[OSL] Round of 16 - Day 5

Group A:
Playing: The Revolutionist—The Messiah

The day's most exciting match-up, two starleague winners play in their best match-ups with a lot riding on the line. Bisu and EffOrt have played several times before, with the protoss holding a 3-0 advantage in televised games. However, their last meeting was at the IEF exhibition, in a game that EffOrt won. This history is somwhat meaningless, however because they haven't played in nearly a year. Bisu is roaring back after a horrendous mid-season slump, while EffOrt is coasting after a stunning OSL title run. Both players barely missed each other on several occasions in the proleague playoffs, and are surely ready to finally play each other.

Mentally, EffOrt has the peculiar edge of this game being a must-win. If he does not win this game, his OSL title defense will come to an end. Bisu, meanwhile will assure himself at least a tiebreaker with a win, and will be in excellent position to advance outright. The map is Flight-Dreamliner, which has a 4-2 advantage for zerg, but has been a difficult map to pin down so far. What is clear is that its short air distance will favor harass-based play, which should favor Bisu. While both players are sublime multi-taskers, both are noticably better on the attack than the defensive. If EffOrt can deflect the expected corsair/[imba protoss unit] play from Bisu, then he should take the game home, as the map's many paths and wide-open raised center favor the late-game ling play that he excels at.

In the end, I can't pick against EffOrt.

Group Standings:
Leta: 2-0
Bisu: 1-1
Action: 1-1
EffOrt: 0-2

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Group B:
Playing: The King of Queens—SKT Zerg

Just several days ago, this match would've been the time to go catch your breath after the set before, maybe grab a drink, and do some stretches. No longer. ZerO, once the poster child for middling ZvZ has completely reinvented himself in two successive nights in the STX Master's, defeating both Jaedong and EffOrt back-to-back. Suddenly, ZerO is on a tear, and is full of the kind of confidence that leads you to say, "I'm not scared of anybody". Beating the two top ZvZ'ers in BW in one week is impressive, but at least one player won't be impressed by it. That's because Hyuk actually put together an eerily similar performance last year, around the time when it appeared he might amount to something after all. Since then however, his luster has faded, although his ZvZ remains quite strong. The true pretender, then, will be revealed in this game.

The map is Eye of the Storm, which remains one of the single most forgettable maps ever made, (Can you remember a single game that was interesting because of this map? I sure can't.) and really doesn't have much in the way of positional imbalances that could doom either player. Plus, it's a ZvZ so there's no match-up advantage. The crucial thing here, then, will be the mental aspect, and in that regard, ZerO seemingly holds a huge edge. He's been taking names in the match-up recently, and has a lot to play for in this OSL. Hyuk, meanwhile, is at the basement of his group, and while this game is a must-win for him, his uninspired performances in his two previous games suggest that he'll have trouble finding the will to fight this one out. ZerO will win with an advantage, even builds, or possibly with a disadvantage.

Group Standings:
Flash: 2-0
ZerO: 1-1
HiyA: 1-1
Hyuk: 0-2

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Group C:
Playing: The Destroyer of Worlds—The Observer

This is yet another battle of a 1-1 player against the last player in the group, and that means it's a must-win for Pure, and a highly recommended win for Jaedong. But unlike the previous two games, the calibre of both players in this game is not particularly even. Pure is a good but not great protoss, who has struggled mightily in this match-up recently. This lack of confidence led to a horrifically ill-advised one-base build on the protoss-favored Polaris Rhapsody led to a loss against Hydra on the first day of the group stage. Meanwhile, Jaedong finds himself in a small hole, after a loss to Sea late-game terran mech put him in the second-place position in the group. Nonetheless, he is supremely confident in ZvP, having not lost to protoss players not named Stork, Bisu, or Kal since JUNE of LAST YEAR. Perhaps then it's good news for Pure that he's never played a televised game against Jaedong.

The map is Grand Line SE, which looks a little out of place without a terran on it. Results on the map have been mixed in this match-up, and neither player has played it in this MU. Nonetheless, the map lends itself well to zerg simcities, and mutalisk harass, while the cut-up middle makes it hard for protoss to control the land. (See vulture harass on this map for an example.) And honestly, it's Pure against Jaedong. It'd be a huge surprise to see anything other than a strong Jaedong victory here.

Group Standings:
Sea: 2-0
Jaedong: 1-1
Hydra: 1-1
Pure: 0-2

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Group D:
Playing: Pretty Boy—Bird-Toss

Group D had so much promise, but disappointing performances from Kal and fantasy sealed their doom before the final two games of the series have been played. The final game of the fifth day is a bit of dessert, an exhibition between two strong PvP players. Winning this group is a questionable honor, as Jaedong or ZerO might await that player. At any rate, both players will likely be playing to win and playing to entertain, which will hopefully cap off the night in an exciting way.

Thankfully for this end, the map is on Polaris Rhapsody, which has proved to be an exciting map for protoss in all match-ups, even the mirror. The multiple passages and openness of the bases to harass has made PvP's on PR some of the most memorable games of the season. Surprisingly, Free has played a single PvP on PR, and Stork has never done it, which makes this the second match between (near)map virgins. In the end though, Stork simply has the better play in the MU, with no real advantages to mark towards free. It could go either way, but it'll probably go to Stork.

Group Standings:
Stork: 2-0
free: 2-0
Fantasy: 0-2
Kal: 0-2

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***

That's it for today, check back for the last day of the group stage, on Friday. Hoping for some amazing games!

— - Not recommended
★ - Recommended
★ ★ - Highly Recommended
★ ★ ★ - Watch Now

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+ Show Spoiler [Bisu—EffOrt] +—
+ Show Spoiler [ZerO—Hyuk] +—
+ Show Spoiler [Jaedong—Pure] +—
+ Show Spoiler [free—Stork] +★

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