[Dingobloo]

xGTL Playoffs Round 1

vs.

Players to watch for:
Gama Bears:
Sen
Apro

Xeria Gaming:
Mafia
Light

After 9 weeks of competition it comes down to the final four teams and the team that gives the tournament its name finds itself in the uncomfortable position of being the underdog against the team at the top of the table. Gama Bears seem like the obvious choice: they have only accrued a single loss throughout the tournament to second place Gamecom NV; they have the upper hand in terms of head to head score defeating Xeria 3-1 on their last encounter; and Sen, the team's ace zerg player is 12-2 having yet to drop a match.

You might be forgiven for thinking that underdog is an understatement, but there is a silver lining for the tournament namesake: The roster lock in week 8 has enabled Xeria to retain it's key players (Light, iaguz, Mafia and Jazbas) for the remainder of the team league; the lead up to WCS Australian and Oceania has given additional practice motivation to a number of Xeria's members; and their previous 3-1 defeat at the hands of Gama was much closer then it seems on paper, with Xeria not fielding their strongest line-up and still walking away with several close 1-2 matches.

It will be one of Xeria's final appearances with this roster and they're at the mercy of the match-ups. If they can dodge Sen with their more valuable players they're a good chance to force an ace match. Come Tuesday the 21st it's up to them if they go out with a bang or a whimper and I hope you'll be watching.

Prediction:
Gama Bears 3-2 Xeria Gaming

Stream:
www.twitch.tv/benjisc2

Schedule:
Winners Round 1:
Tuesday, 21st August 2012 8pm AEST
Wednesday, 22nd August 2012 9pm AEST
Winners Round 2:
Friday, 24th August 2012 9pm AEST
Losers Round 1:
Tuesday, 28th August 2012 9pm AEST
Losers Round 2:
Wednesday, 29th August 2012 9pm AEST
Grand Final:
Friday, 31st August 2012 9pm AEST

Learn More:
xGTL Finals Information on SC2SEA.com
xGTL on Liquipedia