EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/GOM_MSL_wk1/gommslbanner2.jpg)
Thanks rinizim and AmorVincitOmnia for the banners I will use this season!
Just over a month ago the dust cleared from the Second Pringles MSL, and to the surprise of few, saviOr walked away with the win after defeating upstart Silver in the finals. Now we are back for a fresh new season, one which boasts an interesting mix of both rookies and veterans.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/GOM_MSL_wk1/savior.jpg)
The champ...
This season is being sponsored by GOM Player, which is the Korean equivalent to Windows Media Player. What GOM features that others don’t is a built in ability to browse streaming TV channels, promote events (such as the Superfights) and play all possible formats of pornography. Hopefully the MSL will be streamed on this free player as well as MBC, giving the foreign community another option for free viewing.
If you wish to just see the results from week one, scroll down. Otherwise, take your time and mosey through this preview
The Players
Lets face it, with so much money and competition in the pro scene these days, staying on top is harder than ever. These days the major tournaments feature many new names, taking the places of familiar veterans. This crop of MSL hopefuls features a mix of past champions and hungry no-names. Here is how the group drawing ceremony shook out.
Group A - saviOr, Hwasin, Jaedong, PuSan[S.G]
Match 1 - Savior vs Hwasin
Match 2 - Jaedong vs PuSan[S.G]
Group A is obviously focused on one man, and that is the defending champion. saviOr has steamrolled everyone lately, winning 70% of his matches in the past year. Hwasin is a familiar amateur, but carries with him the respect of the entire progaming community for his fearsome TvZ. Perhaps this is the reason saviOr used his final pick to move him into his group.
Group B - Silver, Casy[ArnC], Much[gm], Ever)Z(aQua
Match 1 - Silver vs Casy[ArnC]
Match 2 - Much[gm] vs Ever)Z(aQua
Casy[name] is now going by the name Justin for some god forsaken reason. Other than that, Silver is going to have to impress again this time to win over the hearts of the fickle TL community. He has a chance to play all three races in the group stages which might help his rep.
Group C - Nal_rA, Bisu[Shield], Iris, Canata
Match 1 - NaL_rA vs Bisu[Shield]
Match 2 - Iris vs Canata
DJetter and I have a death pact on the first match. The rA is going to show Bisu why he doesn’t lose PvP. Meanwhile, Iris is the top TvT player from last year, and will have a practice dummy in Canata to beat around.
Group D - Jju, Light[alive], Free[gm], XellOs
Match 1 - Jju vs Light[alive]
Match 2 - Free[gm] vs XellOs
It is nice to see Xellos back in the MSL, his games always draw a crowd. Free will have his work cut out for him to advance, facing the perfect terran, jju and Light.
The Maps
There have been some big changes in the maps for this season, with two new ones, and modifications to the other two. Firstly, the most balanced pro-gaming map of the past year or two, Arcadia, is now gone. Despite its balance, game play on the map had become rather stagnant. It's replacement is definitely not of the standard type.
![[image loading]](http://www.intothemap.com/bbs/data/opentest/10th_fox092.gif)
Desert Fox is the latest offering, an island map that turns ground if the mineral only is mined out. Early games and testing reveal a zerg will not win this MSL on this map.
![[image loading]](http://image.fighterforum.com/showImage.asp?realFile=FFNEWS20061127172611001.JPG)
In the most recent poll, people voted LT as the map they would most like to see back in progaming. Well, I pulled some strings for you, and here you go. Slightly modified, but I think it should be a lot of fun. This is on loan from OGN
![[image loading]](http://www.intothemap.com/bbs/data/opentest/10th_longi192.gif)
Longinus had some cosmetic surgery done to it, balancing the resources and adding some shrubbery.
![[image loading]](http://www.intothemap.com/bbs/data/opentest/1164535220/10th_blitzx190.gif)
Not only does it have a much cooler name, the gameplay on Blitz is going to change radically this season. The pivotal 12 island has had one gas removed, hopefully bringing game play further to the south. Also, units the size of a dt or smaller can make their way through the middle with no mining, and the mineral blocks have been redesigned to form an X.
Hopefully all of this makes for some good games!
