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Ro8: Recap
Koreans Reign, Grubby Through

Finals Day 2 Preview
What lies ahead?

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

VODs on Youtube

Quarter-Finals Conclude

by Waxangel

Day one of the WCS Europe Season II finals concluded with a result many hoped to avoid, but most knew to be inevitable: the Koreans dominated the competition. Acer.MMA, SK_MC, and MVP.duckdeok, the three surviving Koreans in the tournament, made the most of their opportunity in a foreign land, defeating their European opponents and booking spots in the semi-finals. As an added bonus, they received spots in the upcoming combined Season Finals at Gamescom, where they are sure to meet several of their Korean brethren.


The first match of the night saw the Mvp-slaying mouz.HasuObs lose 1 - 3 to Mvp's greatest foe in MMA. Though HasuObs showed some good play in spurts, his games were also marred by some sloppy mistakes, none more crucial than a move-command into MMA's army that cost him game two on Bel'Shir Vestige. Although HasuObs was able to take one map off of MMA, his fate was eventually sealed after a failed blink all-in on Whirlwind.

The next Korean to win would be the most famous foreigner-slayer in SK_MC, who went up against a confident NrSWelmu. Even MC seemed a bit wary of PvP, but the result was a one-sided 3 - 0 victory for the bosstoss. Whether it was builds, compositions, or execution, MC looked one level above Welmu in every facet on the night, easily securing his semi-final ticket.

Alliance.NaNiwa was the player who many European fans were most hopeful about, but unfortunately he could not overcome the European newcomer MVP.duckdeok. Duckdeok showcased some of the aggressive play that garnered him a reputation as villain so far this tournament, even using a 4-gate to kill the former 4-gate master NaNiwa. The Swede looked out of sorts on the day, commenting on his form as he left the final game. Even Grubby would later mention that he did not seem to be in good condition.

Of the Europeans, only fan-favorite Grubby survived, emerging victorious in a Ro32 rematch against Spain's mouz.VortiX. Having lost to VortiX in the earlier round of the tournament, Grubby returned with stronger PvZ than he had shown before, taking revenge with a convincing 3 - 1 victory. Although VortiX's strong roach-hydra-viper play won him the first map, Grubby recovered his bearings to take three straight wins in return. In each game he defeated a different tech from VortiX, going from swarm hosts, to ultralisks, and finally to muta-corruptor.

Grubby moves on as the final non-Korean in the tournament, facing Duckdeok in the semi-finals while MMA and MC square off on the other side of the bracket. The losers will still return on day two, as there are two spots at the WCS Season Finals to be won.

Day 2 Preview: Consolation Matches

The second and final day will begin with the 'consolation' matches, with two players receiving tickets to the WCS Season Finals at Gamescom on August 25. There, they will have a chance at redemption as they go up against the best players from all three WCS regions.



HasuObs vs. Welmu

Welmu professed confidence in PvP heading into his match against MC, but the result was a disaster. Perhaps it was just nerves? In any case, at least his preparation won't go to waste as he'll get to play second PvP series against HasuObs. While it may seem like Welmu has the advantage from a preparation standpoint, HasuObs' PvP record over the last month has been stellar. This should be a close match, and it's difficult to call. We flipped a coin, and it came out HasuObs. Prediction: HasuObs wins.

NaNiwa vs. VortiX

Like the above match, one player will come in with a preparation advantage due to their Ro8 match. In fact, it's even clearer in VortiX's case, as he faced an all-Protoss group in the Ro16, and then faced Grubby in the Ro8. Meanwhile, it's hard to tell what NaNiwa has been practicing for. Even if ZvP wasn't the match-up he practiced for in the Ro8, NaNiwa might still welcome a return to it since it's given him some tournament success so far in HotS. Prediction: VortiX wins. NaNiwa was on tilt when he lost to Duckdeok—can he be ready by tomorrow?

Day 2 Preview: Semi-Finals and Beyond

We're down to our final four players! Let's meet them in brief.

Acer.MMA: MMA managed to beat HasuObs, but he looked shaky. When MMA says he's not confident in his TvP, he is definitely not exaggerating. It's going to be a rough road for MMA with just Protoss opponents remaining in the tournament, and it's hard to see him winning unless he improves from his games against HasuObs. One thing he does have going for him is decent ghost micro, although it didn't prevent him from eating several 100% duration storms during his quarter-final series.

SK_MC: The most notable thing about MC at this tournament wasn't even his play—it was his demeanor. While he was still as jovial as ever, gone was the unbridled confidence that he would crush all other opponents. He spoke of WCS EU as a "last chance," something you'd never have expected to hear from him in the past. Still, his play against Welmu was impressive, and he should be even or better against any potential Protoss opponents. The key against MMA in the semi-finals will be his signature oracle play, and whether or not he wants to stick to it despite it being well-known.

MVP.duckdeok: Duckdeok is the cruel reminder that any fringe Code S player can become an instant championship contender in the foreign scene. He's a pretty good player, maybe even better than MMA or MC at this point in their careers, but any skill duckdeok has will be completely overshadowed by the fact that he likes all-ins and has killed off everyone's fan favorites. If he wins? Kennigit will hand duckdeok the trophy on camera, and then light himself on fire before jumping out the nearest window.

Grubby: The usual fan favorite will be an even bigger fan favorite as the last non-Korean in the tournament. All things considered, it's not as bad as it could have been for Grubby. When you hear "you're the last foreigner left against three Koreans," you expect to be totally dead, but that's not the case (that'll come in the combined season finals). Grubby has slugged it out evenly with plenty of Korean players in PvP, and MMA's weak looking TvP presents an opportunity. Grubby has a chance—don't feel bad about getting your hopes up!

Writers: Waxangel
Graphics: shiroiusagi & Smittmeister
Banner photo: ESL
Editor: Waxangel.