The main casting team for TSL4 will be Sean "Day9" Plott, Mike "Husky" Lamond, Marcus "djWHEAT" Graham, Blake "Chill" Muzar, and Shaun "Apollo" Clark. Additionally, Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski may make a guest casting appearance depending on his availability and GSL schedule. The total prize pool for TSL4 will be $34,500 and will pay out to all qualified players.
Casters
We are very happy that all four TSL3 casters are returning for TSL4. They are a big reason why our tournament was successful, and we just had to try and bring them all back to create the same great chemistry and atmosphere. We're also very excited to add Apollo to our casting team, and we can't wait for him to make his TSL debut.
Day[9]
Sean “Day[9]” Plott is a man that anyone who follows Starcraft, even a little bit, will recognize. His days in Starcraft go back many years both as a player and Team Liquid contributor and is known for an extremely positive attitude and upbeat personality. He hosts the Day[9] Daily and the After Hours Gaming League in addition to casting for nearly every major event outside Korea, and has a unique style of humor that can't be found elsewhere.
Husky
Mike “Husky” Lamond has been casting since the days when being an English commentator meant taking Brood War videos and talking over the top of them. Since his foray into Starcraft 2 early in the beta he has grown into one of the most popular channels on all of Youtube and brings a passion and enthusiasm few can match. He has a special knack for music and turns any game into a fun, light-hearted affair that anyone can enjoy.
djWHEAT
Marcus “DjWheat” Graham is truly a veteran of the scene, having started his casting career with Quake over a decade ago. Within Starcraft 2 he has become a pillar, regularly commentating on games for MLG as well as hosting popular shows Kings of Tin, Inside the Game, and Live on Three. Now working as Twitch.tv's ESPORTS manager, he helped bring an air of professionalism and experience to the TSL3 experience and will do it again with the fourth installment.
Chill
Blake “Chill” Muzar has been a staple of all TL run events since the early days of TL Attack! and Liquibition, in addition to TSL. From casting the very first event to achieving his own catchphrase during the last game of TSL3 he has been here rain or shine. He casts games with an honesty that approaches bluntness, mixing in dry Canadian humo(u)r at a pace that makes each match fresh and new.
Apollo
Shaun “Apollo” Clark is the newest addition to the TSL's casting crew. A world champion in Command and Conquer 3 he started playing Brood War several years ago and moved into Starcraft 2 immediately during the beta. Most recently he commentated at DreamHack Stockholm and started working with the GD Studio for their Arena events. His experience both as a player and commentator allow him to give valuable insights in a wide number of situations and make him a perfect fit for the TSL.
The analytical half of the famous GSL Casting Archon, Artosis, may also be making a guest appearance if his busy schedule allows. He has been with the TSL since its humble beginnings and we hope he'll be able to cast at least one match in every TSL we run.
Prize Structure
Place
Prize
1st
$15,000
2nd
$7,000
3rd
$3,000
4th
$1,500
5th - 8th
$700
9th - 16th
$350
17th - 32nd
$150
Sponsors:
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Awesome lineup! What a wonderful job casting (pun intended) these guys. It will be nice to see Husky back at a major event again. I think his play-by-play is underrated.
Yeah ! Sick add with Apollo, he's so great. Also its weird that TSLs (and TL Opens I guess) are like the only thing Chill casts. He's really good as well !
Since Artosis may hopefully guest appear for a cast or two - I'd wish to see a guest appearance by iNcontrol too for dat Chill + iNcontrol trolling combo.
It's amazing how much the scene has grown since TSL 3. Back then, TSL 3's prizepool was absolutely huge for a foreign tournament, but nowadays there are many tournaments with 6 figure prizepools. This is looking to be a great tournament, and I eagerly await further updates.
Thank you so much for getting Husky in again, he's gotten exponentially better even since the last TSL. Husky/Day9 are one of the best casting duos so far. I don't think he gets invited to enough tournaments lately.
thought the prize pool would be bigger, or better distributed, considering how much TL players talk/bitch about the distribution of prizes in tourneys not being able to support pro players....
