TLS Season 3 round-of-16 has concluded last weekend and we're marching forward to round-of-8 without losing any time. Same as in round-of-16, we'll cast on both Saturday and Sunday, so after this weekend we should know our semi-finalists. Surprisingly, we have a diverse set of games awaiting us this weekend, but just like last two seasons, that could quickly turn into a 75% Zerg semi-finals.

Find out more about this week's groups and the players in the recaps and previews below and make sure to tune in with Sayle on Saturday, Nov 09 6:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00) and Sunday, Nov 10 6:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00) for the Round of 8 matches.

Matchups:





Group C

The first preset match of the group featured the Zerg player, OctZerg, set against the player who declined the mirror match-up and who chose to play Protoss instead of Zerg, Julia. The game, which was played on Polaris Rhapsody, featured a number of shenanigans including Artosis pylons and, wow, many templar with such storm. In the end, Julia was able to get back into the game despite having been placed in a disadvantageous economic position in at least one point of the game by being cost-effective with his units against an opponent who had perhaps thought that he had already won the game.

The second preset match of the group featured the Terran player, Bizzy, set against the Protoss player, LancerX. After a fake double opening, Bizzy developed an ingenious siege movement against the Protoss natural expansion that succeeded in destroying the nexus at that position. In response, LancerX sought to counterattack and then to engage the entrenched enemy units in a pincer movement that initially failed but was finally able to break the position. After a bit of time, the game culminated in a Protoss all-in attack in the attempt to win the game before the Terran player could fully reap the economic benefits of having had the advantage for much of the early game. While a bit of a trade of workers happened, the necessary damage to the Terran player was not dealt, and after the failure of the emergency dark templar of last resort, LancerX lost the game.

In the first game of the winners match, which was played on Polaris Rhapsody, Bizzy was able to beat Julia, who now played Zerg, by leveraging good map control against Julia’s missed opportunities, such as a missed stop-lurker timing window near the mid game. In the second game, which was played on Andromeda, Bizzy continued to show his strength of play as he focused on a winning strategy that revolved around map control and constant pressure against his opponent with dropship play.

In the first game of the losers match, which was played on Polaris Rhapsody, OctZerg made a lot of zerglings in the early game, but LancerX was able to stave off the attack and to eventually win the game with the help of reavers and an advantageous economic position. In the second game, which was played on Andromeda, LancerX was able to beat an initial hyrdralisk bust attempt with judicious use of storm, and he was also able to beat the Zerg player’s mutalisk switch with storm as well.

Julia’s initial zerglings were thwarted in the first game of the final match, which was played on Polaris Rhapsody, but a hydralisk bust was far more successful for the Zerg player. Julia’s successes against LancerX continued into the second and final game of the group after Julia was able to establish air supremacy after a general engagement between mutalisks and corsairs, and after Julia’s scourge were able to finish the job.



Group D

The first preset match of the group featured the Terran player, TerrOr, set against the Zerg player, eOnzErG, in a game that was played on Polaris Rhapsody. In that game, the Zerg player opened with mutalisks and then switched to lurkers, and the Terran player attempted to counter the Zerg player’s composition with a biomechanical composition of his own. Despite having lost a number of mutalisks in the process of scouting out his opponent’s tech choices, eOnzErG still had the advantage when the two large armies met in the late game after his lurkers at the natural of his opponent forced the issue.

The second preset match of the group featured the Protoss player, dOTY, against the Terran player, Ramms. dOTY opened with two-gateway dragoon pressure that was able to deal significant damage in the early game and was even able to snipe away the first Terran tank. However, Ramms was allowed to stabilize and even to develop a bit of dropship aggression. In the end, dOTY ran a large number of zealots and dragoons into a very large siege tank line. He then attempted minor recalls before exiting the game.

