[STL1] Knights who say △

4 Knights, 4 writers. Each equipped with his own special weapon and with the powers of the △, they compose the Knights who say △!. They travel the long-walked road, being hidden from society, only to emerge once a week with something called a STL write-up. Many people flock to see it, but almost no one makes a reply to it. Once the STL write-up is posted, the 4 Knights mysteriously vanish into the night. Rumors have it that they are plotting the overthrow of the BW forum admins and iCCup admins, but no one can confirm that rumor; the only known information about the 4 Knights is that they are controlled by the evil mastermind with the name of Jaevla.

In plain English, we got 2 new writers; Traceurling and Fearthequeen. They had to undergo a sacred ceremony (which may or may not involve Jaevla’s bats), and utter the sacred oath of the writer’s team, which is done in the ancient language of △△ △△△△ △. They joined the writer’s team and will be contributing to the write-ups for an indefinite amount of time for no pay!

Now that we got that news out of the way, let’s get going into the rest of this week’s write-up. We hope you enjoy this edition of the weekly STL write-ups!




LRM vs iM)

Game 1 finds Bakuryu squaring off against Probert in a ZvT on Oxide. We see 12 Hatch and mech openings respectively. The Overlord at Terran’s natural sees both a Command Center being built as well as one Vulture, revealing Probert’s Vulture Expand. Bakuryu upgrades Hydra speed and begins producing a handful of Hydralisks which he moves to his main in anticipation of a possible Vulture drop. But, we see that Probert is in fact on two Factories and an Armory, gaining an early upgrade advantage while building a Goliath force. A group of Hydralisks moves out towards the Terran natural while Bakuryu double expands, to his mineral only and 9 o’clock gas base. While looking to take a hidden base at the bottom left, Probert gets a control group of Goliaths caught out on the map, which are quickly swept up by a horde of Hydras. Shortly after he regains some ground with Vulture harass at Bakuryu’s mineral only. 2-1 upgrades are done for Terran and now is the time to attack. Probert is able to siege up on the highground outside of the Zerg fourth, but Bakuryu engages anyway, whittling down the mech army with his 1-1 pure Hydra force. Hydraling reinforcements clean up the army, leaving Bakuryu in a great position with ten Hatches and five bases secured. After denying Probert’s third gas a Muta switch exposes the low Goliath count, furthering Zerg’s map control. After some aimless wandering, a last ditch push from the 3-2 mech is crushed by the overwhelming Lair tech army, which continues on to destroy Probert’s 3 o’ clock base and force a gg.

LRM 1-0 iM)

TrutaCz walks over HoPe in set 2. Perhaps HoPe’s girlfriend is 2/2 in turning off his alarm.

LRM 2-0 iM)

Game 3 is a PvT between Bonyth and Fazers on Outsider. Bonyth goes for a single Zealot which, in tandem with his scouting Probe, is able to significantly delay the Factory and kill four SCVs as well as force a Vulture. Fazers attempts to get a Bunker up in his natural to buy time for a Tank. However, three Goons deny the Bunker and Bonyth takes the game.

LRM 3-0 iM)

Game 4 shows TechnicS vs Modesty (aka. Widowkiller_), a ZvZ on Overwatch. TechnicS opens 9 Pool Lair while Modesty opts for Overgas. Modesty plants a Sunken rather than producing Zerglings to defend, but TechnicS manages to snipe two Drones with his initial six Lings. He loses only one Ling in the process, as the Sunken was not finished in time, giving himself a nice early advantage. TechnicS, with his Ling advantage and slightly faster Spire, is able to expand while Modesty places his second Hatchery in his main. Both players use their initial 3-4 Mutalisks to go Overlord hunting, but neither can find one. Now TechnicS is mining off two vs one gas and is content to sit on this advantage. Modesty senses that he must do some damage now to stay in the game and makes his way across the map. TechnicS’ already larger Muta/Scourge count and superior control allow him to take this battle easily, leaving him ahead 37 over 26 supply. Desperate for more gas, Modesty morphs his third Hatchery in his natural. TechnicS a-moves to Modesty’s natural and it is enough to melt Modesty’s Mutas and secure the sweep for LRM.

