With the blessing of the Emperor of Starcraft, the TSL2 champion, and one of the best casting duos in the sport, the TSL kicks off on Saturday with a slate of phenomenal matches. Yet the TSL does no do sophomore slumps. Indeed the second day of the TSL will a set of intriguing and close contests. Featured is the GSL3 winner oGsMC, the talisman of the foreign starcraft scene, and Liquid's own Jinro and HuK. Matched against them are two hot zergs from Denmark and Sweden, the GSL-tested champion of China, and a deadly rising protoss from Germany. The matches will not only be fiercely contested, they may also go a long way to deciding the progress of the tournament, as these players all have higher ambitions than just the next round. There are championship contenders and spoilers alike in this series, and when the countdown ends, it's anyone's game.
There's no beating around the bush here; much of the discussion about this match is not whether Ciara can beat MC, but rather if he can even make a good showing of himself. Make no mistake, MC is the best SC2 player on earth right now, and probably has been for longer than we all realized; his GSL January loss was not indicative of his overall skill. Now he's reached his second GSL final and looks unbeatable. Meanwhile, Ciara is an adept player who has been more prolific than most people realize. However he has yet to show any real dominance among his European peers, nor unorthodox play that could prove difficult for MC to decode. Ciara's strength comes out of his confident attitude, in part born out of a fruitful WC3 career with several WCG runs. With international experience, he is unlikely to be unnerved by playing a Korean. But it does not seem likely that confidence and solid play will be enough to give him a foothold against the world's best.
Bracket Contest: I don't see Ciara winning this, and I have a feeling that there is fairly widespread agreement on this. MC is solid in many ways, and he is the least likely of the Koreans to underestimate the surprise potential of foreign play. I don't imagine that Ciara will go down with token resistance, and I expect good games here. But it's hard to imagine a scenario in which MC would give this series away.
Bracket Stat: oGsMC was picked to win in 99% of brackets (3224 to 44, okay to be fair thats only 98.65%).
This is a really fascinating match-up. There were high expectations for China at the release of Sc2. Chinese esports is growing faster than anywhere else in the world and with a pool of talented Wc3 and BW players to draw from, it seemed like China was well positioned to carve out a significant place in the Sc2 scene. Instead, Loner exists as the only significant player from the Middle Kingdom, and he has shown inflexible and ineffective play in the GSL's. In particular, he has relied on two-base timing and tech strategies that have been pretty quickly decoded and defeated. His opponent in this series needs no introduction. White-Ra has been the foreigner scene's stalwart for nearly the totality of stracraft history. He is both a thinker and a doer and can be counted upon to bring good preparation and excellent fundamentals to the table. His dominance of the international scene in the last few months has cemented him firmly as one of the elite players in the foreign scene, and a serious threat to Korean dominance.
Bracket Contest: For a career built on consistency, White-Ra can still lose individual series and games in unexpected fashion. Luckily for him, Loner has not shown a good deal of individuality nor the ability to elevate his game when the situation requires. He is a solid player, but White-Ra is more adaptive and resourceful an opponent, and the Ukrainian should make this the most comfortable foreigner vs asian series in the tournament.
Bracket Stat: White-Ra picked to win in 85% of brackets (2763 to 503).
The mystery match-up of this opening round, everyone would love to know how this series will turn out. HasuObs has been on the Sc2 radar since the beta, but only recently has he begun to solidify his position as one of the best protoss in Europe. Several good TLOpen performances had put him in striking distance for the final event, but he powered through to win the whole tournament and deliver his teammate Strelok into the TSL. Meanwhile, his opponent needs little introduction on TL. HuK's electrifying run into Code S has given the foreign scene a protoss savior in Korea. His force fields and practice regimen have become more famous than his four gating past. He does, however have a widely known weakness in PvP, and that gives HasuObs an opening that he will aim to exploit. HuK lost to Socke at Assembly, and Hasu will doubtless be watching those games for inspiration. PvP is not usually a match-up that leads to a lot of anticipation, but this is the exception.
