Love em or hate em, we're down to our last WCS Season Final of 2013, and this time we're headed north to Canada! Hopefully the esports fans have gotten over their depression from Scarlett and HuK's elimination and are ready to cheer on the players on at the first major event in Canada in over a year. It all begins on day one, where all four Ro16 groups will be played out.
Countdown:
Group A: Polt, Hack, Soulkey, MC
Group A features three kings of consistency, two of whom are very old school and one is rather new.
Both Polt and MC have been around since ancient times, competing in the very first GSL Open in 2010. Since then both have gone on to have storied careers, winning championships not just in Korea but all around the world.
What's more striking about this pair than their victories is their sheer consistency. They've been active for over three years, and are still championship caliber players. In Polt's case, he's won championships in 2011, 2012, and 2013. As for MC he's won in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and he still has enough time left in 2013 to make it four years in a row with a title.
Aside from the tournaments where they took first place, both players have made countless deep runs into tournaments, and it's no surprise they are #1 and #2 on the all-time earnings ranking. All of this has come with minimal slumps – they've experienced hiccups now and then but rarely have they fallen below Code S level.
As two players who have played for a very long time and have very many achievements to go along with that, Polt and MC get to play for special stakes at the WCS Season Finals, stakes that go beyond the usual prize money and glory. For MC, a championship here gives him his fourth consecutive year with a championship, pushes him WELL over $400,000 in winnings, and probably makes him the second greatest SC2 player of all time. I'm sorry to say it Nestea fans, but it's true. Nestea's three GSLs + nothing else was eventually going to get surpassed by the sheer volume of tournaments MC competes in, and the changing of places may very well happen in Toronto.
As for Polt, a win at the season finals could push him into the top four all time, alongside the holy trinity of Mvp-MC-Nestea. Without giving away too many details of a future article that's guaranteed to spark infinite controversy, we currently have Polt fighting with MMA, Life, and DRG to entered that hallowed tier. Yes, that friendly, cheery Terran next-door could also be one of the all-time greats of StarCraft 2. Go figure!
If MC and Polt have been consistent over the super-long term, Soulkey is attracting attention and breaking records in his own way. Over the course of one year and five Code S/OSL/WCS Korea tournaments, he has always placed top eight or better. To put that in perspective, the second best Ro8 streak ended at three. While Soulkey hasn't been around in SC2 for nearly as long as Polt or MC, the fact that he's stayed at a championship level with so little fluctuation is just as impressive as winning the "Nestea" award (for ten consecutive Code S Ro32's), if not even more so.
That said, he could really do with winning more championships. After winning in thrilling fashion against INnoVation at the Code S finals in may, Soulkey is becoming slowly overlooked despite his continued excellence. Soulkey could very well be the best player out of all sixteen in the tournament, but there's only one way to prove that.
Oh, uhhh and then there's Hack. How'd he get stuck up in here with these three giants? While Hack's resume doesn't even BEGIN to compare with the above three, he's not without merit. He does suffer from "generic Korean Terran" syndrome, but generic Korean Terrans are dangerous opponents. If Happy, ThorZaIN, and sC can hand MC losses in TvP, then Hack most definitely can as well. Similarly, if Soulkey can lose a very important series to SuperNoVa, then count me in on Hack having a fighting chance. The only player you would count Hack out against is probably Polt, but that's only because Polt has looked absolutely godlike in TvT as of late.
Predictions
Polt > HacK Soulkey > MC Polt > Soulkey Hack > MC Soulkey > Hack
Polt and Soulkey advance.
Group B: MMA, Trap, Jaedong, Genius
Even though Group B contains no European players, it will still serve as a test for WCS Europe. MMA and Genius, two very old-school champions, enjoyed their best results in a very long time in the previous WCS Europe. While fans were happy to see the old veterans placing high in the rankings again, there was still an undercurrent of doubt. Getting results is good, but what do those results mean when they come in the weakest WCS region?
With the exception of Mvp – a supernatural being to whom conventional wisdom does not apply – no WCS Europe player has reached the semi-finals of the WCS Season Finals so far. Two players in ForGG and NaNiwa have reached the quarter-finals, while the rest have been eliminated in the group stages. WCS Europe players are overshadowed in non-WCS tournaments as well, with a disproportionate number of top finishers hailing from the WCS America or Korea regions.
Genius in particular invites a lot of questions. Carefully studying his opponent's builds allowed him to craft strong all-ins make a strong run through the Premier League, even defeating fellow Koreans ForGG and Duckdeok. With the groups revealed on such short notice, it will be more difficult for him to prepare.
Still, Genius has shown he is capable of putting impromptu displays of brilliance, like when he four-killed Startale in the GSTL playoffs back when was still with Azubu. With barely any recorded games played outside of WCS Premier, we're left wondering what kind of play the mercurial Genius will bring.
For fans of WCS Europe, MMA is the player to place one's hopes on. Relatively weak region or not, MMA absolutely crushed WCS Europe Season 3, dropping just three maps on his way to the title. He's had plenty of good results in non-WCS tournaments as well, coming up top four in a DH Bucharest run where he defeated Flash, Ryung, YuGiOh, Avenge (underrated!), and ForGG before he was toppled by teammate INnoVation. This isn't some fringe Code S player taking advantage of this poor Europeans – this is one of the greats of old finding his form again. At the Season Three finals, expect MMA to be more Mvp than duckdeok.
As for the players doing the testing... First we have Trap, who is a most unexpected entrant into this tournament. The Europe region may have some questions about their worthiness to answer, but that's nothing compared to Trap, who many people probably didn't even know was competing at all up to this point.
