EPTWCS Europe Season 3
Challenger League
Previews and Predictions
Miniraser vs DeMusliM
Serral vs FireCake
SortOf vs BlinG
Lilbow vs KrasS
TargA vs ShowTime
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
Countdown:
Premier League is the subject of all glory in the current SC2 scene. Dramatic seasons, the road to Blizzcon, the highest level of competition in each region, all synthesized into a single event. As such, it’s fitting that the second day of WCS Challenger is filled with players hoping for their first big shot at fame. Today’s lineup is filled not with the current kings of Europe, but with the promising hopefuls. Who among them will ascend to the greater glory?
Perhaps the biggest shame of the first day of WCS EU was the fact that not a single Swede went through. Kicking off day 2,
Miniraser is poised to fly the flag for the eSports hotspot. The Fnatic Zerg has been slowly working his way up the ranks of the EU scene since mid 2012. Starting on Team Property, Mini made his way around the online cup circuit, impressing with his strong macro and excellent engagements. The young Swede has come a long way since then. Currently on Fnatic and fighting for his second appearance in Premier League, he looks to be one of the potential hopes for the mini-Korea of Europe. Miniraser’s playstyle is marked by heavy amounts of aggression and strong macro. With an emphasis on early pokes and pressure, Mini is not afraid to turn any build into an all-in. Though he does prefer to end a game early, his lategame multitasking is up to scratch, with runbys that can devastate his opponent.
One of Europe’s most popular players,
DeMusliM is from the heyday of foreign terrans. A former WC3 pro, the UK player was involved with the scene from the beginning, immediately making a name for himself at HSC I, taking 1st place over players such as Ret, Brat_OK, and HasuObs. After departing mTw for EG at the start of 2011, DeMusliM continued to be a strong force in Europe, performing well in team leagues, online cups, and having strong showings at LANs. Since then, however, his results have dropped off. An inconsistent 2012 led into a disappointing 2013 stint in WCS AM, capped off with a first round elimination at IEM NYC. After a brief stint in casting, DeMusliM has made a serious push in his play, and it’s beginning to show, with a decent showing at DH Summer. The Devil Terran is known for his love of Marine/Tank compositions. Setting up siege lines as the backing for Marine pushes, DeMuslim ensures that all engagements are on his terms. He applies the same principle to mine usage, using them for a lethal Sim City of sorts, luring his opponent into poor situations every chance he can get.
Prediction: Miniraser 3 - 1 DeMusliM
Every so often in Starcraft, a young player will come about, who is years ahead in skill. Life, Xenocider, Maru. In Europe, such a prodigy has yet to emerge. However, there are some hints that
Serral may just be that young crown prince. After quietly rising to the midfield of EU pros in 2012, Serral took the scene by surprise with impressive games against several top Koreans at DH Bucharest 2013. Though he won only a single match, his play was at a level that most wouldn’t have imagined from the young Fin. Since then, he’s continued to post strongs results, reaching the Ro24 at DH Summer and ASUS Northcon. With his first bid at Premier, Serral seems positioned to take the next step in the journey to become a new contender in the upper end of the EU scene. Serral’s play is marked by a controlled aggressive style. Calm, calculated pressure is the core of the mYi’s play, getting a solid army advantage early on, and continuing to use the strength as a deterrent from attacks, allowing smooth macro behind it. However, the aggression is not wonton. Serral knows when to pull back and defend, as well as the proper time to simply sit back and wait for the right moment. With a love of roaches, expect intense back and forth action in his set with…
One of the most (in)famous players in the history of Challenger League,
FireCake is one of France’s promising players. The zerg has slowly been showing more and more improvement over the past year, performing well in online tournaments and having continued appearances in Premier League. Though he has yet to reach further than the Ro32, the Frenchman has shown better play each time. FireCake’s play is based around long, slow games. Focusing on Swarm Host play with support from Mass Corruptors, expect to see turtling to the extreme from the Punchline player.
Prediction: Serral 3 - 0 FireCake
The second Swede of the evening,
SortOf is one of a dozen foreign zergs who rose to prominence in 2012. With strong macro, a solid late game, and forceful mid game plays, many were predicting SortOf to be the co-King In The North with Naniwa the following year. However, after an incredible rise, signing to Alliance, and the release of HotS, the Swede simply failed to make the splash it seemed he would. In fact, SortOf has simply faded out, with his results slowly petering out over time. The Alliance Zerg’s play is marked by a focus on patience. SortOf is the kind of zerg who is perfectly content to sit back and macro, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The Swede thrives on late game play, a carryover from his BL/Infestor days. With a fondness for roaches, he is able to use impressive micro to set up fights around his enemy.