Bracket Contest: PvP may well be HuK's worst MU, but he qualified for Code S in a PvP series, and won 6 PvPs at Assembly before losing to Socke. Indeed, his 66% winning percentage in foreign competition in that MU is proof enough of his skill. HasuObs is an excellent player with a lot of great results recently, but HuK plays more and at a higher level, as well as playing a ton of PvP lately. The protoss mirror is unforgiving and unpredictable, but HuK has the micro and experience to be considered the strong favorite.
Bracket Stat: Huk picked to win in 86% of brackets (2785 to 441).
Maybe it sounds contrived by now, but each and every one of these Sunday TSL matches look to me like the finals of a major tournament. For the final match of the first weekend, this is Swedish Nationals. In a nation of nine million, two Swedes have consistently risen above the rest. Jinro's accomplishments in the GSL are extremely well known, but his participation in foreign online tournaments has not been quite as dominating as his offline play. He remains one of the most methodical preparing players in the game, and his game knowledge is tremendous. Against a zerg he will be at home. MorrOw meanwhile, has made a remarkable transformation from one of the international scene's best terrans to one of the international scene's best zergs. In the process he's had ups and downs, but has emerged even stronger than before. His macro and defensive play; ever so important for the swarm, is superb. He will also be playing his best match-up here in ZvT.
Bracket Contest: This is a very close match. Jinro plays his best starcraft when he's had time to prepare and he will have had that cushion here. His showmatch against IdrA in particular showed what Jinro is capable of in the TvZ match-up. MorrOw is up against the wall here, but he is a tremendously talented player and his successful transition from terran to zerg is a testament to his hard work and ability. In TSL2, MorrOw didn't perform as well as he would've hoped. In TSL3, MorrOw has an outside chance to make amends, but Jinro should still win.
Bracket Stat: Jinro picked to win in 94% of brackets (3051 to 209).
The TSL will be in full swing by Sunday, and with half of the Ro32 done, answers to some important questions will start to emerge. How can foreigners stack up against Koreans? Will racial or server imbalances play a role? Will their Korean training benefit those foreigners with GSL experience? Can a North American protoss take the third TSL as well? Forum posts will fly, irc chats will rage, and liquibets will be made. But ultimately the answers to these questions can only be found one place. Tune in, watch everything, cheer hard. The TSL is at full steam.
Cheerfuls !
By Asha
By FiReMaN
By Darksteel
By DiaBoLuS
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I dont see how Ciara can win. I just dont. The fact that he qualified through points rather than winning an open despite multiple showings further weakens his standing. Dont get me wrong, I think Ciara is solid but solid is not what's needed to beat MC. You have to be exceptional. Or maybe lag will make a difference?
Jinro vs Morrow - I have to say Jinro. Once more, being solid just doesnt cut it.
Hasu vs Huk - I'd love to say Huk, but he has always come across as being extremely volatile. He loses games he shouldnt lose and wins games he shouldnt. Plus, PvP being what it is right now makes me shrug.
The two beasts from the easts - PvZ is unforgivable to Z nowadays. Im sure Ra has watched the GSL finals and learnt a thing or two from MC, making it harder for Loner to win.
On March 20 2011 22:50 Crissaegrim wrote: I dont see how Ciara can win. I just dont. The fact that he qualified through points rather than winning an open despite multiple showings further weakens his standing. Dont get me wrong, I think Ciara is solid but solid is not what's needed to beat MC. You have to be exceptional. Or maybe lag will make a difference?
He will 6pool g1 and speedling allin with proxy hatch in g2. The danish way gg MC.
Only thing i disagree with is the ratio of morrow vs jinro, i believe morrow has a pretty good chance to take it even if not quite 50% edit: the member made brackets that is! you stated it will be a close match and i agree :D
I saw a ton of writing mistakes. Then I came back to comment, and I couldn't find them. Except for the first few sentences, that is. I think I'm seeing things...
On March 20 2011 22:50 Crissaegrim wrote: The two beasts from the easts - PvZ is unforgivable to Z nowadays. Im sure Ra has watched the GSL finals and learnt a thing or two from MC, making it harder for Loner to win.
