EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/shz/11013.png)
This blog will be my 1000th post on TeamLiquid.net, and my third blog. It took me almost 3 years and 7 months to get to this count, and unless you have a Liquipedia silver coin, you cannot see more than 90% of my posts.
Liquipedia Stuff
First, because sometimes people tell me they just learned about it, let me remind you of my first two blogs introducing stuff I made for Liquipedia:
- A Liquipedia bracket creator
Now, in this blog (more than 1 year ago), I mentioned being working on it. But truly, it only lasted for a short while, because I reached a wall which demotivated me. I generally think too far ahead, and end up making the task seem more difficult than it really is. I'd like to thank prech for giving me motivation again, with this necro post. He's doing an awesome job on the StarCraft: Brood War wiki, like the
Players portal page for example (swag swag).Liquipedia Color blind mode
Nothing much to say for this one. Go read it if you are color blind and browsing Liquipedia. I hope this helps.
And while Dota 2 is not featured on this website anymore, here is another thing I never introduced outside of Liquipedia. It is an extension to retrieve match details from the Dota 2 Match History API by Valve and format them in filled Liquipedia templates. To know how it works, go here.
There is so much more to do to make Liquipedia better and more user-friendly. I already have some ideas for the future. If you want help with Liquipedia editing, don't hesitate to join the IRC channel #liquipedia on quakenet, full of nice and eager-to-help people (yoyo). It's always nice to see new people come in, ask a few questions, and a few weeks later, feeling comfortable enough to be the ones to help.
Battle Report
Introduction
As this a milestone blog, I decided to provide some content by making a battle report. It's more of a series recap, but with more details. It's probably not a series really worthy of a battle report, but it's one of my first memories of StarCraft "live" stream, so one of the fondest.
If you want to read a really good battle report, I recommend c3rberUs's recent blog post, very well written and illustrated. If I feel like my blog pales in comparison, I had a great time writing it, reminiscing about the early SC2 days.
First, like many people, I started my SC2 experience by watching videos by HDstarcraft and Husky. A few weeks later, they casted an MLG (MLG Raleigh 2010), which was probably my true first experience of live StarCraft II, but I don't remember the games at all, only the troll faces. + Show Spoiler [Troll face] +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sW6gxl.jpg)
Then I discovered TeamLiquid.net, I don't remember exactly how, although it's probably thanks to Husky or HD. At first, I was just a lurker, and stumbled upon a Day[9] thread, so I started watching some Day[9] dailies. He probably mentioned he was going to cast TL Open #12 (which also was the fifth qualifier for TSL3) with Chill, so I watched.
The games
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BKqvLwQl.jpg)
Finals: (Millenium)
Adelscott vs 
ThorZaIN (Praetoriani) ![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/0/0b/Vod.png)
VODsGame 1 + Show Spoiler +
Xel'Naga Caverns: Adelscott at 7 o'clock, ThorZaIN at 1 o'clock
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/nBE3cjil.jpg)
The final attack. Not a single Colossus, not a single Templar.
- After a standard opening in the first few minutes of the game, ThorZaIN decided not to expand early, but instead build a bunker at his main ramp, worrying about early attacks. His intuition was correct, as Adelscott was chronoboosting a Zealot and a Stalker to apply pressure at 5:00 while expanding. A Zealot managed to reach the mineral line, but ThorZaIN with good micro, did not lose any SCV, only mining time.
Bringing a second stalker at the Terran natural, Adelscott started a small contain, while adding three additional Gateways and quickly a fifth one. In the mean time, ThorZaIN juggled with Terran buildings and a Tech lab, producing a Tank, a Raven, to finally break the contain. He landed his second Command Center under heavy Stalker pressure, and started transitioning into mass Thor production.
But Adelscott was already way ahead in terms of economy, and his mobile Gateway army allowed him to safely take his third at the gold base, providing the income necessary to warp even more Gateway units. As he put some pressure again on the Terran natural, Adelscott noticed the growing Thor count, and started producing and Immortals and Zealots, while researching Zealot Charge.
The Protoss player even took a fourth base, before denying ThorZaIN's attempt to take the gold base, chasing and destroying the Terran army (including 6 Thors) to the natural, to finish the game.
The final attack. Not a single Colossus, not a single Templar.
- Adelscott 1 - 0 ThorZaIN
Game 2 + Show Spoiler +
Shakuras Plateau, soon in your ladder pool: Adelscott at 11 o'clock, ThorZaIN at 5 o'clock
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/IORnROxl.jpg)
An EMP hits half Adelscott's army as it engages at the natural ramp.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/pljIRZAl.jpg)
Once again an EMP catches the major part of the Protoss army.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0kxqq4ml.jpg)
Despite the good force fields, the Terran bio is too strong with the Medivac support.
