EPT
OSL, PvT, MnM. FD Terran, sunken spore, reaver sair. By.Flash, flash in the pan, sparks on sunks. When it comes to StarCraft, you know it all. You talk the talk and post boldly in liquibet threads. Live reports are riddled with your in-depth analysis, and your friends double check with you before their FragBet wagers. Now it is time to prove your prowess to everyone and win some cash at the same time.
Introducing the TL.net bracket contest. With only 8 players remaining in the current OSL tournament, it is up to you to predict who moves on and who goes home. You must correctly pick the winner of each series and the eventual champion. You must also predict the scores of the series, which will be used for tie-breaker purposes only. Here is the bracket as it stands now, sexified by Mynock.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/daumoslbrackets.jpg)
Take a long hard look at your finalists, and then send me, Manifesto7, your predictions via the PM system. Entries must be sent before the beginning of the games on Friday, June 22nd. You must edit the image below to show your picks, and then upload the image. Using a combination of Paint and ImageShack is the best way. REMEMBER! You must pick both the winners and the scores for your entry to be accepted. Quarterfinals are bo3. Semifinals, finals and 3/4th place matches are best of 5.
Entry Form:
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/daumoslbracketsentry.jpg)
The winner of the contest is the one who successfully predicts the outcome of the bracket. If nobody successfully predicts the outcome, I keep the money and go get drunk. If more than one person is correct, then the score predictions for the series will be the tie-breaker. The tie-breaker will start with the finals, and then work backwards in importance. Either that or we will just play a bo7 on OSL maps. That might be more fun.
Once the champion is crowned, I will make a newspost about the winner. They will then receive their $100 via paypal, poker, or mail. If there are any questions about the rules, post them in this thread and I will answer them.
Just in case you need a little of my expert opinion to help you make some of those difficult decisions, I present to you my Round of 8 preview.
Player Preview
MANTOSS - As if this man NEEDS a preview. He needs NOTHING from us mortals. Reach has been on fire lately, and his 3-0 OSL record proves that this is the time of his resurrection. His games against terran were one sided affairs, with Iris buckling terribly and BiFrost showing the entire world that he simply did not belong. After that, he wore down Shark in an event now called "Game of a Hundred Storms". Thirty minutes of death defying micro gave him the victory and a perfect record into the quarterfinals. However, his next task is truly Herculean. He must test his third match up, PvP, against Stork.
Traditionally, PvP has been the strongest matchup for the deity of Auir. At 64%, is one of the all-time leaders. However, Protoss pickings have been slim in recent years, and that combined with his relative inactivity has led him to play only 7 PvP games in the past year and a half.
vs
Stork - After crushing the proleague in his fist this season, Stork zoomed up the Power Ranking and back into the limelight. Although his fall from the spotlight was not nearly as high as Reach's, and his slump was not as long, it must surely be glorious to be back as a contender. Expectations have always been high for Stork on TeamLiquid, especially when Boxer himself predicted his rise to glory. This is his chance now though. With his career 26-12 PvP record, Stork has also been twice as active as Reach since the beginning of 2006. Over the past two months, he has gone 7-2, beating Anytime, Much, rA, Bisu... and yes, Reach in a game on Monty Hall.
All time record: Reach 2:2 Stork
Quarterfinal Prediction: Are you kidding? Reach 2-1
sAviOr – Hmmm lets see… Three time winner of the MSL, with another two second place finishes, as well as the winner of the last OSL Starleague. His record vs T is an astounding 66% at 50-26, and the only thing that looks better is his record vs Protoss which stands at 72%. The only person to even rival these stats was iloveoov back in 2004. Oh, by the way, after he destroys his teammate Iris in the quarters, he is guaranteed a protoss player in the semifinals. Yep, sAviOr has his ticket punched all the way to the big dance.
vs
Iris – How happy is Iris? On a complete tear last season (mostly thanks to generous helpings of TvT matches), he got stopped cold in an epic five game series against his teammate sAviOr. Since then, he cooled off significantly, but is back by virtue of a weak group and an auto OSL seed from his 4th place finish. Just when he felt like he had another shot at the title, who is in his way? Ma Jae Yoon again. If any of you remember the look on Iris’ face after game 5 last season, you will know that Iris and sAviOr are not exactly the closest of teammates. It will be interesting to see what colour he turns after this next series.
All time record: sAviOr 3:2 Iris
Quarterfinal Prediction: sAviOr 2-0
Bisu – Bruce Lee Toss. The invisible ninja. The sAviOr hunter. Bisu is the hottest thing in progaming right now. His boyish good looks make him an easy hero vs the stony faced villain that is Ma Jae Yoon. With his innovative protoss play, Bisu has led a resurgence of his race, stealing away the last MSL tourney with a shattering 3-0 performance. Surely his eyes are on the finals with another epic match up in the offing. There is just one problem…
vs
By.Flash - At 4 foot and change, the youngest professional BroodWar player alive walks with his head up in the land of giants. Hailed as the next generation by his KTF mentors, By.Flash has been nothing short of amazing. On television, he has an 11-2 record, with his only losses coming against Boxer and Savior. He has been perfect against protoss, going 7-0 including a win vs Bisu in the ODT. More than his record is his poise. He is simply unflappable, not showing the emotion his young MBC counterpart Sea does. With that iron determination and deadly execution, he has become a staple for KTF in ProLeague play, rejuvenating their playoff hopes. He will have to be at his best now, as he is facing Bisu who went 3-0 vs Terran in the group stages.
All time record: Bisu 0:1 By.Flash
Quarterfinal Prediction: Bisu 2-1
GGPlay - Quietly, but with great purpose, GGPlay decimated his group and made a statement regarding his intentions for this OSL. Considered an underdog with all the big names still remaining, he is nevertheless a force which is capable of upsetting anybody in the league. His main worry could be overuse. With Hanbit flailing in the proleague standings, there must be pressure for him to improve his play there to set the team up for a late season charge. Regardless, he will prove to be a major obstacle for anyone’s title hopes.
vs
Hwasin – A month ago, one of our respected staff members wrote…
… He keeps winning, and as much as I might spout off about how Hwasin is a one-matchup wonder who keeps advancing sheerly because of advantageous maps, he is…
However Hwasin has proved to be a lot more than a one-matchup wonder, going 18-6 over the past ten weeks. It won’t matter too much though, as he will be playing his best matchup vs GGPlay anyways. At 40-19, it is a good bet that Hwasin will get the majority of Liquibet votes.
All time record: Hwasin 2:1 GGPlay (games are quite old though)
Quarterfinal Prediction: GGPlay 2:1
Good Luck in your picks!
Mani
- we can only put a winner there ;p
