The Players

IMMvp

Mvp made the gamble of his career in 2010. As the 2009-2010 Brood War season came to a close, he had left a good impression on fans and pundits alike by making a top eight run into the MBCGame Starcraft League, and showing some impressive games against top tier players. His stock was on the rise – and though it didn't quite mean he would be a title contender in the near future – he seemed to be headed towards at worst a solid mid-tier career, with a guaranteed a regular starting spot for his team.

However, it wasn't something Mvp could be content with. In a rare, illuminating interview with ThisIsGame, Mvp revealed his upbringing in a poor family which made the potential monetary rewards of pro-gaming all the more important. No great reward comes without great risk, and the GSL Open's 100,000,000 won reward presented one worth taking.

As we all know, it paid off spectacularly. In Starcraft astrology, 2011 was the year of the Mvp. With three GSL championships, an MLG trophy, a Blizzcon championship, and a WCG gold medal, no one has matched his domination of the SC II scene.

Mvp doesn't need to win the Blizzard Cup to be the most valuable player of 2011. But he hasn't truly needed to win a tournament for a while. There's something else driving Mvp, and there's no reason to believe his reign will stop any time soon.


Liquid`HerO

After spending nearly five years as "an exciting prospect," HerO realized his potential in truly explosive fashion in November of 2011. With a championship at DreamHack Winter and a second place finish at NASL, he's arguably the current best Protoss player in the world.

Foreign success has helped him get over the weak nerves that plagued him for years, but HerO himself admits that they're still a problem. Perhaps that's why he's yet to replicate his success in the GSL, despite being capable of defeating all sorts of Code S class players on the ladder. Though there are no Code S implications on the line at the Blizzard Cup, there's still a lot of money and pride on the line. While that alone gives this tournament plenty of meaning for HerO, it might also help him going ahead by giving him the confidence to show his true skill in the GSL up-down matches to come.


MVPDongRaeGu

We spent a good portion of 2011 hyping up DongRaeGu, calling him the next generation Zerg hope and wondering how good he would be if he could get over his Code A jinx and get into Code S. However, after two Code S seasons and a few foreign tournaments, many DRG supporters (myself included) are having to radically re-access the former GSTL king as a player.

It's not that DRG was a bottom-feeder in GSTL; he defeated a fair share of top tier players as well. However, the conclusion we have to reach from many singles tournaments is that he just can't compete regularly with the true champion contenders. His highly entertaining style of play and charismatic personality might give him top-tier popularity, but his actual performances are just one step behind. I'll explain it in Brood War parlance: He's near the top of A-Class progamers, but just can't reach S-Class. Essentially, he's the Leta of SC2.

Winning this tournament would go a long way towards dispelling that reputation.


oGs.MC

Our previously dead president has made huge steps towards resurrection. While his play has been all over the place, he has been undeniably clutch. Knocked out of Code S, he made an incredible run at MLG Orlando to finish second and win a Code S seed. Knocked down to Code A again this season, he 2-0'd Bomber to make sure he would remain in Code S (is this Code S retention ability any surprise, for a teammate of Ensnare and TheWind?).

Though he's only half rehabilitated, you can't count MC out. Flip 'inconsistent' on its head, and you can call a player 'streaky.' I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen, but there's a definitely a strong five day run in MC if he puts it all together. Though reinventing his game overall will take more time, winning the Blizzard Cup will at least restore MC's reputation. It's time to go out there and prove that no matter how far one might fall, a two time GSL Champion will always deserve respect.


Mill.Stephano

Two championships in two weeks at IPL3 and ESWC. After being talked up by nearly everybody in the scene as the next big thing, we knew Stephano's time had come. Fast-forward to a RO32 elimination at DreamHack Winter 2011 (a moment Stephano called the most embarrassing in his SC II career), and we were reminded that even our brightest foreigner hopes are still mortal. I had hoped this would set some more realistic expectations of him going into the Blizzard Cup. Maybe he wouldn't go in carrying all our hopes on his back, expected to make it far in the name of all things foreigner. Instead, maybe we'd just think of him as an excellent player who qualified for a tough tournament, who would have to play at his best to get a good result.

Ah, if only. For better or for worse, the foreign community can't help but blow these things up. The biggest story of SC II in 2011 was Korea versus the World, and we demand that it end on a high note.

Good luck! You'll need it.

Match Predictions

Mvp vs MC on Bel'Shir Beach

MC is back in Code S, but he's still remarkably inconsistent compared to his heyday. I don't mean just in terms of results; a win against Mvp, win against DRG, loss against Mvp, win against Bomber – that's the kind of mixed record you expect against top opposition. The problem is that his in game performances are all over the board as well, showing glimpses of his dominating past at some points while displaying inexplicable decision making at others.

This was all on display during his recent games against Mvp at MLG Providence, WCG Korea, and during the second GomTV Arena of Legends tournament. MC both lived up to his reputation, and become utterly anonymous over a closely contested series.

Mvp > MC: Though MC trails only four games to five in recent weeks, his unpredictability makes Mvp the safer bet.


