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.
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.
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 !
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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
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.
Quite sure this is Varimathras or Mal'Ganis; so no Z or X.
All semi-finalists are awesome, so no matter who'll get into the finals deserves it! (:
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.
Quite sure this is Varimathras or Mal'Ganis; so no Z or X.
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.
Quite sure this is Varimathras or Mal'Ganis; so no Z or X.
All semi-finalists are awesome, so no matter who'll get into the finals deserves it! (:
Goddamn it.. well it still sounds like a nutjob... I'd still really like seeing a super powerful demon by the name Steven or Carl or something like that ^^
Thorzain was really impressive in the other matchups, but with tvt being his weakest and Kas having a really good tvt it's hard to bet on Thorzain on this one. Naniwa on the other end is a sure bet, he should have no trouble crushing Hasuobs.
I enjoy that 3 ex-wc3 players somehow made TSL3 semis out of 4 (unless Kas played wc3 too, know nothing about him tbh), being an ex-wc3 player myself. Naniwa vs Kas final with naniwa taking it
edit: HenL was a pretty smart player in the wc3 scene a few years back, i'd be curious to see what drugs he's on to accurately predict these semis. I want some.
On May 06 2011 11:04 SpiritAshura wrote: I enjoy that 3 ex-wc3 players somehow made TSL3 semis out of 4 (unless Kas played wc3 too, know nothing about him tbh), being an ex-wc3 player myself. Naniwa vs Kas final with naniwa taking it
edit: HenL was a pretty smart player in the wc3 scene a few years back, i'd be curious to see what drugs he's on to accurately predict these semis. I want some.
actually I'm definitely sure they're all ex wc3 players
One of these mirrors will be SOO much more exciting than the other....but seeing how well Naniwa wins will be interesting I suppose, or if HasuObs is confident I'm sure he can compete.
I'm sorry, but when you said the hasuobs has arguably the most difficult route to the final, I just laughed. That is completely demeaning to Thorzain's accomplishments, vs Fruitdealer, Tyler, and MC (MC was in a lag free environment btw). Secondly, everyone hasuobs played played from Korea to Europe which is notoriously lagging. I'm not saying that huk morrow and Boxer aren't great players, but Fruitdealer, Tyler, and MC are simply better, with the only one you can really argue against being Tyler. On top of that, Thorzain absolutely crushed and outclassed everyone he played, the only exception being points in the MC match where he struggled versus certain rushes, and still managed to keep MC at the edge of his seat. The games where MC didn't do some rush, Thorzain simply outclassed him.
So yeah, Hasu is sick good, and played some still competition, but Thorzain's road was simply harder.
On May 06 2011 09:38 Xxio wrote: My head says Kas but my heart says Thorzain
lol thats exactly what i thought...Kas TvT is on paper and practically a brutal nerdslaying force. but on the other side, MCs PvX is and was the same....so thorzain.....wait....kas....no wait damn....god dammit you cant predict this one.
Ahhh.... SO damn sad. Thorzain vs Naniwa finals would be AMAZING, but Kas' tvt is probably the best outside of Korea. So while I want Thorzain to go through to make the finals amazing, I think Kas will crush Thorzain and be a wet duck against Naniwa. As for Hasu? Well, I have been SO impressed by him, but to beat Naniwa straight up requires a little something extra. Something that he doesn't have.
During RO32/16 my favorites were Thorzain and HasuObs, but in these semifinals I have to change up my cheering for. Seriously, Naniwa is a PvP monster an Kas the same in TvT.
But still I would love to see some suprise wins out of the former two.
Most of the people are still underestimating Hasu so much. He is pretty good in PvP himshelf and i think it is only 60:40% in favor of Naniwa and really depends on the daily state of the players. Hasu has shown is A- game in 2 out of 3 games so i m confident that he can edge out an 4:2 win against Naniwa.
I am rooting for Thorzain and Naniwa, but I don't think thor can compete with Kas in a TvT and I really think people are underestimating Hasu's PvP as well. Looking at Naniwa's latest PvP game he really didn't impress at all, he made several mistakes and won 3-2 vs a player I'd say isn't as good as Hasu is so I think we could have an upset here.
On May 06 2011 18:03 Lt.Roosevelt wrote: I am rooting for Thorzain and Naniwa, but I don't think thor can compete with Kas in a TvT and I really think people are underestimating Hasu's PvP as well. Looking at Naniwa's latest PvP game he really didn't impress at all, he made several mistakes and won 3-2 vs a player I'd say isn't as good as Hasu is so I think we could have an upset here.
