[WCS] WCS Oceania/SEA Season 2 Stage 1 Qualifiers Preview

The WCS Oceania/SEA qualifiers are upon us again. The most competitive and important online tournament in the entire region, as everyone participating seeks to live out the eSports dream, both making some good money and going overseas for a rare opportunity to represent their country and their region, on the grandest stage outside of Korea. But before they can think about that, they have to make it through Stage 1, the first step to greatness. Everyone from the region is looking to make a name for themselves and turn some heads, if not qualify for Stage 2, Challenger or even Premier.



In this article I'll be going over each player, listing their performance from WCS Season 1, going over recent events with them and trying to outline a basic story with them. I'll also be placing the players into tiers, based on their chances of qualification. This is sure to create some heated debate and discussion, which is exactly what we want to see. Egos can be bruised in cases like this, but keep in mind that all of this is solely my own opinion.



NXZ has also volunteered to provide some of his own thoughts on some of the players. There will be a little bit of overlap of my thoughts and his, but that's to be

expected. He plays at a higher level than I do and has played vs a lot of these guys and thus can provide some interesting insight on potential future opponents for the qualifier.



Throughout the weekend, you can catch the action here -



Some players may also choose to stream their own runs, though if this is the case you will have to find their streams yourself.



Believe it or not, this is the easy part. KingkOng, EnDerr, Blysk and NXZ, all top level talents in the region, await in Stage 2 of the qualifiers. Above even them are PiG and iaguz, who will be hungry to continue their WCS quest after getting a taste of international competition last season. But perhaps the people such as DemiLove, such as NXZ, who have never had an offline international tournament opportunity, could be the hungriest and most dangerous of all. Desperation can drive a man to do dangerous thing! Without further ado, let us commence the rankings.





S Tier



Simply put, the elite. While they're not at the level of iaguz/PiG/Petraeus/KingKong, they're the next best thing, and any one of these individuals could potentially get to Challenger or even Premier. They've shown they can consistently play at a top level and defeat everyone in a lower tier fairly consistently. These are the people to watch throughout Stage 1, and it's expected that they breeze through fairly easily. Any of these players losing now would be a significant upset.



Nv.mOOnGLaDe

+ [Bio] +

Season 1 Finish: N/A



He's back! Easily the most well known and successful Australia player (and player from the SEA region as a whole) in StarCraft 2, mOOnGLaDe's legacy still lives on, as players such as PiG and iaguz try to impress people as much as mOOnGLaDe impressed back in the day. Not only the best Australia player, but a very high level foreigner in general, able to place highly at MLG and make WCS Ro8 in his prime, mOOnGLaDe's absence left a hole that has yet to be filled. Currently living in Korea and casting Proleague, it seems mOOnGLaDe at last thrives for competition once again. Some might say he's passed the torch, but mOOnGLaDe has returned and he wants his damn torch back! The big question remains, how good is mOOnGLaDe at the moment? He is a solid KR GM player, but KR GM doesn't mean as much as it used to. Will we see the mOOnGLaDe of old, or the late 2013 mOOnGLaDe who was struggling to achieve Top 4 even at ACL events? It could be the difference between Premier and Challenger for this legend.



Needs to watch out for: DemiLove, PSiArc and the other new kids on the block. A lot has changed since you've been gone, mOOnGLaDe. Don't underestimate these guys.



NXZ Says: "The SEAking himself, the last time mOOnGLaDe played in a WCS he demolished the competition on his way to a fourth place finish on day 2 after a dominant first place on day 1. It’s hard to argue against at least a repeat here on day 1. With his vast amount of experience and huge skill and knowledge base, his games against the up and coming trifecta of PSiArc, DemiLove and Alopex will be absolute must sees."



ESC.DemiLove

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: 5th/6th, one Bo3 away from Challenger.



2-0 Adusti

2-0 mGGSouth

1-2 SLCN.Law

2-0 SLCN.Law

2-0 DtN.Vaisravana

0-2 PSISTM.EnDerr

2-0 DynSL.Frustration

2-0 DynSL.PSiArc

0-2 ROOTiaguz



There is perhaps no one in SEA with more momentum than DemiLove at the moment. Winning 3 tournaments in one week a short while ago, whilst also having fantastic performances in tournaments he didn't win such as Masters Cup, DemiLove has been taking his game to the next level as of late. In a recent interview with Crescendo, he showed great confidence, stating that KingkOng "would be a lot easier to play vs" and also making clear his desire to 3-0 iaguz in Challenger league. 2015 has been a fantastic year for DemiLove so far and if he continues to roll forward, he might be representing the SEA region on a huge stage.



Needs to watch out for: Scarily enough, there's not really anyone in this tier or the tier below it that DemiLove needs to be scared of. His losses to Azure, PSiArc and Alopex have all been avenged at some point. Even his nemesis EnDerr, who he had lost 12 Bo3s in a row vs previously, wasn't able to defeat DemiLove recently.



NXZ Says: "DemiLove has one of the fastest rising stocks in the SEA scene right now. His work ethic is incredible and he has no trouble embracing the mindset of losing time after time in order to learn and grow from his mistakes. His aligulac stats represent this with a below 50% win rate in his highest played matchups but this year DemiLove has been on a constant upward trend with form of over 60% in every matchup. There’s no doubt in my mind that someday he will compete with and surpass the highest level of our region but the question that has to be asked is; will that day come soon enough?" 5th/6th, one Bo3 away from Challenger.2-0Adusti2-0mGGSouth1-2SLCN.Law2-0SLCN.Law2-0DtN.Vaisravana0-2PSISTM.EnDerr2-0DynSL.Frustration2-0DynSL.PSiArc0-2ROOTiaguzThere is perhaps no one in SEA with more momentum than DemiLove at the moment. Winning 3 tournaments in one week a short while ago, whilst also having fantastic performances in tournaments he didn't win such as Masters Cup, DemiLove has been taking his game to the next level as of late. In a recent interview with Crescendo, he showed great confidence, stating that KingkOng "would be a lot easier to play vs" and also making clear his desire to 3-0 iaguz in Challenger league. 2015 has been a fantastic year for DemiLove so far and if he continues to roll forward, he might be representing the SEA region on a huge stage.Scarily enough, there's not really anyone in this tier or the tier below it that DemiLove needs to be scared of. His losses to Azure, PSiArc and Alopex have all been avenged at some point. Even his nemesis EnDerr, who he had lost 12 Bo3s in a row vs previously, wasn't able to defeat DemiLove recently."DemiLove has one of the fastest rising stocks in the SEA scene right now. His work ethic is incredible and he has no trouble embracing the mindset of losing time after time in order to learn and grow from his mistakes. His aligulac stats represent this with a below 50% win rate in his highest played matchups but this year DemiLove has been on a constant upward trend with form of over 60% in every matchup. There’s no doubt in my mind that someday he will compete with and surpass the highest level of our region but the question that has to be asked is; will that day come soon enough?"



DynSL.PSiArc

+ [Bio] +



2-0 TtSYF.NaMeK

2-1 TtSYF.Soundwave

2-0 fray'Crimson

0-2 Kid.NXZ

2-1 DynSL.Frustration

2-1 fray'Wally

0-2 Kid.NXZ

2-0 SLCN.Law

0-2 x5.PiG

2-0 Lobo

0-2 ESC.DemiLove



PSiArc made his debut in the region in the WCS Qualifiers last season, where he placed in the Top 8. Since then, PSiArc has proven to be one of the top talents in the region, and the best Japanese player that there is. For the Japanese SC2 fans, PSiArc represents their best chance to get some representation on a big stage, and with his skills, he may be able to come through for them. Everytime he is defeated, he seems to come back and get vengeance. Alopex defeated him 3-0 in the finals of a SEAcraft Melee, only for PSiArc to come back and win 3-1 just two weeks later. There are very few players that PSiArc can't beat, and we'll have to discover who they are.



