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Aotearoa39261 Posts
Banner made by pachi the Omnipotent
What's this you say? A new league? No good friends this is a league that has been going on for some time but has been largely neglected by TL for a number of reasons like TSL. However, in an effort to rectify the situation we've bashed our heads together and come up with some of the highlights of this magnificent tournament thus far, some things to look forward to and how the Ro16 bracket is shaping up (and the rest of the results). But first up for those unfortunate souls who have no idea what this tournament is we'll outline what exactly this is.
The GomTV TG Sambo-Intel Classic is the follow up tournament by Gretech to the GomTV Star Invitational. Because of the immense success of the GSI, Gretech decided to go ahead and create another tournament to capitalize on the untapped foreign market. In doing so they are bringing the foreign community closer to Korea; but this would not be possible without one man - Nick "Tasteless" Plott. Tasteless returns as the commentator of choice for the tournament and has done an excellent job thus far.
So upon deciding to create a new, longer, tournament Gretech decided the best option would be to hold a classic 128 man single elimination tournament. Everything was going great for Gretech until KeSPA refused to officially sanction the tournament which resulted in 5 of the Starcraft teams chose not to participate. This left the tournament with 7 teams, namely;
The tournament then decided on using the current KeSPA Proleague 1v1 maps as a map pool as this reduced the stress on the players participating. Thus, if you didn't already know, the maps in this tournament are;
So where are we up to in this tournament? Well we're getting to the interesting part of the tournament. We're up to the Round of 16 which means four full rounds have already been played. While that sounds like a small number; thats over 200 individual games. This tournament hasn't been without its stories and drama either and so we present to you the highlights of the tournament thus far!
If nothing else, this tournament has been a vessel to show us a whole bunch of new school players and how awesomely they are playing. In fact, the vast majority of stories thus far in the tournament are about awesome moves by slick new players. This however, is not the glorification of the new wave. This is the emergence of the phoenix from the ashes and the return of YellOw to competitive 1v1 play.
YellOw's play in the tournament was inspiring for all the nostalgic fans out there. The epitome of his brilliance was without doubt his proxy hatch against Free (VOD here). He executed this build with absolute mastery by tricky Free into turtling then proxying in a location which also gave him gas. Aside from this game, Yellow put on some heartening results (2-1 aSam, 2-0 zergjooa, 2-1 free) but was unfortunately stopped in the Ro32 by Odin 0-2. Despite this setback, YellOw looks poised to make somewhat of an impact during the next offline preliminaries!
Shuttle is perhaps better known as YoonJoong to some, while he has also gone by the alias of boradori. Shuttle has been impressive throughout this tournament showcasing a micro intensive style with a strong macro to boot. He first caught the eye of people a while back when he defeated Stork (when Stork was still good). Since then we've been keeping an eye on him, waiting for him to make his move. He almost managed to do it in the MSL, but was just stopped at the last hurdle (i.e. he ran into Flash). But in this tournament, he is showcasing brilliance in every game.
Just ask Goosey, the resident Shuttle fanatic about how brilliant his play is. He's already blogged twice about this exciting new gamer (1|2) and spread the word of Shuttle to the masses. Of all his games so far, Shuttle's most monumental series has been against XellOs - the perfect Terran (Game 1, Game 2). He first dazzled Xellos with a brilliant goon/dt build which cracked his defense then in the second game, he humiliates XellOs by stopping his push with a reaver (after losing his goons). Without this tournament we would still be deprived of this wonderful addition to progaming.
Tossgirl wins a televised game
 Tossgirl has long been the premier female starcraft gamer, and in years gone by she has managed to score a numebr of upset wins (e.g. Tossgirl defeating YellOw at WCG). However, in recent times, the skill level has risen so dramatically high that she has been struggling something terrible. But by the looks of recent events - things just may be starting to turn around for her. First of all in the offline preliminaries she managed to win a game instead of being eliminated 0-2, which is always a good step.
However, in this tournament Tossgirl took it that extra step further. She won her first game in the tournament against effOrt! (VOD here) Sadly this didn't mean much as effort won the next two sets to advance to the next round. But what is surprising is that he went on to defeat GGplay (2-1) before losing out to the Lecaf powerhouse ForGG 1-2. Thus it is safe to say that effort is no scrub. Although to your average gamer winning just one set in a series means nothing, for Tossgirl it is a sign of hope. Perhaps one day, we will see her win a bo3; from there the possibilities are endless~
Juni's proxy nydus... against Flash!Before this tournament, this was all Juni was known for
We've all heard of proxy nyduses being used in the past, typically in long ZvZ's (rare) or 2v2's on Chariots of Fire (also rare). However, when a young player steps up to the mark against the strongest gamer of today and proxy hatcheries and nyduses - you know that player must have balls of steel. Going into the deciding game of the series, scores leveled at 1-1; Juni did just that. Although he eventually lost the match, this move is without doubt one of the pimpest moves all year.