That being said... go Thor and Nani!!! GL! ^_^
If you judge Naniwa by that serie, sure he didn't look that impressive but if you look at his overal results which should be more relevant imo, he is quite strong PvP. That said, the nature of the matchup plus the fact that I agree with you that Hasuobs gets underrated, it should be close.
so sad, that the foreign community overlooks hasuobs . He ist currently the best german player and deserves some attention :D His playstyle is just so elaborate and clean.
My heart will be broken if Thorzain doesn't advance, but if it's Thorzain vs Naniwa in the finals I won't be able to sit still, I will go fucking crazy xd
Even if Hasuobs is the underdog, you should not underestimate him. He has really proven, that he deserves his spot in the final 4. So thumbs up for the german toss.
Hasu is SOOO handsome in this pic (and portrait), even though i consider myself straight lol :D Would be nice to have thor in finals, because his tvp is just awesome, but first he has to beat kas, and thats an obstacle :S Lets hope he finds his Mjöllnir
I can't help but think that Naniwa will oust Hasu, but barely.
That would mean that the winner of the tournament is likely decided by the TvT - if Kas wins, I think that Naniwa would win it all. If Thorzain manages to take out Kas, he'd be my bet to take the whole thing.
Either way... it'll be an interesting final, regardless of who advances. They're all very capable players.
its good to see some nonkorens kick some ass in SC2! im suprised how fast they were all knocked out. perhaps this is showing the growth of sc2/esports as a whole globally?
thorzain... please thorzain... *begins prayer to Thor* MIGHTY ONE SMASH YOUR HAMMER ON THE EMPIRE OF EVIL XD good luck and congrats to all 4 of them though
On May 06 2011 15:59 BatCat wrote: All european semis =]
Yea maybe that shows the American players how much superior the EU is over the US. Well except for Idra of course
Your condescension aside, I'm pretty sure most Americans freely admit that EU has a stronger Esports scene. Rooting for Thorzain but Kas's TvT play is just too strong. Naniwa should roll Hasu.
This is just an amazing semi finals. Kas and Naniwa seems to be more dominant in these matchups and just amazing players, them being around the top of all the Europeans. However, Hasu and Thorzain came and no one expected them to do so well, yet they dismantled their opponents one by one. If I had to bet my life on the winners, it would be Kas and Naniwa, but Thorzain and Hasu produced so many unexpected results that I would not be suprised if I lost that bet. Kas and Hasu fighting!!!!!
Can't wait, I actually like Thorzain now, but also loving Empire.Kas playstyle, so experienced with the game, good gameplay throughout, not much else to say, both are pretty awesome players.
It's a shame my eyes have to be dilated today, hope i'm fine to watch the TSL Semi Finals
On May 07 2011 21:45 trancey_ wrote: Kas vs. HasuObs finals
Hasu may have been the underdog, but his practice discipline should have done the trick i hope (i guess the games were already played).
I thought Hasu went on vacation for a week with his GF after the last TSL game. Not that much practice in other words.
I heard him say on Take's stream that he was taking a break for a few days because his gf came over and then for the remaining time he'd practice the whole days, analyzing Naniwa's builds and thinking of ways to counter it until the match was played.
On May 08 2011 02:02 EscPlan9 wrote: just watched Kas play Mondragon on Mondi's stream. I am even more confident now that Thorzain's got this. Mondi made Kas look silly
TvZ is by far his worst matchup. You can't compare it to his TvT.
On May 06 2011 09:52 Euronyme wrote: 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
1. The Dreadlord is his favourite hero as far as I know.
2. Try to find pictures of him that are "usable" and then tell me which isn´t already used five times. :>
On May 08 2011 11:16 Starshaped wrote: 4 best players = 4 wc3 players
wc3 = most skilled RTS?XD
Well they've all played sc2 for over a year. You wanna count in super mario bros as well, as they probably all played that as children? Super mario bros = most skilled RTS?XD
They are SC2 players now. Also the WC3 hero Moon is consistantly getting raped in Korea, which kind of proves it. SC:BW players had the advantage through being familiar with the units from the getgo, but I think most pros know the units by now.
On May 06 2011 09:52 Euronyme wrote: 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
1. The Dreadlord is his favourite hero as far as I know.
2. Try to find pictures of him that are "usable" and then tell me which isn´t already used five times. :>
Cheerfuls arn't about being "usable". Just get creative with copy pasting his head around, with a funny quote of some kind.
Even thou Kas seem has a more superior TvT against Thorzaine customized builds. I think given that break and enuf time Thorzaine can cook something up for the 5000+games ladder veteran.
Do you know what The Thorzaine is cookin?!? It does not matter what you think :D lol