EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Atrioc/survivorpic.jpg)
Banner by Atrioc
by Arrian, Atrioc, and pangshai
Ah, the MSL, it's been a long time since we've last written a newspost about it, hasn't it? When we last left you, the aftermath of the Jaedong-Flash finals saga was still sweeping over TL, and the players were just getting done with the new season of offline preliminaries for qualification into survivor. Ater a long hiatus, the MSL team is back on its feet with (not the freshest of) news, straight from korea, to your edoorstep.
As the OSL's inferior counterpart, the MSL has long been eclipsed and overshadowed in terms of prestige, distinction, and viewership. Huge doubts were cast on their level of professionalism after the Flash popup incident, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the power outage that happened in the finals subsequently. Ruining what could've easily been a showdown of astronomical proportions, and disappointing the legion of fans and analysts who had been expecting progaming history to be written, the MSL saw its popularity with the fans, and the sponsors whittle away quickly. Unsurprisingly, with two seasons of let-downs at its hands, the MSL has had major difficulty finding a sponsor thus far, and for the first time ever, has had to proceed with group selections without a sponsor. People say that BW progaming will die when SC2 is released, but these MBC executives seem bent on accelerating that process.
![[image loading]](/staff/pangshai/mslpostsurvivor1.jpg)
Anyway, we've painted a pretty bleak picture of the MSL, but thankfully, the MSL isn't all sad, sad, sad. We've had some great games played during survivor, and if anyone was still feeling down after those concluded, the MSL selection ceremony put some festive cheer back into the air - from Jaedong's kpop dancing, to Hiya's Osama impersonation, it almost felt like FireBatHero was present, if only in spirit. We'll leave you to watch that for yourselves (and if we're not wrong, there're plans for subs to be released), and for now, here's Arrian with his summary of the best games in survivor.
Hyuk v ZerO on Match Point
It has to be frightening to play ZerO. You never know if he's going to unburrow infested terrans in your main or ensnare your workers or, in this case, proxy a hatchery in your main.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/hyukzero1.jpg)
Chance of success: 50%. Chance of awesome: 100%
ZerO's placement was so good, and his timing so clutch, that Hyuk had completely no notion of the hidden hatchery, or of ZerO's eight ninja zerglings, until they exposed themselves after Hyuk's zerglings were well out of position. ZerO couldn't hold his front, but Hyuk's main and all of his drones were at the mercy of the lings pouring from ZerO's proxy.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/hyukzero2.jpg)
ZerO's drones are better at fighting than his lings.
Hyuk pulled back when he realized what trouble he was in, and in the last ling war, it was ZerO's evacuated drones which turned the tide in his favor.
Midas v by.hero on Fighting Spirit
In every way, the opening minutes of this game were a clinic of TvZ timings and builds. Midas opened with a staple of the TvZ arsenal, and hero countered with the Zerg analogue in 3 hatch muta. by.hero's mutalisk control was crisp and effective, and he didn't make the typical mistakes of pressing the harass too hard before making the tech switch or forgoing the proper third timing. Instead, despite knowing that Midas had moved out to attack his natural (or perhaps his third, it is unclear which), hero stuck with just an absolutely brutal harass which forced Midas to come back to defend while morphing the creep colonies to deter an attack. It seemed the game was going beautifully for hero until Midas caught hero with his pants down, dropping a very large number of marines into his main and trashing the defiler mound, drones, and the extractor, and almost getting the hydralisk den.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/midasvhero1.png)
Midas' marine micro is gold
Somehow, hero settled down after those rattling drops and started looking dangerous despite what seemed like a large supply disparity. Midas once again showed us, however, why he is so good at the matchup. Just as hero was bringing ultralisks onto the map, Midas had accumulated a wrecking ball of tanks to chew them up.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/herovmidas2.png)
Hero started showing cracks when he allowed Midas to trash his fifth. Midas had practically transitioned to mech by the late game, as his army was composed almost entirely of tanks and vultures - a powerful combo against ultraling. hero didn't react to this appropriately and switch his tech up as he should have done and it eventually cost him the game. Midas inched his way to victory with solid technical play and smart execution.
Canata v Pure on Match Point
Before this game, Canata had been on a streak where it seemed that he had genuinely fixed his TvP, but that came to an end abruptly against Pure. In all fairness, Canata's TvP is better than when his style was I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can-but-I-can't, and Pure was a dastardly devious opponent in this game. The game didn't start off comfortably for Pure, as Canata pressured him a bit, but he pulled back unscathed while teching straight to arbiters.
