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[TSL] Semi-Finals Preview

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146 CommentsPost a Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next All

[TSL] Semi-Finals Preview

Text byXxio
Graphics byKennigit
May 6th, 2011 00:38 GMT
[image loading]
Saturday May 7th 18:00 GMT (+00:00)
Sunday May 8th 18:00 GMT (+00:00)
pokerstrategytsl3.com
(Wiki)TSL3

By Xxio

The Koreans are out. TLAF-Liquid` has been left in the dust; the Gracken harpooned, the Dragon lanced. We are left with a group of players that reminds me of "The Goonies". Thorzain is Mikey, the hero of our tournament thus far. He is daring, brave, and mannerful. His opponent Kas is Francis Fratelli. Older and more experienced than Mikey, he wants to reach One-Eyed Willie's treasure first, at all costs. Naniwa is easily “Brand”, the strongest and most stalwart of the goonies, while HasuObs is “Mouth”. Funny and charismatic, but someone you worry about in a tight pinch. The TSL Goonies have made it to the semi-finals by navigating through the traps of the bracket and outsmarting their enemies. The treasure is close at hand, The Inferno ready to whisk them away to New York. It's hard to watch your favorite players fall so close to the finish but by the end of the weekend, only two will remain.

The semi-finals are this weekend. Thorzain vs. Kas and Naniwa vs. HasuObs. Insanity. Serious props to the current leader of the bracket contest, TL user HenL, who correctly predicted both semi-finals. Mayhaps we can hit up a casino together.

Have Thorzain's TSL matchups made him weaker in TvT, or stronger overall? And what is up with HasuObs' PvP? Is he ready for Naniwa? Look for our educated guesses and a break-down of both matchups in the sections below.


[image loading] [image loading] Empire.Kas vs.Prae.ThorZaIN [image loading] [image loading]

[image loading][image loading]


It is well-known that TvT is Thorzain's weakest matchup. His Achilles' Heel, perhaps. On top of this is the fact that Kas is incredibly strong in TvT - as he demonstrated against NaDa in the TSL and more recently, against Brat_Ok and Cloud. After 3 rounds I finally joined the cult of Thorzain, but now I feel like it's about to end.

Loner, the only Terran who could have played Thorzain in his weakest matchup before the semis, was bested by the Beast from the East in round one. Together with Tyler and MC's dominant performances, Thorzain knew from March 20th that he could practice for TvP exclusively. Thorzain had 21 days to prepare for Tyler and 13 after that to prepare for MC. Like Daniel Larusso training for the “All Valley Karate Tournament,” Thorzain had a total of 34 days to bone up on his TvP before worrying about any other matchup. Without GSLs, NASL, or other tournaments to worry about, Thorzain was able to focus all of his ill skill to butcher Tyler and clutch out 3 wins versus MC. His opponent Kas, on the other hand, along with the other pair of semi-finalists, Naniwa and HasuObs, played a different matchup in each round. For all but Thorzain, this is their first repeat.

If we were talking about an ordinary tournament and an ordinary player, it would worry me that Thorzain's TvT has gone unpracticed. Fortunately, Thorzain is not an ordinary player. After seeing what happens when he puts his mind to something, I am sure that he has used his 13 days of practice efficiently. That said, I'm sure Kas has as well. And he is already able to beast out in this matchup. With Kas, who is so slick with his transitions and macro, I feel like his practice will include one or two tricky builds, but will be mostly a process of polishing. It will also be a process of polishing for Thorzain, but I think at a more rudimentary level. That polishing will, of course, be done with close attention to Kas' TvT in the TSL, however, and Thorzain has left nothing remotely similar for Kas to analyze.

Prediction: Whenever I try to imagine this matchup, Kas' gosu turrets keep looming up, reminding me that he has insanely polished builds. I try to think of something else and recall his queue-less macro. Then I remember Thorzain's “You Should Have Been Faithful" cheerful and I can't make sense of anything. My head says Kas but my heart says Thorzain.

Liquibet Stat: Thorzain: 3291 Kas: 3378



[image loading] [image loading] Dignitas.NaNiwa vs. mouz.HasuObs [image loading] [image loading]

[image loading][image loading]


People don't give HasuObs enough credit. He has had one of, if not the most difficult route to the semi-finals. 2-1 Huk, 3-2 Morrow, 3-0 Boxer. The guy should have 5 pages of dedicated cheerfuls. Maybe people are holding their breath, waiting to see if the quiet German is the real deal. It's hard to doubt HasuObs looking down his TSL record. But then again, this is a PvP. And Naniwa is good at PvP. Really, really good at PvP.

Sitting on a 13-4 PvP record for April, Naniwa is an intimidating opponent for anyone in this matchup. His 4-1 win over fellow PvP phenom Socke in the Gadget Show Live tournament finals is especially telling, and damn scary. Naniwa is known for both trying and making work new strategies in PvP, and following and executing the most standard builds to a T. In this matchup that is (currently) so limited in scope, I am really not sure what HasuObs can do but beat Naniwa at his own game. 13 days is a short amount of time if you want to revolutionize a matchup. But as rigid and taciturn as PvP is, it is just as volatile and chaotic. No other matchup is so unforgiving. The smallest mistake can end in instant death. As strange as it may sound, I think this fits well with HasuObs' general style. He has praise worthy crisis management, great unit compositions, and is patient, yet decisive. I'm thinking that, like he did in his former rounds, HasuObs will give us something we don't expect.

Prediction: HasuObs himself says that “Naniwa has some of the best PvP worldwide”. I like HasuObs more every time I see him play Naniwa's skill in this matchup is reaching a crescendo. Naniwa is too far ahead of the curve. He will win 4-2.

