[TLC] ISL1 Round of 16 - Maniac vs Checker Recap

by SageBow for The Longbow Chronicle [TLC] Match - Solid.Maniac 1 - 2 Checker Career Record Prior to Series - N/A The first match of the Ro16 generates a massive upset. On one end, a guy that could win it all, Maniac. Former World #1 in ELO. The current MVP race leader for League 1.1, playing for Solid Devs which is in the fight for promotion to the Proleague. A 50 overall Zerg with a goal to coronate himself as the King. 40-10 with a lifetime ZvT record of 7-5. On the other side, Checker. A fellow 1.1 league player, no where near the MVP race and playing for 6-21 ClickClack staring down the barrel of relegation. While he has fought admirably this season, with a record of 24-17, Checker was a heavy underdog. The Series Match Point (TvZ 45.16%) Solid.Maniac 12 Pool vs Checker 2 Rax FE Maniac wins in 20:18 Blue Storm (TvZ 57.45%) Solid.Maniac 12 Pool vs Checker 1 Rax Gas Checker wins in 22:13 New Bloody Ridge (TvZ 56.00%) Solid.Maniac 12 Pool vs Checker 14 CC Checker wins in 18:12 In just over an hour, Checker made his name as a giant slayer. The anatomy of the upset was simple. On the TvZ maps, Checker leaned into his best matchup against Maniac's worst match up and exploited Maniac's standard 12 pool opening. Checker showed creativity and variation, put the terrain to his advantage, and now heads into the quarterfinals against Dribb10r , a PvT specialist (#2 in this matchup, 79.2% win rate). Checker is our last remaining Terran in the ISL and will face stiff competition once again. Can the Giant Slayer do it one more time? Tune in next week!