In the first game of the winners match, which was played on Polaris Rhapsody, eOnzErG attacked with speedlings in conjunction with his mutalisks in order to set himself up for the mid game. After his lurkers arrived, the Zerg player was able to waltz all the way to the mineral line of the natural expansion and he was able to significantly disrupt mining at that location for a period of time. However, Ramms was able to make a number of inspired drop plays which took out the Zerg’s spire, main, and third base. Having turned things around substantially, the game ended with a Terran science vessel eraser on the remainder of the Zerg player’s drones. In the second game, which was played on Andromeda, Ramms appeared to have gotten himself into an unassailable position with the help of firebats, but eOnzErG’s mutalisk micro proved to be too strong and was able to disrupt the Terran player enough to be able to kill all of the marines and force a win in the game. The third game of the winners match was longer than the second, and it was played on Fighting Spirit. In that game, eOnzErG’s mutalisks were able to do enough damage to put the Terran player behind in the game. As guardians arrived onto the field, the Terran player’s wraiths were not built in sufficient quantities, and he lost the game.

The losers match was short and disappointing as it consisted of dOTY complaining about the map, Polaris Rhapsody, in the attempt to chat rush his opponent, to steal his gas, and to win with two proxied gateways. After the rush failed, dOTY conceded the match to TerrOr, and TerrOr moved on to the final match.losers. TerrOr vs dOTY.

The final match was far more satisfying than the losers match, and in the first game, which was played on Polaris Rhapsody, Ramms, playing Protoss, attempted a two gateway proxy play in his opponent’s base. The cheese was scouted out by his opponent, who was able to destroy the gateways with SCVs before they were able to produce any zealots. The game then normalized and both players took their expansions, but, with the economic advantage, TerrOr had the upper hand in the final battle between dragoons and the Terran player’s vultures and tanks. In the second game, which was played on Andromeda, the Terran player’s vultures were able to get into the high ground behind the Protoss player’s natural, a move that disrupted mining at that location. TerrOr continued a general tone of pressure throughout the rest of the game and was able to win in the end by constraining the economy of his opponent.




The Round-of-16 flew by in this third TLS season, bringing viewers an avalanche of games and new information on the players and maps that will decide the outcome of the tournament. Earlier stages of the tournament saw upset after upset, but the victories are beginning to look more like business as usual for some of the best foreigners. The Round-of-Eight, the first to feature best-of-five match-ups and single elimination bracket play, will need a few miracles to hold back the swarm.



The first match of the round will be played Terran versus Zerg by TerrOr, last season's fourth place finisher, against Sziky, our reigning champion. TerrOr is a Peruvian player with an unorthodox style in this match-up. Regular TLS viewers will know by now to expect his marine/goliath timing attacks and all manner of vulture shenanigans. His record versus Zerg is 26-36 in TLPD and 9-16 in TLS history. These disappointing numbers do not tell the story of his triumphs and defeats on a razor's edge versus the best the foreign scene has to offer. This first match will require TerrOr to play his worst match-up in five straight games against the TLS Tyrant, a name which I am now coining for our champion.

Speaking of whom, Sziky is back in TLS action. Sziky is the Hungarian victor of both previous TLS tournaments. His list of accomplishments taxes my meager 1080p screen, his play taxes my mind. This season has seen only three games from this Zerg, comfortable victories against FremAN and trutaCz. Sziky is renowned for his zergling micromanagement, but his mutalisk control is second to none as well. I would expect very standard play from our champion in this series, perhaps with an emphasis on two-hatchery mutalisk builds to capitalize on TerrOr's reluctance to use marine/medic. Of course, no preview of a Sziky match versus Terran would be complete without mentioning his loss to Sea in the first TLS showmatch. Despite being the undisputed best foreigner, Sziky was absolutely steamrolled in his only TLS games versus Terran by the king of SOSPA and former Team Liquid player Sea. All TerrOr has to do in tonight's games is play like Sea and he should have these games in the bag. Should he bring anything less to the table, then Sziky will be the comfortable favorite for advancement.






The second set of the upper bracket pits the unstoppable momentum of Protoss newcomer DragOn against the immovable, rock-solid play of Zerg Julia. DragOn is by new means new to the foreign scene, but this season of TLS has shown this Canadian player to be a real contender among the best. Unfortunately for him, his talent in the Protoss versus Terran match-up may not be relevant again in this tournament. In a bracket infested by minions of the Overmind, DragOn will need to hone his skills in his weakest match-up to survive to further rounds. All might appear lost, except that only weeks ago he earned an impressive series victory against stalwart Bakuryu, winning long games against the Zerg with good attention to the peculiarities of the TLS3 map pool.

