[OSL] [Spoiler] Beyond the Mist

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Synopsis -

Game One - Spawning from the cold depths of Othello; July, 1'o clock. BeSt, 7'o clock. The game began with July's ingenius 5pool build, looking for an hyperaggressive game early on. BeSt, however, had not scouted this in time seeing as they were both in cross spawn locations. While BeSt lays down his forge; opting for cannons, July was already aiming at his main. Knowing this, BeSt lays down another pylon to block engaging zerglings while one cannon defends him.

July ignores whatever tech BeSt has to deliver and aims for a final blow. However, the cannon will defend.

During this, BeSt's initial scouting probe begins an ingenius proxy gate.

It could've been July's maphack, it could've been his game sense; but somehow, some way, he scouted it. His zergling spots it. With reinforcements of his lone cannon, BeSt holds the proxy.

One ling to see it all.

July, however, puts down more sunkens which totals up to 3. BeSt tries to counter while mutalisks from Tushin annihilates his main; which brings his economy back down to zero.

BeSt taps out.

+ Show Spoiler [July > BeSt] +

Game Two - A Protoss heaven, Troy is statistically better for Protoss than other races. In PvZ, Protoss has won 5 while only dropping 3. This map opts for many different strategies because of the unique choke of the assimilated geysers. July has lost on this map before, and that was dropped to Backho of all people. Will BeSt triumph on this map as he did against Luxury? Let's see.

BeSt spawns on the right; top. The God of War spawns on the right as well, but on opposite ends: the bottom. The Devil's apprentice did not do a Bisu build, instead, he built his gateway next to his Nexus. He soon added gas as well.

July, on the other hand, went for a 9pool fast gas; speedings. BeSt gets his core up and July scouts his playtoy. July lays down a hatchery at his natural. BeSt techs up to a corsair, but July won't allow this to happen. Even with a secure choke, July will do whatever he can to break it.

Two zealots and one dragoon cannot hold against the swarm that is July.

I don't think it's going to hold!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! TUSHIN!

July hacking away at BeSt: hacking his way to the golden mouse.

As BeSt could not hold, he had no other choice but to tap out:

The fall of Troy.

+ Show Spoiler [July > BeSt] +

Game Three - Momentum has definitely shifted into July's side. Critics were right as the month of July turns JulyZerg into a fucking super saiyan. BeSt, however, still cannot be counted out. He was at a 0-2 deficit versus Luxury and he continued to survive early attacks and came up on top. BeSt's weakness is his early game as game 1 and game 2 has shown. And July has found this weakness as he continues to exploit it.

This time, the map is Andromeda. Many people would have said that July would have been at an 0-2 because Othello and Troy were Protoss maps, however, Andromeda's statistics prove that this map is Zerg haven. July has won multiple games on this map; showing his brilliance and spectacular mutalisk micro as well as cannon breaks with his hydra timings versus Protoss. BeSt might have to work on some unique strategy to overcome this.

Either that, or he has to survive until midgame where his incredible oov-like macro kicks in. Let's begin.

Gorilla macro/devil ingenuiity versus The God of War.

Finally, BeSt(top right) utilizes the forge first BO while July(top left) goes for another 9pool plus gas. July scouts the wrong way while the macro monster that is BeSt scouts his opponent directly. Knowing the build order was similar as the other games(besides 1), BeSt opts to lay down two cannons while blocking the ramp with probes before putting down a gateway or a nexus.

As July makes zerglings to run over his opponent, BeSt lays down a nexus. Even though many zerglings were killed in the run-by, sumozerg July managed to sneak two hero lings to cause additional damage.

The survivors of the run-by ordeal.

Even though BeSt had lost no probes to July's zerglings, it sure annoyed and fucked with his mining for a few seconds. July gets a third hatchery while BeSt continues to scout him and finds one hatchery morphing to lair. July has two routes now: 3 hatch mutalisks or lurker contain. He could even go hydras and break cannons while upgrading ovie speed.

Knowing this map is strong for corsair/reaver, BeSt follows suit. July knows this and makes a spire and hydralisk den. Corsair/reaver versus hydralisk/scourge. Who would win?

During this entire catastrophic unit counter build, BeSt takes a third, but an island third. July would have a hard time taking it down. One by one, corsairs get taken out by scourges, and BeSt had not a WTF-sized corsair fleet yet so that made it even worse for him.