For years, two players have flown the British flag in international competition. DeMusliM is the more visible of the pair, but just behind him, fighting his heart out, has been Dignitas’
BlinG. The former Halo pro has been one of Europe’s middle of the road players for quite a while. A powerful force in online cups, BlinG has yet to have a breakout event on LAN. His play has improved over the years, managing to hit the Ro16 in WCS in Season 1 of this year. A fixture of HSC, BlinG is a beloved player, and is always a fan favorite as he goes into an event. BlinG’s play is marked by versatility. Demonstrating skill with all tech trees, the Brit brings a diverse range of builds to the table. His PvT is akin to the Chinese style, with an emphasis on Colossi with Phoenix support. BlinG utilizes strong micro to make the most of his units, often getting excellent trades even in low economy situations. This same micro has given him a formidable style of Templar play as well, netting him storm after storm. Finally, the Dignitas Toss has experimented with Skytoss to great success in the past. Expect to see BlinG play every style in the book when his tournament life is on the line.
Prediction: SortOf 1 - 3 BlinG
After Stephano took Europe by storm, fans began noticing the depth of talent in France. That talent has blossomed, with several players stepping forward, all vying for the French crown. Among them is
Lilbow, one of EU’s most promising protosses. Since his debut in SC, Lil has been a strong player in the online cup circuit, taking several Go4SC2s and ZOTAC cups. After cutting his teeth on these small events, Lilbow began picking up steam in January, after joining XMG. He moved into the mYi house to train, and results came immediately. The young protoss immediately took the French scene in his grasp, taking 1st place in several Underdogs tournaments, as well as the Francophone Cup. A decidedly decent stint in Premier League showed that, while Lilbow has promise, his talent is still raw and needs time to develop. As he enters today, it will be up to him to try and make the leap once again.Lilbow’s play is very reliant on mid game heavy strategies. Utilizing every 2 base play in the book, the Frenchman attains victory by throwing everything he can at his opponent, microing gateways units beautifully, getting excellent trades with every wave. Once the game progresses into the late game phase, his results do drop off a bit, but not enough to write the XMG protoss off. He shows exemplary control with colossi and excellent Templar control.
A solid terran for some time,
KrasS first made a name for himself in the later stages of WoL. Placing well in multiple ZOTAC events, he was a strong representative of the still growing German scene. In WCS Nationals, he took 4th place, enough to secure him a slot at the European Finals that year. However, after that, he tailed off for a time, before the release of HotS. Once the expansion dropped, so did KrasS. With hellbats. Lots and lots of hellbats. One of the most popular pioneers of the early hellbat style, KrasS worked his way up EU ladder with the strategy, taking out formidable opponents with impressive micro. Since their subsequent nerf, his results fell off, though they have been climbing back up again. KrasS’s playstyle is one rooted in mech. KrasS plays an active style of mech, staying active on the map with Hellions as long as he can, trying to constantly exert as much map control as he can. Hellbat drops are still common to see, as he draws his opponent’s army thin and drain resources in a game of attrition. Even KrasS’s bio play is marked by mech support, often Hellbats and Hellions.
Prediction: Lilbow 3 - 1 KrasS
Another emerging European powerhouse in Starcraft, Norway is beginning to have an outpouring of talented players. One of the players leading the charge is
TargA, the former Dignitas Zerg. Originally coming to prominence in the age of BL-Infestor in 2012, many chalked up TargA’s success to the power of zerg at the time. As time continued, however, it became apparent that the Norwegian was more than a patchzerg. Taking multiple online victories, TargA was also finding himself in the finals of almost every single Norwegian LAN alongside Snute. Though he’s had a small dip in performance lately, he’s still a talented player who has flashes of brilliance. TargA’s style is a diverse one. Originally a macro zerg, he has since adopted a more general style of play. Favoring a roach based composition, the Imaginary Gaming player takes engagements with force, managing to turn poor situations into great ones. However, it can also backfire on him, causing him to throw matches. The Norwegian has also shown prowess with Ling pressure and early aggression.
A strong player since the later days of WoL,
ShoWTimE has blossomed as a player in the past year and a half. One of many German Protosses, he cut his teeth in small online cups, before moving on to larger events. Dominating the German scene at times, the ESC player is a dangerous force in any event that he enters. Since moving into full time play, the German has shown strong performance in the EPS. Recently, he won EPS Spring over AI.Patience, taking home the €3000 prize. With a Ro16 finish in Premier League under his belt already, ShoWTimE looks to make a big splash in the European scene at large with this tournament run. ShoWTimE’s play is reflective of most German Protosses. Diverse, patient, but also fine with aggression. ShowTime is incredibly proficient with blink micro, utilizing it in gateway timing attacks, as well as late game scenarios. While some players may use this as a crutch and focus solely on timing attacks, ShoWTimE instead uses it as merely one tool in his arsenal. With excellent Skytoss play, he slowly pushes his opponent, chipping away at them as slowly as possible.
Prediction: TargA 1 - 3 ShoWTimE
