Broadcast straight from Anaheim, the excitement felt is palpable all around the world as Blizzcon 2018 kicks off with the quarter-final matches for StarCraft II 2018 World Champion Series! And what a day it was, full of ups and downs, as the world's best collide in a best-of-five to find out who will be crowned supreme.

1. TvP Maru vs. sOs

To start things off with a bang, the tournament began with Maru, this year's undefeated 3-time back-to-back GSL champion and tournament favorite, versus sOs, a venerable two-time Blizzcon World Champion. In what was widely expected to be an inevitable loss against Maru, sOs instead shockingly defeated the tournament favorite in a dominating 3:0 all-kill.

The audience was rocked with a wave of shock and disbelief as the crowd watched Maru proxy three times in a row and fail every time. Unfortunately, it was so one-sided that this became less a showcase of sOs' skill, hard work and preparation against his fellow Jin Air teammate and more a scrutiny of Maru's bad play and questionable game decisions.

To watch the full series, click here.

2. TvP SpeCial vs. Stats

SpeCial vs. Stats on the other-hand, was a close series as SpeCial put up a good fight against Stats, who is historically stronger against the Mexican Terran. It was a great series to watch as Stats showcased his strong, patient style, focusing on macro and winning through attrition while we got to see SpeCial mix-up both aggressive and defensive play. We also got to see some sick positioning and ambushes as SpeCial's pushes were thwarted through almost precognizant stasis trap placements.

Game one in particular was a nail-bitter as it seemed SpeCial was in control for most of the game but Stat's constant harassment, map control, and ability to attack from multiple angles stretched SpeCial's multi-tasking and troop positioning. Stats' strategy banked on aggression to keep SpeCial away from his side of the map and solid macro to build up his economy. Then, he'd send out and trade away his army for SpeCial 's army while he expanded all across the map. In the end, Stats was too strong, but even though SpeCial ultimately lost 3:1, he still ended up winning our hearts.

To watch the full series, click here.

3. ZvT Rogue vs. TY

This series was by far the most back-and-forth series of the day as we got to see two strong, adaptable, and macro-oriented players slug it out on a very even battlefield. The game's momentum swung wildly between Rogue and TY as neither player would willingly give an inch. It was difficult to call, right up until the last moments of the series with Rogue just barely able to squeak by with a 3:2 win over TY.

TY's defensive capability is particularly impressive as he repeatedly held off Rogue's well-executed timings and pressures. Rogue, on the other hand, deserves credit for his constant map presence and tenacity as both sides wrestled for control.

To watch the full series, click here.

4. ZvZ Dark vs. Serral

Finally, in the last series of the day, Dark faced off against Serral in a mirror match to see who would advance to the semi-finals tomorrow in a best-of-five. There was a lot of back and forth as Dark and Serral vied for control of the map. Dark played well and showed some true tenacity and ingenuity in his games but Serral played better as Dark lost 3:0 without taking a single map.

Unlike the earlier match between Maru vs. sOs, Dark didn't make any obvious mistakes. Dark came prepared with some tricky builds and tech-switches, but Serral's patient, predictable, yet virtually impregnable defensive style was simply too strong to beat. A lesser Zerg may have succumbed to Dark's timing attacks, but it was all pointless in the face of Serral's well-executed defense.

To watch the full series, click here.

So What's Next?

Serral, this year's WCS Circuit's 4-time back-to-back champion, is widely considered to be the best foreign Zerg, if not THE best Zerg player in the world. Though the world will have to wait to see highly anticipated East vs. West match in the form of Maru vs. Serral, fans can nonetheless find some solace in determining conclusively who the world's best Zerg player is in the semi-finals between Rogue and Serral tomorrow. Following that, it's anyone's game as the grand finalists square off to determine who will be the new StarCraft II world champion.

Make sure to tune in to to Blizzard's Stream at 5:00 pm EST for the epic conclusion of this year's 2018 WCS Global Finals.