Put in a mini-tournament with jjakij, Rain, and PartinG, Trap somehow triumphed over them all to win a ticket to Canada as the Korean region's fifth representative. First, Trap won 2 – 1 against the famously strong PvP player PartinG. Then, he went on to defeat Jjakji (who upset Rain earlier) 3 –1 in the deciding series (here's a more detailed recap).
For a player who was previous known as a PvZ-only specialist, it was a result that came out of nowhere. It could have been a fluke, Trap showing off his improved PvP and PvT in a very eye-catching way, or some mixture of both. Much like Genius, he's a dark horse who can't be underestimated.
Finally there's Jaedong, who has that annoying Kong thing going on still. You really have to be a special kind of elite to have four runner-up finishes in just as many months. Jaedong very nearly had a shot at making it five second place finishes at the past WCS America, but a narrow 2 – 3 loss to ByuL in the semis saw him fall short just before the final step.
Overall, Jaedong seemed to struggle a bit more than he should have against both Hack and ByuL, which makes us doubtful about his chances of winning a fifth silver medal. Was that the hidden cost of doing a complete 180 on JvP? However, even if Jaedong has fallen off slightly from being a perennial finalist, he still has to be considered a favorite to advance from this group.
"Good luck. The world is counting on you." We like to imagine that's what Lucifron told his brother VortiX just before he embarked on his voyage to Canada for the season three finals. In each previous season, there were four foreigners to represent the non-Korean world. This time, we're down to just one.
In one way, VortiX is an unexpected hero for the foreign scene. When you think about foreigner hope, Scarlett and NaNiwa are typically the names that come to mind. In another way, it's surprising that it took VortiX so long to get here. Despite being overshadowed by Stephano and Nerchio, he was clearly at least the third best European player toward the end of WoL. And while he was certainly aided by his race back then, there's a reason why he was getting great tournament results while other Zergs were not. Arguably, he's been an elite Zerg for most of HotS already – it's just that it's taken him a while to show that through his WCS Europe placement.
Like any foreigner going up against a sea of Koreans, the outlook for VortiX is grim. While having just one race to practice against would have helped under regular circumstances, VortiX won't even have that going for him due to the late announcement of the groups.
What VortiX does have going for him is relative unpredictability. Even though Koreans pay foreigners a lot of lip service in interviews, not all of them research foreigners with a great deal of thoroughness. Even in the BL-Infestor days VortiX was more keen than most on mixing things up, whether that meant going for weird lair timing attacks or baneling busts.
The Korean Protosses will be more than familiar with the hydra-roach-viper style VortiX used predominantly in WCS Season 2, but he showed us a more mixed repertoire of ZvP strategies in Season 3, including abrupt muta-switches and mass roach-infestor mid-game play.
One difficulty in predicting how the matches will go is the recent popularity of the "sOs-style" in PvZ, which can be (very poorly) summed up as using void rays to take a very fast third base, followed by delaying robotics tech in favor of faster templar tech or even more voids. VortiX didn't play anyone who employed that style in WCS Season 3, but was not very convincing against NaNiwa's interpretation of sOs-style back in Season 2. Considering that Dear received personal coaching from sOs, VortiX better have an answer ready, whether it's in the form of huge queen-roach-hydra busts or just immaculate late game stalemate play.
Ultimately, the greatest fear is that all this wondering about how VortiX might play against the Koreans in a macro game is for naught, because he'll just be all-ined out before he can get there. That's the very reason why Scarlett won't be playing in front of her countrymen come this weekend – because Oz decided that he was just going to Soul Train her twice. Not only that, but HerO and Oz are two huge fans of cannon rushing as well, so there's danger for VortiX at every phase of the game.
So good luck VortiX, you've got a difficult fight ahead of you. We're counting on you!
Oh yeah, there's players besides VortiX in this group.
Dear: While some might still be shaking their heads in disbelief at Dear's Code S title run, he's already got off to a good start at proving his doubters wrong. Dear's ace match win against Life just three days after the grand finals didn't just give Soul their first in the GSTL, but it sent the statement that he is no one hit wonder. How convenient that he now has a chance to make that statement on a global stage!
HerO: These days HerO is making his fans tear their hair out by being as HerO-ish as possible, playing brilliantly one game and looking completely lost the next. Usually when winter comes along HerO starts to find the consistency needed to string together some deep tournament runs, but it looks like winter is coming late this year.
Oz: Like his old housemate HerO, Oz can be very up and down. One month he's getting eliminated from DreamHack by elfi and TLO, the next he's giving Polt all he can handle in the semi-finals of WCS America. Not only does he have the potential to go far in this tournament, but he also has a chance to become the most hated Korean ever if he all-ins VortiX out with a Soul Train.
Predictions
Dear > HerO Oz > VortiX Dear > Oz HerO > VortiX Oz > HerO
Dear and Oz advance.
Group D: ByuL, duckdeok, Maru, soO
Group A may be harder. Group B may have the two fan favorites of MMA and Jaedong. Group C has the only foreigner to make it to the Ro16. But Group D is the only group among the four where all four players have reached the finals of their respective regions. Byul made it to WCS NA Season 3, Maru won WCS KR Season 2, Soo was a finalist in WCS KR Season 3 and duckdeok won WCS EU Season 2. At the beginning of this year, all four players were either relative unknowns or complete non factors at the top tier of play. One year later each of them have reached the top echelons of play. With their own beliefs, practice and hard work each of them have forged their own path to make it to the WCS Season 3 Finals.
Byul, Nestea's protege
The IM team has a distinct style and flavor to how each of their races play. The Terrans all play a more macro focused style of what Mvp does when his back isn't broken. The Protoss players all have a strong orientation around 3 bases and robo units. But for Zerg, IM only had Nestea and Losira. While both are extremely strong, the way they play is completely different from each other. Losira likes to play towards the late game and likes opening with queens and roaches. Nestea looks to open insane and then go into mutas in all three matchups. And up until now, no Zerg from IM has ever adopted his style: Junwi, True, Ragnarok, horror, Sophia, Minseok. None until Byul.
