On December 22 2012 10:07 Hiea wrote: If MKP can get past Stephano I think he has this tournament in the bag, atm his at a 4-1 record against Snute on ladder the past few days.
(Vote): Snute vs XLorD (Vote): Snute vs Brat_OK (Vote): Snute vs TLO (Vote): Snute vs Symbol (Vote): Grubby vs XLorD (Vote): Grubby vs Brat_OK (Vote): Grubby vs TLO (Vote): Grubby vs Symbol (Vote): MKP vs XLorD (Vote): MKP vs Brat_OK (Vote): MKP vs Symbol (Vote): MKP vs TLO (Vote): Stephano vs XLorD (Vote): Stephano vs Brat_OK (Vote): Stephano vs TLO (Vote): Stephano vs Symbol
There are two ways of looking at this final eight. The pessimist will see five zergs, cry imba, mourn the loss of balance in Starcraft 2, and still watch it anyway. That is not the way of the true fan my friends. No, for these eight players transcend their races and weave a mosaic of complicated story-lines, aspirations, and hopes. In my opinion, this is the perfect final eight to end the year.
I asked you guys earlier this evening to vote for your ideal finals, so I could write a brief summary of why such a final would be so ideal. The winner is below, but first the runner ups:
XLorD vs Stephano.
Six months ago this may have seemed a tantalizing matchup, brought to the forefront of attention by the events of today. XLorD made a profound statement by advancing first from his group, leaving Stephano to trail after him. That statement was: Bye Bye Stephano. He may not have said it recently, and his victory over Stephano in the RO16 was not the most strait-forward of affairs, but still, it was a statement that we heard again today echoing from days of yore forward through time as the hour it is put to the test may soon be upon us. Alas, for many it would be a good match in terms of the players, and emotion involved, but there are also many who have begun to loath ZvZ finals more than even the darkest days of GomTvT. Such is the ebb and flow of balance in starcraft. But the beauty of a mirror match is that balance between races is irrelevant. There is simply you, and your opponent, both given the same tools that you can use to carve out your hard earned victory. Should XLorD vs Stephano happen it could be one for the ages, for the trophy and money would not be the only thing on the line, but perhaps Stephano has finally found a foe that he will battle for his pride.
TLO vs Grubby
Life isn’t fair. As I created this poll I had a hunch this would be the top voted choice. And why wouldn't it be? Two pillars of the foreign e-sports scene, they've rolled with the punches and battled their way to the top once again. True underdogs that have a chance to once again be in the spotlight. I hear ya, some epic starcraft could potentially transpire. I was there at 2:00 AM with the rest of you, hunched over my computer watching IEM Singapore as Grubby battled his way to the final match recapping game by game until the bitter end. I was there watching starcraft in mid day as TLO dominated his group at The GD Invitational. Now TLO has bested Grubby today in the RO16, and I too hunger for the rematch. Should either of these players make it to the finals then any true starcraft fan should tune in. With that said, this is my write up, and as such, this is but the second most ideal finals matchup for me. Come friends, dare to dream with me.
MarineKingPrime vs Liquid’TheLittleOne
I remember several of my starcraft firsts. Like many casual PC gamers, the only starcraft I had played before was fastest maps and BGH. Yet, as 2010 rolled around I followed the release of Starcraft 2 with a passion. It was then that I learned of one of the first big SC2 tournaments: The Teamliquid SC2 Invitational #1. 16 Players, 4 Protoss, 5 Terran, 6 Zerg, and a random player named: TheLittleOne. TLO’s game against Nazgul there was one of the first great SC2 matches, and I was keen to follow his progress at the HDH invitational. The second great game of SC2 that I watched was months later, as Kyrix squared off against the player that had named himself after his idol: Boxer, now known as MKP. It was there that a band of marines stood, stutterstepped, and succeeded, against a swarm of banelings, and the game as we knew it changed forever.
Along with HuK, these two are by far my favorite players. TLO was my first favorite foriegner, and MKP is my all time favorite Korean Starcraft players. This is a finals I was hoping to see two years ago. Like the rest of the top three, it’s unlikely as hell, but if it happens then there is nothing in the world that will stop me from watching this one. MKP still has some of the best micro in the game and he loves to fall back on it whenever times get tough. TLO still has one of the most creative minds in the game, and loves to throw matches into the chaos wherin he thrives. There was an epic TvZ or two that marked the end of 2011, and I’m hoping against hope that there will be an epic TvZ to cap off 2012 as well.
Really surprised that Grubby is the only Protoss left, but not surprised at all that there are 5 zergs at ro8. Makes me sad to realize that ZvZ is what's up... I'm seriously rooting for MKP.
marinekingprime is gonna rock the hell out of this tourny, i have feeling that he will beat stephano without dropping a game and then win the whole thing easily