Alexander. vs.
dice - This is a pretty even match-up: both players have shown overtime they excel at old generations so it could be either a toss up or a down to the wire series. Playing-wise, they will probably display that trademark aggressiveness of theirs and give us entretaining games to spectate. Alexander gets the shorter end of the stick due to the fact he seldom uses self-made teams and recycles, which dice can exploit with ease. Therefore, the edge goes to dice.
Alexander. vs. FMG - I think FMG is very good and consistent. My picking Alexander over him probably stems from mere ignorance as I haven't followed his run. I will have to employ the 'veteran' cliché for this one given Alex has always been a well-versed player in old gens for years, whereas FMG I label as a newer generations player.
dice vs. FMG - This prediction will be pretty similar, except there is the team-building factor involved here. Dice has some galactic brain designed to come up with the most astounding of sets, especially in old gens where he dives more often than in newer generations. Expanding on FMG, I know for a fact he is very capable of pulling the trigger when circumstances are dire, so expect a good one here.
1. Mana vs.
16. dice (i kno ur a poosay and would flee from abr) - I feel foul for predicting dice to win three games
Mana has taken the tour scene by surprise and I'm not saying that he wasn't deemed a good player prior to these play-offs. He has shown quite a few times he has what it takes to get good results, but never had I expected him to dominate Classic and take the first spot. However, in terms of experience and knowledge, dice is still superior, further proven by the fact he had been a finalist in this tournament and often dominated in cups, namely BW and GSC.
2. ABR vs. 15. Alexander - Damn. I honestly wish this match-up occurs because it is very iconic to me: OLT 2 finals rematch. At this point I don't think it is premature to consider ABR the best player on the site, which will lead me to predict him to win the majority of his games. ABR is coming off a two-in-a-row Smogon Tour win, so his momentum and confidence levels must be off the charts right now. However, I don't think there's some huge skill gap between the two and Alexander is quite capable of taking him down if this match were to happen.
3. McMeghan vs. 14. Excal - I am pretty much in the dark regarding Excal. I believe he did solid in SPL in DPP and belongs to the council of said tier. McMeghan is an all-time veteran and I love watching him play. There are always some twists here and there during his games and I believe players have a hard time because they are always caught off guard by some tech. I can't wait to see what he cooks in BW.
4. Tamahome vs.
13. Finchinator - These two guys are at a level of consistency I could ever dream of. They wield mostly standard yet very solid teams and, given the amount of madness we might get off these play-offs, it can be refreshing as a spectator to watch these series. Finchinator is an all-out tryhard that will try to sniff out every exploit in order to achieve victory, which is why he gets a small edge over tama.
5. SoulWind vs. 12. ziloXX - This quite took me by surprise. Out of all people to make play-offs, I never would've expected LOP ZiloXX to be one of them. He sort of came out of the grave and dominated GSC cup. This match-up, in hindsight, feels very one-sided, but one can never know. SoulWind qualifies in tournament play-offs as naturally as breathing, which makes him a powerful force in the scene. I'm giving him a clear edge, but please, ziloXX
X, do surprise me.
6. PDC vs.
11. Tricking - I finally get to witness old YouTube superstar PDC in the spotlight again. Tricking, at this stage, has cemented himself as a jack of all trades player who can put on a show wherever he is placed. He might not have Will of Fire's assistance for this one, but he is definitely a threat and I wouldn't be surprised to see him make it to the finals. I haven't followed PDC's run, so this prediction comes with some degree of uncertainty as to how he fares nowadays, but I've always believed he's very solid. Tricking is very hard to prepare against and he isn't scared of wielding the wildest of teams, so I'm giving him the edge.
7. rozes vs.
10. ZoroDark - I haven't seen these two play in such a long time so I'm not really sure of how to word this one. ZoroDark had been very consistent in the past, whereas rozes had some good results here and there. I'm giving the edge to ZoroDank because I think he's a bit superior playing-wise.
8. We Three Kings vs.
9. TonyFlygon - @Lasse. Tony is a player that surprised me quite a bit when he first started showing results. His previous tournament match prior to that was some stall match vs PDC and that was it. At first I didn't think he had a knack for playing tours, but hell was I wrong. On the other hand, I haven't seen much of Lasse in recent times, although I know he is very skilled (bad ._.); however, Tony's more aggresive play-style seems like the kind of match-up Lasse wouldn't want to face, which is why I think he has the advantage. I expect this match to occur on Monday, since the evil European lineage seems to brandish the worst johning tendencies I've seen on this website.