Loner is Terran. White-ra also plays a very different PvT. So it's going to be a super awesome match.
I will admit, I got a good giggle out of the foreigner community giving Ciara a 1% chance while the PlayXP community gave him a 9% short heh.
Jinro vs MorroW and WhiteRa vs Loner are definitely the matches I'm looking forward to the most! I hope Ciara does manage to put up a fight even if it's a losing one, but I can't say I care much for the PvP, it will be awesome if Hasu can make it through but it's always coinflippy so who knows if he will pull through.
OMG, tonights matches are gonna be awesome, can't wait for Jinro VS MorroW, Sweden fighting!
MorrOw meanwhile, has made a remarkable transformation from one of the international scene's best terrans to one of the international scene's best zergs
Matches today look okay... However I get the feeling the only way today's games will be good is if some major upset happens...
Ciara vs MC... on mostly GSL maps... I hope he gets Metal and Xel and finds something inspirational because this is gonna be short and painful for Ciara. Kinda hoping MC pulls some killer DTs He makes em look better than cloaked banshees
Looking forward to huk vs hasuobs, don't care what people say of PvP still a fun matchup to watch.
ciara is not even able to beat top european protosses regularly, how will he ever beat MC. Jinro - i feel his best MU is TvZ. MorroW is good, but he's still not where he was with terran. hasuobs slashes huk. jup. and whinte-loner is gonna be a close 2-1 for ra, since he plays such strange build orders sometimes instead of solid games. plus he didnt play too well lately.
On March 20 2011 23:29 Drium wrote: Who is casting today?
DjWheat and Husky. I don't know about you but I don't mind either of them (Husky was my first caster so maybe I might seem a bit biased even though I don't think I am) but yeah.
mc,s forcefield will be def lagged. without accurate forcefield mc,s just a normal toss. He,ll lose n learn more life. yeah he should. ciara hwaiting!!!
These are some awesome matchups... Im so pumped for this! I wouldent count Ciara out, hes a good player, and if MC got as much lag as boxer claims he had, i could see Ciara going all-in and taking it. But i wouldent bet money on it
And i hate Morrow vs Jinro, my two absolute favorite players, dont want any of them to loose. Who the hell am i supposed to cheer for?!
I guess ill cheer for Morrow just cuz hes the underdog
I think Loner is gonna take out White-Ra, Loner is just trolling when he says "i think im the worst of all the players in TSL bla bla bla...". White-Ra on the other hand says he havent been able to practise much, and him i belive.
At first I was surprised how lopsided the bracket predictions were in each game, but after further thinking, WhiteRa and MC are the big favourites, and it's obvious that TL members would vote for TL players. :p
Still funny that the closest prediction in the first 8 games is a 71% - 29% split Sen vs Fenix. :p
I have no doubt that todays games will be just as good as yesterdays. I'm especially hyped for the white-ra vs loner match and ofc the jinro vs morrow will be nothing short of amazing =)
On March 21 2011 00:59 Coolwhip wrote: I want to watch it, but husky ugh.
What's with all this Husky-hate? If people like Day[9] can respect him why can't you? Have you even listened to any of his casts recently? He has improved a lot.
On March 21 2011 01:35 RedDragon571 wrote: Is there someway to view TSL3 Live, and a schedule of when the matches begin? Perhaps im retarded but ive been looking everywhere!
The link will pop out on the right bar whenever it's on under "ON AIR:", and you can check when it's on under "Upcoming events:" also in the right bar
Does it look to anyone else from the poster as if White-Ra is playing HuK and HasuObs Loner? I got a bit confused between how oGsMC vs. Ciara is written as opposed to the others.
Kinda surprise by the Morrow vs Jinro prediction. Might be a lot more close than ppl think. Morrow doesn't have enough occasions to show his level i guess.
I feel that on these big maps, Zerg really has the edge over Terran (that was even acknowledged by Morrow himself)... Plus when there is lag, Terran is more disadvantaged considering that Terran relies more on Micro than Zerg in this MU... I can't believe Jinro is 94% favored, seems absolute madness to me.
