"And so sayeth the Lord upon them 'Lo' and behold, the baguette shall rise once more on the third week' and so it was as the Lord spoketh." - The Book of Flash, VII. 1-3.
Easter Sunday saw a couple of players win their first ESL Open Cups, while a certain French Terran took home championship #3.
The chaos in the Korean ESL Open Cups hasn't exactly led to many consistent winners or even finalists, but this week gave us our first finals rematch in Cure vs Trap. Two had met in week #12 with Cure emerging the victor—this time, Trap was able to turn the tables and secure his first ESL Open Cup victory. The Korea line-up was a bit stronger again this week, with two very tough semi-final matches in Cure vs Solar and Trap vs PartinG. Cure and Trap are two of the best regulars in the ESL Open scene, so it's unlikely this rivalry will remain tied at 1-1 for too long.
Truly, Reynor must be an excellent student of the history of his country, for he understands completely what happens to tyrants if they overstay their welcome: instead of being dragged through the streets, he abdicated, leaving open the European throne for someone else to claim this week. Jumping at the opportunity to regain what he clearly sees as his privilege, HeroMarine made a speedy run into the finals—helped, no doubt by the elimination of his nemesis Clem at the hands of Harstem—where another Terran colleague eventually caught up with him. European pros like to always comment on how good souL is in practice, but the Polish player so far couldn't back these statements up with results. Now, finally, it seems like he could somewhat show his potential on a bigger stage, winning a tough and heavily contested finals against the German, whose style he evidently knew very well—an advantage he successfully used. Europe has a new winner, but it's doubtful Reynor will stay away for long.
Having already won the European cup, souL tried to secure the double victory, which, by now, is kind of becoming a small tradition for the EU Cup winners, with Big Gabe having tried it before. The Polish Terran ran into the same ultimate obstacle his German predecessor also couldn't overcome: the NA server's colonial overlord, Clem. The Frenchman, a mainstay of the NA Cup, had to bow to PartinG in the last two weeks, who would go on to win both times after having eliminated Clem. But similarly to Reynor letting Europe off the hook, PartinG was a no-show on NA this Sunday, leaving the way open for Clem and souL to climb into the finals, where Team Liquid's player emerged victorious, claiming his third win in the American ESL Open Cup in dominant fashion.
ESL Open Cup winners earn $100 in prize money and 10 ESL Pro Tour points. Players who finish second earn 5 ESL Pro Tour points. Week #15 of ESL Open Cups is set to take place on April 19th.