LRM 4-0 iM)

iwL vs Sas

Biggus and Skzlime start us off with some TvT action on Oxide. In the bottom position we see Skzlime going Barracks Expand, and he is able to deny Biggus’ SCV scout at the ramp outside his natural, forcing it to go around to spy the Command Center. Biggus also builds his Command Center after making one Vulture and follows up with a second Factory and an Armory. Skzlime remembers that invisible units are pretty good and goes with a two Port Cloaked Wraith followup. He flies out over Biggus’ Vultures with his first three Wraiths, prompting Biggus to build both an Engineering Bay and Academy in his natural. The Wraiths soar through the main and into the natural picking off SCVs building Turrets and the Academy and two more Wraiths join the party. 14 total SCVs are lasered to death before cloak runs out, and Biggus’ economy has been cut in half. During this harassment, both players were able to establish a third base. Realizing he is behind economically, Biggus pushes across the map with his superior ground army, looking for a hole in Skzlime’s Tank lines. Skzlime is able to deflect the pressure with good Tank positioning outside of his third and natural. His remaining Wraiths also come back to haunt Biggus. They kill all four Goliaths after Biggus runs out of Scan, sending the remaining Tanks fleeing back to the 9 o’clock position and gaining map control for Skzlime. Supplies are now in favor of Skzlime 110 over 66. Looking for a way back into the game, Biggus goes for a Wraith switch. As Hacklebeast puts it, “Four Starports with Cloak researching. When you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, I guess.” Skzlime pushes towards Biggus’ 9 o’clock base with a control group of Goliath/Tank. Biggus turns the tables and abuses Skzlime’s insufficient scan and Goliath numbers to clean up the push while taking little damage. In turn, Skzlime lands five Dropships full of Tank/Vulture in Biggus’ main, but like his push it is cleaned up easily by Biggus’ Wraith fleet. Unfortunately for iwL, these defenses are not enough to overcome Skzlime’s booming four base economy. Skzlime pushes toward the 9 o’clock again, this time with plenty of Goliaths to support his tanks and powers through Biggus’ meager Tank line. gg

iwL 0-1 Sas

Colosseum hosts game 2, a TvP between Boom and another Sas heavyweight, Locdog (Dsaqwe). At 5 o’clock, Boom goes for a wall into Siege Expand against Locdog’s 1 Gate Expand at 7 o’clock. The initial Goons abuse the highground above the wall causing a bit of damage before Siege Mode finishes. We see a safe followup from Locdog, going up to four Gateways with Observers, Zealotleg, and Arbiter tech before taking his third base at 6 o’ clock. Due to Boom’s choice to use ranged Goliaths to defend drops rather than Turrets, Locdog’s Observer easily makes its way into the Terran base to see the third Command Center building and only two Factories. Locdog keeps a gang of Dragoons at 3 o’clock to delay this third base. By the time Boom can push the Goons back and commence mining at his third, a fourth Nexus has been started at 11 o’ clock. Boom picks this time to push, making it about halfway between his natural and 6 o’clock before sieging up. Rather than engage Terran head on, Locdog decides to recall the Terran natural but...WHAT?! doing his best Jaehoon impression, he recalls only two Dragoons and a single Zealot. Boom takes this opportunity of wasted Arbiter energy to continue his push towards 6 o’clock. With the Terran army at the bottom of the 6 o’clock ramp, Locdog engages with Goons from the north and Zealot/Goon/Arbiter coming down the ramp. He temporarily saves the Nexus at the cost of his entire army. Boom’s remaining Tanks and reinforcements prove too strong for Locdog’s reinforcements and 6 o’clock falls. In an effort to regain his lost economy Locdog expands to the 11 o’clock natural putting him on four bases. The Terran army is inching ever closer to the Protoss natural. Locdog engages before he gets contained and with some stasis and three Archons in the mix reduces the push to a reasonable size. Boom quickly reinforces and sets up a contain with Mines, Tanks, and Turrets. He tries to take the 1 o’clock natural as his fourth, but it is denied by three Zealots, which were roaming the map. Leaving a small group of Tanks and Goliaths to hold the contain, Boom moves the rest of his army to siege down the 11 o’clock natural, finding success there. Locdog has re-macroed a three control group army since the last engagement, and uses it to break the contain and deny Boom’s fourth base again, while re expanding to 6 o’ clock. Some Cannons and Dragoons at 11 o’clock main keep the Nexus alive just long enough for Locdog’s main army to come clean up Boom’s push entirely. After Locdog being behind in supply virtually all game, we are now dead even at 108 food with Boom pushing 6 o’clock again. Locdog focuses down the few Tanks in this push and Boom is forced to pull back. Wondering where he can actually get up a fourth base Boom has made a hidden Command Center at 9 o’clock but has no real way to transfer SCVs there. In a more realistic approach he has a Command Center building at 12 o’clock with a small contingent of Mines, Tanks, and Turrets to hold it. Locdog breaks this position with Stasis and Goons and sends three control groups of reinforcements as well. A starved out Boom taps out.

