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Auction OSL - Ro8: DRG vs Oz Preview

Forum Index > News
27 CommentsPost a Reply
1 2 Next All

Auction OSL - Ro8: DRG vs Oz Preview

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
Graphics byMeko
October 2nd, 2012 20:59 GMT
Photo: dailyesports.com

Check out the Auction OSL on Liquipedia


Ro8 Day 4 Preview

By: Pokebunny


(Z)DongRaeGu vs (P)Oz

Unlike other tournaments that seem to be filled with more and more PvZ’s as they progress, this OSL has featured very little PvZ, with only three relatively uneventful Bo1s giving us our fill. As the only Ro8 matchup not featuring a KeSPA competitor, GSL followers will feel a little more at home watching these two excellent players duke it out. While they are great players and both have shown solid gameplay in getting thus far in the OSL, neither is currently at their peak, and advancement in this tournament would go a long way towards proving that the victor means business. Another interesting thing of note is that the winner of this match will face MC while Last duels with Rain on the other side, guaranteeing a final KeSPA vs GSL showdown that will surely interest fans from all walks of StarCraft.

DongRaeGu, is often hailed as the best Zerg in the world but his throne has been awfully shaky as of late, although he has played respectably well this OSL. While an unimpressive defeat at the hands of Rain makes us hesitate to say that he’s really a favorite in what will possibly be three straight ZvP series for DRG, his progress as of late isn’t abysmal, and we’re still hopeful. With his ZvT letting him down as well in the recent GSL Ro16, DRG doesn’t have a matchup to lean on anymore, and he’ll need to completely turn himself around if he hopes to win here. Still, the Ro8 in a major Korean tournament is no small feat, and we can’t ignore the fact that he’s scraped by and gotten the job done thus far, despite not being what we’ve come to expect from DRG. The biggest worry about DRG is not simply that he’s lost, as top players are so close in skill that they frequently trade games – it’s the manner in which he’s lost, how he’s looked utterly unimpressive in defeat and nothing special even in victory. DRG hasn’t won a ZvP series in four months, and even though he hasn’t had a whole lot of them as of late, it’s still not a good place to be for someone who was frequently proclaimed as the gold standard for the matchup.

Oz… what are we to think of you? His PvP woes are well documented, and an 0-2 loss to Trap last night continued his nearly comical fall from grace in the matchup. Aside from his OSL victories which let him sneak through to the Ro16, Oz has been decidedly unimpressive, falling from the GSL entirely. In fact, his slump is so severe that if you ignore his ODT and OSL victories, Oz has lost ten straight games in Korea across Code A, Up/Downs, and GSTL, which is in fact an even worse slide than DongRaeGu. Given that Oz didn’t quite have the prowess of DRG even at his peak, it’s hard to place a lot more confidence in him. Not to discount the significance of such a major tournament, but scraping a few Bo1 wins off of good players isn’t enough to make the assumption that he’s at the level to beat a top Zerg in a Bo5. Oz has a lot to prove, and given that he’s been rather uninspiring for quite a while now, it’s hard to imagine him showing a completely new face here. But if there’s any way to come back with a bang, preying on a few of DRG’s careless mistakes and riding to a strong victory here would be a big statement.

As every OSL game thus far has either been a Bo1 or a mirror matchup, the slightly different map format hasn’t gotten the attention that it perhaps deserves. With only four maps being used with the first and last map being the same, Bo5 series have a unique flavor in the OSL where there is definitely a tad of mindgaming going on throughout the series. Playing that role this time around is Antiga Shipyard, a map that appears to have slightly favored Zerg throughout its long history. While clearly this isn’t a game-decider, it could tilt the scales enough in DRG’s favor that he can afford to drop a game on the Protoss-favored Entombed Valley without too much trouble. Oz will need to constantly mix things up to win a series like this, but I think DRG definitely has the edge overall this time around.

Now, all things considered, DRG has to be the favorite here. On name value alone, DRG beating Oz would be expected, and Oz hasn’t given us any reason to expect something big out of him here. Still, it’s not out of the question, and if DRG doesn’t bring his trademark mechanical excellence that seems to have slipped as of late, we could see him fall further into decline. It’s all speculation, but I’m definitely going to have to call DRG the favorite, even if the series goes to a deciding fifth game.

Prediction: DRG 3 > 1 Oz


Jangbi Carrier by Kiett
Brought to you by the Auction OSL team: GMarshal, kiett, kjwcj, Pokebunny, and SirJolt
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TL+ Member
TheEmulator
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
28085 Posts
October 02 2012 21:03 GMT
#2
I agree. DRG should win this, just based on the current information we have on Oz. But you never know, Oz may pull it out.
Administrator
Zenniv
Profile Joined September 2011
United States545 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-10-02 21:08:20
October 02 2012 21:07 GMT
#3
Bo1 group stage definitely helped Oz immensely we'll see if he got what it takes in a bo5 tho.
opterown *
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Australia54784 Posts
October 02 2012 21:12 GMT
#4
not sure who to cheer for haha i quite like both players!
ModeratorRetired LR Bonjwa
TL+ Member
TheEmulator
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
28085 Posts
October 02 2012 21:14 GMT
#5
On October 03 2012 06:12 opterown wrote:
not sure who to cheer for haha i quite like both players!

