GomTV Star Invitational: Round of 8 Preview

Group play of the StarCraft GOMTV Star Invitational has concluded, with the two best players from each group advancing to the single elimination brackets. Four Protoss, three Terran, and one Zerg continue to duel for prestige and honor. Only the top players will survive, facing a best of three match in the Round of 8.

The map set follows (as reported by TeamLiquid) :

Blue Storm
Katrina
Baekmagoji

Quick analysis: It’s interesting to see two maps with 1v1 setups, sandwiching Katrina, a very controversial map.

The Matchups

Flash (Terran) v Jaedong (Zerg)

Flash really surprised me. Not only did he win out of his group 3-0, but he managed to really rise up and show everyone why he’s here. Jaedong took a strange loss and came out of his group 2-1. Some experts claim he threw the match to avoid playing his teammate so early on. Either way, these players aren’t going down easy, especially with Jaedong as the only Zerg making it out of group play. Both of them are not ready to back down.

With Jaedong on fire and Flash in shape, expect this to go to three maps.

BlueStorm: Jaedong > Flash
Katrina: Flash > Jaedong
Baekmagoji: Flash > Jaedong

Flash advances (2-1).

Anytime (Protoss) v Much[gm] (Protoss)

Protoss mirror is always amazing to watch. AnyTime’s last Protoss mirror game against Stork proved AnyTime’s ability to exploit even the slightest of errors his enemy makes. Much is not to be underestimated either. He’s considered a dark horse in the event. While not as prominent as say Jaedong or Bisu, Much showed in his group he has a chance to win this event. Keep your eyes on this match; you won’t be disappointed.

Blue Storm: Much
Katrina: AnyTime
Baekmagoji: Much

Much advances (2-1)

Iris (Terran) v Bisu (Protoss)

Nicknamed Beserker, Iris was merciless against Stork and took a clear victory on Blue Storm. The resounding victory allowed him to take the 1st seed out of his group. Bisu didn’t fair as well against Sea, showing some flaws in his plays on the same map.

However, Iris lost to Hwasin on Katrina, while Bisu truly shined in epic fashion. Both players went on to win Baekmagoji, but Bisu won over a Zerg, while Iris proved his place over free. Another match definitely worth tuning in for.

Blue Storm: Iris > Bisu
Katrina: Bisu > Iris
Baekmagoji: Bisu > Iris

Bisu advances (2-1).

Sea[shield] (Terran) v Stork (Protoss)

Stork hasn’t had much luck lately. He slips up in some small way, and then just gets carved in two by his opponent right after.

Sea, on the other hand, dominated his group with very little problem. Stork won’t be able to get by on a cheese play, so he better be practicing for a flawless game against Sea.