• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
TeamLiquid Liquipedia LiquidDota LiquidLegends
EDT 13:48
CEST 19:48
KST 02:48
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL14] Ro24 Preview Pt2: Speedrunning7WTL 2022 Summer - Playoffs Preview4Farewell CCL: Season 4 Recap1WTL 2022 Summer - Regular Season Awards + Week 119[ASL14] Ro24 Preview Pt1: Long Awaited15
Community News
[BSL] 2v2 ProLeague Day 1 & Day 2 - 20:00 on Trovo0[TSL 9] TIME's replacement, UK Barcrafts38ESL Open Cup #135: ByuN, MaxPax, Solar win5Code Season 3 (2022) - RO20 groups announced70GSL S3 2022 Qualifier Cast (AfreecaTV)3
StarCraft 2
General
SC2 World Champion Walk of Fame [TSL 9] TIME's replacement, UK Barcrafts [H] No more resume from replay vs AI ? PvZ and creep Code Season 3 (2022) - RO20 groups announced
Tourneys
AfreecaTV Theatre of Dreams ($5,600) Announcing $5,000 G-FUEL Gladiators' Cup Sniper's Team League Season 1 HomeStory Cup 21 SC2 Tournament Forum Posting Tips
Strategy
Terran Mule Timing wankery PvT macro builds What should I try to work on to improve my TvZ Maru Offensive Widow Mine Drop
Custom Maps
[A] SC Real Scale Alternate Melee | Extension Mod – Multiplayer LotV [M](4) Typhoon StarLance | Extension Mod – Multiplayer LotV
External Content
Mutation # 330 Ulnar New Year Mutation # 329 Attrition Warfare Mutation # 328 Overclocked Mutation # 327 Temple of Rebirth
Brood War
General
BGH auto balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ StarCraft:Remastered - New Ladder Season ? The future of starcraft broodwar Moataz attacking BW discords [ASL14] Ro24 Preview Pt2: Speedrunning
Tourneys
[BSL] 2v2 ProLeague Day 1 & Day 2 - 20:00 on Trovo [ASL14] Ro24 Group D [ASL14] Ro24 Group E [ASL14] Ro24 Group F
Strategy
Battery control PvT advise for noobs [PvP] How to defend vs. 2 gate zealot into nexus Project: Strat Update
Other Games
General Games
Final Fantasy XIV Pokémon Go! Diablo IV Company of Heroes 3 Nintendo Switch Thread
Dota 2
Official Dota and Chess General Discussion PGL Arlington Major [DPC 21-22] Tour 3 Discussion/LR TL.net migration megathread + LiquidDota archive
League of Legends
What do you think of the animated series Arcane? [Summer Split] LoL Esports General Discussion [Patch Notes] Release General Discussion
Heroes of the Storm
HotS: WP and Funny Moments Farewell CCL: Season 4 Recap Time of the Season: X-Cup Summer Preview The New Kings of Paris: MCC Finals Recap
Hearthstone
TL Mafia
Chezinu streak(s) Mafia TL Mafia Community Thread British Empire Mini Mafia II
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread US Politics Mega-thread Coronavirus and You Trading/Investing Thread UK Politics Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
The Flash Fan Club The herO Fan Club! INnoVation Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Korean Music Discussion [TV] HBO's Westworld Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
2022 - 2023 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion McBoner: A hockey love story NBA General Discussion 2021 - 2022 Football Thread
Tech Support
Simple Questions Simple Answers Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread The Ultimate Mouse Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
So I wrote a song
Jubinell
Some New Pilot Certificat…
micronesia
U.S. Remote Job Opportunity…
FrinkX
Namkraft's ASL 14 ENG casts…
namkraft
Regarding teenagers and …
mantequilla
New EG Roster
cmsimon
Programming Without Addera…
codonbyte
Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumhe…
JimmiC
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1540 users

[TSL 9] - Week 1 Recap / Week 2 Preview

Forum Index > SC2 General
1 CommentPost a Reply

[TSL 9] - Week 1 Recap / Week 2 Preview

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
August 4th, 2022 21:23 GMT
Week 1 Recap
Favorites prevail over the weekend

Week 2 Preview
Big Matches:
Serral vs Clem, Astrea vs Reynor

Brackets and standings on (Wiki)Liquipedia

Vods on Twitch
Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3

Week 1 Recap

by Wax

Compared to the upset-laden first week of TSL8 that saw Clem and Zest go out early, TSL9 kicked off in predictable fashion with the favorites mostly coming out on top. While there were still exciting games to be had (more on that below), clashes between high-profile players have been reserved for week two.

