EPT
GoRush came out strong and dominated Nada in the first two games to take a rapid two game lead. With Nada on the verge of elimination, I present to you full coverage of a truly titanic game three of the IOPS OSL first semifinal.
[Red]Nada (Lee Yoon Yeol) v GoRush (Park Tae Min) on Dream of Balhae
This eon-spanning epic began in quiet fashion with both players opting for early expansions. Nada (terran at 11) floated his second command centre off his main plateau to build a quick SCV then floated it back, brought his first two barracks down to ground level and sent his first marines down the map to the left of the zerg expo. GoRush started two sunkens to fend off the anticipated bunker. Nada repositioned and took down a third morphing sunken, staying within range of the zerg natural's vespene geyser.
In his own main, GoRush (zerg at six) had been morphing a lair and spire and sent his first mutalisks out to harass the terran main, defended by recently constructed turrets.
GoRush collected his forces and finally destroyed the annoying bunker to the left of his natural and started an extractor.
In the terran base, Nada was erecting two starports. With his first dropship he started ferrying marines off his main plateau but saw it destroyed by scourge as GoRush took advantage of a momentary lack of concentration. GoRush was now expansing to the three position and had lurkers on the way and an expansion already mining at the bottom of the map.
Nada now went on the offensive, bringing marines and tanks to the cliff at GoRush's natural and firing up onto the plateau, clearing the base out. However, GoRush now had an expansion at the one o'clock position and he was massing dangerous amounts of hydralisks and lurkers.
Nada started to expand to the 12 position but his new command centre came under attack from the swarm of hydras and was destroyed before it could float back to safety.
GoRush's army swarmed across the map and obliterated the terran army still stationed near the zerg natural as Nada started a new expo at nine.
The machine terran had been massing a new army and saw it clash multiple times with the roaming zerg swarm. He was unable to stop the masses of zerg units overrunning the nine expo and had to float the command centre away. In retaliation Nada dropped marines into the zerg base at three and launched an assault on the new zerg expansion in the rich centre of the map, destroying it with tanks.
To the increasing surprise of the watching Ongamenet commentary team, GoRush was still playing without a hive.
The two players exchanged expansions as Nada attacked the zerg base at the bottom of the map to the right of the main at the same time as the swarm destroyed a new command centre at 12.
Nada was still struggling to secure an expansion beyond his natural and was under constant pressure as his armies clashed across the map with zerg mass.
Nada had now mined out his main and his natural and was only collecting resources at nine. As Nada took the 12 expo yet again, GoRush launched his expected assault at nine in an attempt to deliver the killing blow. Nada's army rushed to defend but was too late and the command centre was destroyed. However, Nada was now mining at the top of the map, and while GoRush seemed to have a significant advantage the terran legend was still in the game.
Marines hit back at the alien hords by taking down the expansion at one as Nada tried to arrest the zerg progress.
Again, with a place in the OSL final within his grasp, GoRush launched his forces at 12. This time, however, Nada was ready. The swarm dashed itself against a complex of bunkers, sieged tanks and marines, the terran army showing every ounce of its famed defensive resiliance to decimate the attacking swarm. Had the tide finally turned in this incredible game?
GoRush had retaken the centre expo while Nada had lifted SCVs to one and was floating a command centre there.
GoRush's hatcheries had quickly respawned a new army of hydralisks and lurkers, while Nada was mining at his new one o'clock expo.
Massed marines clashed with massed hyras once again but was destroyed when they found themselves flanked by approaching lurkers. GoRush launched a four overlord drop to the new terran expo at one, destroying the command centre before it could lift away.
Nada had now amassed the biggest tank force of the game so far but found his armies out of position as GoRush launched a rapid attack at 12. With sparse defences, the terran expansion fell as Nada counterattacked in the centre, destroying the zerg expansion there. With the 12 expo finally gone it looked as though, once more, victory was there for the taking for the relentless zerg. But yet again, Nada was one step ahead, now mining at nine.
On the battlefield, the zerg swarm clashed again with the now growing terran army, long delayed hive tech now allowing dark swarm support. However, the terran army was no longer being overpowered and, given the chance to set itself, was a match for the swarm, forcing GoRush to abort his attack.
GoRush was now mining at five as Nada yet again took the 12 expansion.
The battle at last seemed to be swinging against the zerg, after long periods of domination, and Nada moved out with massed marines, tanks and support from four science vessels. However, GoRush was waiting; he plagued the science vessels and caught two of the terran tanks out of position before launching an all out attack and taking down more of the terran metal. Meanwhile, Nada had somehow managed to drop marines into the five expansion.
The game was now reaching its climax. Gorush launched an attack at left centre, destroying Nada's tanks and driving his marines back. However, there was now an air of desperation about the Suma GO pro's play, as for the first time his economy was now faltering. Marines with medic support took down the zerg expansion at five, while Nada was now mining 12 and nine and the gas at centre. GoRush desperately threw his dwindling army at the base at 12, overwhelming the defending marines and destroying it.
GoRush was now gasping for minerals and his gas was completely gone, as shown by the late appearance of a few zerglings. He tried to take and hold the expo at centre yet again but failed and saw marines drop on his new hatchery at one. Finally finding himself without an army and without any resources, Gorush quit, sealing a truly astounding victory by Lee Yoon Yeol.
[Red]Nada 1 – 2 GoRush
Trailing by two games to zero Nada was truly teetering on the edge of a precipice for much of the titanic third game. However, he dug deep and somehow came back to win.
The experience seemed to break the resolve of GoRush and he faded badly as Nada rumbled over him in games four and five, crowning an amazing comeback win and securing a place in the OSL finals.
This Friday sees JulyZerg against GoodFriend to determine Nada's opponent.
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