[EWM] Week 2 Bracket Preview

Quadrant A



The Favorites


FXOChoya
A dominant force in his last KSL individual league appearances, Choya has really improved his macro play. Labeled by many as a consistently "cheesy" player, opponents tend to play safer vs Choya than usual. His superb unit control combined with his ability to play the long game or the short game extremely well makes Choya a tough opponent in a Best of 3 format.


ZeNEXJjun
Jjun, like Choya, returns for a second week in the EWM. Jjun had a powerful showing last week, taking his quadrant and putting up a strong fight against Liquid'Jinro in the Quarter-Finals. The "Gorilla Terran", however, would prove to be too much for Jjun to overcome, and he fell just short of his shot at the Code A spot in the finals. Can he make it all the way to those final rounds again this week?


MvPTAiLS
TAiLS first put his name on the map as a big player for MvP when he saved their GSTL hopes in the playoffs, taking down both MVP and NesTea in back to back thrillers. Shortly thereafter he traveled to the UK to take second in the IPL 4 Qualifiers @ i44. He fell just short of victory losing to Stephano in the finals. Earning the invite regardless, he will be making a trip to the USA in the coming months for the IPL 4 live event, and he has his mind set on being in Code A before he does.

The Dark Horses


oGsVINES
His match history may not offer much hope, however in recent times we've seen spectacular improvement out of VINES. He currently sits atop the North American Grandmaster League, and was able to impress, contrary to the commentators' predictions, as the lead player for oGs in their GSTL debut, taking two kills. Can he keep up his recent hot streak?


MvPMonster
While his recent name change might not have stuck, the Lion King is curled in the grass waiting to pounce. His major accomplishment thus far has been knocking SK_MC out of the GSL entirely during GSL October. He managed to hold onto his Code A spot after October, and progressed through Code A making it all the way to the Up & Down matches, falling just short of Code S. As 2012 rolled around, he was quickly dispatched by IMSeed in the first round, perhaps payback for his elimination of MC. Looking to regain his former Code A seed and try his hand at the Up & Downs, Monster is not a player to dismiss in this quadrant.


TSLRevivaL
RevivaL is a player that suffers from being a part of the incredibly deep TSL Zerg roster. With former Brood War professionals HyuN and Symbol overshadowing him, and RagnaroK's level of play at such a young age drawing a lot of attention, RevivaL often gets overlooked. Looking to finally make a name for himself after a quick elimination from GSL November at the hands of Commander Keen on his way to yet another re-match with NaDa, keep an eye on RevivaL

The Newcomers

With so many unknown quantities in Quadrant A, it was tough to pick three to spotlight, so I decided to briefly touch on the ones I thought might prove to be the most standout players.


NEXJangBi
No folks, that Terran player in the first quadrant isn't the defending OSL Champion JangBi. A member of the NEX clan, but apparently not a member of the ZeNEX team, JangBi will be making one of his first broadcast debuts.


GPsIU
A member of the lesser known GPs clan, IU is a completely enshrouded player. I was unable to find even a shred of information on him. I think it would be quite a safe bet to say that he is not actually the popular female Korean singer he shares a name with.


HeleNOf
Many remember Helen of Troy as the most beautiful woman in the world at the time the Trojan War took place. I do not, however, think the legends spoke of immortality and high APM. However, if his skills prove to be as legendary as his possible namesake's beauty, you can bet that the return of the Trojan War will make an appearance between foreign teams aiming to contract him.

Quadrant B



The Favorites

Much like the Newcomers from Quadrant A, it was tough to pick 3 players from the many strong players in this quadrant. I decided to base the picks off of recent results, and not how I generally class players.


IMTrue
EWM Week 1 Semi-Finalist, True was the first Zerg from Incredible Miracle to fall to Noblesse, shortly before his teammate horror met the same fate in the finals. Having fallen from Code A at the hands of the Taiwanese Terror, Sen, True is looking to regain his honor and make it back to Code A as soon as possible.


EGPuMa
PuMa, the international superstar, hasn't seen much success when it comes to qualifying for Code A. Regardless, he's shown incredible all-around skill, and should never be counted out of a competition until he's eliminated. Last week he had a tough match-up against Symbol in the first round, losing 2-0. Can he avenge himself this week?


Liquid`Jinro
Part of the pair of major successful foreign players in Korea last week, Jinro surprised everyone with his incredibly deep run in the first week of the EWM, making it all the way to the semi-finals before he fell to IMhorror. Besting solid players like Mushroom, Jjun, and Sound, Jinro is looking to be in top form lately. Unfortunately, Sound evened the score at 1-1, managing to disable one of Jinro's eardrums. Hopefully the injury doesn't prove to be much of a hindrance as Jinro once again battles his way through a gauntlet of tough players.

