Code S; Breakdown

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In the oGs group of death, Minchul and SuperNoVa are the obvious choices favorites. Coach TheWind has been a mediocre zerg since release, and he'll get pummeled in this group unless he chooses to prepare something special for one his tournament-favorite teammates. It seems unlikely that he will have the will or the way. In putting TheWind into his group (to avoid scheduling conflicts) MC joked that if TheWind fell out of Code S, he could devote more time to coaching. This will probably happen. The talent of the field has surely caught up to him. Polt could play spoiler here, which is not as unlikely as it sounds. Polt, on rare occasions, has shown great play in the past and if he is unusually on his game Tuesday, he could deliver the upset. But one senses that even if he brings his A game here, he'll still have difficulty against oGs' two best players.



This group comes with one hitch. MC's is coming off a long trip to Sweden, and despite not seeming worse for the wear in Stockholm, there's still the potential that all of this wear and tear could impact his play. Still, the result should probably remain unchanged.



Who to Watch: oGsSuperNoVa

This guy is an up-and-coming Terran, narrowly losing the GSL Code A finals 3-4 to Losira. A former BW pro (By.SaiR) he has been rising steadily through the oGs ranks and must be considered one of the top terrans in the world, given that last season's Code A competition was probably better than Code S. SuperNoVa should easily leave behind the two weakest members of this group and has a strong chance to win it, the next round, and perhaps the tournament.(???) Tuesday will be an early indication of whether his form last season can be repeated.

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Pride of War. This has long been the mantra of the terran race, and in this group four terrans will be trying to show just that to distinguish themselves from a crowded and very even field. It's hard to pick a favorite here, as each player has had their moments. RainBOw reached a final and semi-final in the first two GSL's but has treaded water since. Byun made a splash in Code A back when that league actually wasn't as good as Code S.



However this group will likely see TOP and sC advance, if only for their relative strength in TvT. While RainBOw and Byun are poor TvTers, TOP and sC both have plenty of experience, and winning percentages of over 60% in this match-up.



Who to Watch: ST_RainBOw

RainBOw's time in the premier league of Starcraft seems to be fading. There are plenty of better terrans, and it has been over half a year since he last made his presence felt in a GSL. This may be RainBOw's last and most favorable shot to prove that he's not yet done. This is a very average group; even if it will force RainBOw to play his least favorite match-up, it affords him at least a chance to advance.

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Way back when, a BW b-teamer with the ID tHuNdeR made the switch to Sc2 and qualified for the first GSL. He was pummeled 2-0 by TLO under his new name; Losira. It would be some time before we ever heard from that zerg again, but when he returned in force last season; tearing through a line of strong players to win Code A, and cementing himself as one of the world's top three zergs. He's heavily favored to continue his run in this group, but that isn't quite as assured as it probably should be. This is a group with a flawed, but occasionally brilliant supporting cast. The odd-man out is possibly Genius, who has been unconvincing in recent GSL play, yet still managed to topple MVP to survive in Code S. Kyrix also has struggled to recapture the mojo of his GSL2 heroics, but remains an intriguing possibility, and a wild-card stylistically. Finally, HongUn is yet a third player who is difficult to gauge, and has a habit of underperforming expectations one tournament, then overperforming in the next. This would portend a failure here, as would his 0-5 record in televised PvPs. That gives an opening to Genius, and here we come full circle.



This is an extremely difficult group to call. Given the opening match-ups, HongUn should handle Kyrix on Terminus. Genius is a push against Kyrix, but will probably choke it away. Losira should take the group no matter what. That leaves a two game series between HongUn and Kyrix or a match between Genius and HongUn, which Genius would win and then presumably draw Kyrix. This is all nearly impossible to project, but HongUn's route seems slightly more probable.



Who to watch: ZeNEXKyrix

It's no secret that zergs have been having trouble in ZvP recently, and Kyrix is no exception. Nonetheless, Kyrix remains a curious weapon in the zerg arsenal. The aggressive play that is his hallmark may yet score some wins against the grain, and could advance him from a difficult group.

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Group D brings together a number of players with uncertain futures and very different backgrounds. The group's most accomplished player is the two time finalist MarineKing. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, MarineKing would love to get to the altar this season, but made a poor showing of himself in last season. Another second place finish in the recent GSL World Championship is surely weighing on his mind. NaDa is the seed in this groups, as well as its most notable player. Since switching from BW, NaDa has shown good but not tremendous performances in the GSL, and may lack the upside of much of the rest of the field. A surprising run in last season's Code A has made Alicia one of the most intriguing players to watch in this GSL. Defeating MVP in the up/down matches, and playing solidly in the GSTL has only increased his stock. Finally, Zenio is the likely ugly duckling of this group, having remained in Code S, but unlikely to ever do much with it.



Alicia, MarineKing, and NaDa are all reasonable predictions for this group, but when paired with the recent triumphs of the two former players, NaDa's recent form can be called into question. An early match against MarineKing on Terminus will be a tough order. So too will a game against Alicia on Xel'Naga.



Who to watch: Slayers_Alicia

Alicia is good, we know this, but how good? Advancing from the group is expected, but winning it would be a huge statement, and also might help dodge Losira early on. That'd be great news for the rising protoss, and could lead to a longer run in Code S. As a leading player of recent GSTL winners SlayerS, a lot of eyes will be on Alicia to see exactly how far he can do on the mainstage.

