Battle Report: Turning the Tide

GSL Open Season 2: Grand Finals
BoxeR (Marineking) vs NesTea

Preface:

A scrappy rookie with a legendary name stands against a titan who hasn't dropped a single set all tournament. Can the power of destiny stand in the way of a god? This is GSL Open Season Two; this is BFoxeR vs NesTea!

Previous Reports:
Fruitdealer vs Rainbow
Set One: Delta Quadrant
Set Two: Lost Temple
Set Three: Kulas Ravine
Set Four: Desert Oasis
Set Five: Scrap Station
FoxeR vs NesTea
Set One: Shakuras Plateau
Set Two: Lost Temple

Can Nestea vindicate himself, or is he all washed up?

Set Three: Scrap Station

FoxeR spawns in the 2 o'clock position; NesTea spawns close by air in the 12 o'clock. Nestea, previously undefeated in this tournament, has suffered two painful losses to Foxer. Things are looking grim. Was all the hype around Nestea for nothing? In one of his last chances to prove himself, here on the field of Fruitdealer's greatest triumph, Nestea opens the same way he did in the last two games; with a hatchery first in to pool. Foxer opens with a barracks at his main ramp.

Foxer mixes things up with a fast in-base command centre.

With Nestea taking a quick gas, Foxer prepares to send his building command centre over to the island expansion at the 1 o'clock. As his command centre finishes, he throws down 2 gases in his main base. Nestea responds with a pair of zerglings and queens at both of his bases.

Nestea sees no expansion and only one barracks. He knows that something is wrong.

Nestea realises the threat of aggression and gets speed for his zerglings. Meanwhile, Foxer builds a factory in his main and completes his wall with 2 engineering bays.

Foxer marines never die. With upgrades, will they be even better?

Nestea sees the engineering bays and begins his own teching, taking another gas and constructing his lair. Foxer builds a reactor at his factory and a starport next to it, starting +1/+1 on his Engi-Bays. But Nestea knows that he's missing something and keeps scouting.

Nestea knows about the island.

Nestea reacts immediately, throwing out a whole array of tech. Firstly, the Roach Warren, then the Baneling Nest. Finally, he makes a Nydus Network to prepare for his assault on the island base of Foxer.

How exactly do worms burrow to an island anyway?

Foxer finishes two vikings from his starport and uses them to chase away the majority of Nestea's scouting overlords. He arrives at the island just in time to catch one coming in to plant the Nydus. However, it's too late; the Worm starts building and Foxer has to pull SCVs.

Foxer has only seconds to save his expansion.

The Korean Terran acted too slowly, as 8 zerglings burst out of the worm in to his base. Vikings and medivacs hurry to the aid of the island. The first worm is killed by SCVs, but now they're at the mercy of the lings. Nestea starts a second worm on the island to bring in reinforcements for the killing blow.

For the first time in the series, Nestea begins to dictate the pace.

With landed vikings and a medivac drop of marines, Foxer holds the island, just stopping the second worm from bringing in a second front from Nestea. Meanwhile, however, the IM Zerg has been busy consolidating his economy, capitalising on the confusion to take the far-off gold expansion.

Hidden from Foxer, Nestea's golden goose is secured.

Nestea grabs a Hydralisk den to round off his tech tree, but Foxer immediately scans, seeing the den as well as the rest of Nestea's tech. He responds with a double drop in to the main, using his newly finished 1/1 to great effect.

Ground forces arrive en masse for Nestea.

Despite Foxer's solid upgrades, there's just too much Roach/Ling for Nestea and he's forced to retreat. He gets four more barracks in his main base to start pumping out units, but Nestea has Roach and Baneling speed about to finish, with Hydra range just starting. To top it all off, he throws down 2 spines at his hidden base to ensure it's safety.

An eerie shriek echoes through the fog of war; Nestea's siege weapon has arrived.

With a Nydus worm at Foxer's natural, Nestea prepares to assail the front of the terran base. With stimpack only just starting for Foxer, things look grim. Foxer manages to complete his armoury and begins work on +2/+2, but most of his barracks are still making addons and his army is fairly small. Nestea doesn't have the same problem; an enormous Roach/Baneling army arrives through the Nydus Network.

WHAT IS UP? I'M NESTEEEEEEEA!

Nestea hammers his way in to the front of Foxer's base. With so many banelings pushing through and no stim, Foxer is forced to retreat back, bringing out all his SCVs to tank damage for the small marine army.

A bad day to be an SCV.

In the process, Nestea destroys the tech lab researching stimpack, preventing any chance for Foxer to recover. His island base remains protected, but reinforcements are pouring in through the Nydus worm for Nestea.

Roaches ravage the production.

With no army left and roaches crushing marines as they spawn, Foxer is defeated. The Nestea that beat SlayerS'BoxeR, Zenio and Maka has finally arrived.

GG! Foxer 2-1 Nestea.

NesTea finally shows that he's able to take a game from Foxer. Where he had looked weak previously, making poor decisions that allowed Foxer to dominate, he now demonstrates his excellent decision-making. Expending the perfect amount of units to pressure at each turn while building up an insane economy, Nestea shows he has what it takes to be a champion. However, he's still down a set and Foxer has shown incredible versatility. Nestea hasn't arrived at a comeback yet, but he's set out upon the road. Can Nestea turn the tide of battle, or will Foxer go on to obliterate everything zerg? To Be Continued...

Battle Report: Turning the Tide

Completed

Ongoing

Upcoming