The journey is nigh its end, the final stop is just around the corner. This weekend, the great battle of our time begins in Providence as the great powers congregate to crown a new king.
Almost eight months since the beginning of the 2011 season of MLG, it is now time for the final confrontation. The war for the national championship in Providence is brewing and soon North America will explode with its biggest tournament this year. The foreign forces have won a major victory on the fields of Orlando but Providence will be a whole new challenge as the player pool is looking monstrous. The quest for the
It takes a genius
For good or bad (mostly good) whenever one says the phrase "high profile foreign players", two names immediately flow to the surface: Chris "HuK" Loranger and Greg "Idra" Fields. The indisputable stars of team Evil Geniuses have long been the symbol of foreign hope amidst this tide of Korean domination and they are looking to make yet another great stand at Providence.
As aforementioned, HuK comes as the foreign silver lining in the dark cloud of Korean supremacy. The Canadian conquered Orlando, becoming the first non-Korean and the first protoss champion since the MLG/GSL exchange and is also the first ever to score two MLG golds. His feat has been magnified by the fact that he won it over the sickest MLG player pool thus far, as the line-up saw names of stunning magnitude like GSL Super champion Polt, multiple times grand finalist MarineKing, the God of War July, the returning MC and a young zerg who had recently elevated his name to the heights of Olympus - Stephano.
To extend the very vague and not at all clearly defined Lord of the Rings metaphor, HuK had just won the battle for Helms deep. Come MLG Providence, one can only hope he ends up an Aragorn and not Theoden.
Idra's potency is not to be discarded at all, however. The both most loved and hated player in the foreign scene has had a lot of recent success as well. In the last two months, Greg added to his trophy list the golds from MLG NA Invitational, ROG Stars Invite and IEM Guangzhou, as well as a top 4 finish at Orlando with victories over Boxer, HongUn and Bomber only to be stopped by his protoss arch-rival MC. And it is like Idra is haunted by a perpetual curse as a look at the Providence bracket shows the ever vigilant God Protoss just behind the macro king of Zerg. Should he win his first match, MC will face Idra for the fifth time!
Of course, one should not forget about the third EG player in the top 16 and that's Puma. Puma came out extremely strong earlier this year scoring three golds in three months, followed by four top 8 finishes at IPL 3, Guangzhou, Raleigh and Orlando. It is actually silly that Puma no longer gets the attention he deserves but a gold at Providence might just do the trick.
The rest of the fellowship
The championship bracket top 8 is an interesting vista. Setting aside HuK and Idra, who we discussed in the previous paragraphs, there are all sorts of peculiarities up there which can all lead up to some very interesting developments.
The top four is completed by MMA and Naniwa, both of which are living and breathing eSports excellency. MMA has been an unmovable rock since his nickname was different and is associated with SlayerS even more than Boxer is. His Columbus gold and Anaheim silver have shoved him quite high the championship bracket and everywhere he looks, he sees beatable opponents. Behind him comes KiwiKaki, whose protoss creativity most probably won't be enough to shake off the Korean terran. And should MMA advance, he still shares a bracket with Idra ( *barely holds a chuckle* ) and MC, whose recent PvT record has been hovering around 40%. Not a number you want to see when facing MMA.
Sadly for the foreign fans, however, the Swedish protoss hasn't been this consistent. Naniwa has been on his Korean pilgrimage for some time now but he is still to show that he has grown wiser and more skilled. For long did he hold the #1 spot in the MLG ranking but since he missed Orlando he has fallen to #3. The more bitter truth is that his MLG runs are getting worse after every stop. Top 4 seeding is a great accomplishment for Nani but can he live up to it is the worrisome part.
Seeds 5 to 8 are full of stories as well. In the upper half sit two protosses, ready to prove themselves once again but their paths to victory are as diverse as it can get. MC is slowly crawling out of his slump and it seems the MLG tournaments are like his adrenaline shots... and so is Idra. Statistics-wise, that should be a sweet, sweet tournament for the God Protoss. Kiwi, on the other hand, has had questionable performance in MLGs and by questionable I mean bad. For many people, me included, Kiwi's top 8 is a proof of the flaws of MLG's seed system. Same goes for Ret and Slush who despite being great players are here mostly because they have either placed well once or have been attending every single MLG which brings you points anyway. If you don't believe me just look at Mvp and Losira being behind InControl. But enough of this, MLG's ranking is a WHOLE new area of polemics.
