Yes, it's that time again where we load up our mugs with coffee in preparation for the only televised minor league currently being held weekly, the coveted OGN Starchallenge League (aka Challenge League).
Last season, the two-time finalist Rock managed to take down the ever-so-good Jaedong in 2 games to 1, thus grabbing that illustrious fourth seed which has made players like Anytime and Stork become well known players. Besides this, qualifying either first or second in your group also gives you a free entry into the Dual Tournament, where any player *cough* Darkelf *cough* can qualify straight to the lucrative OGN Starleague.
Anyway, enough rambling on, lets take a look at last week as well as this weeks games.
Much < Fantasy II > Luxury
910 < Fantasy II > Raid
Much < Katrina > Raid
Luxury < Katrina > 910
Raid < Blue Storm > Luxury
In what was thought to be a pretty decent group turned out to be pretty boring in most of the games. The first two games provided us with some entertainment, whether it would be Much running Luxury crazy with repetitive reaver/storm drops, or Raid with his crazy mutalisk harassment on 910.
The winners game between Much and Raid though proved to be more competitive though. Both players struggled for map control as the terrain of Katrina made it hard for both Much and Raid to mobilize around. Eventually, an Ultralisk Cavern blocking, ironically, Ultralisks from a raid (no pun intended) by Much on a base of Raid is what sealed the game for him. That and repetitive harassments from all sides of the board.
The losers game is what I could say is massively one-sided to the extent it could be a random A+ vs D- player. Luxury just dominated from the first step to the last. If I remember correctly, I think there were around 30 mutalisks just tapping on 910's door, hammering at everything in their way.
..... and we come to the final games which proved to be climatic. Both Raid and Luxury came at each other with Zerglings. As any ZvZ would end up to be, it looked like it was going to be an elimination race as Luxury's mutalisks popped out of their eggs while Raid was building drones. As Raid sighed at his luck, Luxury won the game and advanced.
Now we head on to this week;
Group B - 31/10/07
Reach < Fantasy II > Sea.Jy
YellOw[ArnC] < Fantasy II > HiyA[fOu]
Winners Game < Katrina >
Losers Game < Katrina >
Final Game < Blue Storm >
Reach < Fantasy II > Sea.Jy
YellOw[ArnC] < Fantasy II > HiyA[fOu]
Winners Game < Katrina >
Losers Game < Katrina >
Final Game < Blue Storm >
The main headline for this week is the Protoss Hero returning to the Starchallenge League to get some revenge and to gain his way into the next OSL. Against an unseasoned Jy, who has been recently playing teamgames for CJ Entus. It looks all good for Reach to safely advance to the ODT.
In the other game, Yarnc is battling out with the mediocre Lecaf Terran in Hiya. After bowing out 0-2 last season, and miraculously making it through the PSL again, it does not look all too good for the Terran, as it is known that Yarnc has one of the best ZvT's in the pro scene.