Byul is in many ways a younger Nestea. He uses similar builds often doing proxy hatches, surprise roach or speedling busts, two base spire or nydus. He likes opening in a way that confuses his opponent and leaves him in charge of the opening phases of the game. And just like Nestea, he is incredibly strong at the muta base trade in ZvT and ZvP. He may not have his mentor's incredible fame or prestige, but he does have his style without any of the lapses of judgement or concentration that have become a hallmark of Nestea's play. Many will forget about him in favor of Polt's incredible performance in the WCS NA Finals, but it takes two players to make a great series.
Maru, the Prince that was promised
Each race had a young prodigy. A player that was foretold to be the future of their race, a young player of great potential that could one day win a championship. They are Creator, Life and Maru. Creator won TSL 4 and WCS Korea 2012. Life became the strongest and most consistent zerg winning championship after championship. And Maru just won the OSL. What made each of them unique was that each of them contributed something to the way their race was played. Creator made a name for himself early on with propelling Korean Protoss to use a double forge build and later on perfected PvT and PvZ in WoL to a fine science. Life showed that Zerg play had been handicapped. And under his hands, zerglings soared to completely new heights as he tore up the competition with his ling micro alone.
Maru is quickly on his way to changing the way Terran is played as well. When he won the OSL he won because of his courage, tenacity and calm in the face of pressure. He had played the best in the tournament, but not so above everyone else that he was on a different echelon. But during his last GSL run, Maru seemed to become even stronger than he was before. He showed insanely greedy builds against Flash and won with perfect defense. Against Dear, he showed the best bio medivac micro of all time and won a game from a large deficit against the future GSL champion. Maru is pushing the boundaries of what can be done with Terran. And though Terrans like Innovation, MMA and Polt are the present. Maru is the future and he is coming.
Soo Good or Soo Sad?
Soo has had major problems with consistency throughout the 3 seasons of WCS KR. Yes, he made it twice to the Ro16 before making it to the finals, but on the way he has shown two sides of himself. On one side is Soo Good; a Zerg that shows a completely dominant form of Zerg. One that has a keen sense of economic risk, build orders and generally strong mechanics to back it all up. On the other hand is Soo Bad; a Zerg that is sluggish, indecisive at times and confused. The one that showed up to the finals was the latter. By game 3 the former had shown up, but even the Soo Good Soo was no match for the Soul Zombie Dear. For many, losing a GSL Finals can be a devastating event and most lose all motivation to keep practicing after the loss. So the question for Soo will be if he can gather himself together in time for the WCS Season 3 Finals. If not, he'll be Soo sad.
Duckdeok, a man of conviction
Once when Duckdeok was known as finale, he was a macro player. A player that specialized in PvT, but had strong timing attacks in PvZ and strong PvP. He slowly grinded his way up through the GSL as he slowly and surely incremented his skill over time. But that was WoL and that was a different time, different place, different person. After being frustrated for so long in his constant pursuit of a win, he finally decided to bet it all. The safe cautious approach was not working and it was time to bet it all. finale changed his name to Duckdeok and then he took all of the risks inside and outside the game.
When WCS was announced, Duckdeok immediately jumped from Korea to Europe despite the fact that he was playing at bad times, bad pings and his team wouldn't pay a trip for him to go to Europe even if he qualified. That didn't matter, Duckdeok was all-in and he covered the costs of travel himself. So Duckdeok kept playing at those bad times with that bad ping in a qualifier that didn't particularly want him. He may have failed a few times in the first qualifiers and they may have laughed at his attempts, but he kept going with every all-in in the book and then some of his own devising. Some called him coin-flippy, others called him lucky, and no one believed he could win, but none of that mattered. Because Duckdeok had conviction, he believed in himself. Duckdeok knew he had it in him to win a major championship and he bet it all to make his dream come true.
In an era where we get another retirement announcement from one of the greats or fan favorites of SC2, Duckdeok went all-in on SC2. It may have looked like a huge gamble from the outside, but for Duckdeok, it was the only place he wanted to be. The only game he wanted to play. And at the end he was right. He won WCS EU Season 2 and vindicated his 3 years of hard work. He may not be as strong as the three other players in this group, but Duckdeok is a man of conviction and he will do anything to win. He may be the weakest player in the group, but he could very well be the most dangerous.
Predictions
Maru > Byul Soo > Duckdeok Soo > Maru Byul > Duckdeok Maru > Byul
On October 24 2013 22:19 NovemberstOrm wrote: in group b preview you're missing this line at the bottom "MMA and Jaedong advance" Thanks for the preview!
As for Polt, a win at the season finals could push him into the top four all time, alongside the holy trinity of Mvp-MC-Nestea. Without giving away too many details of a future article that's guaranteed to spark infinite controversy, we currently have Polt fighting with MMA, Life, and DRG to entered that hallowed tier.
In the hallowed tier, there is only Mvp. No one else. Not Nestea, not MC. Just Mvp.
Can someone please explain to me why vortix is playing? And not, let's say Naniwa. Must have missed something, thought is was the Top 16 in WCS points? Vortix was'nt even close right?
On October 25 2013 00:10 normannlol wrote: Can someone please explain to me why vortix is playing? And not, let's say Naniwa. Must have missed something, thought is was the Top 16 in WCS points? Vortix was'nt even close right?
As for Polt, a win at the season finals could push him into the top four all time, alongside the holy trinity of Mvp-MC-Nestea. Without giving away too many details of a future article that's guaranteed to spark infinite controversy, we currently have Polt fighting with MMA, Life, and DRG to entered that hallowed tier.
