1. gorgie vs 16. Conflict - all too familiar with the Don. And coming off of a rather disappointing bo3 loss to him in GSCPL I have a friendly cutesy chip on my shoulder. Plus bro is on tilt rn i believe? So should be easy pickings.
2. Siatam vs 15. KeshBa54 - Keshba + Siatam vs Keshba. Perhaps the most lopsided MU in this bracket. I would be very surprised if Keshba can hold it together and focus for the entirety of a whole bo3 to pull this one off. Plus Siatam is pretty good at observing and learning ones tendencies so I would bet 90% of the house on this one.
3. melancholy0 vs 14. Fear - I don't bet against the FOAT when in form. And he has been looking sharp in his recent Classic run. M0 is no slouch but IDK if he'll be too starstruck to perform to his potential here? And even if he is, there's just levels to this. FOAT to win, but wouldn't be surprised if it's a competitive set.
4. GLFGno7 vs 13. PDC - Classic winner, Cryo teammate, and training partner vs the fkin psychologist. Who do YOU think is gonna win? Obvious bias aside, PDC’s experience equips him to recognize his opponent’s patterns and respond with precisely the right tools. GLFG might be top 5 person to prep for because you already know what 2 flavors you'll be walking into
5. tylerkehne vs 12. cyberacc - flavor trainer vs tilt prone? I'm going flavor every time. While Tyler can get a bit flustered in the heat of battle, he still has the composure and awareness to close out games when it counts. Cyberacc’s play is more erratic by comparison, but he’s quite strong at converting when he secures a favorable matchup. If it’s a set where Tyler consistently gains early advantages, he should take it comfortably. In a neutral setting, I still favor Tyler to out-pressure cyberacc given his typical team selections. If Cyberacc nails his matchup picks tho, I’d give him a slight edge in the opening game but I’d still expect Tyler to adapt and recalibrate as the set progresses. interesting war of attrition ahead.
6. Skarpherim vs 11. OmBrArch - GSC Cup Winner vs fellow CRACKED Crobat. Skarph personally handed me my walking papers in GSC Cup, so I know firsthand how strong they are. That said, in hindsight it’s clear that many of their teams come with noticeable holes and cut significant corners...either to exploit an opponent’s tendencies or to outright fish for the right scenarios. Their in-game skill can compensate for that to a degree, but against someone like OmBrArch, who has become increasingly adept at targeting an opponent’s structural weaknesses, I don’t see Skarph escaping unscathed here.
And with the volume of games Skarph played for Classic, much of the mystique surrounding their style has evaporated; THE AURA IS FADING?? there’s simply more data on them now. Meanwhile, OmBrArch is rediscovering his form and mojo, and it’s difficult to bet against a player who’s both motivated and sharpening his edge as days pass.
7. Rubyblood vs 10. aminita - somewhat of a battle of vengeance? aminita won lost in a recent ssnl final vs Ruby and may be looking to do a repeat performance will be seeking revenge given their recent run of form in GSCPL? It's tough to say though because he also plays me this week for GSCPL so if I stomp him before this set gets played it may or may not have some impact on his performance. The data is still unclear if he's tilt prone in tour or not. That being said, Ruby has been a bit inactive so it's hard to automatically bold him here seeing that he might not be in tip top shape? If he shows his SPL form though he should win this set easily, but that's a mighty huge IF. This is the first neutral pick from me as I can truly see this going either way given the circumstances. Looking forward to this one.
8. MrSoup vs 9. Underlying - fun set. Underlying is in peak form right now, riding an unbeaten run in GSCPL. MrSoup, for his part, is coming off a strong stretch himself, with a recent LT win and a solid Semis finish in Last Chance. Both players aren’t shy about their picks and are fully willing to bring anything while still playing at a high level. The difference, though, lies in intention: Underlying approaches his choices with a clear killer instinct, while MrSoup often gravitates toward what he finds “funny.” That doesn’t make him any less dangerous, but if I’m wagering, I’m backing the player whose sole priority is winning. As Underlying said himself, he has the most fun when he wins.
There’s also the question of motivation. After his recent loss to me, MrSoup seemed a bit disengaged from OU (or maybe SPL specifically?). So it’s possible he isn’t approaching this with the same drive we’d expect. Regardless, Underlying has been on a hot streak and I don’t see that momentum faltering anytime soon...certainly not now.
Very interesting games ahead.
Competitors do us all a favor and post your fight times here when established please!
