Together with SC2GG, we present the predictions for the last two quarter final games in ClubDay MSL. NaDa, Free, FirebatHero and Bisu are ready to go at it.
Firebathero continues his march up the MSL ladder here in the round of eight. While the man certainly has his fair share of enemies, there is no denying that he's playing red hot TvP right now. Featuring a very aggressive mix of two-fact builds and drop-heavy play, he's dominated the scene with a Berserker-like playstyle that has torn apart the competition. He gets to show some more of his new TvP in a round of 32 rematch with the Revolutionist.
Bisu has been making a bit of a resurgence this season. He's on a solid seven game winning streak, including his 2-0 decimation of STX Terran Hwasin. Before we declare a new revolution, however, he's still got to prove that he can take on the best out there, starting right here with Firebathero. His PvT has always been his shakiest matchup, a convincing win here is the kind of statement he needs to make right now to strike some fear in the remaining MSL competitor's hearts.
I expect Bisu to take a page out of Stork's OSL playbook and take FBH off balance with some unusual shenanigans to start things off. In a straight-up match, I think FBH has been playing too well to let this one slip. If Bisu can shake his confidence in game one then he should be able to seal the deal. I'm calling this series to be a close mirror of the OSL finals, with Protoss yet again pulling away in the final game.
Prediction: Bisu > Firebathero, 3-2
Free has been the definition of an ace player the last several weeks. I don't know what they've put in Woongjin's food, but it certainly is working out for him. Normally, he is the type of player that usually burns out around this point, but, after watching his round of 16 victory against Jaedong and his Proleague performance these past few weeks, Free seems to be showing a whole new side to himself this season. He's destroyed everything that has come his way up to now and has put himself in prime position to possibly take a Starleague title. To do it, he's going to have to take down the veteran Nada.
Nada has been relatively quiet as of late, hibernating from Proleague to practice for his MSL games. It seems to have paid off as he easily flew by Frozean last round. While he hasn't seen too much play overall these past several weeks, few can deny the threat that Tornado Terran brings to any match. He's always a contender in any match he plays, and this is no exception. He's got a good map pool to abuse here, his infamous vulture-heavy style that players like Fantasy have borrowed from is going to be an asset in this series.
While Nada is certainly one of my favorite progamers today, I have to give Free a significant edge in this series. He's been playing top-notch StarCraft all season long, and his TvP is as solid as any other Protoss player in the field. Free outclassed Nada in the round of 32 with some solid play, and he's going to do it again here in the round of eight.
Prediction: Free > NaDa, 3-0
More of SC2GG's articles, such as their article on this week's ProLeague, can be found on their site.
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