After a tense set of matches , the GSL Round of 16 closed Friday evening with . Now the brackets for the Round of 8 are finalized with the first and second pairs to face off on Thursday and the remaining two on Friday.

Four Zergs, two Terrans and Two Protosses make up the remaining eight players this season. Of them are four players from KeSPA teams, that is, players who participate in KeSPA team leagues and not in the GSTL. Last year a disagreement between KeSPA and the eSF kept KeSPA players out of the GSL, and now those players are viewed with equal parts excitement and contempt by many fans. But with so many KeSPA players making it into the Round of 8, fans know that they can expect brilliant play from them regardless of their affiliation.

Below are the eight remaining contenders along with the challenges they faced and the players they tore apart to get where they are this season. 

Thursday, February 21 at 6:10 p.m. KST:  Lee “INnoVation” Shin Hyung (Terran) vs.  Kang “Symbol” Dong Hyun (Zerg)

STX SouL INnoVation

Though his years in the scene are long, INnoVation has only been in the spotlight for a short time—but how that he’s there, the accomplishments are piling up. Last year’s fifth season of GSL was not only his first shot at the eSL tournament, but also his first major tournament after ditching the moniker “Bogus.” It was as if the name was all that held him back, because his strong technical play as Terran brought him all the way to the Semifinals before a packed American audience in Las Vegas.

However, INnoVation may not be a crowd favorite this time around. Aside from his affiliation with KeSPA, INnoVation was the one to knock out  Ilyes “Stephano” Satouri in the Round of 32, much to the dismay of thousands of Stephano’s fans worldwide. But between seemingly perfect macro and constant, deadly Mespanac drops, even the boy’s detractors must admit that INnoVation is a force to be recKOned with.

AZUBU Symbol

Representing team AZUBU after hailing from the now defunct TSL, Symbol’s story resembles his matchup’s: Symbol’s name went from being unknown to being shouted over and over again at Iron Squid Chapter I in Paris last May, where he placed 2^nd after taking down such talent as NesTea and MarineKing.

As if that wasn’t enough, Symbol added his now-household name to the history books in the GSTL Season 2 of last year while playing for TSL. Against LG_IM, his team was down 0-4 at the hands of one of LG_IM’s many champions,  Hwang “LosirA” Kang Ho. But with Symbol as TSL’s last chance, he took down the fellow Zerg and went on to bring down four more players (including the GSL’s most successful player,  Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun) for a TSL victory and StarCraft II’s first reverse all-kill ever.

Thursday, February 21 at 6:10 p.m. KST:  Lee “Curious” Won Pyo (Zerg) vs.  Won “PartinG” Lee Sak (Protoss)

StarTale Curious

In an interview with Player’sCut TV, Curious said that he’s like an older brother at StarTale in a country where the term for a boy’s older brother, hyung, is a strong term of endearment. When asked about StarTale’s strong bonding as a team, he spoke with a reserved put persistent smile. “I am the hub of that bonding.”But now, Curious will be playing his former StarTale brother PartinG in the Round of 8 matchup. This means each stride toward victory pushes his close friend further and further from success.

But StarTale men are not soft, and Curious is no exception. He already denied advancement to the esteemed Zerg  Lee “Leenock” Dong Nyoung and KeSPA Terran  Jun “TY” Tae Yang. This is now his seventh Code S series and he’s been in the Round of 16 four times. Now that he’s made it to the Round of 8, what can stop such an experienced Zerg with his eyes so transfixed on the prize?

StarTale PartinG

In the Round of 16 Friday night, English casters  Nick “Tasteless” Plott and  Dan “Artosis” Stemkoski had a gentleman’s bet on how many of PartinG’s famous Immortal pushes he would use against his Zerg opponents that night. But with good reason: In a pro scene festering with strong Zerg opponents, PartinG’s early Immortal push has broken more Zergs than can be counted. With lots of Immortals, tons of Sentries, Zealots and a single Warp Prism, the build uses expert Force Field placements to stop surrounds and pop open Roaches while they clamor helplessly against the Sentries’ blinking crystals of light.

