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Razer TSL Ro8 Preview

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Plexa
Profile Blog Joined October 2005
Aotearoa39261 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-18 17:18:46
May 15 2008 13:17 GMT
#1
[image loading]

After a month and a half of intense gaming we have whittled the competition to 8 of it's finest players. The upsets in the Ro16 have shown us that $5000 is enough incentive for players to take their game to levels thought unreachable and create fantastic games in the process. The players who are left answered the challenge and upped their game to the next level and have moved on as a result. The players now have the luxury of a Bo5 to weave their art onto our screens and that's going to result in some of the best games all tournament. Some of the Razer TSL staff have taken the time to give their opinion on the upcoming matches and how they see these games turning out.

[image loading]

But before we continue, a huge thank you to our sponsor Razer for their support. I know we've been saying it a lot, but these guys are bringing life into our beloved game through the TSL and even though BroodWar is in its twilight years, it's still pulling in the viewers. Thanks to their support, foreign gaming is being broadcast to new audiences and I for one have never been so excited about a foreign tournament. I'm finding myself more interested in the results and games of the Razer TSL than the OSL or MSL - a first for myself and many others! Also a shoutout to the Razer TSL casters, tech crew and graphics team - you guys are making this superb! Now let's take a look at our upcoming games.



MYM.White_Ra vs Retired_Draco
[image loading]

[image loading]
FrozenArbiter Fun Fact!

Historically White-Ra has never beaten draco in an official game/series (1-7 in individual games)

PvP is a brutal matchup where the victor is generally the player with the cleaner mechanics than the other. However, as with any mirror matchup, when you have two evenly matched Protoss brawling it out for $5000 it simply comes down to the player who is better prepared. At this stage in the tournament, both White-Ra and Draco are heavy favorites to win - pending the result of this tough encounter.

There is no doubt in my mind that White-Ra will be practicing as hard as he can for this series - both for the cash and to avenge his fallen comrade Strelok. Draco on the other hand has such immense talent that he can coast from game to game with minimal time investment. Should Draco practice substantially for this series (unlikely) he should be able to clean out White-Ra 3-1; but given his reluctance to practice i see White-Ra taking it in 5 in an extremely close match. As much as I feel White-Ra is the favorite, I just can't bring myself to vote against Draco, a player who always manages to pull out great results - even when he says he's not practicing. Hence I'm calling Draco taking this in 4.

- [image loading] Plexa

As a graphics staff member, I'm too lazy to take sides. However I feel obligated to mention that anyone featured on such a banner has not had the best TSL tournament. Incontrol, ToT)XiaoZi(, ToT)Cloud(, ToT)Mondragon(... Just saying... Also the only two players remaining drawn by Sigrun are Dreiven and Draco for a little more gfx superstition

- [image loading] pachi

Draco looked incredibly impressive against Strelok, and the games were very one-sided, but on the other hand, Draco's macro looked circumspect on more than one occasion. White-ra in comparison looked solid throughout his games, and in fact, looked very close to being unstoppable in his games.

Furthermore, I think White-ra is probably very well practised on the two older maps (Blue Storm and Zodiac) so I can't see him dropping a game there either. Because of this, I thik Draco might win one of the first two matches, but I think White-ra will take the series 3-1.

- [image loading] Daigomi



RoX.BRAT_OK vs MYM.Dreiven
[image loading]

[image loading]
FrozenArbiter Fun Fact!

BRAT_OK went a staggering 62-29 against Protoss in the TSL Ladder

Statistics tell us that this is Brat's best match-up, and I don't think this is Dreiven's best. Because of this, I'm voting 3-1 for Brat. In contrast with Chill, I believe Wuthering favours Terran in the TvP matchup, so I expect Brat to take that match. In the second game I think a fast Tank push onto the natural will be very difficult to stop by Dreiven, so I think Brat will go 2-0 up before losing his first game.

Othello is a very open map, and while there are cliffs that make harassing very difficult, I think a Protoss with good troop movement can always flank a Terran force successfully. Because of that, I'm voting for Dreiven to take the third game. Finally, Zodiac seems to offer both players a good chance, but I think Brat can take it with a strong macro oriented game.

- [image loading] Daigomi

Following on from his victory over Mondragon, Dreiven faces the Army Terran BRAT_OK. With his confidence riding high after a landmark victory, Dreiven should be able to handle this match without too much difficulty. BRAT_OK has been impressive thus far in the TSL, but the defining factor in this series is going to be how a player copes under pressure. Being an ex-military man I'm sure BRAT_OK can handle it sufficiently, but Dreiven takes that to the next level. The pressure and difficulty of his last round shows that he has nerves of steel which is going to be an extremely valuable asset in this tournament.

