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[SSL] Triumph of War

Forum Index > BW General
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[SSL] Triumph of War

Text by2Pacalypse-
Graphics byHyde
February 3rd, 2015 15:50 GMT

The SBENU Sonic Starleague (SSL 10) Round of 8 ended this past weekend with the elimination of the three remaining Protoss contenders. Without stasis, recall, carriers, and reavers to worry about, all that remains is the TvT match-up. Some players have compared this mirror match-up to a chess match: with map selection and race imbalance questions out of the picture, just who is the master strategist? The Terran infighting commences this week...

Read on for a summary of each the four quarterfinal matches and how each player performed by BigFan. Despite making his first SSL appearance and having only recently rejoined the post-KeSPA/SOSPA scene, [image loading] Last has continued to impress. In the semifinals, he faces off against fan favorite, the mighty [image loading] Mong. Learn more about both players in their exclusive interviews with Stratos. These are followed by an ode to the omnipotent Terran wraith by N.geNuity. Finally, Mirabel_ has prepared a look ahead at the upcoming semifinals.

Keep watching, chatting, and live-reviewing the semifinal games ahead as they continue broadcasting on OGN. Join us live on Wednesday, Feb 04 4:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) and Thursday, Feb 05 4:00am GMT (GMT+00:00), or watch the delayed English cast by TL's own, Sayle, as Brood War and the SSL comes home.


Table of Contents


Quarterfinals recap
The end of Protoss

Interview with [image loading] Last
"Still love the game"

Interview with [image loading] Mong
"Have faith in me"

Rise of the Wraith
History through Images

Semifinals preview
Which two will prevail?

[image loading]Liquipedia



Mong vs. Free

[image loading]
Amazing macro and multitasking like a madman. No wonder he was compared to Flash way back during his match against Sea.KH, he's certainly a spectacle to watch. His builds are solid and he understands the match-up well. He has good decision making skills and was able to use the map architecture to his advantage throughout the matches.
[image loading]
Free, the macro king who was also unafraid to dish out some cheese, gave us some entertaining games. He kept up his macro with Mong throughout the whole series. His biggest problem seemed to be his decision making skills. Funneling your units or going up ramps that are heavily fortified will cost you quite a bit of your army and Free learned that the hard way. Still, despite that, he kept the games close and made Mong work hard for the win. He will need luck on his side if he wants to advance in future tournaments.

[image loading] Mong< Sin Peaks of Baekdu >(P)free
[image loading] Mong< Blue Storm >(P)free
[image loading] Mong< Return of the King >(P)free

[image loading] Mong advances

The first game on Sin Peaks of Baekdu saw Mong open with a factory expand adding a starport soon after while Free went for a one-gate FE. Mong took map control early on with mines before observers were out and tried some drop-harass and vulture run-bys which Free deflected while taking a third. Of course, if you keep trying and things may just work. Mong kept constant harassment with vultures, disrupting mining and killing probes. A double reaver drop did some damage while Mong's run-bys keep on raking up kills until Free adapted. Players took the map with Free trying over and over again to attack Mong, however Mong's strong defense allowed him to take more bases. Free transitioned to mass carriers though Mong attacked at the perfect time and took a major engagement. Multitasking like a madman with great control, Mong eventually managed to attack Free's fifth base sieging it and pushing his carriers back. He then took out his sixth to win the game.


Teach us, Mong!

While game one was standard play, game two on Blue Storm was anything but that. Free opened with a proxy seven-gate into forge that managed to break down Mong's wall. Strong zealot harass by Free saw Mong lose many workers while Mong went for a rax in Free's base but that was scouted. Mong was forced into bio so he added on two more rax which he floated outside his base and then decided to go for a surround. Though he eventually managed to claim his expansion, once reavers were out, Mong was forced back to his main and was on the defensive. Free easily took a third then fourth base behind this while Mong just finished expanding to his natural. Once templars were on the field, Mong was easily overwhelmed when their power was coupled with reavers and speedlots.


You'd think this was HiyA playing!

The final game between these two titans took place on Return of the King and was the best game of the series. Free opened with a twelve-nexus against the factory expand of Mong. He added three gates soon after while Mong added a starport. The game entered a lull as both players expanded to their back mineral-only base with minor skirmishes near Free's bases. Seeing as Mong was happy to stay on the defensive, Free went up to six bases while Mong took a hidden fourth that was barely missed by one of Free's observers. After Mong defended a strong assault from Free near his expansion, he took his fifth base while Free took yet another base to go up to seven in total. After his hidden base was scouted, Mong moved out with a large force. Using map architecture to his advantage, he managed to leap his tanks and engaged Free near his expansion in an attack that he easily won, however he was forced to retreat when Free countered his fifth base scoring massive kills by constantly storming the ramp. Fast forward a bit and both players went into crazy mode as Mong attacked Free's sixth and seventh base. Free countered by attacking the fifth base, did major economical damage at the fourth base and pulled double recalls into Mong's main. After the dust settled, Mong had the bigger army, the better mining and he ended Free's run at his expansion.