iwL 0-2 Sas

Game 3 is a ZvT between Fentio and Lumix on Outsider. Fenito opens Overpool into three Hatch at 9 o’clock while Lumix opens two Barracks at 1 o’clock and steals Fenito’s gas. Lumix follows up with an Academy and Engineering Bay from one base and does the standard push out to the Zerg natural once his Medics and Stimpacks are ready. Fenito’s three well-timed Sunkens deflect this pressure. Crucially, he also sneaks two Zerglings around to Lumix’s base to see how long the natural Command Center has been delayed. While the Mutas make their way to Lumix main for some light harassment, Fenito hops a Drone over to his 7 o’clock psuedo-island expansion and takes his third base. The Mutas manage more damage, taking down Lumix’s Refinery and a few SCVs. Lumix moves out for a potential pre-Lurker timing attack. By the time the three control group Medic Marine force makes it to Fenito’s natural Lurkers are finished and burrowed. The Mutas deny Lumix’s gas once again, meaning Lumix has mined zero gas for the last few minutes. Fenito’s Defiler Mound is morphing, but he doesn’t want to wait, and breaks the Medic Marine contain outside his natural with Muta Lurker Ling. The subsequent Defiler Lurker Ling push easily makes its way to Lumix’s natural due to zero Tanks and low Vessel count. Fenito uses this map control to start his fourth base, also at the bottom left psuedo-island. Some mines and irradiates from Lumix delay any swarm and Lurkers from making it all the way into his natural. He skirts his Medic Marine Vessel force around to keep any more defiler from making their way across the map unchallenged. Fenitio has also placed a Hatchery at the 11 o’clock mineral only for a fifth base, while Lumix is still on two bases. Lumix finally tries to damage Fenito’s fast growing economy with a single Dropship to the Zerg main, but it achieves nothing. Fenito’s transitions into a Hydra Defiler composition, probably due to the fact that he hasn’t seen a single Tank all game. A four Dropship fleet (only three loaded) unloads in the Zerg main. Hydras scamper back from the natural and with help from a single plague, stop the drop before any significant damage. After a lucky Lurker from Fenito lunches on 14 marines, he streams his Defiler Hydra army across the map to show us why five bases are better than two. gg from Lumix.