Breaking this series down map by map, Dreiven should be able to win 3-1. Wuthering is a great map for Dreiven to start off on. A common theme in his play is that he needs some time to warm up and Wuthering gives him a safe macro map to progress into an easy midgame giving plenty of time for him to warm up. On top of that Terran's haven't figured out how to play Wuthering against Protoss yet which definitely works in Dreiven's favor. Blue Storm is a good map for BRAT_OK. Blue Storm gives around 50% winrate for Terran against Protoss and combine that with Dreiven's "Blue Storm Phobia" and you get a win for BRAT_OK. Despite things getting to 1-1, everything goes downhill for BRAT_OK, Othello and Zodiac are great maps for Dreiven. He should be able to edge out BRAT_OK on Othello, while the 7-2 stats in favor of Protoss on Zodiac speak for themselves. Even if BRAT manages to take Othello, Dreiven has Wuthering to fall back on in the final set. Thus i arrive at the conclusion that Dreiven should be taking this 3-1.

- [image loading] Plexa



MYM.DinOt vs Excello.IefNaij
[image loading]

[image loading]
FrozenArbiter Fun Fact!

According to the GosuGamers database, DinOt has career stats of 10-3 against Protoss

After a number of impressive and entertaining games from DinOt this series looks more promising than if you had shown me this 2 months ago. DinOt is on a roll - taking down Idra in the qualifiers 2-0 and generating some very entertaining games against Rondo in the Ro16. On the other hand we have the great Canadian Protoss IefNaij. JF has been constantly impressive for a long time now - even participating in TL's own Liquibition where he cleaned up Ret 4-0. The strength of his play is really quite formidable. However, he did claim to feel really nervous once he was 0-1 down against Cloud in his Ro16 match. His nerves may become his greatest weakness in the tournament - and we may see an upset here.

DinOt gets full advantage out of the map pool here, Othello is reportedly a great Zerg map, and it's not hard to see why. The myriad of opportunities and styles Zerg can adapt to against Protoss on this map is staggering. This gives DinOt a full pallet to work with against JF - who is reduced to reactionary based play. DinOt should take this set and then be very happy with Blue Storm coming up second. Blue Storm has a 10-6 record in favor of Zerg which equates to a 62% winrate - and indeed results from Korea coincide with these numbers. Zergs definitely have an easy time here and thus JF will be hard pressed to keep up with DinOt and i expect DinOt to go up 2-0. With Wuthering as the third set things look better for JF, but I don't know if it will be enough.

Wuthering is still being worked out amongst the Zerg and Mondragon seemed to have the right idea (until he stopped expanding) so we could see DinOt come out with a nice strategy against JF. But the biggest factor working against JF here is that if he is down 0-2, his nerves might kick in and send him packing 0-3. Here's hoping that doesn't happen, but its a very real possibility. Zodiac should be a easy game for JF to take. If it comes to the final set, i think JF will be able to take it - seeing as he will be a position of power after taking Zodiac. I don't know if DinOt can handle the pressure of the 5th set, especially if he's coming off two consecutive losses and JF might just be able to comeback and win 3-2. However, as it stands I'm fairly confident in DinOt taking this 3-0 with a possibility of JF coming back to win 3-2.

- [image loading] Plexa

This is the most difficult game for me to call. Iefnaij is a clear favourite for the tournament, while Dinot is a relative unknown, but Dinot's two games on Othello were amazingly played. His troop movements were perfect, he never slipped up with his macro, and he was effective with his pressure. Because of this, I'm going to take a risk and say Dinot will win both his games on Othello.

This leaves us with three remaining games, of which I will say Iefnaij will win only two, and Dinot will take the win on Blue Storm. Blue Storm is very comfortable for a mobile Zerg, and I believe Dinot will make it count by taking that game from Iefnaij.

I feel that this bet is a very risky bet on my side, but from what I've seen of Dinot, I think he can take this match.

- [image loading] Daigomi



ToT)GOsia( vs Excello.NonY
[image loading]

[image loading]
FrozenArbiter Fun Fact!

Nony just beat Gosia 3-0 in MYM KOTH a couple of weeks ago.

3-0 Nony. Gosia, while winning his previous two games, looked very inconsistent. Nony on the other hand just powered his way over Ret. Gosia himself said that he didn't play well against Kr, and that he would have to practise hard to improve on those games, but I just don't think he can improve fast enough.

I think this will be a very straightforward macro-based game for Nony, and I can't see what Gosia can do to stop him. Perhaps the most interesting game will be on Blue Storm, where we'll have to see how the players cope with the layout of the map. The longer the game goes on on Blue Storm, the bigger I feel Gosia's chances will be, but if Nony can pull of two attacks like those he did against Ret, I can't see Gosia expanding past his mineral only.

