Catching up on StarCraft: Your TSL 7 article nexus

June 14 2021




Catching up on StarCraft: Your TSL 7 article nexus







StarCraft is full of rising stars, meta fluxes, and a flurry of tournaments and series. Whether you’re returning or looking to approach one of the literal godfathers of the word “esport,” StarCraft is worth keeping an eye on. At the same time with so much history and so much development in StarCraft, it’s easy to lose track of the esport.



If you’re looking to get caught up for TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 (TSL 7)—or just caught up on StarCraft 2—then you’re in the right place. Sponsored by all-in-one commerce platform Shopify, TeamLiquid StarLeague is a tournament series that brings 16 of the world’s best StarCraft players into one double elimination bracket.



For some background, TSL is a premier event in StarCraft and has been since 2008, where it was one of the biggest non-Korean tournaments in the world (up to that point). It was a culmination of Team Liquid’s long-running history in tournament organization and a massive step forward from being a battle.net clan, or even the best StarCraft community site on the internet.



So, TSL 7 is a high stakes, high level competition that comes with a lot of history. If you’re looking to catch up on all that and follow along with the event, then take this page as your main base. We’ll be posting and updating this page with all the TSL articles coming on both tl.net and teamliquid.com. Check them out below.





TSL 7 Week 3: The Finish Line



Heading into the finals, this article will get you caught up and lay down some expectations for how the fight could play out. With week 2 down it’s the last primer or recap of the tournament and a good read even if you feel squared up on the results and storylines. Veteran and rising star, this last stretch features a lot of players and matchups with heavy volatility and interesting storylines—that’s always worth a second look.




TSL 7 Week 2: Order or Chaos



A bit recap, a bit preview, if you missed week 1 then you probably ought to start here. Basically a primer for week 2, the article goes over what happened in the matches and broadcast so you’re getting the full narrative. It’s a pretty important primer too because a handful of matches in week 2 could have an outsized influence on the tournament because of how dominant Clem is at TvZ and how important the different matchups are between the players.




DreamHack Masters Summer Recap



The DreamHack Masters Summer tournament pretty much directly preceded TSL 7 so it shapes a lot of the narrative, preparation, and competition heading into this tournament. The recap gets you quickly up to speed and situates TSL 7 a bit better inside StarCraft’s recent history. The recap won’t get you as caught up with the Korean competitors but it gives good insight into Europe’s top competitors and their rivalries—like Clem vs. Reynor. That’s pretty vital since modern StarCraft 2 has a lot more regional parity than it used to.



Shopify’s True or False with TLO (Week 2)



When you get tired of learning about stuff or interested in testing out your knowledge, check out Shopify’s True or False contest. Each week of the competition, StarCraft (and Team Liquid) legend TLO will give 3 bold predictions and anyone with TL.net account can comment #true or #false on each one. If you have the right read, you can win store credit, Liquid+ points, and pride—sweet, sweet pride. Week 1 is closed and we’ll be updating as TSL goes on, but the old predictions can give you a window into the competition, in their own way.



Week 1



TL.net TSL 7 Power Ranking



Numbers are fun and your simian brain loves when they’re put in a list. TL.net’s power ranking is a fast, digestible crack at how the standings will shape out and what to expect from each player. Written by TL.net’s own editor, Waxangel, It’s a good place to get a sense of what each player’s strengths and weaknesses are, and to understand what the marquee match-ups are going forward.



Pole Position: 4 Top Contenders at TSL 7



Consider it a companion to the power rank—Pole Position expands on the top four players of Trap, Clem, Reynor, and Serral heading into the tournament. One of the most exciting things about TSL 7 is that there isn’t a super clear favorite. There are 4 players with a better position than the field of 16 but even they could easily slip up in a tournament series that’s prone to upsets, during a period of StarCraft where the playing field feels very level. The top 4 breakdown will help you catch up with the past behind the tournament’s key players and possibly see into the future of the event.



The Competition: VODs, bracket, and stream



If you want to watch things play out, then here’s where to find the VODs, bracket, and stream. The tournament goes live this Saturday (06/19) and next (06/26) starting around 6 AM PDT / 9 AM EDT / 3 PM CEST on twitch.tv/teamliquid where you can also find the past broadcasts. Liquipedia has the bracket along with the exact time of each match. We’ll put the VODs up on YouTube soon but before then, check out the SC2Links page for a comprehensive and spoiler-free way to find Twitch timestamps for each match.



Upcoming



This isn’t all we’ve got. This page will update with more articles throughout TSL 7. If you’re wondering if you missed anything, just hit F5.




Writer // Austin "Plyff" Ryan
Editor // Kwanghee "Waxangel" Woo
Graphics // Lip Comarella