[OSL] The gauntlet is down

Knowing the time was at hand, the two combatants stood their ground and stared at their opponent. After more than 3 months of fighting and struggling, the only thing standing in the way of their success was each other. Best and Luxury were ready to duel it out and find a winner amongst them. In font of a packed audience, the two took to their booths and prepared themselves for the upcoming onslaught. Both had their strategies planned, their builds perfected; but only one would emerge victorious...

Today's report will recount the latest chapter in the timeless struggle between the Zerg and the Protoss through the ancient art of Battle Reports. But I'm not stopping there, we've also got a preview for the July-Backho semifinal which quite frankly, has me more excited than a Japanese schoolgirl on crack. Thanks to Atrioc for the sick Banner for this round of the competition and some of the other art thats featured in this post. And also thanks to IntoTheWow and HeavenPanda for their art as well.

Before i get started, the GOM Classic is taking off and is into the Round of 8 this week. Think you've got what it takes to accurately predict the results of the tournament? Check out this thread for your chance to win $25 by correctly predicting the GOM bracket. Best of luck to you! And in other Starcraft news, many progamers are deciding to enter ACE next season. The latest casualty is Anytime but earlier this week Reach and Silent_Control have also pledged their allegiance to ACE with rumors that YellOw may not be far behind. But let's get back to the EVER 2008 Semifinals between Luxury and Best and see who walked away with a ticket to the finals...

Let's get it on

Set 1


BeSt	Hwarangdo	Luxury
	1-4

Best (Teal at 7) threw down the gauntlet early in the series when he marched an early probe across the landscape into the depths of Luxury's main and started warping in a pylon in the corner of his base. Luxury (Blue at 11) played right into his hands by opening with 12pool into hatchery. Best immediately put down two gateways at his little proxy, while starting a forge back in his main. Best was determine to keep Luxury in the dark and left a probe on his ramp denying Luxury's scout the privilege of glancing at the magnificent Protoss structures, or in this case, the lack of. Luxury's lings headed straight for Best, who was warping a cannon in his mineral line and at his proxy.

Luxury continues to play ignorantly, teching to lair off two hatch and very soon Zealots begin thundering their way through Luxury's creep to assault drones. Luxury quickly realizes this threat, and sends his Lings home to defend. He cancels his Lair, and with some nice Drone micro forces Best back to regather his troops. Lux starts a colony and masses up on Zerglings. Best hesitates to advance with his Zealot force, allowing Luxury time to get defenses up and a ling count to secure the game.

Then in a twist worthy of being in the Saw series, Luxury sends the majority of his Lings at Best who still only has a cannon to defend. Best's Zealot force is rendered useless against Luxury's sunkens and left over lings, and is quickly forced back to his gateways while his Main is being plundered by Zerglings. After a brief moment of resistance, a Zergling force descends on the proxy and Best is forced to tap out.

"That was too close"

Best 0-1 Luxury

Set 2


BeSt	Andromeda	Luxury
	8-13

Knowing that 9 out of every 10 Protoss prefer to play Sair/Reaver on Andromeda was a crucial part of Luxury's game plan on this map. Best (Teal at 7) followed the trendy statistics and opened with the standard fast expansion. Luxury (White at 11) opened with a 9 pool, killed Best's scouting probe, expanded then put down a hydralisk den declaring his intent to make this a short but sweet encounter. Best, without vision of his Zerg adversary, played as all protoss do - 2 cannons at his choke and teching to stargate to get that crucial vision required to defeat Zerg.

Luxury had no intention of letting Best live to make use of his Stargate. Very soon, Luxury had a large army of Range upgraded Hydralisks heading for the unsuspecting Best. As Best's Corsair aimlessly drifted towards Luxury's main, the horde of Hydralisks attacked Best's front. Best knew his time was up and Hydralisk spine impales his Zealots, Probes and Cannons and conceded to Luxury.