On March 21 2011 02:17 TeWy wrote: I feel that on these big maps, Zerg really has the edge over Terran (that was even acknowledged by Morrow himself)... Plus when there is lag, Terran is more disadvantaged considering that Terran relies more on Micro than Zerg in this MU... I can't believe Jinro is 94% favored, seems absolute madness to me.
He has a massive fanclub, and lots of name recognition. Plus, he is the safer option; he has more results to his name. 94% favored doesn't mean he has a 94% chance of winning; it can just mean that 94% of people think he has a tiny advantage over MorroW--and he does.
So excited! TSL3 is shaping up to be the greatest tournament ever. Watching on my big-screen TV, sitting in my bathrobe, eating my breakfast cereal... This is nerd heaven!
On March 20 2011 22:50 Crissaegrim wrote: I dont see how Ciara can win. I just dont. The fact that he qualified through points rather than winning an open despite multiple showings further weakens his standing. Dont get me wrong, I think Ciara is solid but solid is not what's needed to beat MC. You have to be exceptional. Or maybe lag will make a difference?
Jinro vs Morrow - I have to say Jinro. Once more, being solid just doesnt cut it.
Hasu vs Huk - I'd love to say Huk, but he has always come across as being extremely volatile. He loses games he shouldnt lose and wins games he shouldnt. Plus, PvP being what it is right now makes me shrug.
The two beasts from the easts - PvZ is unforgivable to Z nowadays. Im sure Ra has watched the GSL finals and learnt a thing or two from MC, making it harder for Loner to win.
Morrow vs Jinro disappointed me so hard. Morrow's attempt to play a macro game was almost a joke, Jinro dominated in every aspect. But somehow Jinro, one of the best Ts, loses to ridiculous cheesy all ins from a player that is largely inferior to him. In the end it was like, 2 games were all ins that weren't held off and 1 game that was too one sided to be a good watch, with the lesser player going through with drone cutting all ins.
Yeah!!! Go Huk!!! Go Jinro!!! GO AND..... LOSE!!!!!!
Very nice games and i am glad that this TL guys lose even if my bracket choose was that Jinro goes to Semifinals!!! Very good games!!! I like TSL!!!! I like mouz
and for the record cutting probes or drones or SCVs is a matter of tactic not an all in! No one must make drones all the time thats why you must click on the button in order to make them
great games, not as upsetting to me as pretty much everyone says. ra vs loner was a close one, mc obviously won clearly, hasu won vs huks worst mu which isn't an upset at all given how awesome hasus games are lately and morrow vs jinro... ok that might be kind of an upset but morrows one of the few guys I'd expected to at least have a chance vs jinro so yeah I guess jinro would win a bigger series (which I don't think of huk in bigger huk vs hasu series btw) but losing to morrow's not impossible. I mean, yesterday was clearly more upsetting than today.
Why are games cast from replays? Are the casts still live?
Games are cast from replays to provide for the best possible playing environment for players, aiming to minimize lag and maintain a level of fair play. We feel that live streams, even with a slight delay, open a window that could compromise the integrity of the game. Even the slightest risk is one we do not want to take with so much at stake. The casts are still done live, and every precaution is taken to keep the results from casters and fans.
Can't wait for the recap to arrive. Hopefully Jinro and Huk won't feel too bad about themselves, they just had a bad day at work, and perhaps they were underestimating their opponents a bit as well.
On March 21 2011 06:41 PainCass wrote: Yeah!!! Go Huk!!! Go Jinro!!! GO AND..... LOSE!!!!!!
Very nice games and i am glad that this TL guys lose even if my bracket choose was that Jinro goes to Semifinals!!! Very good games!!! I like TSL!!!! I like mouz
and for the record cutting probes or drones or SCVs is a matter of tactic not an all in! No one must make drones all the time thats why you must click on the button in order to make them
Ofcouse it was an all in. If it would fail Jinro would have won, and thats pretty much the definition of all in.