[OSL] Favorites Fall

Text byJWD

July 13th, 2009 21:24 GMT

Thanks SilverskY, Daigomi

After two weeks of group play, the Bacchus OSL 2009 is finally in elimination stages! Improbably, this OSL's Ro16 did not require a single tiebreaker to determine its Ro8 field — a fact that shouldn't be interpreted to mean that it suffered from a lack of drama or excitement. The Bacchus OSL 2009's Ro16 was rife with great games, budding rivalries, and, most prominently, shocking upsets.

Group A: Yarnc Cheats (the Group of) Death

(Z)

YellOw[ArnC] 2-1 → advances
(Z)

Jaedong 2-1 → advances
(T)

By.Flash 1-2
(Z)

EffOrt 1-2

+ Show Spoiler [Complete Group A results] +

(VOD) Week 1-1: Jaedong > (Z)

EffOrt on Outsider
(VOD) Week 1-2: (T)

Flash < YellOw[ArnC] on Heartbreak Ridge
(VOD) Week 2-1: (T)

Flash < Jaedong on Return of the King
(VOD) Week 2-2: EffOrt > (Z)

YellOw[ArnC] on Return of the King
(VOD) Week 3-1: YellOw[ArnC] > (Z)

Jaedong on Holy World
(VOD) Week 3-2: (Z)

EffOrt < Flash on Holy World

Credit: GrandInquisitor's superfly Results & Standings

Take a moment, let it sink in: Yellow[arnc] won Group A over Jaedong, Flash, and Effort.

Fake Yellow's game with Flash was fair and square — if decided by Flash's unforgivably pathetic defense against 2-hatch muta — but he had the advantage of playing Jaedong when JD was extremely fatigued and, at 2-0, almost assured a Ro8 berth. Flash, out of contention after Yarnc's second win, helped him into the quarterfinals by successfully cheesing Effort. Ultimately Yarnc's Ro8 qualification seems as much a product of the OSL Ro16's wacky incentive structure as his own skill — and thus all the more flukey.

Effort deserves to lose some sleep over his decision to 12-hatch against Flash in Group A's final game. Given Flash's busy schedule and awful TvZ performance lately, cheese was plausible; given Flash was playing with no shot at the Ro8, it was likely. Effort not only chose a risky build order, but looked surprised and clumsy in his defense to Flash's double proxy rax. Perhaps Savior's heir needs another seasons' experience before he's mature enough for an OSL Championship?

+ Show Spoiler [The game of the group] +

EffOrt vs. (Z)

YellOw[ArnC] on Return of the King

Flash's poor showings against Jaedong and Yarnc meant Group A's overall game quality was disappointing (especially considering all of the big names). Yarnc vs. Effort was its most competitive set, and a brilliant display of high-level ZvZ. Keep in mind that Effort played this game from 0-1 in the group, and less than a week after losing to Yarnc in Proleague.

Group B:

(T)

by.fantasy 3-0 → advances
(Z)

type-b 2-1 → advances
(P)

Stork[gm] 1-2
(P)

BackHo 0-3

+ Show Spoiler [Complete Group B results] +

(VOD) Week 1-1: type-b > (P)

Stork on Heartbreak Ridge
(VOD) Week 1-2: fantasy > (P)

BackHo on Return of the King
(VOD) Week 2-1: (P)

BackHo < Stork on Holy World
(VOD) Week 2-2: fantasy > (Z)

type-b on Holy World
(VOD) Week 3-1: (P)

BackHo < type-b on Outsider
(VOD) Week 3-2: (P)

Stork < fantasy on Outsider

Credit: GrandInquisitor's superfly Results & Standings

Fantasy is the only major pre-Ro16 favorite to live up to his hype. He simply dominated Backho and Type-b, then pulled off a nice comeback against Stork to seal his Ro8 bid. Protosses seem to think that a very aggressive mid-game is the ticket to surviving Fantasy's TvP, but his games against Backho and Stork say otherwise.

In my Ro16 preview I predicted Stork would have trouble advancing past Backho and Type-b, and that his meeting with Backho would be Group B's pivotal game. I was right on the former, but wrong on the latter: it was actually Type-b's Day 1 outlasting of Stork on Heartbreak Ridge that determined Group B's second Ro8 qualifier. Type-b's advancement to the quarterfinals is a small upset, but considering Backho's unexpectedly awful showing and that PvZ has always been Stork's weakness, it's not nearly as earth-shattering as Group A or Group C results.

+ Show Spoiler [The game of the group] +

fantasy vs. (P)

Stork on Outsider

Savor this game: because none of the Ro16's three Protosses scored a Ro8 berth, it was the Bacchus OSL 2009's last PvT. At least it delivers! Stork and Fantasy show sublime drop play that makes this set a memorable and fitting follow-up to the Incruit OSL Finals. Playing the longtime king of PvT was an important rite of passage for Fantasy, who once again proved how much he's developed since his first OSL run.

