Lyn4th place ESWC 2007
Lyn is no doubt in great shape given both recent results in BWI (2nd place), the all-star event PGL (5th place), the world’s toughest ESWC qualifier (top four ESWC Korea) and the WC3L finals (1-1 Grubby, 1-0 TeD) as well as results dating back a bit longer such as winning the Extreme Masters II, Make Game Colorful & two seasons of the Afreeca Warcraft League.
If he has a weakness it might be that his match-up vs. Human is not as strong as his others, something which ToD or Sky could exploit. Realistically though he is one of the favorites for top three and should be a formidable opponent to any player. Look forward to seeing him compete in San Jose, qualifying either in Seoul or Paris.
MoonNo prior ESWC participation
Warcraft III’s greatest player ever has shown recently that he remains a force to be reckoned with after winning BWI and ending second place PGL and teaming up with Grubby to take home the WC3L finals. He has somewhat of a fickle streak as well however, failing to make it through his national ESWC qualifier for the sixth year in a row by losing to Reign.
Many will see a favorite in the event in him, not only because he is a great player but also because more than any other player people will hope to see him succeed in finally qualifying for a ESWC grand finals. He is the man to beat at the event but given the players present to have recently done so (Reign, ToD & Lyn) that will not guarantee him a top three finish.
Sky4th place ESWC 2005, 3rd place ESWC 2006
The two-fold World Cyber Games champion remains a force to be reckoned with given his recent achievements such as a 3rd place at PGL, 2nd place at IEF and victory at the Neo Star League II. On the downside he faces more and more opposition from home and failed to progress in ESWC China by losing to newcomer HopeStar, making him depended on international accomplishments to remain the top dog in China.
He has no discernible weak match-ups and has been tested heavily in competition recently, meaning it will take a great player in great shape to knock him out. In terms of perception there is no professional gamer that has more at stake in this competition than Sky, look forward to him excelling under pressure.
Title contenders
HoT2nd groupstage ESWC 2006
The two-fold Samsung European Championship winner remains very much underappreciated for a player of his results and achievements. His recent fifth place finish at PGL which included victories over FoV & Lyn will ensure his fellow players will not underestimate him however. Assuming Ukraine organizes a qualifier he should attend the San Jose event, but do not count him out of qualifying in Paris.
He is the underdog versus the top players of the event and Lucifer, Reign, Who & Fly100% should all be capable of beating him. Nevertheless he is the player most likely to win the event of the players not generally mentioned as favorites to do so.
ToD4th ESWC 2003, 5th ESWC 2004, 5th ESWC 2006
The French superstar enters the event with a homeground advantage and should remain in good shape from recent events in China. Most of the recent attention surrounding ToD has been due to his forfeiting PGL. This is no way a sign that ToD is not ready to win the Masters however; his signature accomplishment (winning the 2006 WEG Masters) came after he had long counted himself out of the tournament and he has a long history of up and down performances at tournaments regardless of how he feels.
He knows his opposition and with the possible exception of Sky has a reasonable record against all of them. ToD is neither one of the absolute favorites for the event or someone that should be counted out for the title, do not be shocked if he finished top three but do not be surprised if he does not. He should qualify for San Jose irregardless.
Grubby2nd groupstage ESWC 2003, 1st ESWC 2005, 5th ESWC 2006, 3rd ESWC 2007
The Orc Emperor is in good shape as his recent (and fifth) WC3L victory shows. 2008 overall has been respectable so far with a 3rd place at BWI (losing to Lyn), 3rd place at the Extreme Masters II (losing to ToD), 4th place at the Samsung European Championship (losing to HoT) and 5th place at the KODE5 global finals (losing to Shy).
He is already qualified for the global finals for which he skipped PGL (winning the Dutch national Electronic Sports World Cup qualifier in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne for the first time) and for those on the outside his participation in this event is mostly helpful in seeing how he measures up against those who recently participated in PGL. Grubby’s chances are comparable to ToD’s, it is no shock if he finishes top three but no surprise if he does not.