Needs to watch out for: NXZ 4-0ed PSiArc in the last WCS. If PSiArc makes it to Stage 2 (which is looking likely) then perhaps his most dangerous adversary there is NXZ. But can PSiArc turn things around like he did with Alopex? Time will tell.



NXZ Says: "The Japanese superstar dominated SEA weeklies for weeks after his strong WCS Season performance. After struggling with some of the better zergs in the region such as DemiLove and EnDerr; PSiArc came out guns blazing to win SEAcraft Melee #4 in flawless fashion without dropping a map. He almost repeated the feat again the following weak, taking the tournament after only dropping a single map. Since then, PSiArc has traded wins back and forth with DemiLove and Alopex on their ways to SEAcraft Melee wins. Most recently, PSiArc was able to defeat both of them with scores of 2-1 and 3-1 respectively. He is looking in top form and with no EnDerr to worry about, can anyone stop PSiArc this time around?" Season 1 Finish: 7th/8th2-0TtSYF.NaMeK2-1TtSYF.Soundwave2-0fray'Crimson0-2Kid.NXZ2-1DynSL.Frustration2-1fray'Wally0-2Kid.NXZ2-0SLCN.Law0-2x5.PiG2-0Lobo0-2ESC.DemiLovePSiArc made his debut in the region in the WCS Qualifiers last season, where he placed in the Top 8. Since then, PSiArc has proven to be one of the top talents in the region, and the best Japanese player that there is. For the Japanese SC2 fans, PSiArc represents their best chance to get some representation on a big stage, and with his skills, he may be able to come through for them. Everytime he is defeated, he seems to come back and get vengeance. Alopex defeated him 3-0 in the finals of a SEAcraft Melee, only for PSiArc to come back and win 3-1 just two weeks later. There are very few players that PSiArc can't beat, and we'll have to discover who they are.NXZ 4-0ed PSiArc in the last WCS. If PSiArc makes it to Stage 2 (which is looking likely) then perhaps his most dangerous adversary there is NXZ. But can PSiArc turn things around like he did with Alopex? Time will tell."The Japanese superstar dominated SEA weeklies for weeks after his strong WCS Season performance. After struggling with some of the better zergs in the region such as DemiLove and EnDerr; PSiArc came out guns blazing to win SEAcraft Melee #4 in flawless fashion without dropping a map. He almost repeated the feat again the following weak, taking the tournament after only dropping a single map. Since then, PSiArc has traded wins back and forth with DemiLove and Alopex on their ways to SEAcraft Melee wins. Most recently, PSiArc was able to defeat both of them with scores of 2-1 and 3-1 respectively. He is looking in top form and with no EnDerr to worry about, can anyone stop PSiArc this time around?"



eCKo'Probe

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Perhaps my first controversial placing, but I rate Probe very highly. Known for his supreme skill in the PvZ match-up, able to defeat just about anyone short of PiG or the other top tier talents, but also possessing great skill in the other match-ups too. Probe was able to defeat Frustration 3-1 in ESCL not too long ago, perhaps showing that his former weakness to PvP is no longer existant. Being knocked out of his last two LANs by Protoss players, if he can fix this weakness then perhaps no one short of players like iaguz and PiG can defeat him. If you frequent the SC2SEA chatbox you may be aware of Probe's, I guess you could say, confidence issues. But these have not played much of a factor in the past and I don't expect them to be a big deal now.



Needs to watch out for: Probe's teammate Azure seems to be the only player below the highest level (meaning PiG/KingkOng, etc) that Probe can't confidently beat at the moment. He's able to defeat Terran players like PSiArc, but Azure beats Probe everytime, currently with a 4-0 score over him.



NXZ Says: "Probe has been less active in recent times. The de facto 2nd best Protoss behind Blysk has only recently resurfaced his head in tournaments where he has not yet managed to take any wins of note. With a 2-0 loss to Azure, his only notable opponent, one wonders about the form Probe is in these days. Having achieved Grandmaster on the Korean server, he is still a wildcard to dominate the tournament but the data points to a potential rough time of it in his first WCS this year."





Mystery Tier



SLCN.Pezz

+ [Bio] +

Season 1 Finish: N/A



When he is on his game, well practiced and well prepared, Pezz is the best Protoss player in Oceania AND SEA. Hands down. Easily the most consistent Protoss performer in the region in 2013 + 2014, Pezz's skill has been known to even give players such as PiG a struggle to deal with on occasion. Able to do sneaky all-ins or play fantastic macro, Pezz is a jack of all trades kind of player, and if he's been practicing I'd put him in the S Tier for sure. However, being unaware of his current form, and with him having played one series since January, and not having won a series since an impressive victory over Spear in December (despite very competitive opponents), I can't put him in S Tier. Even when he hasn't been practicing though, he will easily be an A Tier player. It will remain to be seen where he stands, and this is why he gets a tier all to himself.



NXZ Says: "Pezz after a few month hiatus is back and ready for the 2nd season of WCS in 2015. After being the single most successful Protoss throughout 2014; Pezz has been quiet this year. After taking out numerous Koreans in the end of year OSC championship, Pezz hasn’t won any of the four series he has played. As with Probe, Pezz is someone you can’t count out but he may struggle to find a repeat of his 2014 form here."







A Tier



These players form the core of Oceania/SEA. Everyone in this tier is capable of placing in the Top 3 in any SEA weekly tournament unless they run into each other early on. They're the up and coming players who want to be the next generation of superstars. Just as players like MaFia and tgun have come and gone, these guys seek to rise up right now and take the open spots. When PiG or iaguz are gone, it could be one of these guys carrying the SEA banner overseas as part of the next generation. They're the guys who will likely be filling up Stage 2, but probably not making it into Challenger, although it is of course possible for them to do so. The difference between S Tier and A Tier isn't very large.



DynSL.Frustration

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 12



1-2 eCKo'Satu

2-0 Espeon

2-0 Jothree

2-0 x5.Sparrow

2-0 Nv.deth

1-2 DynSL.PSiArc

1-2 mYi.Blysk

2-0 fray'Wally

0-2 ESC.DemiLove



The ever controversial Frustration. Recently winning a LAN in Western Australia and joining Dynasty eSports, Frustration will be seeking to prove himself to his new team and also silence any critics and doubters that he has. Like him or hate him, you cannot deny his in-game skills and the great results he has had this year and last. Having highly competitive series with players such as Alopex and NXZ recently, Frustration looks to be in good form heading into the qualifiers. He's had the skills to take games off players such as KingkOng before even in macro games, so if you think extremely powerful all-ins are the only thing Frustration can hit you with, you're wrong. It's just very likely that he will.



