[UHF]

S Class - Week 01 - Testing the waters
I know there is another thread, but it's kind of a mixture of stuff at the moment. The more interest the better right?

So, the time has finally arrived and the big guns are coming out to play! Interestingly enough, I feel like the first weeks team match-ups are extremely even across the board (at first glance). I'm not particularly comfortable making any guesses as to who will win or lose in the first round - it's way too hard! Also, the way this week is set up will probably make next week just as hard to gauge!

I expect there to be a lot of nerves going around, and almost expect some players to under-perform. Being the new year, and coming off the Christmas break, I also suspect a bunch of rusty players that will take a couple weeks to degrease the joints.

Match of the week:
There is no doubt that Nv vs fray and xG vs iM matches are going to be huge and will probably grab the most attention this week. However I'm personally looking foward to Flash vs Eve, as I think there is a really good rivalry here and it will be interesting to see the state of both teams and their players (generally an unknown quantity).

Games to look out for:
AgUy vs Shieldz
One of the first sets of the S Class league - both players leading the charge not only for their teams, but really setting a precedence for things to come. AgUy also recently was promoted to the Iris A-team, and will looking to put in a solid first performance.

JazBas vs Ninja
Just so damn hard to predict how this will play out. Being the forth set, it might turn out to be dead-weight (other than points), but it could be the hinge of either team winning, or drawing into the Ace match.

Poker vs Light
Poker has been monstering so many players lately, it's becoming quite scary. Coming up against one of the best Protoss in the region, this is going to be great test for both players.

Blysk vs Yekke
I feel like there is some kind of rivalry here and maybe I'm way off base, but these guys seem to always hit each other. I have both of these players in my Fantasy team, so it kind of sucks for me, but i think this is going to be a fantastic set. Yekke has been showing some really good play lately, we'll see if he can continue his form.

ProAnnn vs Pox
Simply because I never catch ProAnnn playing, and I think the skill level here will provide an entertaining set. Pox has been a great up-and-comer, now he needs to push on harder if he wants to get the traction he needs to go to the next level.

Team Nv - what's been happening?
Being privey to all the insider knowledge, I thought I'd give a short update on the teams doings and what to expect!

Set 1 Nvdeth vs frayPetraeus
Set 2 NvRossi vs frayHuT
Set 3 NvmOOnGLaDe vs frayiaguz
Set 4 NvJazBas vs frayNinja

Going into SEACL with the first round starting tonight, it's no secret that there is some expectation hanging over Team Nv's head. When your line-up hosts both the WCS Oceania champion, the WCS New Zealand champion and two of the finest Terrans from the region, there is some base level of quality that you're almost expected to produce. However, they've drawn into one of the toughest opponents of the league, and many have tipped Nv to fall to their first round opponents!

mOOnGLaDe
Recently (this week) returned on a long trip back from IEM Poland. Having monstered some big names at the event (Dream & Grubby), but narrowly falling short of getting out of groups (1 map short!), GLaDe is in as good of form as he has ever been. Is he able to bounce back after battling the cold snow of Poland and a long, tiresome trip home? Of course! Expect Andy to take no prisoners (sorry guz!)

deth
deth put a lot of gametime in over the summer, especially in HotS where he has been doing extremely well. Unfortunately deth has been out of action for a little while, having recently moved house and encountering ISP troubles. Will the short break have any effect? If deth has any say in it then no, as he will sharpen up quick with the time he had before the round start. However he has a tough battle ahead, drawing into arguably the teams hardest match-up of the round.

Rossi
Similar to deth, Rossi put in a lot of practice over the break and you could often catch him on stream, sweltering and sweating it out in the summer heat. The ASL (Asia Starcraft League) kept Rossi busy with competitive play, where he ran deep into the tournament before being eliminated in the R016. Keen as ever to get stuck into the SEACL, look towards Rossi to lead the charge for the team (he's my captain in Fantasy League for a reason!)

JazBas
JazBas has been keeping himself busy with the Collegiate Starleague (CSL), with his team (University of Auckland) coming as close as you could get to a paid international trip to the finals before getting knocked out. Sometimes people find it hard to gauge where JazBas sits in relation to almost everything, and I plan to keep it that way!

It will interesting to see how the guys go, as even though they are keeping on top of their game, they have been pretty busy IRL as well. Either way, this is going to be a super exciting week for both Nv and fray, and I expect some huge plays, a lot of tension, and ultimately one team looking for payback!

What do you think?
So what are you looking forward to the most? Matches? Teams? Players? How are your Fantasy picks looking now you can see the line-ups?

Edit: Apologies to Light for in-factual comment!