Mind vs. Last

[image loading]
Mind played well in his games. Strong macro, strong micro and map presence in his first game. He also made good decisions overall. His only fault was getting out-positioned by Last in his first game and not being as prepared for the contain in the second. However, it's not surprising considering that TvT is not Mind's best match-up and Last is a TvT specialist. Though his run is over, he'll certainly come back stronger next time.
[image loading]
Certainly the dark horse of the tournament. His play style is not conventional which makes his games all the more exciting to watch. He understands the TvT match-up really well and is quite confident in his game which makes him a difficult foe for anyone. He plans ahead, makes solid decisions and has decent micro to back up his macro. If he maintains the same mindset, he is a potential finalist and even SSL10 champion!

[image loading] Last <Return of the King> [image loading] Mind
[image loading] Last<Fighting Spirit> [image loading] Mind

[image loading] Last advances

On Return of the King, both players went for one-rax grabbing their gases for a factory, however where Mind went for two port, Last went for a CC. Mind looked to take the game early on with a strong early push but Last managed to just survive using SCVs as a buffer. From this point on, both players kept trading blows in the middle of the map. Last took the earlier third however he lost many workers to a vulture run-by. Mind kept dropping Last's main but it was cleaned up promptly. Both players were constantly active on the map trying to out-position each other. Last eventually managed to beat Mind and took a great position outside the ramp at his expansion cleaning up a lot of his army. He took the game after he went for a strong attack on Mind's third that Mind could not defend.

Last decided to open game two with a factory while Mind went for a one-rax FE on Fighting Spirit. Last established a strong position outside Mind's expansion and used wraith to pick off some valkyries before deciding to take his third. In the meantime, Mind was on the defensive and eventually took his own third. The two players had many small battles with Last trying to maintain his current hold while also expanding it. With great positioning and quick reactions, Last managed to maintain his contain. Mind tried to break out yet again but Last was able to deny it to win the series.


Final break.


sSak vs. Mini

[image loading]
Very impressive games by sSak. He showed that he was able to play macro games and prepared well in all of his games. He distinctly studied Mini's style and countered it. His macro was strong, positioning was sharp and he retained his control even when it looked like he was in trouble in his last game. The only recommendation to sSak is to learn to cheese some more. He's certainly capable to playing the macro game but being unpredictable will pay off in the long run especially considering the upcoming matches.
[image loading]
Good games from Mini and great micro at various stages of his games. His macro stood up well against sSak and he wasn't afraid to vary his strategies if needed. Their series could've gone either way though his decision making skills ended up costing him the series, especially in that last game. Asides from that, he played well and his games were a treat to everyone who watched them.

[image loading] sSak< Sin Peaks of Baekdu >(P)Mini
[image loading] sSak<Fighting Spirit>(P)Mini
[image loading] sSak< Return of the King >(P)Mini

[image loading] sSak advances

On Sin Peaks of Baekdu, Mini opened up with one-gate zealot harass that was well defended by sSak who went for a one-rax FE. sSak took control of the game soon after through constant vulture run-bys and drops that saw Mini take severe damage, losing eight probes and several dragoons. A four tank drop that utilized map architecture helped sSak take down Mini's third as he grabbed his own to lead in the economy game. From there, sSak dealt the final blow through a strategic play. Dropping tanks into Mini's main, he forced Mini's army to relocate to deal with the drop while he sieged the expansion with little resistance. Though the force was cleaned up, Mini was down to one mining base to sSak's three and left the game after he was unable to hold against sSak's followup attack which included wraith support for carriers.


Multipronged attack

Unlike the first game, the second game on Fighting Spirit was less intense. sSak decided to expand using mines for defense. Mini who opened with one gate and added another for two-gate goon used hold micro against the mines to prevent the expansion from going up. He made his way into sSak's main for an easy win.

Both players opted for the macro game on Return of the King. sSak went for a vulture drop which only netted him four probes due to good defense by Mini. Mini countered with his own double drop killing many SCVs though he lost everything. The game entered a lull as both players expanded further and Mini made carriers. Soon after, Mini was forced to forfeit his fourth to sSak's strong offensive position atop the high ground. After cleaning up this force, Mini decided to triple expand while sSak went up to three ports and started massing wraiths. With a strong carrier and goon force, Mini attacked sSak's natural and then denied his fourth, however, sSak got revenge later on after he engaged the army with a strong tank and wraith force that saw him take down all of Mini's carriers. Grabbing the momentum, he pushed back seiging Mini's natural while using his wraith force to take down Mini's fourth and fifth bases with ease. With his tournament life on the line, Mini tried one last break out but was unsuccessful calling the GG.


