[VoxMSI.Rogue]

Plantronics ACL Melbourne August 10th & 11th, 2013

Venue:
Union Hall, La Trobe University
College Drive (Off Kingsbury Drive)
Bundoora, Melbourne
VIC 3086


OPEN BRACKET

In the past, ACL Groups have been highly competitive, filled to the brim with our brightest players from around Australia and New Zealand, but heading into ACL Melbourne there are definitely some noticeable names missing.

The likes of mOOnGLaDe, JazBas, HuT, NXZ are all missing from groups, left to fight through the Open Bracket and with the retirement of MaFia, Light, deth, EdgE and Tgun ACL Melbourne will be a chance for plenty of new players to shine

Players such as Petrify, MegaFonzie, Pezz, Phoenix, StoicWilly, Arze, Kez, PulSe and ChoboSniper have managed to secure themselves into groups thanks to their online finishes in the qualifiers which means they are released from the pressures of the Open Bracket's which will see only eight players advance.

This ACL won't pack all unqualified players into a single Double Elimination Bracket, but instead see the entrants spread across four even brackets of which the top two shall advance. While this will speed up the process without a doubt, some players may find themselves battling against some of the top players in SEA to break out of their designated pool of players.

POOL PLAY

The 10th of August will see eight top players making it through to the group stage, of which three will advance from each pool to the final Championship Bracket. But who is expected to make it. Petraeus, PiG, KingKong, iaguz, Ninja and Rossi should make it through unhindered, especially if their recent results are anything to go by. I also have high hopes for both Pezz and Petrify, who have stepped up their game and started to fill the shoes left by the departure of some of the regions top players.

Without a doubt mOOnGLaDe will advance from whichever group he is placed in, which leaves only three spots remaining.

While it will come down purely to who advances from the four Open Brackets and which group they are placed into, Pool A is certainly the best to fight through, with Petraeus being the only player completely guaranteed of a spot in the Championship Bracket.

Pool B however, is stacked more in the favour of those already qualified for the group, and, if we see mOOnGLaDe placed into this group, we could see a player such as Pezz, who undoubtedly deserves to make it out, have his ACL Melbourne dreams shattered. Both PiG and iaguz have dipped their toes in International Tournament water recently, with PiG playing in ASUS ROG and iaguz in IEM Shanghai. Barring some form of plague or natural disaster, both of them are relatively safe in their quest for the Championship Bracket.

The Zerg heavy Pool C will favour KingKong and Fenner, who seem to take the mirror match up in their stride. Once again though, the groups balance is held in the hands of those who take the two spaces left.

Oh, and Pool D, well that isn't much better. Those who battle their way through phase one then have to face Rossi and Ninja; two players who are well known for keeping their heads down and powering though as dark horses in tournaments. While Ninja has been relatively quiet of late, he is never to be underestimated and with Rossi having mOOnGLaDe and JazBas as practice partners, incoming Zergs must fear him in the ZvT match up.

Pool A
Petraeus
MegaFonzie
Petrify
Phoenix
Open Bracket
Open Bracket


Pool B
PiG
Pezz
iaguz
StoicWilly
Open Bracket
Open Bracket


Pool C
KingKong
Fenner
Arze
Kez
Open Bracket
Open Bracket

Pool D
Ninja
Rossi
Pulse
ChoboSniper
Open Bracket
Open Bracket








PLAYERS TO WATCH

The heavyweights....

Petraeus
KingKong
PiG
mOOnGLaDe
iaguz
Rossi

The future stars....

Pezz
Petrify
ChoboSniper
Myuu





**All photos are taken from ACL Pro Facebook Page