My First Tournament - A Story

No cheating in this tourney, guys.

As the game began, I built a nice little wall-off, because I know about the 6-pool.

Oh yeah, hold position would be good …

He proceeds to steal my gas geyser but my zealot quickly puts a stop to that and returnes to his post. Meanwhile, his spawning pool is less than half done. ArCtic goes for the expansion which gets scouted by my probe. Sadly, the probe is killed, and by the 5:30 mark, ArCtic has 4 zerglings and a spine, while I have 3 zealots. I mean, we are just too good.

Eventually ArCtic decides it’s time for some aggression, and those four zerglings move right into my zealot-stalker defense. Then they move right back out.

Bye bye, zerglings …

As warp gate finishes, I move my army down to the lower ramp and take my expansion. My opponent has 6 new zerglings plus the one that escaped my stalkers. He’s got a roach warren and evo chamber and is still on one gas. Worker count: 24 probes, 25 drones. Not looking too good for the Zerg player.

At the 10:00 mark, I decide to move out. I’ve taken the watchtower and built a forward pylon. Of course I have no idea what he’s got because I haven’t scouted since the beginning of the game, but who cares! Let’s go for it! I’ve got +1.



An epic battle ensues ...



And my army disappears. Never fear, because I still have more harvesters!
I make a full retreat back to my base and cower in fear next to my cannons. Sure enough, the counter- attack comes pouring in.



Instead of going straight for my probes, he attacks my stalkers with the zerglings and kites my zealots with his roaches. I run my probes into my main base and then, well, I clean up this attack.



At this point, I move out with my 1/1 Stalker force and take the watchtower. I begin to chrono out immortals from my brand new robotics facility. I also take my third. In the meantime, my opponent pumps out zerglings with +1 armor. Harvester count: 17:30 – 36 probes to 33 drones. Not numbers to be proud of, but at least I am ahead. And hey, I’m in bronze league. Cut me some slack. Geez. Eventually I make an arbitrary decision to, in the words of Day[9], “just fucking kill him.” I move in with my army, check to make sure there is no third (there isn’t) and use my mad micro skills to A-move into the back of his natural. Let the battle begin.





He takes down this force with more zerglings, but my reinforcements are too much for him and he’s forced to GG.


I’m in the semi-finals, bitches!

Calir scouts me first and sets his scouting probe to play ring-around-the-rosy.



Calir goes for a 4-gate, while I stick with my 3-gate – forge – expand – robo thing. Little does he know that my scouting probe is being a wee bit sneaky.



Calir gets his expansion down first, but not by that much. At the 8 minute mark, his nexus is almost complete. The probe count is 26-23, zealot count is 5-3, stalker count is 4-1, and sentry count is 0-2, because I never make sentries! I’m getting +1 weapons. Looking good for me at the moment. My sneaky scout probe has spotted the expansion timing, too. With my superior force, I move out. I poke up his ramp, see his army, and march right back out again. I need reinforcements when dealing with sentries.

Back at home I’ve added two more gates and completed +1 upgrades. Calir has put down a robo. I tried to build a pylon in his natural with my sneaky scouting probe, but I clicked outside the base and sneaky scouting probe became useless dead probe rather fast. Then a classic walk-about happens to bring us to this scenario:


Ohhhhh crap out of position!

I scurry back to my base to find …



Similar to my earlier opponent, Calir neglected to kill any probes, instead focusing on pylons and a cannon. My army got back to base in time to clean up his force with no trouble. Guardian shield is no match for +1/+1! In response, Calir threw down 4 extra gateways in his natural. At this point my robo was complete, so once the first immortal came out it was time for a counter-attack! Happily, I walked right into his proxy pylon.


I mean, it wasn’t too hard to miss.

Cleaned up, no problem. Sadly for Calir, he forgot to re-rally his immortal.


Stalkers eat immortal for breakfast

As I was clearing out that proxy, I took my third. When I moved my army to the upper watchtower, I got another present: a second forward pylon for my breakfasting amusement.


nom nom nom

At this point, I add a gate and twilight council, and chronoboost immortals from my robo. However, Calir has made something I didn’t think to make – a sneaky spy of his own. Sure enough, he’s got his observer right on top of my army. Calir now adds a second robo and a stargate – but neglects to expand. Moments later he throws down a double forge. Calir is getting a little greedy and forgetting to make the most important thing … units. Calir goes for the double upgrades and phoenixes while I get a second robo of my own. Meanwhile, my army moves to attack, and I get rid of some excess minerals by double expanding.


Here it comes …

I try to move in but the forcefields block my army. I am forced to retreat … for now.



If you look closely you will notice that he’s got two phoenixes (phoenixii?) and a warp prism.



Oooo sneaky Calir! Will the upgrade finish in time? No! But it doesn’t matter, because Calir needs to take a look at his natural …



Calir tries to set up another base, but as I destroy his main the end is near … and finally, Calir must admit it.


I am so rich … and that’s such a bad thing.

I’m up 1-0 in the first Bo3 I’ve ever played! Since Calir lost, he gets to pick the map for the second game, and his selection is Cloud Kingdom. Let’s move into the next game.

Calir goes for the 4-gate. I’m on one gate at the moment, chronoing out probes. At just under 6 minutes, he takes an expansion, while I put down two more gates. Even though he has four gateways, he’s only managed to make one zealot. I have managed to make three zealots and one stalker out of my far fewer gates. Little does Calir know that super sneaky probe has made a comeback …


That’s right, a pylon in your base. I love doing this.

As soon as warpgate research is done, I warp three stalkers into his main. In the meantime, I move the rest of my army across the map and attack at his natural. Calir holds off my pressure, and finally kills my pylon. At this point, I have absolutely no army, and he’s got 6 zealots and 1 sentry. Counter-attack time? WRONG! It’s compliment your enemy time!