Wraith Galore!


HiyA vs. Snow

[image loading]
Solid macro and impeccable micro as usual. He played his games well mind-gaming Snow in the first game (think (Z)July's pool against (P)BeSt) and making good use of Snow's mistake in the second to take the series. Though the games were short and one-sided, it speaks volumes about HiyA's capabilities as one of the best Terran players at the moment. His unconventional game style is something that should be looked forward to in the semis.
[image loading]
Disappointing games all around. While Snow's macro was sound, his lack of scouting and subpar control were major factors in his losses to Hiya. What's more frustrating is that we know that Snow is capable of so much more and that this isn't his best play yet it had to end like this. Whether it was nerves that played into his game or just Hiya showing off his TvP dominance is anyone's guess though. Hiya believes that it has to do with experience and nerves. One thing is for certain though, Snow needs to start scouting more and incorporate more cheese in future games.

(T)HiyA <Fighting Spirit> (P)Snow
(T)HiyA <Return of the King> (P)Snow

(T)HiyA advances

HiyA opened up the first game against Snow on Fighting Spirit with the two-fac Joyo rush which according to our TL Terran expert, Sayle, had the Terran add a second factory when the first is 60% completed. Snow opened up with a one-gate FE into robo but scouted the move out too late. Having an army that seemed small in comparison to HiyA's three tank army with vulture support, he abandoned his expansion and tried to make a stand at his ramp. Though he defended valiantly and was able to get the reaver out, HiyA managed to make it up the ramp taking out the pylon powering Snow's gateway and robo before taking the game soon after.

Their second game on Return of the King saw HiyA open with a factory expand while Snow opted for one-gate-core expand into robo build. HiyA played a solid defensive style and had great turret/tank coverage after expanding preventing Snow from doing any reaver harass. Both players added more buildings with HiyA going up to six factories and Snow adding an expansion and going up to eight gates. After amassing a large army, HiyA moved out causing Snow to withdrawal from his ramp. A mis-control by Snow saw him lose his shuttle and two reavers, which left him in a bad spot as HiyA leaped tanks ever so fast to his expansion. With good mine placement and an overwhelming force, HiyA easily took down Protoss expansion and probes inside the main before Snow could clear the army. The followup attack which included goliaths coupled with losing five to six dragoons to mines was enough for Snow to tap out.

[image loading]

Line of Tank.




Congratulations for advancing to the semifinals and thank you for taking the time to do an interview for TeamLiquid. How did you spend your days after retiring?

I had a part-time job after retiring but I was soon told about the upcoming Sonic Starleague so I started playing StarCraft again.


You played some games in clan leagues and individual leagues and now you seem to be getting amazing results in the Sonic Starleague and the 41TV Starleague as well. How did you prepare?

I mainly focused on the basics while playing ladder games, but I did practice a lot which is the main reason behind my good results.


You started streaming on Afreeca recently, what do you think about the platform?

Before streaming I didn't really think much about it but after I started I could feel how many people out there were still in love with the game.


Before the Starleague you mentioned this would be your last time competing. Did you maybe reconsider that, doing so well in the competition? What are your plans for the future?

The reason I said it would be the last time was because I still haven't resolved my issues with the military and that Sonic's Starleague was quite delayed so I thought it might be the last one. Now I am thinking of getting by while streaming as a BJ.


During your progamer days you were known to love TvT and nothing has changed about that. What is it about TvT particularly that suits you?

The reason I love TvT is that, unlike in other match-ups, TvT is a fierce battle of wits and mind games, and I am confident in these.


Seeing the race distribution in the semifinals, how do you feel about the game balance and map balance these days?

The semifinal round is now full of Terrans but I think the fact that Blue Storm and Peaks of Baekdu are both two-player maps that are good for carriers favored the Protoss. On the contrary I think Terran is better than Zerg overall.


You're playing Mong next, how do you think the match will go?

Mong is a good player but I'm also very confident in myself so I think I should win easily as long as I can take the first set.


Who would you like to face in the finals?

It'll be a Terran one way or another in the finals, so I don't care who comes.


We look forward to your future games and wish you the best of luck. Is there anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank the fans over at TeamLiquid for still loving Brood War. I will try to repay you with good games.




Congratulations on making the semifinals and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for your foreign fans. You are one of the most popular streamers on both Afreeca and on TeamLiquid. What is your secret?

More than anything I think it's my skill that appealed the most to my viewers. I feel like I wasn't able to grow as much during my progaming days as I was while streaming on Afreeca, haha. So I guess the fans see me as someone new and like me even more.


Besides streaming on Afreeca, how have you been spending your time after retirement?

While I mostly stream, during my leisure time I'll go on a date with my girflfriend or I play bowling as a hobby. I'm also preparing to open a shopping mall so I'm extremely busy these days. ^^


Now for some fun questions. Do you like cooking? And what is your favorite food?

