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Canada11349 Posts
So it's been just over a year since I created a blog detailing how with my terrible computer I was focusing on getting better at BW and finally got my first win on iCCup. I thought I could give a fun update. I have since gotten a far better computer, but BW has captured my heart too much that I have a hard time going back. Plus joining sGs has been fun.
However, what follows is a tribulation that both BW and SC2 fans have common: Cannon Rushes!
The replay is here for the few that care:
![[image loading]](http://repdepot.net/img/thumbs/49733.jpg)
My apologies, this is going to be image heavy, but here goes.
Background
I've actually never been cannon rushed before on iCCup, but it finally happened a couple days ago. Years ago when I was a 50apm non-hotkey using player, I dealt with cannon rushes twice from a friend that only played Fastest Possible. The one lesson I pulled from that is to never attack a bank of cannons or everything will die. A 'lesson' that's going to cause me issues here. I hover between D- and D depending on who I end up playing. As my signatures says, I'm pretty sporadic in my playing.
Early Shenanigans
Right away, there was some a little shenanigans as he was random in cue, which with unless they declare race later, I'm usually expecting some early rush (dt rushes, etc). But this was one step further as at the very last possible second, he switched to protoss. (He was hosting.)
So I go my standard 2 gate dragoon range and scout after first gateway. Unfortunately, I scout the wrong direction and I see this in my base.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qWMhE.png)
At this point, I'm thinking, crap. I actually have no idea how to defend cannon rushes in BW. Do you pull probes? Do you let it finish? I pull some to hopelessly chase and some to ineffectually attack the pylons. Yeah! Terrible probe micro suddenly a big deal.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/60bvQ.png)
I had skipped zealot, so I cancelled dragoon, started a zealot, made a second gateway further down, pulled probes off gas, and made pythons further out of range.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3znC0.png)
First gateway down and my base is a wreck. I'm hoping to gather some zealots to attack his base because this is looking pretty hopeless. (I didn't want to lose zealots for nothing against his cannons.)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/UfLzf.png)
Nexus down and I'm mad. Maybe at him for cannon rushing, maybe at myself for not knowing how to defend it. All I know is I have 500 in the bank, 3 zealots, and a ton of probes and I'm going to drag out this game as long as I can.
Transition to Losing Your Entire Base
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/n45G8.png)
Re-building in the 12:00 position. Unfortunately, I forgot 2 probes behind and when I brought them along, I led his probe straight to my new base 
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3332G.png)
But I had 3 zealots. Time to do damage. Except I'm afraid of 2 cannons, so I try attacking the probes. Small problem, cannon fire screws up zealot attacks and I lose all my zealots for 0 damage.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/c6vWZ.png)
Aw hell. The cannon rush continues afresh.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zHxgd.png)
It would take too many pictures too show, but he had pylons west, north, south, and east of my new base. And I had nothing but probes to defend.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vkxPB.png)
It's at this point that I realize that actually 2 zealots are just fine taking down warping cannons.
...and yes TWO cybernetics cores because the counter to cannon rushes is in fact air upgrades. Too bad I never tried to rush scouts as a big screw you  at least then I could explain 2 cyber's as part of my master plan...
The constant cannon rushing really threw me off my game and it is effecting my crisis management.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Ra1oF.png)
Just as I began stabilizing... zealots come knocking at my door. Turns out non-range dragoons are terrible at hold position micro.
But sweet, I beat off the first zealots...
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fG6OG.png)
AW HELL!! Cannon contain. And all the while, he keeps trying to sneak more probes in.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EdKW6.png)
Using the lower cannons, he starts building a pylon on the top.
At this point, I've kind of stabilized (minus the cannon contain), but I'm terrified that he's mass expanded and I'm going to get flooded by troops, or else he fast teched to dark templar or reavers and I'll just die due to no detection.
So I'm getting robo asap, and gamble on no dt's and go reaver-shuttle before observer so I can shut down the cannons on the high ground and maybe get in his face if he was too greedy in expanding with light defences.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/epeze.png)
Reaver, shuttle, and observer out. Phew, time to see what he has out there. (Note, the reaver just defended against some zealots.)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Cq0I8.png)
But before we do. Expand! I figured the safest place was the island expansion as I haven't seen much besides zealots and cannons. Good idea right? Until I forgot about it, never made a single probe out of it nor shuttled any across :S
But Reaver shuttle on the move, gogogo. Time to drop and do mass damage.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/o0FbS.png)
Drop and.... aw hell! You recall how I just used that reaver to defend? Yeah, forgot to remake those scarabs, so those two just wander back and forth like a couple idiots until a couple scarabs can be made. Not quite a Nony storm, but still.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/elMvQ.png)
Aw yeah! Reavers with scarabs bringing the noise.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/U7yc8.png)
All along he's been trying to lure my zealots and dragoons into his cannon line and I finally move down to lose a lot of stuff to his cannons, but as I move my shuttle back to harass...
