The much anticipated Preliminary Finals have been played over the past few days with a lot of entertainment in a not so good way and a lot of what I like to call tanking. This means players throwing games, getting angry over decisions by disconnects etc. It has definately been an interesting Prelim Battle and it ended up in a not so good way for 1 of our members. Lets begin.

SurfaCe 1-3 TheMiddle
(P)SurfaCe 0-1 TheMiddle(T), Longinus
(Z)SurfaCe 0-2 TheMiddle(T), Loki
(Z)SurfaCe 1-2 TheMiddle(T), Blue Storm
(Z)SurfaCe 1-3 TheMiddle(T), Python

We will start with 2 of the better players in the clan. Middle who has been in great form lately even after his loss in KOTH this was a match he wanted to win and prove his spot as best member in the clan. Coming up against myself (SurfaCe) a solid zerg user. Personally going into the match I wasn't confident at all and Middle has a great TvZ so I think he was the better player on the day. Middle took the win 3-1 quite comfortably as my only win was a tanking 5pool which won game 3 and failed in game 4. Congratulations to Middle on making it to the GRAND FINAL!

Cloner 1-3 Echo
(Z)Cloner 0-1 Echo(P), Longinus
(Z)Cloner 0-2 Echo(P), WO
(Z)Cloner 1-2 Echo(P), Blue Storm
(Z)Cloner 1-3 Echo(P), WO

Cloner vs Echo ................................................................. Could you have any more drama?? Echo took the first game in a very scrappy PvZ on Longinus after Cloner had it won Echo somehow got back in business and took the game in 25 long minutes. Now the drama began. Game 2 on Loki was hitting its 30th minute mark and bang Echo disconnects after losing a 200/200 vs 200/200 battle dropping Echo down to 120 while Cloner still high up about 150 - 160. Cloner had map control by 2 extra expansions however Echo still had 4k minerals and 1k gas left in the bank as Cloner struggled. The game was fairly even still and Echo disconnected. My decision was the game would be replayed, unless Echo would give Cloner the win.

They continued their series today, Echo conceded the loss however from me in a way pushing him too. A lot of you probably think I am too soft on Cloner. Cloner said he would quit BW if Echo wanted to replay the game, I told Echo this and he threw the game even though he wanted to replay the match. They went to game 3 on Blue Storm where yet again another Epic 30 minute PvZ took place. This time Cloner victorious making the score 2-1 or was it? Echo complained on MAJOR lag for the game and refused to take the loss. Echo being nice said, I gave you loki win now we can replay this match when Cloner doesn't lag. It came back to me where I said Game 3 - Won by Cloner, Echo continued the match he could of left at any time but he played it through. This is when Echo took back the Loki game and said he wants to replay it. Cloner thinks this was stupid as Echo already conceeded the game.

As a leader of the clan I can't take sides and we all know Cloner is extremely BM when there are close matches, and well Echo is no goody good either. I said as the 1st 3 games get played regardless order doesn't matter and Echo is allowed his rematch as that was my decision. Anyways, through this whole epic saga Cloner went on his usual rampage and I found him tonight on aus.fury his old nickname. I asked him have you left X? He said, I don't play anymore so I asked " Does this mean you forfeit vs Echo? ". He replies " I told you my story and I am not playing him if that's your decision. "

Quite frankly I am sick and tired of Cloners EMOness towards every single close match or loss he has so I have decided to kick him from X-. I am over him being a good player, I don't care. He is now out of X and can be a EMO by himself. Echo received the next 2 games as walkovers which is unfortunate but oh well.

THE GRAND FINAL!!!!!!!!
X-TheMiddle vs X-Echo.

Last time these 2 played was a few days ago in KOTH where Echo came out 3-2 winner going down to the 5th and final match. It should be an entertaining final with some great games bound to happen.

Game 1 : Troy
Game 2 : Andromeda
Game 3 : Othello
Game 4 : Blue Storm
Game 5 : Python

As Cloner is out of the clan there will be no 3rd place battle so Congratulations to myself for finishing 3rd!
GL to Echo and Middle!

The next KOTH match between 2 of the better gamers in X were played today. We would see the current king X-TheMiddle come up against new form P user X-Echo. Coming into this match Middle was favourite to win 3-1. Echo did not receive 1 vote to win so it would be a massive upset if Echo took out this Korean gun. Here are the results!