Group C:

(Z)

ZerO 3-0 → advances
(T)

go.go 2-1 → advances
(P)

Bisu[Shield] 1-2
(T)

Hwasin 0-3

+ Show Spoiler [Complete Group C results] +

(VOD) Week 1-1: (P)

Bisu < go.go on Return of the King
(VOD) Week 1-2: (T)

Hwasin < ZerO on Holy World
(VOD) Week 2-1: Bisu > (T)

Hwasin on Outsider
(VOD) Week 2-2: (T)

go.go < ZerO on Outsider
(VOD) Week 3-1: ZerO > (P)

Bisu on Heartbreak Ridge
(VOD) Week 3-2: go.go > (T)

Hwasin on Heartbreak Ridge

Credit: GrandInquisitor's superfly Results & Standings

Group C played out more like a game of "who can defeat The Revolutionist" than a round robin. Because Zero, Go.go, and Hwasin were all underdogs against Bisu and likely viewed beating him as the easiest way to secure Group C's second Ro8 berth, each prepared a different oddball strategy for the occasion. Thus this group turned into a fearsome gauntlet for Bisu, who held Hwasin's disaster of a 2fac on Outsider but could not survive Go.go's biomech or Zero's queens. Yes, sometimes it's tough to be Kim Taekyong — here Bisu overestimated his ability to force straight up games, and as a result suffered yet another seemingly premature OSL exit.

Considering he was also the nail in Bisu's Lost Saga MSL coffin, Zero has now eliminated KTY from two individual leagues — an accomplishment no other Zerg can claim. Perhaps facing Bisu triggers the switch that transforms Zero from a timid, mediocre player into BW's most tenacious, ingenious Zerg? (For evidence, check the spoiler below.)

+ Show Spoiler [The game of the group] +

ZerO vs.

Bisu on Heartbreak Ridge

Zero follows up his infested Terran-powered Ro36 victory over Kal with more unorthodox, but genius, ZvP. This game is must-watch on all counts. It's saturated with star power, features innovative strategies from both players, and was pivotal in determining Group C's Ro8 qualifiers. And if all that's not enough to grab 20 minutes of your attention, maybe this post-game comment from Zero will: "I didn't want to play a boring macro game, so I went for queens". Enough said!

Thanks to crack translators Konadora and Tertiary, you can read both players' thoughts on this game here at TL: interviews with Zero and Bisu.

Group D:

(T)

Leta 2-1 → advances
(T)

Canata 2-1 → advances
(Z)

by.hero 1-2
(Z)

Kwanro 1-2

+ Show Spoiler [Complete Group D results] +

(VOD) Week 1-1: (Z)

Kwanro < Canata on Holy World
(VOD) Week 1-2: (Z)

by.hero < Leta on Outsider
(VOD) Week 2-1: Leta > (T)

Canata on Heartbreak Ridge
(VOD) Week 2-2: by.hero > (Z)

Kwanro on Heartbreak Ridge
(VOD) Week 3-1: (T)

Leta < Kwanro on Return of the King
(VOD) Week 3-2: Canata > (Z)

by.hero on Return of the King

Credit: GrandInquisitor's superfly Results & Standings

With the exception of Kwanro hard countering Leta's proxy 8rax for a win on Return of the King, the Ro16's final group played out exactly like TL's Liquibetting population predicted. Group D, in its mundanity, proved an ideal environment for T1's "other Terran" to quietly continue a remarkable tear: Canata's Ro8 berth-clinching win over By.hero brought his record in the current StarCraft season to 19-6 (8-1 in TvZ).

By.hero's failure to qualify cements the Cinderella status of his performance in the Batoo OSL, which was already looking flukey given the infrequency of his Round 5 appearances for STX. Out of the individual leagues and barely clinging to a winning record since his 0-3 loss to Jaedong at Batoo, Hero now seems poised to follow Backho and Upmagic as a unique young talent unable to follow up his breakout OSL semifinal run.

+ Show Spoiler [The game of the group] +

Leta vs.

Canata on Heartbreak Ridge

Just like its results, Group D's best game is no surprise. Leta and Canata both began this encounter on Heartbreak Ridge at 1-0, and over its course both displayed skill that foreshadowed their relatively comfortable Ro8 qualifications. This game is a high-level, action-packed battle — exactly what you'd expect from two of StarCraft's premier TvT players.

One More Thing:

Of course, the Bacchus OSL 2009's Ro16 brought a new intro video for our viewing (or skipping, for impatient VOD-watchers like me) pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrBLh12_UaI

It seems like both OGN and MBCGame are pushing sex appeal a bit harder with each successive intro reel, and this one's no exception (listen to the fangirls scream in glee as it flashes a shirtless Hwasin). I dig the underwater shots — appropriate given this OSL's sponsor is an energy drink — but regret that this intro's sexiness seems to have come at the cost of its stoic badass-ery. Swimming spin-moves and Kelly Clarkson will never get me going like, say, the explosions, guns, and grittiness of EVER 2007's opening.

The Bacchus OSL 2009's quarterfinal round begins next Friday, July 24, at 18:30 KST! Next week I'll publish a preview of all of its matchups. In the meantime, enjoy the StarCraft Heritage League's second batch of games at 18:30 KST tonight. Kingdom fighting!

Peace,
JWD