NXZ Says: "Frustration has been perhaps the most active Protoss in the region for quite some time now. Always a threat to take series off arguably better opponents; Frustration rarely fails to take a map. Qualifying for day 2 doesn’t seem to be in question but he could place anywhere from the top 2 to barely scraping in at 9th and I’d barely bat an eye. For frustration, this is his chance to show his strength in regard to his less active peers, Probe and Pezz. A solid run here could really speak well of Frustration’s play." Top 121-2eCKo'Satu2-0Espeon2-0Jothree2-0x5.Sparrow2-0Nv.deth1-2DynSL.PSiArc1-2mYi.Blysk2-0fray'Wally0-2ESC.DemiLoveThe ever controversial Frustration. Recently winning a LAN in Western Australia and joining Dynasty eSports, Frustration will be seeking to prove himself to his new team and also silence any critics and doubters that he has. Like him or hate him, you cannot deny his in-game skills and the great results he has had this year and last. Having highly competitive series with players such as Alopex and NXZ recently, Frustration looks to be in good form heading into the qualifiers. He's had the skills to take games off players such as KingkOng before even in macro games, so if you think extremely powerful all-ins are the only thing Frustration can hit you with, you're wrong. It's just very likely that he will."Frustration has been perhaps the most active Protoss in the region for quite some time now. Always a threat to take series off arguably better opponents; Frustration rarely fails to take a map. Qualifying for day 2 doesn’t seem to be in question but he could place anywhere from the top 2 to barely scraping in at 9th and I’d barely bat an eye. For frustration, this is his chance to show his strength in regard to his less active peers, Probe and Pezz. A solid run here could really speak well of Frustration’s play."



Albion

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Albion is a lesser known player, perhaps the least well known player in this tier. With only one SEA tournament appearance thus far (SEAcraft Melee where he finished in the Ro4, losing 1-2 to Azure), Albion will be seeking to impress and gain some attention for himself. A high placing in this qualifier would be the best way to do that. Albion is a highly skilled player despite his lack of notoriety, being GM on the Korean ladder. This will be a big test for him, but being an unknown quantity should give him somewhat of an advantage.



fray'Alopex

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Alopex has always been a good player, but he's stepped up big time in 2015. With training in the iG Gaming House, he's been able to take his play to the next level. However, despite being a skilled and highly respected player and getting better results in 2015, he's still lacking that one big break-out performance. Everyone knows that Alopex has what it takes to succeed but unfortunately there are only so many spots in Challenger and Premier. Alopex is looking to be one of them.



NXZ Says: "Completing the list of the 3 kings of SEAcraft Melee is Alopex. Of the 10 Melees to take place, whenever one of PSiArc, DemiLove or Alopex have played, one of them have won (with a single exception). Alopex was a huge player in season 3 of last year’s WCS and will be wanting to make a repeat performance this time around. He did have a surprising recent 2-0 loss to Frustration but if he can bring the form that led to one of the most dominant weeks of SEA StarCraft this year; Alopex will be a huge contender for not just day 1 of this tournament."



Sounds like NXZ considers Alopex to be a definite S Tier player. What do you think?



SLCN.Law

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 12



2-1 Jothree

2-0 eCKo'Satu

2-0 Fenner

2-1 ESC.DemiLove

0-2 x5.KingkOng

0-2 ESC.DemiLove

0-2 DynSL.PSiArc

2-1 MiTH.StriKE

0-2 Kid.NXZ



Law is another player who has raised his level in 2015, but like Alopex he is lacking that big result. He's had a couple of impressive performances versus some international talents though, including a 2-0 over the Peruvian CatZ. He's a very skilled player, and dominated the Stage 1 qualifiers last season, but it seems he has some trouble going far beyond that when the level is incredibly high, although he's definitely shown glimpses of explosive power that can let him beat anyone provided the circumstances line up. As for what those circumstances are, I don't know. Perhaps playing versus a certain playstyle, or a certain race is what he needs to make it deep.



NXZ Says: "One of the most active zergs in SEA; Law has been very consistent this year. Generally beating who he is supposed to before eventually falling to the top contenders he hasn’t had too many huge results. Aside from generally struggling against players like Wally and PSiArc, Law did lose two consecutive series to Soundwave which is a big knock to his ZvZ record. If Law is going to make a big run here, his ZvZ will need to be in absolute top form and he will need to avoid losses to Azure and Frustration who he has traded wins with in the past. Again, like Frustration, Law making Day 2 isn’t really in question but the fashion he does so will be very interesting to watch out for." Top 122-1Jothree2-0eCKo'Satu2-0Fenner2-1ESC.DemiLove0-2x5.KingkOng0-2ESC.DemiLove0-2DynSL.PSiArc2-1MiTH.StriKE0-2Kid.NXZLaw is another player who has raised his level in 2015, but like Alopex he is lacking that big result. He's had a couple of impressive performances versus some international talents though, including a 2-0 over the Peruvian CatZ. He's a very skilled player, and dominated the Stage 1 qualifiers last season, but it seems he has some trouble going far beyond that when the level is incredibly high, although he's definitely shown glimpses of explosive power that can let him beat anyone provided the circumstances line up. As for what those circumstances are, I don't know. Perhaps playing versus a certain playstyle, or a certain race is what he needs to make it deep.: "One of the most active zergs in SEA; Law has been very consistent this year. Generally beating who he is supposed to before eventually falling to the top contenders he hasn’t had too many huge results. Aside from generally struggling against players like Wally and PSiArc, Law did lose two consecutive series to Soundwave which is a big knock to his ZvZ record. If Law is going to make a big run here, his ZvZ will need to be in absolute top form and he will need to avoid losses to Azure and Frustration who he has traded wins with in the past. Again, like Frustration, Law making Day 2 isn’t really in question but the fashion he does so will be very interesting to watch out for."



MiTH.StriKE

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 16



2-1 DtN.Vaisravana

2-1 fray'Wally

0-2 x5.KingkOng

0-2 fray'Wally

0-2 x5.PiG

1-2 SLCN.Law



StriKE has stepped up recently and now does a good job of living up to the expectations and results set by his Terran predecessor, RedArchon. Boasting very good micro, and able to attack his opponents in macro games or with a variety of aggressive build such as 2 rax, StriKE is an unpredictable opponent and also a very dangerous one. He mainly plays versus Zerg players, so perhaps the upset potential is higher if he were to face a Terran or a Protoss player, but that remains to be seen Top 162-1DtN.Vaisravana2-1fray'Wally0-2x5.KingkOng0-2fray'Wally0-2x5.PiG1-2SLCN.LawStriKE has stepped up recently and now does a good job of living up to the expectations and results set by his Terran predecessor, RedArchon. Boasting very good micro, and able to attack his opponents in macro games or with a variety of aggressive build such as 2 rax, StriKE is an unpredictable opponent and also a very dangerous one. He mainly plays versus Zerg players, so perhaps the upset potential is higher if he were to face a Terran or a Protoss player, but that remains to be seen



eCKo'Azure

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



The fastest rising star in Australia at the moment, Azure has always been a solid NA GM player, but only this year did he join ETL and start playing tournaments in the scene. His great results (including many tournament victories and wins over players like Wally, Probe and DemiLove) have propelled him to near the top of the food chain in a couple of months. Sadly enough his first tournament appearance of the year was just after WCS Season 1, but he's looking to make up for that and deliver a performance that no one will forget, and become the best Terran in SEA behind iaguz. He comes in with a lot of people having very high expectations of him and it's up to him to live up to them.



NXZ Says: "Newfound Terran blood, Azure, has had a strong 2015. After his breakout performance, taking first place in SEAcraft Melee #1, Azure has found himself playing strongly in tournaments week after week. He seems to have most Protoss in the region on lock so the big question will be what form his TvZ and TvT are in. With questionable losses in both matchups, Azure is going to need to bring top form in both to make a deep run here."





eCKo'RivaL + [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A RivaL is a highly respected Zerg in the region, as he is constantly one of those up and coming talents gunning for the big dogs and at times is even able to defeat them. As I said last time, he rarely blows everyone away and utterly demolishes a tournament bracket, but him being upset by a weaker player is also very uncommon. All it takes for RivaL to win some money or perhaps even make it to Challenger is just the stars aligning on the day and him playing his absolute best. He's very skilled and not many people will be able to stop him if he does.