- [image loading] Daigomi

GOsia stated that he believes that he is the worst player in the Ro8 - and to some extent he may be right. His company in the Ro8 are formidable to say the least. I beleive it is this attitude that will lead GOsia to the upset victory over NonY. NonY is one of the strongest pillars of the foreign community and one of the best players in the tournament - but if this tournament has taught us nothing else it is that anything can happen on the day. As much as I love and respect NonY as a player and an asset to foreign Starcraft, GOsia's spirit, playstyle and persona have converted me into a believer.

Blue Storm and Othello are two great maps for GOsia to open up on. Blue Storm favors his macro intensive ztyle - and he has the option of using the "Mondragon" build which achieved phenomenal success on the ladder. NonY seems to like this map though, which means that he's prepared for this encounter. This set will be one of the most epic of the tournament in my opinion because both players are suited to this map. I am going to say that GOsia will take this set, but it will be close. Othello should fall into a similar category - it's a great map for Zerg as they have a plethora of options but it's also a decent map for Protoss if they can stick around long enough. But i will say that GOsia's chances are the best on this map and hence i think he'll be going 2-0 up.

GOsia then runs into Wuthering - and i really think that NonY will take this set. Not because of the imbalance, but because GOsia looked somewhat shaky against Kr on this map. NonY is significantly better than Kr in all areas of his play and thus should be able to take GOsia here. NonY should also be happy with Zodiac as Protoss have a 75% winrate over Zerg. GOsia may simply try a hydra break here or a similar cheesy build - but ultimately i think NonY will level off 2-2. And then we come to Blue Storm once again. I beleive that this game will be brilliant, both players will be giving it there all and the result will be amazing. From his interview, GOsia seems to know how to get the most out his body and mind while playing starcraft - and that, i think, is going to work in his favor here. I think GOsia will upset NonY 3-2.

- [image loading] Plexa



Although we disagree on the results and outcomes of these matches one thing we can all agree on is that this weekend is going to be intense. We have 4 great series lined up this weekend and it'd be a shame if you missed it These games are going to be the buzz of the community for weeks to come so make sure you get to see them live! Just as a small reminder Draco/White-Ra and BRAT_OK/Dreiven will be played Saturday, May 17 16:30 EST / 22:30 CET and IefNaij/DinOt and GOsia/NonY will be palyed on Sunday, May 18 16:30 EST / 22:30 CET so make sure you cancel your BBQs (or work youself around them) and tune in for another great week of the Razer TSL!

- TSL Staff

Bracket Contest
Ro8 Interviews
Day One VODs
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Schedule for the Ro8
Official Razer TSL Website
Administrator~ Spirit will set you free ~
Daigomi
Profile Blog Joined May 2006
South Africa4316 Posts
May 15 2008 13:21 GMT
#2
I think calling this news "[TSL] Sparkle Division" would have been better. I hope my predictions come true!
Moderator
Equinox_kr
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States7395 Posts
May 15 2008 13:53 GMT
#3
Very, VERY sexy writeup.

Love the pictures :D
^-^
Makhno
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Sweden585 Posts
May 15 2008 13:54 GMT
#4
Lol still no.1 tsl-better and I still have no idea what to do. Can you have Cloud predict these aswell?
"If I think, everything is lost"
NeverGG *
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United Kingdom5399 Posts
May 15 2008 13:55 GMT
#5
I hope I can get round to watching some of the upcoming matches - thanks for the report - it looks like it's going to be interesting stuff.
우리 행운의 모양은 여러개지만 행복의 모양은 하나
Bub
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
United States3518 Posts
May 15 2008 14:39 GMT
#6
Yet another good writeup by Plexa. Now I'm even more excited about the quarterfinals!
XK ßubonic
parkin
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
1085 Posts
May 15 2008 14:48 GMT
#7
Draco is the definition of cool in that pic
mostly harmless
LaLuSh
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Sweden2358 Posts
May 15 2008 14:48 GMT
#8
You're giving dinot way too much credit. I kept thinking "had JF, nony or dreiven been his opponent he would have been sooo crushed" throughout all his games vs Rondo.

Seeing as the above players all have the game sense to know when to make a proper switch to reavers. Rondo basically stood with a 200/200 army in the middle of the map for 20 minutes doing absolutely nothing but watching as his expansions/main were run down one by one.

And the above players can open with other strategies than 3-4 gate +1 speedrush.
Senx
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Sweden5901 Posts
May 15 2008 15:06 GMT
#9
JF will crush Dinot so hard.. you can't compare rondo vs JF, rondo had horrible multitasking and micro in his games, and to be honest, none of those games were very well played.. maybe amazing in the sense that they were long and had alot of fights, but thats about it.
Dinot just happend to be the player that didn't play the worst in that match and came out on top.
"trash micro but win - its marine" MC commentary during HSC 4
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary25996 Posts
May 15 2008 15:14 GMT
#10
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.
Moderator
micronesia
Profile Blog Joined July 2006
United States24761 Posts
May 15 2008 15:19 GMT
#11
On May 16 2008 00:14 Chill wrote:
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.

