[TSL] Ro16 Week 1 Recap and Interviews Text by Heyoka

TSL3 on Liquipedia



TSL3 Round of 16 Week 1 Recap

by Lovedrop & Heyoka



As TSL continues to move along, the matches continue to impress. Every weekend the tournament progresses, we get a new set of games and stories. Every week, the next chapter unfolds brilliantly.



This past weekend we saw games from new and old, past champions and up-and-comers. A healthy mix of talent from all corners of the Earth, the most recent games truly exemplified the goal of an international tournament.



As usual, here are the games. Video? Battle reports? We have it all.



Click here for VODs







Battle Reports



< 0-3 > Prae.ThorZaIN

+ Show Spoiler [Show Games] + P1 TLAF-Liquid`Tyler < Xel'Naga Caverns > Prae.ThorZaIN T7



The RO16 of TSL3 kicks off with ThorZaIN suffering a moment of nervousness and could not properly split his SCVs. While Tyler makes a trademark sentry after his zealot, ThorZaIN erects a bunker to defend any sort of early aggression, as he looks to tech higher up the tree with his factory + tech lab. A siege tank and 4 marines would guarantee his safety from any Protoss advancement, and ThorZaIN comfortably drops a command center, while continuing teching up to starport. At this point, Tyler’s observer is already on its way over, and a 3gate + robo expand with heavy sentry play is looking like Tyler’s game plan. ThorZaIN’s expansion gets up slightly faster than Tyler’s, and both players begin upgrades for their units, +1 ground for Tyler and +1 armor mech for ThorZaIN, respectively.



ThorZaIN’s raven and vikings deny observers any critical amount of information. Tyler takes his gold but a hellion scouts it the second it went up. Tyler begins to pressure and try to deny ThorZaIN his gold, but finds his position too risky and retreats back. ThorZaIN attaches some SCVs to his mech army, heavily consisting of blue flamed hellions and thors, with +2 armor upgrade. Tyler has 8 colossi, and is taking his 4th, but both armies are near max and ThorZaIN looks prompt to clear up some of that supply. Tyler moves down the left Xel’naga Tower and runs into ThorZaIN’s army. The hellions melt through zealots with charge and with PDD support, stalkers were render useless, and colossi were just huge moving targets for vikings. ThorZaIN utilizes the 250mm strike cannons to deal with the remaining colossi, forcing Tyler to make an all-out retreat. ThorZaIN swings forward and takes out Tyler’s two latest expansion, cutting Tyler’s income down to less than half that of ThorZaIN’s.



Tyler counterattacks to clear out ThorZaIN’s gold, but pulls back just in time before ThorZaIN had made it back to defend. After repairing all his units, ThorZaIN charges out once again with his maxed army. While Tyler had been able to pump out 7 immortals in time, they were stunned with the strike cannons and effectively taken out of the fight, leaving Tyler no choice but to gg. [19:24]







P6 TLAF-Liquid`Tyler < Terminus RE > Prae.ThorZaIN T9



Even before scouting his opponent, ThorZaIN skips his gas to make the quickest command center possible. Tyler does not make a zealot, but opting to chrono boost his stalker instead, and continuously churning out stalkers. ThorZaIN pumps out his marines from two barracks while researching stim. A twilight council is hidden at Tyler’s smoke area, and Tyler sets up for a 3 gate blink attack. Tyler begins poking at the front with his stalkers, losing only shields while picking off marines. Tyler blinks two stalkers past the bunker in order to gain vision up top, and utilizing a pylon on the low ground to blink the rest up. ThorZaIN pulls all SCVs to defend, and a tank is doing an absurd amount of damage to these stalkers before it is sniped. Tyler tries his best to micro and warp in units at the same time, but ThorZaIN just simply had more units and stim kicks in just in time for ThorZaIN to clean up the mess.



Tyler loses all his stalkers and drop a nexus to have a chance to crawl back into the game. ThorZaIN macros off of two bases, and keep a sustaining 20 food lead ahead of Tyler. Pulling half a dozen SCV to repair his tanks, ThorZaIN marches out as combat shield is about to finish. Tyler catches glimpse of the incoming push with his observer, but he does not have the economy to support his macro, and being supply blocked as the push arrives at his front door does not help. Tyler tries to catch the tanks unsieged, but their DPS in tank mode is just as devastating. With no army and a food deficit of 71, Tyler resigns, leaving ThorZaIN with 1 game away from reaching the elite eight. [13:06]







P12 TLAF-Liquid`Tyler < Metalopolis > Prae.ThorZaIN T6



Players spawn cross positions on Metalopolis. ThorZaIN does a more standard 1 rax + tech lab FE, while Tyler feels more comfortable with 3gate+robo. ThorZaIN’s reaper scouts the expansion, and Tyler’s observer maps out ThorZaIN’s entire base. ThorZaIN uses his scans to pick off observers, limiting Tyler’s vision. ThorZaIN begins his upgrades extremely fast; as his +1 infantry weapon is halfway done before Tyler’s double forges are done warping in. Tyler’s army is extremely zealot/sentry heavy, with his stalkers parked inside his base in fear of a potential drop.



Tyler looks to put on some pressure, and the supply is now dead even at 121. Seeing no colossi, ThorZaIN lands all his vikings and pulls all SCVs at his natural to defend. Seeing multiple bunkers surrounding the command center, Tyler has second thoughts about his attack and slowly traces back to his natural, only to walk back to check whether ThorZaIN had a third base running. It is ThorZaIN’s turn to apply some pressure onto Tyler. Both armies hover around 180 food and +2/+2, but zealots without charge are extremely vulnerable to concussive shells. Landing some crucial force fields to split up ThorZaIN’s army, Tyler having to pull back his zealots each time costs him dearly as the zealots are slowed before they could make their retreat.