TBH Chill is actually so nice during casts. I really like him. In the BW TSLs he is very understanding of the pressure players feel and critical of those who are too harsh on them. When he posts on the other hand.. then I think the description of him bordering on harshness is pretty accurate
Fantastic set up, Casters, and prize-pool. If each TSL continues to get better then the last, I can see TSL 5-6 imploding and making the universe collapse
Really can see any Liquid player taking this TSL! it would be great if half the top 8 ended up being TL players
On May 03 2012 09:33 Haffi wrote: huh, exactly the same prize pool as TSL3
pretty disappointing
are you serious? to me there is a sonorous difference between "pokerstrategy" TeamLiquid Star League 3 and TeamLiquid Star League 4 - and that says a lot.
guess cloud wont watch! just kidding my two favorite casters are included everything is perfect! =) looks like TSL will set the standard of a TOUR once again a step higher
Guys this is tl, a site dedicated to sc and whose livelihood comes directly from the scene giving back 30k+ of its own money for an epic tournament, not even considering the costs of the (top shelf) casters and plane tickets for the finalists. This isn't some tangentially related corporation putting down some cash to advertise there product, its our TL putting money into Starcraft to sell us back Starcraft! Be proud, this is your tournament, and I mean you you handsome random sitting behind a computer screen reading this. If that doesn't get you unbelievably pumped I don't know what will.
Apollo is nice and also Husky YAY! people might not like his casting but i personally ejnoy it and i haven't heard/seen a tournament casted by Husky in forever!
Los Angeles May 2, 2012- An internet icon known as "Day[9]" was found dead this morning in a city park, 10 gallons of semen was pumped from his stomache. -The New York Times
On May 03 2012 10:46 airbagface wrote: Los Angeles May 2, 2012- An internet icon known as "Day[9]" was found dead this morning in a city park, 10 gallons of semen was pumped from his stomache. -The New York Times
What the fuck did u just read.
Edit: I was so confused i even said u instead of I
Los Angeles May 2, 2012- An internet icon known as "Day[9]" was found dead this morning in a city park, 10 gallons of semen was pumped from his stomache. -The New York Times
Get out. What on earth made you think that post was acceptable? Damn this community seems to get worse by the day.
Fuck yes, Chill. Chill is an awesome caster. So are the others obviously, but I felt like that needed to be said since he doesn't cast often (atleast, that I have seen).
Glad to see chills back in the mix. He did an amazing job with TSL3, very direct casting and oddly hilarious at times. overall very entertaining and knowledgeable. I'm surprised we dont see him casting for other events, but he'll help TSL4 live up to its predecessors.
Also, stoked that Apollo's casting this go around. Cant wait for the games.
On May 03 2012 10:46 airbagface wrote: Los Angeles May 2, 2012- An internet icon known as "Day[9]" was found dead this morning in a city park, 10 gallons of semen was pumped from his stomache. -The New York Times
What the fuck did u just read.
Edit: I was so confused i even said u instead of I
I'm very excited for Chill being back in action, I'm actually pretty heartbroken that he has been so silent in SC2. Now with Weapon of Choice gone and the forums being so active, I hardly notice he exists which is a huge shame, I feel he brings something to commentary that others do not. I have very fond memories of watching him stream BW so I wish he could motivate himself to play SC2 like that.
Great line-up of casters, I really hope that Day[9] and Chill get to cast the finals, just because those two made some of the best moments from the TSL3 finals.
why no tasteless! =[ haha but seriously this should be even moar epic than last time (though i dont think i can ever be as hyped for a tournament as I was for TSL3)
$15,000 for first place + there are payouts for the top32 (on top of what they'll win during the opens i guess). That's how you make an online tournament a BIG deal.
TSL4 is going to be so sick O___O i expect the TL Opens to be utterly competitive already !
Yes we got Chill! Awesome stuff. Really nice price pool aswell. Was thinking this might be an event that got a good player pool because of its excellent reputation but man the prize money alone is good enough to get top contenders.
Someone else posted a similar comment, but Husky has dramatically improved as a caster over the last year and I think the TSL3 had a lot to do with it. He was my least favorite caster last year (and this was really my first time seriously watching pro SCII), but I really enjoy him now.
My favorite combo last year had to be Day[9] and Chill. But really, after a year of listening to all these people cast, any of these combinations will be fantastic. CatsPajamas and Doa is probably my current favorite casting duo, but I think DJWheat/Chill will give them a run for their money. Very little shouting, very dry humor, lots of great analysis.
I just came here to say I'm pumped to follow the qualifiers and see what unknowns might pop up.... that sort of a lie, I came here to say Chill get out but I figured that had probably already been done to death.
Fuck yeah, I'm loving this caster line up. Apollo is an amazing addition and for sure one of the very very best in the scene. Also, the Day9 + Husky combo is beyond awesome, happy to see that.
Yesss, Chill back at casting! I'd like to see Husky replaced with Arotsis. Nothing personal, but Husky has not really impressed me as a caster. His play-by-play is roughly above average.