I don't like some of them either but I'm definitely waiting until Sunday to make fun of them. This is starcraft :D
ModeratorThere are animal crackers for people and there are people crackers for animals.
Slorm
Profile Joined March 2008
Chile14 Posts
May 15 2008 15:21 GMT
#12
Dinot will defeat that fat protoss.
i'm the worst starcraft player, maybe i will be better in Sc2 :D
Boblion
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
France8043 Posts
May 15 2008 15:22 GMT
#13
On May 16 2008 00:14 Chill wrote:
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.


So what are yours ?
You predicted the Dreiven/Mondi result ? xD
Some upsets might happen again.
fuck all those elitists brb watching streams of elite players.
SwaY.
Profile Joined May 2008
Dominican Republic98 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-15 15:24:40
May 15 2008 15:23 GMT
#14
dinot and nony fighting!


edit:btw can the gfx team draw me like this?:O
pachi
Profile Joined October 2006
Melbourne5338 Posts
May 15 2008 15:34 GMT
#15
On May 16 2008 00:23 SwaY. wrote:
dinot and nony fighting!


edit:btw can the gfx team draw me like this?:O


i'm sure fakesteve can if you pay him enough.
Moderatorpachi fanclub http://goto.tl/6DI9 。◕‿◕。
nezera
Profile Joined March 2008
Indonesia176 Posts
May 15 2008 16:07 GMT
#16
winner pred:
-lazy protoss
-army terran
-dinot
-paranoid
HaXxorIzed
Profile Blog Joined June 2007
Australia8434 Posts
May 15 2008 16:24 GMT
#17
Hm, I call some of the predictions out to be honest, but hey, as was stated this will come down a lot to performance when it counts. I'm hoping we'll see Nony, Iefnaij and Dreiven though, though.

Yessir, I want PvP finals. >_>
http://steamcommunity.com/id/HaXxorIzed
JWD
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
United States12607 Posts
May 15 2008 16:26 GMT
#18
Sorry Plexa, there's just no way NonY is going to drop a series to GOsia (probably not even a single game). You're giving Blue Storm too much credit - it is advantageous for zerg but I think NonY has mastered this map on a level that GOsia can't challenge in a couple days of training.

NonY looks extremely confident and well-practiced right now...I just don't see GOsia touching him especially considering how both of these players looked in the Ro16.

NonY fighting~
✌
andiCR
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Costa Rica2273 Posts
May 15 2008 16:44 GMT
#19
cnat wait.... ggooggo iefnaij!
Nightmare1795 wrote: I played a guy in bronze who said he was Japanese. That was the only game I ever dropped a nuke, which was purely coincidental.
jtan
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Sweden5891 Posts
May 15 2008 17:05 GMT
#20
good write-up

I miss the jungle tileset looking at all those maps though
Enter a Uh
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary25996 Posts
May 15 2008 17:27 GMT
#21
On May 16 2008 00:22 Boblion wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 16 2008 00:14 Chill wrote:
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.


So what are yours ?
You predicted the Dreiven/Mondi result ? xD
Some upsets might happen again.


Maybe they didn't go deep enough into their explanations, which is why my comment is stupid. I think the favourites are clearly Nony, JF, Dreiven and Draco. There wasn't really enough analysis to make me think otherwise, especially given the map pool.
Moderator
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary25996 Posts
May 15 2008 17:34 GMT
#22
And the worst ever comment was just to make fun of Plexa from our IRC discussion. This previews is great even if I disagree with a lot of it!
Moderator
Tonkerchen
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
680 Posts
May 15 2008 17:43 GMT
#23
gogo white-ra!!
The time is just an illusion... created by mankind... /// Lee Young Ho last Bonjwa on earth! /// «I'll... destroy everyone in 2009. Ok...? Thank you.» - Ma Jae Yoon - Maestro Of Zerg
Newbistic
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
China2912 Posts
May 15 2008 17:49 GMT
#24
Man, all the protosses in the ro8 are just so ridiculously strong. I can't even see another race getting into the semi-finals, never mind the finals.
Logic is Overrated
Raithed
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
China7078 Posts
May 15 2008 17:52 GMT
#25
On May 16 2008 00:14 Chill wrote:
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.
EnergyTraction
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
Canada233 Posts
May 15 2008 17:56 GMT
#26
Awesome, I can't wait to see White-Ra vs Draco.
He who adores the Beast shall drink of the wrath of God
iNcontroL *
Profile Blog Joined July 2004
USA29055 Posts
May 15 2008 18:04 GMT
#27
draco > whitera
jf > dinot EASILY
nony > gosia (most looking forward to this series)
brat > dreiven (dreiven is great but brat has him here)

