Ro32: Group G Preview




Countdown:
by Darkhorse
In yesterday's Group F, TooDming became the first foreigner to reach the Ro16 after eleven straight Korean advancements here in WCS America Season 2. Now you could say things like, "There were three foreigners in the group so one had to get out," but hey – a win's a win.
Today's group is another one of those three foreigner groups with two Chinese players in MacSed and Courage battling the Mexican Terran MajOr to see who will be the next foreigner to advance into the Ro16. With Polt in the group, it is likely to be a battle for second place, but of course all three of the others would like to book their trips to LA for the live portion of the tournament.
The heavy favorite in the group has to be the Tactical Genius and sorta-American

Of course, this does not mean that Polt is completely safe. As players like HerO and Jaedong can attest to, no one is safe in WCS America, even if they are multi-premier tournament winners. Polt doesn't necessarily have a "weak" matchup, or at least a matchup that would qualify as "weak" for the average SC2 progamer, but his TvZ has looked relatively weak since his loss to Revival in last season's Ro8. He subsequently was beaten down 4-2 by Jaedong in the finals of LSC3 and has lost important matches in online qualifiers to the likes of viOLet and Armani. If Polt can get over the TvZ hump in his first match of the night, he should most likely come out on top in this group.
The Chinese Zerg

The Chinese Zergs always seem to bring interesting builds to the table, and Courage will no doubt be looking to follow the footsteps of his Zerg teammate TooDming who advanced last night. The opening match will be an incredible challenge for Courage, as Polt's TvZ mixes brilliant micro with great multi tasking. If Courage hopes to win, he will likely have to put the pressure on Polt early and not let him get comfortable. Should he lose his first match, he has a huge mountain to climb, as MajOr is no slouch in the matchup either and Courage currently holds a dismal 1-8 record against MacSed in streamed matches.
Always one of the strongest players in the NA,

MajOr He had a disappointing showing at LSC3, but he can make up for that and more by advancing here. The young foreign Terrans Neeb and MaSa were halted; the old guard of qxc and Illusion fell just the same. Can MajOr surpass them all and be the first American in the Ro16?
Not if

As usual with the Chinese players, it is hard to discern what kind of form MacSed is currently in. He has been a workhorse for iG in the Acer Teamstory Cup this season, where he currently holds a so-so 11-10 record. Other than that and a few Chinese cups, MacSed has been pretty quiet since Season 1. MacSed truly plays his own game, relying mostly on timing attacks and colossus builds in PvT and a wide array of two base aggression in his PvZ. His strong head to head record against Courage should give him confidence should the two meet, but his chances against the Terrans are harder to assess.
Overall Thoughts and Prediction:
Please. Polt is Captain America, the two time champ, and one of the biggest stars in the SC2 scene today. He can't possibly lose here, right? The melee to grab the second spot in the group should be brutal, but MacSed seems to be the most consistent and solid of the remaining three. Unfortunately for MajOr, I foresee him playing excellently but falling out of the group in a heartbreak loss. I'd like to see him prove me wrong, but I am calling yet another group going by without an American advancing past the first round.
Polt > Courage
MacSed < MajOr
Polt > MajOr
Courage < MacSed
MajOr < MacSed