NXZ Says: "RivaL is ranked 4th in Australia by Aligulac and for good reason. His consistency is remarkable, rarely is he upset and he doesn’t seem to have any particular kryptonite that he would be looking to avoid. RivaL could be mentioned in the same breath as players like PSiArc, DemiLove, Alopex and Wally, always a threat to take tournaments like the SEAcraft Melee. However, despite his status as a constant contender, RivaL is yet to make that final step with a win. If he can’t defeat those players here, RivaL will still find himself criminally underrated but if he can on his a way to a high placing finish, RivaL will prove that he absolutely deserves to be considered an equal if not a level above."



fray'Wally

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 16



2-0 eCKoa'coolbeans

1-2 MiTH.StriKE

2-1 ENZA

2-1 x5.RunaMoK

2-0 MiTH.StriKE

1-2 DynSL.PSiArc

0-2 x5.KingkOng

0-2 DynSL.Frustration



Wally is the best player from Canberra, and had an amazing 2014. He was rising through the ranks incredibly quickly, but has been a bit more quiet in 2015. He's still performing well and winning a few weekly tournaments, but perhaps because he's already solidifed himself as a really skilled player, his 2015 just isn't as notable because we already know he's really good. As usual, his confidence versus the non-Zerg races is never too high, but he can easily overcome his ideas of what is/isn't overpowered and just win the game anyway because he's really good.



NXZ Says: "With losses only to players like PSiArc, EnDerr and Alopex; Wally is one of the better players in this tournament. If he can continue his recent run of form, Wally will be, at minimum, expecting to make a deep run on day 1. If he can keep control of his mindset and avoid taking any frustration losses that might tilt him than Wally will be one of the scariest players in the tournament." Top 162-0eCKoa'coolbeans1-2MiTH.StriKE2-1ENZA2-1x5.RunaMoK2-0MiTH.StriKE1-2DynSL.PSiArc0-2x5.KingkOng0-2DynSL.FrustrationWally is the best player from Canberra, and had an amazing 2014. He was rising through the ranks incredibly quickly, but has been a bit more quiet in 2015. He's still performing well and winning a few weekly tournaments, but perhaps because he's already solidifed himself as a really skilled player, his 2015 just isn't as notable because we already know he's really good. As usual, his confidence versus the non-Zerg races is never too high, but he can easily overcome his ideas of what is/isn't overpowered and just win the game anyway because he's really good."With losses only to players like PSiArc, EnDerr and Alopex; Wally is one of the better players in this tournament. If he can continue his recent run of form, Wally will be, at minimum, expecting to make a deep run on day 1. If he can keep control of his mindset and avoid taking any frustration losses that might tilt him than Wally will be one of the scariest players in the tournament."



VoxMSI.MightyKiwi

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



MightyKiwi is another player who had a very good 2014, as he spent a lot of time improving his skills in the ROOT Gaming house. Upon coming home he found his motivation waning. You can almost count the amount of tournament series he's played during 2015 on one hand, but in the matches he has played he proved to still have his skills. This tournament is important for MightyKiwi as he's been out of the spotlight for quite a while. He wants to remind people who the second best Kiwi player is.



NXZ Says: "MightyKiwi has been completely absent from the tournament scene for the last month. Since reaching Grandmaster on Korea he has been very quiet. If we see the MightyKiwi from last year that won tournaments such as the SEA rising stars and placed highly in WCS, it will be hard to expect him not making a deep run but if we see the out of form MightyKiwi that we’ve seen this year, he might struggle in making it to day 2 with a tournament this stacked."



Lobo

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 12



2-0 fray'Alpha

2-0 fray'Eros

0-2 ROOTiaguz

2-1 Fenner

0-2 DynSL.PSiArc



Lobo is a mysterious Protoss player. He doesn't participate in the community much, but he still makes appearances in lots of the tournaments around here. He played the daily Leifeng Cups a lot last year and was able to sometimes take games off favoured players such as MacSed and RagnaroK. He is known for being slightly cheesy, able to employ strategies such as the cannon rush to great success. Despite being around in the scene for a long time, Lobo is lacking that one very impressive result that helps make him stand out, and a feat such as making it to Challenger could definitely be what helps him in that regard. He's been a bit quiet recently, but Lobo will either do amazingly, or poorly. There is rarely an in-between with him. Top 122-0fray'Alpha2-0fray'Eros0-2ROOTiaguz2-1Fenner0-2DynSL.PSiArcLobo is a mysterious Protoss player. He doesn't participate in the community much, but he still makes appearances in lots of the tournaments around here. He played the daily Leifeng Cups a lot last year and was able to sometimes take games off favoured players such as MacSed and RagnaroK. He is known for being slightly cheesy, able to employ strategies such as the cannon rush to great success. Despite being around in the scene for a long time, Lobo is lacking that one very impressive result that helps make him stand out, and a feat such as making it to Challenger could definitely be what helps him in that regard. He's been a bit quiet recently, but Lobo will either do amazingly, or poorly. There is rarely an in-between with him.



Fenner

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 16



2-0 DynSL.JevyN

2-0 Vivid

0-2 SLCN.Law

2-1 Vivid

2-0 DtN.Vaisravana

1-2 ESC.DemiLove

1-2 Kid.NXZ

1-2 Lobo



Everybody's favourite Englishman living in Australia, it's Fenner! Recently serving as an analyst at the WCS Season 1 finals and having a popular YouTube channel and stream, Fenner is one of SEA's most recognizable faces. He's put in a lot of hard work to make himself marketable and I'm happy to see that it's paid off for him. Fenner was at a career high last year, even having a great run in the MLG Open Bracket, but since returning to Australia from the ROOT House, his performances have been slipping quite a bit. 2015 wasn't a great year for Fenner as it took him some time to even get back into NA GM, but he hasn't played too many SEA based tournaments as of late. He just needs to tap into the skills that we all know he has.



NXZ Says: "Fenner has always been someone I’ve considered to be able to play at his peak in tournaments. It always feels that Fenner in a tournament is a completely different beast from the Fenner you run into in your daily ladder. With the huge number of zergs in the tournament, Fenner may be able to excel here. At the same time, with his recent role as an analyst at the WCS final and focus on his stream, Fenner’s continuous battle against David Kim may end in another loss here." Top 162-0DynSL.JevyN2-0Vivid0-2SLCN.Law2-1Vivid2-0DtN.Vaisravana1-2ESC.DemiLove1-2Kid.NXZ1-2LoboEverybody's favourite Englishman living in Australia, it's Fenner! Recently serving as an analyst at the WCS Season 1 finals and having a popular YouTube channel and stream, Fenner is one of SEA's most recognizable faces. He's put in a lot of hard work to make himself marketable and I'm happy to see that it's paid off for him. Fenner was at a career high last year, even having a great run in the MLG Open Bracket, but since returning to Australia from the ROOT House, his performances have been slipping quite a bit. 2015 wasn't a great year for Fenner as it took him some time to even get back into NA GM, but he hasn't played too many SEA based tournaments as of late. He just needs to tap into the skills that we all know he has."Fenner has always been someone I’ve considered to be able to play at his peak in tournaments. It always feels that Fenner in a tournament is a completely different beast from the Fenner you run into in your daily ladder. With the huge number of zergs in the tournament, Fenner may be able to excel here. At the same time, with his recent role as an analyst at the WCS final and focus on his stream, Fenner’s continuous battle against David Kim may end in another loss here."





