EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/keit/placements.png)
What an evening! We expected great players and good games, but what we got was so much more than that. From Colossus drops to Battlecruiser vs Void Ray action, the first Team Liquid Starcraft 2 Invitational delivered and delivered in style. The tournament, which was played out over four rounds, was casted throughout by TL's own Sean "Day[9]" Plott. As game after game unfolded and players dropped out and others advanced, the tension mounted as some of today's top RTS players rose to the top. Here is the action as we saw it here, live.
![[image loading]](/staff/pachi/SC2Invite/ResultsHeader.png)
+ Show Spoiler [Round of 16] +
![[image loading]](/staff/pachi/SC2Invite/Bracket_Ro8.png)
![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/Ticon_small.png)
Strelok 2 > 0 ![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/Zicon_small.png)
Horror Strelok < Lost Temple > Horror Strelok < Metalopolis > Horror Strelok < Kulas Ravine > Horror Haypro 2 > 0 ![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/Picon_small.png)
Hasuobs Haypro < Scrap Station > Hasuobs Haypro < Blistering Sands > Hasuobs Haypro < Lost Temple > Hasuobs Nightend 0 < 2 WhiteRa Nightend < Scrap Station > WhiteRa Nightend < Blistering Sands > WhiteRa Nightend < Lost Temple > WhiteRa Insomnia 0 < 2 Brat_OK Insomnia < Lost Temple > Brat_OK Insomnia < Desert Oasis > Brat_OK Insomnia < Steppes of War > Brat_OK DeMusliM 2 > 1 ret DeMusliM < Desert Oasis > ret DeMusliM < Steppes of War> ret DeMusliM < Metalopolis > ret![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/Ricon_small.png)
TheLittleOne 2 > 0 Morrow TheLittleOne < Metalopolis > Morrow TheLittleOne < Lost Temple > Morrow TheLittleOne < Kulas Ravine > Morrow Zion 0 < 2 Liquid`Nazgul Zion < Blistering Sands > Liquid`Nazgul Zion < Metalopolis > Liquid`Nazgul Zion < Lost Temple > Liquid`Nazgul Naugrim 0 < 2 Jinro Naugrim < Steppes of War > Jinro Naugrim < Blistering Sands > Jinro Naugrim < Metalopolis > Jinro+ Show Spoiler [Round of 8] +
![[image loading]](/staff/pachi/SC2Invite/Bracket_Ro4.png)
Strelok 0 < 2 Haypro Strelok < Lost Temple > Haypro Strelok < Scrap Station > Haypro Strelok < Blistering Sands > Haypro WhiteRa 2 > 0 Brat_OK WhiteRa < Lost Temple > Brat_OK WhiteRa < Metalopolis > Brat_OK WhiteRa < Desert Oasis > Brat_OK DeMusliM 1 < 2 TheLittleOne DeMusliM < Map > TheLittleOne DeMusliM < Map > TheLittleOne DeMusliM < Map > TheLittleOne Liquid`Nazgul 2 > 1 Jinro Liquid`Nazgul < Metalopolis > Jinro Liquid`Nazgul < Kulas Ravine > Jinro Liquid`Nazgul < Desert Oasis > Jinro+ Show Spoiler [Semifinals] +
![[image loading]](/staff/pachi/SC2Invite/Bracket_Finals.png)
Haypro 0 < 2 WhiteRa Haypro < Desert Oasis > WhiteRa Haypro < Lost Temple > WhiteRa Haypro < Metalopolis > WhiteRa TheLittleOne 2 > 0 Liquid`Nazgul TheLittleOne < Lost Temple > Liquid`Nazgul TheLittleOne < Metalopolis > Liquid`Nazgul TheLittleOne < Kulas Ravine > Liquid`Nazgul+ Show Spoiler [3rd Place Match] +
![[image loading]](/staff/pachi/SC2Invite/Bracket_GrandFinals.png)
Haypro 0 < 2 Liquid`Nazgul Haypro < Metalopolis > Liquid`Nazgul Haypro < Blistering Sands > Liquid`Nazgul Haypro < Lost Temple > Liquid`Nazgul+ Show Spoiler [Finals] +
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/riptide/sc2b/Bracket_Finals.png)
WhiteRa 3:1 TheLittleOne WhiteRa < Lost Temple > TheLittleOne WhiteRa < Scrap Station > TheLittleOne WhiteRa < Kulas Ravine > TheLittleOne WhiteRa < Steppes of War > TheLittleOne WhiteRa < Metalopolis > TheLittleOneFrom long drawn out macro games to quick and dirty proxies that resulted in much hilarity, this tournament did not disappoint. Whether you were completely new to the world of Starcraft, or had played SC2's predecessor since it was first released, this event had something from you. Players from the Broodwar, Warcraft 3 and even Supcom spheres came together to celebrate not just SC2, but the art of RTS in general, for if today showed us anything, it was that a good Real Time Strategy game can produce moments of intensity that other genres can only gawk at.
