Author: Mr. Bitter
About: A look at the round of 16 players
Greetings, folks, it's time for another OSL Update and holy cow, this one's exciting. OSL action has been so... its been so...
Well, the only words I really know to describe it are:
Round of 36 group play is officially over, and the player pool for the round of 16 is nothing short of amazing. Before I get into all that, though, I need to issue a little disclaimer. If you're reading this for match reviews turn back now. The only review to be found here will be match scores, and the occasional reference to a must see game. This article is 100% dedicated to round of 16 hype. That said, buckle up boys and girls, this OSL is going to be one helluva ride.
Alright, let's go ahead and get this spoiler business out of the way. Here's what happened in groups G-L. Do note that there were a few absolutely amazing games that you'd be cheating yourself to not go back and watch.
| Groups G-L Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group G | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Light | 2-0 |  Violet | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light | 2-1 | Jangbi | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Must See Game: Jangbi vs. Light on Plasma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group H | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Han | 2-1 | Justin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rock | 2-1 | Han | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Must See Game: Rock vs. Justin on Andromeda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dongrae | 2-1 | Tester | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stork | 2-0 | Dongrae | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nothing special about this set. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group J | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BestGod | 2-0 | go.go | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 GGPlay | 2-0 | BestGod | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Must See Game: GGPlay vs. BestGod on Return of the King | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group K | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| fantasy | 2-1 | SoO | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| fantasy | 2-1 | NaDa | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Must See Set: Watch the whole fantasy vs. Nada set, complete with commentary from Cholera! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Midas | 2-0 | Hero | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Midas | 2-0 | YellOw[ArnC] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Must See Game: Midas vs. YellOw[ArnC] on Plasma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
So, the round of 36 is over, and only 16 players remain. Let's look at the list:
| Incruit StarLeague RO16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players - EVER OSL Qualifiers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JulyZerg | Best | Luxury | BackHo | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Players - Round 1 Qualifiers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sea[Shield] (A) | Flash (B) | Much (C) | Thezerg (D) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mind (E) | Bisu (F) | Light (G) | Rock (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stork (I) | GGPlay (J) | Fantasy (K) | Midas (L) | |||||||||||||||||||||
- With each of the races being fairly evenly represented, and with both starpowered veterans, and white-hot newcomers in the mix, the twists and turns that this season's OSL could take are aplenty. Here's five stories that I just can't help talking about.
Are these two Protoss legends back in top form?
Bisu and Stork both looked extremely sharp in their groups, and both have shown additional impressive games in recent history. Admittedly, Stork's group was lacking an S class challenge, but his macro was absolutely perfect, and his game sense looked as good as its been in ages. Bisu's play wasn't quite perfect in his group, but he got the wins he needed to advance, and got them against PvT powerhouse Iris. The real deciding factor for these two will be what happens in group selection. Bisu's PvZ has always been his strongpoint, and inspite of recent losses to Luxury and Calm, I think he'll need a Zerg in his group if he's going to advance (unless he can somehow wind up with Rock and BackHo). Stork, on the other hand, has been looking great in all of his recent games. He's beaten both Luxury and GGPlay in his most recent meetings with them, and has always been strong vs. Terrans and other Protoss. If I had to pick one of these guys to go all the way, I'd say Stork may be in good enough form to do it. Regardless, both players are looking great, and should bring a lot of excitement to whatever groups they end up in.
Flash and Best have plenty to prove
Last season's two most winningest players are both alive and well in this OSL, and the stakes really couldn't be higher. Flash and Best were both expected to win championships somewhere last season, but after the smoke had cleared from the OSL, MSL, and GOM tournaments, neither of them held an individual first place trophy. No one doubts the abilities of either player, and the only real arguments against them being the top two players in the world is the absence of a championship trophy from either of their recent resumes. The simple fact is this: Both players are heavy favorites to go far in this OSL, and the only thing standing in the way of either of them is eachother. My cardinal hope is that these two can find themselves on opposite sides of the round of 16 ladder. A Best vs. Flash final would be absolutely epic.
Does Mr. B's favorite Terran have the right stuff?
If you're a regular to SC2GG, you know how much I love Mind. If your a Starcraft fan, you probably also know that he's just not on the same level as some of the other players in this tournament. While I would absolutely love to see Mind pull some sort of boy-genious craziness, and steal this season's OSL, I honestly don't see it happening. He might... MIGHT advance past the round of 16 if he gets lucky and finds himself in an easy group, but the odds of him getting past players of this OSL's calibre are pretty slim.
Can the Swarm repeat last season's OSL greatness?
This is actually extremely possible. July and Luxury both proved themselves in the last OSL by ousting the two best players in the world, Flash and Best. Add the always capable GGPlay to the mix along with newcomer TheZerg, who could very well be the best of the four, and a Zerg in the final becomes likely, and a Zerg champion quite probable. If there's a single factor that bodes badly for the Zerg players its the possibilty of being grouped together, or with vZ specialists like Bisu, Best and Flash. At least Luxury and July are guaranteed to be opposite one another. Group selection will have to decide the rest.
The next generation of Protoss Play?
lol, just kidding. Don't make the mistake of writing either of these guys off, though. It was BackHo who won against Jaedong, Much, Bisu, and Jangbi to get to the semis of last season's OSL, and it was Rock who... umm... ok, well he hasn't done much, but on any given day! In all seriousness, I don't expect either of these guys to get past the round of 16, but this is professional Starcraft, and anything could happen.
But before we get to pit these 16 Starcraft super-studs against one another, and answer all these burning questions, group selection must occur. Until then all this speculation is for naught. Rest assured, though, and this much is certain: I'll be here next week with all the latest group-selection news, and OSL info. See ya next time!
This article was published in collaboration with SC2GG.com. Original post here.
Edited for GosuGamers by LordWeird