B+ Tier



B+ players are capable of taking games off or even outright defeating players in A, and a few of them could definitely qualify for Stage 2. However, they still have a ways to go as far as delivering consistent good performances. They're just not consistently winning the big matches that would put them in A Tier, although they have shown brief glimpses of skill that can put them there. They're not incredibly good, but they're not weak at all. They're solid. A solid B+.



x5.Sparrow

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 28



2-0 Ascarecrow

2-1 eCKo'Schnitzel

1-2 Kid.NXZ

0-2 DynSL.Frustration



Sparrow is the best non-Zerg from New Zealand. Joining the Exile 5 academy not too long ago, Sparrow is perhaps the definiton of a B+ player, as he's scored huge wins over players like Alopex in the past and last season NXZ mentioned having a lot of trouble defeating him. He's just not consistent enough though, as he's also lost to players like ProzeR recently (albeit in a Bo1). Impressively, he's rarely losing Bo3s to those A Tier players 0-2, most of the time it's a 1-2 loss, which is always respectable. He seems as if he's one step away from A Tier, and with a few more months than Exile 5 training could get him there. Top 282-0Ascarecrow2-1eCKo'Schnitzel1-2Kid.NXZ0-2DynSL.FrustrationSparrow is the best non-Zerg from New Zealand. Joining the Exile 5 academy not too long ago, Sparrow is perhaps the definiton of a B+ player, as he's scored huge wins over players like Alopex in the past and last season NXZ mentioned having a lot of trouble defeating him. He's just not consistent enough though, as he's also lost to players like ProzeR recently (albeit in a Bo1). Impressively, he's rarely losing Bo3s to those A Tier players 0-2, most of the time it's a 1-2 loss, which is always respectable. He seems as if he's one step away from A Tier, and with a few more months than Exile 5 training could get him there.



Chobosniper

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Chobosniper left eCKo eSports at the end of 2014, and as far as we knew he had hung up the keyboard for good. But, he's been laddering a little bit and decided to try his hand at the WCS Qualifiers. Chobosniper hasn't played any tournament matches since 2014, but he is a skilled player who has definitely showed flashes of a champion at times. I sat behind him and saw him take PiG to the limit at the Domination Cup last November. He's a bit unknown due to his inactivity but he's a very naturally talented player and it wouldn't at all be a surprise to see him make it to Stage 2.



ETL.Azz + [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 20



2-0 Espeon

1-2 Kid.NXZ

2-0 MiowH

2-0 eCKo'Schnitzel

2-1 eCKo'Satu

0-2 Vivid



Azz is a very old face in the scene, having been around since the Wings of Libery beta. Back then he was easily one of the top talents the region had to offer, but his long since stepped back from playing competitively. Despite a relative lack of practice, he is capable of unleashing very powerful and oftentimes unique all-ins to even push players like NXZ and EnDerr to the limit. However Azz has hit a career low in performances as of late, as with the exception of a Random vs Zerg 2-0 with over SouL, he has lost his last 13 Bo3s in a row, all with a 0-2 score. Indeed, his last Bo3 victory was a 2-0 win over the unknown French Zerg Pouchou back in January. However, having known Azz for a long time, he always brings out extremely powerful performances when people count him out the most. Last WCS Qualfiers, nobody was really expecting much from Azz and yet he had a great run, falling short one series away from Stage 2. Azz is a player that will murder you if you underestimate him. Top 202-0Espeon1-2Kid.NXZ2-0MiowH2-0eCKo'Schnitzel2-1eCKo'Satu0-2VividAzz is a very old face in the scene, having been around since the Wings of Libery beta. Back then he was easily one of the top talents the region had to offer, but his long since stepped back from playing competitively. Despite a relative lack of practice, he is capable of unleashing very powerful and oftentimes unique all-ins to even push players like NXZ and EnDerr to the limit. However Azz has hit a career low in performances as of late, as with the exception of a Random vs Zerg 2-0 with over SouL, he has lost his last 13 Bo3s in a row, all with a 0-2 score. Indeed, his last Bo3 victory was a 2-0 win over the unknown French Zerg Pouchou back in January. However, having known Azz for a long time, he always brings out extremely powerful performances when people count him out the most. Last WCS Qualfiers, nobody was really expecting much from Azz and yet he had a great run, falling short one series away from Stage 2. Azz is a player that will murder you if you underestimate him.



Vivid

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 16



2-0 tyR

2-0 x5.Arrival

0-2 Fenner

2-1 TMjpg

2-0 ETL.Azz

1-2 Fenner

0-2 PSISTM.EnDerr

0-2 DtN.Vaisravana



One of the big surprises from Season 1, Vivid managed to make it to Stage 2, with some impressive wins over Azz and TMjpg. Since then though, Vivid hasn't done a whole lot to set the world on fire, though he has shown he still has significant skills by taking games off Wally and PandaBearMe lately. As someone who doesn't interact with SC2SEA.com a lot, there's not a whole lot of information I can give. Needless to say, this Sydney Starsoc player is highly skilled and may be able to qualify for Stage 2 once again, even over more recognizable names. Top 162-0tyR2-0x5.Arrival0-2Fenner2-1TMjpg2-0ETL.Azz1-2Fenner0-2PSISTM.EnDerr0-2DtN.VaisravanaOne of the big surprises from Season 1, Vivid managed to make it to Stage 2, with some impressive wins over Azz and TMjpg. Since then though, Vivid hasn't done a whole lot to set the world on fire, though he has shown he still has significant skills by taking games off Wally and PandaBearMe lately. As someone who doesn't interact with SC2SEA.com a lot, there's not a whole lot of information I can give. Needless to say, this Sydney Starsoc player is highly skilled and may be able to qualify for Stage 2 once again, even over more recognizable names.



fray'Crimson

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 28



2-0 TMjpg

0-2 DynSL.PSiArc

1-2 Nv.deth



Crimson had a pretty tough bracket in the last qualifiers and thus didn't do as well as he probably should based on his skill. He used to be incredibly good, but is still getting back into the swing of things after a long break. His skill is increasing every day and he's nearly back at his old level. He's pretty borderline A Tier at the moment already, and a good performance would be all it takes to convince me, honestly. He's really very good and just needs a little bit extra. Top 282-0TMjpg0-2DynSL.PSiArc1-2Nv.dethCrimson had a pretty tough bracket in the last qualifiers and thus didn't do as well as he probably should based on his skill. He used to be incredibly good, but is still getting back into the swing of things after a long break. His skill is increasing every day and he's nearly back at his old level. He's pretty borderline A Tier at the moment already, and a good performance would be all it takes to convince me, honestly. He's really very good and just needs a little bit extra.



SLCN.Peppy

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Peppy was a break-out player in 2014, with an incredible out of nowhere performance at ACL Brisbane, managing to finish in 5th place. He got NA GM at the end of 2014 but has played no tournament matches in 2015. So he comes in as a bit of a mystery, so I'll have to go by his impressive 2014 performances. It feels like enough time has passed that quite a few people may have forgotten how good Peppy got in 2014, even managing to take a game off iaguz at ACL Sydney. Depending on the level of practice Peppy has had he could make Stage 2 easily, or not at all.



x5.Yours + [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 28

1-2 ETL.Ravenflames

2-0 Ninji

2-0 TtSYF.snexwang

2-0 fray'Alpha

0-2 x5.RunaMoKYours is a newer player to the scene, making his tournament debut in June of last year. A 1-2 loss to EnDerr is the most impressive thing he has done in a tournament thus far, but he's Grandmaster on NA ladder, and also has coaching from PiG and JunO to fall back on whenever he wants it. This gives him an edge in preparing for various opponents. As an under the radar player, the potential for Yours to be underestimated is very high. It's a good thing for him, and also his performance here is a win/win for him. If he bombs out no one will notice except himself, whereas if he has a great breakout performance he'll draw a lot of eyes to himself. The x5 Academy is arguably the scariest group of up and coming players in the region, and we'll see this year if Yours can prove me right. Top 281-2ETL.Ravenflames2-0Ninji2-0TtSYF.snexwang2-0fray'Alpha0-2x5.RunaMoKYours is a newer player to the scene, making his tournament debut in June of last year. A 1-2 loss to EnDerr is the most impressive thing he has done in a tournament thus far, but he's Grandmaster on NA ladder, and also has coaching from PiG and JunO to fall back on whenever he wants it. This gives him an edge in preparing for various opponents. As an under the radar player, the potential for Yours to be underestimated is very high. It's a good thing for him, and also his performance here is a win/win for him. If he bombs out no one will notice except himself, whereas if he has a great breakout performance he'll draw a lot of eyes to himself. The x5 Academy is arguably the scariest group of up and coming players in the region, and we'll see this year if Yours can prove me right.