Speaking of gawking though, we know you're waiting for those replays. Well, here they are! Download, analyse, theorise - they're yours for the taking.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/keit/downloadreplays.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/pachi/SC2Invite/VODsHeader.png)
Now, on to what you've been waiting for. If you hung out on IRC with us, you'd have seen people go nuts during the finals. Not only was the Bo5 an intense series, it was an interesting one. Bringing two players from vastly different backgrounds together, it pitched them together in a tussle that was by all accounts, a showdown to remember. In the aftermath of a fantastic series, let's now see what Oleksiy "White-Ra" Krupnyk and Dario "TheLittleOne" Wünsch, our Champion and Runner-Up respectively, have to say about what went down today.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/keit/Interviews.png)
First, we're going to dive into the psyche of TheLittleOne, who in the course of an evening played SC2 in ways that many of us had never seen before, did so in style, and went through some of today's top contenders to reach the finals of the TLI. Now with a fanclub on TL, Dario Wünsch sat down to tell us what's what.
A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action
By Chobopeon
TeamLiquid.net: First off, congratulations on second place. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are?
TheLittleOne: Thanks a lot. My name is Dario Wünsch, I am from Leipzig in Germany and 19 years old. Right now I am studying Anglistics in the 2nd semester.
TeamLiquid.net: Very cool. Can you tell us a little bit about your gaming history? You were a very good Brood War gamer, yes? What else have you played competitively?
TheLittleOne: I used to play WarCraft 1 so I've stuck with the Blizzard games for quite while. I played broodwar from 2002-2004 but then lost the interest in gaming for some time. The game which hooked me again was Supreme Commander an excellent RTS which didnt get the credit it actually deserved. Its about 1 year now that I started playing broodwar again, but this time I trained really really hard and got to the b+/a- level.
TeamLiquid.net: So congratulations once again on your second place. Even though you didn't win the tournament, you've gained a LOT of fans. I think every one of the 5,000+ viewers today was completely impressed with your creative play. What we're all wondering is, how much of you can we expect to see? How much time are you putting into the game and what are your plans for the future? I think I speak for everyone when I say the more LittleOne the better.
TheLittleOne: Right now I have semester break so I could play 4-6 hours a day. But in 1 week this will be all over and I will return to my 2-4 hour routine. Luckily I am not a mechanical player so I hope it wont effect my skill too much. How much you can expect of me? Well I will try to take part in as many tournaments as possible.
I hope one day that I might actually be able to make money from e-sport so that I can live from it. Maybe not as player but somehow connected to the scene.TeamLiquid.net: Yeah, you won a lot of fans with your creative play today. How much of your games are improvised and how much do you have planned? Throughout the tournament, you seemed to be able to transition back and forth between styles and units. Is that all premeditated or done on the fly?
TheLittleOne: Partly it was planned, like the shuttle play. But in the 2nd game vs Nazgul I had no clue what was going to happend next, I just felt like trying out something new. Most players only use like 2-3 units in 1 match right now. I think thats kinda discriminating to the others!
