No Zerg players left, and the two best semifinalists both Protoss? Before the quarterfinals, it seemed like there was a reasonable chance that either FruitDealer or NesTea could repeat as champion, but instead they were eliminated and with them Zerg hopes of a 2010 GSL sweep. Two Protoss semifinal spots may not quite make up for missing the semifinals entirely in both GSL 1 and GSL 2, but it sure doesn't hurt (especially considering that Protoss is now even with Zerg in semifinalists across the three tournaments).
The team spread continues to be even, and in fact no team has yet managed to place two members in the semifinals...although the oGs/TeamLiquid alliance is getting so close perhaps Jinro and MC really are teammates. If so it's vindication for oGs: after enduring disappointment after disappointment in qualification and the early rounds, there will be either an oGs or a Liquid player in the final (something neither team has ever managed).
HongUnPrimeWE (P) vs. TSLRain (T)
As MC showed against HongUn's teammate MarineKing, marines are not nearly as dangerous to Protoss as they are to Zerg and other Terrans. At the very least, Rain will need to do marauder rushes instead of two barracks marine. Of course, he apologized on Korean forums for rushing NesTea out of the tournament and, chalking it up to lost practice time, claimed he would play more macro-oriented games in the semifinal.
If he does, it seems likely he'll lose. I don't think there's much doubt that HongUn has been the better player and that Rain will have to improve substantially just to match him. Perhaps Rain was just employing some mind games and is going to break out proxy marauder rushes in the actual games.
Although I do think HongUn is the favorite, not only could Rain just have a good day and outplay him, based on GSL 3 I think Protoss just doesn't seem very stable right now. Even the best Protoss like HongUn, Genius, and MC seem to go into games with a specific strategy, like a blink stalker rush or a phoenix build, and if through luck or scouting the opponent counters it, they're in trouble. To put it another way, we see a lot of timing attacks from one or two bases and not the defensive macro play we see from Zergs and Terrans like Jinro who pressure or harass but keep expanding and wait for their opponent to make a mistake. If I'm right about that, it could explain why so many of the top Protoss players have been upset victims in this and previous GSL tournaments. Or I could be totally wrong.
LiquidJinro (T) vs oGsMC (P)
Since they frequently play in oGs practice leagues, these guys must know each other inside and out. MC is one of the very best Protoss, but Jinro has yet to earn that sort of designation among Terrans. Yet he's the one who's still standing and the big name Terrans like Rainbow, MarineKing, and Maka are out.
Talking to Artosis after his grueling match with choya, Jinro was not optimistic about his chances against MC. Against choya, Jinro looked strong, but lost two games when he expanded and choya massed up on units. It's safe to say that MC is probably even better than choya at hitting those sorts of timings. However, while Jinro may have been second best in their practice games the past few months, I don't think anyone would argue that Jinro has improved tremendously. Remember, a month ago fans on TeamLiquid's own forum were wondering if he should stay in Korea, and a few weeks ago he was battling just to qualify for his first GSL. MC, already pretty much at the top, has seen Jinro rising toward his level of play.
Jinro's got an opportunity to prove to Korea and the world just how far he's come, because if he can take MC in a seven game series then he'll have equalled the best achievements of the other "name" Terran players I mentioned. Fans who are otherwise neutral will likely be pulling for him as well, since if HongUn defeats Rain as most people expect only Jinro will be able to prevent a PvP final (and, sorry Protoss fans, that's the worst mirror and probably the worst matchup for the neutral spectator). On the other hand, an MC win means we get to see another "ceremony" from the Suicide Toss, and while he's probably too friendly with Jinro to do anything too humiliating, between his celebrations and his attempts at English in Artosis' interviews, he's definitely the most entertaining winner in GSL history.
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