Dinot's game 1 bo was so incredibly illogical, bad and horrible I cant believe he recovered and won the next 2. He played really good too for the most part in game 2/3 (wtih some luck, but we all get that eventually). JF is on another level. Going 3 games with Rondo and really, coming back to win the 2 he did indicates his out matched against one of the premier protoss of our day.

brat_ok is a tvp specialist. Dreiven on the other hand if he is going to be beat it will be tvp. If he gets past this he is a favorite to win the tourney. The implications are huge but I think a lot of you are about to be really really surprised by the secret russian weapon.

nony destroys zergs. He makes units while the rest of the protoss' of our day takes a 3rd or techs to turtle to a 4th. Gosia I hope you read this and know that if you wanna stand a chance you need to monitor nony's army and not overextend yourself. IF you get caught making drones for that 5th base when nony only has 2 expos.. you will be "not for long for this earth" to quote artosis ROFL.

draco white ra is blah for me. Both awesome players but playing the most boring mu in the game and both arent particularly amazing at pvp. Great sure but nothing to tell your kids about. Draco should come out on top imo.
GreEny K
Profile Joined February 2008
Germany7312 Posts
May 15 2008 18:17 GMT
#28
what is a Mondragon build? Dont make fun of me im new !!!
Why would you ever choose failure, when success is an option.
GreEny K
Profile Joined February 2008
Germany7312 Posts
May 15 2008 18:25 GMT
#29
Is there a place where all of the games are recoded? Also whoever did the observing for the second map of the first match with retired didnt do a very good job. I will gladly replace him if need be, seriously.
Why would you ever choose failure, when success is an option.
Gokey
Profile Joined November 2006
United States2722 Posts
May 15 2008 18:28 GMT
#30
if draco is practicing, then fuck him for lying and saying he isn't
if draco isn't practicing, then fuck him for being arrogant and i hope he loses
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary25996 Posts
May 15 2008 18:31 GMT
#31
On May 16 2008 03:25 GreEny K wrote:
Is there a place where all of the games are recoded? Also whoever did the observing for the second map of the first match with retired didnt do a very good job. I will gladly replace him if need be, seriously.


Kennigit was actually removed from the position due to his terrible observing skills. Thank you for your concerns. He will return August 8th, several months after the TSL to ensure he can have no affect on it whatsoever.
Moderator
Kennigit *
Profile Blog Joined October 2006
Canada19447 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-15 18:34:34
May 15 2008 18:31 GMT
#32
On May 16 2008 03:25 GreEny K wrote:
Is there a place where all of the games are recoded? Also whoever did the observing for the second map of the first match with retired didnt do a very good job. I will gladly replace him if need be, seriously.

+ Show Spoiler [A present for you] +

+ Show Spoiler [Its my penis] +

8=======D. Yeah Naz has put me on 3 month suspension because of my observing. See you guys in august :\ .


LordWeird
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States3411 Posts
May 15 2008 19:12 GMT
#33
Holy shit.

Wonderful write up. 10000/10
Chains none
Alur
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Denmark3900 Posts
May 15 2008 19:15 GMT
#34
Daigomi has no predictions for the Draco vs White_ra game?
AKA No can Dazzle | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlTpX7z3Pok
TL+ Member
BoGardFurY
Profile Joined November 2005
United States68 Posts
May 15 2008 20:15 GMT
#35
can't wait to see results! Gogo nony!
No_eL
Profile Joined July 2007
Chile1438 Posts
May 15 2008 20:18 GMT
#36
GOGGOGO Dinot you can make the difference!

viva chile mierda !! =)
Beat after beat i will become stronger.
CDRdude
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States5625 Posts
May 15 2008 20:22 GMT
#37
On May 16 2008 03:17 GreEny K wrote:
what is a Mondragon build? Dont make fun of me im new !!!

If I am not mistaken, it is a 9-pool speed build, where he makes 12 lings for a run-by. Since most tosses do a forge-first FE these days, it has proven to be quite effective: the cannons at the nat don't help when 8 surviving lings are in the main mineral line.
Force staff is the best item in the game.
Ancestral
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
United States3230 Posts
May 15 2008 20:30 GMT
#38
On May 16 2008 03:25 GreEny K wrote:
Is there a place where all of the games are recoded? Also whoever did the observing for the second map of the first match with retired didnt do a very good job. I will gladly replace him if need be, seriously.

I'm pretty sure anyone would gladly obs for TSL games. Although, some would do significantly worse than Kennigit, like me for example.
The Nature and purpose of the martial way are universal; all selfish desires must be roasted in the tempering fires of hard training. - Masutatsu Oyama
leviathan400
Profile Joined November 2006
United Kingdom393 Posts
May 15 2008 20:32 GMT
#39
gonna be great games. dont think we will see upsets as its bo5. Nony for sure will be advancing, I would like to see Dreiven also. Thanks for this
:o
Fetz
Profile Joined March 2008
Sweden12 Posts
May 15 2008 20:45 GMT
#40
Awesome pictures and great write-up, looking forward for theese games.
o3.power91
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
Bahrain5288 Posts
May 15 2008 20:50 GMT
#41
On May 16 2008 03:25 GreEny K wrote:
Is there a place where all of the games are recoded? Also whoever did the observing for the second map of the first match with retired didnt do a very good job. I will gladly replace him if need be, seriously.

