This group has a GSL champion, two GSL runner-ups, and the winner of MLG Dallas (and a GSL semifinalist):
| Player | | Code S Rank | Previously in GSL4 | 2010 Results |
|---|
| oGsMC | P | #3 | W oGsNaDa
W sanZenith | ro64, ro32, Champion |
| STRainBOw | T | #4 | W LeenockfOu
W AnyproPrimeWE
L NsPGenius | second place, ro4, ro64 |
| MarineKingPrimeWE | T | #5 | L TSLClide
W SlayerSLegalMinD
W SlayerSLegalMinD | DNQ, second place, ro8 |
| LiquidJinro | T | T-#11 | W EGIdrA
L CheckPrimeWE
W oGsEnsnare | DNQ, DNQ, ro4 |
oGsMC hasn't slowed down since he won GSL 3. He beat oGsNaDa soundly and then advanced by beating, well, sanZenith. Pretty much what we'd expect from him, then, but all three of his group opponents might be better than NaDa. He's a clear favorite to win the group and, along with IMNesTea, the entire tournament.
STRainBOw seemed to be losing steam even in GSL 2 and made an early exit in GSL 3, but he looked better in the round of 32. Although based on results he's the best Terran player, both MarineKingPrimeWE and LiquidJinro have looked stronger for a long time now.
LiquidJinro is coming off one of the longest and most entertaining TvT games in GSL history against oGsEnsnare. He can't feel comfortable going up against oGsMC given the way MC demolished him 4-0 in the GSL 3 semifinals, but his TvT is strong enough that he could get stomped again by MC and still get out of the group by beating the other two players. Apparently he didn't even bother to practice TvP, concentrating entirely on his TvT. Hopefully that won't backfire.
MarineKingPrimeWE has a lot of detractors who consider him one dimensional, but I'm a believer. I like players like MarineKing and ZeNEXKyrix who have such distinctive styles you could recognize their games even without being told who was playing. He hasn't beaten anyone impressive yet in GSL 4 (sorry LegalMinD) and that'll have to change for him to get out of this group. He beat STRainBOw pretty easily in the GSL 2 semifinals, so that's one matchup he'll definitely feel confident about.
Group D VOD
oGsMC (P) vs. STRainBOw (T) on Shakuras Plateau
Match Rating: 7/10
Click for match play by play
Lower positions, MC at 7 and RainBOw at 4
Command center at about 19 supply for RainBOw
Second barracks for RainBOw
RainBOw builds a third command center at 11 o'clock beside the rocks
MC pokes RainBOw's natural, then puts a nexus at his natural
One of MC's stalkers takes a quick look at the 10 o'clock natural but doesn't look farther in
Three more gateways coming for MC, RainBOw floats the command center to the top center expansion
MC is going up to six gateways, factory and bunker for RainBOw
MC puts a proxy pylon in the 3 o'clock natural. RainBOw has four barracks.
Stim coming for RainBOw, MC moving into the center of the map with a huge number of sentries and a couple stalkers and zealots
Starport and two more barracks for RainBOw as MC groups his units outside RainBOw's expansion
MC pushes up the ramp and lays down an absurd number of force fields to prevent the bunkers from being repaired.
RainBOw has to lift his command center, but MC moves up the ramp into RainBOw's main
Only SCVs and a handful of marines to try to stop MC's army
RainBOw concedes
Clever hidden expansion from RainBOw but MC has this heavy sentry play down to a science.
LiquidJinro (T) vs. MarineKingPrimeWE (T) on Xel'Naga Caverns
Match Rating: 9/10
Click for match play by play
Gas before barracks for Jinro, no gas for MarineKing
Factory for Jinro and then a reactor, command center on 19 supply for MarineKing in his main
MarineKing's SCV almost prevents Jinro from swapping the factory to the reactor
MarineKing gets a bunker at his natural and puts up a factory
Banshee and cloak for Jinro, starport for MarineKing
MarineKing getting a tank and siege mode, hellions sitting in a very light contain
Viking coming for MarineKing as the banshee approaches his main
The banshee cloaks and moves into the main, picking off some SCVs and marines
Hellions attack the natural as well but tanks are there to defend
Two more barracks for Jinro as well as siege mode
Both players are even in supply and workers
MarineKing tries to move into the center of the map but the banshees harass
MarineKing moves up toward Jinro's natural and sieges at the edge
Jinro's siege tanks are positioned so that he gets in shots while MarineKing's units are still getting in position
Jinro's vikings kill MarineKing's vikings, his tanks kill the marines, and his banshees kill the tanks
The few surviving marines retreat back to MarineKing's natural
Both players getting stim but Jinro's is going to finish sooner
Jinro takes a position at MarineKing's watchtower, then moves in toward the natural
A cloaked banshee snipes one of the two siege tanks protecting the natural and Jinro moves closer
Vikings snipe a medivac that even had some marines in it
The banshee picks off another tank, always staying where siege tanks will hit any marines that try to kill it
Three dropships fully loaded with marines fly around the side of the map
As the dropships approach Jinro's natural, Jinro moves into MarineKing's natural
There's not much there to defend, allowing the marines to push into Jinro's main and sit on the production facilities
Back at MarineKing's natural he whittles down the containing force. Jinro out of options.
