MLG: Constellation of Grandeur: MLG Orlando Preview

October is so stacked with amazing tournaments that it's soon going to blow up the course of time! Just one day after another icon in eSports tournaments kicked off, now MLG Orlando also stands on our door step, having one of the best player line-ups in all its history.

It brings me such a great joy that it is that time of the month. Obviously not the one when one bleeds strangely without being visibly injured, but the one when Major League Gaming hits the streams. In mid October, all the eSports community has its eyes fixed on the warm city of Orlando, where world's top SC2 players gather to find the best among them. The three-day gaming fiesta begins today with the pool play matches and, boy, aren't those always a blast!

After Raleigh was over, it was time of reckoning as it would seem the MLG pools would welcome some more regulars-to-be. Bomber, Hero and Puma - all highly accomplished Korean contenders and top 8 finishers at Raleigh - would stream into the group stage, helping to form the current picture for MLG Orlando:

MLG Orlando Pools
Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Idra	Kiwikaki	Slush	Huk
Haypro	Bomber	Ret	Hero
TLO	InControl	Rain	Tyler
Boxer	Sheth	Machine	MC
Drewbie	Puma	HongUn	July

Stacked, isn't it? You now probably understand what I mean when I write "one of the best player line-ups in all MLG history. The pools are at that stage where there's still an equal ratio between Koreans and foreigners (although European players are slowly falling out of the picture) and there isn't an angry mob running the streets shouting "Korean invasion is killing eSports". Even if MLG is getting that way, it is no reason at all to not enjoy those beautifully constructed Orlando groups.



I know that building a group standings inside your head should be an easy job. After all, Boxer is Boxer and although he is not in his prime any more, he is still a formidable opponent. There are also numerous facts that speak in his favour:

He finished third at Anaheim, playing one of the best TvTs MLG has ever seen
He owned his Anaheim group, Idra included, which was trizillion times harder than this one, having players like Sheth and Sjow
He is a Korean. Terran. From Team Slayers.

Idra, who is the other obvious favourite, has also been doing great lately but as mentioned above, his record against Boxer is not something to brag about. His other three opponents, however, should be fairly easy for him: TLO has been in a personal slump for like forever, Haypro's ZvZ record is laughable, and Drewbie is on a long TvZ losing streak plus he has fallen to Idra the last three times they met. Unless Idra is feeling very charitable regarding his mutalisks, he should easily place top 2.


Boxer and Idra in one place always give the group a thrilling vibe
Photos by: Kelly Bracha, MLG

What IEM New York taught us, though, is never to rule out the underdogs (yes, it is now a time where we count TLO and Drewbie among the underdogs). I do feel that the Canadian can make something happen here, although it will be a strenuous job. Same goes for Haypro, who did play a great game against Rain in the NASL 2 so there is small hope for him to do good in his ZvTs.



Now this is serious business. We have two of the best Korean terrans, whose direct battle I am dying to see; two of the best North Americans, who although not notorious with a multitude of gold medals, are still some of the most creative and skilled players; and InControl who is desperately trying season after season to not finish last in his group (he is actually kind of a road-hump in front of my train of though).


"Sup, dudes. This group seems like the perfect place for me to be at!"

The fight for the top spots in Group B will be furious no doubt. Bomber and Puma would be the people's choice for the group leaders, but by this time, foreigners should not be shell-shocked by the Korean presence any more. Idra proved that Puma is beatable and Bomber, despite being a world-class contender, is still a human being, capable of flaws. With that in mind, Sheth and Kiwikaki definitely have what it takes to at least make a proper stand and even possibly break the unfavourable for the foreigners statistics. If someone takes the time to remember Slush's performance at Raleigh where he finished with equal scores to Trickster and Hero, that might be the surge of confidence that Kiwi and Sheth need, because I refuse to put them any lower than the talented Canadian zerg.

InControl? Oh, InControl is screwed.



There is a lot of floating potential in the group. All three zergs here have many times been labelled as "good" or "talented" or "skillful" yet none of them has had the consistency that a world-class player needs. The same, actually, goes for the Koreans as well, as their performance lately has not been the best at all. As strangely as it may sound, there is no clear favourite here.

As far as I am concerned, Ret and Slush have the best chances so far as foreigners are considered. They are both MLG regulars and generally perform real well in the group stages, finishing just behind the Koreans or on equal levels with them. To their luck, their opponents are not quite what you call "engines of unquestionable devastation". Rain has long abandoned his homeland to live and train abroad and thus he can't be by any means compared to his compatriot terrans like Bomber, Puma or Boxer. His NASL performance has been unconvincing and he really hasn't been performing well against foreigners.


Orlando will be the first non-Korean tournament for HongUn
Photo by: PlayXP

HongUn's record has also been worsening from one GSL season to the next. Although one would thing that a regular Code S-er would be a level above everyone else, the Korean protoss will be met with quite the foreign resistance. When you add the fact that protosses have been struggling a lot against both zergs and terrans, HongUn's situation ends up not being blossoming at all.



This must be a practical joke. I don't know who is behind it but I must admit it's god damn, out-loud, top-of-the-lungs, glass-shattering funny.

Except it's sad and pathetic.

I mean having four protosses in one group must be a plan of a global conspiracy to eradicate the children of Aiur from all major tournaments. It slowly started with GSL and now it is on MLG grounds where tosses of every kind, be they good, great, brilliant or hardly practising, are pitted against each other for someone's twisted concept of entertainment.

This also makes my job hell of a lot tougher to do, as you can never, NEVER, predict a PvP. Yes, there is also July there but trying to predict his performance is like trying to guess the running trajectory of a rabid bulldog starving for kitten blood.

Thus, I will leave this paragraph without a concluding sentence as a symbol of my silent protest!


"Thank god we know our PvP"
Photo source: TL.net



Honestly, I never paid much attention to the open bracket matches short of finding out the top 4 who are seeded into the pool play. But this year things will be different. Following the general trend of getting the best of the best in one place, MLG Orlando's open tournament features bigger names than other tournaments with bold claims.

The European Quartet of Stardom: Stephano, Sase, WhiteRa, and DeMuslim

Impressive line-up, isn't it? None of them need any introduction but I will say a word or two just the same. Stephano is currently in everyone's mouth. Many of us knew that the kid had talent but it was not until IPL 3 that everyone was convinced. In his IPL run, Stephano became the beacon of foreign hope and now will take part in MLG's open tournament to aim for the top.

Of course, every tournament gets better when "Grandpa Toss" is around. Although he did not quite make it to the groups at Anaheim, WhiteRa's run impressed everybody and I am sure his fans are heartily cheering for the jolly Ukrainian to finally find his way to the top 24.

Sase and Demuslim are the ones that are still to win a major and although I doubt MLG Orlando will be that one, there is a strong chance to see either of them in the pools.

The Rear-guard of the Invasion: Alive, Polt, MarineKing, TheSTC

Koreans never f**k around when it comes to sending soldiers to do some dirty work, and having four formidable terrans all in the open bracket is a testimony to my words. I am not going to write a short novel listing these players' achievements. All you need to know is that this might very well be the top 4 that will end up seeded into the pool play.

As you can see, there is a mighty potential to see an open tournament top 8 matches worthy of the main stage of a major tournament. Let's hope the bracket format works in viewers' favour and there is no MKP vs Polt playing in the Ro128 or some similar nuisance. But even if that is the case, there is no doubting one thing - MLG Orlando is here to rock you. Hard.