[MLG] Pro Circuit Providence: Preview Text by Heyoka Graphics by Meko MLG Providence on Liquipedia

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By the Numb#rs



This is it. Since the start of the year we've had five tournaments, the addition of a GSL-exchange program, and a whole 'lotta of complaints about seating. Now we're finally here, the grand finale of MLG's 2011 season, a single event with a prize purse nearly ten times the earlier tournaments.



The culmination of an entire year in a single event, it all comes down to this. For the players who have played well, there are a direct seeds into the championship bracket. For the rest, the open portion still exists for a chance at redemption. The road will be more arduous than ever, but hope is ever present in the constantly-shifting world of Starcraft.



The story for much of the year has been the clash between East and West, the eternal struggle between Koreans and so-called foreigners competing for precious tournament titles. The early chapters showed the strength of the competition in Korea, and more than once we found ourselves calling the death of the foreign player. Perhaps our cries were premature, however, for the month of October showed western-raised players winning IEM, IPL, and lastly MLG.



Now the battle must rage on. With more Koreans than ever at MLG, and foreigners continually looking strong, this tournament will be a showdown for the ages. This is it. Since the start of the year we've had five tournaments, the addition of a GSL-exchange program, and a whole 'lotta of complaints about seating. Now we're finally here, the grand finale of MLG's 2011 season, a single event with a prize purse nearlythe earlier tournaments.The culmination of an entire year in a single event, it all comes down to this. For the players who have played well, there are a direct seeds into the championship bracket. For the rest, the open portion still exists for a chance at redemption. The road will be more arduous than ever, but hope is ever present in the constantly-shifting world of Starcraft.The story for much of the year has been the clash between East and West, the eternal struggle between Koreans and so-called foreigners competing for precious tournament titles. The early chapters showed the strength of the competition in Korea, and more than once we found ourselves calling the death of the foreign player. Perhaps our cries were premature, however, for the month of October showed western-raised players winning IEM, IPL, and lastly MLG.Now the battle must rage on. With more Koreans than ever at MLG, and foreigners continually looking strong, this tournament will be a showdown for the ages.

IT'S THE SEEDING By confusedcrib



MLG. What the hell were you thinking? Look at your glorious players list. No seriously, look at



Going into MLG Providence, what matters more than anything, even more than flaming iNcontroL for playing a video game that doesn't involve stars or crafting, even more than saying Tyler is over rated, even more than saying how bad of a caster everyone is, even more than what dress Anna Prosser is wearing, is the seeding. The top 16 players are seeded directly into the winners bracket, straight up, no need to fight for positioning or to prove themselves, they are just placed. And in a tournament when the open bracket has the two best players in the world in it, being seeded is a blessing from the gods.



This tournament is the ultimate reward to the competitors who went to multiple MLG's throughout the year, and you know what, even if the system sucks in terms of its fairness and lack of games, it means that there is a good chance for a non Korean in the top 20.



The Cool Cats



The bottom four of the top sixteen gets seeded into the bottom of the championship bracket, with a minimum of seven match wins and maximum of nine to take the tournament. These bottom four players are HayprO, Rain, Boxer, and Puma. All strong players that will put up some good games.





HayprO The Quiet:

Haypro is the true story of MLG seeding working properly. Haypro has no finishes in the top 8 at any MLG this year. His performance is constantly underrated and undercasted. Haypro finished in or around the top 20 in every MLG of the season, and it payed off. The seeding is after all the top 16 players, and Haypro finished near the top 16 in every single tournament.



Unfortunately this also spells some pessimism about what Haypro's performance will amount to for the tournament. With his seeded spot in past MLG's, he has placed consistently a few places below where he has been seeded. Haypro is getting a chance to be in striking distance of winning the entire tournament, but based on past performances, it is unlikely to happen. Haypro has little chance of overcoming DRG or MMA to make it in striking distance of the finals, and considering the monsters that will come out of the open bracket, Haypro has a small chance of going very far despite his solid play style.



Rain The Guy That The Bracket Screwed:

Rain is an interesting player, he has the overpowered Korean Terran blood in him, and despite being away from Korea for a while at this point, still has an extremely solid play style. Rain missed the first two MLGs, and then performed extremely well at Anaheim with a sixth place finish. In that tournament, Rain beat the likes MMA, Ret, and Slush to earn his position in the tournament. Rain is the kind of guy that can be a serious threat to anybody.



That being said, a lot of Rain's victories are by a narrow 2-1 margin, he rarely dominates his opponents in champion fashion. Rain undoubtedly has the hardest bracket of all of the seeded players, having to beat the open bracket winner and then take on Bomber, MC, and Idra, all major contenders to win the tournament. I normally consider Rain a dark-horse to win tournaments, but this time he has the hardest bracket he has ever had, I just can not see it happening.



PuMa The Worst (seeded) Korean:

Puma, like some of the other Koreans in the top 16, show where the MLG system sort of falls apart. He has only attended two MLG's but finished in the top 8 in both of them, and is thus given a seed directly into the championship bracket.



Here's what's weird with Puma, he dominates non-Koreans, but tends to crumble before the GSL caliber players. In group play, Puma has only dropped a game to Bomber, one of the best players in the entire world. But in his championship bracket play, he has lost in deciding fashion to MC, NaDa, and CoCa. In both tournaments that Puma has attended, he has placed among the lower rung of Koreans, which I think is a pretty accurate representation of where his skill level is at.