Juni will no longer be remembered as "TT's 2v2 partner" but will now be immortalized as that guy who proxy nydused Flash in the GomTV Classic. You can watch the sexiness of Juni here.
Ganzi's incredible harass
With Hanbit currently in a huge slump, with only free being able to post semi-consistent results, any sign of bright new talent coming from their team is welcomed with open arms. Ganzi is providing us with some of the most entertaining TvP since Nada showed us how to harass with Vultures. His sick multitasking ability has allowed him to develop a harass intensive style while maintaining a strong macro. Indeed, this has propelled him into the Ro16 where we eagerly await what he will do next.
Ganzi's unique style is best shown in his series vs Much, ironically in a game that he lost. Despite being completely caught off guard by Much's carriers, Ganzi harassed greater than Nada himself could in multiple locations simultaneously, and became responsible for the murder of dozens of probes (VOD Here). Despite losing that game (game 2) he was still able to steamroll Much 2-1 and advance onto the latter stages of the tournament. This promising young Terran is one to keep your eye on in the future.
The Black Death returns thanks to Hades
Hades, otherwise known as by.great, is one of the most creative and refreshing zergs to hit the scene since Kwanro. Coming from myself, one of the largest Kwanro fans on this site, that's a big deal. His play on all counts is simply wonderful to watch. But when you're a newcomer, and you're set to play Mind - one of the strongest Terrans in existence right now - you gotta be shaking in your boots.
Hades, however, found the a way to defeat the WeMade Terran by calling on the Black Death. Through consummate use of plague, he demolished his adversary. And you know when a Terran is destroyed when he loses about 10 vessels to one mutalisk  ! (VOD Here) Indeed, Hades did not stop there, and finished off Mind 2-0; winning a number a fans while doing so. Sadly, he was stopped by Violet in the following round, and thus was denied entry into the Ro16. Despite this, we have seen a glimpse of a brilliant Zerg in the making and i will be keeping a close eye on Hades in the future.
Dominance of LecafFrom left to right, Lomo, BackHo, Jaedong, ForGG, Anytime
I don't know what they're putting in the water over at the Lecaf house, but it can't be legal. No matter where you look right now - Lecaf is dominating. The emergence of Lomo, BackHo and ForGG have bolstered the almost faltering lineup of Lecaf and have pushed them back to the number 1 spot in Proleague. These guys are simply running amok in this tournament - raping players left right and center. Let's take Lomo vs Hwasin; Lomo dominated Hwasin 2-0 in games that made Hwasin look like a lost little puppy. Take Kal vs Backho, where BackHo did Kal up the BackHo and made him go home crying 2-0. ForGG is looking to be an unstoppable beast in both this tournament and MSL. While Anytime and Jaedong are always forces to be reckoned with.
With this influx of successful Lecaf players, I have to think that this would not have happened if MBC/SKT/OGN had turned up. Although, that just probably the bitter anti-Lecaf fan inside me talking . The truth is, anyone facing someone from Lecaf at the moment should be very very afraid. They are looking the strongest they've ever looked, and thats saying something seeing as they won last seasons proleague. The chances are, one of these fice players will win this tournament, and theres a strong possibility of an all Lecaf final.
So what's next in this stellar tournament? Well, after two months of Sundays, and after four rounds, the player pool has been finally whittled down to the top 16. The top 16 players for the TG-Intel Classic are:
For a full list of results thus far check out Pachi's amazing results and standings thread.
This Sunday the Round of 16 kicks off with a stellar lineup of players. The following games will be played this Sunday, 06/22, at 18:00 KST:
The following Sunday, 29/06, at the same time we have the other half of the bracket. The games to be played are;
Each series will be a Bo3 on Andromeda, Othello, then Blue Storm if needed.
Some things to look forward to in the Ro16:- Lee Young Ho vs Lee Young Ho! Flash takes on Lucifer for the battle of Lee Young Ho's
- Savior runs into the new Lecaf powerhouse ForGG - will this be the end of Saviors comeback?
- Rematch from the 2007 Seoul e-Sports festival final; JangBi vs Jaedong
- For the fifth time, Stork and Iris clash heads in a major tournament
As always, you can watch using GomTV and if you are still unsure, head over to the official website, http://www.gomtv.net/classic/ for all the assistance you could dream of.