In the hallowed tier, there is only Mvp. No one else. Not Nestea, not MC. Just Mvp.
As for Polt, a win at the season finals could push him into the top four all time, alongside the holy trinity of Mvp-MC-Nestea. Without giving away too many details of a future article that's guaranteed to spark infinite controversy, we currently have Polt fighting with MMA, Life, and DRG to entered that hallowed tier.
In the hallowed tier, there is only Mvp. No one else. Not Nestea, not MC. Just Mvp.
It goes:
The King Hallowed Tier The rest
At this point, I'd consider both Life and MMA to be more accomplished than Nestea.
"Aside from the tournaments where they took first place, both players have made countless deep runs into tournaments, and it's no surprise they are #1 and #2 on the all-time earnings ranking" They aren't... please correct. #1 and #4
People hate WCS season finals? (Referring to the first sentence of the article)
Personally, I think this will be totally awesome. Really looking forward to it. So many of my favorite players are in there, so some are bound to advance.
On October 25 2013 00:38 Pandemona wrote: Polt to beat Soulkey? Who wrote this, i will seriously bet alot with them that wont happen xD
Group B is the biggest group of death ever xD Hoping Genius and Jaedong get out for my personal entertainment xD
Its not...
Is because they can all beat each other and all have cases to get out of the group. MMA Trap Jaedong Genius MMA Won EU, can beat the 2 protos and can beat Jaedong Jaedong can either own everyone all will fail to get out Trap can show more than enough skills if he has been practising with Dear to win this group easy Genius if he has practised can give every a good solid game
Like I said earlier. I find Group D the most intriguing. The other groups are pretty easy to predict. Group D on the other hand. Good luck with your picks.
On October 25 2013 00:10 normannlol wrote: Can someone please explain to me why vortix is playing? And not, let's say Naniwa. Must have missed something, thought is was the Top 16 in WCS points? Vortix was'nt even close right?
You're thinking of Blizzcon. This is season 3 finals, which is a precursor to that, and was qualified for by placing in top 5 (in KR or EU) or top 6 (NA) in WCS premier leagues.
I just realized this is Friday. Funx4, as I switched with someone at work to work Saturday and be off Friday, thinking I'd possibly be missing the first round Saturday.
GO MMA, JD, MC, Vortix! All of the Protosses in g3 are likable enough too, but we need the foreigner story, so Hero/Vortix pls.
On October 25 2013 01:45 Muffloe wrote: wut, "and it's no surprise they are #1 and #2 on the all-time earnings ranking" MC, sure, but I believe Polt is 4th nice preview nonetheless
Yea but there is quite a big gap between MC/Mvp and Nestea/Polt.
On October 25 2013 01:37 LockeTazeline wrote: It would be nice if there was some mention of BlizzCon qualification storylines.
Anyone who does well here besides those already qualified can make it. The end.
Sure, but there are varying degrees of success required. soO needs a semifinals, Trap needs 1st place. And you can't expect everyone to know any of this, I mean you have people in this thread asking where Naniwa is and thinking this is Blizzcon lol.
On October 25 2013 01:37 LockeTazeline wrote: It would be nice if there was some mention of BlizzCon qualification storylines.
Anyone who does well here besides those already qualified can make it. The end.
Sure, but there are varying degrees of success required. soO needs a semifinals, Trap needs 1st place. And you can't expect everyone to know any of this, I mean you have people in this thread asking where Naniwa is and thinking this is Blizzcon lol.
On October 25 2013 01:37 LockeTazeline wrote: It would be nice if there was some mention of BlizzCon qualification storylines.
Anyone who does well here besides those already qualified can make it. The end.
Sure, but there are varying degrees of success required. soO needs a semifinals, Trap needs 1st place. And you can't expect everyone to know any of this, I mean you have people in this thread asking where Naniwa is and thinking this is Blizzcon lol.
On October 25 2013 04:00 Pandain wrote: There is no way Polt beats Soulkey; if Polt is struggling against Byul then he's not going to hold up against the most skilled zerg player.
On October 25 2013 04:00 Pandain wrote: There is no way Polt beats Soulkey; if Polt is struggling against Byul then he's not going to hold up against the most skilled zerg player.
I don't think Life is in Polt's group
*ba dum tssssss* lmao
I'm super excited for this, my first live SC2 tournament... too bad I miss Jaedong's group cuz of work on friday I hope he can at least make it to the last match so I can watch it saturday afternoon *-*
On October 25 2013 04:00 Pandain wrote: There is no way Polt beats Soulkey; if Polt is struggling against Byul then he's not going to hold up against the most skilled zerg player.
I don't think Life is in Polt's group
Life? That kid with ZvP that is so good , that it lost to guy, who lost ZvP to Symbol?
On October 25 2013 01:45 Muffloe wrote: wut, "and it's no surprise they are #1 and #2 on the all-time earnings ranking" MC, sure, but I believe Polt is 4th nice preview nonetheless
Yea but there is quite a big gap between MC/Mvp and Nestea/Polt.
Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Yeah it's almost as silly as thinking a foreigner could beat a WCS Season Finals champion
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Yeah it's almost as silly as thinking a foreigner could beat a WCS Season Finals champion
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
That same season, Polt also 4-0'ed Jaedong, who proceeded to kick the crap out of every Code S player he played (except Bomber), and beat TaeJa, who beat INnoVation and after DH was declared the new "best Terran." First owned Polt hard, but it's not because Polt can't compete with Code S players, it's because First was playing great.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
Yeah, i dont get his soulkey hype at all, i dont think soulkey is a top 3 (or even 5) zerg.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
Yeah, i dont get his soulkey hype at all, i dont think soulkey is a top 3 (or even 5) zerg.