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ddjPv.png)
He leaves with no gg!!! Cue bursting out of my chair, thug snapping and yelling my victory (sorry room mates who were sleeping.)
In reterospect I could have been much more aggressive with my zealots against the warping cannons. But I still don't know how to actually deal with cannon rushes, but I was pumped just the same.
Sorry about the length of this, but if you made it through, thank you.
 
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haha love it. 5/5 for the transition to losing your whole base
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Heh, nice. I haven't played BW in such a long time, I need to get back into it. beating a guy who cannon rushes you just isn't the same in SC2. I kinda miss reavers
Pretty sweet blog!
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Wait... was his first pylon in your complete view?
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Canada11349 Posts
On November 28 2011 07:18 Tipany wrote:
Wait... was his first pylon in your complete view?
Yeah it was. So I knew I was getting cannon rushed, I just had no clue how to deal with it. Do you attack, pylons, kill the probe- not with my probe micro skills, or attack the cannons? I had never really seen the pro's deal with it and didn't have a particular response in mind.
My biggest problem was my fear of cannons from the couple Fastest Possible games I played years ago. Those were begun hidden out of view, which without having good map awareness, you are done if he has a bank of cannons to fall back on. Better off to attack his undefended base, which was the mentality I had.
Watching the replay, I noticed that one zealot took down the shields entirely off a fully functional cannon, so it stands to reason that a couple zealot should clear the lot out before they are built. It was at 8:30 in the game, that I realized how quickly a couple zealots will take them down when there is just a couple or they are still warping in. The actual issue is critical mass of cannons, not lone cannons. A lot of this was just me thinking on my feet.
If you watch the replay, he never made very many probes and only ever 2 gates which was the reason I was able to claw my way back into the game. But without that information, just hiding out with only probes and a warpin in Nexus, it felt a lot worse.
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Wow. That was fucking epic. If I had been in that situation, then I would probably have done something retarded... and lost. GJ on the win, and if I had personally lured his probe to my base, I probably would have just rage-quited right then and there.
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Brings back memories of BW where Protoss on ICCup would always do the gayest shit to me. Makes me happy to see their bullshit fail
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well done~
always nice to fend off cheeses
the best response to an obvious cannon rush is to send 2-3 probes to attack the cannon
then just build zealots
shoudl be ok
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Great battle report! And congrats on your first iCcup win! But I'm not sure if getting cannon rushed 1 time in your entire time on iccup counts as "endlessly cannon rushed" :p
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Canada11349 Posts
On November 28 2011 07:52 zOula... wrote:
Great battle report! And congrats on your first iCcup win! But I'm not sure if getting cannon rushed 1 time in your entire time on iccup counts as "endlessly cannon rushed" :p
I meant more that the entire game was an endless cannon rush. He literally made nothing except pylons, cannons and zealots after making his initial probes.
Btw, my first iCCup win was a year ago. That was my first blog. (Or actually, 2nd win because I won 2 in fairly short order.)
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On November 28 2011 08:00 Falling wrote:Show nested quote +On November 28 2011 07:52 zOula... wrote:
Great battle report! And congrats on your first iCcup win! But I'm not sure if getting cannon rushed 1 time in your entire time on iccup counts as "endlessly cannon rushed" :p I meant more that the entire game was an endless cannon rush. He literally made nothing except pylons, cannons and zealots after making his initial probes.
Haha well glad you could show him who is boss :D
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5/5
The satisfaction of winning a game in BW is huge.
But words cannot express the satisfaction of winning a game where you were cheesed in BW.
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Hahaha, awesome!
I need to play more often too.
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Canada11349 Posts
Oh, one further thing I forgot to put in. I actually had one zealot left over at my new base. I was trying to hold position block my ramp, but I guess that doesn't work? Because every single time, he managed to slip his probe through.
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It does work, you just have to put your zealot perfectly in the middle. I usually had to test it with my own probe just to make sure it was on the right spot. Amusing blog!
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So glad to see BW content. Good job on the win! I remember always worrying about being cheesed by P on icc lol
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If he had a pylon somewhere in your base with range of the minerals, he can right click on them with the probe, and no amount of zealots would stop it.
Hilarious game though, and I mean, if you cannon rush once, why stop there?
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9.5/10 because you said entire base instead of whole fucking base.
but i still gave it 5/5
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next time just pull a handful of probes. Stick one on his probe and the rest attack building cannons. Starting with the one closest to finishing. But then again, nobody is stupid enough to build cannons in full view (exept this guy). Normally, if you didnt scout it coming he would have 2 or 3 cannons built in the back of the base. But this also gives you time to make some zealots/goons/cannons.
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Awesome write-up. Sometimes the most entertaining games come out of the lower leagues. :D
Also, Reavers are one of the most exciting units ever designed.
You never knew if that Scarab is going to kill everything or do absolutely nothing.
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EPT