(T)X-TheMiddle 0-1 X-Echo(P), Loki
(T)X-TheMiddle 1-1 X-Echo(P), Othello
(T)X-TheMiddle 1-2 X-Echo(P), Troy
(T)X-TheMiddle 2-2 X-Echo(P), Andromeda
(T)X-TheMiddle 2-3 X-Echo(P), Colosseum

X-TheMiddle 2-3 X-Echo

As you witness, a major upset has taken place in our KOTH series where everyone is under pressure when being king. We are yet to see anyone hold KOTH for more than 3 matches which is unbelievable considering how many KOTH matches have been played. Congratulations to Echo, Bad Luck Middle. Echos next match will be decided soon. I am looking forward to watching these reps as I think everyone is shocked on this result!

GJ Echo!
GG's

It was now time for the final 6 to battle it out to get 1 step closer to winning the tournament. This round showed 2 great amazing match ups with some solid players.

MooN 0-2 Echo
(T)MooN 0-1 Echo(P), Monty Hall
(P)MooN 0-2 Echo(P), Othello

MooN was a clear favourite going into this match but upsets do happen and this proves to be another one of those upsets. Echo who has been with us for a few weeks now is proving to be 1 of the better members as he is knocking off some big names. He has great macro and can play some weird styles of brood war but it seems to be working for him. He knocked off favourite MooN here with ease and progresses to his round where he vses Cloner who beat him 2-0 in the group stage so it won't be no easy task. Will he up his game or will Cloner continue his dominant performance.

TheMiddle 2-0 DKNY
(T)TheMiddle 1-0 DKNY(Z), Monty Hall
(T)TheMiddle 2-0 DKNY(Z), Othello

TheMiddle was clear favourite going into this match but DKNY winner of the last clan tournament can always up his skill in finals and play under pressure. It wasn't the case in this round as TheMiddle eliminates 1 of the favourites to win the tournament 2-0. TheMiddle who has a very strong TvZ proved again to be too powerful vs the Zerg. He will now face myself SurfaCe another zerg user in the next round. Will Middle continue his dominant performance?

The next round is the Semi Finals where the final 4 will battle it out for a place in the GRAND FINAL! The stakes are big and the games are going to get intense. Here are the details.

Map 1: Longinus
Map 2: Loki
Map 3: Blue Storm
Map 4: Python
Map 5: Troy

Cloner vs Echo
SurfaCe vs TheMiddle

GL GUYS!

First up we will talk about WGTCL. Last night we were very unlucky and lucky at the same time. With my internet problems which are still occuring I had to do this overnight isolation test for Optus so I was unable to make it. DKNY also had internet problems where his modem just died so he was unable to make it. Luckily Cloner went Europe and GLife. agreed to reschedual the match so I will talk to them as soon as the WGT site is up and running. I will let you guys know when it will take place.

Next after a massive break of KOTH due to KT being inactive X-TheMiddle took the forfeit win and played the next koth game vs the American strong P user of X-ViRuS. From the small discussion in the forums this was looking to be a 50/50 match with a lot voting for ViRuS and the other half going Middle. Who would win? Here are the results.

(T)X-TheMiddle 1-0 X-ViRuS(P) Blue Storm
(T)X-TheMiddle 2-0 X-ViRuS(P) Python
(T)X-TheMiddle 3-0 X-ViRuS(P) Python

So as you see TheMiddle our Korean powerhouse demolished ViRuS without dropping a single game. TheMiddle proving he is 1 of the best in the clan as he is proving it in the tournament and the KOTH. His next match will be vs new powerhouse Toss user
X-Echo. First map for this match will be Loki.

I'd like to officially announce that two of our trial members have been promoted to full members! By attaining all 4 leaders votes to join the clan, they are obviously active, well-mannered and decently skilled players. So lets all welcome X-Genoa and X-sOm to X-!

X-Shabbas has not yet attained enough leader votes to be accepted into the clan, however he will remain on the roster another week and his activity will be assessed in a weeks time.

I'd also like to welcome X-Lover to X-. The first member X-FiLeS has recruited meaning he must be good because Files must have very high standards to have not recruited a member yet! His aka is icedragon. and he will be added as a trial member and be assessed by the leaders in a weeks time.