- ThorZaIN was not happy with the start of the first game, but on Shakuras Plateau, he was comfortable enough to expand at 4:00. As on Xel'Naga Caverns, Adelscott moved out his first two units towards the opponent's natural while expanding, but this time, decided not to go up the ramp.
After building three Barracks, ThorZaIN built a Factory with reactor, and a Starport that would eventually be swapped with the Factory to produce Medivacs. Meanwhile, as usual, Adelscott was pumping units out of four Gateways, soon to be six, and a Robotics Facility.
At 9:00, ThorZaIN emptied the three bunkers guarding his natural, loading the army into his medivacs. Checking the map using the Xel'Naga towers, Adelscott made sure than he was safe to cross the map to attack, or so he thought.
The two medivacs had avoided the vision of the Protoss player, and landed in Adelscott's natural with a perfect timing. After leaving with his two medivacs full of units, ThorZaIN came back for a second drop and managed to bring down the Protoss's worker count to 33, this time with the medivacs and army dying. This triggered Adelscott's counter-attack with a lot of Gateway units on two flanks: the natural ramp, and a pylon hidden in the Terran main base. But with three bunkers, nice EMPs on a clumped up Protoss army at the ramp, SCV sacrifice, and good control, ThorZaIN was able to hold on. However, the attack had evened out the worker count.
An EMP hits half Adelscott's army as it engages at the natural ramp.
- Adelscott transitioned by building a Robotics Bay, but only managed to get one Colossus out before the Terran army reached his natural ramp. With MMM, a few vikings, and a perfect EMP, ThorZaIN quickly defeated the Protoss army to win game 2.
Once again an EMP catches the major part of the Protoss army.
Despite the good force fields, the Terran bio is too strong with the Medivac support.
- Adelscott 1 - 1 ThorZaIN
Game 3 + Show Spoiler +
Scrap Station: Adelscott at 12 o'clock, ThorZaIN at 2 o'clock
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6kgji0L.jpg)
Adelscott's triple pronged attack (main, natural, and bunkers at the front) held on by ThorZaIN
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2ec83tJ.jpg)
ThorZaIN's drops are more effective.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CdYWRz2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YJly8ANl.jpg)
After being forced to lift this third, ThorZaIN chase the Protoss army, killing the Immortals, then Zealots and Colossus, and finally the Stalkers, to close the game.
- Once again, ThorZaIN expanded quickly at 4:00, as Adelscott decided to change things up by building a Robotics Facility after his Cybernetics Core, determined to exploit the map's close air distance by using a Warp Prism.
At 6:00, while ThorZaIN was expecting some frontal attack with two bunkers at his natural, Adelscott reached the Terran main mineral line with some Stalkers and Zealots, with the Terran army was out of position. As ThorZaIN quickly moved his workers out of danger, Adelscott had the time to focus fire a supply depot before the Terran army reached the main base, repelling the attack with SCV support. In the end, Adelscott had lost three Zealots to kill four or five SCVs and a supply depot.
After the attack, Adelscott warped in a Nexus at the natural location. ThorZaIN continued producing SCVs, Marines and Marauders, while going to Starport, and carefully keeping his bunkers at the natural.
In the next attack, at 10:15, Adelscott moved out with Gateway units at the naturals, and a Warp Prism warping in Zealots at the main. The two bunkers built earlier proved themselves extremely useful at the natural, and in the main ThorZaIN quickly pulled his SCVs and brought enough units to deal with the Zealots. A Viking was even able to clean up the Warp Prism trying to put pressure at the natural, weakening the Protoss threat. In the mean time, Adelscott had expanded to the remote gold base.
Adelscott's triple pronged attack (main, natural, and bunkers at the front) held on by ThorZaIN
- Now, it was ThorZaIN's time to attack with his medivacs. First, two in the main base, dealt some good damage to the defending Stalkers, while the Zealots were stuck on the other side of the mineral line. A few seconds later, two other Medivacs were attacking the natural, abusing the immobility of Gateway units.
ThorZaIN's drops are more effective.
- Adelscott replied by denying the Terran third, but as he was retreating, the sizeable number of Marauders chew through the Protoss army, which could not get effectively reinforced due to a huge lack of gas.
After being forced to lift this third, ThorZaIN chase the Protoss army, killing the Immortals, then Zealots and Colossus, and finally the Stalkers, to close the game.
