EPTWCS America Group H Preview
by Darkhorse
Welcome one and all to the final installment of this Season's Ro32 in WCS America! We've had interesting results, big upsets, and the resurgence of some popular figures in one of the most interesting opening group stages ever, and Group H promises to bring that same level of excitement. Two more spots are up for grabs in the Round of 16, and last season's finalist Bomber will try to weather challenges from the Taiwanese Zerg Slam and a duo of North American hopes in MajOr and puCK.
It's no secret that
Redbull.Bomber is the favorite coming into this group. He is the only Korean, and he was one map away from defeating Pigbaby and taking the Championship in the finals of WCS America Season 2. Bomber has asserted himself over his first two seasons since leaving Korea, and he'll want to achieve even greater things as this could be his last year of progaming before he leaves to perform his military service. However, he has had his ups and downs over the past month since his second place finish in WCS America. He won Red Bull Battlegrounds Atlanta, but had a so-so Ro16 finish at Dreamhack Valencia and was eliminated by Sen at the TWOP last week. Does this string of mediocre performances indicate a slump for the Red Bull Terran, or is it just a lackluster month that will be forgotten after Bomber crushes this group? Only time will tell.Bomber opens this group with a match against Slam who probably isn't as frightening an opponent as his fellow Taiwanese Zerg Sen, who dismantled Bomber in their TWOP matchup. Over the past month Bomber has been struggling in the matchup with an overall 3-4 record. His losses came from Jaedong, Sen, Byul, and inexplicably, TargA. Slam will no doubt bring an innovative and aggressive style displayed by many of his fellow Taiwanese zergs, and this match has huge upset potential. If Bomber clears this first hurdle, he should have the TvT advantage over MajOr, as he has gone undefeated in TvT since Season 2, beating the likes of Mvp, Polt, Heart, and Bunny. Finally, Bomber did 2-0 puCK at Red Bull Atlanta, which should give him the confidence he needs should he encounter that matchup. On paper, there is no real reason that Bomber shouldn't come out of this group, unless of course someone has taken the time to write down a certain law.
Funnily enough if you combine the words "Sacrificial Lamb" you'd probably come up with
yFw.Slam [Editor's note: I didn't understand this at first either]. It sounds mean to say this, but honestly Slam should be considered a fairly big underdog here. He has gone 0-10 in tournament matches since qualifying for Premier League, and is easily the least accomplished player in this group. He is one of the better zergs in Taiwan, but as we saw at TWOP last week, he seems to be mostly overshadowed by players like Sen and Ian, and he is lost in the middling pack of the other five Taiwanese Zergs who participated.Theoretically, Bomber should roll over Slam in the opening match, but there are a few things going for the underdog here. He did 3-0 one of the better TvZ players in North America, MaSa, in Challenger League to qualify for Premier. At the very least, that confirms that Slam has a reasonable understanding of the matchup, and he showed he can mix up macro play with aggressive builds. Unfortunately for Slam, both MajOr and Bomber are world class in the matchup, so Slam will have to draw inspiration from Sen if he is to have any chance of advancing here. Slam could fill the role of the bottom of the barrel or surprise contender in this group, but I am leaning towards the former.
It is a little unfortunate that two of the best players in North America have been placed in the same group, but conversely it does increase the chances that we see one of them advance to the next round.
ROOT.MajOr has been on an absolute tear recently, and he should be coming into this group with a lot of momentum. He is 11-2 in the month of August in tournament play, won Copa America for the sixth straight time, and has a 5-0 record against Polt in their last two meetings. Needless to say, the Mexican Terran is on fire right now, and it will be up to 
IvD.puCK to put him out. puCK has had a significantly less successful summer after a dismal MLG Anaheim saw him only win two of his eight matches in the tournament, he was viciously ganged up on in Red Bull Battlegrounds North America, and he failed to win a match at IEM Shenzen. However things are looking up for the American Protoss, as he did dominate the North American WEC qualifier, only dropping a single map on his way to booking his trip to China for the main event. In all likelihood, these two players will be battling twice in this group, and winner of their second confrontation will earn their spot in the Ro16. MajOr holds the 4-3 map win advantage in their meetings this year, but their most recent matchup went in puCK's favor 2-0 when MajOr challenged puCK (like everyone else) at Red Bull Battlegrounds North America and got more than he bargained for. This matchup could easily swing either way and whichever of these two players is playing better on this particular day will most likely be taking the last spot in the Ro16.
Overall Thoughts and Prediction:
I have perhaps been a bit dismissive of Slam here, but I honestly believe he will unfortunately end up in last in this group. Bomber should come out on top if he shows up and plays like himself here and the law doesn't take affect (yet). As I have stated before, I think the real battle will be between puCK and MajOr for the right to be the sixth foreigner to make the round of 16. Expect their games to be close, and I wouldn't be surprised if they traded series here tonight. One of them has been hotter, especially against Polt, so I'm going to have to place my bet on him to make it.
Bomber > Slam
MajOr < puCK
Slam < MajOr
Bomber > puCK
MajOr > puCK
Bomber and MajOr advance.
