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OSL Ro8-1
23 November 2007
Results
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Up > Hwasin @ Persona
Jaedong > Light @ Katrina
Bisu < Savior @ Blue Storm
Stork > Flash @ Fantasy II
Jaedong > Light @ Katrina
Bisu < Savior @ Blue Storm
Stork > Flash @ Fantasy II
Supplemental Links
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I have to apologize for the late report. After seeing the sheer glory of a five-day weekend stretched out before me, I completely blew off my responsibilities here at Team Liquid. Instead, I ate a lot of turkey and played a lot of Mass Effect. Now that the workweek has begun, however, I feel obligated to spend my employer's time writing the following report. Enjoy!
Up's game against Hwasin was a quick, enjoyable experience. Both players opened with vultures, but Up sacrificed machine shops and vulture upgrades in order to secure a relatively early command center while not falling too far behind in his unit count. When Up's economic advantage kicked in, he used a brilliant feint to draw Hwasin's vultures out from under a dark swarm. The maneuver worked; Up decimated Hwasin's vultures and coasted into his mineral line for an easy win.
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/DJEtterStyle/osl/osl81.JPG)
Note: Up’s vultures are firing. Hwasin’s are moving.
Jaedong vs. Light was not quite so well-played. Light tried to shoehorn an expansion into the middle of a tech build, which left him with just shy of no anti-air units when Jaedong’s inevitable mutalisks arrived. In a desperate move, Light threw up several missile turrets while attempting to build a "critical mass" of valkyries from a single starport. Jaedong calmly used his mutalisks to draw fire from the missile turrets while his scourge took out lone valkyries. As a finishing move, Jaedong stormed Light's base with a couple control groups of zerglings.
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/DJEtterStyle/osl/osl82.JPG)
Valkyries, Light? Really?
The game between Bisu and Savior was interesting, at the very least. While it's no secret that Protoss fast expansion builds are vulnerable to well-timed hydralisk attacks, Savior's play on the strategy was admirable. His proxy hatchery just outside Bisu's base allowed him to save critical resources by not morphing a lair or researching overlord speed, and starting off with a zergling speed build allowed him to deny Bisu's normally-relentless scouting probes. All in all, it was a well-conceived, well-executed strategy, though it didn't exactly make for an exciting game.
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/DJEtterStyle/osl/osl83.JPG)
An overlord is on its way—its very short, close-in-proximity way.
Flash’s game against Stork is bound to raise comparisons to his game against Rock earlier in the OSL, but there’s a notable difference between Stork and Rock: Stork is actually good. Whereas Rock cut probes and decided to gamble with an early reaver, Stork maintained his probe production, kept his units fighting so as to not lose his nexus, and only added a robotics support bay after having cleared the front of his base. Though Stork’s carriers ultimately caused Flash to concede, micromanagement won him the game. Stork’s probe, dragoon, and reaver micro were all exquisite.
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/DJEtterStyle/osl/osl84.JPG)
This is an open memo to Flash: Stork is not Rock, and Fantasy II’s distance between bases makes it ill-suited to a bunker rush.
Credit for these videos goes to someone other than me.
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Hwasin vs. Up @ Persona
Jaedong vs. Light @ Katrina
Bisu vs. Savior @ Blue Storm
Flash vs. Stork @ Fantasy II
Jaedong vs. Light @ Katrina
Bisu vs. Savior @ Blue Storm
Flash vs. Stork @ Fantasy II
The deciding games for the quarterfinals are coming up this week! Will Up pull off the upset win over Hwasin? Does Light have any hope of beating Jaedong on Fantasy II and Persona? Will Bisu deviate from his fast expansion build in an attempt to throw Savior off balance? Does Flash have what it takes to defeat a top-tier player like Stork?
Predictions
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I liked Up’s odds last week, and I like them this week. Though Hwasin is still the favorite to advance, Up’s excellent TvT, strategic sense, and unpredictability make him a threat to any Terran.
Light needed to win last week's game on Katrina. Having lost that game, I give him practically no chance to advance over Jaedong on such Zerg-friendly maps as Fantasy II and Persona.
Bisu is still my pick to advance over Savior, but I’d be lying if I said that my confidence in him wasn’t starting to wane. Katrina and Fantasy II are just fine for PvZ; Bisu has no excuse other than inferior play if he doesn’t manage to take home the win.
After catching up on Stork’s recent games, I’m convinced that Flash doesn't stand much of a chance against him; Stork’s mechanics are nothing short of the best in StarCraft today. While his game sense could use some work, there’s just no one out there who matches Stork’s potent combination of graceful micro and jaw-dropping macro.
Light needed to win last week's game on Katrina. Having lost that game, I give him practically no chance to advance over Jaedong on such Zerg-friendly maps as Fantasy II and Persona.
Bisu is still my pick to advance over Savior, but I’d be lying if I said that my confidence in him wasn’t starting to wane. Katrina and Fantasy II are just fine for PvZ; Bisu has no excuse other than inferior play if he doesn’t manage to take home the win.
After catching up on Stork’s recent games, I’m convinced that Flash doesn't stand much of a chance against him; Stork’s mechanics are nothing short of the best in StarCraft today. While his game sense could use some work, there’s just no one out there who matches Stork’s potent combination of graceful micro and jaw-dropping macro.
