Just two weeks after Korean pros crushed a fledging European resurgence at the WCS Europe playoffs, foreigner hope sprang up once more on the opening day of DreamHack Bucharest. Whether it was XMG.ToD taking first place in a group with three Koreans or NrS.Welmu eliminating Samsung Galaxy's ace player RorO from the tournament, there was plenty of reason for European fans to feel optimistic on day one.
Yet, with the example of WCS Europe in mind, fans of foreigners might be wise to temper their hopes as they head into the second and final day of the tournament. DreamHack Bucharest's sixteen-man elimination bracket has been determined as follows:
DreamHack will resume on Sunday, Sunday, Apr 27 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00), when the remainder of the tournament will be played out.
Day 1 Happenings
XMG.ToD tops his Ro32 group with wins over Jaedong and Golden: The WarCraft III legend continued to show that his casting gig at WCS Europe was hardly a hindrance to gameplay, defeating two Korean Zergs in EG.Jaedong and Ai.Golden to advance in first place from his Ro32 group.
Two foreigners advance, two Koreans eliminated in Ro32's Group D: Sweden's Fnatic.Zanster and Denmark's Liquid`Bunny advanced to the Ro16 at the expense of Ai.Patience and First in Group D.
The last time two foreigners bounced two Koreans from a DreamHack group was almost two years ago ago at DreamHack Summer 2012, when fraer and Cytoplasm defeated Vampire and PuMa.
Mixed fortunes for KeSPA players: KeSPA enacted a new policy in this season of Proleague, paying for the top ranking players in their flagship league to go abroad and participate in foreign tournaments. TY and RorO won the honors this time around by placing in the top five of the KeSPA rankings (herO, Flash, and Maru appear to have declined their invitations).
While KT_TY advanced to the Ro16 as expected, Samsung Galaxy's RorO was knocked out of the Ro32 with losses to Roccat.HyuN and NrS.Welmu. It was not all smooth sailing for TY either, as he struggled against Finnish Zerg mYi.Serral in his group. It will be interesting to see if TY can live up to the vaunted reputation of KeSPA players on day two.
Korean vs. Korean upsets: Foreigners weren't the only ones to create unexpected results at DreamHack Bucharest. Axiom's Impact narrowly defeated two-time DreamHack champion Liquid`HerO to claim a spot in the Ro16, one of his best major tournament results to date.
Despite not being heard from for some time, AX.Ryung showed he was very much alive and kicking by defeating Life to claim first place in their Ro32 group. Life still advanced in second place.
ToD winning is no upset. He's just 10x the PvZ player. Excellent execution in game 3 against Jaedong and in the series against Golden. I was impressed.
I knew it! I knew RorO was going to lose to a foreigner!
The SC2 Gods are with me!
On April 20 2014 05:03 hansonslee wrote:
Anyway, I pray to the Holy Gods of Starcraft that the demon RorO will lose to a foreigner!
Suck it RorO fans! Remember it's never too late to repent!
On April 27 2014 05:49 Shellshock wrote: ToD winning is no upset. He's just 10x the PvZ player. Excellent execution in game 3 against Jaedong and in the series against Golden. I was impressed.
Have you seen his PvZ against Stephano? It was bloody awful! But still, good job to ToD!
Have you seen his PvZ against Stephano? It was bloody awful!
ToD vs. Stephano is just the perfect recipe for awful, since they're the two turtliest players in Europe. If any match is going to top MaNa vs. FireCake, these two have the best chance.
TY vs Serral games were realy good except third map. First one was realy close but in second match Serral fixed his mistakes and won quite slowly :D If you think ThorZain is SpoonTerran, Serral is SpoonZerg without question.
If you can't beat Serral is macro game do 11/11, that's how TY won Serral
I was so laughing when I saw ToD in the 3 Korean Group. Not because I don't like him, I love that guy, but because I am sorry. Like you laugh when a kid falls down to cheer it up again.
But ToD surprised me and now I am even more glad and hope to be able to watch the VODs somewhere, cause I couldn't watch the games live
I have been really impressed by Serral's quality of play. I remember he made a little bit of a name for himself after his games against supernova, but now i'm totally a fan. I hope Myi will send him to many events and field him in ATC and shout craft quite often.
Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
Wow that post is interesting
I hope you mean interesting as in interestingly stupid, right?
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
Well I don't get the intention of your post, but if Bogus is only close to the player he was a few months ago, he would also have survived a group with 4 koreans, so I guess your intention was you wanted to have closer games
Keep in mind that these kespa guys are not at all used to jetlag, their environment or this style of tournament where they don't really get prep time between foes and have no knowledge of the playstyle in the European scene. It's not that embaressing. If Roro played 101 games against any foreigner he would win 80%+
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
Because what could very easily happen if 4 foreigners were split up is that all 4 lose to Koreans. Then there are 0 foreigners in the Ro8
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
What are u even talking about??? ToD will smash this bogus newb 2-0. Does innovation even lift?
looks like welmu is probably the only foreigner with even an outside shot at the finals. welmu over innovation could happen (unlikely though), and then if he beat tod/bunny and drew stardust in the ro4 he could make it. i could see snute maybe getting to ro4 on a good day but i can't imagine him beating ty or mc
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
Its always best to get rid of the integrity of the tournament just to...well what?
On April 27 2014 07:54 evaunit01 wrote: Are there VODs for ToD vs Jaedong? I scanned through the main 9h15m file for the main stream but I don't think they broadcasted it there.
