[OSL] The Ro36 in Review

Thanks SilverskY and Daigomi!

As of Group L's last game on June 13, the Bacchus OSL S2's Round of 36 is complete! Its twelve groups produced 58 games over 32 days, which is well more action than the average StarCraft fan should be responsible for following — so you shouldn't feel ashamed if you've missed the occasional match. Instead, read this article! It'll give you enough juicy information about the Ro36 to pretend that you followed it fanatically, and is therefore an invaluable resource in whatever ridiculous LR thread debates you feel like fueling.

The Results

For those that insist the OSL doesn't actually begin until its Round of 16, the Ro36 may as well be a black box that spits out twelve top-class qualifiers. The Bacchus OSL S2's are:

Zerg (5): (Z)

ZerO,

EffOrt,

YellOw[ArnC], (Z)

Kwanro,

type-b
Terran (5): (T)

Leta,

Hwasin,

Canata,

go.go,

Flash
Protoss (2): (P)

BackHo,

Stork

Batoo OSL semifinalists (Z)

Jaedong,

by.hero,

Bisu, and

fantasy complete the Ro16 field.

+ Show Spoiler [Full Ro36 Results, from Grinq's R&S] +

Group A - May 6 18:30 KST

~~GuemChi (Woongjin Stars)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~Thezerg (SK Telecom T1)~~ ▷ eliminated
Leta (Hite SPARKYZ) ► advances to Round of 16

(VOD) GuemChi > (Z)

Thezerg on Holy World
(VOD) (P)

GuemChi < Thezerg on Outsider
(VOD) (P)

GuemChi < Thezerg on Return of the King

(VOD) (T)

Leta < Thezerg on Holy World
(VOD) Leta > (Z)

Thezerg on Outsider
(VOD) Leta > (Z)

Thezerg on Return of the King

Group B - May 8 18:30 KST

ZerO (Woongjin Stars) ► advances to Round of 16
~~IrOn (MBCGame HERO)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~Kal (STX SouL)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) ZerO > (P)

IrOn on Holy World
(VOD) ZerO > (P)

IrOn on Outsider
~~ZerO <> IrOn on Return of the King~~

(VOD) (P)

Kal < ZerO on Holy World
(VOD) (P)

Kal < ZerO on Outsider
~~Kal <> ZerO on Return of the King~~

Group C - May 13 18:30 KST

BackHo (Hwaseung Oz) ► advances to Round of 16
~~GoRush (Air Force ACE)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~Tester (eSTRO)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) BackHo > (Z)

GoRush on Holy World
(VOD) BackHo > ~~GoRush~~ (DQ) on Outsider
~~BackHo <> GoRush on Return of the King~~

(VOD) (P)

Tester < BackHo on Holy World
(VOD) (P)

Tester < BackHo on Outsider
~~Tester <> BackHo on Return of the King~~

Group D - May 15 18:30 KST

go.go (Hite SPARKYZ) ► advances to Round of 16
~~Juni (Samsung KHAN)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~Luxury (KTF MagicNs)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) go.go > (Z)

Juni on Holy World
(VOD) (T)

go.go < Juni on Outsider
(VOD) go.go > (Z)

Juni on Return of the King

(VOD) (Z)

Luxury < go.go on Holy World
(VOD) (Z)

Luxury < go.go on Outsider
~~Luxury <> go.go on Return of the King~~

Group E - May 20 18:30 KST

~~hyvaa (eSTRO)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~Miracle (Samsung KHAN)~~ ▷ eliminated
Hwasin (STX SouL) ► advances to Round of 16

(VOD) hyvaa > (T)

Miracle on Holy World
(VOD) (Z)

hyvaa < Miracle on Outsider
(VOD) hyvaa > (T)

Miracle on Return of the King

(VOD) Hwasin > (Z)

hyvaa on Holy World
(VOD) Hwasin > (Z)

hyvaa on Outsider
~~Hwasin <> hyvaa on Return of the King~~

Group F - May 22 18:30 KST

EffOrt (CJ Entus) ► advances to Round of 16
~~RuBy (MBCGame HERO)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~July (STX SouL)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) EffOrt > (T)

RuBy on Holy World
(VOD) EffOrt > (T)

RuBy on Outsider
~~EffOrt <> RuBy on Return of the King~~

(VOD) (Z)