That being said, Puma can dominate his bracket, and as long as a Korean gosu doesn't take him out from the open bracket in the first round, Puma has a very serious chance to make it all the way to the finals. He is not generally on people's radars for this tournament, but due to how the bracket worked out, he might be.



BoxeR!

What a dreamy hunk of an emperor this guy is huh? Boxer has only attended MLG twice and is mostly seeded due to his fantastic third place finish at MLG Anaheim. It's easy to overlook Boxer's lackluster showing at MLG Orlando, but his performance was actually much better than numbers can tell you. In a showing of how brutal the MLG format can be, Boxer only lost to Haypro, Idra, and MKP, and was out of the entire tournament as a result.



So how well will Boxer perform at this tournament? That is difficult to say. He has difficult opponents in Select, Slush, and Naniwa, but he has pulled bigger wins than that before. The real issue he'll have is even if he got past all of those great but beatable players, he would have to take on Huk, MMA, Idra, or someone more difficult than any of them. Feel free to root for Boxer, he has a hope of finishing in the top 10, but beyond that, things get messy for him.







The Rite of Passage



This group is the next four up the ladder from the bottom. These four players are Bomber, DongRaeGu, Select, and Sjow, a fearsome group of players. The group consists entirely of players who will be the right of passage to the hardest players of the tournament. They are all beatable, but only barely.





SjoW The Point Guy:

Sjow is the player that benefits most from MLG's point system, with his top performance being an 8th place at MLG Anaheim. Sjow's performance is always great, but always lackluster. He generally gets third place in his group, wins a couple games in the bracket, and then quietly drops out of the tournament. This is the kind of performance that I would expect at this tournament as well. I mean, I'm a huge Sjow fan, but would I put money that he could beat the open bracket players and/or Puma, Ret and Huk? No.



SeleCT The Guy That Will Ruin Your Tournament Run:

Select is a star caliber player. He's generally considered to be on that delicate fence between top tier tournament winner and consistent placer. Select's top performance, and what carried over most of his points, was his third place at MLG Dallas. Select went through a pretty major slump at Colombus and Anaheim, coming near last in his group both times; however, he managed an impressive performance at Anaheim and the Blizzcon invitational. Select is a player that is very beatable, but will make you work your ass of for that win. I view select less as a tournament contender, and more of a test of fatigue. Select puts forth a serious challenge for his part of the bracket to make it deep in the tournament, I wouldn't be surprised to see him shut down Slush, Boxer, or Naniwa's chances of winning the tournament.



DongRaeGu The Fallen Angel:

DRG, like many other Koreans, has only been to two other MLG events, and placed in the top 5 of both of them. DRG strikes me a lot like Puma, an excellent player that can run circles around many non-Koreans, but has issues with the superstar Korean players. Despite being one of the most hyped Koreans by foreigners, he actually has a very difficult time against the more proven Koreans such as Bomber, Coca, and MVP. DongRaeGu could shut down any foreigner that makes it to him, but I think it would be unlikely that he take down MMA to make it to the quarter finals. Unfortunately for DRG fans, I don't see him winning the tournament, and his level of hype has fallen greatly since the LG Cinema tournament so many months ago.



Bomber So Close to Gosuism:

Bomber is the final member of this tier of invites, and is without a doubt one of the scariest players at the event. Bomber lost to Sase, Idra, and stc at Orlando, and lost to no one at Raleigh. Bomber is an absolutely dominant Korean Terran, but as Orlando demonstrated, he is not unbeatable in the same way that Mvp is. What's interesting is that at Orlando Bomber lost to all three races, implying that he doesn't really have a “weak” or “strong” matchup. Bomber is always a force to be reckoned with, but I don't think he carries the same weight that he did pre-Orlando.



The Consistent



This whole tier of players is the group that churned out strong, consistent results all season long. The group consists of MC, Ret, Slush and KiwiKaki.



MC The Winning Potential:

MC's MLG record speaks to his past year of play, third place early in the year at Colombus, and second place last month at MLG, with nothing in between. MC has had the most rocky career of anyone at MLG, but he turned it on when he had to with amazing tournament results when he showed up. The big question going into this tournament is, is MC out of his slump? MC has been given a fabulous position to take the tournament. If MC can overcome Bomber or the open bracket player, he has a talent for getting inside Idra's head with his builds and can take him out. From there MC has to deal with what will likely be MMA, and MC's PvT is usually his best match up. MC isn't a favorite, but he is in a real position to take the tournament.



KiWiKaKi The Entertainer:

KiwiKaki's points come primarily from the first MLG of the season, when he was able to get second place behind Naniwa. Since then, he has had merely okay performances, usually landing in the top 20 or so. No offense to Kiwi, as he is one of my favorite players to watch, he really doesn't deserve the seed he has been given. After making such a strong claim, I obviously have to back it up. Kiwi's finishes in his group play once the introduction of Koreans to the tournament are as follows: 5th, 3rd, 2nd, and 5th. Kiwi is a fantastic player, I love watching him, the games he plays are going to be entertaining; but he is no where near the 5th best player at the tournament as the ranking system suggests.



SLush The Guy That Won't Get Casted:

Slush is the miracle child of MLG. Probably still at the point of being considered virtually a “no name” player, he has consistently performed as one of the top non-Koreans, and I couldn't be happier to see him seeded so highly. Is he the favored player against Boxer, Select, the open bracket player, or Naniwa? Probably not. Should you root for him? Definitely.