ThorZaIN streams in reinforcements, and even with charge, Tyler could not overcome the sheer amount of units being produced by ThorZaIN. As ThorZaIN takes out the third, Tyler mysteriously disconnects from the game, but it is an unanimous decision that the game was beyond reparable for Tyler. ThorZaIN sweeps our TSL2 champion and claims the first spot in TSL3 RO8. [18:26]







< 0-3 > Prae.ThorZaIN TLAF-Liquid`Tyler < 0-3 > The RO16 of TSL3 kicks off with ThorZaIN suffering a moment of nervousness and could not properly split his SCVs. While Tyler makes a trademark sentry after his zealot, ThorZaIN erects a bunker to defend any sort of early aggression, as he looks to tech higher up the tree with his factory + tech lab. A siege tank and 4 marines would guarantee his safety from any Protoss advancement, and ThorZaIN comfortably drops a command center, while continuing teching up to starport. At this point, Tyler’s observer is already on its way over, and a 3gate + robo expand with heavy sentry play is looking like Tyler’s game plan. ThorZaIN’s expansion gets up slightly faster than Tyler’s, and both players begin upgrades for their units, +1 ground for Tyler and +1 armor mech for ThorZaIN, respectively.ThorZaIN’s raven and vikings deny observers any critical amount of information. Tyler takes his gold but a hellion scouts it the second it went up. Tyler begins to pressure and try to deny ThorZaIN his gold, but finds his position too risky and retreats back. ThorZaIN attaches some SCVs to his mech army, heavily consisting of blue flamed hellions and thors, with +2 armor upgrade. Tyler has 8 colossi, and is taking his 4th, but both armies are near max and ThorZaIN looks prompt to clear up some of that supply. Tyler moves down the left Xel’naga Tower and runs into ThorZaIN’s army. The hellions melt through zealots with charge and with PDD support, stalkers were render useless, and colossi were just huge moving targets for vikings. ThorZaIN utilizes the 250mm strike cannons to deal with the remaining colossi, forcing Tyler to make an all-out retreat. ThorZaIN swings forward and takes out Tyler’s two latest expansion, cutting Tyler’s income down to less than half that of ThorZaIN’s.Tyler counterattacks to clear out ThorZaIN’s gold, but pulls back just in time before ThorZaIN had made it back to defend. After repairing all his units, ThorZaIN charges out once again with his maxed army. While Tyler had been able to pump out 7 immortals in time, they were stunned with the strike cannons and effectively taken out of the fight, leaving Tyler no choice but to gg. [19:24]Even before scouting his opponent, ThorZaIN skips his gas to make the quickest command center possible. Tyler does not make a zealot, but opting to chrono boost his stalker instead, and continuously churning out stalkers. ThorZaIN pumps out his marines from two barracks while researching stim. A twilight council is hidden at Tyler’s smoke area, and Tyler sets up for a 3 gate blink attack. Tyler begins poking at the front with his stalkers, losing only shields while picking off marines. Tyler blinks two stalkers past the bunker in order to gain vision up top, and utilizing a pylon on the low ground to blink the rest up. ThorZaIN pulls all SCVs to defend, and a tank is doing an absurd amount of damage to these stalkers before it is sniped. Tyler tries his best to micro and warp in units at the same time, but ThorZaIN just simply had more units and stim kicks in just in time for ThorZaIN to clean up the mess.Tyler loses all his stalkers and drop a nexus to have a chance to crawl back into the game. ThorZaIN macros off of two bases, and keep a sustaining 20 food lead ahead of Tyler. Pulling half a dozen SCV to repair his tanks, ThorZaIN marches out as combat shield is about to finish. Tyler catches glimpse of the incoming push with his observer, but he does not have the economy to support his macro, and being supply blocked as the push arrives at his front door does not help. Tyler tries to catch the tanks unsieged, but their DPS in tank mode is just as devastating. With no army and a food deficit of 71, Tyler resigns, leaving ThorZaIN with 1 game away from reaching the elite eight. [13:06]Players spawn cross positions on Metalopolis. ThorZaIN does a more standard 1 rax + tech lab FE, while Tyler feels more comfortable with 3gate+robo. ThorZaIN’s reaper scouts the expansion, and Tyler’s observer maps out ThorZaIN’s entire base. ThorZaIN uses his scans to pick off observers, limiting Tyler’s vision. ThorZaIN begins his upgrades extremely fast; as his +1 infantry weapon is halfway done before Tyler’s double forges are done warping in. Tyler’s army is extremely zealot/sentry heavy, with his stalkers parked inside his base in fear of a potential drop.Tyler looks to put on some pressure, and the supply is now dead even at 121. Seeing no colossi, ThorZaIN lands all his vikings and pulls all SCVs at his natural to defend. Seeing multiple bunkers surrounding the command center, Tyler has second thoughts about his attack and slowly traces back to his natural, only to walk back to check whether ThorZaIN had a third base running. It is ThorZaIN’s turn to apply some pressure onto Tyler. Both armies hover around 180 food and +2/+2, but zealots without charge are extremely vulnerable to concussive shells. Landing some crucial force fields to split up ThorZaIN’s army, Tyler having to pull back his zealots each time costs him dearly as the zealots are slowed before they could make their retreat.ThorZaIN streams in reinforcements, and even with charge, Tyler could not overcome the sheer amount of units being produced by ThorZaIN. As ThorZaIN takes out the third, Tyler mysteriously disconnects from the game, but it is an unanimous decision that the game was beyond reparable for Tyler. ThorZaIN sweeps our TSL2 champion and claims the first spot in TSL3 RO8. [18:26]



< 0-3 > oGs.MC

+ Show Spoiler [Show Games] + P3 oGs.MC < Metalopolis > Duckload.White-Ra P9



The player spawn in cross positions on metal, the same as the game during the GSL World Championship Team Event in which White-Ra defeated MC. The game opens less normal than most PvPs, with MC choosing to make a robo after 1 gate and White-Ra using his first 3 chronoboost on stalkers instead of warp gate research while delaying his 4th gate slightly. A his first immortal is building, MC adds another 2 gates and a twilight counsel, looking towards blink research.



