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What 2 Watch 4, ISL 8 Edition
by unknown · 2012-10-20
Ah, the fresh smell of a new ISL! The Unofficial Violet ISL will kick off Saturday, and will a Protoss step up and win the title for once? Or will just be Hide's quest for a second title and bonjwadom? Will an up-and-coming Terran become the successor of Lightning and Noble, and become the vaunted rival of the Butcher? Some picks for this tournament's top 10.
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1. HidE - Hide. The Butcher of Shakuras returns to defend his title against a hoard of competitors. But think to yourself, can anyone honestly beat the 2nd Zerg King? He is the most dominant player the game has ever seen, and has ushered in a new age into Shakuras, the age where rookies are now hitting their prime and overtaking random gens. No matter what the match up, Hide will win.
2. Nal_rA - Nalra. Through the recent King of Protoss Tournament, it has been shown that Nalra could PvT and PvP his way to an ISL championship. In fact, no Terran even took a set off of the King. While he does suffer the bane of all Protoss, PvZ, his incredible skill lets him match up extremely strong, and outside of the top few Zergs, I doubt any can stand up against him.
3. Kolll - Kolll. The challenge match god returns into the LAN ISL tournament a season wiser and more experienced with the setting. Last season was the best he had ever done, getting knocked out in the Ro16 in a tough 2-3 against Birdman. The Enigma seems ready to play to his full potential, and many think he will. Once a dark horse pick to win it all, it is very feasible to see Kolll raising the gold medal when it all ends.
4. Mafia Zerg - Mafia Zerg. Possibly the greatest threat to Hide's rule, Mafia has shown his adeptness in ZvZ, beating Birdman last season. In addition to this, he has reached that ace level where opposing teams see him coming out, and they know all hope is gone. An absolute force in team leagues, and last season's silver medalist, he will be ready for the ISL.
5. Badger - Badger. Hide's newest teammate might just be a sleeper in disguise. Already known as one of the most dominant Zergs, he joined forces with NB in the recent FA, and is now training with Hide. Arguably the top player from the ex-Monster free agency, Badger has had little talk about him for a long time. Well here's the hype, Badger has not lost a game in over a month. Look for him to extend his hot streak.
6. TORRES - Noble. The top performing Terran for a long time makes our countdown here. The past 2 ISLs have ended Noble's run as he faced bonjwas, first Birdman, later Hide. This might be his last chance to taste gold, but compared to his counterparts from the first generation (Tester, Lightning, Birdman) he might be the one aging the best. Then again, all the random-gens would be hard pressed trying to keep up with the current generation. Still, he's one of the best, and deserves his spot on the ranking.
7. Xello - Xello. The top TvPer in this time makes his appearance not just because of his Protoss slaying prowess, but also his TvZ. He's not called the Birdhunter for nothing. Since losing to Birdman in last season's ISL, he has not dropped a single game, and as such is one of the hottest players in the game. Not only is he on a streak, he's proven in the tournament, a dangerous combination.
8. BIRDMAN - Birdman. What is he doing so low on the list? Is the first bonjwa really slumping that hard? Well, to be honest... yes. As of late, Birdman's historical worse match up of ZvT has hurt him in teamleague, losing 3 straight at 4 out of 5. Not only this, his strong mirror match up has been broken in his series against Mafia last season, and so he'll have to rely on his godly matchup of ZvP. Seeing how there are very few Protoss that will go far, a ZvP path to the title seems impossible. The Birdjwa's demise continues.
9. Ghost - Ghost. Last season's semifinalist makes his entrance into the list as the 3rd Terran. Since his rise, there has been much talk. Is he overrated? Is he a product of an easy bracket? No. He is Ghost, and he has a chance to cement himself as the face of the new generation of Terrans. Ghost took down many in his quest for the title last season, and I believe he will take down many more throughout his career.
10. Blungy - Blungy. The TvZ weapon of mass destruction has looked less and less dominant in his signature match up as of late. Have the Zergs gotten better or has Blungy just slipped up? Blungy has some questions to answer this time around, questions he was not able to answer last season after being knocked out by Noble. If Blungy pulls out a string of TvZ victories, we will see that he has returned to form.
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## Bold Predictions ##
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1. Don Bilbo will reach the Ro8. Don Bilbo has been molded into a strong ace, and there is much opportunity for him to go far. He has won his last 20 games, but that does not mean very much since he is in 2.x. Even so, his stats and experience make him a dark horse threat to many of the players that made the first list.
2. Cure will be the second to last Protoss standing. Cure recently won the Rookie Challenge, and is still the best candidate for a player to revolutionize PvZ. Not only is his PvZ good, he has won 9 of his last 10 PvTs against Proleague competition. Coupled with his skillful mirror match up, Cure will carry the Protoss flag with pride deep into the ISL.
3. JustnBiebr will defeat one of the players that made the first list. Blood is the future, and wisely yesplz put multiple properties on quadruple mortgage to sign the youngster to a contract. The talented Zerg player all-killed today, an incredible feat in Proleague. This, coupled with being one of the highest potential players ever generated, Blood might begin to make his mark on the ISLs of Shakuras this season.