The sweet sixteen
The remaining eight players in the top 16 form a bit of a terran domination. Had DongRaeGu not been there it would be a total and complete one.
The three foreigners share a common fate and a common path to earn these seeds. Select, Sjow and HayPro have been MLG regulars since the beginning of the season (Select and Sjow only missed Orlando due to training in Korea) and have always placed relatively well; or rather just high enough to keep their ranking afloat. Can they make a difference here? Unlikely. Does this exclude the possibility of an "upset". No, not at all.
The Koreans have made it through here by the veni vidi vici tenet. Bomber, Boxer, DongRaeGu and Puma have all attended two MLGs but aside from Boxer's 11th place at Orlando, they have always made it to top eight. Rain is no slouch as well and three top sixteens in a row is kind of a proof why he deserves to be where he stands.
The nazgûl unleashed: A look at the open bracket
By that time you have probably figured out I like making fantasy metaphors but it is so seldom one presents itself so clear and so perfectly.
The land of Mord... South Korea is releasing its scariest servants upon MLG Providence. Their sole mission is crush the puny open bracket resistance, find the few remaining foreigners, including HuK the ring bearer, and slay them to tiny bits of pro-gaming flesh.
The Korean contingent is led by the terran witch king Mvp. IM's most fearsome agent doesn't come bragging about his forte but lets his long list of achievements speak on his behalf. Three Code S championships, one MLG Anaheim and MLG Global Invitational golds, Team Ace Invitational champion, WCG Korea champion, Gainward champion and GomTV World Invitational first place. He doesn't always wear a fancy dark helm or a huge ass flail because he doesn't need them. Mvp is coming to Providence sowing fear in the hearts of his enemies. I will not be competing and but get shivers nonetheless.
The rest of the Nine are right behind Mvp's back. He is accompanied by his trusted friend NesTea - an entity of equal perfection and might. NesTea's fame is overwhelming in both his homeland and abroad but this will be his first MLG tournament. Everybody knows what NesTea is capable of in the GSL, it is time to see his strength when matched against the best of the world.
Seven more ride with the nagzûl from Incredible Miracle and although of lesser grandeur (lesser, not small!), they are still freaking ring wraiths on big flying dragons, you know...
Losira, otherwise known as the Prince of Zerg or they guy who almost beat InControl with one hand. Losira made it to silver in Columbus but has not been in his best shape since but the open bracket should be little trouble for him.
MarineKing or the younger, less intimidating version of Mvp. MarineKing has been a factor on the Korean scene and had already beaten the open bracket once to earn a 5th spot at Orlando.
Ganzi or the rear guard of the SlayerS offense. With MMA and Boxer leading the charge, Ganzi has the task to eradicate every player daring to stand in his team's way.
Leenock or the kid with overflowing potential. After countless struggles, Leenock finally made it back to Code S and have recently advance to November's Ro8, surviving groups with players like MMA, NesTea, HuK, Polt and Ganzi.
Puzzle, Oz and HerO or the holy trinity of the protoss hope. The Koreans have packed up some serious firepower and these three's ingenuity might just be the fuse that sets all off.
There are other servants of the Dark Lord that will also be attending and although they don't really fit my view of The Nine, they should not be ignored by any means. Soon enough, the foreign world will taste the flavor of sC, Violet and Keen.
It is my first time that I won't be talking in large about the foreign presence in the open bracket and I am reluctant to confess but that doesn't necessarily make me sad. Flawed as it might be, the MLG ranking system has reached its sift out here at Providence and all who did not honorably earn their championship spot are in for a hard time. Of course, it is not completely lost for players like TLO, Sheth, Machine, HwangSin, Drewbie or Jinro but it is here that their first real challenge awaits. The pool play goofs are a thing in the past. It's the survival of the fittest, the do-or-die, the ultimate gauntlet.
November 18th is coming. The pawns are in place. The $120,000 are waiting.
It will be a shambles.
