IEM World Championship Semi Finals Preview - 1

The third day of QuakeLive action at the IEM World Championship draws to a close with just four players left in contention for the $10,000 top prize. Top seeded semi finalists Anton "Cooller" Singov and Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky will have watched today's games with a degree of trepidation as both their prospective opponents looked in lethal form on their way to efficient 3-0 victories. At this stage there's no picking a favourite as the heavyweights of international Quake square up for an epic final day at CeBIT.

USA, USA, USA…?

Shane "rapha" Hendrixson could yet salvage some pride for North America but the dominance predicted by some for the continent failed to materialise this week as Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty's third place finish in group B left him an insurmountable tie versus his SK countryman today. rapha hasn't been at his perfect best this tournament but he certainly looked dangerous today and will have gained a major confidence boost from the 3-0 whitewash. Seven months on from his famous QuakeCon victory and the world's most successful QuakeLive player still looks motivated and willing to dig deep for a performance.

Facing Cypher in tomorrow's semi final will be an interesting one for the 20 year old. rapha can rely on having beaten his opponent twice before in major tournaments but will be very aware that, on the down side, this is all the motivation the Belarusian is likely to need to be at his best. Both players will know each other inside and out and Cypher is likely to have gleaned all he could from rapha's group stage loss to Cooller - only his third offline defeat since the release of the game.

Defeat for rapha would hand Europe the top three places and see him join DaHanG and the other spectators in the crowd for the final. There he'll find the EG star with a lot to think about after his own poor performance in Hannover and, for a player once famous for his "unpredictable" style, the fear must be that he's finally been figured out. Time and time again on ESL TV, Michal "Carmac" Blicharz commented that DaHanG's opponents were finding it all too easy to predict his moves and after showing so much promise at the it might now be a case of back to the drawing board for the former Quake 2 player following another international disappointment.

The Re-Rematch

It was always going to happen wasn't it? Tomorrow's other semi final pits possible friends and definite rivals Maciej "av3k" Krzykowski and Anton "Cooller" Singov head-to-head for the second time at this event and the third time in just over a month. Controversy now seems to follow the pair but, looking past the gossip, we're in for a classic match-up either way. Just like at the IEM EU finals, Cooller has been the form player of the event so far but av3k's demolition of fox today proved the Pole can find another gear when he needs to.

av3k might have the mental edge over his opponent after beating the Russian in their last two semi final encounters but Cooller will feel he's turned a corner after his first ever offline victory over the Pole in Wednesday's group stages. There's no denying Cooller's hunger for victory after his emotional comments at the EU finals and it may just be the case that he's saved the best for last as the IEM season concludes. Victory over rapha will have fueled his belief that he can become the world's best again (see his reaction here) and it feels hard to bet against him reaching the final he's been aiming for this time around.

Unsurprising surprises

Despite all the talking points this week, the big surprise at the IEM finals might just be the lack of surprises. A smart observer could have predicted the top four here and, although DaHanG might feel aggrieved at this, it's hard to deny they're the best players in the world right now by some distance. Something truly special will be required to win this event and, even though Europe has strength in numbers at this stage, it's the USA's representative who's had the most experience in this situation over the past twelve months.

A win for rapha tomorrow will secure his position as the most dominant player in the game after weeks of uncertainty and an unfair questioning of his ability. Cooller, av3k and Cypher will all covet the title for their own reasons but there's a good chance they'll hold the American in equal estimation as possibly the most dangerous opponent left in their path. Nothing is certain for tomorrow though and you won't want to miss all the action as QuakeLive moves to centre stage at the IEM World Championship in Hannover.

(photos courtesy of ESL's Julia Christophers)