On a not-so-good note, I'm afraid we have to say goodbye to X-KangarooToss. He has been with us for some time however his activity has dropped off since he joined us and he has also been smurfing into another clan. Sorry, KT.

Tonight, X-SurfaCe, X-Terminate and myself X-LoSt pulled off something amazing, something that was so genius that this person never saw it coming!

Playing some muck around 3v3's, a player by the name of LordoftheLingz. joined the game with stats 0-2166-39, and an idea hit us straight away. We planned from the start to kill his allies and leave as soon as his ally left to cause him to get his first win and ruin this account which is a result of over a years hard work. He must've expected something was up when we didn't even attack him and kept targetting his allies, but still he didn't leave. As soon as his partner left we all left straight away LOL

He said he saw us all leave as soon as his ally left and said "FUCK!" LOL. His record is now 1-2166-39 and he is trying to e-mail blizzard and get his win removed LOL or he said he'll start another account hahaha

Poor dude, he was probably a good bloke. But it was SO worth it, unlucky mate. LOL

It has been way to long since our last KOTH and I blame X-KT for this problem. He has been a member in our clan but also a smurf within the clan. He is now pretty much never on and leads me to believe he is smurfing yet again so this will result in him being kicked from the clan.

On top of this he was the KOTH so X-TheMiddle who was the next challenger will receive a WO and be the new next KOTH. Tough win Middle lol

The next KOTH will be between:
TheMiddle vs X-ViRuS

Rick is active again and an excellent gamer so these KOTH games should be really intense and great to watch. I hope KOTH to be played in the new couple of days.

Starting Map : Blue Storm
Loser Picks from ICCUP Season 5 Map Pack.
GL to both players!

Lets begin with the most important matches first, the elimination finals. 2 of our final 8 would be finding themselves exiting the tournament in the first stage of the finals. There were some interesting match ups played and in the end I believe the favourites won but it wasn't so easy.

(5th)Echo 2-0 NooB(8th)
(P)Echo 1-0 NooB(T), Blue Storm
(P)Echo 2-0 NooB(P), Athena

Echo goes through to the next round after a dominant performance against NooB who just got inside the final 8. NooB who was a late replacement in the tournament found himself playing against dominant Protoss user Echo. They played in the group stage where Echo was the winner 2-1. Bad Luck yet again NooB, definately improving throughout the tournament. Echo was has been a surprise to us all as a new member and coming into this tournament has shown that he isn't to be messed with. Is he good enough to reach the final and take the tournament out? Will the underdog be successful? Time will only tell.

(6th)DKNY 2-1 FoShO(7th)
(Z)DKNY 1-0 FoShO(T), Blue Storm
(Z)DKNY 1-1 FoShO(T), Athena
(Z)DKNY 2-1 FoShO(T), Faoi

You could almost call these 2 gamers rivals in this clan. Known each other forever and have had many epic ZvT battles, this was going to prove yet another tough battle but this time with more pressure and more on the line. Never played each other in finals this could be a different story as DKNY was clear favourite before the match began. The games were tied at 1-1 and DKNY the last X- clan tournament champion showed yet again he is in form and able to take out his 2nd tournament in a row. DKNY moves to the next round deadly as ever!

Now to the qualifying matches between the top 4. Of course whoever lost these matches would go on and face DKNY and Echo in the Semi Finals as the winners would have a free ride to the Final 4 and the Preliminary Finals. Cloner and SurfaCe who came 1st and 2nd were both pretty much underdogs in these finals though. Lets see how they went.

Qualifying Finals:
These finals are between top 4 where winners advance to preliminary finals and losers go to play semi finals vs winners of elimination finals. You have 2 chances in this round.

(1st)Cloner 2-1 TheMiddle(4th)
(P)Cloner 0-1 TheMiddle(T), Blue Storm
(P)Cloner 1-1 TheMiddle(T), Athena
(P)Cloner 2-1 TheMiddle(T), Faoi

Cloner in recent times has been able to get on top of Middle our star Korean who has shown to be a valuable member in clan wars and other results. Cloner playing very strategic took this match 2-1 as he did in the group stage. Cloner continuing to prove he is what he believes the best member in the clan and myself are starting to believe it. However Middle I believe can play better and this loss will make him open his eyes. He will get tougher and more consistent and his next opponent better watch out. Middle is here to WIN!