DynSL.DarK

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



DarK has kinda come out of nowhere this year. He's been around the scene for quite a long time but this year he was able to impress with victories over Crimson and Fenner in recent times. He's obviously really skilled at ZvZ, but there are two other races he has to deal with and I don't know how good he is versus them. This is a strong opportunity for DarK to turn some heads and show us what he's made of.



x5.Namakaye

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Namakaye is someone who's been in and out of the scene. He returned to action after a year long break at ACL Brisbane 2014, and was able to perform decently well there considering his lack of practice for a year. Since then he's joined the Exile 5 Academy and continues to improve, even managing to take a game off EnDerr at one time. Namakaye is a very dangerous opponent, and will be a deadly threat particularly for any players who aren't strongest in the vP match-up.



DtN.Vaisravana

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 12



2-0 Rendorian

1-2 MiTH.StriKE

2-0 mGGSouth

2-0 DynSL.Cabracan

0-2 Fenner

0-2 ESC.DemiLove

2-0 Vivid

0-2 mYi.Blysk



I confess to not knowing a lot about Vaisravana, other than that he is one of Japan's top players. He was able to make it to Stage 2 of the qualifiers last time, but from there things didn't go according to plan. Vaisravana hasn't really been around much since then, but he did show up in a tournament very recently and take a game away from DemiLove, showing that he's definitely no slouch. He's a true wildcard in this equation. Top 122-0Rendorian1-2MiTH.StriKE2-0mGGSouth2-0DynSL.Cabracan0-2Fenner0-2ESC.DemiLove2-0Vivid0-2mYi.BlyskI confess to not knowing a lot about Vaisravana, other than that he is one of Japan's top players. He was able to make it to Stage 2 of the qualifiers last time, but from there things didn't go according to plan. Vaisravana hasn't really been around much since then, but he did show up in a tournament very recently and take a game away from DemiLove, showing that he's definitely no slouch. He's a true wildcard in this equation.



TtSYF.Soundwave

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 36



1-2 DynSL.PSiArc

2-0 tyR

0-2 TMjpg



Writing about myself is a bit weird, so I got NXZ to do it for me!



NXZ Says: "For Soundwave, the competition being as tough as it this season is going to make a day 2 performance tougher than ever. After falling last season in a quick Japanese one-two punch from PSiArc and TMjpg, things have been looking up for the Transformer Zerg. He had an impressive run through SEAcraft Melee #7, taking out Law 2-0, RivaL 2-1 before falling to Alopex and Wally, 2-1 and 2-0 respectively. He showed his prowess in the ZvZ matchup in this tournament; something he’ll need to bring to the table again if he wants to make a career defining run here." Top 361-2DynSL.PSiArc2-0tyR0-2TMjpgWriting about myself is a bit weird, so I got NXZ to do it for me!"For Soundwave, the competition being as tough as it this season is going to make a day 2 performance tougher than ever. After falling last season in a quick Japanese one-two punch from PSiArc and TMjpg, things have been looking up for the Transformer Zerg. He had an impressive run through SEAcraft Melee #7, taking out Law 2-0, RivaL 2-1 before falling to Alopex and Wally, 2-1 and 2-0 respectively. He showed his prowess in the ZvZ matchup in this tournament; something he’ll need to bring to the table again if he wants to make a career defining run here."



eCKo'Schnitzel

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 36



1-2 x5.Sparrow

2-0 DGTV.Voidreaver

0-2 ETL.Azz



Schnitzel was a very strong Protoss (and sometimes Random, he was good at both) player in 2014, but has been relatively inactive in 2015. The reasons for this are unknown, but Schnitzel's performances have definitely suffered as a result. It used to be that seeing Schnitzel's name in the brackets was enough to make nearly any opponent prepare for a tough match, but these days it's more of a fear of the unknown, particularly if he's playing Random. Schnitzel as Protoss with his aggressive builds, or as Random with the sheer variety of builds he can hit you with, is a worrying opponent indeed. Top 361-2x5.Sparrow2-0DGTV.Voidreaver0-2ETL.AzzSchnitzel was a very strong Protoss (and sometimes Random, he was good at both) player in 2014, but has been relatively inactive in 2015. The reasons for this are unknown, but Schnitzel's performances have definitely suffered as a result. It used to be that seeing Schnitzel's name in the brackets was enough to make nearly any opponent prepare for a tough match, but these days it's more of a fear of the unknown, particularly if he's playing Random. Schnitzel as Protoss with his aggressive builds, or as Random with the sheer variety of builds he can hit you with, is a worrying opponent indeed.



fray'SouL

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



SouL, one of the members of the High Council of the Dark Templar. He also has a PhD in Proxy 2 Gating, and uses these skills to very, very deadly effect. Able to defeat even the likes of PiG and EnDerr with his aggresive builds (of which he has recently expanded his repitoire further, or so I'm told), SouL is an incredibly scary opponent for many players, and those that hit him the brackets are going to be wanting to play as safe as possible. Playing against SouL has got to keep a player constantly on edge, making them very paranoid towards even the critters moving about the map. You think you've got him figured out, that if you just play safe he doesn't stand a chance, right? Wrong. EnDerr is 3-3 with SouL in games in recent weeks. You think EnDerr's not gonna be playing a bit safer after losing the first time? Yet SouL wins anyway, because he's got some legitimate skills.



x5.Arrival

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 36



2-0 tyR

0-2 Vivid

2-1 TtSYF.NaMeK

0-2 Nv.deth



Apart from being part of the Exile 5 Academy, Arrival is a fairly big mystery. You can catch him streaming practice games with his teammates sometimes, and he's been around in the scene since 2012. His recent results are fairly unremarkable, minus a game taken from Probe recently. He'll be looking to get people to notice him and show off what the x5 coaching can do for a player. Top 362-0tyR0-2Vivid2-1TtSYF.NaMeK0-2Nv.dethApart from being part of the Exile 5 Academy, Arrival is a fairly big mystery. You can catch him streaming practice games with his teammates sometimes, and he's been around in the scene since 2012. His recent results are fairly unremarkable, minus a game taken from Probe recently. He'll be looking to get people to notice him and show off what the x5 coaching can do for a player.



x5.RunaMoK

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 20



2-0 Ninji

2-0 ETL.Ravenflames

0-2 x5.KingkOng

2-0 x5.Yours

1-2 fray'Wally



RunaMoK has been one of the rising Terran talents in Australia for a long time now, but in that whole time he's had many impressive wins but never a big break-out performance. As part of the Exile 5 Academy, RunaMoK has been clearly improving in recent times, but it remains to be seen if that can help him on his way to what may be at this point an inevitable break-out performance. Boasting very solid macro and also a variety of aggressive builds (watch out for mech, Protoss players!), RunaMoK is rising through the ranks rapidly for a reason, but we'll see if he'll show us those reasons this weekend. Top 202-0Ninji2-0ETL.Ravenflames0-2x5.KingkOng2-0x5.Yours1-2fray'WallyRunaMoK has been one of the rising Terran talents in Australia for a long time now, but in that whole time he's had many impressive wins but never a big break-out performance. As part of the Exile 5 Academy, RunaMoK has been clearly improving in recent times, but it remains to be seen if that can help him on his way to what may be at this point an inevitable break-out performance. Boasting very solid macro and also a variety of aggressive builds (watch out for mech, Protoss players!), RunaMoK is rising through the ranks rapidly for a reason, but we'll see if he'll show us those reasons this weekend.