[image loading]

Week one did feature one big surprise, however, as Brazil's (Wiki)Kelazhur took down Mexico's (Wiki)SpeCial in a Latin American showdown. Having won seven out of seven DHM: Latin America tournaments (the only player to have won every single regional in the DHM system), SpeCial had proven himself to be beyond dominant in his region. Not only that, but Kelazhur's match record against SpeCial over the last four years was a paltry 4W-25L, with just one of those wins coming in what could be considered a 'major' tournament. While it's hard to say just yet that the balance of power is shifting in Latin America, it was certainly a significant upset.

To a lesser extent, (Wiki)Classic's 2-0 victory over (Wiki)ByuN was one of the surprises of the first round. Classic had made rapid progress upon returning from military service in August of 2021, but it felt as if he had plateaued in 2022. Overcoming a strong player like ByuN was an encouraging result for the one-time Code S champion as he looks to find further success in his post-military career. Interestingly enough, Classic named herO as specific inspiration in his post-match interview, suggesting that he had given him new hope for what a 'returnee' might achieve.

[image loading]

Alas, we had to bid eight players adieu in week one. While all of them will be missed, I'm particularly sad to see DongRaeGu and SKillous go out.

(Wiki)DongRaeGu reached the top six of GSL in consecutive seasons in 2022, and he was certainly a threat to achieve a similar result in TSL9. However, he drew a tough bracket where he faced (Wiki)GuMiho and (Wiki)RagnaroK consecutively, and it's not too surprising that he would lose to such formidable foes. GuMiho, in particular, is a player I'd keep an eye on going forward. He's had some stops and starts in his post-military career, but some of his recent results—including a huge 2-0 win against Serral in HomeStory Cup XXI—suggest he might be ready to make a big impact in a major event.

As for (Wiki)SKillous, it was unfortunate to see him drop out of an event in the early phases again. Back in late 2021/early 2022, he was in the same category with Creator and herO as Protosses who were getting great results in online cups but still needed to prove themselves in major tournaments. Alas, while Creator and herO went on to have fantastic GSL runs, SKillous is still looking for his breakout event. Unfortunately,he won't have the opportunity in TSL9, and will have to look forward to DreamHack Atlanta.

Recommended Games

Ryung vs Lambo, Game 2 (at 02:24:50): I won't sugarcoat it too much—the opening weekend of TSL9 wasn't the most exciting three days of StarCraft II I've seen. However, (Wiki)Ryung and (Wiki)Lambo still managed to deliver a nerve-wracking experience on Inside and Out, with the gaming coming down to control over a final 'neutral' expansion in the waning minutes. Though fans are sure to cry out about the state of TvZ balance, this match largely came down to each players ability to control (and protect) their crucial late-game spellcasters.

While Ryung lamented the quality of his play afterward, he should take a little bit of solace in having given the viewers a fine spectacle to watch.

Astrea vs NightMare, Game 2: (at 03:33:20): Was this game an epic comeback? Or was this game an epic throw? The answer is that it was a little bit of both, as no one can ever come back from behind without their opponent making some mistakes.

(Wiki)NightMare had taken game one by holding off a cannon-rush from (Wiki)Astrea, and was on the cusp of stealing a 2-0 upset after he built a significant mid-game lead for himself in game two. However, Astrea put in a fantastic performance to show how mental composure can overcome huge material disadvantages on the battlefield. The maneuverability of Blink Stalkers was the key for Astrea, as he used them to harass, buy time, and ultimately pull off an improbable comeback.

God of Predictions: ZombieGrub

This week's GOD(DESS) OF PREDICTIONS is (Wiki)ZombieGrub, who went 7/8 on her prognostications for 87.5% accuracy. ZG's only error was picking ByuN to beat Classic, but it did not cost her in the end as both of her co-casters picked the same result. Second place goes to TSL newcomer (Wiki)Beomulf, who went 13/16 across two days of games for 81.25% accuracy.

Day 1 Caster Predictions - Day 2 Caster Predictions - Day 3 Caster Predictions

Unfortunately, there is still no prize for being declared the GOD(DESS) OF PREDICTIONS in a given week—at least until one of our wonderful sponsors wants to step in. But really, if one is proven to have a vastly superior intellect, could there possibly be a material reward that matches such bliss?

