EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHanOSL2GroupDrawPics/shinhanbanner.jpg)
It’s finally that time again. A new OSL season is beginning and the first days matches look very promising. We have Pusan's tale of revenge, David vs. Gol-oov-iath, and the return of a long lost dreaming hero, among others.
Without anymore delay, let’s take a look at Wednesday's matches.Oov vs Cloud
Peaks of Baekdu
Oov (Yellow - 1 o’clock) and Cloud (Orange – 7 o’clock) face off on this OSLs new map, Peaks of Baekdu. It’s a 2 player map that features 2 ramps entering each main, one leading out to the middle of the map, and one leading out to high ground behind the mineral line of the base. (For more information on this map and the others in the pool, see Live2Win's discussion topic here.) This game begins on a cheesy note as Cloud proxies his barracks near the main entrance of Oov’s base. After poking at Oov a little bit with a small marine force and doing no damage whatsoever, Cloud proxies his first factory further behind Oov's base near the upper left hand corner of the map. The two terran marine squads dance a little jig with each other and Oov places an SCV on the ramp leading behind his base for sight. Seeing this, Cloud realizes his little secret will be found if Oov sends a scout up there and decides to jostle with Oovs marines to secure the other ramp, leading to his proxy, instead of the one he currently owns, leading out to the middle of the map. With a move that obvious Cloud may as well have walked across the studio and told Oov about the proxy factory, and he pays dearly for it as Oov pulls off some SCVs to help kill off his marine force.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/oov_cloud.JPG)
After the dust settled Oov still had 4 marines and they patrolled out to fire upon the factory and kill the vultures being built. At this point, Oov has been completely untouched by Cloud’s ineffective pressure and throws down an expansion as his opponent replaces buildings at his main. Aside from a little poking with a vulture and some golies from Oov, a short macro break began, with Oov noticeably ahead and massing an impressive vulture/tank force.
Once satisfied with his army, Oov struck with a fierce attack on Clouds newly built natural expansion using mines to kill the 2 defending tanks. By the time Cloud regained control of it, Oov had expanded again, and built more factories, and solidified his contain…then expanded again…and again. The cheater was playing the type of game he liked and made pointed attacks at Cloud’s expansion in the lower right hand corner while maintaining control of the middle. After sitting around in a little box for another five minutes Cloud finally gives it up.
Oov > Cloud
Oov controlled this thing from the very beginning and Cloud’s poor attempts at pressure were shrugged off like cheetos on a fat mans belly. This game did nothing but showcase the painfully obvious reason why Oov picked Cloud to be his first opponent. Much of it might have been nerves, or intimidation, but nothing Cloud did even looked to have the chance at being effective. It’s back to TvT school for you sonny boy.
Rock vs Sync
Cultivation Period
Rock warps in at 9, using a very conventional 2 gate ranged goon build, and Sync starts out with a 1 fact tank build with some marines and a bunker at his base at 12. After his first few goons are out, Rock feels comfortable enough to drop a nexus at his natural and after scouting Rock’s expansion building, Sync starts one of his own. There is virtually no contact between the players and we see why when Rock lays down a very early stargate and follows it with a fleet beacon. Still without scan, Sync is oblivious to Rocks temporarily weak build and Rock’s first carrier warps in. Then, due to some poor unit placement by Rock, Sync is able to sneak a vulture into the protoss base and sees the carrier tech. Sync turns on the gears and brings his whole army out with some SCVs to build turrets. Rock’s weak ground army and interceptorless carriers are helpless to stop the advance and he even dramatically loses a carrier to a marine.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/sync_rock.JPG)
Not able to break the containment, Rock breaks through the neutral buildings at the back of his base and attempts a counter attack at Sync’s main, but it is shrugged off fairly easily. After Rock’s main is leveled, his expansion is lost, and his final attack is anything but game finishing, he gives up.
Sync > Rock
Rock’s build was risky but had potential to be effective if he had kept it secret. With a mess of units at the entrance of his base he easily could have kept that vulture out and we would’ve seen a very different game. For that bonehead oversight, Rock deserved what he got.
Boxer vs Pusan
Rush Hour
Boxer starts out at 3 o’clock and begins by using his psychic powers to foresee a DT build from Pusan, starting an academy before his second factory. Not one to be predictable, Pusan opts for a nexus first build and cuts his probe production momentarily to get 2 gates, gas and a core warping in at his 7 o’clock main. Once Boxer notices the greedy expansion he sends a lone tank to kill the scouting probe sitting at his choke before letting some vultures out to secretly lay mines. Pusan plays right into his opponents plans and prepares Templar tech as Boxer moves out with a force of 5 vultures and 4 tanks. His forces press toward Pusan’s base, killing a lone dragoon and are met at Pusan’s natural by a small army consisting of 3 goons, 3 zealots and 2 DTs. Pusan uses a zealot to clear mines as he attacks Boxer’s force with the dark templar. One DT dies along with the zealot due to mines leaving the other DT free to kill off Boxer’s push… or so Pusan thinks. That insanely early comsat Boxer built has plenty of energy and scans to kill the remaining DT. Pusan’s small contingent of lot/goon is forced to retreat and Boxer looks strong as he reinforces his attack with new vultures while probes are brought out to help salvage the game for the crippled toss.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/boxer_pusan.JPG)
Pusan loses every unit and probe at his expansion and continues to produce dts hoping to swing the game back in his favor, but it is to no avail. Boxer mines up Pusan’s base and with a seemingly endless supply of scan, kills each and every dt that waltzes out of a gateway. Pusan pays the price for his obscenely early expansion and types out, visibly disappointed. It seems his revenge will have to wait.