That build, along with other fruits of Parting’s ingenuity have taken him to get 1^st place at both the 2012 Battle.net World Championship and WCG 2012, and 2^nd place at the 2012 GSL Blizzard cup, losing only to his teammate  Lee “Life” Seung Hyun. But even that loss was rectified on Friday when PartinG was the one to knock Life out of Code S this season.  

Friday, February 22 at 6:10 p.m. KST:  Kim “Soulkey” Min Chul vs.  Yoon “TaeJa” Young Suh

Woongjin Stars Soulkey

Though fairly new to the GSL, Kim “Soulkey” Min Chul has had a longstanding reputation at KeSPA organized tournaments, having first left his mark back in 2010 when he got a 13 to 4 win streak in Brood War tournament KeSPA Dream League. He was a bit late to the StarCraft II party, byt he has been consistently bagging wins both for himself and team Woongjin Stars since he switched over in 2011.

But can this GSL new-ish-comer take down TaeJa? Fact is, he already did. In the Round of 32, Soulkey and his current opponent already faced off, with Soulkey winning 2-0. All he must do is repeat what he did before to secure himself advancement into the Semifinals.  Having also taken down Noblesse, he has had plenty of practice against top-rated Terrans as of late. It’s time to bring his reputation as one of KeSPA’s best Zergs to the GSL.

Liquid TaeJa

Playing for a foreign team, TaeJa has built himself quite the reputation among the international community. But it’s not just because of his appearance at tournaments all over the world; it’s also because TaeJa is really, really good. TaeJa often opens with aggression and builds momentum off of that and is known for making few, if any, mistakes from start to finish.  His bulletproof style has won him 1^st place at DreamHack Valencia, ASUS RoG Summer and MLG Summer Arena alongside many other near-the-top placements.TaeJa has also contributed loads to Team Liquid, having all-killed for them on four separate occasions.

TaeJa already lost to his current opponent Soulkey in the Round of 32. But the same could be said about PartinG, who lost to Life twice in the Round of 16 before coming back to beat him 2-1 and eliminate him. With a week to practice, this Best of 5 match could be anyone’s game.

Friday, February 22 at 6.10 p.m. KST:  Shin “RorO” No Yeol vs.  Chang “MC” Min Chul

Samsung KHAN RoRo

“RorOaches.” “RorOadway of creep.” RorORow your boat.” True, Samsung KHAN’s Zerg has a name that lends itself to all manners of puns. But take the time to count them and you’ll find yourself on the RorOpes. Another strong KeSPA Zerg, RorO was actually known more for mediocrity than talent, with a win rate almost nearly 50%. But this season at the GSL Code S, it would seem all that has changed.

All hotshots have to start somewhere, and signs point to RorO being a new major player in the world of StarCraft II. He earned his placement in Code S with a startling performance at the 2012 WCS Korea Nationals where he came in 4^th, earning him a GSL Code A seed where he fought his way up to Code S. This season he’s already taken down  Hwang “Keen” Kyo Seok,  Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun,  Choi “BBoongBBoong” Jong Hyuk and  Lee “Life” Seung Hyun. Though still new blood at the GSL, this young starkiller isn’t some newbie to be discounted.

SK MC

Also known as the “Obamatoss,” MC needs about as much introduction as the American president. This Protoss has a smorgasbord of wins from all around the world and the second largest total prize money earnings of all StarCraft II players (behind only Mvp). The man already rocks two GSL Code S Championships, going for his third this season with everything he’s got.

MC is known for his strong mechanics, constant pressure and Blink Stalker micro. He is also an innovator, having tweaked the standard openings in unique ways and making them work. And while MC has had his ups and downs over his career, his victories over  Hwang “LosirA” Kang Ho and  Koh “GuMiho” Byung Jae in the Round of 16 seem to show that the Boss Toss is on top of his game.

Following the Round of 8, the Semifinals will he held on February 28 at 6:10 p.m. KST and March 1 at the same time. The Grand Finals will happen on Saturday, March 9. The location for the Grand Finals have yet to be announced.