(2nd)SurfaCe 2-0 MooN(3rd)
(Z)SurfaCe 1-0 MooN(P), Blue Storm
(Z)SurfaCe 2-0 MooN(T), Athena

MooN was clear favourite in this match as he thumped me (SurfaCe) in the group stage. Going into this match even I thought I would lose but I lifted my game yet again to get through MooN who seems to be in a bit of a slump as of yet. He will need to lift his game if he wants to get through the next round or he could be looking at an exit in the Semis from making the Top 4.

The next finals should be interesting, Here are the details along with the maps in the order you must play them in. GL
MooN 0-0 Echo, Monty Hall
MooN 0-0 Echo, Othello
MooN 0-0 Echo, Andromeda

TheMiddle 0-0 DKNY, Monty Hall
TheMiddle 0-0 DKNY, Othello
TheMiddle 0-0 DKNY, Andromeda

GL to these players as the SurfaCe and Cloner await the winners.

The finals will begin tonight and I want all matches done by WEDNESDAY NIGHT. The whole of finals should only take a week or a little more. The maps for these finals are.
Game 1 : Blue Storm
Game 2 : Athena
Game 3 : Faoi

Qualifying Finals:
These finals are between top 4 where winners advance to preliminary finals and losers go to play semi finals vs winners of elimination finals. You have 2 chances in this round.

(1st)Cloner vs TheMiddle(4th)
Cloner 0-0 TheMiddle, Blue Storm
Cloner 0-0 TheMiddle, Athena
Cloner 0-0 TheMiddle, Faoi

(2nd)SurfaCe vs MooN(3rd)
SurfaCe 0-0 MooN, Blue Storm
SurfaCe 0-0 MooN, Athena
SurfaCe 0-0 MooN, Faoi

Elimination Finals:
These finals are between 5th - 8th and losers will be knocked out. Winners will advance to play the losers of the qualifying finals.

(5th)Echo vs NooB(8th)
Echo 0-0 NooB, Blue Storm
Echo 0-0 NooB, Athena
Echo 0-0 NooB, Faoi

(6th)DKNY vs FoShO(7th)
DKNY 0-0 FoShO, Blue Storm
DKNY 0-0 FoShO, Athena
DKNY 0-0 FoShO, Faoi

It has finally come to an end. The XPL Group Stage after 7 weeks of tough tight intense gaming has finished and our top 8 is revealed. In the end we had to forfeit a number of games due to inactivity but at least 90% of matches have been played and I am very thankful that everyone did a great job for playing in this tournament. Without any further wait here are your final standings!

Position	ID	Wins	Losses	Stats	Points
1.	X-Cloner	12	2	25-6	35
2.	X-SurfaCe	12	2	25-7	34
3.	X-MooN	11	3	22-9	30
4.	X-themiddle	11	3	23-12	28
5.	X-Echo	9	5	20-13	25
6.	X-DKNY	9	5	19-13	25
7.	X-FoShO	8	6	20-16	24
8.	X-NooB	6	8	18-19	21
9.	X-CoNtroL	7	7	16-17	20
10.	X-FiLeS	5	9	16-21	18
11.	X-SavoY	5	9	12-20	15
12.	X-Jaunt	4	10	11-22	13
13.	X-Kim	3	11	11-23	13
14.	X-Yan	1	13	6-26	7
15.	X-KT(F)	2	12	6-26	6

As you see the top 8 right there is revealed. It was very tight through the whole tournament but congratulations to X-Cloner for being the champion of the group stage defeating myself SurfaCe by 1point. MooN and Middle not far behind made up the 4 and they are the 4 players who get the 2nd chance in finals. Echo, DKNY and FoShO got through and made up the next 3 spots, between them only 1point.

It doesn't get tighter than the battle for 8th though. ControL who took out big guns Cloner and Middle deserved a spot in the top 8 but as he got 7-7 NooB who got 6-8 final results ended up having 1 extra point. NooB vs FiLeS was the final match played in the tournament but if NooB had of lost that he wouldn't of made finals. He found himself down 0-1 and looking out of it but somehow made a miraculous come back and took FiLeS down 2-1 to give himself a well earnt 8th spot and knocked out ControL who was very unlucky.

The finals maps and matches will be revealed later tonight along with the finals format. Matches and Maps will be found in forums as well. As for now I hope the top 8 enjoy and start practicing a lot of different maps because it won't be loser picks anymore!

GL!