Daily Ladder-age #42: PvT Of unoriginality

So today's game is a PvT on the map Whirl Wind. Openings are same old, same old... spawns are me in the top left corner, my opponent in the bottom right corner. I realize how hard it is to comment on the early game now that it seems to have become so stagnant! I should try to look for less standard games.



Johnson gets in to scout at his second stop, and I see myself some gas. I've faced this exact opening so many times that I just naturally assume he'll be going for another reaper expand.


And your guess is.... CORRECT!

My good old build getting up stalker/MSC/warpgate simultaneously shuts down his reaper, as per usual. I react to his expansion with an expansion of my own, leaving Johnson to lurk near his base for a future proxy pylon. Since I only have 1 stalker and Emily up in the early game of PvTs, I feel like I should give that stalker a name too...


Maybe I'll name him "Mike", in honor of his face being covered up in this picture. You people should get the reference <3.

I'm not sure if it's right to consider what I did for the mid game to be "meta-gaming" my enemy per say... The only buildings I made was my initial gateway and cybernetics core, after which I built a robotics facility, and once that was done I immediately made my robotics bay. All the while all I built were probes. I guess that many experienced people might just do what I did since early units/gateways aren't needed against an expanding terran. I also decided to time my gateways so that they would finish right before 10 minutes, which is when the terran's 2-medivac push starts. I've gotten pretty confident in this part of the game unlike the past, and I really get the feeling that I know when I can (should) tech to colossus, when the terran will actually attack, and what to do until then.


(not pictured) Mike holds the fort against un-existent threats!

My terran enemy is playing exactly as I expected and wanted him to be playing. He builds up some barracks, techs to stim, and starts building his engineering bay for dem upgrades.


Mreeeeeeeeens! Maek Mohr Mreeeeeens!

The terran starts to move out right before my 2nd colossus completes. By the time he's moving across the map I also have more gateways on the way, and without vikings his bio force is pretty much going in for a Banzai charge against dem colossi.


So many pretty buildings :3

The terran's push isn't nearly as strong as it potentially can be since he decides to take his 3rd base as his attack commences. His is built far, far earlier than mine, but it comes at the price of a very weak push.


Mreens, move out!

My colossi burn all his marines new assholes. In my opinion my enemy probably should have retreated instead of actually fighting my army since I already had 2 colossi out, but he kept his marines right in their beams of death.


Fail force fields? Oh well, lets just a-move all the same.

Because he threw away his army, his edge over me of a faster expansion is slightly meaningless. I quickly move to secure a 3rd of my own while building up ever more colossi and more upgrades.

The terran's second attack is spotted by my unlucky zealot, who just moved in to get the watch tower as his forces moved out.


Back luck Brian, but at the same time Good guy Greg?

This time my enemy has about 4 vikings to support his ground forces, but my 4 colossi are far too many for his MMM to handle. I try my best to focus fire the vikings with my stalkers, although I'm sure that I could have done much better.



I finish up my 2/2 upgrades and smoothly transition from too many colossi into storm. I move to take the middle of the map, although it wasn't the best idea ever... My forces just were slightly insufficient.


Aw yeah, marine ragdolls!

While my 2 available storms did terrible terrible damage, I totally wiffed my stalker micro in that engagement, losing 3/4 of my colossi to viking fire. I intend to back off, but for some reason I decide to go back and fight again... losing me my last colossus and an archon. I go into full retreat as I madly warp in units at home.


Yay OP warpgates!

Once 3/3 completes I decide that the time to strike is now. Or rather, was then. My army just so happens across his army as I try to move out/secure my 4th base, and I get off some pretty good storms onto his clumped up army. I now have many more HT than colossus, and also try harder to focus down vikins .


Although it may be hard to actually tell what's going on, you have to admit that's a pretty sexy picture.

His army stood stock-still inside of the devastating storms... And now I realize that the reason for that was because he was trying to drop into my main base AND he was trying to deal with a small runby of zealots that I sent over to his 3rd. I actually didn't intend to have the fight work like that... I should really plan and actually intentionally do that form now on! :D


This is the life!

My zealot counter attack along with the roflstomp of his AFK army lead to a 70 supply advantage... which I use more than happily. I finish up the game by bee-lining my army to his base while warping in stalkers to clean up his drop.


Clean up, Clean up, everybody everwhere!

Slightly disappointed that I forgot to /dance.