As in the WC game, White-Ra makes a robo quickly after 4 gates and immediately pumps out a warp prism. He chooses for a two pronged assault, dropping 4 zealots into MC's mineral line while attacking up the ramp. MC splits his army well and defends without losing many attacking units but loses around 10 probes, bringing his worker count drastically below the Ukranian's. MC walks his army to White-Ra's base and after blinking over the forcefield on the ramp White-Ra is forced to leave. [12:04]







P2 oGs.MC < Xel'Naga Caverns > Duckload.White-Ra P7



White-Ra looks for no funny business in this game, ramping straight to 4 gateways as early as possible. MC on the other hand looks to play the same as the previous game, making a robotics after 1 gate as soon as the scouting probe is gone. This time he makes 3 additional gates instead of choosing blink tech.



A few successful forcefields buy him time, and he easily repels White-Ra's aggression with 2 immortals. [8:43]







P7 oGs.MC < Crevasse > Duckload.White-Ra P2



For the first time, MC makes 4 gates. White-Ra builds a nexus after two. The game is over before it really begins. White-Ra closes out the match with a thought. [6:48]







< 0-3 > oGs.MC The player spawn in cross positions on metal, the same as the game during the GSL World Championship Team Event in which White-Ra defeated MC. The game opens less normal than most PvPs, with MC choosing to make a robo after 1 gate and White-Ra using his first 3 chronoboost on stalkers instead of warp gate research while delaying his 4th gate slightly. A his first immortal is building, MC adds another 2 gates and a twilight counsel, looking towards blink research.As in the WC game, White-Ra makes a robo quickly after 4 gates and immediately pumps out a warp prism. He chooses for a two pronged assault, dropping 4 zealots into MC's mineral line while attacking up the ramp. MC splits his army well and defends without losing many attacking units but loses around 10 probes, bringing his worker count drastically below the Ukranian's. MC walks his army to White-Ra's base and after blinking over the forcefield on the ramp White-Ra is forced to leave. [12:04]White-Ra looks for no funny business in this game, ramping straight to 4 gateways as early as possible. MC on the other hand looks to play the same as the previous game, making a robotics after 1 gate as soon as the scouting probe is gone. This time he makes 3 additional gates instead of choosing blink tech.A few successful forcefields buy him time, and he easily repels White-Ra's aggression with 2 immortals. [8:43]For the first time, MC makes 4 gates. White-Ra builds a nexus after two. The game is over before it really begins. White-Ra closes out the match with a thought. [6:48] Duckload.White-Ra < 0-3 >



< 2-3 > Mill.Adelscott

+ Show Spoiler [Show Games] +



T7 FXO.qxc < Xel'Naga Caverns > Mill.Adelscott P2



Qxc begins the match with a 2 barracks opening, getting both a tech lab and reactor. Adel starts with 3 gates off a single gas, presumably planning pressure while getting an expansion. Qxc's initial forces score a free marine, but are quickly overpowered by Adel's largely stalker force. Terran retreats to his base, building a command center and a bunker. Adelscott starts a nexus, and with the help of a forward pylon prepares an army to keep qxc busy.



All goes to plan as Adel's stalker-sentry army bursts up the non-walled ramp and quickly overtake both qxc's army and scvs. [8:20]







T12 FXO.qxc < Metalopolis > Mill.Adelscott P3



Qxc again opens with early aggression, proxying a barracks and adding a tech lab. The first 2 marauders keep Adelscott occupied, while qxc starts on a command center and quickly adds more barracks. A clever forcefield blocks retreating marauders to end the early game, Adel quickly starts on a nexus and forge to set up for a strong midgame.



Qxc finds himself right in his element, attacking the front, then dropping the back, then attacking the front again. Adelscott keeps up, but barely, as his army is eventually whittled down to nothing. The forces streaming in from qxc bring the series back to even. [15:55]







T3 FXO.qxc < Terminus RE > Mill.Adelscott P9



Adel showed what he is known for, making a nexus after a single sentry while qxc ramps up to a banshee and immediately starts on cloak research. By the time the first 2 banshees make it to Adel's side of the map, he has already started on his third nexus and the delayed robo means it is time for banshees to get to business. Nearly two dozen probe kills later. the players find themselves on each possessing 3 bases, but qxc has the far superior army.



As Adelscott tries to leave his base and position an army in the middle of the map, he runs into a marine-marauder attack force. The armies trade, and Adel is forced back to his choke as qxc's reinforcements arrive. After adding a colossus into the mix, Adel is able to successfully make it into the center of the map but only briefly as qxc brings 3 medivacs full of units into the Protoss main and floats a command center to his 4th base. While both players remake units, qxc's 4th base kicks in and is overwhelms Adelscott's natural to go up 2-1 in the series. [24:56]







T7 FXO.qxc < Crevasse > Mill.Adelscott P5



Adelscott once again displays his love for expanding, getting a nexus at his back expo before gateway. Qxc meanwhile takes one nearly as early. For the next few minutes not much action happened, both players added tech, made units, and started their third before the first engagements. Qxc's first poke with marauders turns dangerous, as it runs into a colossus and a handful of stalkers. The Protoss army chases them back to Terran's natural, where they set up a small contain and are able to break the rocks at the ramp.



While qxc is housed in his base, he turns to drop play and harasses with several marauders. The attack isn't hugely successful, trading a few marauders for some probes and stalkers, but sets up a chain of events that see the lead change hands several times over. When Adelscott's stalkers in the front moved to intercept the dropship as it headed home, it left 3 colossus unguarded, which qxc's viking force saw and subsequently destroys 2 of.



Attempting to take advantage, qxc stimms his marine-marauder army and runs into Adelscott's army. He is chased back, where Adel is able to forcefield the ramp to block most of the retreating army. Qxc begins to ferry units over the blockade, picking them up in a dropship and letting them go on the other side, but it turns disasterous when one is picked off as it carries several units.



