When Group B ended in almost record time, it was almost inevitable we'd have an Up/Down group that reminded us of what a grueling format it can be. It was not so much joy as it was plain relief that was on the faces of First and Hurricane at the end of the night, as they emerged from two sets of tie-breakers to earn their shots at the upcoming OSL. For there to be two winners there had to be one loser, and that was the veteran MarineKingPrime. After being a participant in nearly every Code S, or Code S equivalent tournament ever since 2010, MKP will now miss out on top-flight Korean competition for just the second time in his three year SC2 career.
In the early going, it looked like First and Hurricane might have ended the group quickly like Fantasy and Savage had done the other night by racking up quick 3 - 0 records. However, MKP was able to recover from an initial loss against Hurricane and turn it into a three man race. In the last of the regularly scheduled matches, MarineKing managed to just barely outlast First in a macro game, paying no heed to countless zealot backdoors as the pure efficiency of hellbat-marauder-marine-medivac gave him the win needed to force a three-way tie at 3 - 1.
However, the first round of tie-breaks proved to be inconclusive, with Hurricane defeating MKP, MKP defeating First, and First PvPing Hurricane to death in a 1 - 1 tie. Only when it went to the second round of tie-breakers did we see a player suffer the two losses required to end it all, and it happened to be the poor veteran MarineKing. There were no tricks or gimmicks involved, and MKP fell twice in straight-up games at what used to be most dominant match-up.
Quick Hits on the Rest
8th_TRUE: True brought his aggressive and strange style as expected, but it didn't pay off despite the best of one format. Hurricane was able to hold off his speedling all-in with good force-fields and building placement, while First weathered waves of hydra attacks and erased TRUE's base with void rays. Against MKP, TRUE brought a cute offensive hatchery against a CC-first build, but ended up not even breaking even on the investment.
MVP.Bang: Bang looked very solid all-around to earn this Up/Down spot via the special tournament arranged (to replace players who went to the other WCS regions), but his opponents just wouldn't allow him to play his game. First used a fast MSC-Stalker build to cripple Bang early, while Hurricane opted to just end the game with an immortal all-in. MarineKing played Bang the most normal, getting the better of the neophyte in a marine-tank war.
On May 31 2013 06:34 Mambo wrote: Oh sweet MKP, come to EU.
That's mean, MVP is probably still haunting him in his nightmares, and you're telling him to get closer to the one person he couldn't even beat back in his prime?
It's kind of a sick/cruel joke of fate. Not only is MK a player who frequently misses out on first places, but now he's even missed out on the honorary Nestea award. General rule of thumb seems to be if it counts, he'll choke
On May 31 2013 06:34 Mambo wrote: Oh sweet MKP, come to EU.
he can't switch til next year
Couldn't he still make 2013 Season 3 premier if he forfeits his challenger spot and competes in the EU code B/challenger qualifiers for season 2? Pretty sure that's what MC and Taeja did for EU and NA respectively
On May 31 2013 07:02 Greendotz wrote: It's kind of a sick/cruel joke of fate. Not only is MK a player who frequently misses out on first places, but now he's even missed out on the honorary Nestea award. General rule of thumb seems to be if it counts, he'll choke
On May 31 2013 06:34 Mambo wrote: Oh sweet MKP, come to EU.
he can't switch til next year
Couldn't he still make 2013 Season 3 premier if he forfeits his challenger spot and competes in the EU code B/challenger qualifiers for season 2? Pretty sure that's what MC and Taeja did for EU and NA respectively
you can't switch within one calendar year; mc and taeja had to notify blizzard well into the season that they were going to switch
My only consolation is that the 2 guys the TL writer picked to come out ahead were eliminated the quickest. TL writers don't know what they're talking about haha ;D
I sent MKP a tweet that I still support him and want him to be winning a Code S championship. It was a sad day for me, but I believe MKP will come back, he just has to train hard to get back in form.
And losing after two tiebreakers and a 3-1 map score isn't that bad... is it... please tell me it isn't... please...
EPT
Hurricane <Daybreak> 
MarineKing
TRUE
