Tournament Overview

MLG has stated over and over again that one of the perks of their new format is for the viewers to enjoy high quality games straight from the get-go. As advertised, pool play started and our seeded players began games whose quality is often second to none. Favorites from groups started out strong, but each pool began spiraling out of control as results began to flood the front desk. Rankings within groups soon had to be determined by head-to-head records and games won (thankfully no coin flip). Meanwhile in the main area of computers open bracket has also started, but had to be divided into multiple groups due to the fact that there were only 34 stations set up, and some were being used for pool play. Therefore, the first round of open bracket took almost 6 hours to complete. As each of the seeded players finished their three matches for the day, each began to slowly evacuate the building, getting some needed rest for tomorrow. Unfortunately for some and other open bracket competitors, their last match finished just short of 2AM. At the end of the day, only KiWiKaKi and SeleCT remain undefeated, and outsiders like HuK, HayprO, and NaNiwa have a long road ahead of them in the open bracket.



The venue was definitely more empty on Saturday morning. Most of the seeded players were missing, as they were rewarded for their efforts the day before and not have a game to attend to until 5 PM. For the open bracket attendees, things were a completely different matter. The remaining contestants all vied for a RO4 finish, green-lighting their path into the group stage and guaranteeing a top 24 finish for the event. As 5 o' clock rolled around, HuK, HayprO, Mihai and NaNiwa won their respective spots in the next stage without too much difficulty. The marathon continues for these four players, as it is time for them to play 4 BO3s back-to-back to finalize group standings. During this stage, perhaps the juiciest match of the day came, and it was to no surprise. As announced on the speakers, horde of fans rushed over to the coresponding station, as IdrA v. HuK was soon to be underway. In the end, HuK's delusive concoction earned him a victory over his bitter rival. While HayprO and Mihai had a rough path through their respective group, unknowingly NaNiwa beasts through his group 8-0 to remain the only player to have yet dropped a game. The day ended much earlier than before, as the early rounds of the championship bracket has finished, everyone looked forward to championship Sunday.





Championship Sunday started out nothing short of spectacular. An unfortunate draw gives Team Liquid a double teamkill by Round 5 of the losers bracket. As we narrowed it down to our last 16 contestants, none of those names were a stranger to anybody. NaNiwa continued to win game after game and he does not seem to be stopping any time soon. TLO triumphs over Tyler while HuK squeezes by Ret in our Liquid derbies, but by the time round 7 came along, only TLO remained in the competition for Liquid. IdrA had completed his revenge, taking three games from HuK to advance, only to fall to TLO's tricky play in the next round. SeleCT is handed his first loss from his own teammate, and his light-hearted humor within the games is adored by spectators. The top 8 comes from 6 different teams, a very impressive showing of diversity. NaNiwa enters the final as the clear favorite, having beat Kiwikaki earlier in the day. The fact that the final was a PvP enticed some jeer from the crowd, but no one can disregard the fact that NaNiwa was untouchable here at MLG Dallas.

When all was said and done, here were our top finishers.

Player	Prize
NaNiwa	$5000
KiWiKaKi	$3000
Select	$2000
iNcontroL	$1400
TLO	$1000
Socke	$700
IdrA	$500
mOoNan	$400

5. Reemergence

A new year begins and it is definitely the prime opportunity for players to start afresh. Some players have slowly fallen off the radar due to various circumstances and slumps, while others are waiting for the right time to shine. There is no other better place than Dallas to do so. iNcontroL, after being swamped with work outside the game, finished in his best ever SC2 tournament at 4th, a personal feat and that should quiet down the murmurs on his current form as a player. After finishing as the runner-up last year at MLG's inaugural SC2 event, KiWiKaKi has slowly slipped down the rankings. After finishing 2nd once again here at Dallas, it is clear that Kiwi is not going anywhere.



4. Consistency is the Key

The top placed finishers look eerily familiar to last year, as many of our returnees have once again shown why they're the cream of the crop. SeleCT (3rd), SLush (9th), TLO (5th), Socke (6th), and Drewbie (11th) are some of the best here in NA, and they continue their successful runs at live events. Proving that they did not have a lucky run through any events, all of these players have once again started strong and will look to further that lead as we head towards the next MLG.



3. Protoss, Protoss everywhere

In three out of four MLGs up until now, the final four has been three Protoss and one of another race. Cries of imbalance and broken mechanics echo throughout the weekend, and such strong sentiments will no doubt reach the desks of David Kim. Perhaps this is a prelude to a period of anxiety, as both camps sit impatiently to see what's going to happen to our warriors of Aiur. The period after a big tournament will be a true test to whether Blizzard can reaffirm their loyal fans on their direction of game balance.

2. Breakthrough

Dallas marks the start of a new season, and as such is a time for key players to begin to make their mark.FXOmOoNan is our number one cinderella story of MLG Dallas, making an impressive run from the open bracket to 8th place. On the way, his confidence was shattered by HuK, but in the end, he resiliently battled his way, eventually leapfrogged HuK by 2 places. FXOSheth's first MLG could have been better, but he earned invaluable points as the 17th placed finisher in the competition. sixjax.NRG.Mihai is also one of the contenders for best run, as his 18th place finish and RO4 open bracket accomplishment (guaranteed top 24 finish) is nothing short of spectacular.

1. Dignitas is The Team to Beat.

With 2500 rank points split between their three players, Dignitas had the best showings here at MLG Dallas, and they are here to stay. NaNiwa is seemingly invincible, and SeleCT had a run just as smooth before running into his Protoss rivals. SjoW, smack-dabbed in the group with virtually the deepest amount of talent, came out fine and manages to snab a 12th placed finish. No doubt they will all return after such a fantastic showing and by then, we can only hope someone will be able to stop NaNiwa in his tracks. We hope.