EPTDay 3 Matches
WCS America's Challenger League continues, with twelve Premier League spots still up for grabs in the series of Bo5 matches.
HyuN vs. Ks.JigHyuN was on the point of breaking after getting cheated out of nearly $25,000 by his former team Quantic, but he seems to have recovered some of his sanity thanks to the support of community (both moral and financial). HyuN admitted to barely practicing at all for a period, but it shouldn't have taken too much work for a player of his caliber to get back into shape.
HyuN's opponent is also a victim of misfortune, although that of a different kind. Jig dropped out of last season's Challenger league after losing to Sage, Ryung, and TheStC. Now he faces his fourth Korean player in a row, making his WCS America experience more akin to GSL Code A. Things look rough for the Canadian Zerg, but not all hope is lost as HyuN has been somewhat prone to ZvZ upsets in the past.
coL.qxc vs. d.SeleCTqxc and SeleCT face off in a true old school battle, with the two having competed against each other as far back as MLG Dallas 2010. It's a testament to their tenacity that they've stayed around this long through all the highs and lows of their careers (and in SeleCT's case, one retirement and comeback). It's unfortunate that only one of the two can make it to the Premier League, but the tournament will be richer nonetheless for having one of these beloved veterans. And on that note...
IM_NesTea vs. Avant.KingKongHow many players are more beloved than Nestea, three time GSL champion and eight year veteran of progaming? Though he has declined significantly from his glorious prime, he still retains enough skill to be a force in the WCS America arena. His opponent KingKong has his fair share of experience as well, playing for Startale throughout 2011 and 2012 before moving to Australia to pursue a career as a cook (at least, that is what our friends down under tell us). Despite being a part-time pro, KingKong has managed to keep himself near the top of he SEA scene, which has now allowed him to win a WCS Challenger spot.
Nestea is the favorite on paper, but if there's any match-up an Australian player can cause an upset in, it's ZvZ. With the local scene being Zerg-heavy, strong ZvZ has long since been a requirement for success.
TheStC vs. ROOT.CatZCatz has started off 2014 in impressive fashion, showing off both his gaming and announcing chops by reaching WCS Challenger and providing entertaining commentary for MLG's GameOn invitational. However, it seems like it might be time for the bad news to start coming in, as he's drawn TheStC as his Challenger opponent.
Even though TheStC isn't as fearsome as some of the other Koreans competing in WCS America, he hasn't had a problem qualifying for Premier League in every season so far. Prior losses to players like Jim, HuK, and DeMuslim show that TheStC is beatable, but one has to wonder if Catz is on that level. At least stats wise, he is performing better than he has in a long time, so fans of not-Koreans in WCS America can hold out in hope of an upset.
Fnatic.Neeb vs. Imperium.EnDerrThough overlooked by most, Neeb was actually one of the few North American 'regulars' of 2013's Premier League, making his way into two tournaments. Neeb finished last place in his group in both tries, but was always able to best his fellow foreigners down in Challenger League to make it back for another try. While Neeb tries to increase the American representation in WCS Premier, EnDerr seeks to become the first players from the Philippines to compete at the Premier level. EnDerr recorded some solid results at last year's World Cyber Games, and surely he'll be looking to prove that it was no fluke.
Revival vs. Yoe.SlamFinally, the former EG player Revival goes up against Taiwan's Slam. A player with championship pedigree like Revival has to be favored here, but it's worth pointing out that Slam's teammate Has eliminated Sage in last week's Challenger matches. Players from China and Taiwan have proven more than capable of standing up to Koreans in the past, and Revival will have to stay on his guard if he wants to survive to impress potential employers.
