or worse. It would have been different though. Very different. From the arts to the sciences, much of Western civilisation was based on Greek findings. If the Persians had won at Marathon, the Athenian Golden Age that was to come would not have been. Indeed, the Age of Pericles that gave us the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes and Euripedes and the philosophy of Socrates and Plato only began after the end of the Persian Wars.
Yet, Athens did win, and thus Herodotus wrote the history. In the same way, the TSL is going to be about the winner. This Round of 16, all the Bo5s that will be played, the wins, the losses, everything fades into insignificance when you remember that when all is said and done, there will just be one Pokerstrategy.com TSL Champion.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/SilverskY/Ro16TSLFinal4.jpg)
Who will it be?
Predictions
By Plexa
IdrA[Media]
It’s no secret that IdrA is the odds on favourite to win this tournament. After a ridiculously successful year in the foreigner scene, and 2 years of Korean training, he is in a prime position to take this tournament. With so much money on the line and his pride and reputation at stake, IdrA must be taking this tournament more seriously than any before and training his heart out. Perhaps I haven’t seen enough Idra replays, but he always strikes me as a foreign version of Skyhigh – plain standard macro Terran. In round one he comes up against Xiaozi and despite Xiaozi giving him a run for his money in 2009, I really don’t think he’s got much of a shot to take out such a solid contender.
ToT)XiaOzI(
Xiaozi has been around forever and is a veteran member of ToT. He had a pretty successful 2009, even managing to beat Idra in the JustinTV Invitational, but he never managed to walk away with a substantial cash prize. Stylistically he plays a rather micro oriented style; specifically he has excellent defiler usage. Xiaozi’s biggest chance to take out Idra is to try set Idra on tilt in Game 1 then ride the emotional rollercoaster to victory. That’s easier said than done. Idra can still play pretty well when he’s on tilt now, so Xiaozi’s going to need to muster everything he can to try and stand a chance.
Draco
Ah Draco, the Protoss that never practices. Draco has also been around the scene for a very long time. He is a part of an exclusive club of foreigners that have tried to make it as a Progamer in Korea (with Hite Sparkyz). He knows how to train when he needs to, and last TSL he showed us all that he’s still got it. Honestly, he didn’t perform to his level in 2009 but that’s no reason to write him off. Anyone with Korean experience is a dangerous competitor – and Draco is no exception. I’m not even going to bother trying to call the Draco vs Sen series, if both of them are in shape then it’s going to be an absolute delight to watch and that’s all I care about at the end of the day.
DuskBin.Sen
Sen has been one of the top non-Koreans since 2004 (except for a brief stint where he went inactive) and I am proud to say that I lost to him in the D ranks on PGT back in 2005. Sen is a scary opponent and is particularly good at managing large groups of units at once. Thus as you might expect he’s got a pretty sick macro oriented game, but equally he has enough skill to pull off a 2 hatch muta. Sen is looking in great shape recently, and should he beat Draco, has the potential to go very far in this tournament.
Liquid`NonY
Nony is one of the most talented gamers to ever come out of America. In early 2008 he tried to luck in Korea and did exceptionally well for the time he was there. He managed to befriend the eSTRO team, give Sangho some game winning advice and then place 2nd in his first ever Courage tournament. Nony refines his builds incredibly well, which is a by-product of his excellent preparation for matches. His play is very solid – and even gave Idra a little scare in the seeding match. Nony is such a monster, I really don’t like Tarson’s chances against him.
iG.Tarson
Tarson tends to fly under the radar mostly due to the success of his compatriots. It’s difficult to truly beak out when you have Draco, Paranoid, Raven and Suncow (lol) hogging all the spotlight. In 2009 he performed well, regularly making the Ro16 and Ro8 in tournaments. Tarson has started to receive some attention after his sick series with sziky in the third round of qualifiers (which he won 3-2). I don’t think the TSL is going to be the place where he gets to break out unfortunately, Nony is just too much of an opponent to handle.
Fenix
Fenix is one of the very few race pickers left in the competitive scene – he plays TvZ, TvP and PvT. Fenix did extraordinarily well in 2009 and picked up a bag of solid tournament finishes (including a 2nd place to Idra). He was one of the most consistent performers last year, and even won the WCG Pan American championship. Fenix vs Kolll is another matchup I can’t call – both are really talented players who are going to give us an explosive series, and I can’t wait to enjoy it.
mouz.Kolll
Kolll is the German wünderkid – he is one of the true naturals to play the game. Kolll plays a very Korean style, which isn’t surprising given that he trains against them regularly. He is well known for his Mutalisk micro and is one of the very few foreigners who can consistently beat Terrans with 2 hatch muta even when they know it is coming. Kolll had some pretty big moments in 2009 – particularly his 4th place at WCG (beating Idra in the process 2-0). Many people are expecting big things from him in the TSL.
