EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis21.JPG)
"I once thought that if I can only make it to the semifinals, I can care less if I embarrass myself in the semifinals. Now, since my goal has changed to advancing to finals, I will engage in the match prepared to the limit. I am ready to die in Jaeju island. If there isn't a ticket for the ride back, I will then simply live in Jaeju.." – Jun Sangwook
Some fans say the maps favor zerg, but I think terran has the advantage. That is why I thought that I felt fortunate to have met zerg in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. I was vs terran specialist last fall, and I will live up to that name and defeat terran for the trophy. – Oh Youngjong
And thus it began, a final collision between two of the hottest players around. At stake? A chance to move on to the finals and battle with a resurgent NaDa who is on a quest for his third title. The hype for this match was great as Anytime was looking to continue the Legend of the Fall, a tradition of protoss OSL victories in the autumn season. To do it though, he would have to go through the top TvP player on earth, Midas. Well known for his calm demeanor and insane practice stamina, Midas swore that after his semi-final loss to Savior in the last MSL, this finals spot was his.
Game 1: Arcadia II
With the games first minerals being chipped, Midas took his hands off the keyboard and gave his ritual nose rub. With both players on the bottom of the map (protoss 5 and terran 7) the positions behind the natural expansions would be crucial to control. Both players scouted the long way and were denied scouting rites with a blocked choke. This worked especially well for Anytime, because instead of the standard fast goons into expo, there was a little cluster of tech at the back of the base containing a citadel, archives, and robotics.
As Midas used his standard fast expansion build, a shuttle silently drifted over the bottom of the map and towards his shiny new CC. Anytime’s invisible ninjas repelled down onto the battlefield and took advantage of a badly placed turret to kill some scv. As Midas reacted, the two dt’s were scooped up and re-dropped in the terran main, taking out a key turret and then chopping up the machine shop to prevent mine research. With Midas having to spend heavily in static defense, Anytime was free to double expand at his naturals and increase his gateway count without having to build up an army at the same time.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis210.JPG)
Anytime’s dts buy him time and give Midas a major headache…
Midas eventually managed to empty his base of the dt threat, but in the process he had lost his machine shop, gas, a depot, numerous scv and had been forced to build an academy. When he finally got his economy back online, he had a single factory and Anytime had expanded again to the island at 3. As Arbiter production flickered in the Stargate, Anytime positioned his army to prevent any kind of harassment. Midas secured his other expansion, but in the macro race he was a cripple running against an Olympian.
Just before the ten minute mark, Midas rolled out into the middle in order to secure expansions in the north and limit protoss mobility. However, he never even got the chance to siege before running back to his choke. The protoss army was huge, vigorous, and cloaked with the arbiter hovering overhead. Midas was able to hold at his choke, but without a presence in the middle his expansion attempt at 11 was completely unprotected.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis29.JPG)
With a huge lead, Anytime kept Midas pinned in the corner, freeing up the rest of the map for protoss domination…
However, the terran rewards awards a patient player, and Midas took his time in pushing out the second time. Anytime threw himself at the wall of metal again, but created a partial block by casting stasis on some forward tanks. Having narrowed his own attacking choke, he was forced to retreat and turn his attention towards 11. As Midas scrambled to save his most valuable expansion, another wave of protoss troops descended on his stretched out army. Breaching the line, Anytime’s troops rampaged into the terran staging area and scattered the busy scv’s. With a constant rally, Midas was forced to tap out in the first game.
Anytime 1:0 Midas
Anytime’s build was all or nothing, and it all came down to the scouting pattern of Midas. Had he scouted east rather than north Anytime would have had to change his build. As it ended up, the dt drop worked wonders, and put Midas in a hole he couldn’t climb out of.
Game 2: Arkanoid
With one victory under his belt thanks to an all out strategy, Anytime continued the trend in the second game, placing two gateways down before a core and creating a combination army of zealots and dragoons. In the cross position at 1, Midas quickly took his expansion but then opted for a two barracks MM army. As Anytime’s army smashed through buildings into the middle, his probe pylon-cheated its way into the terran base, having the good fortune to find it first.
With the enemy in his sights, Anytime rallied his troops forward and cleared a path through the maze of temples. Seeing the scout and the incoming army, Midas quickly dropped two bunkers at his first choke. Anytime was unable to make it through the narrow choke, and turned to make another opening further up the map. Having still not expanded, Anytime teched to dt’s in preparation for a final attack. Midas defended with a maze of bunkers, turrets, and tanks supported by MM. The protoss army swarmed in, but it was far too late. Midas defended perfectly, and clinched the victory without ever having found the protoss base.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis22.JPG)
Anytime rushes all-in to the terran corner, but the brave marines stand their ground…
Anytime 1:1 Midas
Anytime’s low eco gambit failed miserably against the defense of Midas, who looked visibly relieved to pull even in the series.
Game 3: Tau Cross
The third game of this series, on Tau Cross, opened typically with a terran FE build and a protoss nexus to match. As Anytime, @9, defended nicely against the tank/rine push of Midas, the players swung into high gear quickly as their economies blossomed. Midas controlled the bottom of the map, moving steadily out from his 5 o’clock base and taking his mineral only as well. Anytime, knowing that Midas would be content to simply turtle, made him pay by harassing with a pair of reavers in the terran main. Scarabs lit up the scv line and leveled the fragile supply depots. With both players working off of three bases, the growing armies would soon have no choice but to collide.
