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GomTV Star Invitational Group Preview
In 1999, the PKO ’99 Korea open aired on the cartoon network ‘Tooniverse’
In 2000, the first official Starleague aired on the new gaming network ‘OnGameNet’
In 2003, MBCGame begun a second individual league known as the MSL
In 2006, Gretech sponsored their first MSL entitled ‘GomTV MSL Season 1’
In 2008, Gretech bring to you, for the first time ever, the GomTV Star Invitational
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, the GomTV Star Invitational is a tournament featuring the best of the best. The winners of GomTV MSL Season 1, 2 and 3, the winners of Shinhan 3, Daum and EVER OSL, the MVPs of Proleague and the top ranked KeSPA players will duke it out for the title of champion. These players have already been organized into groups and the groups are;
Group A: sAviOr[gm], Flash, AnyTime[gm], InteR.Mind
Group B: n.Die_Jaedong, [ReD]NaDa, Much[gm], SlayerS_`Boxer`
Group C: stork, IriS[gm], Hwasin[S.SIR], free[gm]
Group D: Bisu[Shield], Sea[Shield], GGPlay, Light[aLive]
The top two from each group will advance to the Quarter-Finals. The Quarterfinals will be arranged so that A1 vs B2, B1 vs A2, C1 vs D2, D1 vs C2. The matches are best 2 out of 3. After that we have the Semi-Finals, which are best 3 out of 5. Then lastly the Finals which are also best 3 out of 5. The maps will consist of three KeSPA maps which are currently being used in Proleague. These maps are Blue Storm, Katrina and Baekmagoji.
Most importantly, Gretech have invested around $1,000,000 USD to bring this event live to you in your living room. On top of that, they have employed our very own Nicolas Alexander Plott to commentate this event for us. Show your support for this event by tuning in each night! Who knows, if Gretech see a strong enough interest from the foreign community for these events they may give us better streams for the MSL and have Mr Plott commentate them for us.
Now lets get down to business, these groups feature some of the best players in the scene right now. So in order to better assess them I’ve assembled the “GSI-Panel of Experts” consisting of;
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/snorlax.gif)
Waxangel![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/tlnet_staff.gif)
DJEtterStyle![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GSI/SOG.gif)
Daigomi![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/Z7.gif)
Day[9] NeoIllusions![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/Z10.gif)
{88}iNcontroLGroup A
sAviOr < Blue Storm > 
Flash
Anytime < Katrina > FlashAnytime < Blue Storm > MindsAviOr < Katrina > MindsAviOr < Baekmagoji > AnytimeFlash < Baekmagoji > Mind
The panel couldn’t come up with any definite answers for this group, and for good reason. There are 3 championship winners in this group, meaning that when the pressure is on they can still churn out some brilliance. Mind is performing solidly and with his current form he is likely to advance. There’s also Flash, the KTF Prodigy, who's likely to come out all guns blazing in rage after drawing the worst possible quarter final brackets in both OSL and MSL. This group is all about who shows up on the day – the Maestro? Or IPXZerg? The God of Death? Or Anytime? Anything can happen.“Savior is the most brilliant zerg player to have ever lived. Even when Savior loses, I find myself copying his genius builds again and again. Sadly, Savior seems to be slumping at the time. HOWEVERRRRR, I think so many players fail to notice the general style of play the Savior uses. Savior's ZvT and ZvP are largely momentum based games. Savior will seem to be about to lose, about to lose, about to lose... and ALL of a sudden Savior will bust out and win.
The reason I bring up this "momentum" style of play is that Savior's wins look dramatic and his losses look pathetic. As a result, if Savior loses several games in a row, he LOOKS like a complete newbie. I will admit, Savior has been making some SERIOUS mistakes in his play, but I have a huge amount of faith in the old Savior's ability to pull out genius.”
Day[9]“For Savior his current form, this group is far too tough. I feel that Anytime will get through this round, as it's a relatively low pressure stage in a low pressure tournament, so he should be able to play to his potential. Difficult to choose between Mind and Flash for the last spot, as they are both two players in the standard "solid terran" archetype. Mind seems to be more flexible in general, so I give him a slight advantage.”
Waxangel “I basically have a huge boner for Mind's TvP, which is why I don't think Anytime stands much of a chance against him on a relatively balanced map like Blue Storm. Look for Anytime to try something cheesy in this game. Likewise, expect some low-economy play from Savior against Mind on Katrina; Savior has shown time and time again that he doesn't trust his standard late game on that map. I wouldn't be surprised to see his strategy revolve around drops. Then again, Luxury's mutalisk into ultralisk strategy has proven effective there. Flash has traditionally fared well against Savior, but there's no question that Blue Storm offers Savior the best chance of reversing this trend.”