July upgrades overlord for a second time, and this time, it was the drop upgrade. Gathering his hydralisks, July flies them over to BeSt's third base which was still warping cannons and whatnots. Cleverly, July keeps BeSt's corsairs at bay with his scourges while he drops on BeSt's third.

However, the timing was right on time and the cannons warp in, this allows BeSt to mine at his third at ease. But he's still trapped by those corsairs. Knowing this, BeSt does what he does best: macro, as he lays down multiple gateways.

July continues to find weak spots and he does so.

It doesn't matter if there are splatters of blood of guts all over the battlefield, July's hydralisks has done it's job, managing to kill many probes and delaying BeSt's rolling-out army. This also kept his reavers at bay and his corsairs remind us of the downward spiral that are Bisu's.

After this entire ordeal, July techs to hive. BeSt cannot let the God of War out of control with expansions, and map control. He continues to creep his way down towards the map and contains BeSt. BeSt, knowing he needs to harass, cut-down the economy of July, or just kill him over, sends his corsair/reaver out.

The fleet of death.

July adds mutalisks to his lone-scourge army.

The fleet of death meets the fleet of War.

The two fleets engage, and this was the result.

Akin of sAviOr of his clashes against Protoss.

As BeSt begins his macro again, he is met with a troubling discovery at the middle. JulyZerg has gotten a shitload of hydralisks and are morphing guardians.[/i]

BeSt continues his macro'ing rampage, showing off his masterful macro.

And as the two armies finally engage.

July's hydralisk, guardian, lurkers versus BeSt's HT, dragoon, reaver, and zealots.

+ Show Spoiler [Aftermath] +

With more masterful storms, BeSt continues to drown out and repel the swarming zerg.

Storms left and right, up and down, everywhere...

Yes, BeSt repelled July, and had took a fourth expansion at the middle right, but July has the upperhand. He has remacro'd a huge fuckton of hydralisks again. Yes, BeSt is still renowned for his spectacular macro, but he was surely running out of minerals. He needed to break July or he will be 3-0'd. It will not come as an embarrassment as July has amazing ZvP, but BeSt would surely be disappointed.

July looks very very very hungry for that mouse. And he aims to take it, not one step at a time, but one base at a time. He was beginning to starve BeSt. July then prepares a doomdrop full of hydralisks to take down and starve his opponent, BeSt, further.

With 8-9 overlords filled with hydralisks, he bravely travels through the edges of space to bring down the expansion of BeSt.

As the cannons kill several overlords, July continues to engage. Reavers were dropped, disruption webs were laid, but July's control on his hydralisks were perfect and manages to kill multitple reavers. Just one reaver saved the day but he had lost many probes and all the cannons there. This will starve BeSt even more in that he will have no economy and just static defense to guard a drained expansion.

BeSt, knowing this, sends some zealots to July's left middle expansion in hopes of killing drones but instead, took down two sunkens and a few lings and nothing more.

Things look dire for the Protoss hero. BeSt lost control of those zealots, and continued to go into macro mode. In the middle of the map, they engage once more, July has a few guardian there so BeSt took the advantage and engaged. Switching strategies, July opted for a hydraling combination to break BeSt now.

As BeSt brings his army down to the bottom base, hoping to secure three expansions there, he is met with the swarm of July. Again, the two titans engage. And again, BeSt loses because of the magnitude of the hydralisks and zerglings, flanking from every direction. As the game winds down to the last few minutes, July amasses a fuckton of ultralisks, hydralisks, and zerglings.

Defilers join the holy crusade.

Left. Then right. Then everywhere. July's units were swarming up to an unanswered BeSt, he had no answers to construct a death blow to July. He had no answers except one: tapping out. Ultralisks/hydralisks combination is one of the most hardest things Protoss can encounter and counter, and BeSt laid brilliant storms and engaged in specific keypoints(not under swarm) against July but the number of units the God of War was astronomical.

Yes, astronomical.

What's that? GG?

A disappointed BeSt...

And the Golden Mouse #2, Starcraft history was made. <3

+ Show Spoiler [July wins the FUCKING GOLDEN MOUSE!] +

This took fucking epically long as I had to refresh YT a lot of times because it wouldn't go back. I'd like to thank Plexa for the banner, BaeZZi for the VODs, tinypic to host my pictures and many other programs to edit/size my pictures. Hope everyone enjoys.

-Raith'd

[OSL] [Spoiler] Beyond the Mist

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