All too easy for Luxury

Best 0-2

And just like that, the dream was coming crashing down right in front of Best's eyes

Set 3


BeSt	Troy	Luxury
	3-2

The one thing going in Best's favor was that this game was on Troy; a very Protoss friendly map. Luxury (Yellow at 11) was eager to shut out Best before he could stage a comeback and opened with a 9pool speedling build. Best (Green at 5) on the other hand opted for a safe 1 gate tech, walling with his first Zealot. Luxury's brilliance Troy shone through as his first wave of Zerglings picked off Best's top Assimilator, walling him into his main. The Zergling force continued the raid by storming inside and marauded about, picking of probes. Best was forced to put up a forge and begin a cannon, as more Zerglings piled in from the Zerg machine.

Eventually, after being set back quite a way, Best was able to secure his main; but the last squad of Zerglings finished off sealing him within his main by killing the other assimilator. Things looked grim for Best, as he now could not expand freely and had to wait until his Shuttle emerged before he could do anything. Luxury had has his natural up for a while now, and had also expanded to 7 to secure an extra gas early on. But he was still very low on Drone count after powering Zerglings so hard.

Best knew that he had a good timing window where Luxury would be low on units while restocking his drone count, and had built a massive Zealot force to exploit it. Using his first Shuttle to ferry around 12 zealots over the bubbling tar to behind his naturals minerals (avoiding being seen by a watchful Zergling), he was able to move his forces across the map to an unsuspecting Luxury. Despite a Zergling running into the army on the way to assault Luxury, there was nothing he could do to prepare for the onslaught.

As a reaver joined the fray and the army attacked Luxury, there was nothing Luxury could do. After flailing around, trying to fight off Zealots and a Reaver, and failing miserably - Luxury tapped out; visibly disappointed with the result after such a strong start.

He's not the storm Zerg, but he certainly stormed out after game 3

Best 1-2 Luxury

Set 4


BeSt	Othello	Luxury
	2-3

After Luxury returned from a heated discussion with his coach the fourth set began on Othello. Best (Red at 11) was determine to turn this game into a macro war, where he would be comfortable, and opened with a fast expansion. Luxury (Blue at 5) opened with a 12 pool for pressure, and quickly followed this up with a hatch at his natural. Best continued to play standard, adding an extra cannon for security early on. However, Luxury had no interest in turning this into a prolonged encounter, and massed up a fearsome army of Zerglings, and ran right past Best's blockade

As Zerglings poured into the Protoss main, Best was helpless while he waited for his first Zealot to warp in. The Zerglings steered clear of the mineral line, opting to take down the Nexus instead. Best pulled his probes and managed to stall for time while preserving his Nexus, but losing a number of probes in the process. Nevertheless, once Best's first Zealot finally arrived the Zerglings were quickly eradicated like bugs.

Knowing that he was ahead, Luxury began his tech and expanded out to his third. Despite his advantage, he seemed rather confused as to what direction he was taking. His minerals were building up, indicating Mutalisks, but instead planted a hydralisk den and two hatcheries.
Best had taken a more direct route, and had amassed a fleet of Corsairs and had a reaver ready to go. Best moved out with his Sair/Reaver army and started his harass of Luxury.

Despite not being able to get as many kills as he would have liked, Best forced Luxury to keep on his toes as his immobile hydralisks attempted to keep up with the speed and flexibility of the Sair/Reaver combo. Luxury, expecting a prolonged Sair/Reaver struggle, expanded to 6 to keep up in macro while continually pumping hydralisks. Unfortunantly for him, Best had had enough of his Sair/Reaver antics and had warped in Auir's finest warriors to squelch the Zerg invaders.

Best created a decoy in Luxury's main with his Sair/Reaver forcing Luxury's units to return to the main to parry the threat, then Best marched into Luxury's third with his army and dispatched of the displaced Zerg warriors with ease. However, Luxury managed to keep his hatchery alive and just managed to fend off the threat. Luxury by this time appeared to be having difficulty macroing as his gas count rose to above 2000, fans of the Zerg master started to become worried.

Best had managed to preserve his reavers from the previous encounter, with some slick micro, and he was eager to get them back into use. He sent his Shuttle on another mission in Luxury's main, this time entering from below. Luxury quickly picked up on the imminent threat and scourged the Shuttle, but not before it was able to drop the reavers and get a few hydralisk kills. Best's macro was showing through in all it's glory as his army quickly amassed into a horde of rampant warriors, and now his army was fitted with templar.

