Ah yes, the round of 8. Now we get to see the real competitors in this tournament. And the amazing thing is, there are still 2 toss players left despite the pathetic race balance at the beginning of the tournament. These guys are clearly the cream of the crop, as today’s games showed.
Nada vs Zergman Arkanoid
Nada (7) opened with the standard fast CC while Zergman (1) placed a typical misplaced hatch first, followed by a pool. Nada built up his infrastructure as he went 2 port wraith and protected against Zergman’s muta build with some turrets. It became clear however that Zergman would have no opportunity to be offensive as his mutas were forced back by cloaked wraiths. He wasn’t going anywhere until overlord speed was done.
Nada quickly switched gears and started building up his signature MnM vessel army as he took his other nat. Zergman had also expanded to his other nat and tried to stop Nada with a little harass, but despite his detection from his speed lords his mutas lost the battle to Nada’s wraiths!
Things were looking good for the Terran as he crossed the map, taking out neutral buildings and irradiating passing mutas. He met Zergman’s hydras in the center and won the battle easily until some newly built lurks forced him back. From there Nada simply dropped Zergman’s expos and eventually trampled him with this…
Nada always seems to have so much of... everything!
Nada > Zergman
Nada’s opening was sexy. He knew the size of the map would allow him to fight off early harass with wraiths since slow lords would have too much of a distance to cross to be helpful. It seems like this guy can’t lose if the game makes it past 12 minutes. What a monster.
GF vs The Rock Tau Cross
GF (1) opened with a risky CC first build while his protoss opponent (5) 2 gate gooned. Rock did some moderate harassing with ranged goons while he took his own nat and managed to keep SCVs repairing the bunker long enough that both players seemed pretty much even in the end, though neither had really damaged the other. Rock followed that up with another expansion and a reaver drop. GF was completely unprepared for the reaver and would’ve gotten nailed for it if Rock didn’t needlessly lose his shuttle to a lone turret. GF got away with some moderate damage to his economy, which is far less than he deserved, and cleared the sitting reaver and lots away.
From there it was a macro fest. GF took another expo and Rock continued to pump lot goon from... 4 gates?
He had 3 stargates and a fleet beacon tucked away under his 3rd eco and was building up a fleet. GF eventually clued in, but his new expo got flooded with speed lots while he attempted to deal with this terrifying sight...
Rock spread his carriers out in a line so GF could clearly count the exact number of ships that he would inevitably lose to.
There were some battles that were closer than I’m giving GF credit for, but in the end it all came down to him not moving out soon enough as soon as his opponent started up carrier production.
Rock > GF
What can I say, I love Rock. The guy has always had such bad luck in previous OSLs and it seems like he’s really getting comfortable now. He played a lack luster game on this map against Shine, who was clearly a lesser Terran, so it’s nice to see the guy take this one.
Anytime vs GoRush Arcadia
Anytime (7) fast expanded and scouted his Zerg opponent first at 11. This early good fortune allowed him to harass the hatch building drone as well as see his opponents drone heavy build. This allowed him to build both an expansion nexus and a gateway before his forge.
Anytime built up cannon defense to secure his min only and scouted GoRush’s duel tech (den and spire) with a corsair. He built up sairs and zealots which lead to this early attack.
Anytime is deflected by the smart build timing of his Zerg opponent, but he manages to get some lords anyway.
GoRush built up his tech, getting a hive, triple evo for ups and lurker tech. He also expanded to the top middle, which was unacceptable to Anytime. A group of speed lots made quick work of the expo attempt before they were fought off by hydra forces. GoRush laid down another expo at the 1 o’clock main, but Anytime was uninterested. He confronted GoRush infront of the Zerg main and an interesting battle ensued. GoRush separated his forces as he attacked, attempting to make the toss waste his storm, but Anytime refused to bite. He microed his zealots fiercely as he waited for the swarm to come down on him. But it never happened. GoRush lost a bunch of units and Anytime eventually threw a couple storms off and morphed the rest of his HTs into archons. After this very decisive win, he reinforced and leveled GoRush’s entire nats and main.
Anytime has magical archons that apparently don’t die.
Anytime > GoRush
Have you watched a PvZ in the last 4 years that made protoss units look powerful against ling/hydra? Me neither, until today. Download this VOD.
Midas vs Iris Peaks of Baekdu
Iris (1) and Midas (7) both opened in a similar manner. They both early expanded and they both partook in some rine/vult cuteness in the center of the map. What Iris did, however, that Midas did not do is throw down a quick port as well. Once he got his first dropship, Iris loaded it up with tanks and escorted it with a wraith to the area behind Midas’ main mineral line. And he did this...
Iris, spanking Midas just like he did while practicing back in the SumaGO days.
Midas cleared it out, but later looked behind his natural mineral line and saw this...
...the spanking continues.
Iris dropped that same spot in Midas’ main again and again until the emo Terran gave up.
Iris > Midas
Midas got pushed around by harass the entire game and fell so far behind that a major confrontation was never necessary. Seems like he’ll have something real to cry about tonight.
Midas, not one to show disappointment, keeps a straight face rather than showing his heart wrenching pain to the world.
Recommended VOD of the night: Did you even read the report! Anytime vs GoRush! Get it now!! Go here!
GET IT NOW! (And don’t forget to thank Cadical for uploading it. )
That’s it for this game day. The next set of games are coming up and may very well decide some players fates, as these series are best of 3.
On October 28 2006 04:59 Lukeeze[zR] wrote: these archons were nuts, if i remember correctly anytime finished the game with 4 archons and 3 of them had +30 kills
Wow, I didn't really count. That really is incredible.
Thanks for posting the VOD links yakii. Everyone has got to see this game, and that'll help people that don't deal with torrents.
Much have I browse’d in the realms of web, And many goodly sites and pages seen; Round many brood war pages have I been Which newbs in fealty to Boxer hold. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told That deep-skill'd Boxer ruled as his demesne; Yet did I never breathe its pure serene Till I heard Mana speak out loud and bold: Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken; Or like stout newbie when with eagle eyes He star'd at the terran – and all his men Look'd at each other with a wild surmise – Silent, upon a peak in Neo Requiem.
On October 29 2006 01:41 BroOd wrote: On First Looking into Mana's Report
Much have I browse’d in the realms of web, And many goodly sites and pages seen; Round many brood war pages have I been Which newbs in fealty to Boxer hold. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told That deep-skill'd Boxer ruled as his demesne; Yet did I never breathe its pure serene Till I heard Mana speak out loud and bold: Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken; Or like stout newbie when with eagle eyes He star'd at the terran – and all his men Look'd at each other with a wild surmise – Silent, upon a peak in Neo Requiem.
On October 29 2006 12:11 evanthebouncy~ wrote: I thought Zeal/Archon creams hydraling any day regardless :p Did you count upgrades? Maybe that's a big factors!
Ups were even through the whole game as far as I could tell. GoRush triple evoed, so there wasn't really an opportunity for Anytime to make gains there.
EPT
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/nada_zergman.bmp)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/rock_gf.bmp)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/anytime_gorush_1.bmp)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/anytime_gorush_2.bmp)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/midas_iris_1.bmp)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/midas_iris_2.bmp)
![[image loading]](http://teamliquid.net/staff/ManaBlue/ShinHan2_OSL_R8_1/midas_iris_3.bmp)
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