Unless you have been living under a rock, or happen to have Australia internet(oh wait...), you have absolutely no excuses for being ignorant to the premier Australia and New Zealand league, ACL. It has been 14 Outback-scorching days, and as many cold, desert nights since the red and orange dust has settled from the first qualifier for Season 1. With one heavy weight hitter of down under emerging victorious. This majestic didgeridoo wielding maniac, emerging from the shadows of Aiur, was none other than iM.Light.
To predict what skirmishes might occur this time, resulting in our conqueror, we must look to the past, in an effort to ascertain the outcomes plausible.
The first story line that we will be telling dates back to the very dream time of Australian and SEA rivalries alike: Moonglade, and everybody else.
Many moons ago, after the elf dust of Warcraft 3 vanished, bloodied and tired of slaying various races, Moonglade came to Starcraft 2 like any other. What would occur would be a domination like none have ever seen. Undefeated in countless tournaments, he still held the peoples love by being a humble ruler.
This humility however, would go unnoticed, as the title, nay, the crown for Australian King is still being fought over. Last qualifier, we saw our king take an arrow to the knee, fittingly, in the qualifiers for the ACL. He was downed in the round of 4 by a sharp, ruthless New Zealand youngster by the name of Petraeus. Will Glade be able to route and re aright to victory this Saturday, or will more viscous underlings look to fell the beast whilst he is injured? Only time will tell.
Around the campfire, with a plethora of shrimp skewed on sticks, mentioned in the same breath as the chronicles of Moonglade, is the tyranny of Light.
Last qualifier Light showed us why you can never count a skilled and talented Protoss out. Dropping only 2 maps on the way to his (nearly) flawless victory. If you are watching tomorrow, be sure to keep an eye on him. If you are competing, to fear him.
Hot on the heels of Light, we had Petraeus . Petraeus has been in amazing form since the third quarter of last year, and many rumblings of 'Patch Zerg' rang in the deep. Patches after, Petraeus shows us he still continues to dominate, taking 2nd place and crushing those who stood in his way. A true test of his longevity in the scene might be this tournament, and doing as well as he did last time would be a step in securing an obelisk to New Zealand, since its former god, Jazbas, has gone missing.
Finally, once all the children of the campfire had been scared to death, the shrimp and VB gone, the SEAtizens recall a final name, that when uttered, incites fear to his own brethren zerg, Pig.
Pig has a dominating zvz. A handy attribute in a ecosystem riddled with them. This talent along with other formidable match ups has made him a terrifying adversary. With ACL being a feeding ground for him in the past, it is uncountable Pig will look to do well in this qualifier.
The name sorely missed from the top end of the table last qualifier was Mafia. Having dominated a large proportion of 2012, and having solid international performances to boot, it was surprising he finished in the 9-12th bracket. Usually known for being an extremely consistent player, I expect him to do well this tournament.
After these champions of SEA, we have the Sydney stack. Sydney is easily the most stacked state down unda'. With Poker, Ninja, Rossi, Fenner, Tgun, Hut and Myuu all vying for glory. Add in Iaguz because why not, and these players form the main militia of any top end Australian tournament. Look out for any of the above to fell the tyrants.
Whilst last qualifier did indeed have many surprises, perhaps the most was the appearance 'Megafonzi'. Having no idea what state he comes from and never seeing him on our forums, this silent assassin took 5th/6th in one of, if not the first SEA tournament he has competed in. Having been told he has competed in race wars and a few minor tournaments, this was an amazing result for one of his first major tournaments. Will be interesting to see if similar results can be replicated tomorrow.
So there you have it folks, Those are the majority of players to watch out for this tournament. For the lazy I'll compile my personal top 16, as top 16 will garner enough cred to possibly earn themselves a spot in the Group stage for ACL Brisbane.
Having no idea what state he comes from and never seeing him on our forums, this silent assassin took 5th/6th in one of, if not the first SEA tournament he has competed in.
MegaFonzie has been around for ages dude.. Just not an avid poster.. or perhaps he uses a name that isn't MegaFonzie around these parts? - I think he goes by Kaz or something also?...
MegaFonzie has been around for ages dude.. Just not an avid poster.. or perhaps he uses a name that isn't MegaFonzie around these parts? - I think he goes by Kaz or something also?...
yeah, aka Caz. He played in race wars and stuff for protoss, and Light (and i think Nirvana) have mentioned him a few times as one of the better protoss in sea.
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