[TSL4] Point Ranking Update - Week 3

We’re now over half way through the TSL4 qualifiers and the hunt for points is becoming more and more competitive. There are only four NA-EU qualifiers and two KR qualifiers remaining. So how are the point rankings shaping up for each server?

EU/NA Rankings			Change
1st	Mill.LaLuSh	182	--
2nd	aTn.DarkForce	174	--
3rd	mycerion	124	5
T-3rd	Liquid`Sheth	124	1
5th	d.Bischu	122	2
6th	mouz.HasuObs	111	54
7th	MorroW	103	3
8th	MajOr	100
8th	MANGO.Pink	100	2
T-8th	d.SeleCT	100	2
11th	infs.JonnyREcco	93	1
12th	Empire|Beastyqt	92	1
T-12th	KawaiiRiceLighT	92	48
14th	ESCGoOdy	83	6
15th	Type.DBS	82	18
16th	AL.BabyKnight	81	75
T-16th	FXO.LoWeLy	81	2

Last week was not a very good week for those players who were on the cusp of breaking into the top 8 players the week before. Indeed, players like GoOdy (83), ClouD (74) and HuK (71) couldn’t make any significant headway into cracking the top 8. The notable exception to this, of course, is Ret who qualified directly into the TSL last week. In particular, the NA qualifier last week was very bad for established progamers and many were upset by ‘lesser’ names and scored minimal points.

That means there are a number changes in the top 8 this week. The peoples champion, better known as Mycerion (124), broke the 100 point barrier this week. He has been remarkably consistent throughout these qualifiers, scoring points in four out of six qualifiers. The other player whose consistency is paying off is none other than Sheth (124). Neither Mycerion or Sheth is secured a spot in the TSL yet, but at the rate they’re going they should be able to lock their spots in this week.

Bischu has separated himself from the ‘one hit wonder’ group of finalists by getting back to back Ro32 finishes last week, nudging his total to 122 points. This is still shaky territory for him, but he’s definitely moving in the right direction. Pink (100) and SeleCT (100) will need to step it up and start adding points if they want to stay in contention. LaLuSh hasn’t added anything to his total, but then again he hasn’t been playing. He missed both qualifiers last week, but with his massive 182 point total it seems very unlikely he will fall out of the top 8 at this stage. DarKFoRcE added 21 more points to his total, bringing it to 174, and also looks to be a lock for the upcoming season.

Outside of the top 8, the scramble for points is really heating up. JonnyREcco (93), Beastyqt (92) and KawaiiRice (92) are all steadily adding to their totals and building towards a top 8 finish. All three are just one Ro8 away from placing comfortably inside the top 8 (and a Ro16 would get them there, just!). Kawaii was on a real tear last week as well, with a semifinal and a Ro16 finish. With this momentum he just might be able to make the leap into the top 8.


What has really been remarkable this past week is how the big names have fallen out, one way or another. Stephano (21) looked like he was going to destroy the EU qualifier last week, before he was pulled away to play in another tournament. Socke (11) just isn’t getting a break in the qualifiers – he lost to Ender (41) in the Ro64 during the last NA qualifier, and lost to nkr (0) in the Ro256 during the last EU qualifier. That’s no reason to count him out, he has been streaming a lot lately and his fellow countryman HasuObs (111) who was also struggling (before this week) made the finals of the EU qualifier, which shows that you can’t ever count out a champion like Hasu or Socke.

LucifroN (33) isn’t gaining any traction either, he was only able to add 11 points this week – well below the community’s expectations, and I’m sure his own as well. As mentioned earlier, Huk (71) only added 11 points last week as well, after being upset by Forsen (41) 2-1 in the NA Qualifier and losing to Memph in the Ro512 in the EU Qualifier. MorroW (103) may be safe up in the top 8 at the moment, but he too was unable to add any further points last week after an upset loss to NoNameSc2 in the Ro64.

There are still four qualifiers left, so there is still some time to make up for lost ground – and boy will some of our favourites need it. My best guess as to what the minimum number of points will be needed to land in the top 8 would be 140 at this point. Why 140? No particular reason, just a combination of the difficulty of the qualifiers (and hence, difficulty of making successive point finishes in the qualifiers), strong players from the 40-90 point range gaining 100 points from finals appearances, and the fact that Sheth, Mycerion, Morrow and the guys on 80-90 points could easily break the 140 point threshold with a Ro8+Ro16 finish from two of the remaining four qualifiers. After this round of qualifiers the point threshold will become significantly clearer.

