Points to watch
*Special Semi-finals edition
1. Nada vs GoodFriend:
Nada TvT: 85-57, 59.9%
GoodFriend TvT: 64-38, 62.7%
Matchup History: Nada 2 : 2 GoodFriend
When you look at the two Terrans in SKT, Boxer and iloveoov, you see a master-student relationship, not to mention two good friends. The two Terrans at Pantech were a bit different. GoodFriend was always a solid player with an impressive resume: one OSL finals, two Semi-finals, and an incredible eight straight OSL appearances. But he was always in the shadow of Nada, who was a five-time champion (two OSLs, three KPGAs) and the most dominant player of an era. Had he stayed at Pantech, GoodFriend would have always been the number two terran. Now at KTF, he is the Terran ace in a team full of veterans, and has emerged as a star in his own right. GoodFriend will meet his old friend and rival Nada with a ticket to the finals on the line. Nada plays a free, jazzy improv style where he seems to make up build orders as he plays. On the other hand GoodFriend is known for his bland yet unbeatable standard Terran play. Nada is playing for the first ever Golden Mouse (3 OSL wins) and GoodFriend wants to get that championship that will finally prove that he deserves to be mentioned among the elite.
2. Savior vs Nal_Ra:
Matchup History: Savior 4 : 3 Nal_Ra
Savior ZvP: 45-19, 70.3%
Nal_Ra PvZ: 84-60, 58.3%
This matchup also pits two players who once shared a roof. Back in the G.O. days, Nal_Ra was the superstar of the team when Savior joined on as a practice partner. By the time Savior became a full-fledged progamer, Nal_Ra had moved to KTF. How times change. Savior is now the single most dominant force in progaming, something remarkable as a zerg. After a long slump, Nal_Ra has returned to his dreamy winning ways, performing well in both recent OSLs and MSLs. In fact, he reached the finals of the last MSL (Pringles season 1) only to be stopped by... Savior. In this rematch of last season's final, Nal_Ra will try once again to beat Savior and his 70% ZvP winning percentage. He will have to find an answer to Savior's superb management and smooth-as-silk play. Nal_Ra will need to reach deep within his dreams and find something special to defeat the current champion. But if we've learned anything throughout the years, it's this: no progamer does 'special' better than Nal_Ra. With the maps more balanced than the last time they met, the Dream Toss has a chance to unseat the Maestro from his throne.
3. Anytime vs Midas:
Matchup History: Anytime 0 : 2 Midas
Anytime PvT: 40-26, 60.6%
Midas TvP: 50-25, 66.7%
Instead of old teammates, this matchup features two clanmates. Anytime and Midas are from the famous [gm] clan (Savior too!) and that guild must be proud to have two of its players meet at such a stage. Anytime is of course desperate to continue the Legend of the Fall and become champion for the second time in two years. After a Cinderella-like tournament where he defeated Yellow, GGPlay, Xellos, oov and Boxer to ride the Royal Road, Anytime took the champion's jinx hard and crashed to the offline qualifiers. But he has bounced back with aplomb, going through a draw that is even more insane than last time - July, Casy, GGPlay, GoRush, and now Midas. The way in which Anytime knocks down any challenge thrown his way is unbelievable and inspiring at the same time. But he may have run into the toughest opponent yet. Midas' TvP is the best in the entire pro scene, and he is hungry for that elusive title. Remember the agony of defeat? That's how badly Midas wants to reach the first finals of his progaming career. Baby Bear is a skilled and determined TvP master, and he has just shaken off the WCG hangover in time to put an end to the Legend of the Fall.
4. Proleague: With all that great individual league action, it might be hard to remember the proleagues. But the proleague matchups are equally good this week: veterans vs veterans in KTF vs CJ. Young'uns vs young'uns in MBC HERO vs Lecaf. And a very important 'turning point' match for SKT and Soul on Monday. SKT and Soul find themselves in unfamiliar positions in the rankings, and this week's match will tell if SKT is ready to leave the bottom ranks and go back to their winning ways, or if Soul is really good enough to stay in the top and make the playoffs.
[Schedule]
Oct 31st Tuesday 18:30 (all times Korean time)
MBCgame Survivor League (MSL qualifiers)
Survivor League Round 2
Winners advance to qualification stage.
Shark (Z, MBCgame) vs GoodFriend (T, KTF) Best of 3
Arcadia II
New Peaks of Baekdu
Longinus
Tosky[S.G] (Z, Lecaf) vs ][Min][Gu][ (Z, CJ) Best of 3
Blitz
Arcadia II
New Peaks of Baekdu
Nov 1st Wednesday 18:30
2006 Shinhan Season 2 OSL
Semi-Finals
Nada (T, Pantech) vs GoodFriend (T, KTF) Best of 5
Arkanoid
New Peaks of Baekdu
Tau Cross
Arcadia II
Arkanoid
Nov 2nd Thursday 18:30
Pringles Season 2 MSL
Semi-Finals
Savior (Z, CJ) vs Nal_Ra (P, KTF) Best of 5
New Peaks of Baekdu
Longinus
Blitz
Arcadia II
New Peaks of Baekdu
*Savior removed Longinus from the map pool for games 1,5
Nov 3rd Friday 18:30
2006 Shinhan Season 2 OSL
Semi-Finals
Anytime (P, Lecaf) vs Midas (T, SKT) Best of 5
Arcadia II
Arkanoid
Tau Cross
New Peaks of Baekdu
Arcadia II
*Weekend ProLeague*
SKY 2006 ProLeague Round 2
Nov 4 Saturday 14:00
MBCgame HERO vs Lecaf OZ
Hanbit Stars vs Samsung Khan
Nov 5 Sunday 14:00
Pantech EX vs Ongamenet Sparkyz
KTF MagicNs vs CJ ENTUS
Nov 6 Monday 18:30
SK Telecom T1 vs STX Soul
bye week: E-Stro
Current Proleague Standings:
1. Lecaf OZ (5-0, +8) 〓
2. E-stro (4-2, +4) ▲1
3. CJ ENTUS (3-2, +1) ▲2
3. STX Soul (3-2, +1) ▲2
5. Hanbit Stars (3-2, 0) ▼3
6. MBCgame HERO (3-3, -3) ▼2
7. SK Telecom T1 (2-3, +1) 〓
8. Pantech EX (2-3, -4) ▲2
9. Samsung Khan (2-4, 0) ▼2
10. OnGameNet Sparkyz (2-4, -3) ▼1
11. KTF MagicNs (1-5, -8) 〓