Recap of Winners Round One

Notes: oGs rolled in this match, and overall Mousesports looked weaker than we've ever seen them before. This is a team that has made its name upsetting 'better' Korean competition, but against oGs they were reduced to mere foreigners beneath the Korean juggernaut. Specifically, VINES, (pronounced 'Vee-nes', so confusing...) who has been decent for a while, but struggled to break out in the GSL, was too much for Mousesports to handle. It's particularly odd because Mousesports is traditionally weak against zerg and deadly vs protoss. But nothing went their way on this day.

The most notable game of the series was HasuObs vs JookTo, which felt as though it was as long as the other six games combined. After HasuObs got an advantage with a thrilling mothership ee-han timing, the game was drawn out disappointingly by a tremendously dull turtle fest, which ended with Hasu doing what he should've done all game and simply killing JookTo.




Notes: This was supposed to be a tight battle between two very good Korean squads, but that's when GuMiho decided to end it early. In five decisive sets, the Gumibear proved the same worth that's made him one of the world's top three terrans, and gotten him into the GSL semi-finals. The highlight of the set was the final match, where GuMiho defeated GSL champ Jjakji in a multi-task heavy TvT on Terminus.




Notes: The most talked about match of the second round of play, Prime seemed on the road to an all-kill after MarineKing reeled off three straight. But to the amazement of all, TLO swept in and stunned MKP with a brilliant ling-heavy gameplan, then defeated the live-report darling Creator, and took out AnnYeong to even the score. But after Classic stopped the German, and Ret stopped the Korean, it came down to an ace set between Byun and Ret, with the terran barely emerging victorious despite a critical deficit in the mid-late game.

Overall, both teams turned in tenacious and inspired performances, and despite the loss, it was perhaps Liquid` and TLO specifically who got the most attention and praise out of the series.




Notes: TSL seemed at sea against AcE, perhaps the first time that the Startale protoss has looked so good since 2010. After complete fails from RevivaL, HyuN, Polt and RagnaroK, it was time for Symbol, (who is probably TSL's de facto ace right now) to save the day. He got partially there, ending AcE's spree, and playing a tremendously entertaining game against Virus, but was undone by a clutch zergling counter from KingKong and was forced to concede the series to Startale.

TSL fell apart after only two rounds in the IPL TAC, and it remains to be seen how they'll fare against a hungry Vile team in the next round. This doesn't look like a team with a solid direction.




Notes: In our last preview we sympathized with Empire for drawing coL.MvP in the losers bracket. We shouldn't have worried. Empire seemed completely ready for the Koreans, in fact only losing to the foreigners. This was simply not the coL.MvP team that took third in the last IPL TAC. TAiLS was the biggest MvP gun that came out, and Bang and Dream provided no resistance. Kas was the main hero for Empire, taking three to equal Beastyqt's haul from the previous week.

Who would've guessed that coL.MvP wouldn't have a single game won by an MvP player, and would fall out in two matches. Very few people. Stunning result, but a massive win for Empire.



Notes: The first all-kill of the tournament, the sadly now-defunct ReIGN was outclassed by ZeNex's ace, in a loss that (who knows) may have been a contributor to their disbandment. ReIGN's match-up choices seemed odd here, as Artist came out way too late, while a series of protosses were wasted in their seemingly weak match-ups. But overall, there simply wasn't much to say, ReIGN couldn't put it together, and struggled mightily here. Not much to see.




Notes: If TLO hadn't busted out his skills a few days later, iNcontroL's surprising two kill might have been the comeback story of the second round. It's been a while since we've seen him win, and his games against Apocalype and Agh, while not superlative (two base allin with gifted medivacs, and a PvP against a really bizarre gameplan from Agh) were the kind of solid play that we haven't seem from him in a while, and surely cheered EG fans everywhere. When theognis stopped iNcontroL's run, PuMa swept in and cleaned up.

