Here is my list of the top contenders for the MLG DC title. They are in descending order of who I believe to be most likely to win the tournament. I have also included some personalized (and potentially fictitious) letters from their fans.

7. Honeymooners and New Faces

Why is White-Ra so low on this list? He just got married! Though he was strong during the beta, White-Ra's PvT has been suspect of late. Many fans wonder if he even has time to practice, and the doubters would not be surprised at all if White-Ra was knocked into the loser bracket early on. But until we actually see him play, he remains a legitimate threat.

Ajtls is known for many things on TL, but only after MLG Raleigh could he legitimately add "Top LAN finisher to his list of career achievements. Was Raleigh a fluke, or will we see "Lastshadow" in the Top 4 again? His TvT was certainly solid, taking out several big names, but bad losses to Socke and Kiwi might doom Ajtls if he faces a P early.


6a. Evil Henchmen

EG's biggest threat to win flies in from Korea, but Incontrol, Machine, Lzgamer and Inka hope to make it far as well. At MLG Raleigh, EG vs EG happened in the first round in what could only be a bracket error. Incontrol recovered to finish 13th, but something tells me they're all aiming higher this time.




6b. Hustle and Flow

TLAF-Liquid`HuK's not alone at MLG -- his teammates Tyler and Ret will be attending MLG DC as well. Both were regarded as among the best in international Brood War, but neither has scored a significant SC2 tournament win. Ret's only recently returned to heavy practice, so he's coasting on reputation alone. Tyler brushed aside a disappointing MLG Raleigh and rebounded with deep runs in both TL Opens and a recent 3-2 win over Qxc in the GGI.


5. Root Rebound, Part I

Will we see five quarterfinalists from the same team at MLG DC? Probably not. But Root remains consistently strong throughout their lineup: CauthonLuck, Drewbie, and Slush finished 6th, 11th, and 12th place at MLG Raleigh. On any given day, one of them can crack the Top 4.




4. Root Rebound, Part II

In DC, Qxc looks to improve upon his second place finish at IEM NY. His teammate Kiwikaki didn't make it out of groups, but a the word on the street was that he was feeling quite ill all weekend. At MLG Raleigh, both players were taken out by eventual champion Huk, but they both have demonstrated the ability to advance far in big tournaments.


3. Natural SeleCTion

Winning one 512-man TL Open event is hard enough. Winning two in a row is nearly impossible, but Select did it anyway, even showing off some nice Protoss offrace skills in the process. Can he carry the momentum to DC? At MLG Raliegh, Select was "seeded" 44th and finished 7th. You can bet he'll have a higher status this time. Currently, he's the highest rated American player in the SC2 International TLPD.


2. Raleigh Repeat

The one thing HuK does not lack is confidence and saving his best for when it matters most. This past weekend at IEM American Championships, he 3-0'd out of his group, lost to qxc in the semifinals, and promptly mothership and carrier rushed two games, going down 0-2 to Drewbie. But Huk rallied and managed to pull out the 3-2 comeback win for a respectable third place finish. Many other players would be happy with that result, but Huk was stewing. He expects to win every event he enters, and didn't even know the prize money for third place at IEM. But this particular field is loaded, and repeating as champion will be a daunting task.




1. The Non-Korean from Korea

It was a disappointing GSL1 for EG.IdrA. Fortunately, he promptly qualified for GSL2, and is infinitely wiser this time. A lesson from Lotze: "If your opponent appears to be doing a cheese build you received a scouting report about, he may still actually be going proxy void rays". The stakes aren't quite as high at MLG DC for Idra, but the pressure is just the same. He's here to win, and anything short of making the finals would be seen as a failure.