Boxer > Pusan
Boxer foresaw DT, and Boxer got DT. The expansion was just the icing on the cake. His build couldn’t have possibly countered what Pusan did better so all he really needed to do was play it out. The emperor wins the mind game yet again.
Rainbow vs Child
815
Rainbow starts out at 5 and is fortunate enough to scout Child first at 7. With some early pressure from a probe and zealot, Rainbow is able to steal Child’s gas and kill one drone before it’s all fended off by zerglings. Rainbow techs to robotics support (What a surprise!
) and drops Child’s main with one zealot and a reaver. A micro battle ensues with Rainbow fighting against a handful of lings and a few hydras with his tiny drop force. In a display of reaver micro brilliance that would make Legionnaire weep tears of joy, Rainbow targets his scarabs perfectly to kill every ling and almost every hydralisk along with a handful of drones, without losing a single unit! He narrowly escapes as hydra reinforcements force him out.![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/rainbow_child.png)
Riding the incredible success of his drop, Rainbow rallies a force of zealots to Child’s natural and brings the shuttle home to grab a second reaver. He throws it all at Child and with some more genius reaver use, takes out clump after clump of hydraling until Child has nothing left. gg!
Rainbow > Child
If you decide to watch just one of the games from this week, make it this one. Rainbow played absolutely perfectly and put on a reaver micro clinic. This aggressive PvZ style is entertaining and apparently effective as Rainbow continues to improve his record on 815.
Casy vs Nal_rA
Peaks of Baekdu
Once again the action begins quickly on Peaks of Baekdu as Ra lays his first pylon in the upper area of the map beside Casy’s 1 o’clock main. After scouting Ra’s empty base at 7 o’clock, Casy knows his opponent is proxying. Ra doesn’t seem to care and leads Casy to the once hidden pylon to build a gateway. Wanting to end the proxy attempt quickly, Casy brings 5 SCVs off of his mineral line to attack the building gateway. Ra cancels it at the last second and builds a second gate which is also attacked by Casy’s SCVs. Things aren’t looking good for Ra in the early goings and he cancels the second gateway as well. With a warm feeling of accomplishment, Casy sends his SCVs back to mine. Little does he know, however, that during his SCV assault Ra had built a second proxy pylon in the upper left hand corner of the map and 2 gateways were currently warping in. Casy advances toward Ra’s base with some marines and an SCV and attempts to bunker in, but with some smooth probe micro, Ra is able to kill the SCV and the marines soon after. The action is now back at Casy’s base, as Ra is building a pylon on the cliff overseeing Casy’s mineral line for some cannons from his newly built forge. Instead of guarding the ramp, Ra decides to attack with his zealot force and Casy displays some excellent control by fending off the attacking zealots with marines and SCVs while simultaneously attacking the now undefended cannons on the high-ground with yet another group of SCVs.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/casy_ra_1.JPG)
Unfortunately, his efforts are all for not and Ra simply retakes the high-ground with his superior army and replaces the cannons. Casy can no longer mine from his main, so he floats his CC over to his natural and takes his marine force out to hunt stray buildings. Ra attacks the under-defended economy with his remaining zealots and Casy is forced yet again to lift off his CC.
It’s all or nothing for Casy now and he bunkers up at Ra’s main doing nominal damage to some buildings. Ra is well defended by cannons though and is teching to archives for some dts, but he doesn’t even wait for it. He brings out all of his zealots and probes and decimates Casy’s remaining troops.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/casy_ra_2.JPG)
Disappointed that Ra didn’t use lube as he apparently had promised, Casy types gg.
Nal_rA > Casy
Ra is the man. This game was high-pressure, action packed, and full of cute moves from both players. Ra kept his cool after losing his first proxy and used Casy’s lack of mineral gathering to his advantage by canceling the buildings and coming out on top in the early exchanges. If Casy had noticed the second proxy set up the game might have finished differently, but Ra’s ingenuity won it for him again.
Stork vs Iris
815
Stork starts at 10 and Iris at 7. They both play very typically. Stork utilizes a 2 gate robo build with an expansion on the 9 o’clock island and Iris a 1 fact build with an expansion to his natural. After ferrying his goons on to low ground Stork harasses Iris’ expansion and ends up losing every goon to kill 3 tanks and a couple of SCVs. The game continues with some unspectacular drop harass by both players. Though the damage is not insurmountable, Iris slowly loses a fair number of tanks to Stork’s goon and reaver drops. Stork looks to be running away with it, but Iris keeps it interesting with a highly effective vult/tank drop at Storks 12 o’clock expansion which is only made worse when Stork has the bright idea to pull mines into his mineral line by dropping units there for no reason whatsoever.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/Shinhan_OSL_Week_1_Wed/stork_iris.JPG)
It doesn’t seem to make a difference though because Iris moves out with his vult/tank/goliath army and is crushed by Stork’s superior numbers. It all plays out normally from there. Stork destroys expansions, Iris makes a token attempt at doing something, and then he types gg.
Stork > Iris
It was a very standard game that exhibited Stork’s superior skills in the matchup. He played a solid game and Iris basically faded out as he has had a tendency to do in his past OSL appearances. Looks like the kid needs more time to grow into it…or out of it.
Well that’s all for this week. Big thanks to Honest Tea and FireBlast for their excellent article writing that makes the insane amount of pro schedules and information digestible and of course Live2Win for doing his own article writing and providing the VODs that these reports were written from.
If you like ZvZ, a treat is in store for you this Friday as the OSL group stages continue. To keep up with the schedule check HonestTea's article here. And as always, if you want to see the games for yourself check out the uploads on our BT Tracker.
I'll play you plenty in the summer. 
