EPTMay 27 - May 28
The last Code A qualifiers were inspiring to all those who were holding out for a foreigner hope, one who would make it through the Code A qualifiers. We did well, as a record 2 foreigners in one season made it to the finals. MacSed came within one game of qualifying, and DeathAngel lost in the finals. It's not like DeathAngel got an easy bracket, either. He had to defeat the mighty Protoss NSHoSeoSage to get to the finals.
Jinro, HayprO, XiGua and SLoG all made it to the semi-finals, a significant result. Foreigners just keep improving. They will look to NaNiwa's Ro8 in Code S and the last Code A qualifiers as inspiration. This is the time. A foreigner will finally qualify for Code A, the legitimate, hardcore way. After seasons of heartbreak and disappointment, the time has finally arrived.
Let us look at our foreign hopes:
cArnPrevious Code A qualifier experience: Has attempted 7 times previously. His 2nd attempt he made it to the Ro4 of his bracket, before losing 0-2 to SlayerS_YuGiOh. Last qualifier lost 0-2 to FnaticRC.Ares
cArn was dropped from eSahara (now Absolute Legends) at the beginning of the year, because after having no practice for 6 months, elected not to even attempt to qualify for Code A. This was seen by eSahara as cArn "lacking motivation" and so he was dropped. cArn was having some ridiculously and unfairly tough times, but recently has found somewhere to stay. Somewhere he can actually practice. I know not where it is, but cArn is back laddering, and having attempted every single Code A qualifier except one, he certainly has good experience and a good idea of what to expect. We haven't seen exactly what a practiced cArn can do in a long, long time. Maybe he'll finally show us.
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/3036695/CARNDARAK
AL.
DeathAngelPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 1 previous attempt. Made it to the finals of his bracket, notably taking out NSHoSeoSage 2-1 before falling to FXOTree 0-2.
Of all the surprises (both good and bad) in the previous Code A qualifier, none were more shocking than the run by Romanian Zerg DeathAngel. He was relatively under the radar, with no real tournament results. But he showed that his practice in Korea is definitely paying off. Although Naama has left Korea, DeathAngel has stuck around to make one last attempt at qualifying for the most prestigious tournament in StarCraft 2. DeathAngel has said that if he fails here, he's going home. There's a lot on the line for this man. Was his last run a true fluke, or is he the genuine article?
Game 1 of DeathAngel vs Tree here:
+ Show Spoiler +
desRowPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 2 previous attempts. Took a game off FnaticRC.Moon in the last qualifiers.
Whether you love him or you hate him, you have to respect the determination desRow is showing by staying in Korea for an extended period. He has the dedication, and it's paying off. He took a game off Moon in the last qualifier, and has obviously improved greatly. Is desRow doomed to the seemingly inevitable failure like his fellow foreigners, or is he poised to cause one of the biggest Code A qualifier upsets ever?
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/tw/791977/GYMAHOLIC
Liquid
HayprOPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 3 previous attempts. Lost 1-2 to FXOTopClass. Last qualifier made it to the Ro4 of his bracket, before losing 1-2 to FnaticRC.SoN.
The Banjo has shown that he can beat the best of the best. But there's something missing. A consistency. Some days HayprO will look mediocre, but other days, days that seem to happen at complete random, the Banjo will unleash his fury, destroying everything in his path. HayprO's chances on qualifying for Code A are completely dependent on which HayprO shows up.
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/2238284/LiquidHayprO
Liquid
JinroPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 4 previous attempts. Lost to FXOWeekend 1-2, lost in the finals 1-2 to IMMinSeOk after taking out SlayerS_Cella 2-0, lost in Ro4 to Type.Phoenix 1-2, lost in Ro4 to SlayerS_Cella 0-2.
What is there to say about this man? Still the highest placing foreigner ever in GSL, fans have been hoping for a resurgence ever since he dropped out of Code S and then Code A. Jinro's results in Code A qualifiers are impressive. With the exception of his first ever Code A qualifier, Jinro has made it to at least the Ro4 of his bracket every single time. This is frustratingly close for his many fans. Last qualifiers, Jinro experienced arguably the biggest failure of his career. He was in the Ro4 against SlayerS_Cella, and if he beat him (Jinro had 2-0ed Cella in a previous Code A qualifier) he would be facing GGanDoL, the Protoss who got a bye to the finals. However, Jinro somehow threw away two won games to Cella, losing 2-0. The ultimate opportunity for the Gorilla Terran had vanished as quickly as the glimmer of hope had appeared. But this time, Jinro knows exactly what to do. He's tasted the most crushing kind of failure imaginable, and he will NOT repeat it. The Gorilla Terran is coming back with a vengeance. 2012 Year of Liquid.
