EPTSet1 - Dual Sight
Dual Sight is a map zergs like to play against protoss (perhaps 2nd only to bel'shir beach). Thus, it is quite a surprise that leenock chose to open rather aggressively by making alot of lings. However, those lings could have been intended to punish a 1-gate FE. Since MC did a 3-gate expand, they were not useful at all. However, the delayed expo meant that the lings were not too bad. Leenock gets a roach warren, but I have a feeling that they were only going to be used defensively. MC builds a stargate and was probably trying to followup with some kind of +2 blink stalker timing push. Although chastised alot of all-inish play, I'm ok with MC's strategy for this map since it's seen as a tough map in PvZ.
Seeing the VR, leenock immediately builds a hydra den to defend. After doing little damage (probably killed in total 5 drones) with his pheonixes, leenock masses a lot of hydras and has 3-bases-to-2. This is the point where I didn't understand his decision making. He was up a base but yet chose to do an attack with hydras, and hence have no chance of retreating should the attack go wrong. I didn't understand why he couldn't have teched, get some infestors and maybe do this attack 2-3 minutes later this time with infestor support?
MC easily wins the battle and a counter-attack wins the game.
Set2 - Shakuras Plateau
MC does his "standard" "timing attack" - 2-base 7-gate, stargate blink all-in. Leenock holds at his 3rd base handily and is WAY ahead. However, he makes the inexplicable decision to press his advantage with minimal infestor support. I didn't understand why he couldn't mass infestor, tech to BL and win easily (he was 3-base-to-2 and have another on the way). I attribute this to the red mists in front of his eyes. MC holds and gets colossus in preparation for a 2-base all-or-nothing which he suceeds after leenock overmade corrupters.
Set3 - Daybreak
Leenock, who is clearly tilting, loses an early overlord to a cannon. He proceeds to get an early 3-base when his natural was pylon and gateway blocked. Although the casters were saying how far behind leenock was, I was not convinced that the block was really worth it. Anyways, MC being MC, does another "standard" "timing attack" in order to kill the 3rd but leenock holds with good defence. MC does more gimmicks with a WP + DT drops but was not effective. Leenock gets into the lead and snipes MC's 3rd base. A mismicro means that his roach army takes more damage than it really should. Also, instead of backing away, he retreats slowly and gets his army caught which helps put MC back into the game. Leenock is still ahead though but not as much as before.
This time however, Leenock does the sensible tech to hive and play defensively with a roach/infestor/BL army. MC pushes on 3-bases but leenock's defenses hold and destroys MC's army after a prolonged engagement. Leenock's army then marches in for an easy win. He celebrates with a burrow/unburrow BM at the end of the game - which is a bit rich considering he's still behind.
In my mind, Leenock played this game the way he should have done in set2.
Set4 - Tal D'arim Altar
Having demonstrated that solidness wins game, and poor offence loses them, leenock makes the "sensible" decision to commit to a gimmicky hydra-nydus bust on MC's front base. Leenock plays a nice transfuse to keep the nydus alive but MC holds and is definitely in the lead. Instead of doing a timing attack, this time MC expands and gets a strong gateway/colossus/HT army. Leenock for some reason thought that it's best to put a critical tech structure (spire) in a difficult to defend base and manages to get it sniped. After that, MC rolls in with a powerful 200/200 army and wins easily.
Thoughts
Leenock showed that he can be an excellent defensive player and manages to hold off MC "standard" "timing attacks" time-and-time again - netting him good positions in the first 3 games. In fact, he may have won 3-0 if he didn't have the red mists in front of his eyes. MC played a reasonable game but I don't think he should've have won the series since this gimmicks were handily held by leenock. When watching many GSL games in the LR threads, I'm frequently bemused by the comments of the various posters when it was really clear why leenock lost even though he had winning positions. Also, I'm also bewildered that many of these players would get overly excited and choke away wins when there is a clear path to victory. Also, some bizzare decision making (e.g. set1) where there was 0 justification for that attack.
Leenock, however, still has a fantastic year and is very young. Perhaps it's understandable that he sometimes get the red mists in front of his eyes and goes for blood when there are clear-cut alternatives available. However, why I'm bemused is that time-after-time, a strong, solid defensive performance nets the win and then the players decide that gimmicky is the way-to-go and proceeds to lose. Perhaps it's the tension and tiredness from playing many tough games - hence the best players will be ones who can hold their nerve and consistency over a long series.