Although his reavers were shot out of the air, Anytime had continued to produce speed shuttles, and with these loaded vessels supporting a large ground army, he attacked Midas’ position head on. His zealot bombs fizzled when the tanks were supported by goliaths, but his frontal push did a decent job of reducing the terran tank count. Anytime microed wisely, avoiding the heavy bank of artillery by the mineral only and picked off the tanks that were isolated. At this key moment, victory was within his grasp had he rallied his reinforcements to the front. Another group of speed zealots would have broken the dam. However, they were not employed, and Midas recovered from the battle quickly.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis23.JPG)
Swooping in from below, Anytime’s speed shuttles try to crack a wall of terran metal…
Knowing his advantage would quickly dwindle against an equal base terran, Anytime ceased expanding and focused completely on troop production. His army quickly attacked again, but Midas was entrenched in his defensive position. Time and again the protoss army smashed against the defensive wall. Time and again they cut heavy swaths through the tank line. But time and again Midas was able to hold, slowly getting stronger after each attack. Finally, with one last effort, Anytime threw everything at the terran and typed out in disgust.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis24.JPG)
Generic PvT battle shot... this game was this scene x10…
Midas 2:1 Anytime
Try as I might, I just cannot make Midas’ games sound interesting. He just sat there for 20 minutes, deflecting attacks from Anytime. It was good strategy, and he won, but it makes for a boring game when only one player is attacking.
Game 4: Peaks of Baekdu
After trying to man toss Midas into submission the last two games, Anytime was on the ropes in game 4. Midas’ defense had been so solid thus far, only failing to a pgt style dt drop in the first. Anytime knew, as he started at 6, that he would need something special to get his way back into the series. Midas built a barracks before depot, and sent out a scout looking for proxies right away. His marine headed south accompanied by an scv, and Anytime was forced to build a zealot to chase away the brave soldiers. Still with one barracks, Midas continued to produce marines and then a medic... and then a bat! As Anytime only had two goons and a zealot for defense, Midas used nice micro, sending his medic ahead first and shooting his way up the ramp. Perhaps with a little contempt, Anytime blocked the charge with some fresh troops and teched to templars.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis25.JPG)
Ladies first! Midas tries to bully his way up the protoss ramp, but some timely new goons helped Anytime stall it…
Back on the terran side of things, Midas patrolled his natural with a group of MM while his lone factory spun with research. Both players expanded, with Midas getting it slightly faster. Anytime tried to invade with his first two dts, but such an early academy allowed Midas plenty of scan mana and the harassment got nowhere. He upped his factory count to four, while Anytime went tech crazy in his main, dropping a stargate and support bay for his robo. Then inexplicably, he laid down two very expensive fleet beacons, only realizing his mistake at the last instant. Changing, he massed two stargates in preparation for carriers while keeping Midas busy with a hero reaver.
Despite the mild harassment, Midas was on a roll and with two expansions his mass got busy. Anytime’s corner expo was much later due to his carrier force, and the difference in army size was soon exaggerated. Anytime used his first blimps to harass the terran natural and center positions, doing an effective job while expanding up the right side of the map. His carriers were the key at this point, as he had virtually no land army. Any slip in micro would cost him everything, and Midas was working off of four bases. Anytime’s micro was perfect though, as he fought a steady stream of goliaths coming from the terran main. Slowly, he managed to move forward and take down the terran expansions one by one. As Midas’ macro failed him, he found himself staring at a fleet of carriers right outside his front door. It would come down to the final game.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis26.JPG)
This is all Midas saw for 20 minutes, this and his goliaths getting lit up like popcorn…
Anytime 2:2 Midas
Midas had a huge economic advantage in this game, at one point having four expansions to two. However, I never felt as if Anytime had lost control of the game. His carrier micro was enormously successful, losing only a single carrier in 20 minute of micro. Peaks was made for that kind of skill.
Game 5: Arcadia II
Well, back to where it all started, Midas (@7) predictably charged up the map towards Anytime’s base at 11. His squad of marines supported the lone tank as vultures came up from behind to drop mines. While he lost his marines to the defending dragoons, Midas felt safe enough behind his mines to expand. But, things are not always what they seem.
Anytime had managed to block the rush despite starting with a one gate robo build. What Midas missed as his troops came north was the third gateway in the rear of the protoss main. Rather than try to play economic catch-up, Anytime was going for the kill right away. With some sloppy micro by Midas, a stream of dragoons came south from three gates, eliminating the terran forces as soon as they spawned from the factory. In a flash, baby bear Midas was out of the finals, and the Legend of the Fall was kept alive for another day.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis27.JPG)
The result of Midas’ micro miss and scout miss, a wave of dragoons overwhelming his last tank.
Anytime > Midas
This final game revealed the weakness of Midas in painful fashion. His inability to adapt and surprise gave Anytime a build maphack. The protoss knew exactly what was coming and prepared for it perfectly. Midas made a couple poor micro decisions at the beginning, but really it was over before it started.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/ShinHan2OSLSemis2/ShinHan2OSLSemis28ed.JPG)
On the left, a victorious Anytime, on the right, a disgusted Midas, taken as he lost the tank on his ramp…
So, we now have a dream final set up. The story lines are tight, with NaDa coming back for a shot at the golden mouse. Can Anytime put a halt to this quest? Consider this, should Anytime defeat NaDa, he will have destreoyed every worthy Terran player from the past four years in his two title runs. OOv, yep. Xellos, yep. Boxer, yep. Nada… soon? As for Midas, he again waited out the crowed, sitting in his booth and wondering what could have been.
Today’s Reccomended VOD is game four of this series. If any aspiring protoss player wants to learn how to micro carriers effectively, just watch this game again and again and again…
I would also like to take this spot to thank our VOD up-loaders for getting our games up so fast. Without them, I would be unable to write these. Thanks a lot.
Cheers,
Mani
Nada is unbeatable on that map.
