5:30 - Got a chance to talk to Idra for a minute before he went to set up on the mainstage for the first streamed match of the night against Socke. He described his ladder warmup session as "easy", because he isn't ranked too high on the NA ladder yet. He also played a series agasint InControl, which they split 1-1 before warmups ended.
I also asked Idra about PvZ a bit, since there are two Protosses in his group. He said that he feels like Protoss is in control of the early game, but that he has some "new strategies" cooked up for certain situations in all stages of the game. Socke and Kiwi better be ready!
Alright, I'm going to head back onto the floor. Apparently there are some technical difficulties going on with the MLG site right now :/. Be assured that our guys are working as hard as they can to fix it. We want to see all the awesome games as badly as you guys do!
Again, if there are any matches or players you want me to keep an eye on, post in here and I'll do my best
6:00 - Still no games T_T. Players are standing around waiting. Pick a player and I'll try and find them and ask some questions to pass the time .
6:10 - On the lookout for Destiny so I can grab a few words with him per request
Open bracket is up. You can find it here: http://s3.majorleaguegaming.com/2011-dallas-starcraft2-open.html
A few Open Round 1 matches that stood out to me were SixjaxCocoa v. coLStalife, and VileHashe v ROOT.Fayth.
6:30 - Players are setting up at their stations!
I was able to grab Destiny for a few words. He said he is excited and nervous at the same time about his first big LAN, but is confident that his quality of practice and play overall have improved tremendously over the last month since joining ROOT.
He said that ZvT is his best matchup at the moment, and ZvP is his worst. He may get a ZvP test agasint Response in OBR3, if they both make it that far.
Matches have been announced! I'll be watching Kiwi v Gretorp (Pool A) and Tyler v Drewbie (Pool D) on the featured stations, and keeping an eye on the OBR1 match between SixjaxCocoa and coL.Stalife for sure, and some more matches if I can!
12:30 AM
Play is going later that I expected! There are still tons of matches going on as we narrow the Open Bracket down to 4 players. The Ro16 is about to begin, so stay tuned to the MLG live blog for updates!
I've been running around like a MADMAN all day, this event is crazy. So many good games! I'll do a recap later tonight.
1:30 AM
A correction from earlier: This is the Ro32 in the Open Bracket, so we still have 2 rounds to go before we're done for the night.
A new batch of OBR4 results are in. KawaiiRice 2-0 over StrifeCro, OptikZero 2-1 over Cruncher, Haypro 2-1 over XI.Lost, Naniwa 2-0 over PokeBunny, Mihai 2-0 over Time, and ThisIsJimmy 2-0 over Antimage.
LzGamer, Moonan and Catz are among the notables still playing.
Now that there are fewer matches going on, I'll have more time to report in here, so stay tuned!
On a side note, Ret looked very dejected leaving the venue today. He was really off his game, and Liquid as a whole doesn't seem to be playing their best. :/
Liquid Standings in Group play: Ret 0-3 (B) TLO 1-2 (C) Tyler 1-2 (D). Huk and Haypro are still going in the Open Bracket looking to land one of the Top 4 spots.
1:45 - A few more results are in from OBR4. FXO.Moonan 2-1 over VT.Future, and EG.LzGamer 2-0 over CheckSixBoo. The final two matches still going are ROOT.Catz v TriMaster, and VT.Spades v vile.HasHe.
A few deicated Starcraft 2 fans are still hanging out in the venue, and it's nearly 2am. Gotta love it.