Week 2 Preview

The competition is set to really heat up in week two, with a couple of blockbuster matches already confirmed. Here's the upcoming slate of matches:

  • All games streamed on Twitch.TV/TLnet
  • Friday, Aug 05 11:00am GMT (GMT+00:00): Upper bracket round 2 (best-of-3)
    • Clem vs Serral
    • Zoun vs GuMiho
    • Reynor vs Astrea
    • herO vs Classic
    • Creator vs TIME
    • HeroMarine vs Lambo
    • Maru vs ShoWTimE
    • Neeb vs Kelazhur
  • Saturday, Aug 06 11:00am GMT (GMT+00:00): Lower bracket round 2 (best-of-3
    • Solar vs TBD
    • RagnaroK vs TBD
    • trigger vs TBD
    • ByuN vs TBD
    • Rex vs TBD
    • Ryung vs TBD
    • Elazer vs TBD
    • SpeCial vs TBD
  • Sunday, Aug 07 11:00am GMT (GMT+00:00): Upper bracket round 3 and lower bracket round 3 (best-of-3)
    • Eight matches TBD


Spotlight Matches: Serral vs Clem, Astrea vs Reynor

The clear highlight of the week is (Wiki)Serral vs (Wiki)Clem, which is a rematch of the HomeStory Cup XXI finals held last month. Serral ended up winning by a dominant 5-1 scoreline, suggesting the days when Clem was a 'counter' to Serral are long gone. The one-sided nature of the HSC series projects Serral as the favorite, and Aligulac.com gives him a considerable edge with a 72%+ chance of winning. However, Clem's ability to catch fire for a single series can't be underestimated, making this a can't-miss match.

The other big HSC rematch is (Wiki)Astrea vs (Wiki)Reynor, with Astrea having won in a 3-2 upset in Krefeld. Astrea called that the biggest win of his career—which probably isn't hyperbole, even though he was caught up in the emotion of the moment. Though he had won the DHM: North American title in the past, he had never really made a serious impact in a major international event. Astrea's victory over Reynor, and subsequent third place finish, has elevated him to another level.

As for Reynor, he's in a bit of a rut after finishing top eight at DHM: Valencia and top twelve at HSC, so one hopes he's motivated to make TSL9 a bounceback tournament. Amusingly enough, Reynor has just joined Astrea at the 'NoRegret house' in Korea, and they'll presumably be playing this match as housemates. If they've already gotten into the habit of playing customs against each other, that could be an interesting strategic wrinkle for this match.

The third match I'm quite intrigued by is (Wiki)Maru vs (Wiki)ShoWTimE. I'm still not sure how to interpret Maru's 1-4 drubbing at the hands of herO in GSL finals: is herO just THAT good, or did Maru just have an off-night where his gameplan didn't work out (those 2-base all-ins didn't look strong at all…)? ShoWTimE could serve as a good barometer of Maru's level at this time. Also, ShoWTimE himself is on a bit of an uptick lately, though largely powered by his efficient assimilation of herO's PvZ style. However, PvT is still a bit of a question mark for him, so this match against Maru could give us a lot of information about die Mauer as well.

Super Sunday? herO vs Reynor, Maru vs Neeb

Friday is the last day of the TSL9 where we'll have a 100% determined card of fights, with the remaining days determined as we go. If we project the bracket out, there's potential for some stellar matches on Sunday, some of which are grand finals caliber.

The match I'm most eager to see is herO vs Reynor. herO is the Code S champion and arguably the best player in the world. Reynor, despite a few hiccups in recent events, is still a top three Zerg in the world. This potential match would be worthy of the grand finals, and in my opinion, the most high-level match of the tournament to that point (with apologies to Serral and Clem).

The two actually met recently in the final week of the World Team League regular season, where herO trounced Reynor by a 2-0 scoreline. In fact, the beating was so bad that Reynor wasn't fielded in the ace match, with TIME being sent out instead (we can't say Reynor ducked the ace match because we don't know whose decision this was). The PvZ meta is changing rapidly around the immensely influential 'herO-style,' and I'm curious to see what kind of solutions Reynor has found for it. He doesn't seem like the type to be disheartened because he took a one-sided loss, and I hope a potential rematch is much more tightly contested.

Another interesting tentative duel is Maru vs Neeb. The two players are on opposite trajectories, with Maru's stock slightly down after his 1-4 drubbing against herO in the finals and (Wiki)Neeb soaring upwards as he makes his last major progaming push before becoming a full-time university student in the fall. One thing I hope to see play out is extreme late-game PvT. While Maru is considered to be the best late-game player in all three Terran match-ups, Neeb's knowledge of late-game theorycraft is also among the best in the pro-scene. If there's anyone who can crack Maru's turtle shell, it just might be the American Protoss.