Ret The Dronemaster 5000:

Ret is in almost the exact same position as Slush, consistently placing as a top foreigner at every MLG of the season. Ret is also a player like Select, he is very beatable, yet will make you work like you wouldn't believe for the win. Ret actually has a pretty good shot of making it deep into the tournament, Sjow and Puma are beatable for him, and he has a decent (if underdog) chance against Huk. Don't be surprised if you see Ret deeper in the tournament than you expected.



The Golden Four:



These top four players are the hopes for almost every tournament they enter. Huk and Idra are consistently the deepest foreigners into the tournament, and Naniwa usually makes it far enough to fall only to one of them. MMA is probably the foreigner favorite Korean, due to the sexiness of himself, his hair, and Slayers in general.





MMA The Guy That Will Win:

MMA has competed in two MLG's, and is placed fourth in the rankings. And that's against three guys have have been to almost every other tournament of the year. At MLG Colombus, MMA lost two games to Losira, and at MLG Anaheim he only gave up games to other Korean terrans, with Mvp barely besting him 2-1. Is MMA good? yes. Does he have a good place in the bracket? Yes. Will he win the tournament? It is a high probability. Strong Korean Terran combined with a favorable bracket positioning usually means he has a good chance to win.



NaNiwa Go Big or Go Home:

Naniwa, I'm a huge fan of your gameplay and practice regime, but you need to win this tournament. Naniwa made a huge splash at the first tournament of the year, with his historical undefeated run through the open bracket to win the entire tournament; however, once Koreans had entered the picture, Naniwa has yet to beat one. He consistently proves himself as someone capable of taking out Idra and Huk, but no one better than them. With his time Korea this is his chance. He NEEDS a win here, and hopefully his gameplay reflects that.



HuK The Foreign Hope: Gosu

Huk is so cute and dreamy. When I walked past him at MLG Orlando I asked him where his pillow went. He told me “I'm too good for that now.” He then proceeded to the win the entire tournament. If there is any player that has proven his ability to hang with the Koreans, it is Huk. If a foreigner is going to take out Nestea or Mvp, it is going to be Huk. Huk has a good side of the bracket and is in a good position to win the tournament, there is still hope foreigners!



Grack Good Guy:

Oh Greg. You didn't hug me at MLG Orlando. MLG. What the hell were you thinking? Look at your glorious players list. No seriously, look at this . Thirty seven players, all of whom would be serious championship contenders at any lesser tournament. This player list is absolutely insane, but you know what is even more insane? Idra can win four matches and be the winner of the entire tournament.Going into MLG Providence, what matters more than anything, even more than flaming iNcontroL for playing a video game that doesn't involve stars or crafting, even more than saying Tyler is over rated, even more than saying how bad of a caster everyone is, even more than what dress Anna Prosser is wearing, is the seeding. The top 16 players are seeded directly into the winners bracket, straight up, no need to fight for positioning or to prove themselves, they are just placed. And in a tournament when the open bracket has the two best players in the world in it, being seeded is a blessing from the gods.This tournament is the ultimate reward to the competitors who went to multiple MLG's throughout the year, and you know what, even if the system sucks in terms of its fairness and lack of games, it means that there is a good chance for a non Korean in the top 20.The bottom four of the top sixteen gets seeded into the bottom of the championship bracket, with a minimum of seven match wins and maximum of nine to take the tournament. These bottom four players are HayprO, Rain, Boxer, and Puma. All strong players that will put up some good games.This group is the next four up the ladder from the bottom. These four players are Bomber, DongRaeGu, Select, and Sjow, a fearsome group of players. The group consists entirely of players who will be the right of passage to the hardest players of the tournament. They are all beatable, but only barely.This whole tier of players is the group that churned out strong, consistent results all season long. The group consists of MC, Ret, Slush and KiwiKaki.These top four players are the hopes for almost every tournament they enter. Huk and Idra are consistently the deepest foreigners into the tournament, and Naniwa usually makes it far enough to fall only to one of them. MMA is probably the foreigner favorite Korean, due to the sexiness of himself, his hair, and Slayers in general.



OPEN BRACKET HIGHLIGHT By Probe1





Seven thousand words later, I revised my opening draft into a fraction of it's original length. That's how many words it would take me to list out the stories and accomplishments of the 37 most notable players. From to , the MLG draws one of the widest pools of pro and amateur players out of any tournament. In total, more than 270 have signed up (2 more specifically). The scary part? The horde of strong open bracket players fighting against the 16 seeds are all viable contenders for the open winner bracket.



Six new big names are joining MLG the final time around. Puzzle, sC, Nestea, Leenock, Keen and viOlet are all making their debut experiences alongside 31 other Koreans, Americans and representatives from Canada, Germany Sweden and Peru. Narrowing down which players to highlight was an arduous task. Agh, one of the best Protoss players in beta and a MLG competitor from 2010 is returning as well as Spanishiwa and StrifeCro. LzGaMeR deserves his own spotlight for being well mannered and talented Zerg who hasn't yet made the jump onto the main stage but shows the talent and the skill that earns wins. Even LosirA is coming through the Open Bracket again and MVP...we all know how that will go. The seven players detailed below weren't chosen based on their talent or their records. These select seven have stories to tell in through their games.



