by semioldguy
TeamLiquid: Final Edits
The second half of the week was a little slow, but it gave me some time to catch up on the mass of games broadcast from the preliminaries on the first two days. If you weren't able to catch all the games in the preliminaries, you weren't alone. I have sifted through almost all of the games that were broadcast this week and selected the top few to feature here.
MBC Preliminaries
Monday, February 4, 2008
Pusan vs nsp_Punsoo Game 2 - Fantasy II
YouTube VOD
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Pusan versus who?! One of the special treats of the preliminaries (or not so special depending on how you look at it) is that you get to see the big stars duking it out against players who have yet to see the spotlight. Though this game is relatively short, it has action, intense micro and an exciting finish. This game delivers edge-of-the-seat suspense strait until the end, with both players getting into each others' bases in a race for destruction.
OGN Preliminaries
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Boxer vs Gozip Game 2 - Zodiac
YouTube VOD
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This game would be exciting just because Boxer is in it, which gets a bunch of people wanting to watch it anyway. The fact that the game was entertaining also meant that I couldn't force myself not to include, Boxer earns the extra nod. In this game against a relatively unknown Protoss player, Boxer finds himself behind but keeps finding ways to keep his chances alive for at least a little bit longer.
Nal_Keke vs Ruby Game 1 - Katrina
YouTube VOD
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The beginning of this game is cut off, but that's okay because it joins in right when the action starts happening. The announcers talk about Ruby's build order being a late barracks into a faster tech, so that he can have a better unit mix and development for when the Zerg player gets to hive. Though Keke has other thoughts and will make life difficult for Ruby regardless of the Terran build order. Keke's gameplay is impressive and he packs a real punch against this up-and-coming Terran player.
GoRush vs Oops Game 2 - Katrina
YouTube VOD
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Another game that doesn't join in right at the beginning, but this one starts in early enough to be able see early development. Both players clash armies and assault bases; complete with drops, swarms, storms and even the appearance of guardians. Both GoRush and Oops keep constant pressure on the other as each struggles to take a lead. This is an action filled game in which no player is able to keep a significant advantage on the other until its end.
GomTV MSL Season 4 Quarterfinals
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Kal vs Light Game 3 - Blue Storm
TLPD VOD
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It figures that the map which Light thumbs down (for whatever reason instead of Katrina or Loki II) is the map he puts up the best fight against Kal. In the only game of the series which was seemingly close, we see both players keeping up harassment and defending simultaneously. Light keeps seeming to come out the better in the exchanges due to his good multitasking, but Kal impresses with being able to keep in it to the end.
The Starleagues continue to not really impress me with their quality of games, something that I hope will be changing soon as we get closer to the determining the next champions. Over the next few weeks there are a ton of games, well over 100 during the next 12 days. Despite no Proleague, we still are blessed with a plethora of games every night as our beloved progamers cram in as much as they can before they get their Spring break. The Proleague Grand Champion will finally be decided, OSL and MSL are whittling down toward the final contenders, players are vying for spots in the next of each league, and sixteen players will begin their trek to try and win the GomTV Star Invitational.