His name is Draco, not retired btw
He just added the tag "retired" recently
teamsolid
Profile Joined October 2007
Canada3668 Posts
May 15 2008 20:58 GMT
#42
Great preview and writeup. Terrible predictions.

I don't see any chance of JF or Nony dropping their series, especially when Nony's best matchup is PvZ.
Boblion
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
France8043 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-15 21:08:47
May 15 2008 21:07 GMT
#43
I think that you guys shouldnt overate Nony late game. I think he is the favourite againt Gosia but if he doesnt hurt gosia eco before lategame he will have trouble. Hopefully he has a good micro and always try some agressive build orders.

Nony 3-2
fuck all those elitists brb watching streams of elite players.
HeavOnEarth
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States7087 Posts
May 15 2008 21:38 GMT
#44
At first glance i thought it was a pretty good assessment but then i read chill's comment
+ Show Spoiler +
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.


and i realized what a gullible b!tch i am ;=[
"come korea next time... FXO house... 10 korean, 10 korean"
HotZhot
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Colombia677 Posts
May 15 2008 21:38 GMT
#45
Why isn't lag considered in this matches? Is it because the LAN setting of ICCUP? Not all of the games are going to be perfectly 100% lag free and I believe lag plays an incredible role on the results (i.e storm in ZvP). Terrible predictions but I hope the Dinot wins.
I only smile in the darK [] sAviOr//JaeDong Fan 4 Ever ~ CJ Entusman # 7
Harem
Profile Joined November 2007
United States11393 Posts
May 15 2008 22:35 GMT
#46
On May 16 2008 05:22 CDRdude wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 16 2008 03:17 GreEny K wrote:
what is a Mondragon build? Dont make fun of me im new !!!

If I am not mistaken, it is a 9-pool speed build, where he makes 12 lings for a run-by. Since most tosses do a forge-first FE these days, it has proven to be quite effective: the cannons at the nat don't help when 8 surviving lings are in the main mineral line.

It's overpool, not 9pool.
Moderator。◕‿◕。
LightRailCoyote
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United States982 Posts
May 15 2008 23:15 GMT
#47
Who dare vote against the badass Nony?

Not me.
AKA SurfSolar ----- This is the product of a DIY inadequate home
[X]Ken_D
Profile Blog Joined May 2005
United States4650 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-16 02:32:03
May 15 2008 23:46 GMT
#48
Didn't read any comments yet, but here are my predictions.

White Ra vs Draco
PvP, kind of lucky base on build, but I'd go with the more experienced semi-pro Draco who been cruising through the tournament thus far.

BRAT_OK vs Dreiven
Sad that only one can go through. If Dreiven wins, we won't be able to read anymore of Brat's funny interviews and Brat's the last Terran. I watch a few clan league of Dreiven's PvT and he crush his opponent with unorthadox builds. I think Dreiven can take this easy.

DinOt vs IefNaij
Naij 4-0 Ret and I wasn't impress by DinOt in Ro16. In Ro16 Dinot and his opponent miss too many timing attacks. LefNaij will be less forgiving. I never seen lefNaij's pvz, but from what I heard so far, lefNaij will take the series.

GOsia vs NonY
Nony 3-0 Gosia in a recent showmatch. Gosia said he struggled with KR. NonY is another pvz beast compared to Kr. NonY had a decent showing against Mondragon. Another 3-0 for NonY?

Other than Draco vs White-ra matchup, it looks like lopsided victory.
[X]Domain - I just do the website. Nothing more.
LucasWoJ
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States936 Posts
May 15 2008 23:59 GMT
#49
On May 16 2008 05:22 CDRdude wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 16 2008 03:17 GreEny K wrote:
what is a Mondragon build? Dont make fun of me im new !!!

If I am not mistaken, it is a 9-pool speed build, where he makes 12 lings for a run-by. Since most tosses do a forge-first FE these days, it has proven to be quite effective: the cannons at the nat don't help when 8 surviving lings are in the main mineral line.



I think that question is a little odd. The "Mondragon build" in 2004-5 would have been:
9 hatch (hatch before ovie)
9 pool
8 ovie
drone
8 zerglings

I think the "Mondragon build" then became a standard 4 hatch + gas + evo chamber once you start mining gas + lair + 5th hatch

He's been doing the hard pool a lot lately, but I don't think anyone refers to that as his build.
"Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are it could have been." - Kurt Vonnegut
Vaul
Profile Joined January 2008
New Zealand112 Posts
May 16 2008 00:21 GMT
#50
bahaha 'cancel your BBQs..'
www.youtube.com/user/vaulsc
SwaY.
Profile Joined May 2008
Dominican Republic98 Posts
May 16 2008 00:34 GMT
#51
On May 16 2008 00:34 pachi wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 16 2008 00:23 SwaY. wrote:
dinot and nony fighting!


edit:btw can the gfx team draw me like this?:O


i'm sure fakesteve can if you pay him enough.


