Team Liquid vs Golden Guardians

What an endlessly fascinating match-up, one that might not resolve in the way in which we expect it to. The Golden Guardians have already beaten Team Liquid the last time they faced off, and if they could do it then -- back when TL had a lot more hype behind their backs -- who's to say that they couldn't do it again? It's an unlikely outcome, we understand that, but it was unlikely the first time around as well, and yet it panned out in GGS' favour (to everyone's utter shock and bewilderment).

Now, Team Liquid are still as capable and dangerous as ever, but after dropping the ball against Cloud9 and FlyQuest, one cannot help but wonder whether they're just limit testing now that their playoff spot has been secured or if this is a much more worrying indication of the things to come. They're a Top 2 team, of course, and we're not going to start doubting them just yet, but they haven't been nearly as consistent or dominant lately as we expected them to be, and that *is* something one has to keep in mind when betting on their games.

Plus, as already mentioned, they've already secured their spot (unlike the vast majority of their peers) and, in a way, have nothing left to tryhard for. How will that affect their play? Will they still compete with absolute focus and dedication or, perhaps, experiment and try out different team comps in hopes to diversify their arsenal and enter the playoffs with even more momentum behind their backs? We don't have answer at this point in time, but we're definitely going to find out in a matter of hours.

The Golden Guardians are very capable and are on the brink of making Top 6. That one fact is both mighty surprising *and* quite commendable. They've already beaten TL, too, so they obviously have the right tools for the job. Will history repeat itself? We don't think so, but it's still a wholly plausible outcome.