His army scoured the map ready to pounce on the handicapped Zerg, and sent off a shuttle to storm some of Luxury's drones. Luckily for Luxury, the drop was defused without too much damage. However, Luxury's small moment of glory is crushed when Best marches in with his huge army, attacking 6.

There was not much Luxury could do against this massive army except delay it's advance towards his base. After throwing wave after wave of Tier 1 zerg units against the finest technology the Protoss had to offer, Luxury considered his options and found that the only one left was to give up and go to a fifth game.

Best shows off his jaw dropping macro and squares things up 2-2

Best 2-2 Luxury

Set 5


BeSt	Hwarangdo	Luxury
	1-5

Going into the fifth game, I was wondering what was going through Luxury's head. After game 3 he looked visibly distressed and frustrated with himself. Game 4 evoked similar emotions, and was evident in the high resources that Luxury stockpiled. Best on the other hand was looking sharp, one poster in the audience remarked that "The only time Best goes over 400 minerals is when he saves for a Nexus", a sentiment which was well reflected in the games thus far. Luxury had taken a huge mental blow after losing game 3, and history tells us that Luxury is starting to crack and give into the pressure of playing in a semifinal.

Arriving back where we started, Best (Purple at 5) planted his first pylon in his main and progressed with the standard 1 gate tech. Luxury opened the same as game one with a 12pool into expansion. Best tried to psyche Luxury out by putting his probe on his ramp, denying Luxury the ability to scout his main. Best's zealot and probe wall was ready in time for Luxury's Zerglings, but after being denied entry the split up and checked every possible location for a proxy - the psyche out had worked and Luxury was already on his way to defeating himself by losing the mental struggle within himself.

Best progressed normally, opting for 2 sairs and templars. Luxury has also played standardly, for one, and is on Lair tech with a Hydralisk den with 3 hatches and an expansion. Became clear that the last two games had taken their toll on him, and Luxury started playing ultra cautiously and as a consequence suffered from a very slow economy. Without observers, Luxury was able to delay Best's expansion by planting a lurker in his nat, however the Lurker was quickly dispatched once the observer came out and Best was off to attack Luxury.

Luxury had only just started his 2nd gas expansion, and was relying on Lurkers to defend from the Zealot heavy attack from Best. With some cute scourge micro, Best lost his observer and was forced to retreat - completely missing Luxury's 2nd gas expansion. But the pressure isn't off just yet. Luxury plants some Lurkers at his 3rd, and Best comes in with a brand new observer to attack the base. Once again, excellent scourge micro kills off the observer and Best has no choice but to retreat.

However, Best had put Luxury in a defensive stance and in conjunction with Luxury's already super-safe play, Best knew he could take his 2nd gas as well. And just like that, the two had the same number of bases. The flow on effect is immediate, Best's army is soaked with gas-heavy Archons to counter Luxury's Zergling heavy army and jumps out to a large supply lead. Add this to his upgrade advantage, and it was clear was Luxury had lost this game already.

Best gathered up his army and attacked Luxury's third again, this time with 4 observers. By some miracle, the Lurker splash was able to repel the monster army of Best and the expansion was saved. Best took his 4th at 3, and successfully defended it from a Zergling raid. To further cement his advantage, Best took a leaf out of Bisu's book and sent off a shuttle to storm some drones. The result?

Mass death. The shuttle also managed to escape and hover about Luxury's natural. Luxury sent two scourges up to defend his natural, only just missing the Shuttle (which then scampered off). Luxury, desperate to get back into the game, took his fourth and sent a mass of Zerglings straight into Best's nat. After a brief tussle, the Zerglings managed to kill the Cannons in the natural and not much else before dying. Meanwhile Best had shutdown Luxury's fourth and climbed out to a 160-80 supply lead.

Desperately running out of ideas, Luxury resorts to drops and drops a fairly strong army of Zerglings and Lurkers in Best's main. The drop is completely unsuccessful and barely manages to kill the templar archives before being killed. Of course, by this stage Best had already mined out his main meaning no economic setback could be achieved. The lucky shuttle returns to Luxury's natural and score a number of drone kills further setting Luxury back. Sadly, this time the shuttle cannot escape and scourges easily pick off the shuttle.