I like cooking but I live alone these days... Either way I used to just order delivery food and my health has been deteriorating because of that so I'm trying to cook often nowadays. I really love all kinds of stews. Lately I cooked myself some kimchi stew with tuna. It was good, too ^^


Do you have fond memories of your days as a CJ Entus progamer?

My favorite thing was learning how to fight for myself at a young age. I think I also learnt a lot about life. Finding out that there's no way I can survive if I just settle with being as good as others, learning how much work I have to put in to beat others and things like that taught me a lot.


Any particular team member you were close friends with back then?

At that time there were two B-teamers, Cola and Food5, that I was good friends with. As for the A-teamers, I felt like they were all looking over us B-teamers so I was just friends with all of them with no exception. There's no one in particular that comes to mind.


How about now, are there any Afreeca BJs that you're friends with?

I think of Younghwa hyung (Movie) and Yoon Chul (Snow) as my best friends from the CJ line and there's also Joon Oh (Killer) who's of the same age and my junior Hong Gyu (Larva).


Do you think Brood War is still popular in South Korea? Are there still young gamers playing the game?

It's been three years since the official competition ended and I'm just immensely delighted that the game is still alive and people are enthusiastic about it. Of course it's not what it used to be, but it looks like there are new players streaming in as well~


How long do you want to keep on playing StarCraft?

As long as my hands will allow for it, I want to enjoy myself with the fans. I've also been a huge StarCraft fan since I was young and although I became a gamer it would be great to still see StarCraft prevail even if it's just like this, with new leagues being continually hosted.


Any thoughts on the racial balance or maps with four Terrans in the semifinals?

I think the map balance is about the same for everyone, really. But these days it just seems like Terrans are getting stronger and stronger. It's a bit difficult to understand. I mean, it's really like a con on Protoss and Zergs. kekeke


You're up against Last next. Do you think he will go for some sort of strategic play or will he play standard?

Whether he chooses to play one way or the other, he's going to be in for a rough fight. I do consider Sung Hyun a good player but I think I'm better ^^ Haha, just kidding.


Who would you like to play in the final?

Since the semifinal consists of four Terrans, I don't care which one I'll play!


We wish you the best in the future and look forward to your games. Anything you want to say to your loyal legions of fans over at TeamLiquid?

I consider it an honor to be interviewed by TeamLiquid. I think new faces like me will have to lead the new generation. I will work hard to make sure that SC sticks around in the future so please have faith in me and cheer on me. Thank you.




[image loading]
"Pew Pew" - Wraith, 1998


The wraith made its way into the metagame pretty early on. It was quickly identified as a staple TvZ build. It later found its way into TvT. And it stayed there, for a long time, content as an offbeat opening, something a few progamers who made paper airplanes in school would bring to the world of StarCraft.

But it grew overtime.

Did you know a wraith can 1v1 any unit?


Okay maybe not.


Did you know the last pro-OSL TvT ended with a two-port vs two-port??

Did you know the last pro-OSL TvZ series ended with a two-port and then two port?

The Afreeca SOSPA scene is just starting to discover what the professional meta was quickly converging to: an all-wraith meta.

TvT used to be a long battle of battlecruisers and goliaths. Nope. Wraiths emerged victorious in the modern progaming era, although they were also used some in the early days:



A humble fish wrecks God


[image loading]
[image loading]
Standard TvT armies


Heck, go ahead and throw starports wherever you want.

[image loading]
Free range, organic starports run wild


In TvZ, if two-port is good, surely four-port is better?

[image loading]
Flash wrecks Jaedong just messing around



Did someone say wraiths?!


Now in TvP, wraiths have had their fair share of troubles. Sure, HiyA has gotten close opening with them in the greatest game ever played, and some shuttle and carrier snipes have happened over the years, but embracing the mass wraith has had difficulties in TvP


We got this....or run away 0.o


But now SBENU, Terrans finally realise the power of wraiths. The final solution to their individual weakness? More wraiths. Throughout the SBENU Starleague, Terrans have consistently been opening with dropship play (on Sin Peaks and Return of the King, both good maps for it), and using wraiths for shuttle defenses (standard play) and transitioning into heavy wraith play to take out small carrier fleets.

Now poor Protosses don't stand a chance. They may as well instantly resign when seeing wraiths.


*heavy sigh* Wraiths OP


Style, start, wraisu!



It happened: SSL10 has broken new ground yet again. Single-race semifinals have occurred twice before: Protoss managed it at the 2008 ClubDay MSL, within the span of the Six Dragons' domination, and Zerg in 2011's PDPop MSL, at the height of a swarm season. Given those facts, what does the first fully-Terran semifinal across Korean majors say about the state of affairs in the bitter winter of 2014-15?