Jinro concedes
Fantastic banshee play for Jinro. It looked grim for MarineKing but contrary to what people claim he adapted his play to what Jinro was doing, then cleverly outmaneuvered Jinro with the dropships to secure the win. This is a very bad outcome for Jinro because he now has an elimination match against oGsMC.
Match 1 winner vs Match 2 loser
Match Rating: 9/10
Click for match play by play
oGsMC (P) vs. LiquidJinro (T) on Lost Temple
Close ground positions, MC at 6 and Jinro at 3
Two gas, reactor, factory for Jinro, two gas for MC instead of the usual fast expand we've been seeing from most Protoss lately
Jinro gets a bunker at the top of his ramp, stargate and a second gateway for MC
Starport for Jinro plus a hellion
Phoenix coming for MC
The phoenix scouts Jinro's base. Jinro cancels the raven he was making and gets a viking instead.
Robotics and more phoenixes coming for MC.
Command center for Jinro, immortal for MC
Now a nexus for MC. Four phoenixes out now for MC, a few vikings for Jinro.
Siege mode and an engineering bay coming for Jinro, three more gateways for MC
Raven now for Jinro as well as an armory
MC moves into Jinro's natural. Phoenixes pick up the siege tanks but SCVs surround the bunker.
The immortals drop quickly and the attack is repelled.
Two more factories for Jinro, blue flame researching as well.
Second robotics and a robotics bay for MC. Jinro getting a banshee and cloak as well.
Thermal lance starts but no actual colossus yet from MC. Jinro builds another command cente.r
A dropship with three blue flame hellions goes to MC's natural. Massive numbers of probes are killed.
44 probes against 61 SCVs. MC has 5 immortals, Jinro has 11 siege tanks.
Jinro drops marines and siege tanks on the ledge above MC's natural
All mining stops. Meanwhile Jinro floats his third command center to the island.
MC moves in with colossus and stalkers. One of the colossus falls to vikings but two more are being made.
MC clears the units off his ledge, but back at home Jinro has a ridiculous number of siege tanks escorted by hellions
MC attacks into Jinro's siege position. The immortals take out the siege tanks but the vikings kill the colossus.
For a moment it looks like MC will break through, but the shields go down on the immortals and they fall rapidly to tank fire.
Warp prism out for MC with a colossus in it, heading for the island. A turret repels it.
Instead MC drops the colossus on the high ground over the expansion. Some SCVs die but vikings kill the prism and the colossus.
MC takes his third at that 9 o'clock main.
Jinro taking the gold base as his fourth. MC gets a second stargate and builds phoenixes.
Jinro gets another starport and factory
Blue flame hellions get into MC's third and kill a bunch of probes before stalkers drive the last one off.
Phoenixes harass the gold but vikings arrive and they have to retreat.
Jinro putting bunkers and siege tanks at the chokepoint of MC's natural. Thors arrive to help the army.
MC storms out with colossus and immortals, but Jinro's containment position is way too strong.
MC concedes
Brilliant match from Jinro. MC couldn't find an answer to Jinro's heavy mech play.
Match 2 winner vs Match 1 loser
Match Rating: 4/10
Click for match play by play
MarineKingPrimeWE (T) vs. STRainBOw (T) on Metalopolis
Close ground positions, MarineKing at 3 and RainBOw at 6
RainBOw proxies a second barracks in the middle of the map
MarineKing puts up a bunker at his natural.
RainBOw moves in with four marines and four SCVs but turns around after seeing the bunker.
RainBOw sends all his SCVs and surrounds the barracks.
RainBOw's marines shoot the SCVs instead of the bunker.
Once all the SCVs are dead, the SCVs and maybe one marine kill the bunker
RainBOw moves up the ramp but MarineKing has a lot more SCVs. Most of RainBOw's SCVs are quite damaged.
RainBOw sends some marines up the ramp but they get shot down by the defending marines.
RainBOw is actually only down 2 SCVs, but MarineKing has two orbitals making mules and building SCVs.
MarineKing moves out with eight marines. RainBOw counters with his own smaller group of marines, forcing MarineKing to return.
RainBOw sends some SCVs with his marines in hopes of defeating MarineKing's army.
The SCVs evaporate. MarineKing calls down a mule and routs the marines.
RainBOw surrenders
It takes a lot of guts to try to beat MarineKing with a marine rush. Unlike most SC2 ids, MarineKing got his for a reason. Perhaps more importantly, if your rush is countered by a bunker, that's not a very good rush.