I'd question your ability to assess players then. I don't care much about hype but to say Soulkey isn't one of the top zergs at the moment is kind of bullocks. He's still pretty high up there in my book.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
Yeah, i dont get his soulkey hype at all, i dont think soulkey is a top 3 (or even 5) zerg.
I'd question your ability to assess players then. I don't care much about hype but to say Soulkey isn't one of the top zergs at the moment is kind of bullocks. He's still pretty high up there in my book.
Well maybe i dont rate him as high cause we dont see that much from him, but i wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt make it out of this group.
On October 24 2013 23:46 Daswollvieh wrote: Trap is gonna surprise, though it shouldn´t come as a surprise. And he´s the best that can happen to a 3P group.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
Yeah, i dont get his soulkey hype at all, i dont think soulkey is a top 3 (or even 5) zerg.
I'd question your ability to assess players then. I don't care much about hype but to say Soulkey isn't one of the top zergs at the moment is kind of bullocks. He's still pretty high up there in my book.
Well maybe i dont rate him as high cause we dont see that much from him, but i wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt make it out of this group.
Correction: you don't see enough of him. Lots of other people have seen quite a bit of him, but there is an overarching principle here. A lot of players don't get the proper exposure or enough game time to make them relevant on a global scale. This is a problem in itself and a lot of that has to do with WCS overriding a lot of other events. It's not a proper circuit. That's not the only issue; it's not just the WCS. We've been using the same formats for too long and Leagues like the GSTL aren't really much of a League (had to be said, sorry was never really a big fan of it). Sure we have a little round robin now, but there isn't enough teams and like you said. A lot of people don't get a lot of looks. If you followed PL (I know time zones are a bitch and everyone has their own cliques) you would have seen quite a bit of SK. He did pretty well at that time, but that's not the point. We're talking about more exposure and there are a lot of things we can fix. For starters, I'd abolish the GSTL and make one Team League that goes on for the rest of the season, which includes all teams and all major broadcasters/organizers would have a piece of the pie.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
Yeah, i dont get his soulkey hype at all, i dont think soulkey is a top 3 (or even 5) zerg.
I'd question your ability to assess players then. I don't care much about hype but to say Soulkey isn't one of the top zergs at the moment is kind of bullocks. He's still pretty high up there in my book.
Well maybe i dont rate him as high cause we dont see that much from him, but i wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt make it out of this group.
Correction: you don't see enough of him. Lots of other people have seen quite a bit of him, but there is an overarching principle here. A lot of players don't get the proper exposure or enough game time to make them relevant on a global scale. This is a problem in itself and a lot of that has to do with WCS overriding a lot of other events. It's not a proper circuit. That's not the only issue; it's not just the WCS. We've been using the same formats for too long and Leagues like the GSTL aren't really much of a League (had to be said, sorry was never really a big fan of it). Sure we have a little round robin now, but there isn't enough teams and like you said. A lot of people don't get a lot of looks. If you followed PL (I know time zones are a bitch and everyone has their own cliques) you would have seen quite a bit of SK. He did pretty well at that time, but that's not the point. We're talking about more exposure and there are a lot of things we can fix. For starters, I'd abolish the GSTL and make one Team League that goes on for the rest of the season, which includes all teams and all major broadcasters/organizers would have a piece of the pie.
Well yeah i agree , my point is just that in the last 1-2 months there werent really much games he played. He did look quite good in proleague but i dont think that matters right now. i guess we just have to wait and see, maybe he shows that i am completely wrong, but yeah... Jaedong fighting i guess :D
My Predictions GROUP A Polt 2-0 Hack MC 1-2 Soulkey Polt 1-2 Soulkey MC 2-1 Hack Polt 0-2 MC Soulkey and MC advance! GROUP B MMA 2-0 Trap Jaedong 1-2 Genius MMA 2-0 Genius Jaedong 2-1 Trap Genius 0-2 Jaedong MMA and Jaedong advance! GROUP C Dear 2-1 HerO Oz 2-0 VortiX Dear 2-0 Oz VortiX 2-1 HerO Oz 2-0 VortiX Dear and Oz advance! GROUP D soO 2-0 duckdeok ByuL 2-1 Maru soO 2-0 ByuL Maru 2-1 duckdeok ByuL 2-0 Maru soO and ByuL advance!
I think there's such parity in SC2 among the top players right now that it's very hard to predict anything short of a mismatch (and even that is hard; who was predicting soO 3-0 Soulkey?!). Only a few things would surprise me:
1) Soulkey is very likely to make it out of Group A. Polt is my favorite player but I feel like even on an average day, Soulkey is so solid that even if he loses to Polt (which I doubt), I feel like there's no way he'll lose to Hack or MC.
2) Very unlikely that Genius or duckdeok make it out of their groups. I have a big soft spot for Genius (and am developing one for duckdeok) but they seem like SUCH underdogs. I would love to see Genius make some kind of run though, especially to help him find a good spot on a team.
3) I think Maru is very likely to make it out of Group D. He's clearly not just a flash in the pan, and he might lose to soO, but he shouldn't lose to ByuL or duckdeok.
On October 25 2013 11:48 Yakikorosu wrote: I think there's such parity in SC2 among the top players right now that it's very hard to predict anything short of a mismatch (and even that is hard; who was predicting soO 3-0 Soulkey?!). Only a few things would surprise me:
1) Soulkey is very likely to make it out of Group A. Polt is my favorite player but I feel like even on an average day, Soulkey is so solid that even if he loses to Polt (which I doubt), I feel like there's no way he'll lose to Hack or MC.