- Adelscott 1 - 2 ThorZaIN
Game 4 + Show Spoiler +
Lost Temple: Adelscott at 6 o'clock, ThorZaIN at 2 o'clock
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fmgxREp.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7D4N7JHl.jpg)
The four-gate attack is perfectly scouted by ThorZaIN, who takes the necessary precautions to repel the Protoss attack.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/n5lKvVL.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WjryBZDl.jpg)
ThorZaIN abuses one of Lost Temple's features, at the great displeasure of Adelscott.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Xzlo28M.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ZdGgkKUl.jpg)
After defending relatively easily, ThorZaIN walks his Vikings into victory. Adelscott gg's out.
- This time, ThorZaiN expanded even earlier, at 3:15, before taking his gas. Upon scouting the bunker at the natural, Adelscott chronoboosted his Warp Gate research (scouted by an SCV), and soon added three Gateways. Catching sight of Gateway units at his natural, the Swedish player brought some SCVs to the natural, and built a second bunker. As the four-gate attack started at 6:00, ThorZaIN started building a third bunker, effectively blocking the Protoss army. With only one sentry, Adelscott could not prevent SCV repair effectively, and was pushed out even more with a fourth bunker. Feeling he couldn't break in, the French player expanded.
The four-gate attack is perfectly scouted by ThorZaIN, who takes the necessary precautions to repel the Protoss attack.
- ThorZaIN, in the meantime, had started a factory for the long-term transition to Siege Tanks, and as soon as he made sure the Protoss attack was done, build three more Assimilators. With a Warp Prism and four Stalkers, Adelscott provided some harassment, including use of the cliff overlooking the natural base.
It was chased out by Marines however, and it was time for the Terran player to bring some units to the cliff of his opponent, with two Siege Tanks, a Bunker and a couple of Marines and Marauders. He decided to attack the natural, once again with a luckly timing, as the Protoss army was moving out to the Watch Tower. Adelscott lost a Colossus in his natural to Vikings, in an attempt to deal with the units on the high ground. He had to wait for Blink Stalkers to finally be able to get rid of the threat at the natural.
ThorZaIN abuses one of Lost Temple's features, at the great displeasure of Adelscott.
- A four-zealot warp-in in ThorZaIN's main was not able to deal much damage, as the Terran player had kept a small army to protect it.
Adelscott, now with a good count of Colossus and Blink Stalkers, decided to attack at Terran natural, but like in the whole series, ThorZaIN had prepared an adequate defense, with Tanks and Marauders dealing with the Stalkers, and Vikings crushing the Colossi, even helping against the remaining Stalkers at the end of the find. The opponent's natural was only ten seconds away, and ThorZaIN's army of landed Vikings and Marauders was able to close the game.
After defending relatively easily, ThorZaIN walks his Vikings into victory. Adelscott gg's out.
- Adelscott 1 - 3 ThorZaIN
Game 5 + Show Spoiler +
Not played: Adelscott at 
o'clock, ThorZaIN at 
o'clock
o'clock, ThorZaIN at o'clockConclusion
In this series, ThorZaIN showcased excellent defensive sense and unit composition, while Adelscott displayed his good macro with Gateway units. The Terran player slowly gained an edge in the series, by expanding earlier and earlier, abusing the lack of early scout by Adelscott. You can read the winner interview after the qualifier, as well as a recap of his last game against Nerchio in the quarterfinals, by Plexa: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/news-archive/191051-tsl-qualifier-5-recap
As a Protoss player, I was cheering for the Frenchman Adelscott in this series, even though his BM talk in chat made it a "little little" hard. (He still gg'ed in every game he lost in this series.) Some BM remarks later caused him to be hated by a part of the community, especially when his results started to get worse. Posting in his fanclub thread (quickly created after his win against Mvp in TSL 3) was my first post on TeamLiquid.net.
Epilogue
Both these players later participated in TSL 3, and had a good run. Adelscott only faced Terran in his tournament path, defeating Mvp (who had then just won the first of his many GSLs) and qxc in the first two rounds, before losing to Kas. Kas was also on the path of ThorZaIN's way to the finals, which included another GSL champion, FruitDealer, Tyler, and MC (excellent games). ThorZaIN was even able to win the whole tournament 4-3 against NaNiwa.
With this success, ThorZaIN left Praetoriani for mousesports, just before the TSL 3 finals. The next day, NightEnD another TSL 3 participant, also left to join Fnatic. The same day, the Dutch team disbanded, victim of its success.
Thinking back about 2011, I could probably go on rambling, but I'll stop here. Thanks for reading!