So far this tournament has been neglected by the majority of users here on TL. And well, due to the obscure timing of the event its understandable. However, as this tournament kicks into high gear with the Round of 16, you will want to be making that extra effort to watch these games. There is so much talent in the top 16 and a variety of style and stories. Who knows, we could see Savior come back and win this tournament. We could see Ganzi showcase some art multitasking and shame Backho. There are so many exciting possibilities that you would be mad to miss this event.
So come along on Sunday night and lend some support to our man Tasteless and enjoy some premium starcraft... in english!
 Plexa
Thanks to Bockit,G.s)NarutO and Aesop for their help with this post ~<3
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You have Savior as protoss in the top 16 players chart thingy.
Nice work though, maybe they'll get more watchers now. 
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wow, that is awsome !! :D
Thx a lot
Lecaf is just owning everything 
(ps.. ppl will tell you that in the image, savior is a P )
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
oops thanks guys fixed
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Great writeup, it's great to finally have something on the tg sambo averac tournament. BTW in the picture it says sAviOr is Protoss? Thanks for the writeup!
edit: ninja'd
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I find it hilarious that "Tossgirl wins a game!" is a highlight.
Thanks for the write-up
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OMG THANK YOU PLEXA! I was almost making a thread complaining about the serious lack of coverage of GSI from TL - which I thought was very unfair.
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
On June 21 2008 00:35 ThatGuy wrote:I find it hilarious that "Tossgirl wins a game!" is a highlight. Thanks for the write-up of course its a highlight! i estimate that 50% of tl.neters are tossgirl fans, in fact judging by the poll this figure could be higher!
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Have just read the thread, I'm somewhat more hyped now Thanks again Plexa!
Also TossGirl of course deserved a highlight, even without the win!!
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savior made the round of 16! thats story worthy :D
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Savior please at least make some good matches come out of you while playing ForGG!!!
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w00t! tossgirl!
in all seriousness I hope savior and flash duke it out in an epic best of 5 which involves savior proxy 10 hatcheries in flash's main
I can dream, can't i? o________o
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Yaaaar, the Classic could use some more attention~ <3 Nice post, thanks for the update. x3
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Great read. Awesome article. Not much more to add. I'm speechless.
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By Ro8 this is gonna be "Lecaf Classic"
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nice and thanks! i have seen very few pro games lately, and felt that i was missing what was going on on GomTV
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Awesome writeup.
Go sAviOr!!! Bash those noobs and regain your confidence!
Is there a bracket for this? I want to know who will savior go up against after defeating forGG! (Yup, Im an optimist)
Edit:
On June 21 2008 00:42 Plexa wrote:Show nested quote +On June 21 2008 00:35 ThatGuy wrote:I find it hilarious that "Tossgirl wins a game!" is a highlight. Thanks for the write-up of course its a highlight! i estimate that 50% of tl.neters are tossgirl fans, in fact judging by the poll this figure could be higher!
Of course its a highlight! Who doesn't want to see tossgirl win?
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Good to see some news about this, I've been thinking its kind of bad of the community to almost forget about the league that Tasteless is putting so much effort on.
Keep these news coming!
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Now this stuff is getting exciting.
A great mix of old and new.
Obv, Savior Anytime Jaedong are the players ill be following closest,
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Great article as always Plexa
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Spenguin
Australia3316 Posts
Now that is cool but scrolling down and seeing Savior in the Ro16 is pure sexiness, as well as a baller write-up and TossGirl's incredibly short skirt + Show Spoiler +and nice legs
<3
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Well, this tourney finally reached the point where the players have been widdled down to the usual suspects plus a few new faces. I have to say, with so many matches it's been difficult to keep up with the action. 64 first round matches... x.x
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On June 21 2008 01:00 dyodyo wrote:
Is there a bracket for this? I want to know who will savior go up against after defeating forGG! (Yup, Im an optimist)
Here's the official bracket [still one week out of date, but the info you want is there]:
http://www.gomtv.net/img/classic_32r_4_pre.gif
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
currently we're working on getting a bracket together; once it's done we'll post it up
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Finally some GomTV Intel Avertec coverage! I love it!
edit:
On June 21 2008 00:25 Plexa wrote:Just ask Goosey, the resident Shuttle fanatic about how brilliant his play is. He's already blogged twice about this exciting new gamer ( 1| 2) and spread the word of Shuttle to the masses. Of all his games so far, Shuttle's most monumental series has been against XellOs - the perfect Terran ( Game 1, Game 2). He first dazzled Xellos with a brilliant goon/dt build which cracked his defense then in the second game, he humiliates XellOs by stopping his push with a reaver (after losing his goons). Without this tournament we would still be deprived of this wonderful addition to progaming.