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Ah, the group of death. The proof of the quality of this season's Code S is in the pudding; a number of evenly matched groups will see deserving players fall down to the up/down matches. This group is the most even of the bunch. NesTea is a former GSL champions and semi-finalist. Jinro needs no introduction here on TL, and his two semi-final runs remain the crowning achievements of foreign Sc2 to date. San reached the semi-finals with a surprising run through a creampuff of a bracket, and now seeks to show that his success last season was deserved. Finally, Clide, a longtime Code S player is the weakest member of the group, and seems to have been surpassed by a good deal of players.



This group hinges heavily on Jinro and San. The former has been slumping along with most of Team Liquid in the last month, and hopes to regain his mojo in the tournament in which he seems most comfortable. However, after losses in the world championships and in Sweden, his confidence seems to have been shaken. Hopefully his trip back home will re-energize his play. San is another player with the ability to upend this group. His much heralded run through the last GSL season was a surprising turn-around from his previous incarnation as Code S's second worst player. (Other GSL March semi-finalist, anypro was easily Code S's worst player.) His passive style kicked off in a snoozefest of a win against NesTea, and this season he could repeat; or collapse. He should be happy to see a group with no other protosses, as PvP has been somewhat of an Achilles heal. Overall, NesTea remains this group's favorite, despite hiccups in the past he remains one of the most solid players in the field. The other qualifier is more difficult to pick. Jinro, admittedly, has a really difficult path, having to face San's best match-up, and if he loses there he'll presumably draw NesTea. Much hinges on that opening match, with the winner extremely likely to qualify.



Who to watch: TLAF-Liquid'Jinro

Every time we bring out one of these newsposts, people accuse us of being biased in favor of foreigners. That's obviously true, but those readers missing the point. The rest is what matters, and we pride in our ability to preview and hype the upcoming match-ups. The prediction is merely a cherry on the top, a little bouquet of bias for the reader to savor. Which is why we think; against the odds, that Jinro will advance, and that's why Jinro is the player to watch in this group. Jinro is not only the fan favorite here, but the group's results will largely be determined by his play against San. All of this to say; this is the series to watch of the opening round.

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In contrast to the group directly before, Group F may be the weakest group in the opening round. No player in this group has made much of an impact lately, although Fruitdealer's GSL1 victory cannot go unmentioned. It's luster is certainly gone now, however, and the former zerg standard bearer is looking for answers just like the rest of his race. Check too has had his moments, but they have not been recent, and it's hard to imagine that he will be able to show us something new for this GSL, his sixth. That leaves two players who should advance from this group. The first is Lyn; the Wc3 player who has shown steady improvement since he made his Sc2 debut, possibly due to increased focus on Sc2 in practice. The second is Killer, aka SangHo, who disappointed early but has slowly gained ground and now makes his Code S debut.



The non-zergs should almost advance from this group by default, although that's not necessarily because of imbalance; rather Fruitdealer and Check appear to have been somewhat left behind, along with many of the other players who dominated Sc2 early on. Calling a group winner is problematic though; as neither Lyn nor SangHo are comfortable in the TvP match-up. SangHo, however, has the better team behind him, and is overall the better player, which gives him the best chance of a group win.



Who to watch: TSL_Killer

That all said, SangHo remains a bit of a wildcard. His performances in Code A, while steady, have been far from dominating. It's hard to call SangHo much of a favorite in this tournament, and he would reasonably be expect to not advance in several of these other Code S groups. As one of the top BW players to transfer over, he has a lot to prove. Winning this group in dominant fashion would be a way to earn a good deal of respect.

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This is a weird group. It just about matches Group F in the amount of cupcake potential, but there are intriguing aspects of this group that could make it an exciting watch. Virus is this group's most intriguing player, as he is much lesser known. Yet in his televised matches, he has acquitted himself decently, and he will avoid TvZ, which is by far his worst match-up. The group's other terran is Ensnare, who remains completely forgettable, despite having seen action in four GSLs. He'd like to avoid a TvT almost as much as Virus would love to see it, but Ensnare will be happy nonetheless with an extremely protoss heavy pool. His 81% winning percentage in the MU, despite being fairly old, still puts him in a good position.Trickster, aka sSKS, aka TesteR is the most consistent player in the group, and the one to beat. A reliable group finisher, TesteR has been abysmal in the later stages of the tournament, but he has remained a good bet in the opening rounds. Finally, the group seed is anypro, a surprise semi-finalist last season, and a player likely to never reach that position ever again. Anypro may have improved—or maybe not—but he will have difficulty in a group without any matches against zergs.



TesteR will make it out of this group, but may do so in second place. They key match will be the one against Ensnare, as Ensnare's excellent TvP record has not been updated in a while. Whether or not he remains the TvP beast he once was will go a long way to deciding the group. If he is not, and we're betting he isn't, than that leaves an opening for the promising but untested Virus. Anypro will be vulnerable in his first match, and a follow up against Ensnare will be enough.



Who to watch: ST_Virus

Virus may not be Bomber, but he practices with him, learns from him, and got to Code S faster than his talented teammate. We've seen a bit about Virus, but not a whole lot, and we'll surely get a better look in this group. As a promising player with a good team history, Virus warrents a look.

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