The hype was real in Sweden this weekend, as the two most anticipated players cleared a bloody path through all others to reach the grand finals.
Having qualified for the tournament, both Neeb and Serral started out in the third stage. They were thus able to bypass the most grueling phase, DreamHack’s famous open group stages. Unfortunately not all 64 slots were filled, leading to some strange groups with only two players in which both were guaranteed to advance. As usual, the brawl took its toll, with fan-favorite Harstem unable to advance past the second group stage on Saturday.
Sunday’s third group stage likewise had a few surprises in store for the viewers. Casualties included names like ShoWTimE, TRUE, iaguz, TooDming and iAsonu. With only 16 players remaining, the playoffs began in earnest on Monday.
As fates would have it, both eventual finalists fought like they were possessed. Serral took down Stephano, PtitDrogo and Elazer on his way to the grand finals, only dropping a single map along the way. Neeb cleaved through SortOf, MajOr and Kelazhur. Fittingly only the Mexican Terran proved to be difficult, as the two had met in the semifinals in Austin with the same scoreline.
The finals went down to the wire, with Neeb eventually overcoming Serral in a deciding game seven. The two played some of the best games of the entire tournament, showcasing their skills to the full. With another WCS title under his belt, Neeb secured himself the elusive Triple Crown, and Serral will have to now bide his time until Valencia.
For those looking to relive the action of the weekend, a few series stood out above the others. PtitDrogo looked to be in top form, taking down Nerchio 3-0. uThermal’s entire run through the group stages proved that he’s veritably among the top EU Terrans at the moment. Snute’s heartbreaking loss at the hands of Cham was made that much more bittersweet with Cham’s 0-3 loss against Elazer. And finally, MajOr didn’t quite make it this time around, but it’s more than likely this won’t be the last we see of him.
I watched that live. It's awesome to watch both tournaments where Neeb made foreigner history. Neeb! It's ok man, you're allowed to say you're good at StarCraft now.
On June 22 2017 09:12 Shellshock wrote: where does Neeb rank all time among foreigners now?
Better question is where he ranks among current Koreans? Personally I would guesstimate him somewhere in Tier 2.
I think that's fair. He could probably get Ro16 GSL with a decent group. Major put up an ok fight but had ByuN and herO. There were a couple of groups he might have been able to get out of if you swapped him with another 3rd place finisher. I could see the same for neeb. Would probably need a favorable group or some luck to make the knockout rounds but not impossible
On June 22 2017 09:12 Shellshock wrote: where does Neeb rank all time among foreigners now?
Better question is where he ranks among current Koreans? Personally I would guesstimate him somewhere in Tier 2.
I think that's fair. He could probably get Ro16 GSL with a decent group. Major put up an ok fight but had ByuN and herO. There were a couple of groups he might have been able to get out of if you swapped him with another 3rd place finisher. I could see the same for neeb. Would probably need a favorable group or some luck to make the knockout rounds but not impossible
Yeah, Scarlett/MajOr would need a decent amount of luck to make it to the Ro16, like Trap/Losira for instance. Neeb is better than either Scarlett or MajOr of course, but not by a huge amount. Tier 1 is "gated" by aLive/Gumiho since they are the highest second-tiers imo, and I just can't see Neeb beating either of them.
At this point I don't think Gumiho is the tier 1 gate keeper anymore. Maybe he'll fall back down, but he's beaten most of the best on his run. If he takes out soO, then he certainly isn't
On June 22 2017 09:52 Parrek wrote: At this point I don't think Gumiho is the tier 1 gate keeper anymore. Maybe he'll fall back down, but he's beaten most of the best on his run. If he takes out soO, then he certainly isn't
If he beats soO, and doesn't slump, then he will be Tier 1 in my eyes. But I have a pretty narrow definition of Tier 1, by which I mean only Stats, TY, and INnoVaton.
On June 22 2017 10:26 Locutos wrote: Neeb and Serral are Tier 1 among korean now, no doubt about that, they are surely in top 10 world
That's really hard to say, since Neeb and Serral have played against Koreans lately. Someone needs to set up a showmatch or something, or at least film Neeb's GSL qualifiers
On June 22 2017 10:26 Locutos wrote: Neeb and Serral are Tier 1 among korean now, no doubt about that, they are surely in top 10 world
That's really hard to say, since Neeb and Serral have played against Koreans lately. Someone needs to set up a showmatch or something, or at least film Neeb's GSL qualifiers
Definitely not tier 1, but a high rank in tier 2. I could see him getting ro16 with a bit of bracket luck.
On June 22 2017 10:26 Locutos wrote: Neeb and Serral are Tier 1 among korean now, no doubt about that, they are surely in top 10 world
That's really hard to say, since Neeb and Serral have played against Koreans lately. Someone needs to set up a showmatch or something, or at least film Neeb's GSL qualifiers
Definitely not tier 1, but a high rank in tier 2. I could see him getting ro16 with a bit of bracket luck.
It all depends on how you define Tier 1, Tier 2, etc. My definition of Tier 1 is "Players with form good enough to win a Korean tournament and who have recently won one to prove it."
By that definition, only Stats, TY, and INnoVation are Tier 1. Possibly herO as well, though Adept/Phoenix has been nerfed since he won the Super Tournament. It should be blatantly obvious that Neeb is not at this level. Gumiho does not belong here either, because while he possibly has the form (we will find out soon enough) he hasn't won anything yet. Same for soO.
And as far as Neeb/Serral being top 10 world....that's quite a stretch imo. GSL Season 3 and GSL vs the World are both coming up fast, so I guess we will find out soon enough.
EPT
Neeb and Serral started out in the third stage. They were thus able to bypass the most grueling phase, DreamHack’s famous open group stages. Unfortunately not all 64 slots were filled, leading to some strange groups with only two players in which both were guaranteed to advance. As usual, the brawl took its toll, with fan-favorite 
TRUE, 
iaguz, 