Quantic is a solid team, and losing to Mousesports and EG isn't so bad a result, but the way in which they lost, especially in this set, raised questions about how 'elite' they actually are. They weren't able to get NaNiwa, SaSe, and Apocalypse on the same ticket, and those big three disappointed overall. While Quantic got some good experience for their up and coming talent, especially Destiny, theognis, and Agh, the overall result of the teamleague wasn't so good. But this is a team with a lot of depth, expect them to be back.




Notes: Vile continued to impress, defeating a Dignitas team that feels like it has been off the map for a while. The key for this match looked to be SeleCT, but he was used last as an ace, and in the meantime the very unheralded Hawk picked up three kills. While KiLLeR stopped him and rookie sensation Illusion, Vile reached into their endlessly deep roster and pulled out State, who took down the Chilean zerg and finally SeleCT to secure the series for the NA upstarts.

Dignitas once looked like a team with a lot of depth, but it wasn't present here, and wasn't in the previous round as well. BlinG didn't play, and SeleCT couldn't carry the team, which was essentially the story of the game. KiLLeR was valiant, but not good enough. Overall, Vile has made a compelling claim towards being considered for future clanwars, and their players have certainly earned the right to be invited to more events. Their play has been fun and inspired throughout this event, they've truly made the most of their opportunity.

Winners and Losers Brackets: Next Round Preview

Winners Semi-Finals:
By Deezl

With a really solid performance from oGsVines against Mouz. last week, the original Gangsta's of Starcraft II have been showing good games in team competition. FXO on the other has been having mixed results, dominating some teams but losing 5-2 to a talented MVP team in GSTL. In terms of raw talent and recent individual league placement, it seems like this is a lock for FXOpen. oGs certainly has great players with skills, but their good players have flat out been getting less wins and less attention than FXO's good players.

However, oGs has been playing well as a team, while FXO has had more bumps. What concerns me most is that oGs has been really relying on Vines and SuperNoVa in all of their teamleague wins. ForGG and TheStC really haven't been pulling their weight, and the oGs Zerg lineup hasn't seen the light of day in ages. MC is out, NaDa just left. oGs no longer carries with it the weight that it used to. So SuperNoVa can carry them up the mountain, or Fin or Vines can put on a great show, but they'll have to gun down Gumiho, Leenock, Oz and Lucky to make it to the next round, and mano-a-mano, individual vs individual, oGs doesn't seem to have the personnel to suggest they can do it.

Prediction: 5-3 FXO





Startale has had so far the softest bracket in the winner's league. ZeNEX is not necessarily a pushover, but Startale, NSHoseo and FXO have trounced them recently in teamleague play by a minimum of three wins apiece. Afterwards they took out a depleted TSL team where ST_AcE ran over four players (including Polt) despite the fact that we haven't heard from AcE in almost a year. So Startale has looked good, and against two Korean teams, yet somehow their wins haven't really made an impact.

On the other side of the coin stands Prime, who for a long time has been getting carried by MarineKing, with a modicum of help from his teammates like Creator and AnNyeong. But they're nothing if not persistant little devils. Despite a pair of shaky 5-4 wins over Liquid and Empire, two Europe-centric teams that they were expected to be stomped on the basis of non-Korean-ness alone. But on the plus side for Prime, MKP just pulled off an All-Kill against NSHoSeo in GSTL.

Interestingly for Startale, Bomber did the same a week before, again in the GSTL. This sets up an interesting dance where both teams have a reputation for sending out their big guns early. It could end in a duel between Bomber and MKP, but my money is one one or the other getting sniped halfway and their seconds taking up the sword and stealing the show.

Overall, I think Startale has a little more mustard up its sleeves than Prime does, aces put aside. This could go to eight or nine games, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bomber or MKP had an off day and one side or the other got rolled. Although Prime has Creator and BbongBbong in the wings, two seasoned teamleague performers, while Startale's bench has sometimes been a bit dry, players like AcE have stepped up in the past, and although his focus is on the GSL, PartinG is a huge threat for Prime as well. This'll be close.

