EPTRo16: Group C Preview
Grubby, MaNa, First, 
GoldenCountdown:
by Trasko
With two groups down and just two to go, Group C provides us with a squad of old school players, some of which have not been top contenders for a very long time yet still have a great legacy within the StarCraft community. This group alongside the two previous, also glimmers with foreign hope and the potential for the unexpected. Yet what makes this group so intriguing is that each player could consider their advancement to the WCS EU knockout rounds one of the greatest achievements of their Heart of Swarm careers.
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." Losing a loved one is always tough and can really take a toll on you but that did not stop
Grubby from going 2-0 in Group H in the round of 32, winning the group with a clean sweep. Outside of WCS EU, however, prominent performances from Grubby have come few and far between. Looking at his recent matches it's fairly clear that he has been participating less and less in both offline tournaments and online cups. His last noticeable result in a premier tournament was a top 4 finish in last years WCS EU Season 2 over a year ago. His Ro32 looked promising, but does Grubby have what it takes to go further?Disregarding the (perhaps) inconsequential lack of tournament participation, it seems as though Grubby still practices and watches as much as he can as he regularly tweets about games. More notably, he also recently brought back his stream after a complete lack of streaming in the month of May, a conspicuous absence due to the popularity of his stream. Practice shouldn't be difficult, however, as he only has to prepare for PvZ and PvP, the two matchups he faced in the Ro32. After the 4-0 victory in the previous round, Grubby tweeted a thank you message to his anonymous practice partners, as they were a big part of his success. His gang of partners should be up to the task of helping him prepare for this group and book his ticket to Cologne for the Round of 8.
Another player with much to play for is
First, currently teamless and hoping to replicate his successes from early 2013. This is his initial foray into WCS EU, and he's made it this far straight from the qualifiers. He'll hope to entice some suitors with a strong performance after some lackluster results since his 5th place in Code S Season 2 last year. First, having been a regular GSL player in the past, has seemed quiet since his departure from Incredible Miracle, but he has been attempting to qualify to almost every possible tournament and partaking in many of the weekly online cups. His win rate since the beginning of the year in PvP and PvZ respectively has been 70% and 64% respectively, giving him a huge edge if we merely look at the numbers.However, it is still unclear whether living together with MC, Yoda, and HyuN in the GEM house has had a positive impact on First as he has yet to have a convincing tournament showing. His smooth 4-0 advancement from the Ro32 has gone a long way to assuage everyone's fears of his descent to insignificance as he won a convincing series against former Dreamhack Champion StarDust. If that was a sign of things to come rather than a fleeting flash of brilliance, this group should be easy to navigate for First.
Our third player in Group C,
Golden, was previously a contender in WCS AM. Or at least he tried to be... with minimal success. Golden never actually succeeded in qualifying for WCS AM in his three attempts and decided this season it was time to join, a perhaps better fitting league. His acquisition by German team Alien Invasion has facilitated his region switch, and he now finds himself in the Ro16. His success so far this season started in qualification, as he blitzed his way to Premier League with a 10-0 record. Though he only managed to get second place in his Ro32 group, his loss was to WCS EU Season 1 Champion MC.Looking at his recent games and results, it's fairly clear that Golden has had a tough time competing against his fellow countrymen and that in recent times his success usually lies in beating foreign players. If Golden were to get through in the group it'd be one of the most significant moments of his career.
Last but not least we have
MaNa. MaNa was once considered one of the best players outside of Korea but he has had a tough time adapting to Heart of the Swarm. Ever since joining Team Liquid however, MaNa has slowly but surely improved his game play and today we have him in the round of 16. With a fairly easy group in the round of 32, many still doubt his ability to be a consistent contender in WCS EU, and a victory here tonight will go a long way in proving he's found his stride. This should be considered one of the more evenly matched groups, but MaNa will have the advantage of playing his preferred matchup of PvP. If MaNa finds a way to leave this group with 2 set wins, it will be his best WCS result to date and could be a turning point in his career.Overall Predictions:
If conventional statistics prevails the two Koreans should get out of this group. But what's the fun in predicting something that seems so straightforward? One of the most compelling parts of competition is the potential for players to break expectations, and both Grubby and MaNa have shown before that they have the ability to compete with the best. It's all about who brings their A game tonight, and I'm hopefully not alone in believing that there's still a foreign hope.
Grubby > Mana
First > Golden
Grubby > First
Mana < Golden (There's a 40/40 chance Golden wins)
First > Golden
Grubby and First advance. 
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Alien Invasion