2) Very unlikely that Genius or duckdeok make it out of their groups. I have a big soft spot for Genius (and am developing one for duckdeok) but they seem like SUCH underdogs. I would love to see Genius make some kind of run though, especially to help him find a good spot on a team.
3) I think Maru is very likely to make it out of Group D. He's clearly not just a flash in the pan, and he might lose to soO, but he shouldn't lose to ByuL or duckdeok.
On October 25 2013 11:48 Yakikorosu wrote: I think there's such parity in SC2 among the top players right now that it's very hard to predict anything short of a mismatch (and even that is hard; who was predicting soO 3-0 Soulkey?!). Only a few things would surprise me:
1) Soulkey is very likely to make it out of Group A. Polt is my favorite player but I feel like even on an average day, Soulkey is so solid that even if he loses to Polt (which I doubt), I feel like there's no way he'll lose to Hack or MC.
2) Very unlikely that Genius or duckdeok make it out of their groups. I have a big soft spot for Genius (and am developing one for duckdeok) but they seem like SUCH underdogs. I would love to see Genius make some kind of run though, especially to help him find a good spot on a team.
3) I think Maru is very likely to make it out of Group D. He's clearly not just a flash in the pan, and he might lose to soO, but he shouldn't lose to ByuL or duckdeok.
Agree with your predictions, although I'll go with soO over Maru in group D. I love Maru and he's obviously not a flash in the pan, like you say. A bit worried about his TvZ though, looked rather shaky in the HSC qualifier.
Thumbs up to the TL team. The write ups keep getting better and better, and so much that the TL fans are pissed when they don't write some important ones. (i.e. preview for the finals day america)
Thanks for the preview. Can't wait for this today! I went with Polt + Soulkey, Trap + Jaedong, Dear + HerO, and Maru + soO. Hopefully it goes better for Maru this time.
I really think Vortix is gonna go on from group c. He showed great shape in eu s3 and could have made it to the finals, had he not me MMA in the semi. On the other hand, I have never seen better splits against banelings, than MMA did in that match-up. If MMA still have that level, he's gonna take the tournament.
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
Yeah, i dont get his soulkey hype at all, i dont think soulkey is a top 3 (or even 5) zerg.
On October 25 2013 19:48 TheR1pper wrote: I really hope MC will advance. I would love to see him to win at least ONE premier tournament before the year ends
Me too. I hope he changed up his PvT. That 2 base colossus thing he was doing (where he takes a late 3rd but doesn't all in either . . .) wasn't working. I guess it was supposed to be a counter to SCV pull timings.
On October 25 2013 18:56 nimdil wrote: I want to be able to say on Monday "The DONG is back!"
1. He was never really gone. 2. I'd say his results are more than fair.
We all know he wants to win a big one and the Seasonal Finals is what it is but considering what he's done in the limited time that he's been around. I'd say he's been pretty successful.
On October 25 2013 18:38 liberate71 wrote: I had a good laugh at "maru is the future" thank you for that!
Maru IS the future. As in: terran that has perfect micro, like really good defense to protect his insane greed and ability to make his opponents choke.
Ok, whatever. Same old happenings. First the protoss will go. RO16 will be ZvZ, ZvT, TvT and maybe 1 protoss who will die quickly and quietly. Semi-finals will consist of the the 2 best zerg and terran. Polt will win cause he is the best thing since humanity for some reason. Super genius from the future. Superman? Anyway, everyone will cheer for Jaedong, cause of BW but mostly cause he has a funny name. What a great game, you will still watch even if you know what will happen. Its like game of thrones in that way.
On October 26 2013 00:53 lamprey1 wrote: its hilarious listening to various and sundry commentators from all 4 corners of the globe trying to be politically correct.
doing so by enunciating each syllable in "Tor"-"on"-"to". when the locals call it... "Tronna"
What? ._. I hear a lot of people from New York call us Tronna and I don't know many people here who use Tronna, lol.
On October 26 2013 00:53 lamprey1 wrote: its hilarious listening to various and sundry commentators from all 4 corners of the globe trying to be politically correct.
doing so by enunciating each syllable in "Tor"-"on"-"to". when the locals call it... "Tronna"
What? ._. I hear a lot of people from New York call us Tronna and I don't know many people here who use Tronna, lol.
Working in DC for the U.S. Government, all the officials clearly speak each syllable "Tor" "on" "to" as the correct pronunciation.
On October 26 2013 00:53 lamprey1 wrote: its hilarious listening to various and sundry commentators from all 4 corners of the globe trying to be politically correct.
doing so by enunciating each syllable in "Tor"-"on"-"to". when the locals call it... "Tronna"
What? ._. I hear a lot of people from New York call us Tronna and I don't know many people here who use Tronna, lol.
Working in DC for the U.S. Government, all the officials clearly speak each syllable "Tor" "on" "to" as the correct pronunciation.
i just want you to know that i care, some people around here don't care but i do, ok?
On October 26 2013 00:53 lamprey1 wrote: its hilarious listening to various and sundry commentators from all 4 corners of the globe trying to be politically correct.
doing so by enunciating each syllable in "Tor"-"on"-"to". when the locals call it... "Tronna"
What? ._. I hear a lot of people from New York call us Tronna and I don't know many people here who use Tronna, lol.
Working in DC for the U.S. Government, all the officials clearly speak each syllable "Tor" "on" "to" as the correct pronunciation.
i just want you to know that i care, some people around here don't care but i do, ok?
I live in New York and never heard anyone call it "Tronna" unless they had a speech impediment.
The other poster is right, it's the Torontonians that shorten/slur the word (because they live there, say the name all the time, and dont care). Everyone else actually tries to pronounce it as accurate as possible so they don't look stupid. Why would I need to slur a word I say only 5 times (or less) a year?