FoV1st ESWC 2004, 2nd groupstage ESWC 2005, 2nd groupstage ESWC 2006
Winning the Electronic Sports World Cup in 2004 gave FoV’s professional career a huge boost and is one of the reasons we have seen so much of him over the years. FoV has had countless successes over the years and, even though it has been less high profile, recent events show he can still compete. He finished top twelve at PGL beating ToD, SaSe & Susiria and being eliminated by Fly100% as well as top six at BWI being one of two players to take a map of Moon before being eliminated by Sky.
The big difference between FoV and most other players is that he has nothing big to prove at the event, doing well is the equivalent of adding another notch to his belt. He has competed in three of four ESWC’s using Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, which for a Korean player facing the world’s toughest qualifiers is unheard off. This is of course not how FoV will look at it, his chances of doing well should be slightly below those of Grubby or ToD but he certainly qualifies as a contender to win a slot to San Jose.
Title outsiders
Lucifer1st ESWC 2006, 5th ESWC 2007
It seems like ancient history by now but when Lucifer won ESWC 2006 (at the same venue as the Masters are taking place) he was for a time considered the strongest player in South Korea. At the time his victory was surprising but also seen as fitting in a longtime upward trend where the Undead player went from a respectable Korean professional to a world title contender from WEG III to ESWC 2006.
Ever since this however the trend has been downwards. He took 2nd place at Battle.net season four, 2nd place at Extreme Masters Los Angeles and fourth place at the Extreme masters II and remains one of the strongest Warcraft III players but is no longer perceived as a title favorite. He failed to qualify for San Jose in Korea and so has something very real at stake in this event. It would be a surprise to see Lucifer finish top three but he is most certainly capable of it.
Reign3rd ESWC 2005
A long time ago the now twenty year old Reign was considered a prodigy Warcraft III player who on the age of fifteen had podium finishes in televised Korean leagues in the golden days of the country’s Warcraft III competitions. Internationally he showcased this strength with bronze at the 2005 Electronic Sports World Cup (losing to Grubby and beating Sky for fourth place).
After a break in competitions and his return with SK Gaming he has shown to still be among the Korean elite but has so far not broken into the global group of players that competes for major titles. He finished 3rd at the latest Afreeca Warcraft League, is one of four players still in running to represent Korea at San Jose (eliminating Moon) and had a 1-1 record at the recent WC3L finals beating Infi and losing to Susiria. Given recent victories over PGL’s number one and two he should not be counted out for an upset or two.
WhoNo prior ESWC participation
Who’s presence in this tournament is one of the biggest surprises of the event. This given that he’s flying in from South-Korea despite him finishing top three being a longshot. The Orc player has a strong present in online competition having won several open international tournaments as well as being the player ranked one in the last season of the Warcraft 3 Champions League.
There’s little to suggest he will succeed at the event, on the other hand there is little to suggest he will fail. Who is a mostly undefined player and his participation in this event will help establish him regardless of success.
Top eight contenders
XlorDNo prior ESWC participation
The sixteen year old German EPS champion XlorD is hoping to challenge the old guard of European professionals at this event. He has been hampered in the past by events restricting his entrance in competition, possibly a result of German's absurd laws regarding gaming (I'm also looking at you Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman). At the age of sixteen all doors pretty much go open however meaning that regardless of his results at this event we can expect to see a lot more of 'ixi'.
Aside from the EPS XlorD has no great accomplishments to his name. The event indicates he is in tournament shape and can succeed under pressure, meaning he might be in shape to do some damage and if not that he might still succeed as the result of another player failing to live up to expectations.
RotterdaM2nd Groupstage ESWC 2006, 2nd groupstage ESWC 2007
RotterdaM recently qualified for his 3rd consecutive ESWC event and has in recent months competed at the KODE5 global finals in Moscow (losing to Infi & Shy in the groupstages) as well as Dreamhack Summer in Sweden (losing to FuRy for 5th place). He has some recent tournament results but nothing to suggest a surprise in this event.
RotterdaM more than XlorD, Yaws, LilLD.C or Who is an experienced player at an event like this and should be a solid player. He should be less likely to lose any unexpected matches (or show unexpected strength for that matter) and would only require one upset to reach top eight.
