Between the site going down on Monday and my increasing homework load, I was unable to write reports for the final games of the round of 16. However, today I'll preview the quarter-finals that start on Wednesday. First, here is a look at the current brackets:
Thanks to Mynock for the pretty new brackets
The previous round of games were of excellent quality, and hopefully the gamers can continue to deliver exciting action as the field halves itself again.
Quarterfinal Match-ups
Casy vs Firebathero - Both of these players survived their bo3 with top tier zergs in the previous round. FBH looked a little good and a lot lucky against GGPlay, while Casy showed great poise in taking down July. (For a good discussion and analysis of the third game of this series, check out this thread by ManaBlue). Casy is definitely the favorite to win this series too, as his TvT is innovative, while FBH has yet to make a real impression despite advancing to the final 8. However, the voice in the back of my head is whispering that this may be the series in which he breaks out and makes a name for himself.
My prediction: FireBatHero 2-1
NaDa vs Yellow[arnc] – Yarnc is another player like FBH who has been around for a bit now, but is not considered to be a major contender. However, his stock ranks much higher due to his daring TvZ skills. With protoss but a whisper in this tournament and only terran opponents until the finals, Yarnc is in good shape to make a run. After his dismantling of a lethargic oov, his next challenge will be the defending champion, NaDa. Despite holding the crown and being the most winning player in BW history, the fickle fans of TeamLiquid have turned against him, seeing his meek entry into the round of 16 as a fortune of format, and his 2-1 performance vs Sea.Up less than impressive. NaDa needs to stomp down Yarnc hard in order to reclaim some of the prestige that has worn away from his Golden Mouse victory.
My prediction: NaDa 2-0
Much[gm] vs SaviOr[gm] – Clanmates and teammates, but none of that matters now. The best player in the world right now gets all the breaks. Not only did he eliminate one of his toughest rivals in a tense and action packed three episode battle, he then drew the lone protoss in the tournament for the next round. SaviOr’s win percentage vs protoss is off the charts, which is terrible news for Much. Much made it through to the quarters by defeating GoRush, who seems to be obsessed with do or (more often than not) die builds. To face SaviOr is a giant step up, and I don’t like his chances.
My (very ballsy) prediction: SaviOr 2-0 Much
Iris vs ZergMan – Although Iris may be near unbeatable in a TvT bo3, his TvZ matchup is of some concern. From here until the final round, there are no more terran players, so he is going to have to polish up his other matchup(s) soon. ZergMan is a good fit for him though. ZergMan knocked off Hwasin in some nice games, but lacks the reputation of a terran killer. Either way, both players are going to have to show some great skill, otherwise their performance will be over-shadowed by the bigger names still remaining.
My Prediction: ZergMan 2-1
Follow the Action!
There are lots of busy people on TeamLiquid, so take advantage of their hard work!
- Results and Standings by GrandInquisitor.
- Download the games here, a big thanks goes to all our VOD uploaders.
- Jump into the Weekly Game Discussion hosted by Live2Win.
Who will be the OSL champion? You decide!
Poll: The ShinHan Season 3 OSL Champion will be...
(Vote): Casy
(Vote): Savior
(Vote): Much
(Vote): FireBatHero
(Vote): NaDa
(Vote): Yellow[name]
(Vote): Iris
(ok I know there is no ZergMan there but I only have seven options. Start him up a write in campaign or something.)
Enjoy!
Mani