NesTea

At first glance there's no need to highlight one of the most well known Zerg players in SC2. He's won all many GSLs, second place at Blizzcon and more than a giant handful of GSL finishes that any progamer would envy. But this isn't a GSL. This is the MLG and the second time Nestea has left Korea to compete. At Blizzcon he had a steady trip to the finals but it was not divine mandate. There were games that proved his was human. Most notably, the final games of the tournament were a punch in the gut for his fans as crucial mistakes lead otherwise spectacular attacks to fizzle and flop.



It all comes down to the ultimate enemy of progamers: Nerves. ZergBong was known for stage fright. Nestea is older and much more confident but he is not immune. Every game you watch will not just be a testament of his incredible skill, but a secret battle between a progamer and the stage. America loves Nestea but the stage is neutral and it is the booth that will decide whether we see the greatest or just one of the great Zergs.





sC

sC is an abbreviation of his name, Seung-Chul. All English GSL casters have had on camera epiphanies as that dawned on them. He's also one of the younger progamers, born 16 years ago on Valentines Day. The Terran sC already has a long and sweet history of games coming into MLG Providence. He was a GSL competitor as early as Open Season 3 and comes to Rhode Island after recent wins against both Losira and Nestea - a positive indicator of the kind of sC we'll see. Despite never making it to the finals of a major tournament he has still managed to be an influence in the GSL as well as pocket several other smaller weekly tournaments.



sC will be bringing his aggressive openers with him to America and the Open Bracket for the first time and will staunchly prove himself against his new opponents in MLG.



Destiny

Controversy always follows Destiny. It's a mark he bears that is only rivaled by his raw talent. October gave and took from Destiny with a new team and a brief shut down of his stream. Quantic Gaming added the tenacious Zerg to their roster a month ago in a move that can only benefit his hopes of a big performance at MLG Providence. Unfortunately, he also experienced a brief setback when his stream was briefly taken down last month due to a copyright issue. Despite the brief duration of his stream being taken off the air it was long enough for a category one reddit storm to develop which quickly broke when the favorite streamer returned to the air.



Oh yeah, he's also been to the MLG three times already. For one of the most popular streamers sometimes it means his tournament performances aren't as popular as the drama that follows them. He's already attended Dallas, Columbus and Anaheim this year and all with increasingly impressive results including a win over TT1. With a new team and his loyal fans behind his back Providence will if nothing else, result in even more exciting matches by Steven Bonnell.



TLO

After a recent



In the most recent MLG Orlando TLOs run was stumped by the TL killer Polt but not without walking away with a small cash prize and a win over coL.drewbie. The Little One hasn't had incredible luck at in Major League Gaming but makes up for it with a guarantee that he'll give us highly entertaining games with his everything to prove determination. No player wants to give back to the community by achieving glory so much so as TLO and no fan will be disappointed as he brings his best game to Providence.



Puzzle

One of the new attendants of MLG, Puzzle is already a Code A winner and a naturally great Protoss. Known for both prowess in PvP and vicious timing attacks he is entering his first American tournament with a strong will and the grace of the SlayerS clan behind him. His consistent results in both the GSTL and the GSL have given Kim Sang Jun his share of fame and fans coming into MLG and despite so many of his compatriots joining him will stand out as one of the strongest Protoss in MLG. Foreigners despair, the Koreans have arrived.



The most interesting dynamic of Puzzle is not how far will he go but who will be able to stop him. Results of him warping through the competition will come in steadily until the Winners bracket. Then the question will be who will stop him? Foreigner or Korean? And how large will the wake of knocked out competitors in his trail be? He may not be brilliant beyond measure but Puzzle has dozens of fans on Team Liquid for good reason. He's one of the 20 best Protoss in the world and MLG will know his name.



Oz

All too recently oZ was a dedicated practice partner of fOu and FXO but lacked his own story. We can tell it to you now. Last month the 22 year old Protoss dazzled Code A in a run that started with knocking out The Emperor BoxeR and ended with second place in the final match against Curious. He went on to earn his S medallion after winning his Up & Down matches 3-1 against experienced and talented competitors. Come November and Code S he played skillful and smart games. He lost his first match against the now disgraced CoCa but went on to unseat NaDa from Code S for the first time ever and win a brilliant 2-1 series against Taeja.



After his Round of 16 GSL matches on the 15th oZ will be traveling to MLG to compete in his second major international tournament after MLG Anaheim. In his first significant international tournament he wrecked unknown players and set sights on ViBe, taking a clear 2-0 victory over America only to be cut short by col.TriMaster in the next open bracket round. The wonderful story of oZ is already filled with excitement and this MLG will be a new chance to raise his water mark internationally and build his growing reputation as a decisive and talented Protoss.



