Preview - ODT April 6th

thedeadhaji

39489 Posts

April 05 2007 12:06 GMT

In the 3rd day of ODT, we have perhaps the most closely contested set of games yet. Liquibet hopes and dreams could get crushed tonight.

2:00pm Korean

FireBatHero (Samsung) VS DArKeLf[S.siR] (CJ)

First set: Longinus 2
Second set: Hitchhiker
Third set: Neo Arkanoid

Both FBH and Darkelf are solid players, with FBH having significantly more major league pressure experience. FBH is known to come up big when it matters most, and he'll certainly elevate his game for this match. However, Darkelf is not short in the "heart" department in performing well beyond expectations when the games are life and death. Although this matchup isn't the main event of the night, it may be one of the most closely contested ones. Plus, TvT on Hitchhiker's a fun watch

Justin (OGN) VS Tester[gm] (eSTRO)

First set: Hitchhiker
Second set: Longinus 2
Third set: Neo Arkanoid

Ugh. I think Bifrost (Justin) is going to win. I really do, and I hate saying it. Bifrost, a turtle terran, is going to orgasmic over playing HH and Longinus II. If Tester wants to advance, he's going to have to take the games from Bifrost, because this terran isn't going lose them for him. Bifrost will put up an impenetrable defense on Longinus for sure, so it is going to depend on how well Tester uses his air tech. Even though the stats for Hitchhiker during PSL were favored for Protoss, I still have a hard time believing that this map does not favor terran.

In any case, the bottom line is this: Bifrost has proven himself in th emajor individual leagues, and Tester hasn't. Tester will have to prove to us that he's ready for the prime time.

6:30pm Korean

YellOw[NamE] (OGN) VS free[gm] (Hanbit)

First set: Neo Arkanoid
Second set: Hitchhiker
Third set: Longinus 2

Either of the last two matches are the "matches of the night", but if I had to choose one or the other, I'd say that this one is it. Free has the best PvZ outside of rA and Bisu, while Yarnc, although known more for his ZvT and ZvZ, isn't a slouch in the MU either. Free is capable of using either reaver/sair and ground army proficiently, so it will be interesting what he chooses on the first two maps. It's unfortunate that one of these players won't make it to Starleague.

Much[gm] (CJ) VS n.Die_Jaedong (Lecaf)

First set: Longinus 2
Second set: Neo Arkanoid
Third set: Hitchhiker

Jaedong, hailed as the next Zerg star, runs into the worst or second worst opponent he could have gotten. While possessing a stellar ZvZ and ZvT that can literally defeat any player, his ZvP has been somewhat suspect over the last year. Much has a strong and underappreciated PvZ, capable of rushing, expanding, or proxying tech to open the games. I can't imagine Much will go reaver/sair on Arkanoid, but he could very well opt for a cheesy opening. Whether or not Jaedong needs to improve his ZvP in order to become a top notch player is debatable (because there are few P's in Starleagues these days anyways), but his flaw may cost him a ticket to Starleague this season now that he is faced with one of the strongest Protosses right now.