Liquibet Stat: Naniwa: 5473 HasuObs: 1209



Cheerfuls !

[image loading]
[image loading]
[image loading]
[image loading]





This TSL is sponsored by PokerStrategy.com, the world's largest poker school and community. With hundreds of Poker VODs and an assortment of learning material in 18 different languages, PokerStrategy.com offers the chance for aspiring Poker players to learn from a beginner to a professional level. Sign up using TL's referral link.

By signing up, you can also enter the TSL3 Raffle, where you can win a 5-night trip to South Korea for 2 people to watch StarCraft live in person and tour the oGs-Liquid house.

Discuss with other fans in the TSL3 Forum
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KTY
Belano
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
Sweden657 Posts
May 06 2011 00:40 GMT
#2
Sweden hwating! :D
Bring back 1 supply roaches.
Jubio.xl
Profile Joined January 2011
United States28 Posts
May 06 2011 00:40 GMT
#3
so excited
LOL late game terran I "Manner cc is a must, but as a ceremony it was not quite enough, manner cc needs to have at least 5 SCVs doing it" - FBH I Savior broke my heart ;_;
forgotten0ne
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
United States951 Posts
May 06 2011 00:42 GMT
#4
Rofl at the Goonies analogy... :D

Good stuff.
"Well it’s obvious that these Terran gamers are just extremely gifted when it comes to RTS games" -Ret, in regards to the first months of SC2
ROOTheognis
Profile Blog Joined January 2006
United States4482 Posts
May 06 2011 00:43 GMT
#5
goooooooo thorzain! i hope he practiced his tvt!
If you avoid your weakness, it will remain your weakness. www.twitter.com/#!/rootheognis Follow me!
newHABIT
Profile Joined January 2005
Sweden112 Posts
May 06 2011 00:44 GMT
#6
I hope Thorzain and HasuObs will manage <3
Draconicfire
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada2562 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-06 00:46:45
May 06 2011 00:46 GMT
#7
Haha, Arthas vs Illidan, powered by Pylons.
@Drayxs | Drayxs.221 | Drayxs#1802
IMLyte
Profile Joined November 2010
Canada714 Posts
May 06 2011 00:46 GMT
#8
I would love a ThorZain Naniwa finals
I'ma show you how great I am ~ Muhammed Ali
asdd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
228 Posts
May 06 2011 00:50 GMT
#9
THORZAIN HWAITING!!!
I
Flingoko
Profile Joined January 2011
Denmark68 Posts
May 06 2011 00:50 GMT
#10
Very exciting indeed , rather have 2 mirror matches now, than 1 in the finals !
provrorsbarn
Profile Joined January 2011
Sweden766 Posts
May 06 2011 00:52 GMT
#11
I want an all Swedish final. So Naniwa and Thorzain gogogo
Im just a zerg
Euronyme
Profile Joined August 2010
Sweden3804 Posts
May 06 2011 00:52 GMT
#12
On May 06 2011 09:46 Draconicfire wrote:
Haha, Arthas vs Illidan, powered by Pylons.


Except it isn't Illidan... It's that demon guy from war3.. There's atleast one Z and probably an X in his name. That's how you recognise them. I'd be cool with a demon called like "Steven" or something for once lmao.
Speaking of which, how come Naniwa's cheerfuls through the tournament's always been either just a spray paint text :"Naniwa", or this one, with the war3 badass lord of evil as hasuobs and some lowly scumbag demon as naniwa.. Gah T_T
I bet i can maı̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̸̨̨̨̨̨̨ke you wipe your screen.
ReddZerg
Profile Joined March 2011
United States18 Posts
May 06 2011 00:53 GMT
#13
Kas v Naniwa finals gogogo
TemplarCo.
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Mexico2870 Posts
May 06 2011 00:53 GMT
#14
Ohh man I can't wait for this, all Euro, all ex-Warcraft players, all TSL 3 final four players!! :D
With an average game length of 7m36s over his 6 games in GSL3, this is a no-brainer. BitByBit pulls more SCVs than yo momma at a club on Mar Sara. ♞
Drygioni
Profile Joined February 2011
Japan379 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-06 00:56:41
May 06 2011 00:54 GMT
#15
Every time I bet against HasuObs I lose. I'm not making that mistake again. Gogo HasuObs!


On May 06 2011 09:46 Draconicfire wrote:
Haha, Arthas vs Illidan, powered by Pylons.


That's a dreadlord (Mal'Ganis or Tichondrius?), not Illidan.
GenoZStriker
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
United States2914 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-06 00:55:22
May 06 2011 00:55 GMT
#16
I'm so happy for these guys.
eSports Prodigy & Illuminati member.
Skank
Profile Joined October 2010
United States329 Posts
May 06 2011 00:55 GMT
#17
Thorzain do what you do best. SLAY CHAMPIONS.
And be cute while doing it XD
"To be honest, to play protoss is ridiculously simple" -NesTea
GhandiEAGLE
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States20754 Posts
May 06 2011 00:57 GMT
#18
LOL Day[9] reference when talking about HasuObs..."Crisi management"
Oh, my achin' hands, from rakin' in grands, and breakin' in mic stands
Goshawk.
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United Kingdom5338 Posts
May 06 2011 00:57 GMT
#19
Hyped! Gonna be awesome!
LinYu)Fury
Profile Joined September 2003
Norway200 Posts
May 06 2011 00:58 GMT
#20
thorzain ofc! gogo! ^_^v
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