EPTRo32: Group D Preview
TaeJa, 
Top, Neeb, 
CheckCountdown:
by Darkhorse
WCS America continues in Group D with another interesting mix of Koreans invaders and aspiring foreigners. Leading off the group is the player in this group who really needs no introduction:
Liquid`TaeJa. In terms of sheer results and star power, Taeja is head and shoulders above the other players in this group. He has finished top four in seventeen Premier tournaments throughout his career and won eight of them. Even though IPL TAC 3 is now a distant memory, it was enough to establish "Team TaeJa" as a familiar meme in SC2 culture. There is no denying that TaeJa has been declining compared to his dominant prime, as he is dealing with some significant wrist issues that have affected his performance. He may not even have the same motivation anymore, having made some very candid statements about considering retirement. However, even a weaker version of TaeJa is still very good, and capable of being phenomenal at times. He should be the heavy favorite heading into this group.
Taeja's Season 1 was a bit of a mixed bag, with an early loss to MajOr seeming to put the brakes on a potential championship run. However, he managed to escape in second place in his Ro32 group, and quickly 4-0'd his Ro16 group to make the quarterfinals. There he was narrowly edged out 3-2 by the eventual champion Hyun, but Taeja clearly maintained his reputation as a championship contender in WCS America. Since then, most of his tournament matches have been in ATC, where he has a solid, but not necessarily Taeja-like 9-5 record. All in all, TaeJa should still be expected to play well in the tournament, which starts with getting out of the Ro32. Lest we forget: Summer is just around the corner.
The Chinese Protoss
ZOO.Top is still a bit of an enigma when it comes to playing in WCS America. For the second season in a row, Top managed to edge by a Zerg 3-2 in Challenger, defeating Kane to return to the Premier League. He has now made Premier League for his fourth consecutive season, but has been unable to do any better than place last in his Ro32 group in his previous three appearances. He tends to look solid enough in Challenger, if a little cheesy, but simply isn't a threat once he enters Premier League. He will certainly be looking to improve on last season's venture in Premier where he was beaten by both HerO and his countryman Xigua. Unfortunately, he opens this group with a match against TaeJa, which does not favor Top under any circumstances. While that is not a lost cause, in all likelihood he will have to fight his way back through the loser's match if he hopes to advance. The other two members of the group are much more even matches for Top, and he will be eager to prove that he belongs in the top 16.
The Korean Zerg player
wayi.Check provides us with even more mystery than Top. A regular in Taiwanese leagues, Check doesn't make too many tournament appearances in the international scene, and has therefore gone relatively unnoticed even in WCS. The ex-Team 8 Zerg rather unsuccessfully played in WCS Korea last year, but this year has made the switch to WCS America and has now made his first Premier League after being knocked out in last season's Challenger matches by Sen. This season is an opportunity for Check to establish himself in the region and gain a bit more notability if he manages to give a good showing.While it is impressive for a player to make it through the wildcard qualifiers two seasons in a row, that and his 3-0 of Ian in Challenger give little to go on as far as how he will fare in Premier League. He did help carry Western Wolves to the Acer TeamStory Cup playoffs as a mercenary last year, but was found rather wanting once he had to play live in Germany. However, that was ages ago in StarCraft 2 time, and he should be a much changed player. He is a wildcard and it isn't easy to predict where he will fall here. TaeJa is most likely a class above him, but once again, the race between Check and the other two members of the group should be a close one.
The final player in the group is the young American Terran
Fnatic.Neeb. Neeb has actually been one of the better American's in WCS and is slowly climbing up the ranks. He qualified for Challenger League in the first season of WCS America last year, and has made every season of Premier League since. Last season marked the first time ever that Neeb made it to the live portion of the tournament, and he put on a solid performance, by thrashing Huk and giving Revival a run for his money. Neeb's consistency as a constant Premier League player is commendable, and fans will be eager to see if the young Terran who played close games with Revival and Polt has improved even more.Neeb's chances in this group are tough to estimate, as he has played very few notable streamed games after WCS America Season 1. However, there are a few factors that lend themselves to the prospect of a Neeb advancement here. His opening match is a TvZ against Check, which bodes well for Neeb if his series against Revival was anything to go by. Matches against both Taeja and Top will be tough for the young Terran, but he showed good form in both matchups against players like Huk, Minigun, and Polt last season, so he is certainly capable of beating either one. He is by no means a lock for advancement, but if he plays like he did last season we could have Neeb as the first foreigner to advance to the Ro16 this season.
Predictions:
Taeja > Top
Neeb > Check
Taeja > Neeb
Top < Check
Neeb > Check
TaeJa and Neeb advance.