Canata was content to build his economy, but Pure proved the better at that - just halfway through the game, he controlled every available expansion on his half of the map including both the 12 and 6 o'clock bases. A smile could almost be seen on Pure's face as he dropped a fleet beacon and 4 more Stargates, and began pumping carriers.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/canatavpure1.png)
Pure showing off his haxx
Canata failed to scout this, and once the carriers reached critical mass, and in addition to that, were cloaked by arbiters, even Flash would've had difficulty handling them. Canata panicked and built a silly amount of turrets, but it was goliaths he needed, and he probably knew at that point that the game was already over.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/canatavpure2.png)
Mind v Movie on Match Point
Mind and Movie played out the Winner's match from Group 9 on Match Point. The game did not deviate from the usual TvP play of going eco heavy and teching fast. There were some shenanigans with zealots and vultures, and Movie's attempted dark templar harass was also brushed aside, and by all accounts both sides built up for a strong macro late game. Movie didn't stop with the aggression, however. He assaulted Mind's third on two different occasions to provide cover for the establishment of his fourth, which prompted Mind to strike back with a dropship of tanks and a vulture raid, but it ended up being a trade for Mind's third as Movie carved up Mind's defensive forces with Stasis fields.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/mindvmovie.png)
It was advantage Movie, though, as he finished an expo at the 12 o'clock position, and Mind's third was still in the process of reconstruction. Mind crawled back, though, dropping tanks that eradicated all the probes at 12 o'clock and performing a series of vulture raids that emptied Movie's 5 o'clock. The game had evened out by the 20th minute, but then Movie transitioned to carriers. Mind kept the pressure up with vultures and tank drops but the carriers showed up, and Mind was unprepared. Some good EMPs forced a retreat from the carriers and allowed Mind to take his Terran ball out to wreck some Protoss bases, costing Movie his 6 o'clock, his 3 o'clock expansions. Movie had too many carriers though, and a clutch zealot raid trashed Mind's fourth, while the carriers mopped up Mind's remaining forces.
![[image loading]](/staff/Arrian/mindvmovie2.png)
Following the conclusion of Survivor, the list of players entering the ro32 was finalised. Notably, there were some superstars missing from it, but more surprisingly, were some of the names that were in it - some of these names we'd not seen in a long, long time, and others we'd never seen before. Perennial favourites like Upmagic, Leta and Really tried cheesing their way through into the ro32, and saw their plans foiled by lesser opponents, 9pools by both July and Hydra beating away the early aggression easily, earning them paths into the ro32. Luxury too, fell prey to Baby, who handled the Zerg pretty convincingly, but perhaps the rest will be good for Luxury's deteriorating health.
On the other side of things, some veterans have joustled their way into the ro32. Midas, previously of the SKT1 Terran lineage, successfully took out Hero and Leta, and looked good while doing so. The oldschool Zergs did pretty well too, with July getting handed a free win by Really, but managing to triumph over Guemchi for a spot in the MSL as well and Yarnc emerging from his group 2-0 with wins over some mediocre Terrans to grace the ro32 with his presence once more. Even newcomer, Hydra, made it with seeming ease, despite chancing on a group with Leta in it.
![[image loading]](/staff/pangshai/mslpostsurvivorjuly.jpg)
The return of the Tushin.
Amazingly, however, the race that did the best overall in Survivor was Protoss. Of the 10 Protoss players who went through Survivor, 7 of them qualified for MSL. This is compared to 6/18 for Terran, and 8/20 for Zerg. The final tally for the MSL ro32 gives us 10 Zergs, 9 Terrans, and 9 Protoss - an even race distribution, something that might be even rarer than striking the lottery. With the group selections over, Atrioc gives us some predictions on who will qualify, who will upset, and why.
Groups ordered by date of play
GROUP A - REVENGE IS A DISH.....
best served cold, and apparently with a very large side of watermelon. This is a proving ground for Jaedong against two people who have haunted him in the past: Hyuk - whose victory over Jaedong in the Proleague finals still causes Oz fans like myself to wake up in the night screaming, and Baby - who 2-0'd the Dong right out of the OSL (with the help of Great Barrier Reef doodads) and looked extremely strong while doing so. July, the watermelon zerg himself, is a wildcard here as always, but it is unlikely that he poses much of a threat. This group will be a real test for the defending MSL champion to see if he is still in championship form following his recent sickness.
1st Match: Triathlon
Jaedong vs 
BaBy2nd Match: Odd-Eye 2
Hyuk vs JulyWinner's Match: Match Point
Loser's Match: Match Point
Tiebreak: Fighting Spirit
GROUP F - THE HWASIN EFFECT
There is nothing more certain in professional Starcraft than Hwasin's ability to qualify for the MSL Ro16. Hes been doing it since... forever. Hell, he was once in a group containing both Flash and Jaedong and managed to come out 2-0 with wins over both of them. No matter how awful he ends up doing once he actually gets to the BoX stage, he never fails to get there in a strong fashion. Even without this unshakeable curse, Hwasin and Zero clearly outclass the other two players here. Jangbi could theoretically win some games if he plays in prime form, but there is no evidence that he's headed in that direction so the non-Hwasin slot will probably go to Zero with ease.
