EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/pachi/front/batoo_starleague.jpg)
A few short hours ago the OSL kicked off in style with the PSL - PCBang Starleauge. This is more commonly known as the Offline Qualifiers and it is the stage in the OSL where all the players that were eliminated last season try their hand are re-entering the OSL. As always, there were a number of disappointments this season - but there were a surprisingly high number of things going the right way for once. But, as always, the excitement factor rated through the roof - and yet another memorable prelims day has been recorded in the record books.
Also, don't forget about TL's very own Liquibition, which is going down at 4pm EST this Sunday - be sure to come along and relive some memories from the TSL as you see IefNaij take on the mighty Russian - Brat_OK. I'm sure you're all eager to see whether your favorite player made the cut or not so without further delay, here is the results from yesterday's qualifiers (with some commentary of my own).
Results from the Offline Preliminaries
Group A
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Really 2 vs 1 
RorOReally advances to OSL Ro36Group A was one of the most stacked groups in all of the preliminaries. Any one of Really, Saint, Movie or RorO could have easily taken this group. However things started to go wrong right from the word go as Saint dropped out 1-2 to DarLinG. Fortunately that was the only surprise this group had. Really showed that his mechanics are sound and was able to defeat Movie and then outclassed RorO in the final - a well deserved victory for Really and a good start for eStro!
Group B
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Leta 2 vs 0 eagleLeta Advances to OSL Ro36This group was watched closely by just about every active member on TL as IdrA was placed in this group. Unfortunately, he went down 1-2 to Flying who was using risky builds to gain an advantage over IdrA. However there is solid signs of progress from this series so keep it up IdrA! The rest of the group went as expected with Leta cleaning out the B-Teamers. A reassuring performance from one of the most promising Terrans in the scene today.
Group C
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
ZerO 0 vs 2 
TazzaTazza advances to OSL Ro36Finally we come to a group with an upset. Zero, Skyhigh and Tazza were all tipped as favorites to take out this group, and they all passed through the first round without any struggle at all. Zero performed strongly and was able to dismantle Skyhigh in the Ro4 whereas Tazza crushed the veteran JiHyun. Zero came in the heavy favorite for the finals, but left disappointed as he was cleaned out 2-0 by Tazza. Now Tazza certainly looks promising with this impressive result in combination with his recent victory over Bisu - only time will tell if this guy is for real.
Group D
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Pure 0 vs 2 FireFistFireFist Advances to OSL Ro36More upsets incoming! This group also had a number of great gamers in it, but people were picking a Pure vs EffOrt final. Then disaster struck, CJ's Zerg ace was struck down in the Ro4 by FireFist - this would not be the end of the bad news for CJ either. With EffOrt out of the way, Pure was expected to clear out FireFist, but was surprisingly crushed effortlessly by FireFist. FireFist is no newcomer to this level of the OSL, and qualified for Survivor recently as well. However his track record in these situations isn't very good at all - especially given how outclassed he was in Survivor. My guess is that FireFist doesn't last long in this OSL.
Group E
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Haran 0 vs 2 RuByRuBy Advances to OSL Ro36A very surprising result here; very few people were picking Ruby to take out this group. The fan-favorite for this group was somewhere between BaBy and FrOzean - but both of these names dropped out in the Ro4. With Ruby managing to take out his group maybe there is still a chance that he can impress once again. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Ruby was noted as having one of the best TvZs amongst the next generation of Progamers, however recently he's fallen off the map - perhaps this is his time to shine?
Group F
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Last 0 vs 2 UpMagiCUpMagiC Advances to OSL Ro36This group contained a number of upsets, however they didn't affect the final result. Last tore through this group - all the way from the Ro9. He defeated beast, Kwanro and Hery to make the finals; impressive given how long he's been playing A-Level proleauge. However, his miraculous run couldn't last forever and he was stopped cold in his tracks by the cheese-master, UpMagic.
Group G
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Juni 1 vs 2 YoonJoongYoonJoong to OSL Ro36This was quite a depressing group for everyone except Soul fans. Firstly we had the Reaver master - Rainbow - get eliminated in the Ro8 by Juni, 1-2. To follow up on this sad event, Memory, another of CJ's hopes to qualify, failed against YoonJoong. And then finally YoonJoong upset all the Khan fans by squeezing out a victory over Juni in the final. Good job YoonJoong! Although he hasn't been appearing on the STX roster very much (due to him being overshadowed by Kal), this is a promising sign that we haven't seen the last of YoonJoong yet!