OMG PLEXA YOU RULE :D
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its just so meh to see KTF vs KTF on a RO16. Like th ehopes of KTF isnt dim enough.
Flash vs Lecaf and 3rd parties plz.
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Someone needs to replace that  LuCifer picture..
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Goddamn Plexa, you roll top notch articles out like a machine.
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United States10774 Posts
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Hopefully Anytime will continue his run.
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fuck i like lucifer.
he has to go up against flash?
BULLLLLSHIT.
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When Tossgirl wins more games against actual competition(effort was snoozing first game) I'll take her seriously. Right now her main draw still is the fact that she is every gamers wet fantasy than a serious contender.
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THIS IS BALLA. Oh man this is looking better than OSL or MSL
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Hungary11284 Posts
This newspost is made of sheer insanity, incredible job.
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5*s. I haven't had time to keep track of the GOM Tournament so this article was a perfect update. Ro16 looks incredible.
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TossGirl in a miniskirt is always a highlight, no matter what angle you look at it. XD (pun intended)
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United States5262 Posts
YellOw looks like he's picking up some weight...
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nice highlights summary. i didnt realize lecaf were doing so strong.
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Thanks for finally showing the great tourney some love! Don't forget that our man Tasteless is doing all the english commentary, and the games are broadcast LIVE !
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This tournament has been great so far. I have watched all the VODs.
Oh, and tossgirl is cute. I cant think of anything better than a sexy korean girl who can dominate me in a game of starcraft.
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Yee yee!
this is turning out better htan I thought it would ^__^
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thanks so much for bringing attention to this, i've watched mst of the games so far, some have been insane!
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Really good sum up of the tourney so far. I started following it closely when it first began, but thennnnnnnnnn TSL came. This helps to get back into the flow of the tourney. Great read. and tasteless is awesome as always.
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Great toury, I hope it get s more views from now on. Definitely will be watching the recommended games.
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Showin' some love to GomTV......nice..
Great write up as always Plexa, I have not had a chance to watch too many of those games and needed some guidance so thanks^^
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I've been following TG Sambo since the begining actually. Before it, there was a 4 person mini tourney (Stork, Mind, Savior, Flash) along with some team vs team exhibitions.
You can actually watch all of them live at like... 5am here in Toronto. Or just watch the VODs which come up pretty quickly afterwards.
It was pretty sad to see Tossgirl lose but as the article says, Effort was no pushover. Better luck next time =D
Too bad the other teams wussed out...
Maybe Savior can pull it together in this tourney?
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Looking forward to Flash v Lucifer, even though Flash has lost a few recent TvPs. Lucifer plays him regularly, maybe he can also pull off a win
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Plexa = sex!
Excellent write up! =)
I will watch the VODs that you linked later when I get to my casa! Thanks!!!
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I need to focus more on this... I've been neglecting it, despite the awesome commentary by Tasteless. Please forgive me!
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it would be great if someone could add the games to TLPD (maybe not counting for the statistics like the minor league, because of kespa trouble)
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
On June 21 2008 09:00 st4ck0v3rfl0w wrote:
it would be great if someone could add the games to TLPD (maybe not counting for the statistics like the minor league, because of kespa trouble) we'll get around to it eventually...
theres a ton of games to add though T_T
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United States11637 Posts
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Tasteless' commentary > all. That and there were a lot of really creative games. Just some of yellow's games alone was worth watching.
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Stellar line up for the ro16. Nice mix of new and old.
Disappointed there are only 3 Zergs out of 16 though. Great article.
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United States20661 Posts
Lucifer and Flash civil war go~
While it's sad that one of the three KTF hopes must be eliminated, LYH vs LYH is something to look forward to.
Hey I just noticed that Flash and BoxeR have the same initials.
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Great write-up! I just want to add that Lomo's wraith micro in his last match-up was absolutely ridiculous.
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Melbourne5338 Posts
On June 21 2008 12:53 Last Romantic wrote:
Lucifer and Flash civil war go~
While it's sad that one of the three KTF hopes must be eliminated, LYH vs LYH is something to look forward to.
Hey I just noticed that Flash and BoxeR have the same initials.
Who is the third new hope? Hery? (815 / Haran / Violet / YellOw?)
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On June 21 2008 15:02 pachi wrote:Show nested quote +On June 21 2008 12:53 Last Romantic wrote:
Lucifer and Flash civil war go~
While it's sad that one of the three KTF hopes must be eliminated, LYH vs LYH is something to look forward to.
