Daily Ladder-age #18: Mass Carrier

In the first time since... I can't remember when, a while anyways. I decided to go for a full out forge fast expand. I've been trying to master a gateway expand versus zerg ever since all the pros used it in WCS and all that jazz, but recently my successrate against zerg has dropped so bad that my winrate has become below 40% against them. It's funny, that I used to suck hard and PvT and rock worlds in PvZ, but now it's switched up around.


"Forge Fast Expand or die trying"

Just as an extra kick in the face to myself as to why I should regularly be going FFE again, I managed to get a cannon down at my enemy's third. For some reason his lings only wanted to target my probe, rather than cancle my cannon.


Around around the Minrel' go 'round, the lings chase the probe~

Because the lings really wanted my probe, the cannon completes, forcing the cancellation of the hatchery. I must say that I love myself some delayed zerg 3rd bases.


Meat shards flying everywhere!

I feel pretty good about the way the early game is turning out already, so I decide to go back to my good ol' strategy of double stargate into voidray production while taking a third. I started to really avoid going voidray ever since all the zergs wanted to mass muta every game, but since that seemed to have cooled down a bit I was pretty safe in my decision.



My 3rd base managed to even finish before the 10 minute mark, and feeling pretty confident in my macro, I continue to build up voidrays and start teching to high templar as fast as I can.


Ooh la laah, a fast 3rd! Chicks dig fast 3rds.

My gradual build up of mass air had it's disadvantages... namely fighting against lings. The first flood of lings came at 12 minutes, with roughly 60 lings running into my natural, which was only guarded by 2 cannons. The cannons fight bravely, but eventually are overwhelmed.



Nexus down

The losses from both sides were surprisingly even, so although I was temporarily set back in income, the difference quickly lessened. My tech starts building up quite well, and by the time the zerg attempts a second runby into my natural, Storm has completed, and carriers have started to warp in as well.


All 3 of protoss' most OP abilities/units all in 1 frame!

My opponent is really persistent with the lings... and even goes for a baneling bust, which is very successful. My voidrays were all out of position, leaving the base open for a few seconds too long, and the banelings bust down my ramp as lings swarm in.


THE BEGINNING OF THE END!?

After the runby, I checked the workers killed... 48 workers were killed in that runby. 1 hex space, causes casualties of 48 workers.



How many of you would just GG after that?

PRETTY FUCKIN ANNOYING DAMAGE. My army is completely immune to his lings, but at the same time I now am set far, far behind his economy. I start up a 4th base to suppliment my income and probe production.

I actually have to admit that i probably only won this game because of one mighty flaw in my opponent's game plan; he made hydralisks. While hydras may be effective against voidrays, they aren't very good against carriers and Storms.


Like so.

And he just kept going hydras! The big fight showed above (which I won't go into detail in because it basically was a-move with some Ts thrown in) left me at a big supply advantage and freed up room to just blast out carriers.


Carrier has arrived.

Carriers, in my opinion, are the most looked-down-upon units in StarCraft (I'm sure there's a better word for that). Everyone bitches about them and thinks they're a joke. However, if you get into the late game with some upgraded carriers, they can deal some serious shit to your enemies. And nothing really throws in that punch of "I just beat you" than using carriers. I also was able to keep constant control of the Xel'Naga watch towers, allowing me to intercept incoming counterattack attempts as well as deny further expansions.



Having basically starved out my enemy... at least by zerg standards, I move out with all my units and Emily tagging along behind. At 10 carriers, +3 attack, many voidrays, and HT support, I feel invincible.


When's the last time you saw this many carriers in a ladder game?

My enemy goes in for a hydralisk counter attack to my 4th base; how futile! I'll just use Emily to recall my units!... Or so I thought. Surprisingly, the F button doesn't seem to be the same as the R button, and I end up not recalling my units ASAP.


...Emily? where are you going Emily?

I figured out that I pressed F instead of R RIGHT as Emily left recall range on any of my units. Luckliy, I have so much army supply that I proceed to run towards his army to crush it. My enemy smartly GGs out.


Damn right it was a Good Game.

Never give up Never surrender, words to live by. that mid game was pretty harsh, and I expected to lose, but since I kept going on strong with my carrier production I was able to pull forward once more.