I might be wrong but I think they were on basetradetv's stream. only caught game 3
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
Its always best to get rid of the integrity of the tournament just to...well what?
eh. random selection has no more "integrity" than putting people together to create good matchups in my opinion. i'm not agreeing with the guy before you, but i also wouldn't care either way. 16 players, everyone has to play someone. win or go home. that's what tournaments are about
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
You understand the principle of random draw right?
On April 27 2014 07:54 evaunit01 wrote: Are there VODs for ToD vs Jaedong? I scanned through the main 9h15m file for the main stream but I don't think they broadcasted it there.
I might be wrong but I think they were on basetradetv's stream. only caught game 3
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
I certainly think that both players have a chance dreamhack is great because i think life is the fan favourite but he won gsl so i dont think tod will win even if i'd hope for MC to win to prove that in order to win you need good tvz.
On April 27 2014 07:54 evaunit01 wrote: Are there VODs for ToD vs Jaedong? I scanned through the main 9h15m file for the main stream but I don't think they broadcasted it there.
I might be wrong but I think they were on basetradetv's stream. only caught game 3
On April 27 2014 09:26 affenmann wrote: damn, it's so hard to cheer for a french player (as a german player)... fuck it, DESTROY THEM! Heil Tod :D
Neither do I get the hatred towards france from a german side of things (considering german hinstory (WW2) and how well "liked" germany is in EU), nor the nazi reference.
On April 27 2014 07:01 InExcelsis wrote: Wow Innovation by far has easiest path to the semifinals gets quarter bracket of RO16 with 3 foreigners absurd and on the subject of foreigners the fact that two of them are playing each other in RO16 when there is only 4 of them to begin with is ridiculous Dreamhack should make sure they all play Koreans in RO16 just to keep it interesting and I'm sorry but don't give me that well at least by playing each other one is guaranteed to make RO8 I don't care I would rather there be a chance they both make RO8 then guarantee just 1.
Its always best to get rid of the integrity of the tournament just to...well what?
eh. random selection has no more "integrity" than putting people together to create good matchups in my opinion. i'm not agreeing with the guy before you, but i also wouldn't care either way. 16 players, everyone has to play someone. win or go home. that's what tournaments are about
Random 1st seeds vs Random 2nd seeds has integrity. Arranging the pairings so that someone gets the pairings they specifically want makes it a fixed tournament.
Oooh, looks like a pretty high likelihood of a terran champion here. There's three s-class terrans there that wouldn't meet each other until the semis or the final.
I'm most excited to see Leenock and Life, even though Leenock hasn't been as present at the top tier lately. Two awesome zerg child prodigies going at it is gonna be fun to watch.
This whole Round of 16 is so hard to predict. I don't see a single matchup where there's a big favorite--even the three Korean vs. foreigner matches. Jaedong's having a rough 2014 so far and I can see Inno losing to Welmu.
Man, the RO16 brackets are rigged as all hell. That's what I'd say if I was slightly more paranoid than usual. Seriously though, MC having to go against TY right up at the start? Zanster being sent out to give Jaedong a slight warmup? Welmu put against Innovation to seemingly show that beating Roro was a fluke? Tod having to reduce the number of remaining foreigners by 20%? People could get some ideas, you know.
Seems like this tournament has been nothing short of perfect. Huge names, huge upsets and almost the best possible casting/host lineup I can imagine. Only downside is I haven't been able to catch a single game and google doesn't help with VODs atm.
On April 27 2014 09:53 Jer99 wrote: Well JD is 99% guaranteed for the finals
I don't think he beats Hyun, TY, or MC
I don't think he'll just beat them, he will disintegrate their souls. That's how bad he'll beat them if he ends up playing them.
dem delusions. MC is 29-4 in recent PvZs and hasn't lost a bo3 to a zerg in 6 months. JD lost to ToD. nuff said
PFFFFT. Jaedong laughs at those statistics and will still smash him like a pumpkin. If they play just you watch my man. People said Jaedong would get rolled by Dear back at blizzcon and he would get rolled by X player so many times only to do the opposite.
On April 27 2014 17:19 Ragnarork wrote: I just like how out of nowhere, ToD goes "Mmmgh, not casting but playing this one!". Bam, 2 - 1 JD, 2 - 0 Golden :D
Happy for him, though I don't expect to much for the playoffs, but heh, it can only go up from there (or just stop there but that'd be still great)
It looks like from the WCS Qualifiers + This tournament that PvT is possibly his worst matchup right now too. And he got Bunny who has shown some pretty good TvP lately. Very impressed by ToD's run so far but he might have just gotten an unlucky draw that will end his run right here. He probably could have been competitive with most of the remaining zergs including the Koreans because Life hasn't been exactly the strongest ZvP player as of late. Leenock and Impact could probably give him some good trouble though.
Around 85% of comments are about ToD Even though there are guys like Zanster, Welmu, Bunny and Snute. And I am not surprised - ToD is the kind of person that most of us want to go far in tournaments. Well spoken, with good sense of humour, great caster.
Aaah! Out of all the weekends to have exams, why did I have to have exams this Friday/Saturday/Sunday... And now when I can watch, they're on a 30min break! GOGO DreamHack!! :D
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2VmgqQT.png)
XMG.ToD taking first place in a group with three Koreans or 
RorO from the tournament, there was plenty of reason for European fans to feel optimistic on day one.![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Waxangel/dreamhack/2014/bucharest/ro16bracket_1.png)
Liquid`Bunny advanced to the Ro16 at the expense of 
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WKbhwZg.png)