DragOn's opposition this round is yet another beastly Zerg, last season's third place finisher Julia. Julia is a Polish player with absolutely nightmarish dominance in the non-mirror match-ups. He is undefeated in TLS history versus Protoss with nine wins against strong opposition. Equally comfortable with hydralisk busts and long macro games, Julia appears without weakness against champions of Aiur, and will undoubtedly punish even the smallest flaw in his opponent's play. DragOn has impressed thus far in TLS3, but tonight's match has the potential to bring his tear to a dead halt.






The next two matches are for the lower half of the bracket; one of these four players will face Sziky the upper bracket champion in the Finals. For this reason, fans everywhere will be rooting for our Terran hero Bizzy against last season's runner-up TechnicS. Bizzy has only a brief and mediocre history in TLPD and TLS. Once again, the numbers don't do justice to the caliber of play that this Terran brings to the table. Bizzy has proven himself versus Protoss, but will need back-to-back victories against Zerg to earn his spot in the finals. Bizzy is the second Canadian to play in the Round-of-Eight this season, and like the first, will need to draw upon all his talent and practice to overcome tough Zerg opposition.

Bizzy's first battle will be the man who took two games off Sziky in a single series, a Zerg player by the name of TechnicS. TechnicS hails from Bulgaria, where he sits on a throne comprised of nearly all Protoss and Terran that have dared challenge him. To put it another way, his 70+% win rates in the non-mirror match-ups do not bode well for our Terran hero. He defeated TerrOr comfortably in their series last season, but TerrOr's style is hardly comparable to Bizzy's. With a new map pool and a dangerous new opponent, TechnicS may actually appear mortal in tomorrow's match. With that said, he will be looming monster in this David versus Goliath series.






The final match of this round will be the first and hopefully last Zerg versus Zerg of the TLS3 bracket play. This series will feature the Spanish player eOnzErG against the Polish player trutaCz. These two tend to completely outclass even the best of competition, and would be favored against any foreign Terran or Protoss you could name. Against each other, expect a very even and nail-biting dogfight between these titans. eOnzErG has the stronger history, with hardly any losses to opponents not named Sziky, but I'd argue that trutaCz has shown superior play this season. trutaCz also has more to lose in this series; with his disappointing history in previous TLS tournaments, he might need this victory to earn guaranteed qualification to the TLS championship tournament. Pick your Liquibets with a coin flip, this match could go either way.

Player	Staff Picks
Sziky (4)
	2Pacalypse-, Sayle, Epoxide, itsjustatank
TerrOr (1)
	Selenus
Julia (3)
	Sayle, Epoxide, itsjustatank
DragOn (2)
	2Pacalypse-, Selenus
Bizzy (3)
	2Pacalypse-, Epoxide, itsjustatank
TechnicS (2)
	Sayle, Selenus
eOnzErG (2)
	2Pacalypse-, Epoxide
trutaCz (3)
	Sayle, itsjustatank, Selenus

Let's not beat around the bush; the Round-of-Eight clearly favors Zerg. That being said, four of the five staff that posted predictions this week are willing to take a chance on at least one match. The only exception is Sayle, who undoubtedly is sticking with the logic that when you bet on Zerg, any result is a good result. As mentioned in the preview, Sziky is heavily favored, but TerrOr is a wildcard that can't be counted out. Julia should hold against DragOn, but two of us see hope in the last remaining Protoss. The most surprising predictions come in the third match of the weekend, where a small majority picked Bizzy over TechnicS. Whether people truly believe the Terran will win the series, or whether we are simply clinging to the hope that the rest of the series might not be Zerg dominated, will remain a mystery. Also interesting is the majority leaning towards trutaCz in the final match. eOnzErG looks better on paper, but his opponent seems truly dangerous this season. Are these predictions any better than picking names out of a hat? Find out this weekend!

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Join us on Saturday, Nov 09 6:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00) for the cast of the Upper Bracket and on Sunday, Nov 10 6:00pm GMT (GMT+00:00) for the cast of the Lower Bracket! And as always a big thanks to our sponsors: