Pony Express Issue 73: Apr. 27 - May 4, 2009

The game today is a PvT between daezang and really on neo medusa. Having not followed progaming religiously for a while, I've very little to offer on either the players or the map, except for the fact that the map is an updated version of medusa, which was hugely imbalanced PvT. Seems like the balance has tilted in the opposite direction now (68.4% P>T to 38.9%), although it is possible too few games have been played on it to make it statistically worthwhile to mention. Anyway, on to the game.

Really spawns with yellow terran at the 7 oclock position, while daezang gets red protoss at the 10 position. Standard opening builds for both players, daezang warping a gateway in his main and scouting after, opting not to do the ever popular 10/15 build, and really getting a depot first to wall off his main choke. Perhaps worried about some sort of proxy cheese behind his mineral line, really sends out his scv on completion of his depot to mine out the minerals at his temples. Unfortunately for really, daezang's probe heads for his base first, and although really gets his rax up in time to prevent its entry, the probe manages to take out the rax building SCV despite really's best efforts.



Back in daezang's base, really's SCV sees 1 gate and a spinning core, and a robotics facility being added. In the meantime, daezang begins applying pressure to really's wall in with a zealot and a dragoon, forcing really to pull SCVs to repair. Because of the dragoon presence at his choke, really is also forced to get his expo CC much further into his main, delaying his expo timing significantly.



Daezang's pressure is relentless, and even after really has his tank out, he continues his harass of really's wall with his, now, ranged goons. Excellent control by daezang here, sacrificing his zealot to absorb tank shots while his dragoons continue pounding on the wall, microing his dragoons to take potshots at the tank, forcing really to retreat it, and then switching over to the depot, before finally being rewarded with its destruction.



Really, however, pulls his SCVs and completes siege mode in time, throwing up a quick makeshift defense. Not wanting to commit to a risky engagement, daezang quickly retreats after losing a goon, only scoring a couple of SCV kills despite breaking the wall.



Daezang moves back to his base with his 2 remaining goons and takes his nat. Soon after, a shuttle leaves daezang's main with a reaver and a zealot. When it enters really's base, his engineering bay is just complete, and he has a mere 3 tanks and no turrets yet for defense. What happens next is a reaver harass so brutal it makes me as a terran player want to cry. I'll let the pictures do the talking.















and after a while I stopped bothering with the screenshots. you get the idea

Because of daezang's fantastic reaver harass, really is in a whole world of hurt, and too weak economically and militarily to threaten daezang, and so daezang decides to further his lead by quadruple nexusing for a total of 4 bases on just 2 gates. At this point of time, really has only 1 factory, 3 tanks, and has finally gotten a turret up in his main mineral line. Yet, daezang, amazingly, is still able to harass, and with each SCV and tank killed, is delaying really more and more, and allowing his 4 base economy to kick in.





With the defenses in the main now too strong, daezang makes a foray into really's nat where he finds a huge loophole in really's turret and tank coverage. Alas, he barely gets 3 SCV kills due to glitches and general reaver stupidity.

Meanwhile, really knows he's ridiculously far behind, and has built a starport (and 1 other factory for a total of 2), hoping to come back into the game with a vulture drop. No such luck, as daezang is on top of his every move, anticipating the dropship moving out, and preparing a group of goons to intercept it. Even if the dropship had reached his mineral only, the vultures would've met a cannon and defending dragoons anyway.




Daezang's teammates unable to suppress their smiles after he intercepts the dropship

After the tragic lost of the dropship, really's next move was to pilot some vultures into the centre of the map, perhaps to scout, plant some mines, or harass some expoes -- whatever it was we'll never know, cause daezang shut that down instantly as well. With 9 gates and arbiter tech coming, the outcome of the game was obvious to anyone. At this point of time, really had just completed his 3rd and 4th factories, was floating a CC to his min only, and still had no scanners.

Another dropship attempt by really fares better, netting an inconsequential amount of probes before cannons and some zealots clean up. A simultaneous drop at daezang's mineral only is seen and the dropship flees without dropping its payload. Daezang, opting to play safe, sits with his army a little outside the terran choke, while adding more gateways. He gets a bit sloppy with his drop defense though, and a tank drop at his new expansion at the 2 nat takes out a good number of probes, not that it really matters anymore. Daezang is probably maxed out, and is mining from 6 bases.




In preparation to take another base, really pushes slightly out of his nat with his rather small army of tanks, playing very carefully, sticking to the sides and mining and turreting up. Doesn't matter. Daezang charges in anyway and blankets a good half of really's army with storms.



Really's army actually does pretty well, and surprisingly takes out a good portion of daezang's army (probably suicided into mines), but with his army dead, he has no choice but to type out., concluding a great PvT on neo medusa with daezang showcasing some fantastic early game pressure that allowed his reaver to do so much damage (31 kills) that it basically won the game for him. And here's a pic to revisit really's anguish.