A loveletter to YoonJoong Part 2 [spoilers]

http://www.gomtv.net/videos/176

Xellos walls in and then fast expos, Shuttle goes for a rush+tech build. The first zealot and dragoon do some standard aggressive wall-in harassment until they are repealed by tanks. Shuttle appears to be going for DTs and OMG Xellos spots it. Crap! Does not look good for Shuttle.. Xellos is already going for both turrets and scansweep.

But.. What's this? Shuttle is fearless and bum rushes the wall-in with his DTs and dragoons... AND BREAKS IN. Shuttle is in and this is bad fucking news for Xellos.

Shuttle keeps a steady stream of dragoons and DTs streaming in, focusing on keeping Xellos's tank numbers at Zero. Nitch.. Nada.. No not that Nada, the nada that means 'NO TANKS FOR YOU'.

Finally Xellos clears out the DTs and gets the wall-in built again. He has a moment of rest, but if we take a look at Shuttle's base you will see why I love this guy. He has been super aggressive the entire game, and this aggression has been paying off in dividends...

But he is also a macro monster and has put up his 3rd expo with his 4th warping in. He has multiple gateways on their way in, he has grabbed storm tech and a few high templars, Arbiter tech incomming; he is looking very strong on the macro/tech front.

A few quiet moments pass but Shuttle is not happy to sit on his hands forever. He loads a shuttle with some DTs and HTs and heads out to harass. The DT is repealed but the HTs get 2 storms off killing about half of Xellos's SCVs in his main mineral line.

Xellos knows his dire situation is only going to become more exasperated against a macro-monster like Shuttle. He attempts a last desperate push to reclaim the game, but Shuttle has way too many units. An epic clash occurred in the center and Xellos is crushed by the huge mass of slow zealots, dragoons, and psionic storms.

1:0 Shuttle. Tasteless calls it an upset; this might be true for most, but I never doubted Shuttle for one moment. This guy can fucking deliver.

http://www.gomtv.net/videos/177

Shuttle begins this game by showing us he is not a rush-only player by doing a 14nex build to his mineral only. He then decides 'fuck this not attacking shit' and tries to push his way in with 5 goons.

Surprisingly this doesn't work! I mean, this is the type of attack you might see in a USEast game right? Trying to force you way into the opponents base with 5 dragoons when they have 3 tanks sieged on their cliff? Well get ready for a conspiracy theory that might just blow your mind: SHUTTLE WAS METAGAMING!

Shuttle had some iiiinsane build planned that involved just sacrificing 3-4 goons in an attack so blunderful that it is practically obvious what he is going for: goad his opponent to attempt a timing push very quickly in retaliation. Notice how immediately after losing these goons he plops down 4 new gateways. Notice how he prepares his little reaver/zealot filled shuttle and pumps an insane amount of goons very quickly.

Most importantly: Notice how Xellos confidently strolls out with his timing push only to be completely smashed by Shuttle's forces.

This is gaming on another level people. Sacrificing troops to goad a terran into creeping outside his base just so that you can crush his army with a well timed macro-boost. Fucking A-Game shuttle, fucking A-Game. As Tasteless would say: you are a baller!

So the game settles down a little and when the dust clears Shuttle is both engaging in some reaver harass and setting up both a 4th and 5th base. Jesus-h-christ Shuttle, yo Micro/Macro is getting scary.

Xellos tries a little vulture harass but Shuttle will have none of it, easily flanking the vultures and sniping off the spider mines like a fucking machine. A quick glimpse over to Shuttle's main: 3 more gateways and 3 stargates going up. Tasteless puts it well: "Who are you?"

Some more skirmishes between vultures and goons follow until Xellos realizes his dire situation and pushes out. The timing is pretty good as well: all 3 stargates are flashing with carriers, but not a single one has emerged yet. What will happen to our hero? :O

Shuttle tries to break the push head on. I mean, what else would he do? Stall the push? This is fucking _Shuttle_ we are talking about here. Shuttle is not afraid of nuking his goons and zealots into a beastly terran super-ball. Shuttle is not afraid of anything!

Xellos rolls in and easily sieges Shuttle's natural expo, but the carriers are able to hold Xellos off from his main. Xellos has to back off.. But returns with a lot of Goliaths pretty shortly. Things looks very grim for our hero Shuttle.

Xellos directs his evil gaze in the direction of Shuttle's 4/5th expos and begins marching over.. In a move that turns the game right back around Shuttle goes for the counter. Nick is not sure if this is a good move, but it becomes clear pretty quickly Shuttle's micro is good enough to pick off tanks before they squish the goons with carriers and the goons survive just fine being surrounded by goliaths. It is a beautiful battle from which Shuttle emerges victorious, reclaiming the vital map control.

Shuttle switches into 'annoy the terran with carriers' mode, flying around and picking off command centers easily disappearing over cliffs whenever goliaths show up.

Finally Shuttle moves in with his newly massed goon army and bangs down the front door while flanking with his carriers.

GEE GEE Xellos

Favorite Tasteless quote from this game, "Shuttle is going to be so happy if he wins this. I mean, in all honesty he is practically humiliating Xellos." Indeed Tasteless, IN-FUCKING-DEED.

Shuttle is not interested in 'losing games' to former 'OSL champions'. No game 3 following the 2-0 sweep.