EPT![[image loading]](http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/USXWiNNinG54/CSLHQtl.png)
CSL+ Round 2: Curb Stomps and Nail-Biters
![[image loading]](http://media.cstarleague.com/img/standings-r2.png)
At the conclusion of Round 2, Georgia Tech and Duke are still running rampant in the South, sweeping their opponents in solid 3-0’s every week – but while Duke boasts an intimidating lineup every week with the possibility of Nony appearing,
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/SilverskY/NonY1.jpg)
A wild Nony appears!
Georgia Tech remains an unknown, silently 3-0’ing their opponents with little fanfare but consistent performances. We can only wonder what will happen when these two giants of the south clash for the first time in Week 4.
In East Division 2, Waterloo and Ontario are pulling ahead with solid 2-0’s – but don’t be fooled – University of Toronto remains 1-0 only because of their BYE this week. In a cross-conference exhibition match, Toronto edged out our Season 1 finalists with a 3-2 win. [UofT]denials, confirming his ACE player as if it weren’t already a foregone conclusion, whispers: “jianfei lol. Can’t disappoint the fans” – and Toronto certainly did not disappoint.
Unrest is stirring in East Division 3 – Johns Hopkins remains untested by the favorites of the division, and rumor has it that a B+ international Korean player moved to a certain university in Baltimore last year. Rutgers is still in a commanding lead after taking down both Princeton and Carnegie Mellon University, and judging by one of the players going AFK to answer a phone call, Rutgers clearly has room for error. Cornell, despite showing some rather impressive play from [CU]Later, claims to have fielded their practice team against Princeton – Princeton responded by punishing Cornell with a 3-1 victory, celebrated in private with a replay viewing party complete with hoagies and soda (read: beer).
McGill, fielding Freaky, currently leads East Division 4 after defeating MIT and Harvard. While MIT is no chump change, it seems that the university renowned for its computer nerds and sugar daddies is floundering without the recently graduated StRyKer.
The results from West Division 1 are still uncertain as UCLA and UVic, with some confusion over match and set times, are waiting to rematch. For future notice, please remember that players are considered no-shows 10 minutes after the preceding set ends.
Meanwhile, University of California schools continue to show a strong correlation between being Asian and good at StarCraft: UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego (aka XERIS), are all neck to neck in the lead. USC suffers from the absence of Day[9], but word has it that the former-pro is helping out his poor undergraduates.
![[image loading]](http://z.hubpages.com/u/322780_f520.jpg)
According to Cal Poly, this is an accurate team photo.
In Central Standard Time, we have UT Austin and Arizona State University at the head of the pack. Arizona won a “nail-bit[ingly]” close 3-2 against Rice. Next week, brothers play against brothers when University of Texas and Rice University battle it out.
And with cakes like these:
![[image loading]](http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs204.snc1/7128_159294075876_505275876_3252474_5621330_n.jpg)
fueling their players, it’s little wonder that UChicago, home of hydralisk cookies and StarCraft cakes, is currently in lead of West Division 4.
Week two of CSL was a week of contradictions: teams either waited with bated breath on their ACE players to transform 2-2’s into closely contended victories, or were, as PH aptly puts it, “CURB STOMPED.”
While “one blunder cost Binghamton the entire match on ACE,” Rutgers proclaimed an early victory on Carnegie Mellon (“We got this one in the bag,” [RUTGERS]Fana- informed me with the confidence that [RUTGERS]clazz must have had when he went AFK during his set against CMU). Arizona versus Rice was a “nail-biter,” with the series resting entirely, and ever so precariously, on the shoulders of their ACE players. Maryland claimed the first victory in the history of its team, barely edging out Binghamton with three wins to two. Duke, Georgia Tech, and UT Austin, on the other hand, breezed through round by round with perfect records: 2-0 for matches and 6-0 for sets.
Does this mean the CSL teams are completely stacked? Maybe. I’d like to think of it in this way: we have our WeMade Foxes and Air Force ACEs, SKT1s and Lecaf Ozs. Duke has their Jae
There’s nothing more heart-warming than logging onto ICCUP on a slow Saturday night and seeing a bunch of college kids good-naturedly trash-talking each other’s teams. People generously volunteered streams for matches; insults flew in channel cmuvsrutgers; Fanatacist and the rest of Rutgers railed on Clazz as bystanders laughed; NonY and Jianfei chilled in channel CSL; casters spontaneously hopped onto ICCUP to cast exhibition matches (Thanks to Diggity and Psy for being such good sports).
We have 551 registered players (http://www.cstarleague.com/players/), 10 Alex’s, one Margaret, two Jack Wangs, and one Jian Fei. We have cute names like Cornell’s [Cu]Later, [Cu]cumber, and one inappropriately named player, “M” (I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself). Over two hundred people watched the stream on Saturday between UToronto v Berkeley, and we hope to get more coverage and more streaming every week so everyone can join in on the fun.
With that, I’d like to end with an excerpt from one of the Princeton players:
Mike Chen said last night after our 3-1 victory over Cornell, "Hey guys,
you want food? I'll pay for everyone since I'm the only one who lost his
game." It was a touching gesture, but we of course turned him down.
Why?
To quote Pat, who said it jokingly, "team unity!" But I think there was
more truth than fiction in his jest. We're not a bunch of jackals. We're
not just looking for a 'free lunch.' We're in this to learn together, to
laugh together, and even to cry together. After all, isn't victory so
much sweeter after tasting the bitterness of defeat?
We practice hard, face-to-face, week after week, training together like
young monks at Shaolin. But do these young monks train hard, worrying
each day if they will be strong enough to meet Duke in the conference
finals, or, perhaps they train day after day with a more mundane goal in
mind: only to enjoy the camaraderie and the slow, plodding path towards
enlightenment?
Anyway, I imagine I'll be labeled a big fruitcake for writing all of
this up (who cares!), but the bottom line is: I'm glad to be here and
I'm looking forward to an excellent rest-of-season with you folks.
Go Tigers.
you want food? I'll pay for everyone since I'm the only one who lost his
game." It was a touching gesture, but we of course turned him down.
Why?
To quote Pat, who said it jokingly, "team unity!" But I think there was
more truth than fiction in his jest. We're not a bunch of jackals. We're
not just looking for a 'free lunch.' We're in this to learn together, to
laugh together, and even to cry together. After all, isn't victory so
much sweeter after tasting the bitterness of defeat?
We practice hard, face-to-face, week after week, training together like
young monks at Shaolin. But do these young monks train hard, worrying
each day if they will be strong enough to meet Duke in the conference
finals, or, perhaps they train day after day with a more mundane goal in
mind: only to enjoy the camaraderie and the slow, plodding path towards
enlightenment?
Anyway, I imagine I'll be labeled a big fruitcake for writing all of
this up (who cares!), but the bottom line is: I'm glad to be here and
I'm looking forward to an excellent rest-of-season with you folks.
Go Tigers.
And a note from…
OMG I'm such a fan of you Mona!! I think it's awesome what you're doing and YEA! Represent SC girls everywhere! I'm hoping to see some good games for the season too =] glhf!
-TossGirl
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for Round 3!
P.S. Looking for streamers/commentators for games, and also looking for columnists who are interested in writing articles like this one (except better~). PM me if interested!
