Predictable results yesterday did not mean Group G lacked for entertaining games. All of Mvp's matches were excellent and for pure fun game one vs FireCake is the best (all the VODs can be found here). I'd predicted HasuObs would make his way through, but the German Protoss inexplicably went against his normal play style and subjected himself and his opponents to a number of poorly executed two-base timings and his return to macro against Snute didn't work. I also didn't get my treasured Snute vs FireCake match for a three hour swarm host v swarm host duel.
Mvp 2 
FireCake 0
This series went as expected. Game one Mvp went mech (as he did every game), with a three-reaper opener; FireCake prevented the units from doing much harassment and was able to eliminate them; the French Zerg went for muta/swarm host with roaches to defend hellion runbys; Mvp eventually transitioned to battlecruisers--a lot of battlecruisers--he also went for thor runbys (I've only ever seen avilo do that before), one of which was very effective; FireCake went for mass muta to deal with the battlecruisers and its not often you see twenty battlecruisers (with viking/raven support) chasing off a giant muta flock; the result was inevitable as FireCake could not deal with the gigantic Terran air army. In game two Mvp went for the same opening, but with a blueflame hellion push that FireCake straight up died to it.
Snute 2 
HasuObs 0
A disappointingly one-sided series as Snute had no trouble identifying and holding off HasuObs two-base attacks. Game one HasuObs went for an immortal/zealot push and got crushed as a very prepared Snute had plenty of roaches waiting for it. Game two HasuObs went for an eight-gate with +1 and again Snute was ready with units to crush it.
Mvp 2 Snute 0
As good as Snute looked against HasuObs, he struggled against Mvp. Game one Mvp went for his usual opening and picked off a queen with his reapers and then went for a super early third in response to Snute's gasless opening; Snute managed to get lings into the mineral lines of the natural and main and killed off some SCVs (as he went for mass muta), but Mvp's hellion/banshee push did a ton of damage as the Korean moved on to a push with thors and hellions which did some damage; Snute took a bad engagement against a big group of thors and Mvp rolled over what remained of his forces to take the game. In the final game Mvp went for blueflame which did good damage; he then went for a tank/hellbat push and Snute could not hold him back, dying before he could complete his swarm host transition.
HasuObs 2 FireCake 0
Results followed predictions, although HasuObs continued to attempt poorly executed two-base builds. In game one the German Protoss went for an eight-gate which failed miserably, but FireCake could not kill him as he eschewed upgrades and a fourth base in favour of more units (roach/hydra); as the game stabilised HasuObs harassed FireCake's fourth while building up his colossus count; FireCake added vipers which helped kill off the initial colossi, but DTs killed the fourth and harassed the third, crippling the Zerg economy; the next engagement FireCake lost all his vipers and inexplicably did not take out the third when he had the chance; HasuObs won the next fight, decisively taking the game. Game two HasuObs made an immortal/sentry push work (at last) and took the series (FireCake's attempt to hold it with swarm hosts and spines was not effective).
Snute 2 HasuObs 0
Despite having the previous series under his belt HasuObs was no match for Snute. Game one Snute went for a ling/roach attack against HasuObs' greedy three base build and he got overrun, losing the third; HasuObs stayed alive by building a ton of sentries, but eventually Snute built infestors and fungals killed them off allowing the rest of his forces to kill the Protoss army and win the game. In the finale Snute went for swarm hosts as HasuObs went again for an early third base; the game dragged on for quite some time, but was never truly in doubt as HasuObs harassment was constantly shut down by Snute and he simply had no answer to the swarm hosts.
Snute and Mvp move on to the round of sixteen.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
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