MichaelderBeste2 vs SoulWind - Closer than some may imagine as Michael is a fantastic up-and-comer, but SoulWind has been dominant for...well as long as anyone can remember at this point. His occasionally sloppy CG OU play seems to have been worked past, too, so he is one of the favorites in this and any other field. Tough draw for Michael as he continues to prove himself, but better days likely lie ahead.
Ahsan-219 vs (winner of TDNT vs Rubyblood) - Rubyblood can be a little crazy, but his aggressive style can go a long way here. I am not as familiar with TDNT, who seems to be having a nice little run of his own, but Ruby has stood out vs some strong players. As for the Ahsan-219 match-up, this will be tight, but I think Ahsan is a little hit-or-miss with his teams. Sometimes he has crazy cool ideas that hit big and bring in solid wins, but other times it is off the mark. I think I have a little more faith in Ruby, but it can go either way.
Empo vs Punny - Impossible to predict against Empo given how amazing he has been. Punny is one of the few people I could see taking him out, but even then I would not bet on it. These two are both amazingly talented players with unique teambuilding footprints and fantastic in-game instincts, so it is unfortunate seeing them paired here. I expect this to be one of the best pairings in the tournament and I hope for a tightly contested 3 game set.
Sagiri vs Misterioussaint - Sagiri is one of the more underrated players in this field, especially coming off of a solid 2-1 in WCoP this year. Misterioussaint I am not as familiar with, but I think Sagiri has what it takes to make a deep run and maybe even be a dark horse to win it all if a few things go his way.
Bushtush vs Ox the Fox - Don't let Bush hear this, but he has been on a really impressive run across a wide array of metagames this year. His competency across them all impresses me, but I think he may be in over his head here. Ox has been one of the best SS OU players for most of this year now, having dominated ST qualification, WCoP, and now this OLT. He is a wrecking ball at this point and given how well he builds, it will be hard to prepare for him. I can see Bush outplaying here and there, but I do not give him enough favor in the game to make up the difference. I expect a close set that could go 3, but lean Ox.
devin vs Insult - Both are great, but for very different reasons. devin is a trailblazer in the builder, taking unique risks and coming up with novel structures to make his offensive choices work out. Insult is a generational battler, doing very well in most tournaments across a number of OU formats. Gotta go with Insult given his strength as a player, experience advantage, and network of friends to help him with teams, but devin could make it sneakily close.
Storm Zone vs Tricking - Holy moly this one will be a treat. Storm Zone is a crazy genius. He has his tendencies for sure, but no matter what he is using, there is always a creative flare and an inspiring concept behind it. Players like Storm Zone make games attractive for spectators and help push the metagame forward. On the flip side, Tricking has been doing this and so much more for years now while clawing his way up to being one of the five or so best players of all time. I expect this series to be filled with techs and the chat to be flooded with LOLs over a likely 3 gamer that has some rapid-fire playing, but Tricking will come on top ultimately as he is pretty close to unbeatable in OLT and in general. Storm Zone is one of the few people who I can see doing it, but I still struggle to favor him for the time being.
Lusa vs beatiful - Tough drawing for both as Lusa has been absolutely tearing it up recently in individuals whereas bea has been doing so in general for the last year or so. I expect beatiful to take it as I trust his building a little more, but I view both as similarly great players with good understanding of the metagame. Lusa tends to do well when he has a good defensive backbone that still allows for proactive play and I think beatiful can exploit these balanced tendencies, especially if he catches Lusa on a few doubles or predictions. beatiful is harder to prepare for, which will make it an uphill climb for Lusa I feel.
GL all, congrats on making it and have fun!