DREWBIE WATCH

Last and never least there is col.Drewbie. His results in Orlando were not what he wanted but he did not leave empty handed. He left the sunshine state with a surprise win over MKP. No one is sure how he will do in Providence but one thing is certain: MKP better watch his back. Seven thousand words later, I revised my opening draft into a fraction of it's original length. That's how many words it would take me to list out the stories and accomplishments of the 37 most notable players. From Axslav to viOlet , the MLG draws one of the widest pools of pro and amateur players out of any tournament. In total, more than 270 have signed up (2 more specifically). The scary part? The horde of strong open bracket players fighting against the 16 seeds are all viable contenders for the open winner bracket.Six new big names are joining MLG the final time around. Puzzle, sC, Nestea, Leenock, Keen and viOlet are all making their debut experiences alongside 31 other Koreans, Americans and representatives from Canada, Germany Sweden and Peru. Narrowing down which players to highlight was an arduous task. Agh, one of the best Protoss players in beta and a MLG competitor from 2010 is returning as well as Spanishiwa and StrifeCro. LzGaMeR deserves his own spotlight for being well mannered and talented Zerg who hasn't yet made the jump onto the main stage but shows the talent and the skill that earns wins. Even LosirA is coming through the Open Bracket again and MVP...we all know how that will go. The seven players detailed below weren't chosen based on their talent or their records. These select seven have stories to tell in through their games.At first glance there's no need to highlight one of the most well known Zerg players in SC2. He's wonmany GSLs, second place at Blizzcon and more than a giant handful of GSL finishes that any progamer would envy. But this isn't a GSL. This is the MLG and the second time Nestea has left Korea to compete. At Blizzcon he had a steady trip to the finals but it was not divine mandate. There were games that proved his was human. Most notably, the final games of the tournament were a punch in the gut for his fans as crucial mistakes lead otherwise spectacular attacks to fizzle and flop.It all comes down to the ultimate enemy of progamers: Nerves. ZergBong was known for stage fright. Nestea is older and much more confident but he is not immune. Every game you watch will not just be a testament of his incredible skill, but a secret battle between a progamer and the stage. America loves Nestea but the stage is neutral and it is the booth that will decide whether we see the greatest or just one of the great Zergs.sC is an abbreviation of his name, Seung-Chul. All English GSL casters have had on camera epiphanies as that dawned on them. He's also one of the younger progamers, born 16 years ago on Valentines Day. The Terran sC already has a long and sweet history of games coming into MLG Providence. He was a GSL competitor as early as Open Season 3 and comes to Rhode Island after recent wins against both Losira and Nestea - a positive indicator of the kind of sC we'll see. Despite never making it to the finals of a major tournament he has still managed to be an influence in the GSL as well as pocket several other smaller weekly tournaments.sC will be bringing his aggressive openers with him to America and the Open Bracket for the first time and will staunchly prove himself against his new opponents in MLG.Controversy always follows Destiny. It's a mark he bears that is only rivaled by his raw talent. October gave and took from Destiny with a new team and a brief shut down of his stream. Quantic Gaming added the tenacious Zerg to their roster a month ago in a move that can only benefit his hopes of a big performance at MLG Providence. Unfortunately, he also experienced a brief setback when his stream was briefly taken down last month due to a copyright issue. Despite the brief duration of his stream being taken off the air it was long enough for a category one reddit storm to develop which quickly broke when the favorite streamer returned to the air.Oh yeah, he's also been to the MLG three times already. For one of the most popular streamers sometimes it means his tournament performances aren't as popular as the drama that follows them. He's already attended Dallas, Columbus and Anaheim this year and all with increasingly impressive results including a win over TT1. With a new team and his loyal fans behind his back Providence will if nothing else, result in even more exciting matches by Steven Bonnell.After a recent Ask me anything and his (unofficial) race switch to Zerg for the Battle of Berlin tournament, TLO has piqued interest again with his unconventional but successful strategies and choices outside the game. The German sometimes Terran has a intrepidly busy schedule in November with MLG in the middle of Berlin and Dreamhack Winter. Not wind nor snow or even wrist problems slow down TLO from being one of the most indefatigable Europeans attending this MLG.In the most recent MLG Orlando TLOs run was stumped by the TL killer Polt but not without walking away with a small cash prize and a win over coL.drewbie. The Little One hasn't had incredible luck at in Major League Gaming but makes up for it with a guarantee that he'll give us highly entertaining games with his everything to prove determination. No player wants to give back to the community by achieving glory so much so as TLO and no fan will be disappointed as he brings his best game to Providence.One of the new attendants of MLG, Puzzle is already a Code A winner and a naturally great Protoss. Known for both prowess in PvP and vicious timing attacks he is entering his first American tournament with a strong will and the grace of the SlayerS clan behind him. His consistent results in both the GSTL and the GSL have given Kim Sang Jun his share of fame and fans coming into MLG and despite so many of his compatriots joining him will stand out as one of the strongest Protoss in MLG. Foreigners despair, the Koreans have arrived.The most interesting dynamic of Puzzle is not how far will he go but who will be able to stop him. Results of him warping through the competition will come in steadily until the Winners bracket. Then the question will be who will stop him? Foreigner or Korean? And how large will the wake of knocked out competitors in his trail be? He may not be brilliant beyond measure but Puzzle has dozens of fans on Team Liquid for good reason. He's one of the 20 best Protoss in the world and MLG will know his name.All too recently oZ was a dedicated practice partner of fOu and FXO but lacked his own story. We can tell it to you now. Last month the 22 year old Protoss dazzled Code A in a run that started with knocking out The Emperor BoxeR and ended with second place in the final match against Curious. He went on to earn his S medallion after winning his Up & Down matches 3-1 against experienced and talented competitors. Come November and Code S he played skillful and smart games. He lost his first match against the now disgraced CoCa but went on to unseat NaDa from Code S for the first time ever and win a brilliant 2-1 series against Taeja.After his Round of 16 GSL matches on the 15th oZ will be traveling to MLG to compete in his second major international tournament after MLG Anaheim. In his first significant international tournament he wrecked unknown players and set sights on ViBe, taking a clear 2-0 victory over America only to be cut short by col.TriMaster in the next open bracket round. The wonderful story of oZ is already filled with excitement and this MLG will be a new chance to raise his water mark internationally and build his growing reputation as a decisive and talented Protoss.Last and never least there is col.Drewbie. His results in Orlando were not what he wanted but he did not leave empty handed. He left the sunshine state with a surprise win over MKP. No one is sure how he will do in Providence but one thing is certain: MKP better watch his back.