That is the problem with this seasons GSL and OSL, everyone in the top 8 is awesome.
Administrator
Deleted User 135096
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
3624 Posts
October 02 2012 21:15 GMT
#6
DRG please, only because I'm a little overloaded right now with all the PvPvPvPvP this OSL.
Administrator
Eboceixa
Profile Joined June 2011
Belgium60 Posts
October 02 2012 21:17 GMT
#7
Oz magic can win this.

Sure.
Pungy
Profile Joined August 2012
Denmark4 Posts
October 02 2012 21:22 GMT
#8
So this has been bothering me for ages. Is it grammatically correct for an American to say something plural "is" rather than saying "are"? I've been hearing casters say it a lot, and seeing it in this article just made me wonder even more?

"---getting thus far in the OSL, neither is currently at their peak..."

where as in British-English, it would be "neither are currently at their peak"

Thanks in advance!
OKHERESTHEPLAN
The_Templar
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
your Country52797 Posts
October 02 2012 21:24 GMT
#9
On October 03 2012 06:22 Pungy wrote:
So this has been bothering me for ages. Is it grammatically correct for an American to say something plural "is" rather than saying "are"? I've been hearing casters say it a lot, and seeing it in this article just made me wonder even more?

"---getting thus far in the OSL, neither is currently at their peak..."

where as in British-English, it would be "neither are currently at their peak"

Thanks in advance!

No you're right, it would be "are at their peak", not is.
Moderatorshe/her
TL+ Member
bbm
Profile Joined April 2011
United Kingdom1320 Posts
October 02 2012 21:38 GMT
#10
On October 03 2012 06:22 Pungy wrote:
So this has been bothering me for ages. Is it grammatically correct for an American to say something plural "is" rather than saying "are"? I've been hearing casters say it a lot, and seeing it in this article just made me wonder even more?

"---getting thus far in the OSL, neither is currently at their peak..."

where as in British-English, it would be "neither are currently at their peak"

Thanks in advance!


In Am-Eng you're likely to read "Radiohead is a band" whereas in Brit-Eng you'd read "Radiohead are a band".

So it is an american-english grammatical quirk.
By.Sun or By.Rain, he always delivers
HaXXspetten
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Sweden15718 Posts
October 02 2012 21:39 GMT
#11
Neither of them have been looking too hot lately, and I have a very hard time seeing either of them taking more than 1 game off of MC. As far as who'll get those honors, then I'd have to say DRG.
Sorcerer88
Profile Joined September 2012
Germany12 Posts
October 02 2012 21:43 GMT
#12
On October 03 2012 06:22 Pungy wrote:
So this has been bothering me for ages. Is it grammatically correct for an American to say something plural "is" rather than saying "are"? I've been hearing casters say it a lot, and seeing it in this article just made me wonder even more?

"---getting thus far in the OSL, neither is currently at their peak..."

where as in British-English, it would be "neither are currently at their peak"

Thanks in advance!


neither is a pronoun in singular, thus "neither is at their peak" is actually correct. Think "neither one of them". same with "either".
"Improvement begins at the edge of your comfort zone" - Jonathan Row, Chess Grandmaster
neoghaleon55
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States7435 Posts
October 02 2012 21:51 GMT
#13
excellent writeup, pokebunny.

This preview should be the gold-standard of what a preview should be
-history
-analyses of each player's strength and weaknesses
-analyses of maps
-describe where they are now in their respective careers and what's expected of them

<3
moo...for DRG
Supert0fu
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United States499 Posts
October 02 2012 22:15 GMT
#14
YEEEEEEE DRG LET'S DO IT BIGGGGGGG.
GraFx
Profile Joined May 2010
United States429 Posts
October 02 2012 22:20 GMT
#15
Poor Oz. How the mighty have fallen.
Aando
Profile Joined August 2011
1304 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-10-02 22:34:14
October 02 2012 22:32 GMT
#16
On October 03 2012 06:24 The_Templar wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 03 2012 06:22 Pungy wrote:
So this has been bothering me for ages. Is it grammatically correct for an American to say something plural "is" rather than saying "are"? I've been hearing casters say it a lot, and seeing it in this article just made me wonder even more?

"---getting thus far in the OSL, neither is currently at their peak..."

where as in British-English, it would be "neither are currently at their peak"

Thanks in advance!

No you're right, it would be "are at their peak", not is.

That confuses me even more. Shouldn't it be "peaks" if so? I mean, there are two peaks in this case.

Neither (DRG nor Oz) is at his peak.
Neither (DRG nor Oz) are at their peaks.

Which one of them are correct? Both? None?

Damn, this is off-topic...
opterown *
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Australia54784 Posts
October 02 2012 22:35 GMT
#17
On October 03 2012 06:51 neoghaleon55 wrote:
excellent writeup, pokebunny.

This preview should be the gold-standard of what a preview should be
-history
-analyses of each player's strength and weaknesses
-analyses of maps
-describe where they are now in their respective careers and what's expected of them

<3

if the preview predicted oz to win...? :p haha
ModeratorRetired LR Bonjwa
TL+ Member
MysteryMeat1
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States3291 Posts
October 02 2012 22:51 GMT
#18
hmmm. I hope OZ wins just cause i think his hair looks cool.
"Cause ya know, Style before victory." -The greatest mafia player alive
Homework
Profile Joined December 2010
United States283 Posts
October 02 2012 23:11 GMT
#19
DRG should be able to take this easy, I think.
TommyP
Profile Joined December 2011
United States6231 Posts
October 02 2012 23:30 GMT
#20
Im hoping for 3-0 DRG!! but I think 3-1. Entombed is well Entombed.
#TheOneTrueDong
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