BRAT_OK
The Razer TSL was the tournament which blasted Brat_OK into the spotlight. The lovable Russian Terran picked up many fans with his hilarious interviews and unique game play. Since then he has performed extremely well in clan wars and in other tournaments. Brat’s play tends to revolve around slightly unorthodox play – dropships, harassment, mech, fast vessels and whatnot. I would pick him as the favourite over Mondragon, and he certainly has the results from various clan wars to back this up. Nevertheless, the Brat_OK-Mondragon series should be amazing.
Mondragon
Mondragon is the face of non-Korean Broodwar. For many years he was considered the undisputed #1 in the scene. Indeed, he has taken games of Progamers in tournament situations (particularly his defeat of Zeus in the MMI). He has been successful in just about every tournament EXCEPT the TSL – and no doubt he’s looking to change that this season. His ZvT has always been considered a weak spot, in comparison to his ZvP and ZvZ but my scouts indicate that this is no longer the case. He has practiced ridiculously hard for the TSL and now his ZvT is up to par. I’m eager to see what he has to throw at Brat this season.
Terran
GosI[Terran] is about as close to a Korean as you’ll get for a non-Korean. Terran plays almost exclusively with Koreans (hence why he is GosI), he sleep at Korean hours so he can practice just against them, and as you might expect, he plays a very Korean style. He played a very impressive series against Infernal in the qualifiers, and I expect that to be the precursor to him doing great things in the TSL.
IefNaij
IefNaij is the reigning TSL champion; but since the last TSL he has not been as active. He does play, but he got sidetrack for quite some time thanks to DotA and “Real Life”. He has been practicing for the TSL – but the question is whether his inactivity has hurt him beyond repair. When in form, he is known for having hands down the best Reaver micro outside of Korea. In fact, last season he basically won where he made Reavers, and lost when he didn’t. Going up against Terran in the first round is going to be tough – and we’ll have to wait and see whether he’s practiced enough to compete with the big boys once again.
TT1 (Kabal)
TT1 used to be a hacker – there I said it. He got caught, served his time away from the scene, turned legit and now can be celebrated as one of the reformed hackers. TT1 has developed some real skill since his hacking days, and him defeating Strelok in the Qualifiers is real evidence of this. Indeed, him making the Ro16 was is probably the biggest upset so far. TT1 is known for having really good macro – and is particularly strong in PvT and PvP. We’ll have to wait and see whether TT1’s miracle run will continue or not.
White-Ra
White-Ra is everywhere in the foreigner scene. He’s a top three player for a long time now and has the tournament results to back that up. He is one of the favourites for the TSL – anything less than a top 4 spot is a surprise really. White-Ra is always mannered and is consistently nice – in fact he’s probably the nicest guy in all of foreign Starcraft. He’s good at all aspects of the game, but he really excels at timing, unit combination and micro. White-Ra had a monster 2009 and won many tournaments, and placed high in the ones he didn’t.
Ret
Ret is also one of the few players who has tried to make it in Korea. His experience there was not great, and that’s a real disappointment, but nevertheless he remains one of the greatest players of modern foreign Starcraft. His move to Korea made him switch from TvZ to ZvZ – and indeed he will be playing ZvZ against Castro in the TSL. He had a monster 2009 with many high points – including going 1-2 against Nada. Ret plays a drone hungry style but is also has sublime Mutalisk micro, indeed he is one of the few players to have Mutalisk micro to rival Kolll’s. One of the favourites for this TSL – but everyone wonders whether his ZvZ will be able to hold up.
Castro
Castro is probably best known for lagging and cheesing... this reputation isn’t entirely fair or accurate because he is actually quite a solid player. His sound trouncing of Mana 3-0 in the qualifiers is evidence of this. That and his numerous tournament placings throughout the year. Castro has beaten ret ZvZ before (3-1) and could actually cause an upset here. Last TSL he was disqualified for lag, here’s hoping his connection remains solid so we can have some great ZvZ games.
So, who will it be - who will pen history? Will it be the progamer with plenty of Korean practice time? Will it be the young German upstart? Will it be the defending champion from the north? This weekend we're going to start the long, arduous process of finding out. Make no mistake though - like Miltiades, all these generals are faced with two distinct possibilities.
Win, and live forever, or lose and be forgotten.
In the games that we are about to witness, sixteen commanders will draw their swords in the hope that when this is over, they will be able to take up their pens and write boldly the story of their victory. As fans of Broodwar, we're here then not to just watch games, but to see history being typed out, one hotkey at a time. So, watch the streams, hype the threads and support your player to the end. There is no turning back now. This is the TSL.
