Sunday, January 30, 2011

2011 GSL January Code S Finals

For the first time there's two Terrans in the GSL finals, but MarineKingPrimeWE's style is so unique they are about as different as you can imagine a mirror matchup being. IMmvp carries the banner of standard play, perfected to a point that he's almost unbeatable, while MarineKing is peerless in microing marines in small or large numbers. Lately MarineKing has been switching up his builds, so his play isn't quite as predictable as it has been in the past, but still the strength of his game is infantry. Whoever wins this best of 7 match will clearly be the best Starcraft 2 player in the world.

IMmvp
Terran
#27
2010 Results: DNQ, ro32, ro16

GSL 4 Results:
W TSLFruitDealer
W oGsjookTo
W oGsZenio
W TheBestfOu
W oGsHyperdub
W choyafOu
W TSLTrickster (3-0)
W IMNesTea (3-1)
vs.MarineKingPrimeWE
Terran
#5
2010 Results: DNQ, second place, ro8

GSL 4 Results:
L TSLClide
W SlayerSLegalMinD
W SlayerSLegalMinD
W LiquidJinro
W STRainBOw
W oGsNaDa (3-0)
W LiquidJinro (3-1)
Maps: Scrap Station, Metalopolis, Xel'Naga Caverns, Blistering Sands, Shakuras Plateau, Lost Temple, Jungle Basin

IMmvp (T) vs. MarineKingPrimeWe (T)
Match Rating: 6/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

Friday, January 28, 2011

2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group H

Group H is the last group of the Up and Down Matches and fittingly it has been saved for oGsTOP, winner of the Code A tournament. Able to pick from the field of players in danger of relegation, TOP selected SlayerSLegalMinD and sanZenith as his opponents. LegalMinD is definitely not one of the better Code S players (despite having one of the cooler nicknames), but sanZenith is in a class by himself. san has yet to live down his GSL 2 game against MakaPrimeWE, widely considered the absolute worst performance in any 2010 GSL game. If TOP wins as expected against LegalMinD, that sets up an interesting PvP. sanZenith has the worse reputation but it's not clear he's actually that much worse than LegalMinD.

oGsTOP (Code A Challenger)
Terran
Code A T-#2
2010 Results: ro16, DNQ, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
W STAce (2-1)
W TSLAlive (2-0)
W BanBansZenith (2-0)
W sCfOu (2-1)
W ZeNEXByun (4-3)

SlayerSLegalMinD (Code S 3rd Place)
Protoss
Code S T-#29
2010 Results: ro16, ro64, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
W ZeNEXLiveForever
L MarineKingPrimeWE
L MarineKingPrimeWE
 sanZenith (Code S 4th Place)
Terran
Code S T-#27
2010 Results: ro16, ro32, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
L oGsInCa
L oGsMC

oGsTOP (T) vs. SlayerSLegalMinD (P)
Match Rating: 4/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

Match 1 Loser vs. sanZenith (T)
Match Rating: 6/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group G

In Group G the second place player in the Code A tournament, ZeNEXByun, goes against the two players he selected: LeenockfOu and ZeNEXLiveForever. Byun looked very impressive at times during his run through the Code A tournament, but he had trouble with early rushes and harassment. LeenockfOu has played some really good ZvT games in the past, most notably his epic ZvT against TSLClide in GSL 3. ZeNEXLiveForever, meanwhile, was a surprising semifinalist in GSL 1. Even in that much weaker tournament he was thought to have gotten farther than perhaps his skill strictly would lead you to expect. Since then LiveForever has been pretty much out of the picture, focusing on academics instead of practicing. Unfortunately, even he's completely recovered his former skills, everyone else has been getting better all this time. If LiveForever beats either of these players and stays in Code S it would be one of the biggest upsets in GSL history.

ZeNEXByun (Code A Challenger)
Terran
Code A T-#9
2010 Results: ro32, ro64, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
W SlayerSGolden (2-0)
W TSLKiller (2-0)
W STJuly (2-0)
W FOXLyn (2-1)
L oGsTOP (3-4)

LeenockfOu (Code S 3rd Place)
Zerg
Code S #22
2010 Results: DNQ, ro16, ro16

GSL 4 Results:
L STRainBOw
L NsPGenius
W anyproPrimeWE
 ZeNEXLiveForever (Code S 4th Place)
Terran
Code S T-#11
2010 Results: ro4, DNQ, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
L SlayerSLegalMinD
L TSLClide

LeenockfOu (Z) vs. ZeNEXByun (T)
Match Rating: 9/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

Match 1 Loser vs. ZeNEXLiveForever (T)
Match Rating: 1/10
VOD Link
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Thursday, January 27, 2011

2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group F

In Group F, Code A semifinalist sCfOu takes on GSL 1 champion TSLFruitDealer and MakaPrimeWE. These two are the biggest names in the Up and Down matches but they may not be the hardest opponents. FruitDealer can be dominating at times but also sometimes he's surprisingly vulnerable. In an earlier interview another player mentioned he didn't think FruitDealer practiced enough. Maybe that was a joke, but I could believe it based on FruitDealer's play since his glorious run through the original GSL. Of course, in GSL 3's round of 32 he eliminated sCfOu 2-1, so there's history there already.