Kind of like New Yorkers saying New Yawk [Schity]. The 2 people I know in Toronto always say "tron-no" (the first vowel is sometimes taken out, the second t is always taken out).
On October 26 2013 00:53 lamprey1 wrote: its hilarious listening to various and sundry commentators from all 4 corners of the globe trying to be politically correct.
doing so by enunciating each syllable in "Tor"-"on"-"to". when the locals call it... "Tronna"
What? ._. I hear a lot of people from New York call us Tronna and I don't know many people here who use Tronna, lol.
Working in DC for the U.S. Government, all the officials clearly speak each syllable "Tor" "on" "to" as the correct pronunciation.
i just want you to know that i care, some people around here don't care but i do, ok?
every newfie i know calls it "Tronna".
Go Polt Go!
Whats a newfie?
someone who spent a lot of their life living in Newfoundland. so you mean you've never heard of the NSL, the Newfoundland Starcraft League? :D
i'm not sure if Labradorians also get called Newfies though.
On October 26 2013 01:16 Incubus1993 wrote: Dear isn't even a top 5 protoss, winning a GSL doesn't automatically place you in that caliber.
Then please share with us any information that you have that we don't. Why did Dear win and not another Protoss? Could you name five Protoss players that could reasonably win GSL?
On October 26 2013 01:16 Incubus1993 wrote: Dear isn't even a top 5 protoss, winning a GSL doesn't automatically place you in that caliber.
Then please share with us any information that you have that we don't. Why did Dear win and not another Protoss? Could you name five Protoss players that could reasonably win GSL?
Not every Protoss is in Korea right now, so using Code S as your standard measurement for everything is a narrow view to use when talking about skill, your mindset (if I understand the elitist perspective correctly) is "If X player can't win or place high in Korea Code S then they aren't the best, whoever wins Code S or places highest for their race is the best or one of the best with their race"
But anyways I could easily name a handful of Protoss players that most people would agree are overall better than Dear (by how much for each is debatable): - HerO - Parting - sOs - Rain - MC (I don't think so personally but I bet people would protest) - First - NaNiWa
On October 26 2013 01:16 Incubus1993 wrote: Dear isn't even a top 5 protoss, winning a GSL doesn't automatically place you in that caliber.
Then please share with us any information that you have that we don't. Why did Dear win and not another Protoss? Could you name five Protoss players that could reasonably win GSL?
Not every Protoss is in Korea right now, so using Code S as your standard measurement for everything is a narrow view to use when talking about skill, your mindset (if I understand the elitist perspective correctly) is "If X player can't win or place high in Korea Code S then they aren't the best, whoever wins Code S or places highest for their race is the best or one of the best with their race"
But anyways I could easily name a handful of Protoss players that most people would agree are overall better than Dear (by how much for each is debatable): - HerO - Parting - sOs - Rain - MC (I don't think so personally but I bet people would protest) - First - NaNiWa
No, most people wouldn't argue that the players you list are all better than Dear. I might stretch to one or two of them being on his level right now, but all of them?
And on another note, "If X player can't win or place high in Korea Code S then they aren't the best, whoever wins Code S or places highest for their race is the best or one of the best with their race" is actually a valid statement to make. There is some bracket luck and momentum involved, but you better be damn sure that if you win Code S you're bound to be within the top 5 of your race, especially if no other players of your race is winning tournaments outside Korea, where the competition is usually less cutthroat than in Korea.
On October 26 2013 01:16 Incubus1993 wrote: Dear isn't even a top 5 protoss, winning a GSL doesn't automatically place you in that caliber.
Then please share with us any information that you have that we don't. Why did Dear win and not another Protoss? Could you name five Protoss players that could reasonably win GSL?
I actually do agree with the general idea that winning GSL doesn't automatically make you the top player of that race (though top 5... harder to argue with that). For example I thought it was uncharacteristically silly for Artosis to immediately declare Soulkey to be the best Zerg in the world after he won WCS KR S1. At that point Soulkey had beaten sOs in a terribly sloppy semifinals where he didn't look at all impressive and then beat INnoVation mainly with all-ins.
That said, I think it's tough to argue Dear isn't one of the top 5 Protoss in the world. Maybe if you've only seen him this GSL season and nowhere else, but having seem him in Proleague, GSTL, OSL...
Top 5 Protoss in the world I think absolutely has to include Rain, HerO and Dear. The other two are harder. I personally lean towards Trap and sOs. If you don't think Dear is in the top 5, who is? PartinG? Not with his awful PvZ. Avenge? Not until he shows that he's not another YongHwa (great in team leagues, no success in individual league). MC? Not until he has some strong results against top Korean players. HuK?! I like HuK but please don't say HuK.
Maybe Jim. I've been pretty impressed with Jim. People tend to lump him together with MacSed but Jim has looked much better than MacSed I think. MacSed seems more like a micro-based player whereas Jim is very all-around and creative.
edit: Previous posts brought up First--First has to have more than one solid run to be top 5, especially when even in that run he never made it to a finals, let alone won them. It's not like he's new on the scene either, he's been around forever and that run plus IEM success towards the end of WoL is really all he has. NaNiwa is very good and I would say definitely top 10 (and definitely top 5 foreigner of any race), but he's too inconsistent to break the top 5 protoss for me.
I've seen Dear's SPL games (for SC2, because BW doesnt really matter) and it was hardly impressive. He wasn't even the best P on his team, Classic was clearly the better P on STX.
On October 26 2013 02:11 havok55 wrote: I've seen Dear's SPL games (for SC2, because BW doesnt really matter) and it was hardly impressive. He wasn't even the best P on his team, Classic was clearly the better P on STX.