The answer: only that the dominion of the Terran Lords remains a reality both on and off the Fish server. The triumphant Lords dispatched every alien threat with ease until only they remained, but now face the unfortunate reality that with all unworthy races so efficiently exterminated, the war must still continue until there is only one oppressor remaining. Whatever kinship exists between the remaining Lords, it must cease to exist until the overlord has been crowned.

Rising Stars

[image loading] Mong vs [image loading] Last
Wednesday, Feb 04 4:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)


Despite a rather weak showing in 2014, Mong's inspirational momentum continued well into the new year. The return of Mong's amazing unit control alone was enough to redeem him in the eyes of his fans, but his TvT is a rare sight, and thus somewhat more difficult to predict. Most recently, he forced two short - bordering on cheesy - TvTs to surprisingly win his HSL group against TvT monsters Sea and PianO, helping to repair his reputation as a poor TvTer. It would appear that Mong's aggressive style translates well into his statistically worst match-up, lending him to be disfavored running into dark horse Last, especially if Last can set the pace. Knowing his waning limits in the TvT, Mong is expected to utilize a hanbang push - with ample vulture micro - for a victory during his own high-impact violent mid-game.

[image loading]

If you watched more prize tournaments than casual streams on Afreeca last year, it would be likely that Last slipped right by you. Last is one of the few existing players with the sheer APM to maintain optimal efficiency past the 15-minute mark in TvT, as he has proven in his long histories against the significantly slower Sharp and Mind. His style begets the sort of TvT that is more interesting from a theoretical level than it is when gleaned for visceral highlights. This is because, unlike every Terran out there, Last's ultimate goal is to deny the center-field until the later stages of TvT, wherein no Lord can hope to keep up in efficiency; as in Chess if it were played underwater. Rarely dropping below 350 APM (far higher than that of the remaining Terrans), the Royal Road candidate seems to have been designed by STX coaches with the sole specific purpose of sniping strong Terrans, which is all that remain on his path. It didn't seem likely that Last would progress far with all the Protoss in his path and heavy reliance on cheese, suggesting lack of confidence, but his match against Mind plainly displayed that the same Last that nonchalantly starved out Shinee in the Ro32 is still with us.

This is doubtlessly another "early versus late" TvT set, just as the one played last round between Last and Mind, although the sheer pressure exerted by Mong's style will add a factor that Last may not be prepared against. Blue Storm is one of Mong's strong maps, but Last is 2-0 in TvTs on Return of the King. In fact, he's 4-0 in TvT in SSL10, and those wins have been taken both before the five-minute mark and over half-an-hour in. It's difficult to favor Mong over a recent record like that even with a strong recent record of his own, but if the Pig gets a good hit in by the 15-minute mark, all eyes will be on him to close it out and enter his second SSL final.

[image loading] Last to advance.

Skirmish of Lords

[image loading] sSak vs [image loading] HiyA
Thursday, Feb 05 4:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)



Unlike the previous group, sSak and HiyA have represented Terran very successfully throughout the year, and are largely responsible for establishing the dominance of Terran in 2014. The main distinction to be drawn between sSak and HiyA is raw mechanical skill (in HiyA's favor) and TvT tactical mastery (in sSak's favor).

[image loading]

Returning to form after an autumnal slump, and overjoyed to enter a full bracket of Terran mirrors, sSak prepares to defeat the monstrous fish with a strong grasp of his signature match-up. With no bizarre antics to speak of inside nor outside the game, the ex-T1 Terran's claim to fame on the amateur circuit is his victory over the 2014 1st SBENU Allstars league, taken primarily with his TvT against the likes of PianO and Mong. sSak has a strong record on every Terran Lord this year except for HiyA and Sea, and manages to keep up in long games despite being the verifiably slowest Terran still in the league, at around 240APM in recent mirrors. sSak is not to be underestimated for his minimalism - if anything, it shows how far his strategic edge has carried him and proves that one can be a terror in TvT without Last's sheer macro capacity.

Magikarp is known better than the other three semifinalists to dislike TvT outright, despite being one of the best in the world at it. Only PianO and Ample can boast good records against him in the mirror, and he's gone 6-0 against Sea in sponsored matches this year. Still with much to prove after a slew of early eliminations from all concurrent leagues, the perpetually under-practiced HiyA is fortunate to have no other match-ups to prepare for a while. He's promised viewers entertaining games, which may be a tall order for TvT considering his own feelings regarding the match-up. He's also got a diverse build library serviced by his famously high APM. He certainly has the mechanical advantage on the more-fundamental sSak, and should be able to continue his strong record against the humble Spartan (5-3 this year, 2-0 on Fighting Spirit) and advance to his third SSL final, if only he can get his blood boiling in time.

[image loading] HiyA to advance.






