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The RO16 group nominations produced a pretty awesome Group of Death, you can check out the full group listing here:
RO16 Group Stage @ Liquipedia
So in case you aren't familiar with the format, it's actually a lot of fun.
Players in the GSL personally form their pools of 4 players by choosing who to add at a nomination ceremony.
With 16 players left, first-fourth place in total GSL points are assigned to a separate pool (A-D). At the nomination ceremony, they each choose 1 player out of the remaining 12 to add to their pool. In the next round of nominations, the player they selected chooses 1 player out of the remaining 8 and so on.
The Group of Death was formed like this:
Pick 4 - Squirtle: Chooses Symbol
Pick 7 - Symbol: Chooses MKP
Pick 10 - MKP: Chooses MC
Intuitively none of their picks make much sense, there were plenty of easier Zerg, Terran and Protoss opponents still on the board. Symbol was chosen with Violet still available and MKP with Byun still available. MC was the last Protoss left at pick 10, but would you really pick MC over Byun as MKP?
Does anyone know their thought processes that lead to the formation of the Group of Death? I'm really curious about that. Did Squirtle have an idea that Symbol would pick MKP and so on?
I wonder if players like Squirtle and Symbol go for Groups of Death on purpose so that the chances of facing an easier opponent in the RO8 and RO4 are larger?
I mean hey, whoever makes it first out of this group has a good shot to play against a Naniwa or a Violet in the RO8. Of course you've still got DRG, Nestea, Taeja, MVP, Genius etc., but honestly these are like 4 of the top 8 players in the tournament imo. I've never seen a group of death like this before.
Or maybe they do this on purpose so that more elite player get sent down to Code A and the next season might be easier?
Or it could have happened with less premeditation, like Squirtle picks Symbol to make the statement that he thinks he can beat Symbol, not knowing that Symbol would pick MKP and so on.
Anyone know for sure why you would choose to face possibly the best Zerg, Terran or Protoss in the world before you've even got a seed locked up for the next Code S?
  
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symbol doesnt like squirtle picking him, makes the group harder for squirtle to get out. especially with that whole mkp vs ST protoss thing. plus its balls, picking someone that good and beating him just proves you have the balls to back up your talk, and the skills too.
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From my understanding, Squirtle picked Symbol because Squirtle wants to prove himself right now.
After being humiliated by someone like Keen in the Round of 32, the only way Squirtle thinks he can save face is to defeat the most hyped player in the scene...which is Symbol.
Symbol then picks MKP because Symbol, himself, also wants to gain fame. Symbol has been on fire lately and his ZvT is top notch while MKP's TvZ looks a bit shaky. Having beaten MKP lately in the round of 32...Symbol thinks he has nothing to worry about.
MKP picked MC probably for a few reasons.
1. He wanted to complete the group of death for the fans...because MKP is awesome. If MKP made it out of the group of death, he will be remembered as one who created the group of death for himself....and survived!
2. MKP thought if he's going to go down to code A, he's going to take another top player with him
3. Having MC in the group, who MKP seems to be close friends with, could be quite entertaining.
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Knock the strong guys out early so you don't have to face them later? I certainly would.
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Isn't TvP Mkp's best matchup? Makes sense he would pick MC.
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this group is so sick..Cant wait!
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Because once in the Ro8 your Code S automatically next season, so Ro16 Groups of deaths has higher pressure to succeed.
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your Country52796 Posts
Probably to scare their opponents and hype themselves up.
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Don't forget picking MC means you are picking the most predictable protoss in code S. MKP also hates playing vs zerg sicne queen range, and TvT means that symbol/squirtle are going to prepare more for terran than any other race, putting MKP at a disadvantage (practicing vs 3 races compared to two)
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MKP picking MC for his group is a genius move, MC is one of the players that it's very likely he'll face later on in the tournament, so he wants to try and get rid of him as soon as possible, especially since MC will have to practice every matchup for this group, as opposed to if they faced in the ro8 or whatever, MC could focus purely on PvT.
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Squirtle wanted to pick a really tough opponent so he would have more motivation to practice, so he picked Symbol.
Symbol is incredibly confident in his skills and ability to get out of the group and thus picked Marineking.
Marineking, realizing the potential to create one of the sickest groups of death ever, picks MC. Because he's like that.
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MKP's MC pick could also be motivated by a desire to avoid team-killing with Byun.
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Blazinghand
United States25550 Posts
People say Group B is the group of death, but if you think about it, MKP and MC haven't made deep Code S runs recently, Symbol is new and relatively unproven in Code S, and Squirtle, well, you gotta have some powerhouse in a group.
I actually consider both Group D along with Group C to be death-group.
Like, check out group D. DRG, Ryung, SuperNoVa, and NesTea. Now, SuperNoVa is no Code S champ but I'll be damned if he doesn't play really really well in group stages. I think we all know DRG, and although NesTea is "slumping", he made it to the Ro16 or Ro8 in his previous seasons pretty easily. Ryung is underrated and also has made good runs before.
And group C? Terrifying. Genius is a Code S finalist, Naniwa is the best foreigner in the GSL and made it to the Ro8 last season before losing to the eventual champion. Byun is an up-and-coming terran (AKA Ghostking) and Keen has been a fixture in Code S for over a year.
We all see MC and MKP as recognizable, and yeah, they're great players, but they're not consistent terror machines like DRG, Naniwa, and Genius. Symbol is on fire and up-and-coming, sure, but that's all he is. He's no Mvp. Hell, even Group A kinda looks more scary than Group B, if you're familiar with Taeja, viOlet and Seed. Mvp is kinda insane to have picked TaeJa, imo, but on the other hand Mvp's probably the only player in the world who can expect to beat TaeJa in a TvT.