July < EffOrt on Holy World
(VOD) (Z)

July < EffOrt on Outsider
~~July <> EffOrt on Return of the King~~

Group G - May 27 18:30 KST

~~Light (MBCGame HERO)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~s2 (SK Telecom T1)~~ ▷ eliminated
YellOw[ArnC] (Hite SPARKYZ) ► advances to Round of 16

(VOD) Light > (Z)

s2 on Holy World
(VOD) (T)

Light < s2 on Outsider
(VOD) Light > (Z)

s2 on Return of the King

(VOD) YellOw[ArnC] > (T)

Light on Holy World
(VOD) YellOw[ArnC] > (T)

Light on Outsider
~~YellOw[ArnC] <> Light on Return of the King~~

Group H - May 29 18:30 KST

Kwanro (CJ Entus) ► advances to Round of 16
~~Casy (Air Force ACE)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~GGPlay (Woongjin Stars)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) Kwanro > (T)

Casy on Holy World
(VOD) Kwanro > (T)

Casy on Outsider
~~Kwanro <> Casy on Return of the King~~

(VOD) (Z)

GGPlay < Kwanro on Holy World
(VOD) (Z)

GGPlay < Kwanro on Outsider
~~GGPlay <> Kwanro on Return of the King~~

Group I - June 3 18:30 KST

Canata (SK Telecom T1) ► advances to Round of 16
~~HoGiL (Hite SPARKYZ)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~UpMaGiC (eSTRO)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) Canata > (Z)

HoGiL on Holy World
(VOD) (T)

Canata < HoGiL on Outsider
(VOD) Canata > (Z)

HoGiL on Return of the King

(VOD) UpMaGiC > (T)

Canata on Holy World
(VOD) (T)

UpMaGiC < Canata on Outsider
(VOD) (T)

UpMaGiC < Canata on Return of the King

Group J - June 5 18:30 KST

type-b (Hite SPARKYZ) ► advances to Round of 16
~~Pure (WeMade FOX)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~BeSt[HyO] (SK Telecom T1)~~ ▷ eliminated

(VOD) type-b > (P)

Pure on Holy World
(VOD) type-b > (P)

Pure on Outsider
~~type-b <> Pure on Return of the King~~

(VOD) (P)

BeSt < type-b on Holy World
(VOD) BeSt > (Z)

type-b on Outsider
(VOD) (P)

BeSt < type-b on Return of the King

Group K - June 10 18:30 KST

~~RorO (WeMade FOX)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~YoonJoong (STX SouL)~~ ▷ eliminated
By.Flash (KTF MagicNs) ► advances to Round of 16

(VOD) (Z)

RorO < YoonJoong on Holy World
(VOD) (Z)

RorO < YoonJoong on Outsider
~~RorO <> YoonJoong on Return of the King~~

(VOD) (T)

Flash < YoonJoong on Holy World
(VOD) Flash > (P)

YoonJoong on Outsider
(VOD) Flash > (P)

YoonJoong on Return of the King

Group L - June 12 18:30 KST

~~Lomo (Hwaseung Oz)~~ ▷ eliminated
~~Shine[kaL] (WeMade FOX)~~ ▷ eliminated
Stork[gm] (Samsung KHAN) ► advances to Round of 16

Lomo > (Z)

Shine[kaL] on Holy World
(T)

Lomo < Shine[kaL] on Outsider
Lomo > (Z)

Shine[kaL] on Return of the King

(P)

Stork < Lomo on Holy World
Stork > (T)

Lomo on Outsider
Stork > (T)

Lomo on Return of the King

Credit: GrandInquisitor's superfly Results & Standings

Top Five: Games

With a larger field than the MSL's first stage and a format less conducive to clever strategies, the OSL Ro36 tends to generate a disgusting concentration of straight up games between legitimate contenders and outmatched flukes (i.e. "a lot of beatdowns"). Fortunately, I thought, I now have 24/7 access to TL staff — surely they could help me identify some Ro36 games worth watching…

18:22 JWD_: you guys got any OSL Ro36 games to recommend? I'm writing the article
18:24 vGl-RaGe: didnt watch osl games
18:24 vGl-RaGe: : (
18:33 pachi: osl started?