Group H
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Finals
Hwasin 2 vs 0 KillerHwasin Advances to OSL Ro36This was a bitter-sweet group for most fans. While Hwasin had an easy road to the finals, and dominated accordingly, another of CJ's great hopes was dashed when XellOs was eliminated in the very first round by Killer. Hwasin chalks up another player from STX to qualify and gives hope to his fans that he'll be able to make it into the major leagues once again.
Group I
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
910 2 vs 0 yeOngJae910 Advances to OSL Ro36Now this was a very unexpected result. Iris was easily the biggest name in this group, and his recent games have shown that he is still good enough to tango with the greatest. However! Iris was slain by the eventual group winner, 910, in the Ro4. 910 was basically disregarded prior to this group, and is best remember for one of the worst MSL quarterfinals ever played (vs Stork in GOMTV S2 MSL). However, at long last, he has broken out of the qualifiers once again. Although 910 was a 2v2 specialist with TheZerg, this is a good sign that the transition across to 1v1 player has been successful.
Group J
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Jaedong 2 vs 1 kekeJaedong Advances to OSL Ro36Jaedong brings order back into the preliminaries and tears through his group with ease. Zeus managed to get to the Ro4 though, which is semi-pleasing to old school fans. But this group was all about Jaedong. Here's hoping that Jaedong can storm him way through two more Bo3s and get himself back into the OSL where he belongs.
Group K
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
s2 0 vs 2 SoOSoO Advances to OSL Ro36Another very depressing group. NaDa, the highest ranked player in this group, was taken to school by NeeL - one of the lowest ranked players in this group. However things did not end there; the great SKT Zerg, s2, worked ever so hard to make the final only to be shut down by SoO in the final. SoO chalks up yet another player from STX to enter the OSL.
Group L
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Horang2 0 vs 2 Shine[Kal]Shine[Kal] Advances to OSL Ro36Horang2 has been on a rampage lately - defeating the likes of Flash and GGPlay to qualify for the MSL. He didn't stop in the OSL prelims either; he edged out MSL finalist, Jangbi, in the Ro4 causing heartbreak for OneOther. However on the other side of the bracket, Neo-Nal_rA (Lucifer) couldn't make it past the Ro4 either, and lost out to Shine[Kal] - the eventual group winner. Maybe Horang2 can't PvZ on non-imbalanced maps after all!
Group M
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Kal 2 vs 0 HyukKal Advances to OSL Ro36Kal destroyed this group, and rightly so. This group has no notable names except Hyuk, who really isn't a name at all. With Kal's victory STX have yet another player enter the OSL (what's this.. like the 4th now?).
Group N
+ Show Spoiler +
Round of 9
GosI[Season] vs W/O Crank
Round of 8
firebathero 2 vs 0 Crank
GanZi 2 vs 1 Modesty
DarkElf 2 vs 0 SalDaGa
HoeJJa 2 vs 0 HerO
Round of 4
firebathero 2 vs 0 GanZi
DarkElf 0 vs 2 HoeJJa
Group Final
firebathero1 vs 2 HoeJJa
GosI[Season] vs W/O CrankRound of 8
firebathero 2 vs 0 CrankGanZi 2 vs 1 ModestyDarkElf 2 vs 0 SalDaGaHoeJJa 2 vs 0 HerORound of 4
firebathero 2 vs 0 GanZi DarkElf 0 vs 2 HoeJJaGroup Final
firebathero1 vs 2 HoeJJafirebathero1 vs 2 HoeJJaHoeJJa Advances to OSL Ro36The Lord of the Dance is dead! HoeJJa has made a statement here in this group, which was one of the more difficult groups of the preliminary. HoeJJa is just a few days away from his series with Bisu in the GOMTV Round of 16, and with this preliminary performance he has clearly shown that his GOM results are no fluke. HoeJJa took out an impressive field of players to get here which includes; HerO, DarkElf and the mighty FireBatHero. A much deserved victory for one of the three new hopes for Zerg (the other two being EffOrt and maGma).
