[TSL 9] – Week 1 Recap / Week 2 Preview

Week 1 Recap
Favorites prevail over the weekend

Week 2 Preview
Big Matches:
Serral vs Clem, Astrea vs Reynor

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

Vods on Twitch
Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3

by Wax

Compared to the upset-laden first week of TSL8 that saw Clem and Zest go out early, TSL9 kicked off in predictable fashion with the favorites mostly coming out on top. While there were still exciting games to be had (more on that below), clashes between high-profile players have been reserved for week two.

Week one did feature one big surprise, however, as Brazil’s Kelazhur took down Mexico’s SpeCial in a Latin American showdown. Having won seven out of seven DHM: Latin America tournaments (the only player to have won every single regional in the DHM system), SpeCial had proven himself to be beyond dominant in his region. Not only that, but Kelazhur’s match record against SpeCial over the last four years was a paltry 4W-25L, with just one of those wins coming in what could be considered a ‘major’ tournament. While it’s hard to say just yet that the balance of power is shifting in Latin America, it was certainly a significant upset.

To a lesser extent, Classic’s 2-0 victory over ByuN was one of the surprises of the first round. Classic had made rapid progress upon returning from military service in August of 2021, but it felt as if he had plateaued in 2022. Overcoming a strong player like ByuN was an encouraging result for the one-time Code S champion as he looks to find further success in his post-military career. Interestingly enough, Classic named herO as specific inspiration in his post-match interview, suggesting that he had given him new hope for what a ‘returnee’ might achieve.

Alas, we had to bid eight players adieu in week one. While all of them will be missed, I’m particularly sad to see DongRaeGu and SKillous go out.

DongRaeGu reached the top six of GSL in consecutive seasons in 2022, and he was certainly a threat to achieve a similar result in TSL9. However, he drew a tough bracket where he faced GuMiho and RagnaroK consecutively, and it’s not too surprising that he would lose to such formidable foes. GuMiho, in particular, is a player I’d keep an eye on going forward. He’s had some stops and starts in his post-military career, but some of his recent results—including a huge 2-0 win against Serral in HomeStory Cup XXI—suggest he might be ready to make a big impact in a major event.

As for SKillous, it was unfortunate to see him drop out of an event in the early phases again. Back in late 2021/early 2022, he was in the same category with Creator and herO as Protosses who were getting great results in online cups but still needed to prove themselves in major tournaments. Alas, while Creator and herO went on to have fantastic GSL runs, SKillous is still looking for his breakout event. Unfortunately,he won’t have the opportunity in TSL9, and will have to look forward to DreamHack Atlanta.

Recommended Games

Ryung vs Lambo, Game 2 (at 02:24:50): I won’t sugarcoat it too much—the opening weekend of TSL9 wasn’t the most exciting three days of StarCraft II I’ve seen. However, Ryung and Lambo still managed to deliver a nerve-wracking experience on Inside and Out, with the gaming coming down to control over a final ‘neutral’ expansion in the waning minutes. Though fans are sure to cry out about the state of TvZ balance, this match largely came down to each players ability to control (and protect) their crucial late-game spellcasters.

While Ryung lamented the quality of his play afterward, he should take a little bit of solace in having given the viewers a fine spectacle to watch.

Astrea vs NightMare, Game 2: (at 03:33:20): Was this game an epic comeback? Or was this game an epic throw? The answer is that it was a little bit of both, as no one can ever come back from behind without their opponent making some mistakes.

NightMare had taken game one by holding off a cannon-rush from Astrea, and was on the cusp of stealing a 2-0 upset after he built a significant mid-game lead for himself in game two. However, Astrea put in a fantastic performance to show how mental composure can overcome huge material disadvantages on the battlefield. The maneuverability of Blink Stalkers was the key for Astrea, as he used them to harass, buy time, and ultimately pull off an improbable comeback.

God of Predictions: ZombieGrub

This week’s GOD(DESS) OF PREDICTIONS is ZombieGrub, who went 7/8 on her prognostications for 87.5% accuracy. ZG’s only error was picking ByuN to beat Classic, but it did not cost her in the end as both of her co-casters picked the same result. Second place goes to TSL newcomer Beomulf, who went 13/16 across two days of games for an impressive 81.25% accuracy rate.
Unfortunately, there is still no prize for being declared the GOD(DESS) OF PREDICTIONS in a given week—at least until one of our wonderful sponsors wants to step in. But really, if one is proven to have a vastly superior intellect, could there possibly be a material reward that matches such bliss?