Qxc tries a larger drop in the back with more units, which runs into most of Adel's army and dies without much consequence. When this trigger's Adel to attack his front the Terran finds himself hopelessly behind, losing his third and then the plentary at a newl taken fourth. Adel brings the series to its final, deciding game when he runs his gigantic stalker, sentry, zealot colossus army into what little marines and marauders qxc can muster up. [20:15]





T5 FXO.qxc < Tal'Darim Altar > Mill.Adelscott P2



Unsurprisingly, Adel takes his natural immediately after killing qxc's scout, before his first sentry is completed. Qxc opens with 2 barracks, also looking for an early expand, but decides to attempt pressuring with a bunker when he finds Adel's completed nexus. Adel kills the opposing army by way of sacrificing a handful of probes at his natural, the continues by adding a forge and more gateways.



Qxc looks to take the intiative back by dropping, first the natural and then the main in quick succession. Both are relatively short lived, he takes down one forge but Adel is unlikely to care as he now has 3 nearly saturated bases and is able to add 2 more while ramping up to 10 gateways isntead of choosing any robotics tech.



Firmly in control, Adel runs to stop qxc's third from mining and is able to overpower the main Terran army in the process. Not long after, qxc admits defeat and Adelscott enters the round of 8. [16:08]







< 2-3 > Mill.Adelscott Qxc begins the match with a 2 barracks opening, getting both a tech lab and reactor. Adel starts with 3 gates off a single gas, presumably planning pressure while getting an expansion. Qxc's initial forces score a free marine, but are quickly overpowered by Adel's largely stalker force. Terran retreats to his base, building a command center and a bunker. Adelscott starts a nexus, and with the help of a forward pylon prepares an army to keep qxc busy.All goes to plan as Adel's stalker-sentry army bursts up the non-walled ramp and quickly overtake both qxc's army and scvs. [8:20]Qxc again opens with early aggression, proxying a barracks and adding a tech lab. The first 2 marauders keep Adelscott occupied, while qxc starts on a command center and quickly adds more barracks. A clever forcefield blocks retreating marauders to end the early game, Adel quickly starts on a nexus and forge to set up for a strong midgame.Qxc finds himself right in his element, attacking the front, then dropping the back, then attacking the front again. Adelscott keeps up, but barely, as his army is eventually whittled down to nothing. The forces streaming in from qxc bring the series back to even. [15:55]Adel showed what he is known for, making a nexus after a single sentry while qxc ramps up to a banshee and immediately starts on cloak research. By the time the first 2 banshees make it to Adel's side of the map, he has already started on his third nexus and the delayed robo means it is time for banshees to get to business. Nearly two dozen probe kills later. the players find themselves on each possessing 3 bases, but qxc has the far superior army.As Adelscott tries to leave his base and position an army in the middle of the map, he runs into a marine-marauder attack force. The armies trade, and Adel is forced back to his choke as qxc's reinforcements arrive. After adding a colossus into the mix, Adel is able to successfully make it into the center of the map but only briefly as qxc brings 3 medivacs full of units into the Protoss main and floats a command center to his 4th base. While both players remake units, qxc's 4th base kicks in and is overwhelms Adelscott's natural to go up 2-1 in the series. [24:56]Adelscott once again displays his love for expanding, getting a nexus at his back expo before gateway. Qxc meanwhile takes one nearly as early. For the next few minutes not much action happened, both players added tech, made units, and started their third before the first engagements. Qxc's first poke with marauders turns dangerous, as it runs into a colossus and a handful of stalkers. The Protoss army chases them back to Terran's natural, where they set up a small contain and are able to break the rocks at the ramp.While qxc is housed in his base, he turns to drop play and harasses with several marauders. The attack isn't hugely successful, trading a few marauders for some probes and stalkers, but sets up a chain of events that see the lead change hands several times over. When Adelscott's stalkers in the front moved to intercept the dropship as it headed home, it left 3 colossus unguarded, which qxc's viking force saw and subsequently destroys 2 of.Attempting to take advantage, qxc stimms his marine-marauder army and runs into Adelscott's army. He is chased back, where Adel is able to forcefield the ramp to block most of the retreating army. Qxc begins to ferry units over the blockade, picking them up in a dropship and letting them go on the other side, but it turns disasterous when one is picked off as it carries several units.Qxc tries a larger drop in the back with more units, which runs into most of Adel's army and dies without much consequence. When this trigger's Adel to attack his front the Terran finds himself hopelessly behind, losing his third and then the plentary at a newl taken fourth. Adel brings the series to its final, deciding game when he runs his gigantic stalker, sentry, zealot colossus army into what little marines and marauders qxc can muster up. [20:15]Unsurprisingly, Adel takes his natural immediately after killing qxc's scout, before his first sentry is completed. Qxc opens with 2 barracks, also looking for an early expand, but decides to attempt pressuring with a bunker when he finds Adel's completed nexus. Adel kills the opposing army by way of sacrificing a handful of probes at his natural, the continues by adding a forge and more gateways.Qxc looks to take the intiative back by dropping, first the natural and then the main in quick succession. Both are relatively short lived, he takes down one forge but Adel is unlikely to care as he now has 3 nearly saturated bases and is able to add 2 more while ramping up toisntead of choosing any robotics tech.Firmly in control, Adel runs to stop qxc's third from mining and is able to overpower the main Terran army in the process. Not long after, qxc admits defeat and Adelscott enters the round of 8. [16:08] FXO.qxc < 2-3 >



< 0-3 > Empire.Kas

+ Show Spoiler [Show Games] + T1 oGs.NaDa < Crevasse > Empire.Kas T5



Both players greedily skip gas for a quick expansion, deviating when NaDa grabbed both gases while Kas makes two additional barracks. Kas is constantly pumping out marines out of 4 barracks, while lining turrets at questionable places. NaDa makes banshees, looking to do some damage, but Kas justifies his turret placement by denying the banshee any and all sort of harassment possibility. The banshee gets taken out by a turret when NaDa isn’t paying attention, and Kas’s attempt to break into NaDa’s main is halted by a bunker.