Our community is just the best, no?

Since Calir has decided to stick around his base, I go ahead and double expand. Like a bronze boss. Calir goes for a twilight council and blink, while I make a forge and begin upgrades. At this point, Calir is pretty far ahead in supply, but since he waits for blink to finish before moving out, I regain the supply lead.

Calir opts to take a sneaky expansion, and places his force of blink stalkers somewhat randomly between the expo and my side of the map, instead of attacking with them.


What?

Regardless, it seems Calir was waiting for his robo to finish so he could bring along an observer. Once the observer is made, the blink stalkers spring into action. Unfortunately for Calir, I have made additional gateways and have my own robo, with a second on its way. And my robo made an immortal. Cair parks his stalker army outside of my fourth … and reinforces … and waits … and reinforces … and waits. Finally I move to expand there, and his army immediately snipes the expo. However, my army swings into action. Cair, after waiting so long, finally hits the B button.



My immortals and zealots are particularly thrilled.



As I retake the expansion, I send my army out to his side of the map. I take out Calir’s third and do some damage to his natural. As he comes in for his own counterattack, he once again blinks on top of my army. When the dust clears, the supply count says all that you need to know: Zaranth at 133, Calir at 34. Sadly, Calir’s observer is parked right over my army, so he can see the doom that is about to befall him.


This. This doom.

Sadly, Calir is forced to give his second GG in a row, and he’s out of the tournament.


Wait, I thought you were so manner!

Holy shit was that epic, right? I mean, it took me almost 30 minutes to win that. I am very lucky that Calir didn’t counter-attack earlier in the game, because he would have had me for sure after my failed hidden pylon play. Regardless, I have secured myself no less than second place in the first tournament I have ever entered!

Prodromus eschews the 6-pool, opting instead for double gas on 9. This is the bronze league, people. Grand master strats are no good here!


I’m not even kidding.


Ok I guess I was kidding, he’s pulling the gosu extractor trick.

The game goes on. I begin a wall-off and scout him right away. I go for my standard 3-gate opening, while he goes for quick zergling speed. Prodromus is so confident that he puts down his roach warren and expo before building any zerglings at all! Four speedlings do pop eventually, and speed their way right up my ramp and into an early death. As I wait for +1 attack to finish, Prodromus has parked his entire army of 6 roaches at the watchtower. Not to be outdone by my single forge, he puts down the double evo chamber at his natural. Unfortunately, Prodromus finds out that it is not wise to put all your units at the watchtower.


Those reinforcement roaches don’t actually do anything.

Prodromus tries to throw down some spines for defense, but the inevitable end is upon him.


I don’t know what has just died by the hatch, but it’s Zerg soul is on its way to Zerg heaven. Wait … is that the same place as Terran hell?


GG!

I am obviously much more excited about this than he is.


Where is this overlord going? I mean … is he worried about drops? Maybe?

Prodromus makes some zerglings and runs them into my zealot wall (this time, they are on hold position). I clean them up. He expands, I get my 3 gates and a forge, and all seems normal … or is it?


No, not the overlord party in the corner, I’m looking at this baneling nest!

What the f – banelings?!?!?!?


Well this will be interesting …

Prodromus is building up quite the army of ling – baneling. I, of course, have no clue this is happening and am moving out with my force.


Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Run away!

I wish I could stutter-step stalkers! Alas, I am nowhere near skilled enough for that trickery. The best I can do is run away and hit “S” every now and then. Somehow, I manage to end up with units left over!


I do not take any credit for this result.

I’m behind in supply now, which is a new experience for me. Thankfully, I have no idea. I move those stakers forward, only to see more banelings on the way! I run my metal stalker ass back home. Prodromus continues to pump out lings and banes, while I attempt to fortify the front of my expo with cannons and as many units as I can warp in, which is currently 5 per cycle. Finally, he comes smashing into my expo.


This … does not look good.

Mere seconds later:


What the f-banelings?

How am I not dead? I do not know, but I’m happy about it. Time for a counter-attack! At this point, Prodromus has mutas out, double evo chamber finished and working on upgrades, and has just begun an infestation pit. He’s also got his third up. I have 5 warpgates, one forge, and one robo. I also have one expansion. And +1/+1! One … it is the magic number … *sigh.* I send in my army.


These forces are not long for this earth.

My army is wiped out. I re-build, double expand (I was saving up for that, ok? It’s part of the plan … ) and send my army to the watchtower. I catch an attack on the way to my base and all the banelings detonate without doing my too much damage. I move in again. I do a little damage, but my army is again wiped out. He goes for my natural again, but I have enough there to defend it. Again I move out with my force, and again he demolishes it. We are trading armies as if we meant to! Fortunately for me, Prodromus has not seen my third and fourth expansions. I’ve added a few more gates and a second robo. He now has baneling speed. At 22:22, the supply is Zaranth 78, Prodromus 73. Another force of ling-baneling moves into my natural. I defend it and through down a robo bay, because it’s time for some colossus action up in here. In the meantime, though, I move out!


This will not end well for me.

I run away and happily, he does not follow! Two colossus are out now. Prodromus has taken his fourth. What will happen now?


The warp-in: this is why I play Protoss. Oh does that feel good!


Oh man ranged colossus are so good.

Actually, while I was building up my army, Prodromus just forgot to make more units. Really. At 24 minutes it’s Z with 102 and P with 98. For the rest of the game, Prodromus doesn’t get above 100 supply. I just … I don’t know. Finally I move out with my colossus, take out the fourth, take out the army, and move in on the third. There is nothing he can do about it but say …


GG!