Dear won more games, though. Not that that necessarily disproves anything, but Dear was a pillar for STX throughout the season whereas Classic became a force toward the end. Don't discredit consistency
I regretably don't have the time to follow the scene enough anymore, but I kinda like that koreans rule the scene completely again as in bw(even though i want foreigners to do well). You can almost see it as a sign of the games' healt. It means the game is balanced well, They work harder in a more professional manner with no slacking and the resouces avalable, and it pay's off as it should. When a foreigner does well now, you know it's well deserved. Not good for the foreigner scene marketing-wise in an isolated manner or for growth at all, but still.. finally skill and work desides more or less alone
Anyone know what that first song was after the Game 1 Polt vs Hack? It was during the intermission between game 1 and 2. It was Dubstep if that helps..
But anyways I could easily name a handful of Protoss players that most people would agree are overall better than Dear (by how much for each is debatable): - HerO - Parting - sOs - Rain - MC (I don't think so personally but I bet people would protest) - First - NaNiWa
Dear is way more solid overall then anyone on that list for now. He nearly never gets in a disadvantage early game, then plays his solid gameplan with perfect execution. Rain is the only player there that can win a gsl, HerO, Parting and sOs are so inconsistent to state as better overall. Rest are a shame to even bring on the table...
Man, S3 Finals have a nice production value, and really love the honest enthousiasm of the (pretty big) crowd and casters. Also like the lack of the separate analysis desk. It keeps the pace high, and avoids boring the crowd by taking a little of the magic away through over-analyzing.
What is this? Every Korean intentionally losing games just so Naniwa misses Blizzcon? Every single player already qualified has lost to a player who needs to advance from the group in order to get to Blizzcon.
On October 26 2013 05:32 umade wrote: What is this? Every Korean intentionally losing games just so Naniwa misses Blizzcon? Every single player already qualified has lost to a player who needs to advance from the group in order to get to Blizzcon.
Or maybe the players are just winning instead of it being some pathetic conspiracy against Swedes.
On October 26 2013 05:32 umade wrote: What is this? Every Korean intentionally losing games just so Naniwa misses Blizzcon? Every single player already qualified has lost to a player who needs to advance from the group in order to get to Blizzcon.
Or maybe the players are just winning instead of it being some pathetic conspiracy against Swedes.
Nah, that wouldn't be fun. Watch Hero lose to Dear now.
On October 26 2013 05:32 umade wrote: What is this? Every Korean intentionally losing games just so Naniwa misses Blizzcon? Every single player already qualified has lost to a player who needs to advance from the group in order to get to Blizzcon.
Or maybe the players are just winning instead of it being some pathetic conspiracy against Swedes.
Nah, that wouldn't be fun. Watch Hero lose to Dear now.
so far every game was a huge upset, cant wait for more but Im still a little bit sad because of the caster lineup, I just dont like the american crew at all because these guys lack something
anyone knows if all the groups are going to finish today? cant find a proper schedule anywhere, wcs page is blank as fuck
On October 26 2013 06:29 Kosak wrote: anyone knows if all the groups are going to finish today? cant find a proper schedule anywhere, wcs page is blank as fuck
On October 26 2013 05:32 umade wrote: What is this? Every Korean intentionally losing games just so Naniwa misses Blizzcon? Every single player already qualified has lost to a player who needs to advance from the group in order to get to Blizzcon.
Or maybe the players are just winning instead of it being some pathetic conspiracy against Swedes.
Precisely. There haven't been any really big upsets. I don't consider what MC did to SK an upset. Not keen on Dear's positioning against HerO. + Show Spoiler +
This is the season 3 finals. Blizzcon is the yearly finals where they take the top 16 in points from all WCS events. This is just the top 5 of KR and Europe and then top 6 of AM (host region) from season 3
On October 26 2013 11:24 Shellshock wrote: This is the season 3 finals. Blizzcon is the yearly finals where they take the top 16 in points from all WCS events. This is just the top 5 of KR and Europe and then top 6 of AM (host region) from season 3
People seem to be making that mistake constantly whether it be in this thread or in the LR. Come on people. I don't even find it that complicated.
On October 26 2013 11:25 Headshot wrote: Does this tournament have an effect on who goes to BlizzCon?
On October 26 2013 02:54 ArTiFaKs wrote: Anyone know what that first song was after the Game 1 Polt vs Hack? It was during the intermission between game 1 and 2. It was Dubstep if that helps..
On October 26 2013 05:32 umade wrote: What is this? Every Korean intentionally losing games just so Naniwa misses Blizzcon? Every single player already qualified has lost to a player who needs to advance from the group in order to get to Blizzcon.
yea.. preventing naniwa from going to blizzcon is more important to the koreans than the $40k first place and the $20k second place prizes
On October 25 2013 05:37 Aliwia wrote: Polt wins over soulkey? are you high or something? Last season finals polt went 0-4 against the first code s he met, now you say he will win over a code s champion?
Have you seen Polt playing recently? Definitely possible.
Sure polt has been playing great, but his opponents are on a lower level than Soulkey. Jaedong maybe the only opponent that has a chance with JvZ.
Hey did you hear about that one guy who supposedly beat Soulkey 3-0 in a high-stakes ZvZ? Couldn't have happened, right?
Or that guy who JUST beat Jaedong in "JvZ" and then went on to lose to Polt?
So many crazy stories. But at least we know for sure that unless you play in Code S, you don'twintournaments. Especially not if there are other Code S players present
wait
WCS AM and EU players have great chance of winning at the Finals. The last two Finals champion was... O wait 2 WCS KR players.
Polt plays so great he makes it out of the group... O wait he is the first person to be eliminated from WCS Season 3 Finals? Wait... Sucks to suck.
EPT
nice preview nonetheless
