EPT
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It's finally come to a close, and what a close it was. A whole year of starcraft came down to two teams playing a best of seven match.
Both teams had a good year. Lecaf ended the first round-robin season in second place, and went through the playoffs to reach the finals where they lost to Samsung in a 4-0 white-wash.
In the second season Lecaf ran over all competition as they ended a near perfect season with a win in the playoffs, and a round-robin score of 18-4.
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Lecaf really wanted this.
On the other hand, Samsung had dominated the first season, ending the season with a 17-5 score. The second season started off badly for Samsung as they only managed to get two wins from their first eight matches. They made up for it by winning ten of their next fourteen matches, and ending the season on a close fifth.
The stage was thus set for a truly grand final (no pun intended), and it all came down to seven games. The match was poised delicately, with Samsung expected to take the teamplay games, while Lecaf were heavy favourites to take the majority of the one-on-ones.
Game 1 - Frozean vs Jaedong @ Un'goro Crater
There was no doubt in anyone's mind which team would have the lead after the first game. Jaedong has been near unstoppable in the last few months, and even above his overall dominance is his ZvT dominance. Frozean on the other hand has been mediocre at best, and his TvZ has not been consistent.
The game started off with Jaedong taking his natural before going for an unorthodox spire, evolution chamber, into lurker build. Frozean on the other hand had also started up at his natural, and followed this up by adding two raxes to his standing two barracks.
Jaedong continued his fast lurker build, defending his main with only one sunken colony, but having two creep colonies ready. On the terran side, not long after his new raxes finished Frozean moves out with a decent sized marine force, enhanced with a few firebats, and four medics. As expected Jaedong morphs his creep colonies into sunks, and puts down a fourth sunken colony to be on the safe side.
The game seemed very evenly poised, until Frozean ran his ground forces up Jaedong's ramp and started what seemed to be a suicide attack. But soon after the first sunken colony fell, and only three marines had lost their lives to take it down.
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No-one saw it coming...
With reinforcements en route, Frozean continued to run over Jaedong's sunkens, killing a slew of late drones in the process. As the sunken line falls, eight new marines arrive at the front, and Jaedong promptly loses hatchery.
Jaedong types out, and Samsung start off with a massive upset.
Samsung KHAN 1 - 0 Lecaf Oz
Game 2 - Jangbi vs ForGG @ Nemesis
The second game was set on a fairly old map, a map that os known for its slow paced games, and its turtle tactics. A map with only one expansion that is easy to get, and only one small choke into your base. Nemesis.
The game started off with both players fearing early pressure. ForGG decided to go for a fast barracks, and Jangbi, in spotting the fast barracks, opted for a more zealots. ForGG took full advantage of Protoss's lack of early gas, and walled up while taking his safe natural.
When Jangbi realised that no cheese was coming his way, and that he has been out-expanded, he launched three simultaneous strikes to retake the economic advantage.
The first thing Jangbi did to retake the economic higher ground was take his own natural. This was followed by a reaver drop and wall break into the terran main, which was followed by yet another expansion.
Jangbi looked set to end the game right there as a stream of zealots ran into the terran base and some respectable reaver micro made it difficult for ForGG to hold any positions, but some SCV's were pulled from the mineral line, and two tanks came out at just the right moment to ward off the protoss onslaught.
At this point Jangbi was leading in base count, but ForGG was leading in miner count. All that changed in just over a minute, as Jangbi took a fast shuttle with reavers into the terran natural and killed a platoon of scvs. Continuous reaver harassment left ForGG behind in bases and behind in SCVs, and the game was all but over.
In what could only be considered a final attack, ForGG sent out his army and set up a contain outside the protoss natural. Protoss had a slightly smaller army, but Terran was running out of resources fast, and not many reinforcements would be coming.
Jangbi decided to retreat his troops up the ramp to defend at his choke, rather than running them sideways to set up a flank. This could turn out to be one of the most expensive mistakes in the history of professional Starcraft.
As the contian moved closer and closer Jangbi grew anxious, and decided to run his troops down the small ramp to confront his terran oppressors. In a few explosions the entire Protoss army lay on the metal floor in lakes of blue goop.
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Seas of blue cheese.
The game had ended.
Terran had no scvs remaining, and no reinforcements coming to back him up, but his tank army was able to secure the ramp into the protoss base and take out the gateways. Jangbi had all the resources in the world, but couldn't stop the tanks as they marched through his base and he was forced to concede the game.
Samsung Khan 1 - 1 Lecaf Oz
Game 3 - JiHyun, Cuteboy vs ShinHwa Lomo @ Hwangsanbul
Samsung were expected to dominate in the first 2v2 match. Their Jihyun-Cuteboy team went 9/2 in the proleague, while Lomo and Shinhwa only managed to win five of their eight games.
The game started with Cuteboy mining himself out of his base very quickly while going for a double rax marine rush. His teammate went two hatch speedlings into a lair. As their forces moved out Lomo broke free himself in order to defend his teammate. Lomo went for a double factory vulture build, while Shinhwa went fast lair into mutas.