iwL 1-2 Sas

Game 4 gives us our first PvP of the day, Artanis (11 o’clock) vs Draw (5 o’clock) on Overwatch. Both open with Dragoon range, Artanis building one Zealot and Draw building none. Draw plops down a Citadel of Adun, but Artanis is able to slip a Probe by to see it. Whether or not it was his original plan, Draw goes for 1 gate dt expand, and Artanis reacts to his scouting of the Citadel with 2 gate Observers into Reaver. Draw initially made a Forge to help defend his expansion, but cancelled it, choosing to go up to five gateways of Dragoon production instead. With his first Reaver in a Shuttle, Artanis’ Goon Reaver force moves out, pushing Draw’s pure Goon force back. The five Gateways of Draw have not quite kicked in, and some decent Reaver control by Artanis forces Draw to evacuate his Probes from the natural and pull his army up into his main. Draw’s Nexus falls and Artanis tries to sneak his Shuttle around for some harass as Draw’s Goons clear his natural of containing Goons. But in predictable fashion the Reaver gets off only one dud scarab before Draw’s Goons scurry up to take it and the Shuttle out. Draw retakes his natural Nexus and takes a third Nexus at 7 o’clock, looking to catch up economically. Artanis has gone up to six Gateways and continued Goon Reaver production, with some speed Zealots mixed in. Artanis meets a small force from Draw at the large south ramp, losing one Reaver but otherwise trading well and forcing Draw back to his natural. Draw throws up a pylon wall and defends valiantly with psi storms, overcoming Artanis’ larger Dragoon count. With his third base up and running, Draw now has a 10 supply lead which quickly extends to 40. After pulling back, Artanis has expanded to his third base at 12 o’clock while Draw takes his fourth at 6 o’clock. Draw pokes north but pulls back after he sees no expansion at 1 o’clock for Artanis. Feeling his economic disadvantage, Artanis attempts to force his way up the bridge outside 6 o’clock. Superior army count, positioning, and storms from Draw leave Artanis’ army in shambles, and he ggs to the following attack on 12 o’clock.

iwL 1-3 Sas
On Tau Cross, Ace and Vorti face off in a ZvT for Game 5. Super standard 12 Hatch into 3 Hatch from Ace at 6 o’clock and Barracks Expand from Vorti at 10 o’clock. Then Ace is like “enough with this standard stuff” and goes Lurker rather than Muta. He morphs his first four Lurkers out on the field and uses them to backstab along with a group of Lings after Vorti’s initial Medic Marine group moves halfway across the map. This Lurker Ling force easily breaks through Vorti’s natural (empty Bunker), and gains control of the main choke, skewering the fleeing SCVs into glorious little clouds of Terran sadness (Zerg bias?). In turn Vorti tries to break the Zerg natural, but Ace holds with two Sunkens, two Lurkers, and a handful of Zerlings. Vorti ggs with Lurkers burrowed around his Barracks.

iwL 2-3 Sas

GameZZZ looks to take down Zaraki in Game 6, a ZvZ on Fighting Spirit. At 7 o’clock GameZZZ goes for the GameZZZ build: Overlord, gas trick, 10 Hatch, 10 Pool against the safe 12 Pool expand from Zaraki at 1 o’clock. Due to his Zergling speed finishing before GameZZZ’s speed, Zaraki is able to mount some aggression. He picks off one Drone at GameZZZ’s natural and two more in the main before GameZZZ’s Lings can clean up Zaraki’s Drone hit squad. As GameZZZ pushes out for the counter attack, two Zaraki Lings run right by GameZZZ’s lings and into the main, forcing GameZZZ to pull back to his natural and he consolidate his forces. Zaraki pushes his two control groups of Zerglings to GameZZZ’s natural and in an ill-advised fight trades poorly and returns home to the supposed safety of his Sunken Colony. Seeing that GameZZZ’s Ling count outnumbers him about three to one, Zaraki pulls drones to hold his natural. Without any Mutas to help defend for Zaraki, GameZZZ’s Zerglings tear through the natural. In the end we see GameZZZ’s superior resource management and engagements allowed him to steadily build a larger Ling force and overcome three early Drone losses. iwL demands an ace match from Sas.

