GSL2 Ro32, GSL3 Runner Up choyafOu (2-1), NsP.Genius (2-0), IMNesTea (3-2), HongUnPrime.WE (4-2) oGsEnsnare (0-2), oGsMC (1-4)The surprise finalist of GSL3, Rain has yet to receive his due for his accomplishments. This is mostly because of Rain's cheesey victory over an in-form NesTea, for which was widely condemned and cited as one of the tournament's lowest points. Yet to Rain's eternal credit, he met the criticism brilliantly, apologizing for his play, yet making no apologies for his victory. In the semi-finals against HongUn, Rain put forth a yeoman's effort to prove the naysayers wrong, dispatching the protoss with macro-oriented play. And yet, Rain may have lost as much ground as he gained in the finals, as MC brought the hammer and won comfortably 4-1. Yet Rain has faced more S-Class players than almost anyone else, and has persevered remarkably. To ignore his record of success is ignorant at best.. Rain enters the 2011 GSL season as a strong contender, but not a favorite. His fundamentals are quite solid, but not exceptional. His game sense and decision-making is also strong, but not exemplary. Throughout Rain's run, he demonstrated proficiency in all his match-ups, but the most comfort in TvP. Fortunately for him, his group contains two protoss, including one whom he has already beaten. This should give him an edge in his group, and make him a favorite to advance.GSL2 Ro8, GSTAR All-stars Winner, GSL3 Ro64 HongUnPrime.WE (2-0), oGsEnsnare (2-1) MarineKingPrime.WE (2-3)Kyrix was one of the most fun players to watch in GSL2, using and abusing mass banelings at every opportunity. This style of play was extremely effective, and still can be, but it's limitations have since been exposed twice; by gosu marine splitting against MK, and by prepared timing attacks against teammate JSL in the third season. This means that Kyrix will need to prove that he has finesse to match his wanton aggression. In the GSTAR All-Stars event, he showed some of this, but being sniped in GSL3 raised the same issues. Kyrix's fundamentals are impressive, but his decision-making is what will take center stage in this tournament.. To advance in this tournament, Kyrix will need to show a versatility that he has yet to demonstrate. He has the fundamentals to easily play different styles, but his level of confidence in different types of play will be essential in determining how far Kyrix can go. His group is a tough one and none of his opponents will easily be overwhelmed, which makes Kyrix an underdog to advance here. If he falls in his group however, he should not fall much further, and a Code-S designation for next season seems extremely likely.GSL2 Ro64, GSL3 Ro8 CheckPrime.WE (2-1), IMmvp (2-0) TSL_Rain (1-2), TLAF-Liquid'Jinro (2-3)After an underwhelming defeat in the second GSL, choya broke through in a big way in GSL3. Indeed, of the tournament's unknown players, choya was among the most impressive. With solid and creative play, he gutted and scraped his way into the round of 8, where a single mental snafu (forgetting colossi range) might've been the only thing that prevented him from an even deeper run. Nonetheless, against a series of tough opponents, choya showed poise, toughness, and also passion. His return from 0-2 down against Jinro showed that he will be hard to eliminate, his stomping of pre-tournament favorite mvp showed that he can play with the best of them.choya was impressive in GSL3 in a way that few other protosses were. Most noticeably, his sense of timing was excellent in much of his tournament run. He was never exclusively aggressive or defensive, instead he demonstrated an adeptness at changing his mindset between games. That'll be a key skill in this tournament, with a varied pallet of opponents and maps. choya clearly has the mechanics to compete here, but his game sense is the best in the group.(TesteR)GSL1 Ro8, GSTAR All-stars Third Place oGsHyperdub (2-0), oGsTheWinD (2-1), NsP.Genius (2-1), oGsNada (2-0) ST_RainBOw (0-2), MarineKingPrime.WE (0-2)One of the champions of the beta, TesteR came into GSL1 as one of the favorites and made the round of 8. We've heard almost nothing from him since, except for a third place finish in the GSTAR All-stars, in which he seemed to take out half of oGs in the process. That was impressive, but not enough to excuse or explain TesteR's failure to qualify for GSL2 and GSL3. Now that he's past the qualifiers and in the main event automatically, this is his chance to solidify his position and put the two missed qualifications away as flukes.But were they? It's hard to tell. In GSL1, TesteR's play was among the best in the tournament, but the competition is much stiffer now, and without any recent results to examine, it's simply impossible to say where he'll end up. I'm inclined to split the difference here. TesteR simply has to be the underdog to advance here, although he certainly could. If he doesn't, however, he'll almost definitely keep his Code S ranking.