mGGSouth

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 28



2-1 ENZA

0-2 ESC.DemiLove

0-2 DtN.Vaisravana



South is a young Protoss player from Canberra. He doesn't play too many tournaments, but does pretty well in the ones that he does play. He managed to make it through the open bracket and qualify for groups at ACL Sydney last year. And in fact, apart from the last WCS Qualifiers, that was his last tournament. He's a skilled and very underrated Protoss player who could definitely cause some upsets in the bracket. Top 282-1ENZA0-2ESC.DemiLove0-2DtN.VaisravanaSouth is a young Protoss player from Canberra. He doesn't play too many tournaments, but does pretty well in the ones that he does play. He managed to make it through the open bracket and qualify for groups at ACL Sydney last year. And in fact, apart from the last WCS Qualifiers, that was his last tournament. He's a skilled and very underrated Protoss player who could definitely cause some upsets in the bracket.





B Tier



B players are just fairly average. They're not likely to impress or go far, but they might be able to take a game or a series off a favoured player. No one is really expecting too much from these guys and they're mainly going to be playing for fun.



SLCN.Xormentor

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Xormentor is a player from Queensland, who was a frequent face in LANs in that area and at times was able to secure good results. He has made it to ACL Groups on three seperate occasions, and was formerly referred to as the 'King of PvP'. However, Xormentor hasn't played a tournament match since June 2014, so there's sure to be quite a lot of rust on his end. However, we've seen other QLD Protoss players like Namakaye secure good results after months of inactivity so there's a chance that Xormentor could do it as well.



eCKoa'ProzeR

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



The only non-EnDerr active Filipino player, ProzeR has been steadily improving over the last couple of months, able to score a couple of Bo1 upset victories recently. He's always shown glimmers of potential in the past such as last year when he defeated Schnitzel in a PvP series at a time when Schnitzel was performing very well. He's starting to show that promise again and hopefully stays consistent this time.



TtSYF.snexwang

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 52



2-0 NairX.DsYFeR

1-2 fray'Eros

0-2 x5.Yours



snexwang is a former Master player, but due to inactivity hasn't made it out of Diamond in a few seasons. He doesn't play much SC2 these days, preferring to drown his sorrows in the pit of despair that is CS:GO, but he's still a fairly solid player and almost beat NXZ in a clan war not too long ago. I feel as though he could potentially upset some people but could also rather easily lose to people not as skilled as him simply due to a lack of practice and commitment. Top 522-0NairX.DsYFeR1-2fray'Eros0-2x5.Yourssnexwang is a former Master player, but due to inactivity hasn't made it out of Diamond in a few seasons. He doesn't play much SC2 these days, preferring to drown his sorrows in the pit of despair that is CS:GO, but he's still a fairly solid player and almost beat NXZ in a clan war not too long ago. I feel as though he could potentially upset some people but could also rather easily lose to people not as skilled as him simply due to a lack of practice and commitment.



TtSYF.NaMeK

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 52



0-2 DynSL.PSiArc

1-2 x5.Arrival



Big 'NaMeK' Andy is a former GPDL finalist, and despite significant ups and downs he is on the cusp of me. In fact, if Master was its normal 2%, perhaps NaMeK would already be there. Never fully confident in his abilities, NaMeK whoever does represent a clear threat provided he is allowed to play the game he wants to play and his weaknesses are not exploited. He will have a hard time punching above his tier but is a very strong player to anyone in this tier and below. I spoke with NaMeK briefly to get his thoughts on the qualifiers.



"I am going to win because I will harness the mighty protonic power that is Coloxxen, Blink stalkers and storm to defeat anybody. I dunno."



You heard it here first, folks. NaMeK is taking on all comers. Beware. Top 520-2DynSL.PSiArc1-2x5.ArrivalBig 'NaMeK' Andy is a former GPDL finalist, and despite significant ups and downs he is on the cusp of me. In fact, if Master was its normal 2%, perhaps NaMeK would already be there. Never fully confident in his abilities, NaMeK whoever does represent a clear threat provided he is allowed to play the game he wants to play and his weaknesses are not exploited. He will have a hard time punching above his tier but is a very strong player to anyone in this tier and below. I spoke with NaMeK briefly to get his thoughts on the qualifiers.You heard it here first, folks. NaMeK is taking on all comers. Beware.



DynSL.Metalcore

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 52



2-1 HeaVen

0-2 x5.KingkOng

0-2 DynSL.Cabracan



Metalcore is known as a highly skilled TvZ player, utilising both hellbat/banshee and mech playstyles in order to upset players such as Law and Yours. However, he is well known for doing both of these builds and thus he may be easy to blind counter for any Zergs worried about either of the two. Metalcore has an opportunity here to show that he is skilled at a variety of styles and can beat players despite them having pre-existing knowledge of his expertise. He's one of SEA's rising Terran talents and no matter the outcome here, the future looks bright for him. Top 522-1HeaVen0-2x5.KingkOng0-2DynSL.CabracanMetalcore is known as a highly skilled TvZ player, utilising both hellbat/banshee and mech playstyles in order to upset players such as Law and Yours. However, he is well known for doing both of these builds and thus he may be easy to blind counter for any Zergs worried about either of the two. Metalcore has an opportunity here to show that he is skilled at a variety of styles and can beat players despite them having pre-existing knowledge of his expertise. He's one of SEA's rising Terran talents and no matter the outcome here, the future looks bright for him.



DynSL.Fullmetal

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Fullmetal is a Terran player from Western Australia representing Dynasty eSports. Recently he was involved in a bit of a rivalry with Swarmstika, and after a 0-3 loss in an OSC Challenge Showmatch, he trained hard and took his revenge on more than one occasion. Fullmetal is a much stronger player as a result of the hardships he suffered, but he is still not a high level competitor within SEA. However, he knows how to work hard and he knows how to improve, so by the time of the WCS Qualifiers in Season 3, he could be more of a threat.



FaDeDevianT

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Eddie aka DevianT is the biggest hero in the region and is single-handedly carrying the SEA scene on his back. He puts lots of time and money towards trying to improve the scene and he's not half bad at StarCraft either. While he has no real impressive results to speak of, he's a solid enough player and will be very challenging for people the tier below to deal with. If Eddie practiced some more perhaps he could make some results happen like they used to back in 2012, but until that time we'll just have to accept him only being an amazing human.



DynSL.Cabracan

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 20



0-2 fray'Alpha

2-0 DynSL.Metalcore

2-1 ETL.Ravenflames

2-0 fray'Eros

0-2 DtN.Vaisravana



Cabracan made his return from a couple years of inactivity to play in the WCS Season 1 qualifiers. His performance there was impressive to say the least, as he was one Bo3 away from Stage 2, although his bracket was not the most difficult. Joining Dynasty eSports and increasing his practice he might be able to do as good or better than last time. Or not! It's his job to continue to impress us and show that New Zealand isn't just carried by a few Zerg players. : Top 200-2fray'Alpha2-0DynSL.Metalcore2-1ETL.Ravenflames2-0fray'Eros0-2DtN.VaisravanaCabracan made his return from a couple years of inactivity to play in the WCS Season 1 qualifiers. His performance there was impressive to say the least, as he was one Bo3 away from Stage 2, although his bracket was not the most difficult. Joining Dynasty eSports and increasing his practice he might be able to do as good or better than last time. Or not! It's his job to continue to impress us and show that New Zealand isn't just carried by a few Zerg players.