WRITERS: BigFan, Stratos, N.GeNuity & Mirabel_
GRAPHICS: Hyde
EDITORS: prech, Stratos, BigFan & Hyde
PHOTOS & ART: Blizzard Entertainment, dailyesports, FOMOS, Game Chosun, OSEN & Kongdoo Company.
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vOdToasT
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Sweden2870 Posts
February 03 2015 15:54 GMT
#2
I still don't get why Free went zealot dragoon templar on Peaks of Baekdu. I understand that it's his favoured style (I've seen him do it a lot in all sorts of PvT games), but Peaks of Baekdu is one of the worst maps in the game for it. The map just begs for arbiters, carriers, or mass shuttles.

He got a good lead after Mong failed to delay the third base when going dropships, but squandered it by not going carriers or arbiters.
If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid* (*Or: You are stupid for losing to it, and gotta git gud)
c3rberUs
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Japan11286 Posts
February 03 2015 16:04 GMT
#3
I think Snow and Hiya's pics are the other way around.
WriterMovie, 진영화 : "StarCraft will never die".
amazingxkcd
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
GRAND OLD AMERICA16375 Posts
February 03 2015 16:05 GMT
#4
Mong > last, Ssak > Hiya Let's go!

Nice writeup by the way, fantastic interviews!
The world is burning and you rather be on this terrible website discussing video games and your shallow feelings
Hyde
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
Australia14568 Posts
February 03 2015 16:29 GMT
#5
On February 04 2015 01:04 c3rberUs wrote:
I think Snow and Hiya's pics are the other way around.

fixed, thanks.
Because when you left, Brood War was all spotlights and titans. Now, with the death of the big leagues, Brood War has moved to the basements and carparks. Now, Brood War is unlicensed brawls, lost teeth, and bloody fights for fistfulls of money - SirJolt
The_Red_Viper
Profile Blog Joined August 2013
19533 Posts
February 03 2015 17:44 GMT
#6
I really like these BW articles, best articles on this site atm if you ask me <3 (that doesn't mean the other ones are bad though!)
IU | Sohyang || There is no God and we are his prophets | For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.” | Ignorance is the parent of fear |
Carnivorous Sheep
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
Baa?21242 Posts
February 03 2015 18:21 GMT
#7
Rooting for Last gogo~
TranslatorBaa!
Mirabel_
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
United States1768 Posts
February 03 2015 18:27 GMT
#8
free flowchart:
1) Doom-rally carriers to your stack across the map.
2) make plenty of dumb engagements
3) Receive an A.
get stronger play longer
Tufas
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Austria2259 Posts
February 03 2015 19:08 GMT
#9
1/4 liquibet not my best day...

Thanks for writing this :D
Where is my ACE flair
PhoenixVoid
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
Canada32740 Posts
February 03 2015 19:18 GMT
#10
Last looking good to take SSLX I'd say.
I'm afraid of demented knife-wielding escaped lunatic libertarian zombie mutants
prech
Profile Joined March 2014
United States2948 Posts
February 03 2015 19:20 GMT
#11
Looks amazing, thanks, all!

Love Hyde's small touches like the SBENU icon in the "back to top" strips. Also the awesome red Last/blue Mong color schemes

Mong will definitely have his hands full with Last. sSak may be boringly standard, but a beast nonetheless
Liquipedia
Hesmyrr
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Canada5776 Posts
February 03 2015 19:28 GMT
#12
Expecting Last to utterly crush Mong
"If watching the MSL finals makes you a progamer, then anyone in Korea can do it." - Ha Tae Ki
Elyvilon
Profile Joined August 2008
United States13143 Posts
February 03 2015 20:06 GMT
#13
On February 04 2015 00:54 vOdToasT wrote:
I still don't get why Free went zealot dragoon templar on Peaks of Baekdu. I understand that it's his favoured style (I've seen him do it a lot in all sorts of PvT games), but Peaks of Baekdu is one of the worst maps in the game for it. The map just begs for arbiters, carriers, or mass shuttles.

He got a good lead after Mong failed to delay the third base when going dropships, but squandered it by not going carriers or arbiters.

I seem to remember that free's main issue in the Peaks game was very bad carrier control.
Liquipedia
oneofthem
Profile Blog Joined November 2005
Cayman Islands24199 Posts
February 03 2015 21:10 GMT
#14
the goliath vs carrier scene bought a tear

one little thing though, using bold font to indicate the winner is a bit hard to see. consider using red color or something
We have fed the heart on fantasies, the heart's grown brutal from the fare, more substance in our enmities than in our love
lemmata
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
468 Posts
February 03 2015 21:25 GMT
#15
Okay. I am now hyped for some TvT.
2Pacalypse-
Profile Joined October 2006
Croatia9491 Posts
February 03 2015 21:38 GMT
#16
Man, that Mong's picture is so boss.
Moderator"We're a community of geniuses because we've found how to extract 95% of the feeling of doing something amazing without actually doing anything." - Chill
FlashLight40k
Profile Joined November 2014
United States12 Posts
February 03 2015 21:55 GMT
#17
Excellent write-up!! Love the interviews. I'll change my bet to Hiya (after reading the preview). Last v Hiya in the finals.
The world's oldest StarCraft Brood War player.
VGhost
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States3613 Posts
February 03 2015 23:44 GMT
#18
On February 04 2015 00:54 vOdToasT wrote:
I still don't get why Free went zealot dragoon templar on Peaks of Baekdu. I understand that it's his favoured style (I've seen him do it a lot in all sorts of PvT games), but Peaks of Baekdu is one of the worst maps in the game for it. The map just begs for arbiters, carriers, or mass shuttles.