Does he take debit?
SayaSP
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Laos5494 Posts
May 16 2008 00:57 GMT
#52
Nice rite ^
[iHs]SSP | I-NO-KI BOM-BA-YE | のヮの http://tinyurl.com/MLIStheCV , MLIS.
Showtime!
Profile Joined November 2007
Canada2938 Posts
May 16 2008 01:05 GMT
#53
Here, here Plexa. Excellent article as always.
Mini skirt season is right around the corner. ☻
EvilTeletubby
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
Baltimore, USA22259 Posts
May 16 2008 01:42 GMT
#54
Nice writeup guys!
Moderatorhttp://carbonleaf.yuku.com/topic/408/t/So-I-proposed-at-a-Carbon-Leaf-concert.html ***** RIP Geoff
Sigrun
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
United States1655 Posts
May 16 2008 01:50 GMT
#55
I'm cursed.
Graphics
MoNKeYSpanKeR
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States2869 Posts
May 16 2008 01:57 GMT
#56
On May 16 2008 00:14 Chill wrote:
Haha worst preview ever. I appreciate you're trying to stimulate discussion, but I mean... some of your predictions are ridiculous.

Come now, their predictions give me hope for a non PPPP semi fianl and PvP semi final.

But ultimately protoss will win and i think their will only be one upset.
<3's Mani and Seraphim, thx for the second chance. TSL Name: TSL-mSLeGenD
Plexa
Profile Blog Joined October 2005
Aotearoa39261 Posts
May 16 2008 02:02 GMT
#57
I think it's common knowledge that everyone is predicting a PPPP semi final; and hey realistically that is the most likely outcome. Nony will destroy Gosia, JF will obliterate DinOt, Dreiven will crush Brat and well we're getting a protoss from the pvp anyway. In a way these predictions were more "my hopes" and what my heart would like to see, phrased in the most plausible scenario that i could come up with. Often the heart doesn't get what it wants and these predictions will be shot down in flames. Indeed i'll be surprised if any of these series get to a fourth game (except for dreiven's game) as the skill discrepancy is so vast. However, i still hold out hope that a miracle will happen

Administrator~ Spirit will set you free ~
ScarFace
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
United States1175 Posts
May 16 2008 04:29 GMT
#58
I'm not a particular fan of pvp, and I haven't really followed TSL all that closely, but it is kind of cool that Foreigners are so overwhelmingly one race. Of course, I would rather both Koreans and Foreigners to be more spread out, and have a racial balance through numbers- but that will never happen. So, in that sense, its cool that Foreigners can actually say we have many strong Protosses. Our Zergs and our Terrans may be miles behind Koreans, but I'm willing to bet our [many] top Protosses could give a few Korean Pro gamers a run for their money.

Draco vs Midas anyone? =0
Can you dig it?
pachi
Profile Joined October 2006
Melbourne5338 Posts
May 16 2008 04:54 GMT
#59
On May 16 2008 10:50 Sigrun wrote:
I'm cursed.


very :>
Moderatorpachi fanclub http://goto.tl/6DI9 。◕‿◕。
Ilvy
Profile Joined September 2002
Germany2445 Posts
May 16 2008 06:24 GMT
#60
On May 16 2008 03:25 GreEny K wrote:
Is there a place where all of the games are recoded? Also whoever did the observing for the second map of the first match with retired didnt do a very good job. I will gladly replace him if need be, seriously.


made me smile
EmeraldSparks
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
United States1451 Posts
May 16 2008 06:25 GMT
#61
If it comes to PvPvPvP semifinals, TSL should make everybody offrace.
But why?
cba
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
Australia94 Posts
May 16 2008 08:18 GMT
#62
thanks plexa for that awesome write up. doing new zealand proud.

by the way, i tipped the dreiven-mondi upset, and i got so excited over that, that i tipped all the ro8 matches to be upsets. so according to my liquidbet, the semifinals only has 1 protoss. heres hoping.
Showtime!
Profile Joined November 2007
Canada2938 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-16 11:49:04
May 16 2008 11:46 GMT
#63
On May 16 2008 15:25 EmeraldSparks wrote:
If it comes to PvPvPvP semifinals, TSL should make everybody offrace.


(frown)

To those who are nitpicking about their 'predictions': give them a break. It makes things a little more interesting and if they're right then they look really smart.