Wow nice caster line-up. Chiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllll ... fuck yeah. Pricepool is really good. Now all it needs are good players and i can start to wet my pants.
On May 03 2012 15:22 SupLilSon wrote: Aside from the awesomeness of Chill casting TSL, I''m so happy that Apollo is on the caster lists. IMO one of the most underrated casters.
It's always great to see Apollo and Husky doing more major tournament casting. And, of course, the TSL is the best excuse to get Chill out in the public spotlight for the entertainment of all.
On May 03 2012 16:31 FabledIntegral wrote: Apollo started playing BW years ago? Says who? He never played except single player or maybe back like in 2000.... long before his CnC times.
Not that I mind him casting, I enjoy his casting, just pointing that out.
Errr, he played multiplayer and was in korea for a while with dan, he even makes appearances in some of artosis's old SCforall videos, around 2009? I believe. (more or less when Sc2 was announced in Korea.)
But spoiler alert the joke was always that the world class CnC player couldn't break D+ on ICCUP.
On May 03 2012 16:31 FabledIntegral wrote: Apollo started playing BW years ago? Says who? He never played except single player or maybe back like in 2000.... long before his CnC times.
Not that I mind him casting, I enjoy his casting, just pointing that out.
Actually I helped him learn the basics and he also trained with Median, whom he's friend's with. Obviously, it was in anticipation of SC2, but he did it at least half a year before SC2 beta, IIRC.
On May 03 2012 16:31 FabledIntegral wrote: Apollo started playing BW years ago? Says who? He never played except single player or maybe back like in 2000.... long before his CnC times.
Not that I mind him casting, I enjoy his casting, just pointing that out.
Actually I helped him learn the basics and he also trained with Median, whom he's friend's with. Obviously, it was in anticipation of SC2, but he did it at least half a year before SC2 beta, IIRC.
Well, the thing is, I "helped" him train too. But at no point did he get to any level of decency. Any regular BGH player would have slaughtered him in a 1v1... let alone a D player on iCCuP. Just felt it was misleading. I played a few games with him when I was struggling in D and walked over him in the first 6 minutes or so of the game both times, and I know he never really pursued it.
Not saying he couldn't get good if he didn't try, but he didn't put much effort there.
On May 03 2012 16:31 FabledIntegral wrote: Apollo started playing BW years ago? Says who? He never played except single player or maybe back like in 2000.... long before his CnC times.
Not that I mind him casting, I enjoy his casting, just pointing that out.
Actually I helped him learn the basics and he also trained with Median, whom he's friend's with. Obviously, it was in anticipation of SC2, but he did it at least half a year before SC2 beta, IIRC.
Well, the thing is, I "helped" him train too. But at no point did he get to any level of decency. Any regular BGH player would have slaughtered him in a 1v1... let alone a D player on iCCuP. Just felt it was misleading. I played a few games with him when I was struggling in D and walked over him in the first 6 minutes or so of the game both times, and I know he never really pursued it.
Not saying he couldn't get good if he didn't try, but he didn't put much effort there.
Well, I think the point of that line about BW was that he delved into it, not that he was a serious competitor.
So extremely happy about the casters, really hope to see much of everyone!!!! Gonna be soooooooooo great regardless of players when these guys are casting!! I <3 eSports and TL!
This is a sick caster lineup! :D Wheat has always been a favorite. Husky is slowly becoming another favorite, and he can co-cast with anyone. Day9 is Day9. Apollo know more about this game then anyone (imo). And there wouldnt be TSL without Chill! HYPE!
You sexist pig , Chill is neutral commentator and would never say anything like that. "Minerals being mined, probe being sent" is what he would say. Not your "he". Such a blatant bias
Anyway awesome casters, cannot wait for TL Opens to start.
I'm extremely happy for TL to have Day9 and now homegrown Chill to cast one of the major SC2 events. I wish you could also get Tastosis for next season.
Does TL not like Tasteless? I wonder how that works, maybe Artosis asks less money, or does it completely for free, while Tasteless refuses to do stuff like that as he once said.
On May 03 2012 22:18 niteReloaded wrote: Does TL not like Tasteless? I wonder how that works, maybe Artosis asks less money, or does it completely for free, while Tasteless refuses to do stuff like that as he once said.
It's the fact that Artosis got his start with the first TSL.
On May 03 2012 22:18 niteReloaded wrote: Does TL not like Tasteless? I wonder how that works, maybe Artosis asks less money, or does it completely for free, while Tasteless refuses to do stuff like that as he once said.
