Mana vs TLO @ Whirlwind
In the deciding match of Group C, the European mastodons played the only series with actual entertaining value. In this particular game, we have TLO once again spreading like a good Zerg should, taking the entire left side of the map, but Mana's determination in wiping the infestation is admirable. Zealot warp-ins at three places at one and calculated deathball maneuvers are among the highlights of this excellent series.
Dayshi vs HasuObs @ Whirlwind
After a quick game one victory, HasuObs takes on Dayshi in a 30+ minute PvT on Whirlwind as both players bring along the best their races have to offer. Snipes, EMPs, time warp zoning and pristine macro define the second game of the series as the German scores his first win for the day.
HasuObs vs Dimaga @ Star Station
Once again, HasuObs is close to immaculate as he faces Dimaga's tireless hordes. The German Protoss displays flawless defense as he repels wave after wave during periods of severe supply disadvantage, only to crawl back into the series, establish a healthy economy and turn the entire thing around, making Dimaga seek success in the deciding match.
Rest of the week in short
[Group C] TLO 2-0 Mana : Roaches and hydra spill out of TLO like the Niagara Falls and Mana collapses in two games completely outmacroed and outpunched. - VOD
[Group C] MMA 2-1 Tails : MMA and Tails play the popular Korean game "never go north of 50 supply by killing the other guy with reapers and DTs". The whole series lasts about 20 minutes. - VOD
[Group C] MMA 2-0 TLO : MMA bunker rushes to a quick 1-0 but game two takes a completely different turn. TLO takes half of Whirlwind and bleeds endless waves of Zerg but MMA's drops and equally good bio mobility hunt the hatcheries one by one until the German taps out. - VOD
[Group C] Mana 2-1 Tails : Tails chooses the 1-base playstyle and throws a proxy void ray and blink stalker rushes at Mana. He finds out that mass stalkers and immortals are surprisingly efficient against his strategies. - VOD
[Group D] Dimaga 2-0 duckdeok : Duckdeok tries his best to be offensive but Dimaga's ling waves and many, many queens are more than enough defense to make the Korean quit. - VOD
[Group D] duckdeok 2-1 Dayshi : Dayshi takes the early lead on the back of a bio timing but Duckdeok replies in kind and comes back after two 1-base stalker/MSC attacks. - VOD
[Group D] duckdeok 2-1 Dimaga : In the most standard PvZ on the planet, Duckdeok comes back from a 0-2 deficit and ousts Dimaga with two 2-base timings despite Zerg's huge numbers. - VOD
- Group E, July 9, 18:00 CET
[GosuBet] BabyKnight vs Welmu - While BabyKnight's televised PvP record in Heart of the Swarm is still humble, there are his victories against Grubby and Naniwa last season which are strong advocates for him winning this match. Then again, Welmu is 20-8 in the mirror, with only two losses in his last ten games and at 71% win rate so this is literally anybody's match.
[GosuBet] Thorzain vs Ret - Another match which can go either way but for the exact opposite reasons. None of Thorzain and Ret are in particularly good shape at the moment and their names sit in the shadows of the hotter Terran and Zerg players in Europe. A slight advantage should be given to Thorzain for his better Season 1 and HSC 7 results but as history has taught us, Ret is most explosive after long periods of slumping.
- Group F, July 10, 18:00 CET
[GosuBet] Lucifron vs Naniwa - Get hyped for the most anticipated match of the Ro32. Naniwa is currently the hottest player in Europe and according to Apollo, he might be the successor of Stephano for the best player on the continent. A silver at DreamHack Stockholm and top four at MLG Spring easily make him the favorite in this match up and if there were no hellbats in this game that Lucifron can abuse, this would be a really easy match to call.
[GosuBet] Bly vs uzer - Logic dictates that Bly should be the favorite here. The Ukrainian comes from a team of established Zerg players like Nerchio and Scarlett and is being coached by Cella himself. Experience is on his side as well and the Premier League stage should not be too much of a burden on his shoulders. At the same time, Uzer comes as the undisputed underdog of the group and should he, by some miracle, take down the Ukrainian, he will have a hard, if not impossible time getting out of Group F.
WCS standings Updated as of July 4th, 20131 InnovationKorea42002 MvpEurope32002 SoulkeyKorea32004 HerOAmerica29505 sOsKorea28756 StephanoEurope20007 TLOEurope19008 AliveAmerica18508 ForGGEurope18508 RevivalAmerica185011 AliciaAmerica160011 RoroKorea160013 KangHoKorea145013 SymbolKorea145015 DimagaEurope142516 RyungAmerica1350 More on WCS Europe
Interview with BabyKnight: "One of the reasons why people whine about balance is that it's easier for them to stay motivated. Being hard on oneself can be quite demotivating in the long run."
WCS Europe Weekly #1: ZvT cocktails? Yes, please!
Rotator photo: Zhang Jingna