FIVE STORIES UNRELATED TO THE GAMES By zarepath





Spawn More Chairs

After MLG's first go at Starcraft 2, players and spectators had two main complaints: firstly, the format (extended series), and secondly, seating. It's been over a year, and despite the huge amounts of success that MLG has had, spectators have the same two complaints today.





Take a good, long look, MLG spectators. This may be the last time you see an open seat.



Granted, MLG originally provided a small number of metallic benches and they now offer hundreds upon hundreds of chairs, even spilling over into the spectator areas of all their other games. And yet the seating problem persists - but not because MLG sucks so much as the fact that ESPORTS fans are aplenty. We stuff ourselves in there, to the point where people are throwing around phrases like "fire code," "clown cars," and "contagious diseases."



What's the solution for being too awesome of a scene? Balcony seating? Outdoor venues? Culling the weak? Obviously we start with the bronze-ranked, but where does it stop?



No matter the solution, these are the kinds of problems that ESPORTS wants.



Day[9] to miss MLG

We've taken a long and winding road with MLG, from "taht's just halo O_O" to IdrA/Boxer. And Day[9] has been with us nearly every step of that road, telling these stories with his infectious excitement and sharp insights. For as prominent a figure as he is, Day[9] accomplishes something great every MLG that he casts: I completely forget who's casting, because I'm too wrapped up in the story he tells.



So it's sad that he won't be with us for MLG Providence, the ninth MLG event for SC2, and the only one that Day[9] will have missed. Instead of being the best storyteller for this tournament, he will be the best man for his friend's wedding.



I call his chair.



Providence Mayor Declares Nov. 18th "Major League Gaming Day"

Mayor Taveras of Providence, RI decided to honor MLG's visit by naming an entire day after the tournament. I hope this is just the beginning of a period where politicians run on an ESPORTS platform. Journalists will no longer ask candidates if they prefer football to basketball, but Protoss, Terran, or Zerg. They'll be forced to pick favorite casters, and Herman Cain will propose cloning the best casters for optimal commentary. He'll call it his [9]-[9]-[9] plan. *cue rimshot*



The MLG redditour

Sundance himself will be is giving out cookies and milk.



Sundance does a lot of good for this community, and he's a very personable guy. Redditors, go take advantage!



The Final Bosses

Nestea and MVP rarely participate in any foreign tournaments. If you have any opportunity to take pictures with them, preferably while they're wearing ESPORTS aviators and there's a Hot_Bid smiling over their shoulder while they sign some white chick's boob, take it. It's Providence's Major League Gaming Day, for crying out loud!



Remember how awesome TSL 3 was? How the best foreigners in the world went toe-to-toe with the best Koreans in the world? Look at the notable players on in real life. Just the excitement in the air will make being there worth it. Just sharing the same air that NesTea breathes will be worth it. (I mean, respect any and all restraining orders.)



Unless you plan on visiting Seoul any time soon, this is your best chance to meet the best RTS players in the world. After MLG's first go at Starcraft 2, players and spectators had two main complaints: firstly, the format (extended series), and secondly, seating. It's been over a year, and despite the huge amounts of success that MLG has had, spectators have the same two complaints today.Granted, MLG originally provided a small number of metallic benches and they now offer hundreds upon hundreds of chairs, even spilling over into the spectator areas of all their other games. And yet the seating problem persists - but not because MLG sucks so much as the fact that ESPORTS fans are aplenty. We stuff ourselves in there, to the point where people are throwing around phrases like "fire code," "clown cars," and "contagious diseases."What's the solution for being too awesome of a scene? Balcony seating? Outdoor venues? Culling the weak? Obviously we start with the bronze-ranked, but where does it stop?No matter the solution, these are the kinds of problems that ESPORTS wants.We've taken a long and winding road with MLG, from "taht's just halo O_O" to IdrA/Boxer. And Day[9] has been with us nearly every step of that road, telling these stories with his infectious excitement and sharp insights. For as prominent a figure as he is, Day[9] accomplishes something great every MLG that he casts: I completely forget who's casting, because I'm too wrapped up in the story he tells.So it's sad that he won't be with us for MLG Providence, the ninth MLG event for SC2, and the only one that Day[9] will have missed. Instead of being the best storyteller for this tournament, he will be the best man for his friend's wedding.I call his chair.Mayor Taveras of Providence, RI decided to honor MLG's visit by naming an entireafter the tournament. I hope this is just the beginning of a period where politicians run on an ESPORTS platform. Journalists will no longer ask candidates if they prefer football to basketball, but Protoss, Terran, or Zerg. They'll be forced to pick favorite casters, and Herman Cain will propose cloning the best casters for optimal commentary. He'll call it his [9]-[9]-[9] plan. *cue rimshot*Sundance himself will be giving Starcraft redditors a personal tour of their setup on Friday afternoon. This will be followed by cookies and milk, because Sundance is secretly Santa Claus from the future, and a Q&A session. He says to "ask [him] anything," except for any questions about how awful their format is. Well, hegiving out cookies and milk.Sundance does a lot of good for this community, and he's a very personable guy. Redditors, go take advantage! You had your chance TL Nestea and MVP rarely participate in any foreign tournaments. If you have any opportunity to take pictures with them, preferably while they're wearing ESPORTS aviators and there's a Hot_Bid smiling over their shoulder while they sign some white chick's boob,. It's Providence's Major League Gaming Day, for crying out loud!Remember how awesome TSL 3 was? How the best foreigners in the world went toe-to-toe with the best Koreans in the world? Look at the notable players on Liquipedia . Not since then have so many of the world's best Koreans congregated for a foreign event -- and this time, they're actually congregating. Just the excitement in the air will make being there worth it. Just sharing the samethat NesTea breathes will be worth it. (I mean, respect any and all restraining orders.)Unless you plan on visiting Seoul any time soon, this is your best chance to meet the best RTS players in the world.