Hey I just noticed that Flash and BoxeR have the same initials. Who is the third new hope? Hery? (815 / Haran / Violet / YellOw?)
Definitely Yellow. He seems to be a promising up-and-comer.
edit: Maybe my deadpan is too deadpan. This should give you a clue if i'm being serious or not.
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Really nice writeup Plexa
Top 16 really low on Zergs
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United States13896 Posts
will there be Liquibets for any of the Classic games from here on out? That's one easy way to bring attention to, and get people invested in the games in some way.
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I have been following GOMTV independently, so to speak, and it has been a very exciting event all the way, very much due to Tasteless. This article certainly gave this mini-tournament some well-deserved attention, and I think we will all be watching the stream closely on Sunday. Good work guys!
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finally some coverage! ya this is definitely one of the best tournaments ive watched, i've gone to bed early every saturday night so i can wake up at 4am and watch these live xD
i thought i was the only one who noticed how rape great is, some serious savioresque in the kid. then again savior has been quite savioresque in this tourney too xD
yellow's games where baller, psychological warfare at its best.
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
On June 21 2008 18:14 []p4NDemik[] wrote:
will there be Liquibets for any of the Classic games from here on out? That's one easy way to bring attention to, and get people invested in the games in some way. haven't decided yet, too late for this week anyhow
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On June 21 2008 20:19 Plexa wrote:Show nested quote +On June 21 2008 18:14 []p4NDemik[] wrote:
will there be Liquibets for any of the Classic games from here on out? That's one easy way to bring attention to, and get people invested in the games in some way. haven't decided yet, too late for this week anyhow
I'm surprised, we should have liquibet for this plexa :D GomTV is reaching out to foreign starcraft and we repay them with little to no coverage at all? If we do this tasteless might lose his job :O
Come on, they give us english casted starcraft, this is the least we can do for them.
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
Just talked it over with Pop and we're going to go ahead with liquibets for the Ro8 onwards, as Ro16 games are too soon to LB on
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Wow, only 3 zergs out of 16. Now this means the ballance is getting off somehow.
I hope savior gets back on the horse and slays everyone.
I am really sad that nal'ra got off so quickly.
Stork vs Iris, this is going to be fun. The last time Stork beated iris 3 to 0, so this is going to be cool since stork is somewhat out of shape.
It s cool to see that stork will face flash again in the semifinals.
Wouldn t be cool the final to be savior vs flash? Last time savior put up a very good fight, and almost ggd Flash hard, but did some stupid mistakes and lost.
My only question is what is the difference between the 2 Gomtv competitions?
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Hungary11284 Posts
On June 21 2008 23:04 MiZouu wrote:
My only question is what is the difference between the 2 Gomtv competitions?
Between GSI and Gom [sponsors] Classic? GSI was a special event which took place in a very short timeframe, only between the 16 players who accepted the invitation, filled a gap in the proleauge / starleague schedule, and it's purpose was, as it appeared to me, to test interest and infrastructure.
The Classic is a long-term tournament starting at the round of 128, so there are more entrants and it might run more than one season, and also with more money at stake. It might be that they want to establish it as a 3rd starleague next to the OSL and the MSL.
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Great post! Hoping for as many zergs as possible in the ro8! Been following this tournament since it started, Tasteless ftw :>
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On June 21 2008 21:18 Plexa wrote:
Just talked it over with Pop and we're going to go ahead with liquibets for the Ro8 onwards, as Ro16 games are too soon to LB on
<3
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Loved it! More of this, I think this tournament is great and deserves some extra hype
Sad though the KESpa thing.. :<
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Belgium6768 Posts
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Great tournament, hopefully this topic will attract more people into it
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/pachi/banner/08AIClassic1.png)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/175_Andromeda.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/159_Blue%20Storm.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/172_Colosseum.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/171_Katrina%20SE.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/178_Othello.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/174_Wuthering%20Heights.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/yellow.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/yoonjoong.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/tossgirl3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/TTandjuni.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/ganzi.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/hades.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Plexa/GomTV_Classic/lecaf.png)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/219.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://razertsl.teamliquid.net/media/images/icons/Picon_smallb.png){kind=icon}
Anytime![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/221.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/424.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://razertsl.teamliquid.net/media/images/icons/Ticon_smallb.png){kind=icon}
Flash![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/207.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/160.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/129.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/211.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://razertsl.teamliquid.net/media/images/icons/Zicon_smallb.png){kind=icon}
Jaedong![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/63.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/208.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/40.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/133.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/57.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/135.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/59.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/539.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/86.jpg)
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