![[image loading]](/staff/pangshai/mslpostsurvivorhwasin.jpg)
1st Match: Odd-Eye 2
Hwasin vs FireFist2nd Match: Match Point
ZerO vs 
JangBiWinner's Match: Fighting Spirit
Loser's Match: Fighting Spirit
Tiebreak: Triathlon
GROUP D - A BALANCED DIET
Nothing terribly exciting here, but with all three races represented decently well, this group should at the very least provide a fun night of Starcraft watching. Kal is the favorite here, but if anyone can beat him its Great, and they are matched up immediately so we'll give the edge to great. Neither HiyA nor Yarnc seem quite on-form enough lately to win here, but with Bo1's being as random as they are and the possibility of ZvZ on top of that, it's not unrealistic to assume that Yarnc could pull through. HiyA, unfortunately, will have to continue settling for proleauge recognition.
1st Match: Fighting Spirit
Kal vs great2nd Match: Triathlon
HiyA vs YellOw[ArnC]Winner's Match: Odd-Eye 2
Loser's Match: Odd-Eye 2
Tiebreak: Match Point
GROUP E - POOR HYDRA
Ask a wounded Gazelle in a field full of lions what his one source of happiness is and he will tell you "at least I'm not Hydra in Group E". There is absolutely no way this rookie Zerg whose ZvP is his weakest matchup is getting through a group containing Stork and Best. MVP is more on his level, but with the stats of TvZ being what they are lately even that seems like a foregone loss. Who will advance? Stork for sure, and most likely BeSt if he doesn't make any large mistakes, which should be a nice additional two strong Protoss to go with the guaranteed two from Group H.
1st Match: Triathlon
BeSt vs MVP2nd Match: Odd-Eye 2
Hydra vs StorkWinner's Match: Match Point
Loser's Match: Match Point
Tiebreak: Fighting Spirit
GROUP C - THE GROUP OF DEATH
Ah, the fabled group of death. It was a toss up between this and Group G but in the end the absolute razor thin margin between these four players made this the frontrunner. With each one firmly entrenched in the upper echelon's of the A-class and capable of taking games off of any other, it's going to come down to pure determination and practice. Keep a close eye on whoever 2-0's this group, as they really could have what it takes to go deep in this MSL. Unless, of course, its Sea - because no matter how good he gets, this is still an individual league.
1st Match: Match Point
Kwanro vs fantasy2nd Match: Fighting Spirit
Mind vs SeaWinner's Match: Triathlon
Loser's Match: Triathlon
Tiebreak: Odd-Eye 2
GROUP G - THE GROUP OF A SEVERE NEAR-DEATH SICKNESS
Our second most contested group - this is also an extremely close race. Calm has the slight edge if he comes out with his A-game, as Fighting Spirit is not a bad map for ZvP and if he overcomes Free, the other two opponents aren't as much of a threat. Light is like a mini-Hwasin in his consistent qualification and it wouldn't be surprising if he pulled through here, though Pure making it will really be an eye opener.
1st Match: Match Point
Light vs Pure2nd Match: Fighting Spirit
Calm vs freeWinner's Match: Triathlon
Loser's Match: Triathlon
Tiebreak: Odd-Eye 2
GROUP B - THE THREE STOOGES
God, this isn't even going to be fun to watch except perhaps in a morbid way, because this group is a Pit Bull locked in a cage with three Chihuahuas If there is one thing you can say about Flash, it's that unlike Bisu or Jaedong, you really never have to fear that he will drop a game to a scrub, because he has got beating anything below S-class gamers down to a science. He will 2-0 this group predictably, and whichever one of the remaining three holds it together the best will follow him. (We're pulling for Midas!)
1st Match: Odd-Eye 2
Flash vs Midas2nd Match: Match Point
HyuN vs ActionWinner's Match: Fighting Spirit
Loser's Match: Fighting Spirit
Tiebreak: Triathlon
GROUP H - TWO PRO, FOUR TOSS
Look Bisu, we know you don't have the best of luck in group stages. We've cheered at your dropouts enough times in the past to know that regardless of how easy the opponent, you can find a way to get eliminated from a league early. However, this is your absolute best matchup, you only have to practice against one race, maps aren't a factor, and two of these players aren't even close to your level. If you don't get your model-like hair and face to the Ro16 (where you can help earn MSL a good sponsorship) under these conditions, then you might as well go hang out with sAviOr and Luxury on the b-team. Movie is the second strongest here and honestly the safest bet given Bisu's shaky condition lately.
1st Match: Fighting Spirit
Stats vs Shuttle2nd Match: Triathlon
Movie vs BisuWinner's Match: Odd-Eye 2
Loser's Match: Odd-Eye 2
Tiebreak: Match Point
Before we end off, we'd like to inform everyone that the entire round of 32 is being played out over a 1 week span from 1st to 8th April. The future of this MSL looks uncertain, but be comforted to know that as long as the games continue, the MSL team will be here to provide coverage. As for the sponsorship woes, [Azn]Nada came up with a pretty good solution.
On March 31 2010 11:10 [Azn]Nada wrote:
They should get a power company to sponsor it.
They should get a power company to sponsor it.
We can only hope.