Kas, feeling comfortable with his map control, takes a quick third. Kas attempts a drop inside NaDa’s backdoor expo, trading a dropship full of marines for a single tank. Both players load up 2 octodrops, but neither are really to deal damage due to phenomenal turret positioning. Kas sieges up outside NaDa’s base, slowing down NaDa’s third. As NaDa is busy taking down the destructible debris, Kas sets up his siege line, catching NaDa off-guard and takes out NaDa’s CC. Kas sandwiches NaDa’s army in the most non-cost effective manner possible, but with 5 bases running, Kas easily replenishes his army, and moves in for the kill. [18:40]







T1 oGs.NaDa < Xel'Naga Caverns > Empire.Kas T7



Kas opens standard into a reaper while NaDa skips gas again for a quick CC. NaDa moves out with three marines, but the Kas’s reaper + marine at the watchtower makes quick work of NaDa’s marines, leaving the reaper with 2 hp. Kas gets his expansion up and running before NaDa, as NaDa hesitates, fearing any attempt of pressure from Kas. NaDa cannot apply any pressure, and is falling behind in tech + food count.



NaDa has absolutely zero map presence, and Kas takes full advantage of that, confidently building an orbital at the gold. Both players swing around the map with their army, looking fo a base trade, but as soon as NaDa made Kas lift the gold, he dashes back to defend his base. Both players trade army, but Kas’s 2 base economy triumphs NaDa’s mined out main, and a 2nd wave of units just overran NaDa. [15:56]







T7 oGs.NaDa < Shakuras Plateau > Empire.Kas T1



Kas opens reaper into expo, while NaDa feels more safe with a reactored barracks before CC. NaDa is slow to tech up, relying on marines and marauders while running on a single gas. Kas prefers to tech up, get upgrades, and is slowly pulling away from NaDa in supply. NaDa destroys the rocks near his side of the center on his way out, but turns away immediately once his scan reveals Kas’s siege tanks. Both players load an octodrop going in opposite directions, but both are scouted before they could wreak havoc in their respective mains. Kas pushes forward and wins a decisive battle, keeping all his siege tanks intact and proceed to siege below the main. NaDa has a hard time cleaning up, but Kas is in macro mode, claiming a third and dropping additional production facilities.



Once NaDa has sacrificed two small armies to clear out the threat, Kas has already doubled NaDa’s supply. Kas pulls back the remnants of his first army to join up with the rest, and turns his attention to NaDa’s main entrance. Once again sieging below the ramp, NaDa is forced to pull all SCVs to defend, but they simply evaporate from marine and siege tank fire, and so does NaDa’s chance of making the TSL3 RO8. [16:25]







< 0-3 > Empire.Kas oGs.NaDa < 0-3 > Both players greedily skip gas for a quick expansion, deviating when NaDa grabbed both gases while Kas makes two additional barracks. Kas is constantly pumping out marines out of 4 barracks, while lining turrets at questionable places. NaDa makes banshees, looking to do some damage, but Kas justifies his turret placement by denying the banshee any and all sort of harassment possibility. The banshee gets taken out by a turret when NaDa isn’t paying attention, and Kas’s attempt to break into NaDa’s main is halted by a bunker.Kas, feeling comfortable with his map control, takes a quick third. Kas attempts a drop inside NaDa’s backdoor expo, trading a dropship full of marines for a single tank. Both players load up 2 octodrops, but neither are really to deal damage due to phenomenal turret positioning. Kas sieges up outside NaDa’s base, slowing down NaDa’s third. As NaDa is busy taking down the destructible debris, Kas sets up his siege line, catching NaDa off-guard and takes out NaDa’s CC. Kas sandwiches NaDa’s army in the most non-cost effective manner possible, but with 5 bases running, Kas easily replenishes his army, and moves in for the kill. [18:40]Kas opens standard into a reaper while NaDa skips gas again for a quick CC. NaDa moves out with three marines, but the Kas’s reaper + marine at the watchtower makes quick work of NaDa’s marines, leaving the reaper with 2 hp. Kas gets his expansion up and running before NaDa, as NaDa hesitates, fearing any attempt of pressure from Kas. NaDa cannot apply any pressure, and is falling behind in tech + food count.NaDa has absolutely zero map presence, and Kas takes full advantage of that, confidently building an orbital at the gold. Both players swing around the map with their army, looking fo a base trade, but as soon as NaDa made Kas lift the gold, he dashes back to defend his base. Both players trade army, but Kas’s 2 base economy triumphs NaDa’s mined out main, and a 2nd wave of units just overran NaDa. [15:56]Kas opens reaper into expo, while NaDa feels more safe with a reactored barracks before CC. NaDa is slow to tech up, relying on marines and marauders while running on a single gas. Kas prefers to tech up, get upgrades, and is slowly pulling away from NaDa in supply. NaDa destroys the rocks near his side of the center on his way out, but turns away immediately once his scan reveals Kas’s siege tanks. Both players load an octodrop going in opposite directions, but both are scouted before they could wreak havoc in their respective mains. Kas pushes forward and wins a decisive battle, keeping all his siege tanks intact and proceed to siege below the main. NaDa has a hard time cleaning up, but Kas is in macro mode, claiming a third and dropping additional production facilities.Once NaDa has sacrificed two small armies to clear out the threat, Kas has already doubled NaDa’s supply. Kas pulls back the remnants of his first army to join up with the rest, and turns his attention to NaDa’s main entrance. Once again sieging below the ramp, NaDa is forced to pull all SCVs to defend, but they simply evaporate from marine and siege tank fire, and so does NaDa’s chance of making the TSL3 RO8. [16:25]

TLAF-Liquid`Tyler < 0-3 > Duckload.White-Ra < 0-3 > FXO.qxc < 2-3 > oGs.NaDa < 0-3 >





Prae.ThorZaiN

Post-game Interview



Q: Congratulations, you won again! How do you feel?