C Tier



These are the guys who sign up for fun, and realistically don't have the slightest shot at qualification even with a very easy and fair bracket. However, they're also the people who are most likely to be underestimated and might be able to beat or take a game off people in the tier above.



DGTV.ZergCola

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 54



0-2 fray'Eros

0-2 NairX.DsYFeR



ZergCola's controversial past is behind him and he seeks to move into the future and be remembered for his in-game skills rather than anything else. Perhaps ZergCola is part of the next wave of New Zealand superstars. Top 540-2fray'Eros0-2NairX.DsYFeRZergCola's controversial past is behind him and he seeks to move into the future and be remembered for his in-game skills rather than anything else. Perhaps ZergCola is part of the next wave of New Zealand superstars.



Osiris

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 52



0-2 ENZA



Osiris is a Zerg player from South Australia. Currently in Diamond league, he has posted no notable results to date, minus taking a game off RunaMoK a while back. He'll be looking to create things to talk about for the WCS Season 3 article. Top 520-2ENZAOsiris is a Zerg player from South Australia. Currently in Diamond league, he has posted no notable results to date, minus taking a game off RunaMoK a while back. He'll be looking to create things to talk about for the WCS Season 3 article.



DynSL.JevyN

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 52



2-0 Lapack

0-2 Fenner

0-2 Nv.deth



At 13 years old, JevyN is the youngest competitor in the field. He's been lacking a good tournament result or even lacking an impressive victory over a favoured player. But in shark filled waters like this where nearly everyone is favoured, this is the opportunity he needs. Top 522-0Lapack0-2Fenner0-2Nv.dethAt 13 years old, JevyN is the youngest competitor in the field. He's been lacking a good tournament result or even lacking an impressive victory over a favoured player. But in shark filled waters like this where nearly everyone is favoured, this is the opportunity he needs.



DGTV.Voidreaver

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: Top 52



0-2 Jothree

0-2 eCKo'Schnitzel



Voidreaver is a relatively unknown quantity. He showed some promise recently by taking a game off Chase, but apart from that he's still fairly new and we don't have much to go on. Top 520-2Jothree0-2eCKo'SchnitzelVoidreaver is a relatively unknown quantity. He showed some promise recently by taking a game off Chase, but apart from that he's still fairly new and we don't have much to go on.



mGGSlayer

+ [Bio] + Season 1 Finish: N/A



Slayer is the master of popcorn in SEA. If there is drama, he shall be there to offer highly discounted deals on the best popcorn available anywhere. Oh, and he plays StarCraft as well. A former Protoss player now representing the Zerg Swarm, he recently managed to get a whole thread made about him recently with a 2-0 victory over JevyN, but he'll be hard pressed to repeat such a feat.



Who? Tier



I don't know who these guys are and thus can't write much about them. But we saw some unknown players cause some upsets in the last WCS, so definitely don't count these guys out. If you underestimate them if you get them in your bracket, you very well may regret it.



Ranger (Diamond SEA)

Hunter (Master SEA)

ViperPro (Friends with StriKE, Diamond NA)

Garroy (Master NA)

MysticSecret (Member of Sydney Collegiate StarCraft, played at ACL Sydney last year. I don't know how good he is, but he's Diamond.)

Seither (Diamond SEA)

Leon (Diamond SEA)

Nick (Diamond NA)





As a final note, set your alarms and please remember to check in, guys. The WCS Oceania/SEA qualifiers are upon us again. The most competitive and important online tournament in the entire region, as everyone participating seeks to live out the eSports dream, both making some good money and going overseas for a rare opportunity to represent their country and their region, on the grandest stage outside of Korea. But before they can think about that, they have to make it through Stage 1, the first step to greatness. Everyone from the region is looking to make a name for themselves and turn some heads, if not qualify for Stage 2, Challenger or even Premier.In this article I'll be going over each player, listing their performance from WCS Season 1, going over recent events with them and trying to outline a basic story with them. I'll also be placing the players into tiers, based on their chances of qualification. This is sure to create some heated debate and discussion, which is exactly what we want to see. Egos can be bruised in cases like this, but keep in mind that all of this is solely my own opinion.NXZ has also volunteered to provide some of his own thoughts on some of the players. There will be a little bit of overlap of my thoughts and his, but that's to beexpected. He plays at a higher level than I do and has played vs a lot of these guys and thus can provide some interesting insight on potential future opponents for the qualifier.Throughout the weekend, you can catch the action here - http://www.twitch.tv/aclproSC2 Some players may also choose to stream their own runs, though if this is the case you will have to find their streams yourself.Believe it or not, this is the easy part. KingkOng, EnDerr, Blysk and NXZ, all top level talents in the region, await in Stage 2 of the qualifiers. Above even them are PiG and iaguz, who will be hungry to continue their WCS quest after getting a taste of international competition last season. But perhaps the people such as DemiLove, such as NXZ, who have never had an offline international tournament opportunity, could be the hungriest and most dangerous of all. Desperation can drive a man to do dangerous thing! Without further ado, let us commence the rankings.Simply put, the elite. While they're not at the level of iaguz/PiG/Petraeus/KingKong, they're the next best thing, and any one of these individuals could potentially get to Challenger or even Premier. They've shown they can consistently play at a top level and defeat everyone in a lower tier fairly consistently. These are the people to watch throughout Stage 1, and it's expected that they breeze through fairly easily. Any of these players losing now would be a significant upset.These players form the core of Oceania/SEA. Everyone in this tier is capable of placing in the Top 3 in any SEA weekly tournament unless they run into each other early on. They're the up and coming players who want to be the next generation of superstars. Just as players like MaFia and tgun have come and gone, these guys seek to rise up right now and take the open spots. When PiG or iaguz are gone, it could be one of these guys carrying the SEA banner overseas as part of the next generation. They're the guys who will likely be filling up Stage 2, but probably not making it into Challenger, although it is of course possible for them to do so. The difference between S Tier and A Tier isn't very large.B+ players are capable of taking games off or even outright defeating players in A, and a few of them could definitely qualify for Stage 2. However, they still have a ways to go as far as delivering consistent good performances. They're just not consistently winning the big matches that would put them in A Tier, although they have shown brief glimpses of skill that can put them there. They're not incredibly good, but they're not weak at all. They're solid. A solid B+.B players are just fairly average. They're not likely to impress or go far, but they might be able to take a game or a series off a favoured player. No one is really expecting too much from these guys and they're mainly going to be playing for fun.These are the guys who sign up for fun, and realistically don't have the slightest shot at qualification even with a very easy and fair bracket. However, they're also the people who are most likely to be underestimated and might be able to beat or take a game off people in the tier above.I don't know who these guys are and thus can't write much about them. But we saw some unknown players cause some upsets in the last WCS, so definitely don't count these guys out. If you underestimate them if you get them in your bracket, you very well may regret it.(Diamond SEA)(Master SEA)(Friends with StriKE, Diamond NA)(Master NA)(Member of Sydney Collegiate StarCraft, played at ACL Sydney last year. I don't know how good he is, but he's Diamond.)(Diamond SEA)(Diamond SEA)(Diamond NA)As a final note, set your alarms and please remember to check in, guys.

The Transformer Zerg, Jadron Burgerman @ ___________________________________The Transformer Zerg, Jadron Burgerman @ Soundwave Last edited by syfSoundwave; Thu, 9th-Apr-2015 at 6:32 PM .