Liquid+ Check-in





Writer: Wax
Images: TeamLiquid
Statistics and records: Liquipedia and Aligulac.com

Facebook Twitter Reddit
TL+ Member
Curufinwe Feanor
Profile Joined August 2012
Brazil42 Posts
August 04 2022 22:11 GMT
#2
KelaGods PvT has been great... So, im predicting a 3-2 overNeeb... Its gona be a great match!!
Aure Entüluva
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 6h 13m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
WinterStarcraft152
TKL 149
Nathanias 144
Dragon 67
Kas 51
DisKSc2 39
StarCraft: Brood War
firebathero 719
sSak 172
Light 109
Dewaltoss 80
[sc1f]eonzerg 49
ZZZero.O 32
trutaCz 32
Hyun 20
IntoTheRainbow 6
Dota 2
Gorgc12207
qojqva4042
EternaLEnVy753
febbydoto80
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
fl0m3742
officialf0rest1909
Other Games
hiko6962
Stewie2K4585
tarik_tv4523
Beastyqt1203
crisheroes1045
C9.Mang0590
ceh9398
Lowko286
Trikslyr179
RotterdaM136
Hui .119
QueenE45
KnowMe24
Organizations
Other Games
B2W.Neo1074
Dota 2
BeyondTheSummit288
StarCraft 2
Esl_sc2182
ESL.tv182
TaKeTV 80
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 30 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• davetesta 61
• StrangeGG 41
• [Ris3n]Renegade 14
• gerald23 6
• Dystopia_ 3
• Kozan
• Laughngamez YouTube
• LaughNgamez Trovo
• iNuTV
• IndyKCrew
• Gussbus
• Poblha
• Migwel
• intothetv
• aXEnki
• Alpha X_
StarCraft: Brood War
• alia 25
• Michael_bg 2
• starkiss 1
• sscaitournament1
• FirePhoenix1
• STPLYoutube
• BSLYoutube
• AfreecaTV YouTube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV3255
League of Legends
• Nemesis2735
• TFBlade2550
• PePiiNeRO450
Other Games
• imaqtpie1332
• Shiphtur815
Upcoming Events
OSC
6h 13m
Lady AfreecaTV Starcraf…
12h 13m
Alpha X Event
17h 13m
ESPOT SC2 Circuit
22h 13m
BSL 2v2 ProLeague
1d
OSC
1d 2h
OSC
1d 2h
ESL Pro Tour
1d 9h
Theatre of Dreams
1d 16h
Serral vs Solar
MaxPax vs Cure
Serral vs MaxPax
Solar vs Cure
Solar vs MaxPax
Serral vs Cure
New Worlds Map Contest:…
1d 23h
Bonyth vs Sziky
Hawk vs TerrOr
BoA vs MadiNho
OyAji vs SquaLL
[ Show More ]
BSL 2v2 ProLeague
2 days
PSISTORM Gaming Misc
2 days
ESL Pro Tour
2 days
ESL Pro Tour
3 days
Theatre of Dreams
3 days
BeAsT Cup
3 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
4 days
OlimoLeague
4 days
BeAsT Cup
5 days
Online Event
6 days
ESPOT SC2 Circuit
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

StarClash 0818 CHN vs KOR
WTL 2022 Summer
Community Clash League S4
WePlay Academy League S5

Ongoing

GAN Race Survival Season 5
KCM Ladies Race Survival 2022 Season 3
ASL Season 14
KCM Race Survival 2022 Season 3
BSL Season 15: ChoboLeague
Screw Me Up Bro
Luck Over Strength
FS Mania
CSL season 6 Summer Cup
STL37
LASL Season 14
Future Cup 5 (U18)
DSSL 15
BSL Season 15: HasuLeague
Hongtu Solo League S3
TSL 9
WardiTV Summer 2022
NGS Storm Division S5
ESL Challenger League S42 AP
BLAST Premier Fall Groups

Upcoming

Deathfate Pro League 4
CWCL Season 5
Deathfate Pro Team League 2
StarClash 0828 CHN vs KOR Week10
StarClash 0821 CHN vs KOR Week9
IEM Katowice 2023
HSC XXII
2022 GSL: ST 2
DH Masters Atlanta
2022 GSL S3: Code S
Gladiators' Cup
Heroes International
Heroes Int. - NA LC Qual.
Heroes Int. - NA Qual. 2
Heroes Int. - EU LC Qual.
Heroes Int. - EU Qual. 2
Heroes Int. - NA Qual. 1
Heroes Int. - EU Qual. 1
IEM Rio Major 2022
IEM Rio 2022: AME RMR
IEM Rio 2022: EU RMR B
IEM Rio 2022: EU RMR A
IEM Rio 2022: APAC RMR
ESL Challenger Melbourne 2022
ESL Pro League Season 16
ESL Challenger League S42 EU
ESL Challenger League S42 NA
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2022 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.