I feel great! Though I don't feel just as great as I did when I played against FruitDealer, it still feels amazing. I guess the reason for that is that today I actually expected to win, while I wasn't sure about FruitDealer.



Q: You won 3-0. Did the games go as you planned? Was it easier/harder than you expected?



In the first game on Xel'Naga, I wanted to play my Thor-strat that failed miserably when I qualified for TSL in the first game of the finals in the TL Open against Adelscott. The commentators were skeptical to my build so I wanted to prove them wrong. I did some changes and It's a solid build. Though I didnt expect him to go 2 robo colossus, I still knew how to counter it. He just didn't have enough gateway units to shield them.



On the second game he did a blink stalker rush. I was scared at first but I managed to get some marauders out and with the scv police joining the fight, I could clean up his force, even though I accidentally left 4 marines in the bunker at my expansion.



The third game was went just as I planned, except the part where he didn't go any colossi at all but just pure gateway units. I know that Tyler is very keen on upgrades so I created a strategy where I could upgrade my units almost just as fast and hit a big 2/2 timing push which would be very hard for him to stop. That's exactly what happened.



Q: Your next round opponent is either White-Ra or MC. How do you feel about them?



Both are very strong players. I have a pretty decent record against White-Ra but I still fear him. And I didn't play against MC, but he truly is a beast. However I just spent two weeks playing against nothing else than protoss and I feel that that might be to my advantage. My TvP is really strong at the moment.



Q: Do you have any thoughts on the upsets in the earlier rounds of the tournaments? Why do you think so many "favorites" lost? Some fans might consider your win here an "upset" as well.



I don't blame lag as I know that in WC3, Koreans competed online in european tournaments and they still beat us. However, the main reason I think is stubborness and arrogance from the Koreans. I think that they thought that they would own all foreigners without much practice and didn't prepare as much as we did for them.



Even though I still think that Korea is ahead of the rest, it has been proven many times now that foreigners also can be powerful players.



Q: Have your goals changed in this tournament? Do these results change your confidence or belief in yourself?



I've already kinda reached my goals. At first I just wanted to beat FruitDealer. Then I wanted to win against Tyler/Strelok. But now my goal is to reach the finals and maybe even win the whole thing! :D



Q: Any match you are looking forward to other than white ra mc of course? Who do you think will win?



I'm excited about qxc vs Adelscott because I practiced some with Adel and it's always nice to watch people you practiced with play against other terrans. I'm also looking forward to knowing my next round opponent, and watching MC is always a pleassure. So I'll keep an eye open for that game as well.



I think that MC will win 3:1 and that Adel vs QXC will go 3:2 to one of the players.



Q: Anyone to thank? Any last words for fans?



Thanks to my practice partners. In particular NightEnD, ToD, and Seiplo, with whom i practiced the most! And of course all the other guys whom I didn't mention, you know who you are.



Thanks to Praetoriani for their excellent support.

I'd also like to thank Skutt, GruGloG and PapaPandroni!



And a shoutout to #swe.sc2 @ Quakenet!



Cheer for me taking on either the Beast from the east or the Boss toss.



I respect Tyler and I feel sorry for taking out such a fan favourite. I will make sure to make it up to him and the community by beating my next opponent!





I feel great! Though I don't feel just as great as I did when I played against FruitDealer, it still feels amazing. I guess the reason for that is that today I actually expected to win, while I wasn't sure about FruitDealer.In the first game on Xel'Naga, I wanted to play my Thor-strat that failed miserably when I qualified for TSL in the first game of the finals in the TL Open against Adelscott. The commentators were skeptical to my build so I wanted to prove them wrong. I did some changes and It's a solid build. Though I didnt expect him to go 2 robo colossus, I still knew how to counter it. He just didn't have enough gateway units to shield them.On the second game he did a blink stalker rush. I was scared at first but I managed to get some marauders out and with the scv police joining the fight, I could clean up his force, even though I accidentally left 4 marines in the bunker at my expansion.The third game was went just as I planned, except the part where he didn't go any colossi at all but just pure gateway units. I know that Tyler is very keen on upgrades so I created a strategy where I could upgrade my units almost just as fast and hit a big 2/2 timing push which would be very hard for him to stop. That's exactly what happened.Both are very strong players. I have a pretty decent record against White-Ra but I still fear him. And I didn't play against MC, but he truly is a beast. However I just spent two weeks playing against nothing else than protoss and I feel that that might be to my advantage. My TvP is really strong at the moment.I don't blame lag as I know that in WC3, Koreans competed online in european tournaments and they still beat us. However, the main reason I think is stubborness and arrogance from the Koreans. I think that they thought that they would own all foreigners without much practice and didn't prepare as much as we did for them.Even though I still think that Korea is ahead of the rest, it has been proven many times now that foreigners also can be powerful players.I've already kinda reached my goals. At first I just wanted to beat FruitDealer. Then I wanted to win against Tyler/Strelok. But now my goal is to reach the finals and maybe even win the whole thing! :DI'm excited about qxc vs Adelscott because I practiced some with Adel and it's always nice to watch people you practiced with play against other terrans. I'm also looking forward to knowing my next round opponent, and watching MC is always a pleassure. So I'll keep an eye open for that game as well.I think that MC will win 3:1 and that Adel vs QXC will go 3:2 to one of the players.Thanks to my practice partners. In particular NightEnD, ToD, and Seiplo, with whom i practiced the most! And of course all the other guys whom I didn't mention, you know who you are.Thanks to Praetoriani for their excellent support.I'd also like to thank Skutt, GruGloG and PapaPandroni!And a shoutout to #swe.sc2 @ Quakenet!Cheer for me taking on either the Beast from the east or the Boss toss.I respect Tyler and I feel sorry for taking out such a fan favourite. I will make sure to make it up to him and the community by beating my next opponent!



oGs.MC

Post-game Interview



+ Show Spoiler [Korean Version - 한국어 원문] +

1.먼저 8강전에 진출한 소감을 말한다면?