Lesson learned: TL staffdom is not the key to VOD-recommendation paradise. Lesson eventually learned (no thanks to RaGe and pachi): even if only by sheer volume, the Bacchus OSL S2's Ro36 did produce some gems of must-watch caliber - and I've collected five here. If your favorite isn't on this list, mention it in the comments!

hyvaa vs.

Hwasin 1set on Holy World

+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +

Flashes of Boxer here: Hwasin leaves hyvaa spinning with a very clever 1-base build crafted specifically for this OSL's new map. Resist temptation to skip a few minutes into this VOD — the Red Sniper ensures early action with a proxy 9-factory. Nine!

Canata vs. (T)

UpMaGiC 1set on Holy World

+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +

After you recover from the shock of seeing a Canata TvT in this list, check the above VOD's running time for some welcome relief. This fast-paced (and short!) TvT is packed with back-and-forth vulture raids and showcases some nice micro from both players. It's also notable as the best set of what was the Ro36's only Terran versus Terran match.

ZerO vs.

Kal 1set on Holy World

+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +

This game remains the only televised PvZ in history to feature Infested Terrans — isn't that reason enough to watch? When I heard about this set I was sure it would be just the first of many IT-powered ZvP beatdowns on Holy World, but no Zerg since Zero has been crafty enough to abuse the map's neutral CC — or, more accurately, no Protoss since Kal has been foolish enough to allow his Zerg opponent to abuse the map's neutral CC.

Even considering StarCraft's strategical depth and vintage graphics, there's a lot to be said for the simple joy of watching stuff blow up in BW. If you agree, then Zero-Kal is your bag.

EffOrt vs. (T)

RuBy 2set on Outsider

+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +

The Batoo OSL left fans of bio TvZ wanting — Terrans favored mechanic builds in the Batoo map pool, right through to Fantasy in the Finals. The Bacchus OSL S2, however, brings good news for lovers of orthodox TvZ: with several maps that seem to favor MnM play over metal, this OSL promises some classic Terran versus Zerg action. And in this regard no Ro36 game delivered like Effort-Ruby on Outsider, a satisfyingly bloody ultra-ling vs. SK Terran macro-fest that featured unexpectedly impressive performances by both players.

Flash vs.

Shuttle 1set on Holy World

+ Show Spoiler [VOD] +

The 1set of Flash vs. Shuttle is precisely what PvT would look like if it was entirely up to the viewers. Usual PvTs are littered with ever-so-slightly disappointing moments: a scouting worker stopped by held units at the enemy's ramp, a promising vulture raid denied probekills by one or two cannons, a lull in the action while the Terran regroups to tech or mass units, or the immediate discovery of a hidden nexus.

None of that garbage here: in this whopper of a game, Flash's SCV sneaks into Shuttle's base using a wickedly clever trick, vultures bash down cannons and slaughter probes, Flash rallies his factories to Shuttle's choke for the entire mid- and late-game, and Shuttle's ninja expansion goes unnoticed just long enough to keep the action coming. Flash and Shuttle squeezed every ounce of TvP weaksauce out of this game, making it one of the year's most thrilling encounters and hands down the OSL Ro36's best set.

Uprooted Seeds

In my Ro36 preview I named Kal, Tester, July, and GGPlay the four seeds most likely to lose their Ro36 matches and fail to qualify for group stages. Sure enough, all four of these Batoo OSL Ro16 qualifiers fell 0-2 in the Ro36: a very in-form Zero dispatched Kal with ease in Group B, BackHo nearly eliminated Tester with one reaver in Group C, EffOrt destroyed July in Group F, and Han Sangbong Kwanrolled GGPlay in Group H. Three other seeds saw their Bacchus OSL S2 hopes die in the Ro36:

(Z)

Luxury finally saw his predictably all-in ZvT fail miserably, in his Group D match versus go.go. In the 1set Lux wiped out go.go's natural, but squandered his advantage with poor micro and very late hive-tech. The 2set was more of the same: go.go comfortably recovered from Luxury's early pressure to take a win. This paragraph initially began "Luxury looked nothing like the Zerg that ousted Leta from the Lost Saga MSL", but I edited it upon realizing that, aside from being a bit sloppier, Luxury's ZvT hasn't changed much over his career — a weakness of which his recent opponents are apparently aware.