TeamLiquid.net: During game 2 vs Nazgul I think everyone thought on several occasions that you were going to lose but you somehow managed to pull it out with great marine counters and nukes. Did you think you were going to lose at any point during that game? Were you close to typing 'gg'?
TheLittleOne: I was thinking that I was going to lose ALL the time. But hope dies last.
TeamLiquid.net: Do you have a favorite moment from the tournament?
TheLittleOne: I think I pick the 2nd game vs White-ra. Killing him with my last drones was really cool^^
TeamLiquid.net: Do you plan on choosing a single race at some point or will you stay random?
TheLittleOne: I will stay random as long as I am able to compete with the top players. Only think that I dont like about random is that I might get zvz and thats soo boring
TeamLiquid.net: Have you played White-ra before? Have the games gone anything like this? Because these seemed very crazy but watching your other games it becomes evident that the craziness is a theme for you
TheLittleOne: I played White-ra a lot in ladder already and he beat me most of the time. The games before this tournament were pretty standard though. I think White-ra is a really great player and a nice guy. So I am pretty happy with who won the invitational. He really deserved it.
TeamLiquid.net: Great. Thanks for the time and congratulations again on second place. Have fun with all the new fans
TheLittleOne: I thank you ^^. this day went really unexpected lol, I think I am going offline now, drinking some beer^^
Of course, you can't talk about foreign Starcraft without mentioning White-Ra. A veteran in every sense of the word, he has been around the community for yonks and is known to everyone as a good manner, exceptionally talented Protoss. With the arrival of SC2 he began tearing up the ladder and at the time TLI was being organised was the player with the most ladder games played on the EU server. Today, he walked away with 300$ in cash as the winner of the 1st Team Liquid Starcraft 2 Invitational, a title that he will no doubt be remembered for. Let's see what he has to say about that.
White-RAWR
By Chobopeon
TeamLiquid.net: Congratulations on first!
White-ra: Thanks! I did it^^
TeamLiquid.net: Very impressive, too! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are?
White-Ra: Ohh, I think many people know me but we will get a bigger community in SC2 so maybe some don't know me. I live in a beautiful city near the Black Sea. My name is Aleksey, a very old progamer ^^
TeamLiquid.net: Yeah, I think most know you and we're all big fans. How do you feel about your victory against TheLittleOne? Those were some great, great games.
White-Ra: Yeah, TheLittleOne played very well and had interesting build orders. He's like Testie in SC1 (Testie hihi, hope you come back in SC2 -_-). But all the same, I could break its resistance. I am very glad because this is my first victory in SC2.
TeamLiquid.net: Have you played TheLittleOne before this? Were the games anything like these crazy ones?
White-Ra: Actually, this is the first time I've played him in SC2 but before I participated in many competitions with him.
TeamLiquid.net: What was going through your mind during these games?
White-Ra: All the games were interesting but the one on my mind is game 2 on Scrap Station. I've seen that type of game before but very rarely and I know he's very strong. Eventually, time started to work against me and I had to take action when he killed my probes.
TeamLiquid.net: Do you have a favorite moment from the tournament?
White-Ra: Yeah, my 2 Immortal harrass against TheLittleOne and my defense push against Brat_OK in game 2.
TeamLiquid.net: Congratulations again on a really impressive victory!
White-Ra: Thanks and all greetings and good luck!
Well, with that we're done for now, and exhausted, but in a good way. If you joined us for the cast, you don't need to be told that it was a cracker evening. If you missed it, the reps are above, with VODs on the way. Thanks for tuning in, and see you next time. Congratulations once again to our podium finishers - good games!
Thanks
A number of people helped make this tournament a success. The TL staff would like to thank today's participants for accepting our invitation and coming to share a great evening of SC2 with us. Also, thank you Nyovne, Naruto, Keit and Shauni for always being ready to take one for Team Liquid. You guys rock! Last but not least, thank you QuothTheRaven for working so hard on the VODs.
This post was made by the Team Liquid Starcraft 2 Coverage Team. For more of TL's coverage, please visit the Team Liquid Starcraft 2 Beta Page.