세계최고로서 당연한일을 한것이다.



2. 얼마전 GomTV 월드 챔피언쉽에서 White-Ra 선수의 차원 분광기에 휘둘리면서 패배를 당했다. 이 패배는 TSL 준비하는데 많은 영향을 끼쳤나? 예를 들어 샤쿠라스 고원을 제거 하기도 했고...

상관없었다 팀리그 자체는 오히려 내가 상대의 방심을 유도해 100% 실력을 발휘하지 않았다.



3. 1-2 경기에서 의외로 4 차원관문 전략을 쓰지 않고 비교적 빠른 로보틱스를 올렸다. 이러한 전략을 쓰게된 이유는?

난 4차원관문만이 있는게 아니라는걸 보여주고싶었다.



4. 3경기에서는 다시 4 차원관문 전략을 썼다. 이에 반해 상대 선수는 빌드 상성이 안 좋은 2관문 이후의 빠른 확장을 선택했다. 이전 두 경기에서 로보틱스를 쓰므로서 의도한 심리전이었나?

입구가 역장 하나로 안막히는맵에선 4차원관문이 강제이다 그걸 배제한게 화이트라 선수의 패배원인이다



5. 다음 경기 상대는 ThorZain과 LiquidTyler의 승자다. 이 선수들에 대해 어떤 정보를 가지고 있는가? 그리고 어느 선수와 경기하는 것을 선호하는가?

thorzain이란 선수는 아예 모르고 타일러는 리퀴드소속이기때문에 이름만 알고있다. 하지만 리퀴드 프로토스는 Huk이 최고라고 알고있기때문에 둘다 그리 어렵지는 않을거같다.



6. GomTV 월드 챔피언쉽 팀 경기에서 외국인팀이 좋은 경기를 치루면서, 또 개인 터너먼트에서 다소 무기력한 모습을 보여줬다. 외국인 선수들에 대한 생각이 많이 변했나?

원래 TSL경기를 지켜보며 외국인선수들이 많이 성장했다는것을 느꼈으며 많은 연습이 필요하다고 느꼈다 또한 그렇게했으며 앞으로도 그럴것이다.



7. 마지막으로 팬들을 위한 영어 멘트?

Hello ^^ I'm GOD of Protoss MC

I'm going to Sweden on the 12th, please everyone come watch me play! thx







Q: First, how do you feel about reaching the RO8?



It was natural for the best player in the world.



Q: Just recently you lost to White-Ra’s warp prism tactics in the GomTV World Championship team match. Did this affect the way you prepared for your TSL game? For instance, you removed Shakuras plateau from the map pool…



It didn’t matter. During the team league I was trying to lead my opponent into being careless, so I didn't use 100% of my skill.



Q: In games one and two, you surprisingly didn’t use a four warpgate strategy, instead going for quick robotics instead. What was the reason for this?



I wanted to show people I can do things besides four-gate.



Q: In game three you went back to the familiar four warp-gate strategy. On the other hand, your opponent went for a two gate expansion, something easily countered by your four gate build. Was this an intentional mind game after starting the first two games with fast robotics facilities?



On maps where you cannot block your ramp with one force-field, four warpgate is a requirement. White-ra lost because he forgot that.



Q: Your next opponent is the winner of Thorzain vs LiquidTyler. Do you have any information about these players? Who would you rather face?



I have never heard of Thorzain at all, and I only know of Tyler because he’s on Liquid. However, I already know that the best Liquid Protoss is Huk, so neither opponent should be difficult.



Q: Foreigners had mixed performances in the GomTV World Championships, doing quite well in the team match but doing poorly in the individual tournament. Has your opinion of foreign players changed much?



I thought that foreigners had improved a lot as I watched TSL games. I felt the need to practice more against them, and that is what I did and will continue to do.



Q: Any last words to your fans, in English?



Hello ^^ I'm GOD of Protoss, MC.

I'm going to Sweden on the 12th, please everyone come watch me play! Thanks.



It was natural for the best player in the world.It didn’t matter. During the team league I was trying to lead my opponent into being careless, so I didn't use 100% of my skill.I wanted to show people I can do things besides four-gate.On maps where you cannot block your ramp with one force-field, four warpgate is a requirement. White-ra lost because he forgot that.I have never heard of Thorzain at all, and I only know of Tyler because he’s on Liquid. However, I already know that the best Liquid Protoss is Huk, so neither opponent should be difficult.I thought that foreigners had improved a lot as I watched TSL games. I felt the need to practice more against them, and that is what I did and will continue to do.Hello ^^ I'm GOD of Protoss, MC.I'm going to Sweden on the 12th, please everyone come watch me play! Thanks.



Mill.Adelscott

Post-game Interview



Q: Congratulations, you beat QXC 3-2 and made it to the RO16 of the TSL. How do you feel?



I feel Relieved. it was a really close match, I made so many mistake, I was very nervous.



Q: QXC is famous for his aggressive, harassing style. How did you prepare against this style of player?



I know his style, from practicing with him sometime, and he know me too. I worked to counter his style with my builds, like false fast expo into agressive 3 gates, and adapted my style of fast expo macro, to be safer.



Q: You've gone for many types of fast expand builds in the TSL so far. QXC exploited this with a proxy-barrack and banshee play to win two games. Are you worried that your PvT style is getting too exposed?



I know that its exposed, and try to use that to surprise my opponent sometimes by changing it with a different build.



Q: The tournament has switched to best of five for Ro16 and Ro8, and will go up to best of seven for the semi-finals. Do you think this favors macro-style players like you, or do you feel like you need to prepare some cheese strategies for for longer series?



I dont know if macro-players are favored or not. in Longer series its important to know differents styles, and know how to adapt your game to the map, positions and build order of your opponent.



Q: Your next opponent is the winner of Kas vs Nada, both Terran players. Considering that you've done well in PvT so far, are you happy with playing another Terran? Or would you have preferred a Zerg opponent to soften your schedule? Also, which of the two players would you rather face?