iwL 3-3 Sas



Ace Match
Can Ace and iwL be the unlikely usurpers to Sas’ undefeated throne? A ZvP against Draw on Destination will decide. Ace Overpools at 6 o’clock while Draw Forge Fast Expands at 12 o’clock. Draw goes for a 2 Gateway Speedlot Dt into 6 Gateways before third base. Ace goes for 3 Hatch Spire into +1 missile 5 Hatch Hydra as well as taking his mineral only fourth. A large Hydralisk army zones back and forth buying time for Lurkers to finish. The Protoss Zealot DT Archon High Templar army gains a nice position outside of the Zerg third base and takes advantages of a low Lurker count, storming his way through Hydras blocking the path between the Zerg natural and third. After killing off a good amount of Ace’s army, Draw pulls back to the support of his recently macroed Dragoons sitting outside his own natural. Ace Hive starts. With his army now consolidated, Draw positions it in the 9 o’clock base, wanting to take a fourth. Supplies are now at roughly 175 to 105 in favor of Draw. Ace snipes Draw observer at 9 o’clock forcing him to give up this position. A Hydra Lurker Ling force overtakes a group of Speedlots at 3 o’clock, securing the position for Zerg. This prompts Draw to bring his nearly maxed army down south, and he trades efficiently outside the 3 o’clock base with Ace’s fragmented army. Draw gets an Observer over to 9 o’clock, allowing him to start a fourth Nexus there. He moves his entire army (save a 2 Zealot, 2 High Templar Shuttle) up on this highground to deflect the small Hydra Lurker Ling attacks coming up the ramp. Ace attacks Draw’s 11 o’clock 3rd, but with no Defiler it is hopeless, as Draw has High Templar waiting to defend. The aforementioned Shuttle makes the rounds through the Zerg main, natural, and mineral only, with Zealots slashing, and High Templar storming down the zerg economy. With the Protoss Deathball in full force and his economy in shambles, Ace ggs.

iwL 3-4 Sas






The first clan wars of the new year were not really a surprise. We already assumed that sas would qualify with almost 100% certainty. With their perfect win streak, they're most definitely the number one of the ranking after Week 14 and will enter the play-offs with the "best" seed.

Speaking of LRM Evolutions, they're through as well... most likely at least. If for some reason they're going to run out of players yet again they might get disqualified, they already have four walk overs. Remember, only five in total are within the limits. Regardless of how bad that was for the viewers, LRM is going to end either on second or third, for the play-offs this won't matter at all, their opponent will stay the same.

The third almost safe qualified team are our friends with the infamous El Bunker. Despite them having to play two more Clan Wars in the upcoming month, their match against Avatars of Victory next week seems to be a no-brainer. Any win with any score will put them 5-1 in total and most likely on the second spot with one set won more than LRM Evolutions. Consequently, if LaGFree wins next Saturday night, their match against PainBunnies (cloaked) won't matter for them.

This brings us to the thriller of next week: Pealthstunnies vs. the international Federation of too long Clan Names aka. iFU. Both are currently 3-2 in scores and only one can qualify. One team has FengZi, the other one Scan and more than enough other high class players to carry the torch to the ace match. The list of people who might be playing really is awesome: Tama, Marwin, Scan, eOnzErG, Cryoc, AlfiO, spx, Lancerx on one hand, FengZi, DragOn, Arcneon, INF3cted, vOddy and Bizzy on the other. Quite Terran heavy, but who cares, Terran mirrors were awesome so far. If, and only if, both teams will bring out their scary mercenaries (namely Scan and FengZi), tactics will matter. So far eOnzErG seemed to have saved his star, sometimes for a bit too long. Let's see if he does any better with so much at stake. Minor bets can be made on whether or not Swedish vOddy will be against Cryoc on Oxide.

Anyhow, let's wait and see, we'll be smarter next week. Be there to tune in next Sunday at 20:00 CET to find out!



SSL 9 has started! And that means, ladies, gentlemen, goblins, Aussies, and Protoss players, that many people will tune in to watch. We would like for all of you guys to do something to help out the BW scene: Spread the news of it. Talk to your friends, classmates, people who play SC2. Get them to watch SSL 9 and even better, get them to watch the STL casts on Sundays! and also my stream @ twitch.tv/comradexkcd.

This could be the start of the great surge in Foreign BW and maybe we can get the ladders populated once again! since I can’t host due to stupid apartment internet management, so it would be really great if you guys could host ladders games so I can join them, thanks.




+ Show Spoiler [Arcneon] +






Sources

VODS, Liquipedia
Writer team's source of inspiration
TLPD


Writers: Comradexkcd, GeckoXP, Traceurling, fearthequeen