In an ingenious move, Jihyun and Cuteboy changed targets from Shinhwa to Lomo, and the combined marine and zergling forces charged up his recently cleared ramp. Lomo tried to hold it with scvs, but the scv wall broke just as his first vultures came out, and the vultures were unable to flee from the zergling and marine hordes. Lomo tried desperately to defend but could not hold on.
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A strong early rush put Lomo under pressure
As Lomo's base was being destroyed, a group of five mutalisks left Shinhwa's base for the opposing zerg base. With no spore colonies, and an evolution chamber still being born, the Zerg player was unable to save his drones from complete anihilation. No marines helped him.
With two players effectively out of the game, it was down to a contest between ShinHwa and Cuteboy, but whereas Cuteboy had lost troops in his fight against Lomo, ShinHwa had gone unscathed, constantly building mutalisks from two gasses.
The game did not last long as pure mutalisks ran over Cuteboy, and he was forced to concede the game after a hatchery was built right next to his command center.
Samsung Khan 1 - 2 Lecaf Oz
Game 4 - Stork vs Anytime @ Katrina
One of the most anticipated matches of the day was between Stork and Anytime. Two protoss masters, two proleague masters, playing on a protoss map in the proleague. What could be more exciting?
The game opened with both players going double gate zeals into FE. Stork gained an early advantage by killing Anytime's scouting probe moments after it entered Stork's base, while Anytime was left trying to cope with a Probe running over the nexus spot at his natural.
The game diverged when Stork (wittingly or unwittingly) got zealot legs before dragoon range. Both players had gone reaver/shuttle, but Stork's army was very zealot intensive compared with Anytime's almost pure goon and reaver army.
In the first confrontation, Stork ran in with his batallion of zealots, only to have three or four scarabs completely decimate his army. Superior reaver micro also allowed Anyitme to kill Stork's reaver without losing his own.
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Stork couldn't understand where all his shields went...
Without a reaver, and without dragoons, Stork was left trying to kill Anytime's reaver and shuttle with pure zealots, but stunning reaver micro from Anytime took care of all the zealots, and Stork was left without an army, and at a severe disadvantage.
Anytime continued to pressure with his larger force, and not long after the first battle Stork was forced to give in.
Samsung KHAN 1 - 3 Lecaf Oz
Game 5 - Firebathero vs Hiya @ Python
The final game of the night was between Firebathero and Hiya on Python. The starting positions were close together at 6' and 8', and for the initial part of the game much of the strategy relied on trying to hold the bottom left island expansion.
Firebathero placed more emphasis on dropships in order to secure the island expansion, and Hiya was quick to take advantage of this. With a few dropships and a ground force, Hiya assaulted Firebathero's natural, forcing him to empty his dropships to stop the threat. As the units left FBH's dropships, Hiya's dropships were being emptied on the higher ground overlooking the Terran natural.
SCVs were brought back from their mineral spots to fend of the tanks on Firebathero's higher ground, but as they finally broke the tank army, another three dropships arrived, filling up the top of Firebat's ramp with units again, units which slowly and systematically destroyed any chance Firebat might have had in coming back into the game.
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Not the celebration Firebathero had planned.
Firebathero tried a final drop, but as this was taken care of by Hiya's troops, and as Firebat's final factory died, he called the game and the match.
Samsung KHAN 1 - 4 Lecaf Oz
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Lecaf Oz are grand champions of 2007!
The 2007 Proleague season is over now, so what do we have left to look forward to?
Firstly, we have enough televised starcraft available to keep even the most dedicated fan (thedeadhaji...) happy. With the GSI, the OSC, MST, MSL, and OSL all running at the moment, there's no lack of amazing games to watch.
After the plethora of Korean starcraft there are also the slightly less prestigous, but just as professional TeamLiquid special events on the horizon. The TL.net Attack starts on Monday the of 25th February with our resident US champion InControl taking on the cesspit that is the internet. Anybody is free to challenge InControl, so read the news post on the Tl.net Attack for more details on how to make yourself a TL Legend.
Teamliquid is also hosting a new season of Liquibition showmatches starting with one between Iefnaji and ret. For those of you that do not know what the Liquibition is, it is a Bo9 clash between two of the great foreign players. In the days of yore we had Suker and Testie and Mondi and Pepe all battling it out, with commentaries done by our favourite Mani, and even some special commentaries by Elky. This liquibition will be even better.
There are also a few Final Edits in the works, including a memorable moments article on the 2007 Proleague season, and a non-fiction book on one of the most respected progamers of all time.
And after all of that, there's always the 2008 Proleague to look forward to. See you all there!
2 Firebats join the fray, followed while Jaedong is hurriedly planting sunkens at his natural. Flash storms Jaedong’s natural with his small force dealing some minor damage, but not losing anything. Another firebat and medic join the attacking party. Soon, a stream of firebats is leaving Flash’s base and Flash attacks. With nice micro, and 4 barrack firebats reinforcing his army – he quickly topples Jaedong. 
