1. Four players in each group, two matches (let's call them Match A and Match B).
2. Winners of Match A and Match B play each other. Let's call this Match C.
3. Winner of Match C advances to MSL Round of 16.
...
4. Losers of Match A and B play each other. Let's call this Match D.
5. Winner of Match D plays the loser of Match C. Let's call this Match E.
6. Winner of this match advances to MSL Ro16.

Right now, every group plays out Matches A, B, and C (Steps 1-3). Match D and E (Steps 4-6) are saved for a later date. So do not be scared that your favorite player lost at first, it doesn't mean he is out of the MSL. He still has a chance, it's just going to be harder for him.

It's difficult to recap a 25+ minute TvT in one paragraph, so forgive me if I miss some details. Iris opens factory expand while Nada 2-facs, but fails to deal much damage other than a marginally effective vulture runby. Iris has more tanks and threatens Nada's natural, eventually settling for good position on Nada's third. Nada does a nice wraith switch which catches Iris off guard, but superior macro due to faster expansions wins it for Iris. The final attack on Nada's third shows some nice Berserker-style TvT tank line break.

Horang opens 1-gate range expo into DT drop, while Up opens 1-fac expo. For these two, these are remarkably standard openings. Up skips turrets, gets two scanners, uses mines to stop ground DTs and moves out with two tanks a handful of vultures before Horang could drop. The attack deals a ton of damage, plowing through Horang's natural easily, as Horang was relying on DTs to defend. Intelligent and well-executed game from Up, who correctly guessed Horang's build and countered perfectly.

Iris opens fac-port-expand while Up goes fac-expand-port. The fast port allows Iris to use his first wraith and dropship to do some damage to Up's expansion, killing a few SCVs before the drop is cleaned up by Up's wraiths. Iris's next army of tank goliath forces Up's natural to lift. Up counters but is stopped by defending goliaths and SCVs. Iris loses a lot of SCVs but holds his expansion. Meanwhile, Up uses his first dropship to break out of the contain at his natural. But Iris has two tanks and two goliaths already in position to siege Up's natural gas from the adjacent cliff. Up counterattacks by dropping tanks on the cliff behind Iris's natural, which delays mining for a bit. Iris slow pushes into Up's main from the outside cliff. Both players take their third base. Iris at this point has been mining two gas for a longer time than Up, and uses his superior dropship count to kill Up's third, and eventually Up's main from above.

After the epic TvT Leta had with Flash on Medusa in Proleague, everyone expected him to advance here. Both players open very standard, Fantasy going fac-port-cc and Leta opting for a later starport after expanding. After some vulture drops and harass on both sides, the map is split in half and both players have ground armies with dropships as well. Leta seems to have more dropships, but foolishly loses several to turrets, wraiths, and goliaths when he unsuccessfully attempts to drop Fantasy's main. After that, Fantasy is in the lead and slowly grinds his way to the win, wearing Leta down after each successive attack and drop. So we'll have to settle for Fantasy versus Jaedong in the winners match, because there's no way Movie can beat Lee Jae Dong, right? Right!?!?

Jaedong does the standard three hatch spire into more hatcheries and hydra, but Movie has a nasty surprise for him. Instead of doing the standard corsair and templar tech, Movie does a timing attack with several ranged goons, constantly rallying from five gates. Jaedong is caught with his pants down, and while his slow, non-ranged hydras would have been fine against a speedzeal attack due to nice building placement and sunkens, his army sucks against ranged goons. Movie proceeds to pick him apart, microing his goons well and constantly reinforcing the attack. Jaedong can never achieve a critical mass of upgraded hydras or zerglings, and eventually loses his natural. Jaedong finally masses enough speedlings to kill the goon group, but at this point Movie is too far ahead and wins with the next attack wave of archons.

Movie opens proxy DT cheese, pushing a probe all the way around the back to make a gate, citadel, and archives behind Fantasy's back natural. Fantasy opens standard fac-cc, and Movie brilliantly lets him scout a probe about to make a nexus, and then doesn't make it after the SCV dies. The plan looks like its going to work, as Movie sends one DT to the front and pushes one through the back, but Fantasy's early academy and quick reflexes allow him to defend both fronts simultaneously. Fantasy mines his back entrance and expands to his front natural after clearing it of DTs. Mines (a particularly crazy one) stop more DT shenanigans and Fantasy harasses with dropships while taking his other back natural. Movie unsuccessfully attempts to shuttle goon break the front, and is now on three bases (fourth warping) and close to arbiter.