Week 1
The opening salvos of the tournament were fired just last night. Here is a quick recap.
Group A: saviOr vs Hwasin on Longinus II
SaviOr had specifically chosen Hwasin for his group, so this game was a great way to kick of the tournament. Whether Hwasin was selected for his devastating TvZ or his rookie jitters we don't know, but what we do know is that both players were anxious to get off to a good start.
Savior opened at 11, and quickly laid the three hatchery foundation for his trademark muta build. Hwasin, at 6, took his expansion after a single barracks and quickly started pumping marines and medics. Seeing his opponent bottled up at the bottom of the map, Savior expanded again and harassed the terran force with his mutalisks. However, he was unable to keep Hwasin occupied in his main, giving the Soul Terran enough time to mass and move out virtually unscathed at this point of the match.
With Hwasin rolling MM and tanks north, saviOr threw everything he had at the army to try and save his 12 o'clock hatchery. Hwasin showed some backbone though, and the expansion fell before his troops did. Savior quickly re-expanded to 12, and then tried to take the other main as well. However, with no defilers out and an army bled white the next terran ball that rolled out was unstoppable and saviOr typed GG.
This makes group A very interesting, and Hwasin puts himself in a good position to advance. Savior played very sloppily, not showing that familiar form in his attacks.
Group A: Jaedong vs Pusan on Blitz X
After consecutive top 4 OSL finishes Pusan slumped, but is now looking to re-establish himself as a dominant force in the MSL. His opponent of the day was Jaedong, an impressive zerg who sports the instantly successful AandE combo in his name. Think Jaedong, Daezang, Maestro...
The map was Blitz X, heavily modified from last season. Starting on the left, Pusan fast expanded while Jaedong quickly spawned four hatcheries and his lair tech. As Pusan worked up to templar tech, the zerg was feasting off of three geysers. His mutalisk harass was weak however, and little prevented Pusan from taking his center expansion on the platform. With plenty of tech and arbiters incoming, Jaedong realized he was facing a protoss on equal expansion footing.
Once Pusan had developed his second expansion, his attacking prowess came into play. His combination of temps, goons, and zeals consistently melted the zerg armies and stumped Jaedong's supply. By repeatedly killing 12 o'clock he kept the pressure on until his army could break down the ramp and into the zerg natural. With little left to defend with, Jaedong typed GG, spelling the end for a second zerg on the day.
Today's group A results mean Hwasin will have to show off his TvP vs Pusan, and saviOr is in a do or die situation playing ZvZ. What a nightmare scenario that is.
Group B: Silver vs Bifrost on Desert Fox
You heard it here first, this map is going to be a boneyard for zergs this season. Silver hatched in the upper left, taking down the natural buildings and expanding as quickly as possible. Bifrost did the same, floating his CC as his marines cleared away the creep. Silver teched to mass mutalisks, while Bifrost was content to make MM and throw in a couple valks. As Silver tried to harass with his air force, it became painfully obvious that this was not going to work. After killing suitable numbers of zerg fliers, Bifrost simply loaded up some dropships with MM, flew over to the zerg base, and won the game.
Yawn. Both players played poorly, and neither had the imagination this map is going to require to be successful.
Group B: Much[gm] vs aQua on Reverse Temple
I had to admit, I felt somewhat nostalgic seeing the familiar layout of this map. It is a pity I didn't get to see it for very long.
Much (@8) proxy gated at his own natural, quickly scouted aQua at 6, and then ran him over with mass zealots and nice micro. Sometimes zergs have to be taught a lesson that a free expo is a privilege, not a right.
So, at the end of group B we find Much going up against Bifrost in the winners match, and Silver vs aQua in the losers match; basically a mirror of the group A results race wise. Next week Groups C and D will open their seasons.
Have a good week,
Mani.
![[image loading]](http://gomtv.ipop.co.kr/img/game/banner/b_gomtv_msl.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/GOM_MSL_wk1/logo.bmp){kind=logo}
![[image loading]](http://www.mbcgame.co.kr/mbcfile/program/L_img/gomMSLBN2(1130).jpg)
! Are any of the replays released? When are these casted live O_O