Prediction: 5-4 Startale




Losers Round Two:



Empire is really really scary. 4-5 against Prime and 5-3 against MVP where Kas tore through Code A level Koreans like a maddened brown bear through an SUV full of Snickers. Beastyqt looked just as strong in setting the table for Empire against Prime. Then Happy has recent revived himself of a half year of mediocrity, with some startling wins. And, of course, there's viOlet, who hasn't been as clutch for Empire in teamleagues as he has been in individual ones, but still is a potent threat.

Compounding this, Mouz really lost it's usual teamleague mojo against oGs, getting rolled over in a way we haven't seen in a while. Mousesports relies on one of their big three to carry the team, but what if MaNa, ThorZaIN, or MorroW aren't enough? What if they can't string together enough wins? While Mousesports has gotten the clutch individual performances before, the loss against oGs was a real blow to their reputation. We'll see if they can recover here. Their lack of diversity in players should hurt them on paper (it hasn't yet though), so I think Empire should have an easy time preparing for their matchups.

I don't think Mouz will be able to establish their footing in this series and rattle off consecutive wins. I think that Empire will be able to shut down ThorZain after a win or two. My guess is that Empire sends out Kas, Beasty, Happy and Violet, and that's one too many elite names for Mousesports to handle. This is really a great match-up, just a few months ago, it would've been no contest, but Empire has come a long way.

Prediction: 5-3 Empire





This match was played on Friday, before the press time for this recap, with NsHoSeo winning in a convincing 5-2! The VODs aren't up yet, but this post will be updated when they are. Here's the Live Report!




Ahh, the marquee match-up of the week. But the result is obvious...

TLO is back and there is no stopping this revitalized Team Liquid! Liquid fighting yeah, newspost bias wahoo!

Joking, just joking, jeez guys. I'm really no longer sure what to say about the home team. Against Prime, I predicted they would get stomped 5-1, and this TLO guy shows up out of nowhere and starts just doing stuff, and its working, and I'm like WHAT IS GOING ON HE IS MESSING UP MY PREDICTIONS. Then Ret comes along and just about wins the two remaining series that Liquid needs to win, except he kinda chokes a bit against Byun.

Hearts were broken that day. Now they have to shore themselves up, stiffen the upper lip, and take on their long time rivals, EG, who had an absolutely miserable few weeks, before rebounding against Quantic in IPL, and ReIGN in the NASTL. EG is still deciding whether or not they're a powerhouse team or not. DeMuslim can't decide whether or not he's amazing. Puma occasinally wins stuff but can't seem to find a rhythm, and we haven't heard a lot from JYP and IdrA recently outside of their mediocre GSL performances—IdrA is out and JYP got 2-0'd twice in Code S. Other than that, not much to say as their only recent victory has been the aforementioned one against an underwhelming Quantic, and all other results seem to end in losses. But EG will take that, especially given their previous performances. Lest we forget, EG is still a team of high achievers. After their 0-3 loss to Liquid` in the NASTL, they'll relish the second chance to prove that the previous result was a fluke.

I think Liquid` is strong, but again, guys, I doubt the consistency. I wonder if DeMuslim will play a big part for this match, and he'll certainly see early play. I really think its going to come down to EG's vZ, and luckily, they have JYP, and PuMa for the job. Against HerO, DeMusliM or PuMa could win. IdrA can still win ZvZs as well. Liquid` may have heart, but EG has many points of attack, and they shouldn't crumble this time like they did previously.

Predictions: 5-4 EG





Illusion has been making headlines. State has been scoring wins. Other players like Yong, Hawk, ChAnCe and DdoRo have been poking their head about trying to get noticed. Their opponents? Nameless Koreans with little to say in Code A or S that have been getting tossed around in the GSTL like toys. But despite these eye opening performances, I think Vile is the underdog here.

