EPT
Reach 3, JiHyun 9
Reach starts 2 gate build, JiHyun goes OL, 9 pool, 3 drone build for fast speedlings then goes second hatch in main. JiHyun builds speedlings and takes his natural as well. Reach makes around 7 zealots and starts his gas and cyber, and goes stargate after his core is complete.
Reach produces around 10 zeals and a goon and goes up his ramp to plant a pylon to prepare an expo at his nat. JiHyun is going lurker tech and is able to get a speedling into Reach’s base to scout. Reach goes forth with his entire army and plays right into JiHyun’s hands as JiHyun is able to sandwich him with mass lings and a few hydra.
JiHyun then gives Reach the advantage back by an overly aggressive attack with lings and some lurker against Reach’s expo nat, which Reach is able to defend with around 6 cannon and a few zealot. Reach produces 2 reavers and a shuttle and is content with gathering mins. JiHyun is making a spire when Reach’s shuttle moves forth from his base, and has expanded at 12 and at 6. Reach’s shuttle does minimal damage as JiHyun runs his expo drones and JiHyun eventually catches it with scourge/muta.
Reach has gone all out goon reaver and he goes forward with a sizable army. He wins a big center fight against JiHyun’s hydra and razes JiHyun’s expo and main unstopped.
JiHyun GG Reach win.
JiHyun outplayed Reach early and did a good job limiting harass but still in the end Reach just ran over him with goon reaver.
Hey JiHyun, where are the “lings”? Reach is “good.”
Game 2: Iris v. Rock on Requiem
Iris 3, Rock 9
Iris in pregame interview:
Q: “Your mechanic style seems very similar to Xellos. (they are both on the same GO team)”
Iris: “I do it better.” ^o^
So Iris gets a chance to prove that statement and goes 1 fac 1 port, while Rock goes a standard 2 gate range. After some basic goon harass, Rock goes reaver. Rock’s reaver drop is not as successful as it could’ve been but he gets out with the reaver alive in shuttle.
Iris is now using 2 dropships and the first dropship drops some vultures behind Rock’s expo min line. Rock is well prepared however and the second dropship that goes into Rock’s main is captured. Iris continues to try to make his dropship harass work, using tanks on the low ground next to Rocks’ expo. However Rock now has a second shuttle and despite some lost probes, Rock does a good job of blocking Iris’ constant harass.
Iris’ expo is very late but he has pushed out somewhat to the center with turret tank mine. Rock takes the 6 expo and also denies Iris from expanding at his island using his 2 shuttles.
There is some skirmishes in the center where Iris seems to come out ahead but Rock’s macro is far ahead of Iris and he is producing from 8 gateways now. Iris drops 4 tanks behind Rock’s expo min line and takes out Rock’s natural expo. Rock is a bit slow in stopping this harass and also loses some probes at his main. However he also expands at the 6 natural and Iris, thinking he has the better positioning, pushes out with his entire army.
The center fight is all Rock, who flanks nicely and uses 2 shuttles to win decisively. His remaining army charges in unimpeded into Iris’ base, and Iris GG.
Rock wins.
Game 3: Reach v Rock on Ride of Valkyries
Rock 7, Reach 5
Reach sends out his 6th probe and builds a pylon right behind Rock’s expo mineral line. Reach then builds a Gateway right there, and his probe also goes into Rock’s main to build a manner pylon. Rock goes 2 gate but Reach’s first zealot arrive, followed by a second. Reach’s obvious confidence in his micro shows in this strategy as he catches probes and builds another manner pylon. Rock is visibly shaken but eventually dispatches of Reach’s zeals and goes toward Reach’s base with 7 zealots. Reach has 5 zealots but they use the ramp well to prevent Rock from entering until more zeals can arrive. Further, Reach’s tech is faster and although Rock is slightly winning the zealot battle Reach has dragoon range and dragoon faster.
However, Rock has a hidden card of his own, as his templar archives is almost finished. Reach pushes forth but realizes in front of Rock’s base that dts are on the way. Reach does a good job of delaying the dt’s using his goons but Rock’s dts are able to do significant probe damage before Reach’s observer emerges. At the same time, Rock has expanded and also researched legs on his zealots. Reach has one shot, which is to move with his entire force toward Rock’s expo. With 9 goons versus around 8 speed zeals, Reach outmicros Rock to win the fight decisively, and forces Rock to run his probes from his main and lose his expo.
Reach now retreats back to his base, his work done, and starts a Nexus at his natural. At the same time, Reach has produced his own dts, and as Rock has no observers, Rock realizes the game is effectively over and counters with his entire army. Reach starts to take down Rock’s base with 2 dt and also cancels his expo Nexus, realizing he can win if he can just survive elimination. Rock, realizing the game is over, taps out.
Reach wins, moves onto Starleague.
Game 4: Iris v JiHyun on Luna
Iris 1, JiHyun 5
Iris opens 2 rax, JiHyun goes 12 drone fast expo. Seeing that everything is progressing normally without a bunker rush, JiHyun goes 3 hatch. Iris moves out with around 6 rines but JiHyun’s sunken comes online just in time and Iris backs off, and takes his expansion.
JiHyun pokes at Iris a bit with speedlings but doesn’t get anything accomplished, and everything is moving along very predictably, with JiHyun going spire and Iris adding 2 more rax and a factory. Iris seems quite ahead due to his expansion being faster than normal and JiHyun’s muta coming out a bit late. Iris goes 2 factory, a step ahead of JiHyun who only now is producing lurkers. However JiHyun expands twice, once at 11 and another at 7.
Iris pushes out now with around 30 mnm and 4 tanks, using scan rather than a vessel to detect lurks. He advances unimpeded to JiHyun’s base, with no real army to stop him. As he razes through JiHyun’s natural, JiHyun has one last ploy—with his muta and around 5 overlords, he goes for a counter drop to Iris’ main. However, Iris defends the drop relatively easily and JiHyun can do nothing but type
GG.
Game 5: Iris v Rock on Forte
Iris 1, Rock 5 (right side of the map)
Iris looking to go 1 factory 6 marine siege tank fast expand. Rock going 2 gate ranged goons.
Iris moves to low ground and walls in the choke and gets siege, while expanding. Iris, afraid of dropship plays, expands at his mineral only and moves ahead aggressively with around 8 goons, breaking the supply at the wallin and destroying all the defense there. Iris pulls all his main scv to defend and barely defends. Rock keeps up the pressure, sending dragoons by fours and twos while Iris desperately defends with scv and tanks that come out 1 at a time. Iris barely reestablishes his choke, while Rock reinforces his goon count and expands at 5.
Rock adds a zealot shuttle to his next attack and attacks perfectly, and Iris is unable to defend, again losing his choke and losing many scv. Iris has no troops and Rock marches up the ramp to Iris’ main, provoking a GG.
Rock advances to the Starleague.
Iris- not as good as Xellos' tvp just yet o_o
So 2 tosses, Reach and Rock, make it out of the group and into the Starleague.
Lots of tosses in the upcoming OSL, a complete reversal from when Reach was the only one ^o^
