EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/KizZBG/odtbanner.jpg)
Round 2 of the ODT has started, and competing in it are a bunch of people who are all already winners—except the four people who are about to become losers. I’ve listed Group B as starting at the same time as Group A, but that’s deceptive; they’re part of the same broadcast, and, I assume, will be aired in order. If you’re only interested in Group B, I’d recommend tuning in around 21:00 Korean time. As always, please let me know if you spot any misinformation or—perish the thought!—typos.
Group A:
April 18 – 18:30 Korean
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/Shark%5Bgm%5D.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/noimage.jpg)
@ Longinus 2
All these new faces are freaking me out. There’s just so little evidence one way or the other as to their skill, but consider this quote from Lomo regarding his PSL performance: “I was very lucky in brackets. I defeated Zerg three sets in a row. I concentrated solely on vs Zerg yesterday, not paying any attention to other race match ups” (rinizim). Lomo also managed to take down Jy in a Bo3 recently. Shark, however, trounced Xellos not long ago on Longinus 2, and he’s been playing better—and more consistently—than ever as of late. This game could go either way, but surprisingly, Lomo’s the favorite due to all of his recent TvZ wins and, of course, the map.
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/Luxury%5BGsP%5D.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/Sea.Up.jpg)
@ Longinus 2
I’ll be honest: I don’t think much of Luxury’s ZvT. In fact, his ZvT reminds me of Silver’s, and that’s not a compliment. Up, however, has what I can only call spotty TvZ, with his strategies taking priority over more important things like macro and micro. Up is the clear favorite here, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Luxury snag an all-in mutalisk/zergling win.
If both the Terran players manage to win on Longinus 2, we will be treated to what I’m sure everyone has come to dread: a TvT on Arkanoid. With the most common strategies being double or triple command center, TvT on Arkanoid makes watching paint dry seem exciting. On that note, the magenta on my bedroom wall is getting deeper and more beautiful with every passing minute!
I really hope my predictions for the games on Longinus 2 are wrong. I don’t think I can handle both a TvT and a ZvZ in the same night. I mean, what is this, the Proleague?
Even though its balance is suspect, TvZ on Hitchhiker is really enjoyable to watch. Any map that allows Zerg players to hold the middle with elevated lurkers and encourages—gasp!—two-hatch builds is fine by me.
Group B:
April 18 – 18:30 Korean
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/free%5Bgm%5D.jpg)
@ Longinus 2
This is a tough match to call—a true toss-up. On the one hand, By.Flash hasn’t had the chance to prove himself against any Protoss players except the always-terrible (in PvT, anyway) Ever)P(TT. On the other hand, Free is responsible for some of the worst PvT I have ever had the misfortune to watch. His triple expand after scouting Dongrae’s timing push on Arcadia stands out as especially terrible, but let’s not forget his recent losses against ForGG, Light, and Xellos. His last PvT win was against Up on Longinus back in December 2006.
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/Bisu.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/Midas.jpg)
@ Longinus 2
This is the match that everyone is looking forward to. Midas’ usually stellar TvP has waned a bit over the past year or so, and no one is hotter than Bisu right now. Beyond that, Longinus 2 is pretty balanced PvT, following the now-typical trend of “Protoss players want to end the game early, and Terran players want to end it late.” This should be a close, exciting game.
I have no idea who is going to advance to this game, so I’ll just cover the three possible matchups as quickly as possible: PvP and TvT are balanced—go figure!—and TvP is a Terran auto-win.
I don’t have anything to say beyond what’s written above, but I felt as if I had to put something here. So let me ask: how does everyone feel about almonds? I just love them!
I know I’ve avoided predictions for the entirety of Group B, but I’ll make one now: only one Protoss, max, will advance from this group; PvT is a nightmare on Hitchhiker. I sincerely hope that both Free and Bisu have formulated some fantastic one-shot builds specifically for this game, because I would love to be proven wrong.