DJEtterStyle"I like Mind's and Flash's chances in this group the best. Mind has fairly favorable maps considering his opponents has been played well recently. I give Flash the next best chance because the group is all happening in one day, Flash had little trouble with his Tiebreaker in the OSL and I think he will approach this with a similar readiness and drive to advance from the group."
Group B
Jaedong < Blue Storm > NaDa
Much < Katrina > NaDa
Much < Blue Storm > BoxeR
Jaedong < Katrina > BoxeR
Jaedong < Baekmagoji > Much
NaDa < Baekmagoji > BoxeR
Jaedong < Blue Storm > NaDaMuch < Katrina > NaDaMuch < Blue Storm > BoxeRJaedong < Katrina > BoxeRJaedong < Baekmagoji > MuchNaDa < Baekmagoji > BoxeR
With the blob of names in this group it’s no surprise that it was voted the group of death for the tournament. Jaedong and Much are super in form right now, but Nada has pulled stuff out of nowhere time and time again and can never be discounted. Boxer on the other hand is Boxer, a couple quick all-ins or perhaps an impressive macro display on Baekmagoji could get him to the quarter finals. Everything aside, only a madman would vote against Jaedong given his current form, the others will have to duke it out for 2nd place.“All these games are fairly straight-forward in my opinion. Boxer, as much as we love to love him, will lose everything (unless he pulls of a cheese victory), Jaedong will win everything, Much and Nada will be stuck in the middle, with the tensest game being the one between the two of them. I think Much will win, but Nada played fabulously against (and it must be said) an indifferent Anytime.”
Daigomi“This is the most interesting group in my opinion. Jaedong, the most feared player finds himself in a group with a powerful captain in Much, the Emperor himself and another classic: Nada. If anyone can overcome the map imbalance it is Jaedong with his flooding mechanics and superb gameplay. After that I see Much cleaning house. Nada versus Boxer will be a fun spectactle for the nostalgic but I predict it to be fairly unimportant as far as how that group pans out. Jaedong is head and shoulders above the terran players in this group and Much wont give.. much of a fight. That being said, Katrina is a zerg graveyard. If these terrans and this protoss ever had a chance against Jaedong it would certainly be on these maps.”
{88}iNcontroL“Jaedong won't have many problems here, he's at the peaking point in his career where he trashes low priority tournaments without effort (Iloveoov in team league, Savior in all the superfights...). Interestingly enough, Boxer actually has a chance to make it through his group, as his game vs Nada should be a coinflip, and one good all-in strategy could get him his second win. That said, Nada will probably take the second spot. Unfortunately for Much, Jaedong is just unbeatable at the moment, while Nada and Boxer have too much to prove for him to pick up two wins.”
Waxangel Maestro’s heir, two of the biggest icons for the Terran race and Mr. 40 year old CJ Toss; what more can you ask for in this group? LJD is a heavy favorite to take this group in first place. While my love for the Emperor is unquestionable, I don’t see him pulling a win against any of the other three players. If there was any lesser of a Zerg in this group, I’d pray BoxeR do some amazing cheese build, but alas! Emperor vs Genius on (2) BGH should be interesting, as both Terran titans have taken 6 games a piece in lifetime matchups. Second place in this group will be a toss up between Nada and Much. Even though how blatantly pro Protoss Katrina is, I think Nada will be able to edge out a win and improve his chances of moving onto the next round.
NeoIllusionsGroup C
Stork < Blue Storm > Iris
Iris < Katrina > Hwasin
Hwasin < Blue Storm > free
Stork < Katrina > free
Stork < Baekmagoji > Hwasin
Iris < Baekmagoji > free
Stork < Blue Storm > IrisIris < Katrina > HwasinHwasin < Blue Storm > freeStork < Katrina > freeStork < Baekmagoji > HwasinIris < Baekmagoji > free
Group C contains some solid players, but no stellar players who reek of brilliance. Stork is the group favorite, and for a good reason. He is boasting constant results across the board. The other spot is hotly contested between the remaining players. Needless to say the panel was divided once more; “Hwasin has to be considered the favorite against Free. Free's PvT was always shaky, but if the Terran made a mistake with his push setup, Free could usually run him over with his inordinate number of zealots. Nowadays, though, Free has just looked confused. He's only won one PvT against a competent player (Mind) since late September of 2007. As for his game against Stork, well, Stork's PvP is just plain better than Free's.”
DJEtterStyle“Stork should go through easily, with his best matchups lined up for him. Free's form has been erratic lately, very poor at times. Iris has been more stable than that, but not playing at a high enough level in general. That leaves Hwasin, who too, is in a minor slump, but retains the highest level of play in general of the last three. Hwasin should go through as well.”