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/697060/LiquidJinro
MajorPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 1 previous attempt. Lost 0-2 to FXOkAsyu.
Players such as LastShadow and cArn have said that MajOr is the best foreign Terran. His results don't reflect that, however. MajOr has a negative reputation, but with 2 accounts in Korean GM, there is no denying MajOr's skill or work ethic. He is good, and he just keeps getting better. With a plane ticket in June to leave Korea if he doesn't qualify this time around, there will be a sense of urgency for MajOr. Maybe he will finally deliver on all the potential he has.
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/2955979/Maker
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/3366446/MajOr
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/3366446/MajOr
Liquid
TLOPrevious Code A qualifier experience: None.
GSTL starts on the 28th, and TLO said about 2 weeks ago that he was leaving for Korea in 2 weeks, so I'm guessing he will definitely be in Korea for these.
Fun fact: TLO has never failed in any GSL qualifier he has attempted. Not that he's ever tried anything close to as hard as these qualifiers are. TLO's creativity is a sure benefit, as some of the crazy strategies he does (he has defeated MarineKing before, remember?) are sure to confuse any poor Koreans he plays. Like his teammates HayprO and Jinro, he refuses to accept a charity seed, wishing to earn it himself. Well, here's his opportunity.
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/3845270/LiquidTLO
[P] Radrel
Previous Code A qualifier experience: 1 previous attempt. Lost to AL.DeathAngel 0-2.
A lot of you may not be familiar with this guy. He is living (he may not be anymore, we need updates, man >_<) in the Prime house. He recently switched to Protoss from Terran. I don't know how good his Protoss is (or his Terran for that matter) but it seems unlikely that it will be at a competitive level with the stacked field having switched so recently. All Radrel wants is to at least make it to the finals. It would be an amazing underdog story if he managed that, let alone managed to qualify. Let's see if his time living with Prime has helped him out.
coL.
TriMasterPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 1 previous attempt. Lost 0-2 to ZeNEXLife
TriMaster is the king of the upset. He wins when he shouldn't, and his initial MLG run is proof of that. While he hasn't really done anything notable since then, he recognizes that, and has gone to Korea to train in the MvP house to attempt to remedy that. He could make a repeat of his MLG run and come out of nowhere to beat some sick good players.
KR Ladder Account:+ Show Spoiler +
SLoGPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 6 previous attempts. Made Ro4 twice. Last time lost to TSL.RevivaL 0-2.
SLoG was one of the major parties involved in the fOu-FXO merge, briefly moving onto Eclypsia, but now once again teamless. SLoG has a ton of experience in the Code A qualifiers, and has made a good run on 2 different occasions. If he gets a good bracket, don't be too surprised to see SLoG making a deep run into his Code A bracket, or even qualifying. He's a very underrated player and his months of Korean training have significantly helped him, but we don't really get to see it due to the low amount of tournaments he enters.
FnaticRC.
ToDPrevious Code A qualifier experience: 3 previous attempts. Lost 0-2 to oGsJookTo, 0-2 to CreatorPrime and 0-2 to MvPTAiLS.
The Warcraft III legend, ToD, has had ridiculously bad (almost comically bad) luck in his Code A brackets, consistently going up against some of the strongest players in the qualifiers. ToD has made good runs in online tournaments before. He can definitely go toe to toe with anyone, but has to go that one step beyond to turn those into wins. ToD is very talented and this is once again a chance to show it.
KR Ladder Account:+ Show Spoiler +
FnaticRC.
NightEnDPrevious Code A qualifier experience: None.
NightEnD recently arrived in Korea and immediately started owning up Korean GM. I personally found this surprising, as I never thought of NightEnD as one of the top foreign Protosses, but he's certainly going above and beyond to prove me wrong. Apparently, he's able to hang with the most solid of Koreans, but how will that translate to a LAN event of this sheer difficulty? Time will tell, but one thing we can all agree on is that we hope to see NightEnD in GSL and hear his heavenly voice in GSL winners interviews.
KR Ladder Account: + Show Spoiler +
http://sc2ranks.com/kr/2194465/FnaticNoName
