EPTWhile the series proved NesTea's skill and intellect, it announced sC has a top tier Terran, one capable of pushing the "God of Zerg" to the brink, not through cheese but sheer macro and micro skills. Crossfire was a new edition to the GSL but was already proving itself a map made for great games. Both players took the macro-root, sC getting up a command centre quickly while NesTea took extra precautions by moving his spine crawlers to the top of the ramp to protect his natural as he secured his third at 11 o'clock.
sC went for the TvZ tried and tested Marine-Tank on one factory, while NesTea went for a
roach-bane composition. Just as the spire, baneling speed and burrow are about to complete, sC launches a strong push towards NesTea's third with a large clump of marines supported by strategic seige tank placement. The attack is barely cleanup with NesTea losing all his attacking units including a massive clump of banlings to a double seige volley. However, just as NesTea breathes a sigh of relief, sC's second wave charges through Crossfire's narrow infamous ramps.
The second push is crushed and sC takes his own third at 5 which pays huge dividends as the game proceeds. But the sight of NesTea's bleeding third is too tempting for sC, who wanders through the map only to walk over a clump of baneling landmines. The explosion deters the 3rd push and erupts across the studio with Artosis yelling "I need a cigarette," one of many great lines that will make the game more memorable - the best being Artosis tank counting exercise that ends with "One fish, two fish, Red fish, BLUE tank."
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"I need a cigarette"
sC rebounds by initiating a triple threat; a double drop on NesTea's third, a small marine contingent cancels NesTea's fourth at 2 o'clock, and a large tank-marine force sit alarmingly at the lower Xel'naga tower. Taking out the 3rd puts NesTea behind and to make matters worse, sC takes this moment to push his main force further up the map. The zerg forces withdraw giving up the newly spawned gold base but NesTea uses this opportunity to ravage sC's natural with his mutalisks. With sC's natural destroyed and NesTea still trying to re-establish his third, the game intensifies to a low econ TvZ, where every marine, tank, baneling, mutalisk and upgrade become crucial in shaping the ending.
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The tale of a hatchery. sC's determination finally pays off with a well timed double marine-medivac drop.
NesTea's mutas discover sC's 3 but fail to cause any significant damage and are caught by a beautiful flank by sC's marines that demolishes the muta count.
NesTea falls further losing a number of banelings to scans and siege shots but with sC rebuilding his command center at the natural, the lack of scans and sC's perilous advantage dawns on the entralled viewers. A crucial scan uncovers more landmines and sC's forces finally move toward's the droneless gold causing panick amongst the zerg ranks as banelings, roaches, mutas and zerglings crash into the Terran force. As the spews of acid, blood and smoke clears, sC's marine count stands alarmingly high with a 7-hp Thor to boot forcing NesTea to retreat his wounded forces and finally cede his gold base. As sC shells the rebuilt third, a lone drone sneaks past a clump of Terran forces to establish a secret base at 3 o'clock, which goes unnotice for much of the game, providing another twist an already great game.
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NesTea's clump of muta deliver the incisive painful blows while the zerglings, banelings and roaches slow the Terran advance.
As the third hatchery falls, NesTea counters against sC's equivalent base, basically shutting down significant mining for both players. sC replies by tank pushing onto the zerg natural as NesTea maynards drones to his secret base at 3 o'clock. The supplies are neck and neck, but with siege tanks on both low and high ground, puts the advantage clearly with the Terran hope sC. As NesTea bides his time collecting zerglings and banelings at his natural, another fearsome group of tanks and marines joins the Terran stronghold, leaving his base completely unprotected against mutalisks who subsequently eliminate sC's economy. But with every passing moment, the tanks draw closer and NesTea's natural hatchery is in the firing line causing a green avalache of banelings and zerglings on the Terran forces. Once again, despite significant marine losses, sC survives and NesTea's forces dwindle pushing him further back, now to his natural where this game began 20 minutes ago.
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sC's drive the mutas away from his third, straight into the waiting arms of gos-wielding, stimmed marine force.
But NesTea, the smartest zerg on the planet still has two cards up his sleeve; a secret hatchery and a first set of infestors to sC's battle-scared force of tanks, marines and a pair of monstrous Thors. Patience is now the name of the game with sC slowly pushing forward while NesTea gathering his forces for one final hurrah. However, NesTea makes use of his mobile mutas to catch undefended siege tanks and rallied re-enforcements while pathogen glands is being researched. A clump of marines charge up NesTea’s ramp to be fungaled but as their bodies melt into the creep, they take a coupe of infestors with them. The match is at breaking point and sC charges up the ramp again with his Thors leading the way with marines and tanks on the low-ground to support. A zergling charge inflicts little damage on sC’s forces who are now in range of NesTea’s production facilities. NesTea collects his forces, mutas, infestors, zerglings, drones and queens, and makes one last dash for victory that breaks through the Thors and marines leaving sC’s tanks helpless against the mutalisk glaive wurms! sC ‘ggs’ as the crowd, the commentators, NesTea and streamers across the world erupt! Has anyone at the GSL ever seen a game like this before? A War to end all wars? A game of chess where every piece, whether a knight, a bishop or a pawn held the balance of power? I say “No!”
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A mad dash to victory! Drones, Queens, Zerglings, Mutas and Infestors... the straws that broke the Terran's back.
The end left NesTea rejoicing with his screaming fans and teammates at the GOM Studio while sC sunk in his booth with Choya trying to comfort him. But sC need not hang his head in shame as he was a part of GSL, SC2, maybe even e-Sport history. He was part of the greatest game ever played but like every other, one must win and one must lose. Still, this game was bigger than sC and NesTea… the true victor was the game itself.