Group O
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Young 1 vs 2 BestGodBestGod Advances to OSL Ro36free... what has happened to you! free lost out in the very first Round to 1988; one of the newest progamers on the scene. With free out of commission for the rest of the day, this group was destined to have BestGod be the victor. And as expected, that's what happened. BestGod adds another STX player to the qualified list and can feel lucky that he never encountered free.
Group P
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
ggaemo 1 vs 2 TesterTester Advances to OSL Ro36Even the mighty Savior can fall victim to the drudgery of the Preliminaries. Savior was taken to school by none other than ggaemo - another no name gamer. Aside from Savior, Tester was the only "heavyweight" in the group, and cleaned up what was left of the group. eStro gets another gamer into the OSL; a drastic change from the days when only UpMagic was qualifying!
Group Q
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
by.hero 2 vs 0 iloveoovby.hero Advances to OSL Ro36This is a very pleasing, but saddening group. This group was one of the more difficult groups this season, and had the likes of iloveoov, SangHo, by.hero and Shark. Amazingly, despite being a coach for so long and only being return to Player-Coach status a few weeks ago, iloveoov dismantled oDin and HakSoo to make it all the way to the final. Very impressive for only a few weeks of practice! However, the news can't always be nice like this - by.hero destroyed SangHo and iloveoov to take out the group and make a number of eStro and SKT fans angry in the process.
Group R
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
go.go 2 vs 1 hyvaago.go Advances to OSL Ro36Nothing really surprising happened here, go.go and hyvaa were expected to make the final of this group. However go.go played strongly on Rush Hour and Chupung and was able to come back from a one game deficit and take the series. hyvaa made a number of mistakes in the final, like trying to expand to go.go's third expansion position (11 on Chupung) and being sloppy with his unit control. In the end, go.go deserved the victory and makes his way back into the OSL.
Group S
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Pusan 1 vs 2 maGmamaGma Advances to the OSL Ro36This was the most heartbreaking group of the night. In one corner you have the mighty (and sexy) Pusan who has been playing so well recently. And in the other you have maGma, one of the three new hopes of the Zerg race who has a style you just can't help but love. To add to the drama, Pusan and maGma belong to the same clan and are good online friends. So this was a clash between friends with everything on the line. Zerg players take note! maGma knows how to play against Protoss on Medusa (using a macro intensive style - such a breath of fresh air!!). The Rush Hour game was not broadcast, but the final game was. maGma used a 3 hatch hydra build to abuse the openness of the natural expansion and proceeded to decimate Pusan in one of the most depressing games all year. As a Pusan fan, atleast I can walk away from this series knowing that he lost to a great player that is destind to to great things - and it also helps that I'm a maGma fan! Welcome to the OSL maGma.
Group T
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Rumble 0 vs 2 HyuNHyuN Advances to OSL Ro36Hyun finally makes a move into the major leagues after showing so much promise earlier this year. This group had no notables, bar Chalrenge and Rumble, and went fairly under the radar during the day. Nevertheless, Hyun pulled through for MBCGame; and we'll take whoever we can get in the OSL! Here's hoping Hyun shows off more of his sexy style during the Ro32
Group U
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Canata 0 vs 2 HiyAHiyA Advances to OSL Ro36This group also went as expected; HiyA stomped all over everyone in this group and ended the day undefeated (6-0). HiyA is playing really well right now and so he is a very welcome addition to the OSL lineup.
Group V
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
MuJuK 2 vs 0 GuemChiMuJuK Advances to OSL Ro36Amazingly, MuJuK becomes the first player from SKT to qualify for this OSL from the preliminaries. And he had a very tough road as well. First of all he had to beat fOrGG - a well known TvP player who has been performing very well, and then he had to deal with Guemchi - the rising Protoss on Woongjin Stars. Nevertheless, he made it, and will supplement the plethora of already qualified players from SKT.
Group W
+ Show Spoiler +
Round of Nine
RumOr 0 vs 2 PerfectMan
Round of Eight
YellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 0 PerfectMan
Major 1 vs 2 Orion
PianO 2 vs 1 LaKe
Say 0 vs 2 great
Round of Four
YellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 1 Orion
PianO 2 vs 0 great
Group Final
YellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 0 PianO
RumOr 0 vs 2 PerfectManRound of Eight
YellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 0 PerfectManMajor 1 vs 2 Orion PianO 2 vs 1 LaKeSay 0 vs 2 greatRound of Four
YellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 1 OrionPianO 2 vs 0 greatGroup Final
YellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 0 PianOYellOw[ArnC] 2 vs 0 PianOYellOw[ArnC] Advances to OSL Ro36Yarnc had far too many close calls in this group. He very nearly lost to Orion after being at an economic deficit early on. But in the end he managed to hold on and return to the OSL. With his performace in almost all leagues being top-notch - I have high expectations for him this OSL. Here's hoping we have no more Plasma's ruining the Zerg parade.
