The stage is set for this weekend’s semifinals of the Tespa Starcraft 2 Collegiate Series, being held in Houston at the ESPN Collegiate Esports Championship.

Reigning champion Berkeley and runner-up Waterloo have once again made it to the semifinals. Only one match separates these Starcraft powerhouses from a rematch.

Waterloo will have to overcome Chicago, a team who’s playoff hopes were nearly dashed, but came back to secure their place. Berkeley faces an in-state rival, UC San Diego.

Each team has their “ace” players and a range of favorite strategies. In Starcraft, the tides can turn quickly. These teams all have talented players, and I don’t think upsets are impossible here. We could see Chicago or UCSD topple these teams that are better “on paper.”

That’s not to say it would be easy, or that it’s even likely. Just that it’s a possibility.

Take a look at what to expect going into these semifinal matches.

University of Waterloo (A) vs. University of Chicago

University of Waterloo (A)

Roster

THERIDDLER – Terran

Buster – Terran

YenFu – Protoss

Waterloo comes into the semifinals ready to compete on the big stage. Led by two veterans of the collegiate scene, THERIDDLER and Buster, they finished 2nd at the 2018 championship.

An extremely well-rounded team, all three of their players are Grandmasters. Like many other teams, they have their own “ace” in the form of THERIDDLER. Undoubtedly one of the strongest players in the league, THERIDDLER has proven critical to Waterloo’s success.

Overall, their experience and skill is plain to see. They’re notoriously resistant to early rushes, understanding the value of a strong defensive posturing. They’ll dig in and force longer games, where their high skill level is more likely to shine through. But, as a demonstration of that well-roundedness, they can dish out damage of their own.

It’s an ability to pressure their opponent without making themselves vulnerable, their understanding of the importance of defense, that makes this team especially formidable.

University of Chicago

Roster

omgabanana – Protoss (High Grandmaster)

Teletubby – Terran (Master 1)

Pancakes – Protoss (Master 1)

Chicago has relied on their ability to read their opponents and know exactly when to deploy their “ace” player – a skill that will surely be tested in this match.

On-paper, omgabanana is a contender for the best player in this match, if not the entire league. And, he’s backed up by a bench of two other excellent players, Teletubby and Pancakes. For Chicago, they’re going in with clear outlook on the match and a good grasp on their abilities.

In the best-of-five format, a player can play twice. Chicago needs omgabanana to pick up both rounds against THERIDDLER.

If they can get that cushion, they would only need either Pancakes or Teletubby to pick up one game.

According to Chicago team captain Pancakes, having a cushion “puts us in a pretty good position and has made us feel confident in the past.”

Even so, Chicago recognizes that Waterloo has a very well-rounded team with three Mid- to High-Grandmaster players. Pancakes was able to pick a game off of YenFu during the regular season, so Chicago is capable of grabbing this win.

It really could hinge on omgabanana’s ability to best THERIDDLER in two games.

Head-to-Head

On paper, Waterloo is likely the favored team, but they have made mistakes in the past and drifted toward sloppy play. Waterloo needs to tighten up their play and stick to their strengths. They can’t afford to be overconfident going into this match, which could affect their play and give Chicago an opening.



If Chicago can find ways to push Waterloo into forced errors, bad positioning, incorrect timing, they could throw them off enough to swing the game in their favor. But if Waterloo locks it down, it will be an uphill battle for Chicago.

This match could very well come down to a faceoff between THERIDDLER and omgabanana. omgabanana needs to pick up two games for Chicago to give them that cushion.

We’re definitely in for an exciting match between a top dog and an underdog, but it would absolutely be a mistake to count Chicago out of this fight.

University of California Berkeley vs. University of California San Diego

Berkeley is the defending Tespa Starcraft 2 Collegiate Series National Champion.

(Image from Tespa)

UC Berkeley

Roster

RexRequired – Terran

IntuitioN – Protoss

Silky – Zerg

Throughout this season, Berkeley has demonstrated a mastery of the Team Brawl tournament format. In this format, teams face off in one-on-one matches. To be consistently successful, you need more than just mechanical skill, which Berkeley brings in spades – they won the 2018 tournament – you need a strong ability to read your opponents.

Berkeley knows their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses – and can quickly assess the opposing team. Then, they can play to their strengths in each matchup.

This allows each player to shine. Berkeley fields an extremely strong roster. With IntuitioN in the top 100, RexRequired in the top 50, and Silky has been rank one on the North American ladder.

Team Captain IntuitioN places a lot of faith in Silky, “Silky is so good that we can pretty much assume he will win all of his games, which puts us at two out of the three we need to win the series.”

IntuitioN and RexRequired are both very skilled in their own right and would only need to pick up one game between the two of them.

UC San Diego

Roster

Flume – Protoss

Liqht – Zerg

DragonGod – Protoss

On the side of UC San Diego, you find an excellent team chemistry. Even though individual players compete head-to-head in the Team Brawl, the team dynamics, while subtle, can make or break a match.

UCSD places a lot of emphasis on communication and information sharing, whether that’s working through theory-crafting or brainstorming builds to counter certain opponents. They put in time studying opponents, thinking through matches, and crafting a strategy. So, while they may not have as much time to practice together, their preparation mitigates that deficit.

As a result, you see a team that tends to perform at a higher level than you would expect “on paper,” which is something that team captain Flume largely credits to their focus on communication.

UCSD has put up a string of impressive results against Berkeley, Flume continued, “Berkeley is a really interesting opponent, because they’re the best [team] on paper, but we’re something like 4-1 against them in series.”

UCSD goes into this match knowing that they’ve beat Berkeley before and that they can do it again, by focusing on what’s gotten them there in the past. They know their strengths and weaknesses and are open with each other about them. With a clear read on a situation, they’re positioned to decide on the most effective strategy.

Head-to-Head

Berkeley is going into this matchup banking heavily on Silky, who is an excellent player and can take the pressure of a high-level, high-stakes match. Even so, he can’t afford to slip up against UCSD if Cal wants to be comfortable in this match up.

The rest of the Cal roster is good in their own right, but Silky winning his two rounds will help ensure they can get the rest of the way there.

As the tournament favorite and reigning champion, Berkeley is definitely the team to beat. But UCSD has done it, taking a 2-0 win against Cal in round 11. UCSD has the experience, now they need to make sure their play is tight and that they focus on what’s worked in the past. If they can deny Silky one win, then the matchup becomes much more even.

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