LilLD.CNo prior ESWC participation
The young Swede LilLD.C recently held his own vs. SaSe, RotterdaM and Fury in Dreamhack Summer where he took 2nd place. With DeMusliM and Shriek as teammates there is nothing to suggest his match-up vs. Human should not be respectable as well, meaning he should be a all around strong player. He holds a respectable 14-9 1on1 map record in WC3L season 13.
The story of LilLD.C is mostly one of unfulfilled potential, but given that it is ten months ago that Four Kings picked him up it is time for a change in narrative. LilLD.C can do well at the event but also faces pressure to do so before he becomes one of many players for which people once held higher hopes.
Top eight outsiders
yAwSNo prior ESWC participation
Yaws recently finished seventh in the German EPS with a respectable 9-5 record and has a 9-18 1on1 map record in the most recent WC3L season. He is a good soldier for his team and a respectable player in the German national scene, doing well at this event seems a bit out of his reach; but having never participated in high level international competitions before who knows how well prepared the young German will enter Paris.
DNANo prior ESWC participation
DNA rocks because, well, he is from Hungary. As a player he has won some decent matches at past World Cyber Games and has a 9-18 1on1 map record in season 13 of WC3L. Representing an entire region on his own he has a lot of pressure on him to do well, which is not out of the question for a otherwise little noticed player that manages to surprise every now and then.
Wolf5th ESWC 2005, 2nd groupstage ESWC 2006, 1st groupstage ESWC 2007
Wolf has in the past months been the most dominant player in France national competition and will most likely qualify for San Jose alongside ToD in what will be his fourth consecutive ESWC event. The now eighteen year old player was once considered the hope of a future generation of Warcraft III players as he showed exceptional results on a young age with as highlights top eight finishes at the World E-Sport Games and Electronic Sports World Cup in 2005.
He decided (wisely) to focus on his school career instead, and has for the past years only shown himself in national competitions while making appearances at every year's ESWC event. He is likely to be eliminated early but potentially very dangerous and should be handled with care by any player in the event.
Participants with most room to surprise
Demigod1st groupstage ESWC 2007
Lets be honest, Demigod was invited because he is from Iran and the ESWC organization wanted a diverse attendance and the middle east is now represented. If my dog signed up from Iran he would been accepted. But that does not change that a lot of pressure rides on Demigod: not since Heman won ESWC 2003 has the Iranian national Warcraft III scene had so much attention focused on itself and Demigod's results will determine how future generations will perceive the country.
KleenexNo prior ESWC participation
The number three player from the ESWC France pre-qualifier has the rare treat of competing in a international event with real stakes for some of the world's strongest players. He should focus on a upset in the national ESWC qualifier and enjoy seeing how he measures up against the players in this competition.
PsykoNo prior ESWC participation
The number four player from the ESWC France pre-qualifier has the rare treat of competing in a international event with real stakes for some of the world's strongest players. He should focus on a upset in the national ESWC qualifier and enjoy seeing how he measures up against the players in this competition.
hGNo prior ESWC participation
hG has been France's number three player for a while now and should look at the upcoming event in Paris as a chance to go up a point. It is unlikely but not impossible that he can upset someone, he is a big longshot for a top eight finish however. Look forward to him competing versus Wolf in ESWC France which is where his real focus should be.
How the players did in their national qualifiersAlready qualifiedGrubby (1st ESWC Netherlands) RotterdaM (2nd ESWC Netherlands) In running to qualifyLyn (last four at ESWC Korea) ToD (last sixteen at ESWC France) Reign (last four at ESWC Korea) Who (last four at ESWC Korea) Wolf (last sixteen at ESWC France) Kleenex (last sixteen at ESWC France) Psyko (last sixteen at ESWC France) hG (last sixteen at ESWC France) Failed to qualifyMoon (losing to Reign) Sky (losing to HopeStar) HoT (losing to FiX) FoV (losing to Soccer) Lucifer (losing to Shy) XlorD Yaws LilLD.C (losing to DowaQ) DNA (no national qualifier) Status unknownDemigod |