HerO vs Stephano on Daybreak

For foreigners, this is the blockbuster game of the group stages. The best foreign Zerg, playing his very best match-up, against the best Korean Protoss, also playing his best match-up. After disappointments at NASL and DreamHack, it's time to show that foreigners are relevant.

What I fear for here is Stephano's ability to prepare for Korean tournaments. His frequent ladder sessions on the Korean server are quite welcome for viewers, but on the other hand it's not like we've seen the stream-fiend HerO online for the last few weeks. As much as they are meticulous at practicing, Koreans are also very serious about their stream-studying as well. If Stephano thinks that he can go into this tournament with regular practice, and just play his regular game, then he's in for some trouble.

HerO > Stephano: Narrow margin, but HerO should prevail.


Mvp vs DongRaeGu on Tal'Darim Altar

Though he's an absolute annihilator of rank and file Terrans (especially good at stopping their pitiful early game gambits), DRG has suffered as of late against top-tier Terran players. FXOGumiho and IMHappy denied him in Code S, while SuperNova ended his AoL II tournament run in the RO8. Their play style was the boring, safe, macro Terran type that frustrates so many opponents.

No one is better at that suffocatingly solid macro Terran than Mvp. I expect DRG to valiantly bash his head against a brick wall for 30 minutes before GGing out.

Mvp > DRG: At least it's on Tal'Darim Altar. If it was Shakuras Plateau, I was going to pencil in a 100% win for Mvp.


HerO vs MC on Calm Before the Storm

Top tier Protoss players in a mirror-matchup?

Flip a coin: Off-hand, I'll say one of the players will exploit the other player trying to greedily play a macro game based on the back-door expansion.


Stephano vs DongRaeGu on Crossfire

According to reports, ZvZ has been the major obstacle in Stephano's Korean-LadderQuest 2011. Even though Stephano's tournament ZvZ record has been pretty decent as of late, he's going to have a hard time against one of the most skilled, steadiest ZvZ players in Korea.

DRG > Stephano: DRG, to retain his perfect ZvZ series record against foreigners.


Stephano vs MC on Dual Sight

As mentioned above, Stephano's ability to prepare in Korean style for a tournament is questionable until proven. Now, here's MC, a guy who did some of the best prepared one-base and two-base timings during his championship runs earlier this year. On top of that, he's playing on Dual Sight, a map that's notoriously bad for PvZ. He has to have something cute up his sleeve.

At the same time, I'm horribly worried that this will be one of MC's off games, and that he'll try something cute that fails miserably and die to a macrolling from Stephano. You know what I mean: This game is just begging for the infamous oGs 'DT into lose' strategy.

Stephano > MC: I don't think Stephano will go 0-4. Favorable map, favorable race, favorable opponent (relatively). This will be the game he takes.


HerO vs Mvp on Antiga Shipyard

Facing off against the indisputable most valuable player of 2011, HerO must feel strangely optimistic. Antiga Shipyard is one of his favorite maps in this match-up, one he has favored repeatedly against TvP master EG.Puma in their past meetings. On that note, HerO has also been preparing for and playing against Puma – who I'm hard pressed to say Mvp is clearly better than at TvP – for the last three weeks. Add to that the fact that Mvp's WCG sojourn has taken away valuable preparation time, and HerO appears to be in good shape going into this match-up.

On the other hand, Mvp is Mvp, and there's no such thing as a 'weak' match-up for him. TvP is just the one that makes him seem slightly more human. His record against HerO is 4-1, and he's beat him in solid macro games as well.

HerO > MvP: Despite the head to head record, I think the map and preparation time favor HerO by just enough to get him the win.


DongRaeGu vs HerO on Shakuras Plateau

Before HerO and Puma got into some of the bloodiest slugfests in recent memory, DongRaeGu was HerO's original 'rival.' At least in the sense that any two players who face each other often and trade games can be called rivals. DongRaeGu at least partially owes the repairing of his "bad at ZvP" reputation to some of his hard fought games against HerO.

Though DongRaeGu is slightly ahead in overall record and won their most recent series (in which we saw the suicidal side of HerO that shows up when he's at his worst), HerO seems slightly favored. The two seem awfully close in skill, but this time the momentum and map favor HerO. If DRG wins, I expect it to be through a clever early game timing, while HerO will probably win in a longer macro game.

HerO > DRG: Paper thin.


Stephano vs Mvp on Shakuras Plateau

No, just no.

Mvp > Stephano: I started writing something and then I saw it was on Shakuras.


MC vs DongRaeGu on Crossfire

The record of risk-taking Protoss players on non-forge-FE maps is pretty atrocious. How many times are we going to see one Gate Nexus die to speedlings? Alas, that's the story I see unfolding on Crossfire SE once more. That, or another Forge-FE getting busted by roaches (of course, I just happened to watch a VOD of DRG dying after failing to Roach bust HuK on Crossfire. Eh, still not changing my mind!).

DRG > MC: Could MC have gotten worse maps? Unlike Obama, MC will have to pull out all the stops to get re-elected in 2012.


Final Predictions
1st: HerO 3-1
2nd: Mvp 3-1
3rd: DRG 2-2
4th: Stephano 1-3
5th: MC 1-3