It might be possible to say that this matchup is a good one for Vile especially if (and this is the major if) they can take out Polt. Polt is crazy scary and crazy good and can be expected to outplay all of Vile's roster. But with the impressive spunk Vile has been showing lately, I think they can do it. Polt may cripple them, but I think they can take him out. And if they do, then things look a little better. TSL has some solid players in reserve, especially Symbol, but their anemic GSTL and second round IPL showings have exposed their weaknesses. Vile has been so plucky so far, it'd be awesome to see them take advantage.

But can they really fight their way through a swath of other trained Koreans, with precision cheeses, super mechanices and up to date builds? Let's be honest, Vile, through all of it's successes, has been overperforming all reasonable expectations. They went toe to toe with FXO, but lost. Will the story be the same against their next Korean opponent? This is going to be the proving ground for Vile. TSL is one of the lowest ranking teams in Korea as of right now, but they're still Korean and still very, very good. If Vile can take them out, then Vile is a competitor on the world stage.

Honest prediction, though?

Predictions: 5-2 TSL, but I hope I'm wrong.

All-kill Time

By tree.hugger

The all-kill is the pinnacle achievement of teamleagues; the dominating performance that says 'your whole team isn't worth one of us'. It's like the kung-fu movie scene, with the lone hero battling waves of inept enemy disciples. Those who perform the all-kills are held above all others. It's a paradox of an achievement; at once being both a stellar individual accomplishment, and a huge team accomplishment as well. Never can one be so selfish and so selfless at once.

In the opening round, despite numerous Korea vs The World match-ups, not a single all-kill was performed, with Liquid`Sheth coming the closest. But in the second round of play, FXOGuMiho all-killed NsHoSeo, and ZeNexLife all-killed ReIGN. Within three days, the IPL had seen it's first and second all-kills. To add to the carnage,. ST_AcE and oGsVINES got four kills in two of the other matches.

It's a bit odd that the all-kills would come so late in the process, as the first round on paper should pair the most able teams with the least. However, after the initial enthusiasm for the first round died off with an early loss, perhaps Life's all-kill against ReIGN can be attributed to that team's internal issues, which led to their disbanding this week, or towards a lack of focus for the losers round. But for GuMiho's dismantling of NsHoSeo, there are less explainations, besides simply a superb performance from one of the world's top terrans.

It takes a lot to pull off an all-kill. Match-ups and strategies are only a part of it. All-kills are often about fatigue and mental pressures. When a player takes forever to GG, harassing despite having essentially lost, he's trying to play the psycological game against his opponent, wearing him down, perhaps not for the next opponent, but for the theoretical next next opponent. Quick GG's and easy wins give the winning player more momentum than before. But long, scrappy, drawn out games are better insurance against all-kills. When a player is on track for an all-kill, everyone deals with it differently, and good teams can exploit that.

In thwarting a potential all-kill from MKP this week, for example, Liquid` switched up his opponent, throwing the unorthodox TLO after trying fruitlessly to out-muscle MKP in the previous rounds. In stopping Hawk's run, Dignitas threw a zerg after a protoss and a terran. Same strategy for ZeNex in breaking up San's win streak.

Yet at the same time, NsHoSeo pitched a different race every round to GuMiho, and he didn't blink. ReIGN had a bunch of different styles to show ZeNex, and none of them worked. That's the last element of the all-kill; luck. Of course, Life and GuMiho aren't just lucky players, they're also extremely good. But in a Bo1 format like this, it takes luck to break an all-kill, and more luck to make one. To win any game, things have to work out for you, and not for the other guy. Perhaps that's the most convincing explanation for why the first round featured no all-kills, and this second one featured two. Maybe in the end, it's just the way things worked out.

So this next round? All-kills are a bit like the suit of Hearts in the card game of the same name. Once they're broken; once the first all-kill comes in, then they tend to start falling like rain. Perhaps as the field of teams thins towards the end of the tournament, than the all-kills will become harder, but for now, we're right in the middle of all-kill country.