The Dark Horses

Quadrant B, after inspection, is full of amazing players, both popular and unknown. It was once again very tough to make the selection of 3 players for this section. I decided here to spotlight 3 players I personally will be keeping tabs on, both in and out of this tournament.


ClashImagine
I may be a little biased choosing him as a player to look to as a dark horse, being the team manager and all, but I strongly feel Imagine is a player you should keep an eye on. Having made it quite far in all of the recent Code A qualifiers, as well as some impressive performances for Clash in international events, Imagine is used to playing under pressure. Could this finally be his chance to grasp a Code A seed?


STHack
A Korean Terran that manages to stand out to me is a rare sight indeed, with so many great Terran players residing in Korea, it can be hard for a player to land a lasting impression on viewers. Hack has impressed me time and time again, win or lose, in almost every match I've seen from him. I believe given time, and the tutelage being on the same team as Bomber offers, Hack will be able to make his mark on the Korean scene, and soon after in the International scene.


FnaticRC.SON
One of two players recently recruited to the Fnatic Korean Academy, SON is a player I'm making sure to keep in my sights, as should you. Fnatic is making large strides in not only player acquisition, but player development as they being to focus more on training in Korea. I haven't gotten to see much of his play yet, but if one thing is for sure, it's that Fnatic saw something in this player that prompted them to acquire him. Looking at Fnatics recent acquisition of Moon and aLive, it's quite clear they have an eye for talent.

The Newcomer

Yes, that's right, singular. Quadrant B is so full of fierce competitors that there really wasn't room for more than one new face.


NsPGom

Looking to perhaps gain an edge in the tournament by paying homage to one of our chief sponsors, Gom remains a complete mystery to us as well. Hailing from the New Star Players clan, perhaps the name will prove to be oddly fitting and we'll see him rise as a new star player via GOMTV.

Quadrant C



The Favorites

I thought momentarily complaining about how the huge amount of talent in this tournament makes it hard to choose only 3 favorites from the quadrants, however I quickly squelched the thought as I realized it was nothing to complain about, but rather something to celebrate.


SlayerSClide
It should comes as no surprise that the greatest player in the universe, Clide, is one of the favorites coming from this quadrant. Having been one of the most consistent Code S players, Clide was quickly cut down as the new merciless GSL system culled him from the green pastures of Code S. Fighting not only for himself, but Artosis as well, Clide should be able to make quite a deep run in this tournament if he plays at his peak condition.


IMhorror
Last week's EWM runner-up, horror came within inches of clenching his berth in the playoffs for the Code A seed. He was cut short of his goal by MvPNoblesse, who took home the gold in the first week of the EWM. horror has his eyes set on one thing only, revenge. Can he fight his way back to the top of the bracket and make the playoffs, looking for his rematch against Noblesse?


QxGSaSe
The other foreigner success from last week in Korea, SaSe made an amazing run through another tournament, the ESV Korean Weekly. Securing himself a spot in the first ESV Grand Prix is a huge triumph for the second Swedish Slayer. Having already proven himself competitive against even some of the best Korea has to offer, SaSe is poised to clench yet another play-off berth as a result of his Korean training.

The Dark Horses

Yet another section it was tough to select only 3 players for, however I set myself a limit of 3 and that's what I will stick to. I ended up choosing who I enjoy watching play the most, and who I felt had the strongest chances of making a deep run this week.


NsHSHoon
Korean Man-Crush of one of the staple EWM casters, Katu can't seem to stop raving about Hoon's play, and it's easy to see why. Much like the other NsHS Terrans (Sculp and Jjakji) Hoon's play is very well refined and precisely executed. I would fully expect Hoon to come prepared with builds that might even baffle the SlayerS Terrans. Aside from a few weak showings, it's hard not to notice the trio of strong Terrans from HoSeo.


ZeNEXCutter
I think it's pretty clear why Cutter is a player to watch out for. His bench press max is about as high as Puzzle's APM, and I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. All jokes aside, Cutter (like Jjun) is a player I feel will soon begin the revival of the ZeNEX team. While he has Fionn to thank for all his hype, hopefully he can avoid the curse for the time being and show us what he's capable of outside the weightroom.


IMYongHwa
Yet another Protoss that suffered a derailment courtesy of the Artosis hype train, YongHwa is one of three budding Protoss on the Incredible Miracle team. As YongHwa and Ready fight their way through the EWM this week trying to catch Seed, all 3 are aiming to claim the spot as the top Protoss on the team, to sit along-side NesTea and MvP as the respective leaders of their race.