---
Pretty much put words to MrRapid's list, so much thanks to him. Some deliberations with Kralic also occured. Enjoy!
---
1. HidE - Hide. The Butcher of Shakuras returns to defend his title against a hoard of competitors. But think to yourself, can anyone honestly beat the 2nd Zerg King? He is the most dominant player the game has ever seen, and has ushered in a new age into Shakuras, the age where rookies are now hitting their prime and overtaking random gens. No matter what the match up, Hide will win.
2. Nal_rA - Nalra. Through the recent King of Protoss Tournament, it has been shown that Nalra could PvT and PvP his way to an ISL championship. In fact, no Terran even took a set off of the King. While he does suffer the bane of all Protoss, PvZ, his incredible skill lets him match up extremely strong, and outside of the top few Zergs, I doubt any can stand up against him.
3. Kolll - Kolll. The challenge match god returns into the LAN ISL tournament a season wiser and more experienced with the setting. Last season was the best he had ever done, getting knocked out in the Ro16 in a tough 2-3 against Birdman. The Enigma seems ready to play to his full potential, and many think he will. Once a dark horse pick to win it all, it is very feasible to see Kolll raising the gold medal when it all ends.
4. Mafia Zerg - Mafia Zerg. Possibly the greatest threat to Hide's rule, Mafia has shown his adeptness in ZvZ, beating Birdman last season. In addition to this, he has reached that ace level where opposing teams see him coming out, and they know all hope is gone. An absolute force in team leagues, and last season's silver medalist, he will be ready for the ISL.
5. Badger - Badger. Hide's newest teammate might just be a sleeper in disguise. Already known as one of the most dominant Zergs, he joined forces with NB in the recent FA, and is now training with Hide. Arguably the top player from the ex-Monster free agency, Badger has had little talk about him for a long time. Well here's the hype, Badger has not lost a game in over a month. Look for him to extend his hot streak.
6. TORRES - Noble. The top performing Terran for a long time makes our countdown here. The past 2 ISLs have ended Noble's run as he faced bonjwas, first Birdman, later Hide. This might be his last chance to taste gold, but compared to his counterparts from the first generation (Tester, Lightning, Birdman) he might be the one aging the best. Then again, all the random-gens would be hard pressed trying to keep up with the current generation. Still, he's one of the best, and deserves his spot on the ranking.
7. Xello - Xello. The top TvPer in this time makes his appearance not just because of his Protoss slaying prowess, but also his TvZ. He's not called the Birdhunter for nothing. Since losing to Birdman in last season's ISL, he has not dropped a single game, and as such is one of the hottest players in the game. Not only is he on a streak, he's proven in the tournament, a dangerous combination.
8. BIRDMAN - Birdman. What is he doing so low on the list? Is the first bonjwa really slumping that hard? Well, to be honest... yes. As of late, Birdman's historical worse match up of ZvT has hurt him in teamleague, losing 3 straight at 4 out of 5. Not only this, his strong mirror match up has been broken in his series against Mafia last season, and so he'll have to rely on his godly matchup of ZvP. Seeing how there are very few Protoss that will go far, a ZvP path to the title seems impossible. The Birdjwa's demise continues.
9. Ghost - Ghost. Last season's semifinalist makes his entrance into the list as the 3rd Terran. Since his rise, there has been much talk. Is he overrated? Is he a product of an easy bracket? No. He is Ghost, and he has a chance to cement himself as the face of the new generation of Terrans. Ghost took down many in his quest for the title last season, and I believe he will take down many more throughout his career.
10. Blungy - Blungy. The TvZ weapon of mass destruction has looked less and less dominant in his signature match up as of late. Have the Zergs gotten better or has Blungy just slipped up? Blungy has some questions to answer this time around, questions he was not able to answer last season after being knocked out by Noble. If Blungy pulls out a string of TvZ victories, we will see that he has returned to form.
---
## Bold Predictions ##
---
1. Don Bilbo will reach the Ro8. Don Bilbo has been molded into a strong ace, and there is much opportunity for him to go far. He has won his last 20 games, but that does not mean very much since he is in 2.x. Even so, his stats and experience make him a dark horse threat to many of the players that made the first list.
2. Cure will be the second to last Protoss standing. Cure recently won the Rookie Challenge, and is still the best candidate for a player to revolutionize PvZ. Not only is his PvZ good, he has won 9 of his last 10 PvTs against Proleague competition. Coupled with his skillful mirror match up, Cure will carry the Protoss flag with pride deep into the ISL.
3. JustnBiebr will defeat one of the players that made the first list. Blood is the future, and wisely yesplz put multiple properties on quadruple mortgage to sign the youngster to a contract. The talented Zerg player all-killed today, an incredible feat in Proleague. This, coupled with being one of the highest potential players ever generated, Blood might begin to make his mark on the ISLs of Shakuras this season.
---
Pretty much put words to MrRapid's list, so much thanks to him. Some deliberations with Kralic also occured. Enjoy!