Best approached the Psi limit, while Luxury could barely reach for 100. Luxury tries to pull this game back with another drop, but it is less effective than the first one - getting very little kills at all. Yet another expansion attempt by Luxury is shut down, and the first signs of hive tech appear on the battlefield; defilers. Their effect however, is almost zero. Lux tries to shut down Best's fourth by using a combination of Swarm and Lings but...

A simple storm clears out the entire attack. In a way this summarizes how wrong this game has gone. Despite all the advantages that Luxury has as a Zerg player, he played too cautiously and defensively and as a result got destroyed by the protoss. As his pure Zergling army melts to the might of a gas heavy maxed protoss army, Luxury can't do anything more. After taking an early 2-0 lead, he dropped the ball and his surplus of gas is a testament to his failure. Luxury concedes the game, and his ticket to the finals to Best.

This series wont be forgotten soon

Best 3-2 Luxury, and becomes the first EVER 2008 Finalist! And the fourth ever player to achieve a 0-2 -> 3-2 comeback victory.

As Luxury departs from the stadium, Best stands in front of the wall of OSL champions. Visible in the picture above are the likes of Grrr, Boxer, Reach, Oov - and his inspiration and mentor; Kingdom.

If you've been around long enough, that picture should take you back to MyCube OSL, and the huge Baseball stadium that was packed with Kingdom and Nal_ra fans. At last, the protege of Kingdom returns to the finals, ready to show off his talents as the best protoss of today. In addition to that, he marks a return of SKT to the OSL finals; something which has been missing since Shinhan 2005 when Oov defeated JulyZerg in the final.

Here is the interview conducted by http://fomos.kr after the match, translated by tracer:
+ Show Spoiler +

- 생애 처음으로 결승전에 오른 소감은
Q. This is your first Star League final. How do you feel?

▲ 솔직히 오늘 맵 순서도 좋지 않고 상대 종족이 저그라서 0:3 패배까지 걱정했었다. 정말 열심히 준비를 했고 팀에서도 개인리그에 대한 배려를 많이 해주셨다. 첫 결승전인만큼 더욱 열심히 해서 SK텔레콤 T1이 오랫동안 하지 못했던 우승을 차지하고 싶다.
A. To be honest, I didn't like the map pool and the fact that my opponent was zerg made me fear a 0:3 loss. I worked very hard and my team encouraged me. This being my first final, I want to work harder and bring SKT1 a Star League title.

- 0:2로 뒤지고 있던 순간에 어떤 마음을 먹었나
Q. Your feelings when down 0:2?

▲ 그래도 평상심은 잃지 않고 있었다. 3, 4세트는 프로토스가 할만한 맵이라고 생각했기 때문에 최대한 침착하기 위해 노력했다.
Even though I was down, I didn't lose my concentration. Sets 3 and 4 were on maps where Protoss has a chance so I tried not to be nervous.

- 1세트 화랑도에서 허무한 패배를 당했다
Q. You suffered a very disappointing loss in set 1 on Hwarangdo.

▲ 정말 좋은 전략이었는데 패배했다. 질럿으로 저글링의 움직임을 잘 파악했어야 했는데 순간적으로 실수를 했다. 팀원들이 정말 많이 도와줬는데 허무하게 패배해서 너무 미안했다.
A. I thought I used a very good strategy but I still lost. I should have tracked his zergling movements with my zealots but I made an error. My teammates really helped me with this strategy and I feel sorry that I failed them on it.

- 2세트 안드로메다에서 역시 허무한 패배를 당했는데
Q. You also suffered another disappointing loss in set 2 on Andromeda.

▲ 3해처리까지는 막을 수 있었는데 2해처리 히드라리스크는 예상하지 못했다. 내가 먼저 전략을 걸기 위해 준비를 하고 있었는데 그 전 타이밍에 당했다.
A. I felt like I could've blocked a 3-hatch timing attack but I didn't expect a 2-hatch attack. I was going to show my strategy before he could, but his timing was too early.

- 3세트 트로이에서는 본진이 섬이 되어 고립이 되고 말았다
Q. In set 3 on Troy, your main became an island.