Group X
+ Show Spoiler +
Group Final
Hydra 1 vs 2 ProposePropose Advances to OSL Ro36And the final group of the day yielded a very surprising victor! First of all, Calm was eliminated in the veyr first round - a huge blow for the premier STX zerg. The in the Round of 4 the fan favorite Doctor.K was eliminated. This left a final between Hydra and Propose - which Propose came back from 0-1 to take the series and qualify for the OSL. Now, what's really interesting about Propose is that he played
iNfeRnaL in the TL vs YG showmatch. So iNfeRnaL, you can hold your head high and say you produced the best 1v1 game of the showmatch against a Starleague caliber player!So who's in the OSL?
The following players were automatically seeded into the OSL Round 1 from Incruit OSL;
BackHo, Bisu, Flash, July, Light, Luxury, Midas, Mind, Much, Rock, Sea, ThezergThey will be joined by the following players in the OSL Round 1
Group A:
ReallyGroup B:
LetaGroup C:
TazzaGroup D:
FireFistGroup E:
RuByGroup F:
UpMagiCGroup G:
YoonJoongGroup H:
HwasinGroup I:
910Group J:
JaedongGroup K:
SoOGroup L:
Shine[Kal]Group M:
KalGroup N:
HoeJJaGroup O:
BestGodGroup P:
TesterGroup Q:
by.heroGroup R:
go.goGroup S:
maGmaGroup T:
HyuNGroup U:
HiyAGroup V:
MuJuKGroup W:
YellOw[ArnC]Group X:
ProposeThese players will compete for spots in the 2nd Round of the OSL where they will join the following players who have been automatically seeded from Incruit OSL.
Stork, fantasy, BeSt, GGPlayDetails about who's in which group will be release over the next few days. But for now, here's some interesting statistics about these 36 players:
Team Breakdown (Seeded + Entered from Preliminaries)
STX (1+6) -
July + YoonJoong, Hwasin, Kal, SoO, BestGod, by.heroSK Telecom (5+1) -
by.fantasy, BeSt, Bisu, Thezerg, Midas + MuJuKMBC (2+3) -
Light, Sea + RuBy, 910, HyuNKTF (2+2) -
Flash, Luxury + HoeJJa, FireFistOGN (0+4) - None +
Tazza, Leta, YellOw[ArnC], go.goeSTRO (0+4) - None +
Really, UpMagiC, Tester, maGmaWeMade (2+1) -
Rock, Mind + Shine[Kal][/tlpd]Lecaf (1+2) -
BackHo + Jaedong, HiyASamsung (1+1) -
Stork + ProposeWoongjin (1+0) -
GGPlay + NoneCJ Entus (1+0) -
Much + NoneRacial Breakdown
Protoss: 13
(
BackHo, BeSt, BestGod, Bisu, Kal, Much, MuJuK, Rock, SoO, Stork, Tazza, Tester, YoonJoong)Terran: 15
(
910, by.fantasy, Flash, go.go, HiyA, Hwasin, Leta, Light, Midas, Mind, Propose, Really, RuBy, Sea, UpMagiC)Zerg: 12
(
by.hero, FireFist, GGPlay HoeJJa, HyuN, Jaedong, July, Luxury, maGma, Shine[Kal][/tlpd], Thezerg, YellOw[ArnC])When does it all start?!
While I cannot confirm anything just yet, most of the TL staff believe that the OSL Round 1 (formerly ODT) will be starting this Wednesday. The reasons for this is that they canceled the proleague match that was going to be held on that day, which implies that they are making room for ODT. So get ready for more OSL action on the 17th of December!
That's all for now, but you can look forward to yet another season of premier TeamLiquid coverage. There are many stories and events yet to come, so I suggest you stay tuned and check out every news post and follow the games carefully - there's sure to be dynamite this season! But until then!
PlexaGot questions about how the OSL works? Ask them here guilt and troll free