The Newcomers


FXOXD
This player reminds me a lot of current CheckSix player MajOr. It has nothing to do with his playstyle, but rather the fact that it's the third time I've seen this player, and it's the third alias I've seen him compete under. Playing the EWM last week as FXOAlwayS, he changes names faster than Terran/WinDy/Princess/Kitty does. MajOr is a very strong player not to be discounted, and I suspect neither is XD.


RS_Soulman
At first glance, I thought Infinity Seven had sent their new coach Thundertoss to Korea to assist CrazyMovING in training. However, Soulman actually belongs to the new Korean team Rising Star. One of their other players, Galaxy, made it quite far last week and RS is looking to be quite a skilled team. Definitely a group of players to observe for the future.


SalMoSaPrime
A player who joined Prime recently from the RAZER clan, SalMoSa is quite the enigma. He participated last week, surprisingly knocking out Tassadar in the first round, only to fall to Choya shortly thereafter. Can he put on a better showing this week?

Quadrant D



Possibly my favorite quadrant this week, Quadrant D has quite a few big names, and a few smaller names I would say have great chances at upsets.

The Favorites


IMLosirA
Being a former Code S finalist, LosirA might be the favorite to take home this tournament and return to Code A. Ever since his 0-4 defeat at the hands of his teammate, 3 time GSL champion NesTea, LosirA has had a tough time in the GSL, falling out immediately in GSL August, and remaining on the cusp of Code S and the Up&Down matches. Failing to make it through his Up&Down group, he started 2012 in Code A, falling to oGsTheStC in the Round of 48. Looking to force his way back into the GSL, and regain his Code S title, LosirA won't be holding anything back in this tournament.


STRainBOw
Back in GSL November, RainBOw tortured everyone's hopes when he finally re-qualified for the GSL. He had the misfortune of getting paired against his teammate and macro monster Bomber, and lost the close 2-1 series and fell back into the realm of the Code A Qualifiers. As luck would have it, as he tried to re-qualify for GSL 2012 Season 1, he came up against Seal, a player who's notoriety stems from an impressive defeat of Bomber himself. Much like the StarTale Terran before him, RainBOw lost at the hands of Seal and is now looking to take his revenge, club in hand.


NsHSSage
Sage is yet another player that rocketed to the forefront of the Korean scene as a part of the New Star HoSeo GSTL roster. Showing incredible tactics and remarkable quick thinking, Sage is a beast of a whole new breed, relying on out-thinking his opponents rather than beating them on sheer mechanical play. Having qualified for Code A twice already, we know he has what it takes to compete at that level, will anyone be able to stop him as he looks to make it a third?

The Dark Horses


EGHuK
The Canadian Protoss remains the only foreign player to succeed in winning an MLG title after the influx of Korean players. He was a Code S mainstay since the Open Seasons, but like many others he fell as the unforgiving new GSL format chewed and spat hopes and dreams back down into Code A and below. Now HuK finds himself in a race to see which foreigner will be the first to make it through Korean Qualifiers into Code A, could this be his week, and his chance back into the GSL?


dtGSickness
Perhaps the most notable player on Dream Team Gaming, Sickness earned quite a bit of notoriety from the community with his amazing micro ability. Hailing from the NEX clan, Sickness has quite a talented background to come from and is a player with drive and determination at the highest form. I would not be surprised to see him become the first player from dtG to qualify for the GSL.


Liquid`HayprO
The Banjo himself, back in Korea and in top form. Hot off his success at Providence, taking down the God of Zerg, NesTea, and pushing MvP to the very brink, HayprO has never looked better. If he can continue playing at the same level he's been on recently, nothing can stand in his way as he reminds everyone why they call him Bon Jovi.

The Newcomers


FXOTree
Tree has been around on the FXO roster for quite some time now, however he hasn't gotten to see much play. Recently, TeamLiquid even made mention of Tree as a player poised to break out. Perhaps, as spring draws near, we'll begin to see the fruits of his hard training and be able to watch him bloom into a star right before our eyes.


breek
Quite a strange sight to be training in Korea, breek hails from Japan, and is looking to be the first Japanese player to play in the GSL. We've seen Taiwanese players and Chinese players begin to break onto the Korean scene recently, and even some Japanese players get into the international scene as members of the Type team. What will the Japanese Zerg have in store for us?


Journey
One of the many players without a team participating this week, Journey doesn't offer much to differentiate himself, as far as we know. However, some players have risen from the depths meteorically, and with Starcraft 2 still currently a volatile state, anything can happen. While it might be safe to bet on some of the more established players, I for one love rooting for the underdog. If there's one lesson we can learn from Journey, I would say that lesson would be "Don't Stop Believin".

Well, that concludes my preview for Week 2 of the E-Sports Weekly Match. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! Be sure to tune in Monday-Friday at 17:00 GMT (+00:00) to see all these players and more battle it out for a chance at the spotlight in Code A!