I'd rather he not cast anyways, imo Tasteless is an extremely subpar caster... some casters miss something or don't understand things and talk about how they don't understand it. Tasteless is one of the only "top tier" casters that is flat out wrong, REGULARLY. And by regularly I mean nearly 25% of the shit he says is flat out wrong.
He tries far too hard to take a SC2 situation and compare how it was in BW. He'll remember "oh this situation for T was really bad in BW" and then he'll be like "I want to talk about this for a second, in this situation....." and he'll be COMPLETELY wrong.
Artosis on the other hand is arguably the only caster, besides Rotterdam probably, that I feel has more in game knowledge than me. I love when Artosis casts.
On May 03 2012 18:34 Tigi wrote: Husky and Wheat ...? Exactly what cloud was talking about...
Going to have to hit the mute button 2/5 of the time. :|
It's a shame it won't have Korean commentary.... I'd rather listen to that even if I don't understand it all that well.
I just don't feel like either will do the TSL justice.
How can ANYONE hate on DJWheat? I just do not understand it. Even if you think he has poor game knowledge (he doesn't, but people will hate on any caster who makes even the slightest gaffe), he should be fine alongside Day9, Apollo, or Artosis. I think you will find that he actually has better game knowledge than Chill, and Chill is awesome.
On May 03 2012 18:34 Tigi wrote: Husky and Wheat ...? Exactly what cloud was talking about...
Going to have to hit the mute button 2/5 of the time. :|
It's a shame it won't have Korean commentary.... I'd rather listen to that even if I don't understand it all that well.
I just don't feel like either will do the TSL justice.
How can ANYONE hate on DJWheat? I just do not understand it. Even if you think he has poor game knowledge (he doesn't, but people will hate on any caster who makes even the slightest gaffe), he should be fine alongside Day9, Apollo, or Artosis. I think you will find that he actually has better game knowledge than Chill, and Chill is awesome.
What? ._.
I love opinions.
With regards to Wheat. He sticks to what he knows (casting wise as a play-by-play commentator), which is a stagnate job in itself. He could definitely improve.
The Wheat I knew back in 2006 or was it 2005? is really no different than the 2012 version.
Great lineup, havent seen day9 and husky a lot lately in tournements but i really enjoy them (definitely day9). Also great that apollo joined, my favorite caster lately
On May 04 2012 06:10 Happystreet wrote: 2 Questions.
1. Will there be another bracket guessing tournament? That was cool.
2. Will there be awesome portraits again? That was cool.
Oh the portraits, I'd love those again. Them along with the ridiculous good streetfighter style of IPL1 were the best!
Unfortunately I don't think any picture of TZain would be as awesome as the serial killer Nony one was for the main intro. Nony just had the look for it.No offense meant to TZain.
I would have expected the prize pool to be higher, with all the hype around TSL 4. Maybe TL is trying to make a statement that the current prizes are too high and we are going to have a big bubble?
On May 04 2012 12:26 tyrless wrote: pretty small #1 prize money
Not really.
IMO the TSL is one of the more prestigious tournaments in the foreign comunity. It only comes around every so often but its production value is almost always perfect and the story lines man THE STORIES TO BE TOLD! make it better
On May 04 2012 12:26 tyrless wrote: pretty small #1 prize money
Not really.
IMO the TSL is one of the more prestigious tournaments in the foreign comunity. It only comes around every so often but its production value is almost always perfect and the story lines man THE STORIES TO BE TOLD! make it better
That means it shouldn't be that hard to get a sponsor to pad the prize pool a bit though - who's up to contacting a bunch of esports sponsors and doubling the prize pool?
Never was a fan on Chill's casting, but the other 4 are top of the line at what they do. So I can't wait. Day9/Husky and Wheat/Apollo combos would be awesome.
Haven't heard Chill casting since TSL 3, hope he is still up with recent meta game, builds, pro scene n stuff But still sick sick line up and great prizepool!
So the caster line-up consists of those that have recently taking a lot of crap in this whole caster-debate except for Apollo? Well, I don't think it's too bad, though. Really comes down to who pairs with whom. Curious to see how Chill will perform. Anyways: TSL 4 is going to be awesome!
On May 06 2012 00:47 Mozdk wrote: I have never heard Chill casting. Can anyone link to a game where he is casting? I don't mind it if they are kinda old. And wont mind SC:BW either.
He casted a lot of the TSL3, including the whole finals.
I just rewatched the game where Chill gets out and Day9 had to cast that match to the end by himself. That was 10 times better casting from day than the day9 today. Such genuine excitement. I really hope day brings his a-game to this tourney
Nice! Chill casting again is exciting. I hope he makes a hype-video TSL3-Style. Normally I don't go full-fanboy-mode but the last one really did the trick.
