▶ 19th June, 2009 - Avalon MSL
◆ Round of 32, Group F, Winners' Match - fantasy vs Movie on Outsider
Hello, this is Nal_rA.
I believe yet another amazing PvT has taken place in the Avalon MSL. It was a heart-stopping match. No one could let their guard down for even a second, and there was no time for the players to even blink. It was a game that displayed both Movie and Fantasy's desire to advance into the Round of 16.
Movie defeating Jaedong was already a spectacle, something nobody expected. It showed that Movie had very carefully thought up of this build, and him defeating Jaedong left a strong mark.
Don't you think Fantasy, who is noted for his strong TvP, would have been glad that Movie advanced into the winners' match? His recent performance against Protoss has been so good that he must be confident in facing any Protoss nowadays ^^.
Actually, it was very hard to find any faults in both players' plays in this game. It was that good. I only realised this as I watched Fantasy's play once again, but his play, starting from his strong early-game defense, followed up with endless harassment, great defense against recalls and finally pushing out to the center of the map, was very well done, and there was hardly any mistake on his part.
However, we could see a few disappointing plays that Movie made. Of course, we can only find his faults because he's the loser, but it goes without saying that he played a praise-worthy match. His play after his planned strategy did not work was top-class. He could have broken down under Fantasy's relentless harassment, which is also because of the difference in experience, but Movie continued to play well and tried to create the winning scenario out of a very bad situation.
I will not focus on the attacks that went back and forth or their harassment. I don't want to find any faults, and there weren't that much scenarios to find fault in either. Let's look at a few scenes which might have been disappointing in the eyes of Movie.
Movie attacks Fantasy with a few dragoons and a shuttle
Movie was in a position where it was okay for him to attack with the small handful of dragoons and 1 shuttle early game. His play to pressure him was also very good. However, he should have pulled back after seeing the tight defense with his shuttle. If that shuttle was alive, he could have built another shuttle and attacked with an even stronger punch. Also, Movie had gotten his expansion slightly faster.
Movie recalls at Fantasy's base at the perfect timing
Movie's recall timing at 6 o clock and 3 o clock was superb. It was the most effective way to shake Fantasy up. Also, Movie's ability to expand, which can be shown with his decision to expand at the starting position, was excellent.
Fantasy pushed out into the center of the map after cleaning up the recalls. Movie's attacking timing here was good, and because of that, Movie managed to buy some more time. Later on, an arbiter goes for a recall via 6 o clock. I said this before during the last broadcast, but it would have been better if he had recalled at the 5 o clock spot.
However, I think Fantasy's defense here was outstanding. If Fantasy had not planted mines, Movie would definitely have bought much more time and dealt more damage, but because of Fantasy's iron-defense, it eventually made Movie's decision his downfall.
But it's not the recall at 6 o clock that caused Movie to lose the game. Movie wasn't behind in supply count, and because Movie had expanded at a starting location, economy-wise, Movie was in good shape.
Lack of gas expos meant lack of arbiters
In order for Movie to win, of course, ground units were important, but the most important unit was the Arbiter. If Movie didn't have arbiters, then there was no choice but for Fantasy's chances of winning to be high. In Fantasy's shoes, the most unsettling point was the fact that Movie could recall, and that he could have been continuously stuck in his main, defending against recalls. Movie should have aimed for that.
If Movie had gone for consecutive recalls as Fantasy attempted to push out, then Fantasy would have lost his pushing-out timing. But the reason why Movie was unable to go for consecutive recalls was the lack of gas. If Movie had continuously produced arbiters from 2 stargates, he would have been able to shake his opponent more with never-ending recalls or using the arbiter's spells in center battles. But as the game dragged on, Movie faced lack of gas, and eventually he could only produce arbiters from 1 stargate.
The disappointing point was not only Movie's army movement, but the fact that Movie did not get the 2-gas expansion at 12 o clock early. If he had gotten that expansion earlier, he would have been able to continuously run his 2 stargates. He eventually started getting one of the geysers at the 12 o clock expansion, but that was when his main had run out, and by then, it was already too late.
If what I had pointed out had occurred, Movie would have defeated Fantasy and advanced into the Round of 16 2-0, creating a huge upset.
Master of harassment, Fantasy! He makes TvP fun to watch
Fantasy, his games versus Protoss is really interesting. His management as well as his speedy style is very nice to watch. Also, his defense is amazing, hence he does not crumble easily to opponent's attacks, and his vulture play is mind-baffling. What shines most is his ability to continuously harass the Protoss opponent non-stop. I think he showed everything a Terran could do to a Protoss in just this one single game? I think it is ^^. Based on his play alone, it felt as though it was all the top-class Terran players combined into one.
If Movie continues to work on his play from here, improvement in his skill is a given, and I believe he will be able to produce satisfactory results. Won't it be interesting to see how Movie progresses? Also, we have yet to know whether he'll face Jaedong or Leta in the MSL, but regardless of who he faces, it will be a big question whether he'll be able to defeat either of them and advance into the Round of 16.
It was a game where the winner could not be instantly determined when it ended. Isn't it these kind of games that make it memorable? Both players played well, and I look forward to more exciting games in the future.
Written by: MBC Game Caster Nal_rA
Organised by: Reporter Kim Gyung Hyun (jupiter@fomos.co.kr)
Feedback and corrections welcome!
Source: Fomos.kr