KR Rankings			Change
1st	ST_Hack	132	13
2nd	IMSeed	121	1
T-2nd	IMFirst	121	--
4th	TSL_HyuN	82	1
5th	MvP.Lure	81	13
6th	SlayerS_Miya	73	8
7th	SlayerS_CoCa	71	2
T-7th	ZeNExLife	71	2
T-7th	SlayerS_Puzzle	71	23
T-7th	ST_Squirtle	71	3
11th	TSL_RevivaL	63	1
12th	IMYoDa	62	6
13th	AnnYeongPrime	60	8

After last week, Korea has a new player at the top of the ladder. After narrowly losing to Creator in the final of last weeks qualifier, Hack sits atop of the ladder with 132 points. 132 points is a very nice place to be at this stage of the game. This is because the top ranking players without a finals finish cannot overtake Hack with a Ro8 finish. With the sheer difficulty of the Korean qualify, a Ro8 finish (let alone anything better) is incredibly difficult. Moreover, with 6 qualification spots, Hack seems virtually guaranteed for qualification. Mathematically it is still possible for him to not qualify, but realistically, he’s in.

First (Anyppi) also added points last week and joins Seed on 121 points. Neither can feel too safe about their current score – with two qualifiers left (meaning two more sets of 100 points up for grabs, as well as four lots of 60 points) there are a whole host of players who are capable of surpassing them. Indeed, if HyuN (82) and Lure (81) pick up another Ro8 finish then First and Seed would be tied for fourth place. If you then consider the two 100 point qualifiers then it becomes plausible that they might not make it into the TSL. That means a Ro32 finish this week would be a huge relief to either of them, and will probably be enough to carry them through to qualify in off the ladder.

Hyun, Lure and Miya are the three most likely candidates for the 6th spot on the ladder. Indeed, Hyun and Lure can break the 100 point barrier with a Ro16 or better finish and doing so would likely secure them a spot. Miya on the other hand might be able to squeak through with a Ro32 finish, since he is on 73 points adding another 11 would surpass Hyun’s total and thus make him the leading contender for the 6th slot.

By no means is it an easy road for Hyun, Lure or Miya to qualify. Right on their heels are CoCa (71), Life (71), Squirtle (71), Puzzle (71), RevivaL (63), YoDa (62) and AnnYeong (60). Each of these players is one Ro8 finish away from breaking the 100 point barrier. If this happens, it will make for a crazy final qualifier where (quite literally) anything could happen. And of course, any of those players could make that happen this week – we all know that they have the talent and they have all illustrated it at one point or another.


So who’s missing from the action? For starters, DRG (21) isn’t getting any breaks this season. He ran into Revival in the Ro64 and went out 0-2. The Zerg master has vastly underperformed thus far, and I’m sure he’s not remotely satisfied with his performance. This might mean that DRG comes out all guns blazing in one of the two remaining qualifiers and takes the whole thing; after all, we know he’s capable of it. Prime's Terran duo aren’t having a good time of it either. MKP (11) obviously couldn’t play last week due to GSL commitments, but really needs some big results to stay competitive. Maru (11) also can't catch a break and hasn't added points since the first qualifier. FXO are struggling a bit as a team, with Leenock (41) being the highest scoring member of the team.

The other big story out of the Korean qualifiers is the complete absence of Liquid. Indeed, the only player from Liquid to get points at this stage is TaeJa (21), who only made it to the Ro16 in the most recent qualifier. With HerO (0) qualifying for MLG arena and performing well in other tournaments and Taeja making the Ro8 of the GSL and grabbing a spot for IPL5 there really isn’t any good explanation for their absence in this tournament. I guess you could put it down to dumb luck. Zenio (0) and TLO (0) aren’t making any headway in the TSL qualifiers either, and realistically their chances are very slim since making a final, or back to back semifinals, seems quite unlikely for both of them.

While Liquid and FXO struggling (in addition to fnatic and ZeNEX), the other teams are getting a fairly even share of the action.

Team	Top 10	Top 20	Qualified
Slayers	3	4	0
IM	2	4	0
Startale	2	2	1
NSH	1	2	1
TSL	0	2	0
MVP	1	2	0
Col.	0	2	0
FXO	0	1	0
Prime	0	1	1
ZeNEX	0	1	0

With only two qualifiers remaining, things are really getting tight. Big name players like MKP, DRG and Hero are really running out of time to qualify. Given the calibre of these players, expect to see some big performances in the next two qualifiers.

Things are getting tight! Join us in the live report thread in the upcoming week to feel the rush of following your favourite players as they battle through these incredibly difficult qualifiers.

You can find more information about all invites, qualifiers, and full rankings in the TSL forum.