Maka is another star whose play has been surprisingly uneven. One of the best Terrans in the beta, Maka's best results were in GSL 1, and frankly he has never really had a "quality win" on television. His various GSL victories were against undistinguished players. Today he's only got one chance to stay in Code S.

scfOu (Code A Challenger)
Terran
Code A T-#21
2010 Results: DNQ, DNQ, ro32

GSL 4 Results:
W JSLZenith (2-0)
W STGgoBooGie (2-1)
W oGsCezanne (2-0)
L oGsTOP (1-2)

TSLFruitDealer (Code S 3rd Place)
Terran
Code S #1
2010 Results: Champion, ro32, ro8

GSL 4 Results:
L IMmvp
L oGsZenio
W oGsjookTo
 MakaPrimeWE (Code S 4th Place)
Terran
Code S #10
2010 Results: ro8, ro32, ro16

GSL 4 Results:
L TheBestfOu
L IMNesTea

scfOu (T) vs. TSLFruitDealer (Z)
Match Rating: 6/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

Match 1 Loser vs. MakaPrimeWE (T)
Match Rating: 2/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group E

Group E features Starcraft 1 champion STJuly going up against baneling ace ZeNEXKyrix and GSL 3 runner up TSLRain. STJuly's ZvZ didn't look particularly impressive earlier in the Code A tournament, but Kyrix hasn't had very much success since his run in GSL 2 and his subsequent win at the Gstars tournament. TSLRain has yet to prove he isn't a one tournament wonder.

STJuly (Code A Challenger)
Zerg
Code A T-#2
2010 Results: ro32, ro64, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
W ZeNEXGuardian (2-0)
W SlayerSYuGiOh (2-1)
L ZeNEXByun (0-2)

ZeNEXKyrix (Code S 3rd Place)
Terran
Code S T-#16
2010 Results: DNQ, ro8, ro64

GSL 4 Results:
L TSLTrickster
W TSLRain
L choyafOu
 TSLRain (Code S 4th Place)
Terran
Code S #6
2010 Results: DNQ, ro32, second place

GSL 4 Results:
W choyafOu
L ZeNEXKyrix
L TSLTrickster

STJuly (Z) vs. ZeNEXKyrix (Z)
Match Rating: 6/10
VOD Link
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Match 1 Loser vs. TSLRain (T)
Match Rating: 5/10
VOD Link
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2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group D

In Group D, oGs team captain oGsCezanne takes on his teammate oGsEnsnare and fellow Zerg CheckPrimeWE. This is a really tough draw. Despite not advancing in the round of 32, Ensnare looked very good, losing tough games to IdrA and Jinro, who at least this month were top Code S players. As for Check, he's had some tough times lately, but he's a tremendously experienced Zerg. Beating him in ZvZ will be a tall order.

oGsCezanne (Code A Challenger)
Zerg
Code A T-#15
2010 Results: ro64, ro64, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
W LiquidRet (2-1)
W LonerPrimeWE (2-0)
L scfOu (0-2)

oGsEnsnare (Code S 3rd Place)
Terran
Code S #8
2010 Results: ro4, ro16, DNQ

GSL 4 Results:
W CheckPrimeWE
L EGIdrA
L LiquidJinro
 CheckPrimeWE (Code S 4th Place)
Zerg
Code S #18
2010 Results: ro16, ro16, ro32

GSL 4 Results:
L oGsEnsnare
W LiquidJinro
L EGIdrA

oGsCezanne (Z) vs. oGsEnsnare (T)
Match Rating: 7/10
VOD Link
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Match 1 Loser vs. CheckPrimeWE (Z)
Match Rating: 4/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary

2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group C

In Group C, FOXMoon takes on two Code S Protoss players from Prime, HongUnPrimeWE and anyproPrimeWE. Moon, of course, is one of the most famous Warcraft 3 players of all time, but so far he's a very mediocre Starcraft 2 Zerg. HongUn had some great results in 2010, but so far this year he's struggled to find his form. Artosis has been talking up anypro, apparently because of what some people said in interviews, but he's never shown anything much in his televised games and was a player I thought had a good chance of being relegated out of Code A. Will FOXMoon take advantage?

FOXMoon (Code A Challenger)
Zerg
Code A T-#21
2010 Results: DNQ, DNQ, ro32

GSL 4 Results:
W BitByBitPrimeWE (2-1)
W STAugust (2-0)
L FOXLyn (0-2)

HongUnPrimeWE (Code S 3rd Place)
Protoss
Code S #7
2010 Results: ro8, ro64, ro4

GSL 4 Results:
W oGsTheWinD
L oGsHyperdub
L oGsHyperdub
 anyproPrimeWE (Code S 4th Place)
Protoss
Code S T-#29
2010 Results: ro16, DNQ, ro64

GSL 4 Results:
L NsPGenius
L STRainBOw
L LeenockfOu


FOXMoon (Z) vs. HongUnPrimeWE (P)
Match Rating: 6/10
VOD Link
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Match 1 Loser vs. anyproPrimeWE (P)
Match Rating: 3/10
VOD Link
Click for match play by play and commentary