WCS Season One
Premier League
WCS Ro32 Group A
XiGua, Astrea, uThermal, Snute
Brackets and standings on Liquipedia
WCS Premier League
Ro32 Group A
Saturday, Feb 14 11:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00)
We watched the qualifiers as well as Challenger League with much anticipation. There, the best of each region competed to finally reach a global league with representatives from every corner of the world. No longer will we have a scene separated by continent; every foreigner will have an opportunity to take home a singular WCS trophy. While there are still Koreans—4, in fact—in Premier League, Group A represents the first all foreigner group in the Round of 32.
Undoubtedly the most popular member of the group is Team Liquid's own

The new WCS system will be his opportunity to change that. His 74.32% winrate against non-Koreans is striking, and should he perform up to this lofty standard there should be little standing in his way towards the playoffs. Of course, that's what we repeatedly said last year before he lost to Harstem and Miniraser in Seasons 2 and 3 to be knocked out early. But form is a powerful thing, and Snute is currently on a 13 series unbeaten run against foreigners, with a match score of 31-1 during that time. Certainly an incredible streak, but Mr Swarm Host still has something to prove in WCS, and he must dispel any inkling of overconfidence that he might feel.
His greatest threat will likely be

While Astrea should be one of his chickens, uThermal will present more of a problem. One of XiGua's most memorable games last year was his collapse against Heart, where he failed to transition from muta ling bling and was outmatched by Heart's micro. That hardheadedness is often his downfall, and he must remain open minded in his approach in a potential match against uThermal. He has lost just about every ZvT he has played against non-chickens, and the Dutch Terran should prove difficult to chew.
In order to advance to his first Ro16,

As for

Overall Predictions:
Let's get one thing straight: Snute is the favorite. Yet that seems to be a burden more than a blessing for him, as he continues to impress more in tournaments he can't win (by defeating Koreans) than in tournaments that he should (by losing to foreigners). He's basically a reverse XiGua, and the two players will likely meet one way or the other. uThermal will be the difference maker in Group A, and his TvZ will be put to the test. As for the youngster Astrea, he'll need a few more seasons before we can really write anything about him.
XiGua > Astrea
uThermal < Snute
XiGua < Snute
Astrea < uThermal
XiGua < uThermal