MARKO SPEAKS: A BARCRAFT STORY By Xxio



Hey, Marko! Not many people know you outside of the Montreal barcraft threads. Can you give us a bit of an introduction? Who are you and what do you do?



My name is Marko, I'm a 24-year old visionary, working, networking and studying while on my road to success and glory.



How did you, the manager of Montreal's coolest club, find ESPORTS? Do you have a history of playing video games? Or maybe you've been to Montreal's LAN ETS? What was it that led you down the rabbit hole?



I've always been around the community, but never posted or interacted with it that much before the launch of StarCraft II. I don't like to take credit for things that happen around me: I'm a business man, a nerd and I love E-Sports. I never had the chance to attend LAN ETS with my complicated schedule, but I've always felt the energy events like MLG, GSL, BlizzCon, etc. I led myself down the rabbit hole when I decided that this scene deserves more and better. BarCrafts need to get out of pubs, into clubs and onto bigger venues. StarCraft II needs better coverage from various medias (such as television & important web medias) in and around North America.



Who is your favourite StarCraft player and what is your favourite team? Are you setting your alarm for 4 a.m. yet to watch GSL?



I'm a Protoss Rank-8 Masters player and I love creative plays, so I'd have to say that I love watching NSHoSeo.Sage & Liquid'Hero. But HuK delivers the most solid performances at the moment, which means a lot, so I'd have to say he's my #1 seed ATM to get my builds out of . IdrA is a pretty solid player as well and I can't wait to see him outclass Koreans at the GSL. I love TeamLiquid and I believe that a lot of what's happening right now in the scene is because of them but I would say that I prefer Team Evil Geniuses for the fact that they are taking things really seriously and running their team as a business. I do watch GSL at night sometimes, which makes for pretty long nights, going to bed at 7-8am. Always bought my ticket to support them, I think it's really important.



1234's first barcraft was phenomenal. I think the fact that it was held successfully by a club of this caliber surprised a lot of people. How did you convince the owner to let you organize a barcraft? How did you explain it to him?



As one of the two Managers of the place I decided to open the Club that day. We could have been 30 people or over a hundred, but instead we ended up being 600. I've been at this Club for more than 4 years now and the owner, the renowned DJ '' MC Mario '', approves all of my decisions. It takes creativity and weird ideas to make the world we live in a better one.



What did you have to prove to hold another barcraft for Providence? Was there anything like "OK, if I hit this number, everything will work out"? You must have been putting your neck on the line a little bit.



If it had crashed I would have had to pay the opening fees differential out of my pocket. We had a bunch of staff to pay to open up the place. I closed my eyes and said: GO.



Was there anything about the MLG Orlando barcraft that surprised you? What did you learn from it? Even after all the planning, there must have been a part of you that really didn't know what to expect.



The nerd chills, the experience, it was pretty unique. You really have to be there to feel it, it's something I can't explain. I've learned how alive the scene is, and that everyone must believe in ESPORTS. In the upcoming year, the most important faces out there will have a huge role in representing ESPORTS to make it a bigger thing. People such as Day9, Artosis, SD, Scoots & Nazgul will need to be all over in order to take this to another level. Can't wait to re-live the experience on the 20th !



The hype for 1234's MLG Providence barcraft is unreal. You have new sponsors, a bigger budget, and people buying tickets like hotcakes. Can you tell us a bit about the improvements you guys made and the new features lined up for the 20th?



The list is pretty big, I've went from A to Z to not forget any details. We're talking about the rental of a 15,000 $ & 1080p projector + 5 other HD ones, rentals upward to 20,000$ + CO2 Canons, TVs all across the venue, the making of a '' GrandMaster '' VIP area, supported by Team Evil Geniuses, and the list still goes on.. It's a huge production. I've loved what I've seen at the GSL Finals in Korea, and I wanted to re-create this sort of production. On top of that, I think that our fan base here is WAY crazier than the Koreans, so can you imagine how epic this will be?



Having attended the first Montreal barcraft, I know how awesome it was. Are you worried at all that opening up more rooms and adding a ton of new features will mess up the flow and nerd-baller ambience?



It's not a choice I have unfortunately with all the people we're waiting for on the 20th. All options will be available for our guests, seats, action, VIP, whatever you want, we got it. The Main Hall will be completely nutz, with all the special effects & surprises I've got in store.



