Dreamhack Tours, I love StarCraft.

Hello TeamLiquid.

I am Mraptor, a Protoss player in Master league that dedicated three months every day to practice up for the greatest event of all, the Dreamhack in Tours. I wrote a huge piece on my Facebook page, and I wanted to share it with you guys as well. I want to share my love for the game and how good it felt to be there. Sorry for the few mistakes then and there, French being my native language. Have a good read.

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Overwhelming.

The only word that comes in my mind.

How is it possible to love a game this much ? That you feel so much passion running through your entire body, when the finals comes in, the very first match starts, and you cheer for the player you want to win.

The best is to begin with the first day, the Open Tournament. It's been since it has been announced that I had practiced almost every day to become a good player, good enough to get through most trouble I'd encounter in this DreamHack. I got master league one week before it started, and I was confident that I would cross the first group in the Open, even though I would face two terrans, my worst match-up and Bly.

Just a week ago, I could shift my play versus Terran and I won a lot of games just before DreamHack started, and I felt great knowing I was playing a style that no one does really, and able to manage wins with it. Having self-confidence is something I need to work on, and crafting my way to get those wins earned it.

I started my matches, my opponent is Kenjo, Platinum and has achieved master league quite a few times. As much as me. We get into it and he wins the first game in the first BO3. I was surprised he didn't drop mine at all, and I got misdirections, mostly lacked vision. I got pumped up, tuned in some good music and started going in for the kill in this second match and I won it with a Tradebase, he didn't build his third so I went for a two base push that worked well. 1 - 1 and I stand versus him again, good vision and control, I catch his drops, I harass, I feel confident and I march my way in to his base. 2 - 1. Won my first Best Of series. I feel so good.

Next up is Bly, he won the other Terran Odelay and our series were quick. I cheesed him, Proxy 2G to begin the series, and he held really greatly. Nothing else to say here. 0 - 1. Alright let's do what I am confident in and make it work. One-Gate expand start with a chrono'd mothership core wasn't enough to hold nicely enough his six zerglings he sent right when my pylon finished in the wall of the natural. He showed impressive zergling control and I couldn't really deal with it without losing some probes and this delayed me a lot. He comes in with a light roach push that I hold for some time with sentries, but as I started getting some units he had burrow, micro'd his roaches and took, bit by bit, even with the micro I provided to counter, all my units, buildings and probes. GG 2 - 0 and he didn't come to shake my hand, so I did. He didn't care much.

Down in the Loser bracket I face the Terran I beat 2 - 1 before. I feel quite anxious even if my control is better. He snatched a game off me and he knows the way I play, and I didn't have time to develop variations. This is my only choice. He got me 2 - 0 with a strong two-base stim / combat shield timing on both games I struggled to hold on my third base.

Out of the Open. Sad, I eat a huge american sandwich and go back to practice on the BYOC area. Chilling around with my friends to change my toxic mindset. It worked out quite well as I won a lot of ladder games and demonstrated Legacy of the Void. I don't know who my opponents are for the tournament of tomorrow, but I get my worries off as I get into the StarCraft theatre and watch some players display their tenacity. We go eat at a Pizzeria and it's all for today.

BYOC Tournament on Saturday. I go setup quickly, and we get our groups off. In my group, there is Odelay mentioned above, Diamond, and Gödü, a Platinum Zerg. The last player forfeited for the whole tournament. I finish first of my pool after winning both 2 - 0 / 2 - 0 and in both I had some tough times in the second game.

The BYOC places you in the professionnal tournament if you finish first. I got matched versus Stephano in the main bracket, I didn't think good of him and I was really surprised, the only pro out there that went and shake my hand to start vetos, really chill.

He was nice enough with me. First game I did some Zealot pressure to follow up on a DT harass to get a quick third, but he deflected both without losing much. When I put down my third he couldn't cancel it first but my simcity blocked most of my units, he came the other way with roaches and destroyed it. He started massing units on my face and I couldn't hold for ever on two bases, with the first mining out. 1 - 0 for him.

Second game, he comes up with a fast speedling timing as I opened Forge to vary my play. I walled off straight with a cannon and he couldn't come in at all. We took our naturals at the same time when I started teching to DTs again. This time I could snipe his third with three DTs and I went to push with everything I had. I was in a good position, I had a lot of units and even with a lot of units coming from everywhere, I still could destroy a lot of his units. Unfortunately, resources went floating and I microed so hard I forgot to spend it efficiently. He starts outproducing me and it's the end. 2 -0. I went to shake hands with him and we took a selfie.

I dropped into the loser bracket and face chubZ, a Protoss from team aAa. First game he comes with a Proxy 2G I couldn't hold well enough, GG 1 - 0 for him and the second I picked Echo because I know a good cannon rush on it. He scouted it and was waiting for it, letting me put down my things. I was a second away to protect my photon with a pylon, but his probe sneaked in before. He held it, I gg'd straight even though I could have fought until the end. I was a bit on tilt after the proxy gate, and that was the effect he hoped. I gg'd him but didn't come to shake his hand (boo, it's bad :c) as we rushed to go into the theater to see Patience vs TRUE, a great series and awesome cheesy game.

In the end I am out of both tournaments, but now I can completely enjoy the rest of the games here. PartinG vs HyuN starts and I cheer my lungs out for my Protoss representative. Oh my god what a player, what a micro and how is that possible to be this good. He just loses the first game after being cocky, saying he's better than everyone else, and won the three games afterwards. During the second semi finals we went in a japanese wok restaurant, good food there as we rushed in the end to be JUST in time for the grand finals.

Every game was intense, I have never felt that kind of involvement watching streams before. The whole crowd, feeling what the players feel, at the moment PartinG decides to go in with a Zealot bait on the third, having storm up as only splash damage. The crowd reaction, when GuMiho decides he'd trade base, fly all his buildings off and drop all of his units in PartinG's main. It was like this for every action. As Protoss, I felt sadness whenever GuMiho picks off PartinG's units, and a great feeling whenever PartinG holds a dropship without losing more than a probe.

Last game of the series I was completely dry already from shouting PartinG in the beginning of every previous game. I screamed on top of my lungs as a Ping-Pong into the crowd started, some screaming GuMiho as I answered PartinG all the times on top of my lungs. Guys it was me near (P)

ToD and Apollo, replying PartinG to you.

What a conclusion for this series, such an amazing display by PartinG and the moment he grabbed that trophy, my legs were shaking, I was so excited I couldn't sit down as I kept chanting with the roaring crowd PAR TING PAR TING PAR TING. Congratulations to PartinG for doing it.
That was just. Overwhelming. I cannot forget what happened this weekend, yesterday in the theatre. Those memories will follow me.

I want to say a huge thanks to the whole DreamHack France organisation. It was the most amazing tournament I ever went at, the greatest e-sport experience I have ever felt, and now, more than ever, I want to be part of those players that are in the booth, and seconds after holding the star trophy. You guys hyped me up, my objective isn't to be good now, it is to be the best.
Thank you very much. I love you guys, I love e-sports, I love StarCraft !!!

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TL;DR : Dreamhack is an amazing event, I got crushed but I keep good memories from everything even when I got on tilt.

Thanks for reading it until the end, I hope you enjoyed it and if you want replays or anything I'll post here.

Dreamhack Tours, I love StarCraft.

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