So I'm not really sure Group B is the death group. I might even say it's the weakest group in the Ro16.
Big names? Sure.
But hype alone doesn't win you games.
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On June 25 2012 05:21 Blazinghand wrote:
People say Group B is the group of death, but if you think about it, MKP and MC haven't made deep Code S runs recently, Symbol is new and relatively unproven in Code S, and Squirtle, well, you gotta have some powerhouse in a group.
I actually consider both Group D along with Group C to be death-group.
Like, check out group D. DRG, Ryung, SuperNoVa, and NesTea. Now, SuperNoVa is no Code S champ but I'll be damned if he doesn't play really really well in group stages. I think we all know DRG, and although NesTea is "slumping", he made it to the Ro16 or Ro8 in his previous seasons pretty easily. Ryung is underrated and also has made good runs before.
And group C? Terrifying. Genius is a Code S finalist, Naniwa is the best foreigner in the GSL and made it to the Ro8 last season before losing to the eventual champion. Byun is an up-and-coming terran (AKA Ghostking) and Keen has been a fixture in Code S for over a year.
We all see MC and MKP as recognizable, and yeah, they're great players, but they're not consistent terror machines like DRG, Naniwa, and Genius. Symbol is on fire and up-and-coming, sure, but that's all he is. He's no Mvp. Hell, even Group A kinda looks more scary than Group B, if you're familiar with Taeja, viOlet and Seed. Mvp is kinda insane to have picked TaeJa, imo, but on the other hand Mvp's probably the only player in the world who can expect to beat TaeJa in a TvT.
So I'm not really sure Group B is the death group. I might even say it's the weakest group in the Ro16.
Big names? Sure.
But hype alone doesn't win you games.
Comparing ryung supernova and keen to the players in group b shows u clearly have no clue about the Current Korean scene, every player in group b could win this gsl. some of those players u named have no shot to even get out of there group. You have the top pvp and top 3 pvt player in squirtle. Symbol has been the top zvter and zvz in the past month, mkp has top 3 tvp and Tvz and then u have mc he has the best PVZ in the world to go along with his solid pvp and until recently amazing pvt
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Blazinghand
United States25550 Posts
On June 25 2012 08:04 IamPryda wrote:Show nested quote +On June 25 2012 05:21 Blazinghand wrote:
People say Group B is the group of death, but if you think about it, MKP and MC haven't made deep Code S runs recently, Symbol is new and relatively unproven in Code S, and Squirtle, well, you gotta have some powerhouse in a group.
I actually consider both Group D along with Group C to be death-group.
Like, check out group D. DRG, Ryung, SuperNoVa, and NesTea. Now, SuperNoVa is no Code S champ but I'll be damned if he doesn't play really really well in group stages. I think we all know DRG, and although NesTea is "slumping", he made it to the Ro16 or Ro8 in his previous seasons pretty easily. Ryung is underrated and also has made good runs before.
And group C? Terrifying. Genius is a Code S finalist, Naniwa is the best foreigner in the GSL and made it to the Ro8 last season before losing to the eventual champion. Byun is an up-and-coming terran (AKA Ghostking) and Keen has been a fixture in Code S for over a year.
We all see MC and MKP as recognizable, and yeah, they're great players, but they're not consistent terror machines like DRG, Naniwa, and Genius. Symbol is on fire and up-and-coming, sure, but that's all he is. He's no Mvp. Hell, even Group A kinda looks more scary than Group B, if you're familiar with Taeja, viOlet and Seed. Mvp is kinda insane to have picked TaeJa, imo, but on the other hand Mvp's probably the only player in the world who can expect to beat TaeJa in a TvT.
So I'm not really sure Group B is the death group. I might even say it's the weakest group in the Ro16.
Big names? Sure.
But hype alone doesn't win you games. Comparing ryung supernova and keen to the players in group b shows u clearly have no clue about the Current Korean scene, every player in group b could win this gsl. some of those players u named have no shot to even get out of there group. You have the top pvp and top 3 pvt player in squirtle. Symbol has been the top zvter and zvz in the past month, mkp has top 3 tvp and Tvz and then u have mc he has the best PVZ in the world to go along with his solid pvp and until recently amazing pvt
Certainly viOlet and Seed will have trouble getting out of a group with Mvp and Taeja, but I think that says more about Taeja and Mvp being great players than them being bad. And if you really think MC actually has a chance at winning this GSL, that's your own opinion. The Symbol I've known has been a mid tier Code A player for like a year, and yeah, he cleaned up pretty well in up/downs and the Ro32 but I'm not taking him as the second coming of christ or anything until I see more results.
Comparing Ryung, Supernova, and Keen, solid code S players (but not champs) to an untested player like Symbol (who has spent more time in code A than almost anyone in the GSL) or an inconsistent player like MC seems totally reasonable in my mind.
EDIT: As an aside, I don't think MC is bad or anything. Just inconsistent. Check out, for example, how he got 2-0ed by Ganzi in Code A last season, then got 2-0ed again by Ganzi in Group E, before 2-0ing Ganzi (who SuperNoVa effortlessly 2-0ed) in the final match of Group E.
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they could also pick based on who else is in the group
like if player A B and C are in a group and player C gets to pick someone
Palyer C knows he can beat Player A and B and get out of the group but Player A has him worried and wants him out of the group so he picks a player (player D) that he knows is a bad match up (in favour of D) agaisnt A because if he picked an easy opponent then player A and C would get out but if he picked a hard opponent (player D) then player C and D get out
this works especially well if player C thinks if he meets player D later in the tournament and has time to practice specifically against him he can win the series (like if the player has a specific style or is weak agaisnt a specific style)
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Squirtle picks symbol? IS HE INSANE?
I have no idea what these players were thinking...
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EPT