▲ 상대가 9드론 발업 저글링이고 많이 가난했다. 나는 그 한 타이밍만을 노렸다. 상대가 저글링을 많이 생산하고 스포어 콜로니까지 건설했기 때문에 타이밍이 나왔다. 원래는 커세어로 상대를 보고 맞춰가려고 했는데 본진이 섬이 되는 바람에 리버를 선택할 수 밖에 없었다.
A. I knew my opponent was doing a 9pool speedling build and was very poor. I went for "ee han timing." Luckily my opponent made lots of zerglings and some spore colonies so I had a good timing window. I was going to go for a corsair-oriented build, but being that my base was an island, I had to go for reavers.

- 4세트 오델로는 정말 불리하게 시작하지 않았나
Q. In set 4 on Othello, you started off bad.

▲ 발업 저글링이 난입하면서 내가 정말 불리했다. 커세어가 날아가는데 스커지가 나오면서 상대 해처리가 5개더라. 초반에 피해도 많이 봤는데 역전을 하게 되어서 기뻤다. 박찬수 선수도 상당히 긴장을 하셨던 것 같다.
A. Yes I started off horribly when the speedlings got into my base. I sent a corsair to his base and realized he had 5 hatcheries. Although it was tough in the beginning, I am happy that I was able to pull off the comeback. I think Luxury was very nervous in this game too.

- 마지막 화랑도에서는 뛰어난 운영 능력을 자랑했는데
Q. In the last set on Hwarangdo, you showed your talented game mechanics.

▲ 화랑도에서 1세트에서 썼던 전략을 또 쓸까 고민을 했었다. 하지만 운영을 하기로 마음을 먹었다. 상대가 너무 가난했던 것 같다. 그 부분을 잘 파악하고 있었기 때문에 이길 수 있었다.
A. I was actually thinking about using the same strategy as set 1. However, I decided that going for a mechanical build was better. I think Luxury was too economically poor in this game. I realized this, and that's why I was able to win.

- 박용욱 코치가 특별히 신경을 쓰는 것 같던데
Q. Coach Kingdom seemed to be particularly worried/concerned about you.

▲ 박코치님께서 정말 많은 신경을 써주셨다. 경기 전에 전략도 상의해주시고 심리 상태도 잘 파악하고 다스려주셨다. 애정을 갖고 봐주신 점에 대해 정말 감사드린다. 결승전에 왔으니까 보답할 수 있도록 최선을 다하겠다.
A. Kingdom was very concerned about me. Even before my match, he went over the strategies with me and made sure I was mentally ready. I am very thankful for him watching over me. I will pay him back by trying my best and winning in the finals.

- 결승전에 원더걸스가 온다
Q. Wondergirls are coming to the finals.

▲ (권)오혁이 형이 결승전에 꼭 가라고 했었다. 오혁이 형은 원더걸스가 데뷔하기 전부터 팬이었다. 꼭 결승전에 진출해 자기를 데려가라고 했는데 안 데려갈 생각이다(웃음). 원더걸스는 나만 보고 올 것이다(웃음).
A. Kwon Oh Hyuk hyung told me that I must reach the finals. He is a very avid Wondergirls fan, even before their debut. He told me to get tot he finals and invite him, but I'm thinking of not doing it (laugh). Wondergirls will only be watching me (laugh).

- 결승전에서는 누구와 맞붙고 싶은가
Q. Who do you want to face in the finals?

▲ 두 선수 다 친분이 있고 평소에도 연습을 자주하는 사이다. 누구든 까다로울 것 같다. 그래도 결승전이니까 같은 종족전보다는 저그를 만나고 싶다. 저그를 이기고 우승해서 내가 저그전이 약하다는 평가를 완벽히 무너뜨리고 싶다.
A. I know both players and practice with them often. I think whoever it is, it will be tough. But instead of a mirror final, I want to play against zerg. I want to win against zerg in the finals and prove to everyone that I am not weak in this matchup.

- 연습은 어떻게 했는지
Q. How did you practice?

▲ 팀원들이 도와줬다. 개인리그라서 연습 상대를 찾기가 힘들었다. 오늘 CJ 김준영 선수와 경기장에 오기 전에 딱 한번 연습을 했는데 그게 큰 도움이 되었다. 모두에게 고맙게 생각하고 있다. 우승을 해서 꼭 맛있는 것을 사주고 싶다. 내일 프로리그도 꼭 함께 이겼으면 좋겠다.
A. My teammates helped me out a lot. Since this was an individual league, it was hard to find a practice partner. Today, I played one practice game with GGPlay from CJ Entus before the match and I think this was a huge help. I want to thank everyone. I will definitely win and buy them something good to eat. I also want us to win tomorrow's PL game.