(T)

UpMaGiC's loss to Canata in Group I was one of the Ro36's biggest upsets, especially considering Up's TvT was deadly last season (see his back-to-back victories over Flash in the Batoo OSL and Winners League). Canata has long played S-class TvT, but Up's crafty, aggressive style seemed like a hard counter to Canata's. What was most surprising about this series, then, is that Canata won it on Up's terms — in short, micro-intense encounters rather than drawn-out wars of siege tank or BC attrition.

(P)

BeSt's PvZ ineptitude never ceases to amaze. Just sharing a room with Bisu seems like enough training (by osmosis) to handle a mediocre-at-best Zerg like Type-b...apparently not. Best's PvZ looked as confused as ever in his Ro36 match, and the Ro16's Terrans can heave a sigh of relief: now they can stomp Type-b instead of dealing with Best's still-monstrous PvT.

That only five of the Bacchus OSL S2 Ro36's twelve seeds survived their groups is yet more evidence of BW's unprecedented competitiveness. In this era of multiple matches per week and ever-stronger up-and-comers, a Ro36 seed is surprisingly far from a Ro16 berth.

Top Five: Moments of WTF

5. Hyvaa resurrects hydra-guardian
from (Z)

hyvaa vs.

Miracle 3set on Return of the King

+ Show Spoiler [Watch the moment] +

After taking a comfortable lead upon slaughtering Miracle's overly-aggressive first MnM group outside his natural, Hyvaa entertains with one of the oldest late-game ZvT strategies in BW history.

4. Canata: dark swarm is overrated
from (T)

Canata vs. (Z)

HoGiL 3set on Return of the King

+ Show Spoiler [Watch the moment] +

This is every Zerg's nightmare: a ball of metal so massive even dark swarm can't stop it. Canata simply blows through Hogil's swarms with a fearsome concentration of 2/2 tanks.

3. Best demonstrates Protoss air supremacy
from (P)

BeSt vs.

type-b 2set on Outsider

+ Show Spoiler [Watch the moment] +

Type-b seriously underestimates the power of mass corsair, using Outsider's many gases to pump Mutalisks through the mid-game. Hilarity ensues.

2. Flash outwits Shuttle
from (T)

Flash vs.

Shuttle 1set on Holy World

+ Show Spoiler [Watch the moment] +

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVD_kFMC_b4#t=4m17s

This is the only of these five highlights that comes from a game recommended above, and it's worth watching twice. Flash's trick earns him valuable scouting information, embarrasses Shuttle, and inspires an amusing reaction from OGN's commentators.

1. GoRush commits a typo
from (Z)

GoRush vs. (P)

BackHo 2set on Outsider

+ Show Spoiler [Watch the moment] +

Even though it's already been talked to death here at TL, there is just no way I could pass up GoRush's disqualification as the Bacchus OSL S2's number one WTF moment. What's most tragic about Park Taemin's accidental keystroke (an "a") is that it may have been his last as a Starleague participant — as a T1 veteran turned ACE player, GoRush's illustrious professional gaming career is surely approaching its end. Especially considering how Zerg-friendly the map pool of this OSL's Offline Qualifiers was, and that StarCraft 2 is right around the corner, the odds that GoRush will ever crack another Starleague look grim.

Though he's always maintained a relatively low profile, GoRush is truly a titan of pro SC. He qualified for the first-ever WCG in 2001 (alongside Boxer, V-Gundam, and Doggi), won the YATGK MSL, and to this day maintains a 55% overall winrate. The prospect of a legend like Park Taemin ending his individual career on a garbage DQ is depressing — GoRush fans: pick yourself back up by watching the last game of his MSL Championship run, a tense elimination race versus Nada on Arizona.

One More Thing:

+ Show Spoiler [I love OGN's commentators] +

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfBnSRXla8M#t=11m18s

I apologize for the oppressively long gap in TL's OSL coverage (between my Ro36 preview and this article), and promise that OSL bits will be far more frequent from here on out. There are plenty more reasons to be excited about the Bacchus OSL S2, and I'll break down some of them in a Ro16 preview next week. In the meantime, be sure to tune in to the Group Selection Ceremony on June 19!

Peace,
JWD

[OSL] The Ro36 in Review

[OSL] The Ro36 in Review

Completed

Ongoing

Upcoming