If the MLG Providence barcraft is successful, will it be possible to organize barcrafts for other tournaments, too, like DreamHack or GSL? There will be a void to fill between Providence and the beginning of the next MLG circuit.



I've thought about it, but sometimes, less is more. GSL will probably never be possible as the matches begin around 4-8am, DreamHack is pretty complicated with all the timezones, but IPL4 could be a great possibility, if the hype is big enough !



What are your plans for 2012? Are we going to see more ESPORTS events coming out of club 1234?



Hopefully we will. After the 20th, as all will go well, we'll probably get prepared for MLG Dallas at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, which holds up to 70 000 people. Ah, in all honestly, time will tell but I'm definitely ready for more.



Thanks for your time, Marko! Everyone, even the people who won't be attending, are rooting for you and are excited to see how this next barcraft turns out. Any parting thoughts?



I want to thank Vuugo.com for making this all happen, and Team Evil Geniuses for believing in this event by sponsoring our '' EG GrandMaster Lair ''. Guys that are doing a tremendous job helping me; Torte De Lini, CyberActiv.ca, SC2QC and CIPC for the I don't have John The Translator's charisma, but I express the same thoughts he does: this wouldn't be possible without you, the fans! My name is Marko, I'm a 24-year old visionary, working, networking and studying while on my road to success and glory.I've always been around the community, but never posted or interacted with it that much before the launch of StarCraft II. I don't like to take credit for things that happen around me: I'm a business man, a nerd and I love E-Sports. I never had the chance to attend LAN ETS with my complicated schedule, but I've always felt the energy events like MLG, GSL, BlizzCon, etc. I led myself down the rabbit hole when I decided that this scene deserves more and better. BarCrafts need to get out of pubs, into clubs and onto bigger venues. StarCraft II needs better coverage from various medias (such as television & important web medias) in and around North America.I'm a Protoss Rank-8 Masters player and I love creative plays, so I'd have to say that I love watching NSHoSeo.Sage & Liquid'Hero. But HuK delivers the most solid performances at the moment, which means a lot, so I'd have to say he's my #1 seed ATM to get my builds out of. IdrA is a pretty solid player as well and I can't wait to see him outclass Koreans at the GSL. I love TeamLiquid and I believe that a lot of what's happening right now in the scene is because of them but I would say that I prefer Team Evil Geniuses for the fact that they are taking things really seriously and running their team as a business. I do watch GSL at night sometimes, which makes for pretty long nights, going to bed at 7-8am. Always bought my ticket to support them, I think it's really important.As one of the two Managers of the place I decided to open the Club that day. We could have been 30 people or over a hundred, but instead we ended up being 600. I've been at this Club for more than 4 years now and the owner, the renowned DJ '' MC Mario '', approves all of my decisions. It takes creativity and weird ideas to make the world we live in a better one.If it had crashed I would have had to pay the opening fees differential out of my pocket. We had a bunch of staff to pay to open up the place. I closed my eyes and said: GO.The nerd chills, the experience, it was pretty unique. You really have to be there to feel it, it's something I can't explain. I've learned how alive the scene is, and that everyone must believe in ESPORTS. In the upcoming year, the most important faces out there will have a huge role in representing ESPORTS to make it a bigger thing. People such as Day9, Artosis, SD, Scoots & Nazgul will need to be all over in order to take this to another level. Can't wait to re-live the experience on the 20th !The list is pretty big, I've went from A to Z to not forget any details. We're talking about the rental of a 15,000 $ & 1080p projector + 5 other HD ones, rentals upward to 20,000$ + CO2 Canons, TVs all across the venue, the making of a '' GrandMaster '' VIP area, supported by Team Evil Geniuses, and the list still goes on.. It's a huge production. I've loved what I've seen at the GSL Finals in Korea, and I wanted to re-create this sort of production. On top of that, I think that our fan base here is WAY crazier than the Koreans, so can you imagine how epic this will be?It's not a choice I have unfortunately with all the people we're waiting for on the 20th. All options will be available for our guests, seats, action, VIP, whatever you want, we got it. The Main Hall will be completely nutz, with all the special effects & surprises I've got in store.I've thought about it, but sometimes, less is more. GSL will probably never be possible as the matches begin around 4-8am, DreamHack is pretty complicated with all the timezones, but IPL4 could be a great possibility, if the hype is big enough !Hopefully we will. After the 20th, as all will go well, we'll probably get prepared for MLG Dallas at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, which holds up to 70 000 people. Ah, in all honestly, time will tell but I'm definitely ready for more.I want to thank Vuugo.com for making this all happen, and Team Evil Geniuses for believing in this event by sponsoring our '' EG GrandMaster Lair ''. Guys that are doing a tremendous job helping me; Torte De Lini, CyberActiv.ca, SC2QC and CIPC for the I don't have John The Translator's charisma, but I express the same thoughts he does: this wouldn't be possible without you, the fans!



MLG: BY THE NUMBERS By Lovedrop & alteredclone











This weekend it all goes down. The final clash to determine a season champion.



Are you ready?



This MLG update brought to you by Heyoka, confusedcrib, Probe1, zarepath, Xxio, Lovedrop, Meko and alteredclone. Special thanks to them, most of whom stayed up all night making sure everything was prepared and ready to go out early. Props to our team! This weekend it all goes down. The final clash to determine a season champion.Are you ready? @RealHeyoka | DreamHack StarCrafty Man