- 마지막으로 한마디
Q. Any last words?

▲ 오늘 내 경기를 놓고 친구들이나 길드원들이 내기를 많이 했다고 하더라. 내가 그 내기에 도움이 된 것 같아서 기분이 좋다. 이번 시즌에 꼭 우승을 해야할 것 같다. 마지막 기회처럼 생각하고 정말 열심히 준비 하겠다.
A. I heard that people in my guild and my friends were betting on my match. I think I helped them win so I feel good. I feel like I must win this season. I will prepare for this as if it was my last chance.

Once again, thanks to tracer for the interview! CholeraSC and Diggity have done a dual commentary of the series, so if you haven't watched the games yet; this is great opportunity for you to do so! Definitely check out game 4 of the series, as in my opinion, it best showcased the talent of Best and Luxury

Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5

Despite his opponent being unknown at this point, Best enters EVER 2008 as the firm favorite after this series. And perhaps his picture will be added to the wall of champions. But first we have to decide on who will clash lances with Best in the final. And so we turn to Semifinal B - JulyZerg vs Backho.

JulyZerg, Tushin, The God of War, SumoZerg, whatever you want to call him; he is one of the most influential Zerg players of all time. In fact, when he won Gillette OSL he was the first Zerg to ever win an OSL. For that, he goes down in the history books. But to further edge this notion along, July is the only Zerg to have won the OSL twice (winning over Reach in Gillette, Goodfriend in EVER05) and has been to the finals four times (losing to Nada in IOPS, and Oov in Shinhan 2005).

On top of that, he won KT-KTF Premiere league 2004/5 defeating Gorush 3-1 in the finals and was the Best player for 2005 in the 2005 KeSPA Awards. He was a crucial part of MBCGame's success in 2006 - which resulted in them winning the Proleauge over SKT1 4-3 in the final. With medals across the board, there is little doubt that July is perhaps the best Zerg of all time. While Savior has his dominant run, July has medals everywhere and success across generations.

After a brief stint on SKT1, July transferred across to Soul; a team once notorious for it's all Zerg lineup. The atmosphere on Soul at this point in their life is similar to that of POS from 04/05/06 when they were a budding team with lots of potential, but very little results. July took like a fish to water in his new team and the results came instantly. He is a key part of Souls 2v2 team (paired with Soo) and has skyrocketed to the Semifinals of EVER 2008. Theres so much more to say about July, but I'll leave it at that, for he is the heavyweight contender in this matchup.

No matter the matchup, Backho always enters as underdog; a facet about his career which has made many people angry. BackHo's perhaps legendary run began in EVER2008 Round 1 (formerly ODT) where he quickly fell to GGPlay, as everyone expected. But then, in a surprise twist of events, he cheesed Jaedong in the losers playoff, then defeated Casy on troy to grab himself a seat in EVER 2008 Round 2.

The story continued rather surprisingly, as he was placed in a group with Bisu, Mind and Much - a fearsome lineup of significant talent. In his first game he upset Much, then dropped to Mind. The last game against Bisu was do or die for both of them; as the winner advanced and the loser went home. Somehow, Backho once again defied the odds and defeated Bisu advancing to the Round of 8 where he met Jangbi. Jangbi was fresh off dominating wins against Stork and Nada and easily won the first game between the two. But then, once again, Backho came back in games 2 and 3 and humiliated Jangbi - earning himself a ticket to the OSL Semifinals.

But that's not all he's been up to lately, Backho also made the Round 8 of the GomTV Classic; showing that right now he is strong and winning games everywhere. Backho, despite all the odds, is proving to be a dominant force in the individual leagues. In fact, his official record still has him with a 48.65% winrate, and only 37.5% against Zerg. He is the dark horse in the tournament, and is the huge underdog in his match this time round as well.

With little more to say about these two warriors, let's get right into the predictions!