He got a good lead after Mong failed to delay the third base when going dropships, but squandered it by not going carriers or arbiters.


I'd argue almost exactly the opposite. His engagements looked poor overall, but they kept him in control of the map and the tempo - surprisingly, given that he was repeatedly victimized by vulture raids - up until the tech switch. The carrier switch gave Mong the window to build up and push: before that free had been hitting him like clockwork every 2-3 minutes which kept the Terran army size down. It was drawn out, but Mong's winning attack was basically a very late hanbang on free's only-mining-bases.

If free had waited it out a la TvT, or been content to play with just a few arbs - given his massive cash flow - instead of trying to jump to mass carriers, he probably would have won. The biggest problem seems to be the supply limit in that carrier transition; if the Protoss ground army gets too small to counter the Terran army while carriers 4+ are building, there's a loss of map control.

(The other possibility is that he drew out the carrier transition too long for the position: with his mining, he probably could have dropped 5+ stargates at once and had a carrier force out before wraith/goliath mass could be built up in response. Immediate launching that plus the remaining ground army at Mong's 10 o'clock might have won outright. But I'd have to watch the game again to see if this is anything but wishful thinking.)
#4427 || I am not going to scan a ferret.
c3rberUs
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Japan11286 Posts
February 04 2015 01:28 GMT
#19
^Exactly what I was thinking while watching the game lol. I thought maybe Free was overthinking his strategy in Peaks.

As disappointed I am with the recent results, still very good writeup guys!
WriterMovie, 진영화 : "StarCraft will never die".
dr0pship
Profile Joined January 2011
Canada520 Posts
February 04 2015 01:43 GMT
#20
Very nice writups! Very nice work getting exclusive interviews for TL!
BLinD-RawR
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
ALLEYCAT BLUES50107 Posts
February 04 2015 01:51 GMT
#21
On February 04 2015 06:25 lemmata wrote:
Okay. I am now hyped for some TvT.

you should be, its a dynamite matchup
Brood War EICWoo Jung Ho, never forget.| Twitter: @BLinDRawR
TL+ Member
itsjustatank
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Hong Kong9152 Posts
February 04 2015 02:31 GMT
#22
yay tvt grand finals. ill be there!
Photographer"nosotros estamos backamos" - setsuko
aRyuujin
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States5049 Posts
February 04 2015 02:35 GMT
#23
tvt is somehow simultaneously my favorite and least favorite matchup. will still tune in regardless tho, esp for sayle
can i get my estro logo back pls
HyralGambit
Profile Joined February 2014
2439 Posts
February 04 2015 03:31 GMT
#24
Really nice with the Interviews, more awareness of TL for the Afreeca players is always good.
Passion overcomes corporate stupidity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX9hbbA-WP4#t=4h2m
icystorage
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
Jollibee19343 Posts
February 04 2015 03:57 GMT
#25
I want Leta to play so bad now (
LiquidDota StaffAre you ready for a Miracle-? We are! The International 2017 Champions!
FlaShFTW
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
United States10107 Posts
February 04 2015 05:31 GMT
#26
terran op. tanks op.

joking. sick round. lets hope for continued amazing games!
Writer#1 KT and FlaSh Fanboy || Woo Jung Ho Never Forget || Teamliquid Political Decision Desk
TL+ Member
Adept
Profile Joined December 2009
United States472 Posts
February 04 2015 06:45 GMT
#27
These writeups really never stop impressing me, great job! The exclusive interviews were really cool, and the wraith spotlight was pretty great too.
"HSC casting is essentially an LR thread read aloud." -ThomasjServo
TL+ Member
tube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States1475 Posts
February 05 2015 03:23 GMT
#28
people actually like tvt?
didn't wanna be a debbie downer but tvt is absolutely the worst matchup in bw
pvp can be a little bit exciting and at least zvz ends fast
tvt takes fucking forever, there's almost no tense micro, and no matter who wins it wasn't exciting