Yes I am happy because I have only 1 matchup to practice, but it makes me worse in other matchups. Actually I'm not confident against zerg at all.



I really dont know which player I prefer to face. Probably NaDa, because he is a big star from BW. I remember his mass tank siege style. I think I have more chance to win agains Kas because I know his style, and can work easier from his replays, because replays of Koreans players are hard to find.



Q: TSL is one of the first big tournaments you have competed in where you are starting to get worldwide attention. Would you plan/like to compete in more high profile tournaments in the future?



Yes I want to compete in all big tournaments possible. I wanted to participate in the NASL but heard about it tournament too late.



Q: Any last comments, shout-outs, etc?



Thanks to my practice partners, thanks to my fans, I hope they will enjoy all of these games.

I feel Relieved. it was a really close match, I made so many mistake, I was very nervous.I know his style, from practicing with him sometime, and he know me too. I worked to counter his style with my builds, like false fast expo into agressive 3 gates, and adapted my style of fast expo macro, to be safer.I know that its exposed, and try to use that to surprise my opponent sometimes by changing it with a different build.I dont know if macro-players are favored or not. in Longer series its important to know differents styles, and know how to adapt your game to the map, positions and build order of your opponent.Yes I am happy because I have only 1 matchup to practice, but it makes me worse in other matchups. Actually I'm not confident against zerg at all.I really dont know which player I prefer to face. Probably NaDa, because he is a big star from BW. I remember his mass tank siege style. I think I have more chance to win agains Kas because I know his style, and can work easier from his replays, because replays of Koreans players are hard to find.Yes I want to compete in all big tournaments possible. I wanted to participate in the NASL but heard about it tournament too late.Thanks to my practice partners, thanks to my fans, I hope they will enjoy all of these games.



Empire.Kas

Post-Game Interview



Q: Congratulations Kas, you beat the legendary Brood War progamer Nada 3-0. What are your feelings on achieving such an impressive victory, and making it to the round of 8?



I was very nervous and worried, not because I thought I would lose, but because it was against a legend of Starcraft. It is a great honor to test my strength against such a player, so I made sure I was very prepared.



Q: You came out with a marine heavy opening on Crevasse, but opted for a fast single reaper on Xel'Naga and Shakuras. What was your strategic analysis of the maps that led you to use those strategies?



Crevasse is a very big map where I chose the most efficient build order for a macro game, considering it is very easy to defend against early attack. I decided not to risk it and play more safely with a reaper scout, as I said I was very prepared for these games. I think I chose the right strategy against my opponent.



Q: You seemed very well prepared against Nada today, having turrets to defend against banshees or drops, and always finding a timing to expand earlier. What kind of scouting did you do for this game?



I am a player that plays his game, not playing an opponent specifically. From practice games and experience, I learn more and more about how to read what my opponent is doing, what I need to win the game despite what he is doing to try to kill me. It is very hard to explain in words, it is like a painting where everything starts with one small detail and as more and more information is gathered a full picture is formed.



Q: You're the latest foreign player to defeat a famous Korean progamer. How do you think the perception of foreigners compare to Koreans has changed in the last few weeks?



So far we have not seen very much difference between players of Korea and the world. But, it is slightly in the favor of Koraens because their approach to the game is much more professional. I hope in the future this will change, I do not want to repeat Brood War's history where Korea dominated everything.



Q: It seems like it's always White-Ra and Dimaga going overseas to represent Ukraine as of late. Do you want/plan to travel abroad for more tournaments as well?



I will try to attend each tournament that I am invited to or is open to me, so I hope in the near future I will be worthy to represent Ukraine in the international arena.



Q: Your next opponent will be the winner of Adelscott vs QXC. What do you think of these players, and who do you prefer to face?



Each of them proved last round that they are in excellent form, looking forward to the match with either winner. I promise to prepare well and show good games.



Q: Any final comments?



Big thanks to empire.Beastyqt, mouz.Strelok, and rox.kissBratok for training with me and giving some good tips. Big thanks to team empire for support. Thanks to all my fans, I will try my best for you guys, thanks for your support.

I was very nervous and worried, not because I thought I would lose, but because it was against a legend of Starcraft. It is a great honor to test my strength against such a player, so I made sure I was very prepared.Crevasse is a very big map where I chose the most efficient build order for a macro game, considering it is very easy to defend against early attack. I decided not to risk it and play more safely with a reaper scout, as I said I was very prepared for these games. I think I chose the right strategy against my opponent.I am a player that plays his game, not playing an opponent specifically. From practice games and experience, I learn more and more about how to read what my opponent is doing, what I need to win the game despite what he is doing to try to kill me. It is very hard to explain in words, it is like a painting where everything starts with one small detail and as more and more information is gathered a full picture is formed.So far we have not seen very much difference between players of Korea and the world. But, it is slightly in the favor of Koraens because their approach to the game is much more professional. I hope in the future this will change, I do not want to repeat Brood War's history where Korea dominated everything.I will try to attend each tournament that I am invited to or is open to me, so I hope in the near future I will be worthy to represent Ukraine in the international arena.Each of them proved last round that they are in excellent form, looking forward to the match with either winner. I promise to prepare well and show good games.Big thanks to empire.Beastyqt, mouz.Strelok, and rox.kissBratok for training with me and giving some good tips. Big thanks to team empire for support. Thanks to all my fans, I will try my best for you guys, thanks for your support.



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Discuss with other fans in the TSL3 Forum. As TSL continues to move along, the matches continue to impress. Every weekend the tournament progresses, we get a new set of games and stories. Every week, the next chapter unfolds brilliantly.This past weekend we saw games from new and old, past champions and up-and-comers. A healthy mix of talent from all corners of the Earth, the most recent games truly exemplified the goal of an international tournament.As usual, here are the games. Video? Battle reports? We have it all. @RealHeyoka | DreamHack StarCrafty Man