It's okay to make predictions of your own, but criticizing someone's elses is petty.
Mini skirt season is right around the corner. ☻
sperY
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Serbia444 Posts
May 16 2008 16:42 GMT
#64
Am i the only one here who actually likes PvP?
Freezard
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
Sweden1019 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-16 16:49:11
May 16 2008 16:47 GMT
#65
Go White-Ra My bet for #1 is on him.

And no, I don't like PvP either. In fact it's the most boring matchup to watch -- I would rather watch TvT. But thanks to the quality of the TSL video broadcast with the nice commentating and all, it's really not that bad
asel
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
Germany1601 Posts
May 16 2008 17:19 GMT
#66
On May 17 2008 01:42 sperY wrote:
Am i the only one here who actually likes PvP?

basically.
eSTRO for life | #3 Sea.Really fan! | GGoliath! | aeterna societas honoris | cbta~ | Flash makes Terran look like Toss | aka RevaL
ffs
Profile Joined October 2007
18 Posts
May 16 2008 17:21 GMT
#67
i'm hoping for white-ra to advance. draco might (still) be the slightly better player but it's pretty even and i just like ra.
i'd really like to see gosia winning, finding him a lot more likeable than his opponent admittedly being one reason next to disliking the idea of PPPP semis. sure, he has to give his very best, but if he manages to do so, he definitely might take this series. he's always been that kind of player who's not playing on top level continously but gets hot at exactly the right time -- i'm really tense about this match.
dreiven/brat is too hard to tell, but i'm hoping for dreiven. would be a pity to see the player who kicked out the allegedly best non-korean not making it to the finals.
as for dinot, (unfortunately) i don't see any chances. would be nice though.
anyway go pvz finals.

Liquid`Nazgul
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
22427 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-16 18:05:39
May 16 2008 17:57 GMT
#68
I disagree PvP is decided by mechanics. Out of ANY matchup mechanics mean the least in PvP. Strategy will play a huge role. To a certain extent you can totally outsmart your opponent PvP and win with crappy mechanics. Also PvP is sometimes decided by sheer randomness as both players pick a strong build order with only one specific counter to it (so not a full proof strategy), one of them just happens to pick the counter to the other without scouting for it. Anyway I really love PvP and the smartness that is involved with it. Looking forward to this.
Administrator
Signet
Profile Joined March 2007
United States1718 Posts
May 16 2008 18:17 GMT
#69
On May 17 2008 01:42 sperY wrote:
Am i the only one here who actually likes PvP?


I like PvP... but I'd rather not see only PvP for the last four matches.
Liquid`Nazgul
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
22427 Posts
May 16 2008 19:00 GMT
#70
me2

gogo brat
Administrator
Carnac
Profile Blog Joined December 2003
Germany / USA16648 Posts
May 16 2008 19:24 GMT
#71
I love PvP, but I'd rather not have 2 PvP semis
ModeratorHi! I'm a .signature *virus*! Copy me into your ~/.signature to help me spread!
Physician *
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
United States4146 Posts
May 16 2008 21:25 GMT
#72
These write ups make me feel humble, great collective work! ~

"I have beheld the births of negative-suns and borne witness to the entropy of entire realities...."
[X]Ken_D
Profile Blog Joined May 2005
United States4650 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-16 22:37:58
May 16 2008 22:35 GMT
#73
On May 17 2008 01:42 sperY wrote:
Am i the only one here who actually likes PvP?


I like PvP and ZvZ as well. It's just that I don't think a potential 20 match straight of PvP is what most people can handle.
[X]Domain - I just do the website. Nothing more.
fanatacist
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
10319 Posts
May 17 2008 04:20 GMT
#74
On May 15 2008 22:53 Equinox_kr wrote:
Very, VERY sexy writeup.

Love the pictures :D

Peace~
Holylight
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
Korea (South)460 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-05-17 07:54:40
May 17 2008 07:52 GMT
#75
Awesome!

My impression of Nony is that he is very good but never wins anything, let's hope that changes this time!


Dreiven is probably my favourite player this tournament, along with the russian terrans.

I think we are gonna see a PvP final between basically anyone of the protoss users, since they all can make it imo.

PvP is better than ZvZ anyways which is just horrible. But I still think TvT is the most interesting mirror matchup. Oh well
Navane
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Netherlands2751 Posts
May 17 2008 11:30 GMT
#76
too many blue maps
Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28778 Posts
May 17 2008 11:49 GMT
#77
fool proof victor
haha
totally agree that pvp is the matchup where mechanics is the least important tho.
Moderator
Chef
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
10810 Posts
May 17 2008 16:38 GMT
#78
Go Nony! Meow toss fighting! ^^

Definitely my favourite for taking the whole tournament, in my heart, and even a little in my mind too
LEGEND!! LEGEND!!
gentile
Profile Joined August 2007
Switzerland594 Posts
May 17 2008 20:44 GMT
#79
my stream is down ;(
Normal
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