Set 1


July	Hwarangdo	BackHo
	5-2

Despite the incompetence of Luxury in the final game of the other semifinal, this map is still a very good map for Zerg. July is very experienced on maps with no geysers in the natural because of his long career, and Backho is likely to resort to some kind of cheese like Best did in game 1. July will not fall short in this game, and should come out all guns blazing.

July has always preferred a micro style to that of a macro style, thus if Backho does try to do some cheese, July should be able to defend it easily or pull off some miraculous counter cheese ala drone/ling all in vs Nada. If Backho opts for a macro game, July should be able to keep him contained long enough for him to gain a decisive macro advantage - and we all know that July is a monster against Protoss in long and short games. Couple this with July's convincing wins over Much and i think July should take this game with ease.

Set 2


July	Andromeda	Backho
	16-10

Andromeda is a map which favors July so much it's ridiculous. Firstly, essentially every Protoss opens with a fast expansion into Sair/Reaver; something which July is more than well equipped to counter. I expect BackHo to play a similar style to Best on this map, opening with a cannon heavy fast expansion. Whereas i dont know what July will do - he has so many options available.

July will probably opt for a Hydralisk break, but he could just as easily resort to heavy macro play or Mutalisks timing rush. The fact that July has all these options available is a scary thought for any Protoss player, let alone Backho. Once again i have to side with July on this map which puts him up 2-0.

Set 3


July	Troy	Backho
	2-4

If there was a game that Backho was going to take, it would be this one; but i wouldn't bet too much money on the fact. July knows how to play a low economy game, unlike Luxury, and will probably open similarly, killing the assimilators early on. However, July will probably handle his forces and his economy much better than Luxury did, and Backho is unlikely to be able to exploit the timing window that Best abused.

That being said, this map has lots of ways for Backho to win. Easy expansions, island style play - it all works in Protoss favor and that means that he could very well surprise people on this map. However, once again, i have to side with July purely because he won't be as careless as Luxury and thus should be able to win here, and win the semifinals right here.

Set 4


July	Othello	Backho
	3-3

Statistically this is the most balanced map in the pool which gives good options to both sides. If the series gets this far, the better player will win on this map (unless there is some proxy). July has a number of options available to him, although the validity of these options could be questioned. He could use a retro LT-Lurker drop here to exploit Backho's fast expansion, although it probably won't happen. He could use a Hydra all in, Zergling all in; anything. Knowing July he will vary it up from his previous games a try something different to catch backho off guard. If by some travesty July is down 1-2 at this point, i expect a safer style to be played to ensure that he can outplay Backho.

Backho should be completely out of his depth here. None of his PvZ's have been convincing, and he lacks all game sense in the matchup. On this map these things will hamper his performance more than any other map. He won't be able to keep up with July here, and will undoubtedly drop to the better player.

Set 5


July	Hwarangdo	Backho
	5-2

If by some miracle we get to game 5, i expect it to be similar to game one. This map is so in favor of July that i can't comprehend him dropping a game here, unless he is cheesed by some brilliant moves. In game 5 with everything on the line, i don't see Backho having the required ball size to execute such a maneuver.

July has the experience, and the ability to keep his head together, there is no reason that Backho should win this set. July will win this game, and the series if it gets here; although he should take this in three.

The golden mouse is something which I've neglected to talk about so far. July has already had one shot at the mouse, and is eager to become the second player, and the first zerg, to win the Golden Mouse. The mouse is worth $8000 which is rather substantial, and certainly provides July with the extra incentive to defeat Backho and advance to the finals. Every time this artifact comes up for discussion, the games become that much more exciting and intense. Everyone will be eagerly watching July as he inches closer to the title. Perhaps July will gain the Platinum Mouse in a few years time? Who knows, but for now the Golden Mouse is certainly within his grasp.

Indeed everything in on the line on Friday and the victor will advance to face Best in the final. Everything is pointing towards an epic encounter which you would be foolish to miss!! So tune in, 18:30 KST on Friday to watch July vs Backho!

Plexa

Thanks to Atrioc for the July and Backho picture, and the banner
Thanks to IntoTheWow and HeavenPanda for the Metalslug picture, and the Best victory pose
Thanks to tracer for translating the interview
Thanks to CholeraSC for the English cast of the OSL semis
Thanks to fomos.kr for the images
Thanks to Daigomi for the regular EVER OSL banner
Thanks to you, for reading!!

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