Waxangel “Hwasin against Iris is going to be a very interesting match, especially on Katrina. Hwasin has a fairly bad recent record on Katrina TvT, although I thought the games were fairly good. This game, in my opinion, will depend on how well Iris can curb his agressiveness. If Iris plays like he did against Light in the Ever OSL and just sends wave after wave of attack in he probably won't make it, but if Iris can play an agressive expansionist style, and secure key positions, then I think he can win. It will be interesting.
Every single player has a chance of upsetting a game vs Stork, and I think the PvP on Katrina could see it happen. It's not likely, but the map is unpredictable -- I can't recall a game on it, but the multiple routes + easy drops should make it unpredictable in a PvP -- and I think a lot will depend on the builds they bring. Stork should go straightup goons and hope to minimize damage from any sneaky strats, and he'll be well set to win it.”
Daigomi"This group is by far the one I am most interested in. All four players have been playing very well recently. None of them are superstars, but there are no slouches either. An exception could be made for Iris, but I still give him a good chance of advancing against these opponents. The only game I am fairly certain of the outcome is that I give Stork the advantage over free, due to them knowing each other well, and when they play Stork usually comes out on top. The other five matches will be determined by who has prepared more for this event. I think these should be the most exciting games of the group stage solely because the skill level of all players involves are all very close to one another. I'd like to see Stork and Hwasin make it out of Group C, though I don't think any two people advancing could be considered a major upset"
Group D
Bisu < Blue Storm > SeaGGPlay < Katrina > SeaGGPlay < Blue Storm > LightBisu < Katrina > LightBisu < Baekmagoji > GGPlaySea < Baekmagoji > Light
Intra-team matches are always hard to predict, mostly because the players know their own teams style so well. Because of this, they can prepare stuff specifically to beat them. Even though Bisu is moving to SKT – Sea and light will still know his play very well. Out of all the players GGPlay has had the most time to practice as he had no OSL, MSL of Proleauge obligations this past month, so this will be a big tournament for him. GGPlay showed some flare when he defeated Bisu in the Grand Prix - so don't count him out just yet.“Though Bisu is no longer on MBC, it can't be discounted that both Light and Sea know his play style well. I think this group will be determined by the three of them. GGPlay has not looked good since his starleague win and hasn't really showed any signed of bouncing back now. I like Light and Bisu from this group. light's multitasking should give him an extra advantage against Sea and light's TvT is better I think than a lot give him credit for. Sea will be looking to prove that he can perform well and get deep into a tournament, so I expect him to have a greater will than the rest in advancing. Bisu's transfer may or may not affect him when he comes to play.”
Very difficult to predict for Bisu at this point. He's either a quarter way through freefall, or just in a minor slump before he comes back up to somewhere a bit lower than his peak level. Considering the history of progaming, freefall seems more likely. Haven't seen much of ggplay lately, but it's becoming quite safe to assume he's another one hit wonder (casy syndrome). As much as it would amuse me to see another scenario where Sea and Light have to play each other for elimination, I think they will make it through together this time.
Waxangel “You just never know which version of Light is going to show up to a game, but even still, I like his odds against GGPlay. Still, this is GGPlay's chance to show the world he's back in form on a huge stage. I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him dredge up some of his previous brilliance. Given my love for Baek's PvZ and Bisu generally being the better player, Bisu should trounce GGPlay.”
DJEtterStyle"I find this group very interesting actually.
All 4 players can look at each other and say, "What happened to us?" Light was supposed to be the next big T. But wait, Sea was the young prodigy, what happened? Bisu revolutionized protoss, and then fell into a slump. Oh and lets not forget GGplay, won a OSL and has yet to win since then (not literally). All 4 were supposed to be THE big new players. All 4 are simply, not. But they haven't forgotten. I expect this group to be the bloodiest most desperate group. This isn't just another day in the park for them. They are all players who have tasted the champions blood.. they want it back. Predictions in this group are silly..I predict. My only bet is that the 2 representatives will have a drive that will be hard to match for the other players."
{88}iNcontroLSo there you have it. This tournament is set to be one of the best in Starcraft history from both a game perspective and a viewing perspective. With 24 games happening in the first four days theres bound to be plenty of ggs and plenty of action. So don't forget to tune in and show your support for our good friend Mr Plott.
I hope everyone tunes into this show for GomTv, I need as many hits as possible. The more interest Koreans see the more English sc matches we will see in the future.
-Tasteless
-Tasteless
All the information you'll need can be found on tl or the official GSI website; http://gsi.gomtv.com/
Thanks to Gretech and Pachi for the awesome player images
