GGL Wire

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). Continued…

Marking the end of group play, Group D continues the StarCraft GOMTV Star Invitational’s best of the best going head to head. The quartet is composed of players whose chances are as good as anyone else’s in the 16-man fight for the title. Before Bisu’s move to SKT1, the group had 3 MBCHero members. The players are all familiar with each other’s styles, meaning some cheese tactics and innovative plays can also be expected.

Cast of Characters

Name: Taek-Yong Kim
Alias: Bisu[Shield]
Race: Protoss
Team: SK Telecom 1 (Recently transferred, originally MBCHero)

Strength: During Savior’s reign, Bisu rose up to become the anti-Savior and dethrone the Zerg Maestro. Each time the players met, Bisu fortified his place in the annals of StarCraft fame. While Bisu’s Dark Templar/Corsair strategy is not entirely new, his technique and skill at its implementation are flawless. Continued…

Group C of the StarCraft GOMTV Star Invitational follows up with some potentially awesome games to watch. Stork looks like one of the favorites to win this event, while all the other players are close to being in top shape. Interestingly enough, there are no Zergs in this set. Expect tanks and dragoons galore tonight.

Visit the GOMTV schedule page to find out when this is all going down.

Also keep in mind that these matches are all being shoutcasted in English by Nick “Tasteless” Plott. GOMTV considers this a test-run for Tasteless, and future employment for him (and English StarCraft enjoyment for us) hinges on his viewership numbers. So, hit the GOMTV GSI video on demand page to view completed games, as well as the aforementioned match schedule page to see when the next battle begins.

Tasteless is casting every match…now to the previews!

Name: Byung-Goo Song
Alias: Stork
Race: Protoss
Team: Samsung KHAN Continued…

GOMTV announced in January a special invitational league featuring the top names in StarCraft. Legendary veterans like Yo Hwan “SlayerS_Boxer” Lim and Yoon-Yeol “ReD[NaDa]” Lee, as well as new stars like Jae-Dong “n.Die_Jaedong” Lee will fight it out in the event Feb. 17-20.

Possibly the biggest news about this event comes with GOMTV broadcasting the games live over the internet to American audiences, featuring Nick “Tasteless” Plott as one of the English-language commentators. Tasteless is in the running for a new gig, but won’t make it without the help of his dedicated fans. GOMTV has informed him that any further employment opportunities depend on his viewing numbers. That’s where you come in.

A new GOMTV player has been made specifically for international audiences. View the match schedule here and get ready for some hot Tasteless action. VOD views count toward Tasteless’ views as well.

More info, schedule, and streams can be found at gsi.gomtv.com.

Our favorite community correspondent from Blizzard, Karune, must have heard my cry last time for gameplay news from StarCraft II. The latest Q&A batch features some answers from Lead Designer Dustin Browder, addressing balance issues, maps, units, etc.

Karune also gives us another peak at the Protoss Nullifier’s abilities: the Null Void. Null Void creates an area where abilities and spells are disabled, much like a silence-terrain type spell. He also mentions the Marauder, a potential Firebat replacement.

Continued…