Fantasy does a few successful vulture raids, running Movie's army all around the map and into a ton of mines. Movie recalls, kills a ton of SCVs and Fantasy is down to 1.5 mining bases versus Movie's 3.5. Movie recalls again, killing a lot of scvs and the CC at Fantasy's other back natural. Fantasy's economy is in shambles, but he still has a large army. Movie makes a big mistake by attacking at that moment right into Fantasy's front (his arbiter who was going to stasis gets EMP'd), losing most of his army. This allows Fantasy to unsiege and take another base while rolling over Movie's natural, throwing up a few nice EMPs so Movie couldn't stasis.

Instead of going into the main, Fantasy decides to turn around and take out Movie's outlying expos. Fantasy shuts down Movie's final two mining bases. Movie's remaining army comes out of his main and there's another huge clash. This time Movie comes out on top, and almost breaks into Fantasy's main, but the attack stalls. Fantasy is still mining from a single mineral base, but Movie has no more income and concedes. Ridiculous game. Fantasy is one tenacious player, and his ability to constantly lay mines everywhere won it for him .

Savior opens two hatch muta, taking his third gas along with his spire. Canata goes bio, makes 0 comsats, and moves out early with a group of mm. Savior's overlord at Canata's natural doesn't see this, and his four zerglings don't either. The result is Canata waltzing into Savior's undefended, sunkenless natural. It's a mistake that's understandable, but its also one that the old Savior would never, ever make. Now Savior is massively behind, and Canata can do what he does best: turtle and macro.

Savior actually plays well enough to get to hive off three gas, successfully flanking Canata's first ball. But the early disadvantage proves too much, and Savior cannot hold his gas bases, eventually succumbing to huge numbers of Terran units despite hive tech. For those that watched Savior painfully struggle through his ridiculous hive-rushing post-Bisu/FBH ZvT, this game was like opening an old wound, because it felt exactly like that, even though it wasn't Savior's choice to go low-eco hive rush.

Gogo 14cc's while Flash opens fac-port and expanding himself. Flash does marginal damage with his wraiths, and gets to dropship earlier due to his fast starport. Gogo breaks Flash's natural and sets up a contain, but fortunately the map is Outsider, so Flash simply lifts and expands out through his back natural, using his dropships to secure better tank positioning at the third main. Both players trade a few bases, but Flash using his superior dropship count to secure a better gas income, eventually clawing his way into the lead. Gogo can't break Flash's gas base at the third main with vulture tank, and taps out. Great game from Flash despite the early disadvantage. His decision making was just always a step ahead of Gogo. Flash has now won his last eight TvTs.

Both players open fac-cc. Canata almost breaks Flash's nat with a quick vulture tank attack, but is pushed back. Both players posture and macro, taking their third and fourth bases. Flash shuts down Canata's third with a drop, saving most of his dropships on the way back. Flash pushes his slight advantage, using his dropships and scans to continually frustrate Canata's attempts at attacking, ferrying units to advantageous positions and trading with Canata while building up a larger army off more bases. Its a slow, methodical destruction, and suddenly Flash has twice the bases and units, and Canata is left sitting is his booth wondering what just hit him.

Both players open standard, Much going two gate range expand and Forgg going fac-cc. Forgg stays on one factory and decides to do a 4-rax mm+tank timing attack. Forgg barely misses killing Much's first shuttle+reaver, and moves out with four tanks and two groups of mm. Much seems to have enough zealot goon reaver to flank, but executes it horribly, allowing his reaver to die without firing a shot. Forgg moves into Much's main as slow zealots and goons melt to his mm army. Horrible control by Much.

Pure opens super safe two gate obs before expo, while FBH opens standard FD, attacking with a tank, marines, and rallied vultures with mines. FBH trades his tank and marines for a zealot and a goon and also fails to set up a mine contain due to Pure's fast obs. As a result, Pure is able to pressure FBH's expansion heavily, forcing a bunker and several SCVs to pull and repair. After some insignificant reaver and vulture harass, both players take their third. Pure techs to arbiters and takes a fourth, and his first two stasis get eight tanks, allowing him to easily break FBH's third. FBH eventually holds and slowly takes back his third and another base, but cannot hold them against Pure's next attack. In the meantime Pure has taken two more bases himself and is humming along smoothly off a huge eco and gate count. A recall and another stasis attack seal the victory for Pure.

Pure opens 14-nex, and mind reader Forgg blind counters with 2-rax scv rush. When the SCVs and marines arrive, Pure only has two goons and one zealot. Forgg gets a bunker up at Pure's gates but Pure's range upgrade completes, and he uses four dragoons to successfully defend. Anticlimactic ending, but recently that's how Forgg's games tend to go.