The other casters are great too, I especially like Apollo. This will be a great tournament.
I dunno what it is about TSL, but I just get incredibly excited about it, more so than any other online (or offline) tournament I ever see. It just feels homey and comfortable.
God I miss Chill's casting. If anyone wants to see how awesome this guy really is go search for "Chill neutral casting" or something close on Youtube. That was one of my favorite things I've ever seen SC2 related. Chill is a baller.
cant believe the prize pool is only 30k...such a ripoff, they know people will watch it no matter what and just want to cash in, then they tell you you're killing esports for adblocking TL. disgusting.
Wow, this is a really solid team of casters. Like, i know that 90% of the past 20 pages of posts is other people saying "awesome casters" but I'd just like to also say: AWESOME CASTERS :D
The prize pool is substantial as well, and the apportionment (15/7/3/1.5) make every game super important. This event looks very well constructed and I'm looking forward to it.
I always liked the choice for the TSL casters and the rotation within the Duos like day n chill day n husky etc... Apollo is also one of my facvrite casters, great you added him to the pool and hopefully this TSL will even become better than the former ones - which is quite hard to achieve but im sure TL ll make it
on a side note everyone should watch the idra vs noony(tyler) matches from TSL 2 again or if you havent seen it do it ASAP, such a fucking nice series !
Sick caster line-up. Chill/day[9] one of my favourite caster duo's and apollo has really brought himself up to the level of artosis as an analytical caster!
Great casting linup. If I had chosen my favorite casters, this list would like have matched it exactly. I'm so looking forward to TSL 4. TSL 3 was my favorite tornament to watch - EVER.
I still can't wrap my head around a $15,000 grand prize--for having fun playing a video game... wish I was skilled enough to compete for that dough is all I have to say.
On May 31 2012 14:20 Scoggerbot wrote: I still can't wrap my head around a $15,000 grand prize--for having fun playing a video game... wish I was skilled enough to compete for that dough is all I have to say.
It's far from all fun and games when that kind of cash is on the line.
On May 31 2012 14:20 Scoggerbot wrote: I still can't wrap my head around a $15,000 grand prize--for having fun playing a video game... wish I was skilled enough to compete for that dough is all I have to say.
I can't tell if you're belittling the amount of effort it takes to win that kind of money in tournaments.
Great casters and prizepool. Day9 is my favorite. May I ask about the stream. I am a hungarian caster, and I would like to stream TSL4 in hungarian, if there is a way for that. Maybe from replays only. I would like to stream the Qualifiers RO4 as well.
I know he used to be a caster for the old broodwar TSL where he actually had some honey but here he comes casting SC2 telling complete lies and feeding bullshit to the audience like they were facts? wtf?
Please if you havent played the game atleast do not act like an expert, you dont have to be an expert to do comentary!
In fact many of the guys whoms casting I enjoy the most arent experts on gameplay, they are good enough to roll but their main quality is something else.
Take a look at what DjWHEAT and guys like MrBitter is doing, their casting is super good and yet they dont have to educate the audience but rather enhance the experience for the viewers.
Experts are good because they can help educate viewers that arent that experienced and get them more into the game, but that is not the main focus of the broadcast! A caster should enhance the experience, and like I said a little education on the side is cool but I tried to view RO32 day 2 with chill and apollo (whos one of my absolute favorite casters ever btw.) and it was unbareable.
We dont need a guy constantly educating the viewers, especially not when the guy is very speculative and in many cases just completely wrong. I love apollo and he really did his best to put on a show but everything just dwindled down the education route overall with chill.
Also somehow Chills casting tends to be very redundant somehow. Same words over and over again its like beeing spammed in a voicechat. I liked chill as a sidekick expert for BW but this isnt working =(
Maybe Im just spoiled with guys like Wheat and Artosis but this is what I felt and I couldnt stand watching more then a few games.
Overall super excited about TSL4 and loved day 1! <3
On July 30 2012 06:59 memcpy wrote: Chill can you please stop saying contingency. Contingents is the plural of contingent anyways.
? They're completely different words...
con·tin·gent/kənˈtinjənt/ Adjective: Subject to chance. Noun: A group of people united by some common feature, forming part of a larger group.
con·tin·gen·cy/kənˈtinjənsē/ Noun: A future event or circumstance that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty. A provision for such an event or circumstance.
In their common uses, "contingent" is a small army and "contingency plan" is a backup plan.
EPT
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