Deciding Game(s)
Match Rating: 10/10
Click for match play by play
LiquidJinro (T) vs. oGsMC (P) on Scrap Station to decide who advances second and who is eliminated
Two gas for both players
Reactor and factory for Jinro, then a bunker at the top of his ramp
Four gates for MC, starport for Jinro
Jinro's SCV scouts MC's natural and sees nothing there. Proxy pylon warping in near Jinro's main.
Jinro puts up a second barracks. Banshee coming as well.
Jinro's hellion scouts the four gates. He moves SCVs to his bunkers
MC moves in and focuses down the siege tank, then runs by the bunkers to the side of Jinro's base
Jinro traps the zealots and stalkers in the corner with SCVs and destroys most of them with his marines.
Marines and the first banshee wipe out the stalkers. MC's reinforcements withdraw.
Although Jinro held the rush, he's at a big worker disadvantage.
Jinro starts cloak and sends his banshee to MC's base, but stalkers are in position.
Robotics coming for MC, then an observer
MC takes his natural, Jinro building a command center
Raven and siege mode for Jinro as well
A cloaked banshee hits the worker line and kills 8 probes, then retreats just as the observer arrives
It picks off a stalker at natural as well
Jinro tries to put down an autoturret with his raven but stalkers prevent it
Two stargates for MC, bunker and second factory for Jinro
Two phoenixes coming for MC, another raven for Jinro
The phoenixes pick off the raven. Jinro gets an engineering bay and an armory.
Hellions and a viking now for Jinro.
The phoenixes move through Jinro's expansion sniping SCVs and mules. Jinro puts up turrets.
Two more factories coming for Jinro. MC puts two pylons at the gold base.
A hellion kills the probe at the gold, then gets killed by the phoenixes
Fleet beacon for MC, thor out for Jinro
Two carriers coming for MC who is still making immortals
MC starts a nexus at the gold
Jinro's cloaked banshee attacks the mineral line and sees the carriers being made.
Jinro creates another starport and starts pumping vikings. He also starts a second command center.
Jinro making four vikings at a time with his reactored starports and is also making thors
MC keeps killing the SCV making the command center with phoenixes
Jinro moves to the rocks between bases with his large mech army
Lots of thors, vikings, and marines for Jinro
MC has some immortals and stalkers, plus a lot of carriers
The thors crush the stalkers and the vikings cut through the carriers
MC counters with his stalkers and immortals
Lots of stalkers in Jinro's production facilities. Jinro sends his army back after leaving a few siege tanks behind.
Jinro has a command center at his fourth if there's an elimination race.
The thors kill the immortals with strike cannons and then head up for the stalkers
Jinro moves his vikings back to MC's depopulated main, lands, and starts killing pylons
Now the vikings kill the gateways
MC has rebuilt a lot of production facilities at the gold
The thors move in toward the gold base. Stalkers try to engage but there are SCVs repairing them.
MC groups his stalkers with his immortals but Jinro has too many thors
MC surrenders
Incredible game. Jinro defeats his nemesis in a game where both players used almost completely novel strategies. MC got up on bases but Jinro attacked across the rocks at just the right time. And it turns out that, yes, vikings really do beat carriers in multiplayer. And don't forget Jinro's desperate hold of MC's four gate push early in the game!
Group D Results and Commentary
Click for results, standings, and commentary
Results
oGsMC (1-0) defeats STRainBOw (0-1)
MarineKingPrimeWE (1-0) defeats LiquidJinro (0-1)
LiquidJinro (1-1) defeats oGsMC (1-1)
MarineKingPrimeWE (2-0) defeats STRainBOw (0-2) [MarineKing advances first, RainBOw eliminated]
LiquidJinro (2-1) defeats oGsMC (1-2) [Jinro advances second, MC eliminated]
Standings
1. MarineKingPrimeWE
2. LiquidJinro
3. oGsMC
4. STRainBOw
Commentary
Jinro is a really special player. Guys like oGsMC and IMNesTea are really good, but they're good in such a way that they generally just crush their opponents. Jinro, we can now say, is also really good, but somehow he ends up playing amazing, epic games: against oGsMC today, against oGsEnsnare in the round of 32, against choyafOu in GSL 3. Maybe that means that, in absolute terms, Jinro isn't quite as good, but he's the perfect player for spectators. MarineKingPrimeWE is no stranger to epic games himself and will be advancing as well after winning this very strong group. STRainBOw continues to look surprisingly unconvincing, the sort of player who is solid enough to always do well in tournaments but not actually dangerous in the later stages. As for oGsMC, he played extremely well but just couldn't find an answer to Jinro's mech play. Back to the drawing board. I think a lot of Protoss are going to have the same problem for a while here.
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