zvp and tvz are the most fun to watch
pvt is alright
mirror matches kinda blow
Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.
Edpayasugo
Profile Joined April 2013
United Kingdom2213 Posts
February 05 2015 07:46 GMT
#29
Sick embedded gifs!
FlaSh MMA INnoVation FanTaSy MKP TY Ryung | soO Dark Rogue | HuK PartinG Stork State
saltywet
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Hong Kong1316 Posts
February 05 2015 14:02 GMT
#30
On February 05 2015 12:23 tube wrote:
people actually like tvt?
didn't wanna be a debbie downer but tvt is absolutely the worst matchup in bw
pvp can be a little bit exciting and at least zvz ends fast
tvt takes fucking forever, there's almost no tense micro, and no matter who wins it wasn't exciting

zvp and tvz are the most fun to watch
pvt is alright
mirror matches kinda blow


pvp is the worst imo
rabidch
Profile Joined January 2010
United States20289 Posts
February 05 2015 19:31 GMT
#31
On February 05 2015 23:02 saltywet wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 05 2015 12:23 tube wrote:
people actually like tvt?
didn't wanna be a debbie downer but tvt is absolutely the worst matchup in bw
pvp can be a little bit exciting and at least zvz ends fast
tvt takes fucking forever, there's almost no tense micro, and no matter who wins it wasn't exciting

zvp and tvz are the most fun to watch
pvt is alright
mirror matches kinda blow


pvp is the worst imo

zvz is almost always boring. tvt and pvp can sometimes be fun to watch (tvt end game, pvp reaver wars)
LiquidDota StaffOnly a true king can play the King.
myminerals
Profile Joined August 2013
560 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-07 18:50:33
February 07 2015 18:50 GMT
#32
Great writing! The content kept me reading to the end which a very few articles on TL can do.
Thanks man.
myminerals
Profile Joined August 2013
560 Posts
February 07 2015 18:51 GMT
#33
On February 04 2015 12:57 icystorage wrote:
I want Leta to play so bad now (

Yeah, Leta knew how to "pew-pew"
myminerals
Profile Joined August 2013
560 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-07 18:55:01
February 07 2015 18:53 GMT
#34
On February 05 2015 12:23 tube wrote:
people actually like tvt?
didn't wanna be a debbie downer but tvt is absolutely the worst matchup in bw
pvp can be a little bit exciting and at least zvz ends fast
tvt takes fucking forever, there's almost no tense micro, and no matter who wins it wasn't exciting

zvp and tvz are the most fun to watch
pvt is alright
mirror matches kinda blow

I'd say it's subjective. I didn't like TvT much, but couple of good games hooked me up and now I enjoy it more than PvP, which I think is truly boring.
TvT is BW chess.
Elyvilon
Profile Joined August 2008
United States13143 Posts
February 07 2015 20:20 GMT
#35
TvT is awesome, but you have to pay close attention to the game. It's more about strategic positioning than micro(although there is more of that than you're implying imo)
Liquipedia
lestye
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States4149 Posts
February 07 2015 22:13 GMT
#36
On February 08 2015 05:20 Elyvilon wrote:
TvT is awesome, but you have to pay close attention to the game. It's more about strategic positioning than micro(although there is more of that than you're implying imo)

That maybe true, but you still need the patience of a saint to get through the preparation, and footsies to get to the part where stuff actually happens.
"You guys are just edgelords. Embrace your inner weeb desu" -Zergneedsfood
Probemicro
Profile Joined February 2014
3708 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-08 00:39:54
February 08 2015 00:38 GMT
#37
On February 08 2015 07:13 lestye wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 08 2015 05:20 Elyvilon wrote:
TvT is awesome, but you have to pay close attention to the game. It's more about strategic positioning than micro(although there is more of that than you're implying imo)

That maybe true, but you still need the patience of a saint to get through the preparation, and footsies to get to the part where stuff actually happens.


Don't think you will notice that if you actually play the matchup. There will be many things to do to keep you busy during the game. (Expanding,harassing,blocking harass, keeping check of front lines, more turrets, tech switch to air etc.)

And as a spectator you will appreciate it only if you can notice strategical value behind the player moves rather than watching it like some action movie
lemmata
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
468 Posts
Last Edited: 2015-02-08 17:28:51
February 08 2015 17:25 GMT
#38
TvT is actually pretty "boring" when mass-produced cookie-cutter Terrans (yangsanhyung) play each other. I suppose that could be said of any mirror match up, but Terran is the most formulaic race due to its defensive nature and upgrade efficiency.

(EDIT: Okay, it's not actually boring. Like someone said, many enjoyable aspects of TvTs are like go/chess. But the thing is, when I want to watch a game like go, I just watch go.)

It's pretty darn awesome when players with different styles face each other, like Boxer vs iloveoov in the OSL finals.

The semis were pretty entertaining because the styles of the players were sufficiently varied. It think it will also be the case for the finals. I'm also curious as to what kind of cheese will be attempted for the sake of (or just taking advantage of) BO5 mind games and when.
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