EPT![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/battlereport7.jpg)
GOM Classic SemiFinals, Day 1
sKyHigh vs 
Bisubest of five
Andromeda • Destination • Colosseum II • Medusa • Andromeda
+ Show Spoiler +
A short note on the maps: The map-pool consisted of Andromeda, Colosseum II, Neo Requiem, Medusa, Destination and Sin Chupung-Ryeong. Each player was given the opportunity to veto one map in the pool, and then the remaining four maps were ordered randomly, with the first game's map making a reappearance should the match reach it's fifth and final game. Skyhigh vetoed Neo Requiem and Bisu vetoed Sin Chupung-Ryeong.
Game 1
Andromeda
Bisu starts at eleven o'clock and Skyhigh begins cross-map at five. Bisu opens with a fairly standard build, but before his tech can begin to split Skyhigh proxies two barracks in the middle of Andromeda. Bisu scouts seven o'clock and then finds Skyhigh's base at five, when he notices what's missing, Bisu scouts the middle of the map and spots the barracks.
Although he scouted the proxy late, Bisu was fortunate in that his opening build included one zealot, and after pulling ten probes, Bisu is able to defend against the rush until dragoons and another gateway warp in and strengthen his position.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis1_1.jpg)
This is as good as it'll get for this game.
Skyhigh's build required massive SCV cutting, so he did not tech toward an academy and although Bisu lost a heavy number of probes defending the initial rush, he maintained more than enough to pump from two gateways. Lacking medics, Skyhigh's unable to mount a second assault against Bisu's growing army. Skyhigh GGs after Bisu moves out with two zealots and three dragoons, cleaning up Skyhigh's remaining marines.
+ Show Spoiler [Key Moments] +
Skyhigh's decision to execute an all-in build was a risky one, but Bisu scouted him as late as Skyhigh could've possibly hoped. Bisu's choice to open with a zealot went a long way toward winning him the game.
Skyhigh starts at eleven o'clock which leaves five o'clock for Bisu, where he opens twelve nexus. Skyhigh goes one factory, fast expand, lifting his barracks after three marines.
After killing Skyhigh's SCV, Bisu sends his zealot up toward Skyhigh's natural, followed by two dragoons. Skyhigh has three marines, a tank and a vulture with mines to chase the protoss away, and once his zealot dies, Bisu backs back into his own natural.
In an uncharacteristic blunder, Bisu traps a dragoon at his nexus when he misplaces his robotics facility.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis2_1.jpg)
If not for Destination's bridges, this could've been a fatal error.
Assuming Bisu will get observers late, Skyhigh moves out placing mines in front of Bisu's natural and at the gas expansions on the south side of the map. With four vultures, three marines and a tank, Skyhigh begins to pressure the dragoons sitting inside Bisu's natural. Bisu's walled off one of the bridges, however, and Skyhigh isn't crazy enough to force his way down the one-bridge choke.
Bisu sends a reaver up to Skyhigh's base and places two stargates in preparation for carriers, but Skyhigh is well prepared for the reaver harassment, and Bisu's first pass does minimal damage, killing only one SCV and a few marines.
As Bisu walls-off four o'clock in anticipation of taking his third, he starts cleaning up the mines outside his natural and takes another pass at Skyhigh with the reaver. More successful this time, he manages to kill five SCVs.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis2_2.jpg)
Second time's a charm.
Bisu's third is delayed by an undetected mine and Skyhigh scans Bisu's Carriers, triggering a push with ten tanks, five goliath and six vultures.
Bisu engages the terran army in the middle of Destination with twelve dragoons five zealots and his reaver, but ends up losing six dragoons and all his zealots before he realizes it was a bad idea. He regroups in front of his planned, but as yet still unplaced third base while adding his carriers to support his ground army.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis2_3.jpg)
D'oh!
Bisu finally clears the mine at his third, but still delays in taking it as he pumps carriers, dragoons and zealots. Rather than face the terran army directly, Bisu travels around the east side of the map. Skyhigh scans the attempt, however, and moves his military to cut Bisu off. The reaver is able to take out two tanks before it dies, but after it falls, Skyhigh has more than enough to deal with the six dragoons and two carriers remaining in Bisu's backstab attempt. Unfortunately for Skyhigh, rather than sit and take his punishment, Bisu abuses the fact that the terran's seiged and flees into the middle of the map. Skyhigh's able to chase him down, though, and all but one of Bisu's carriers are destroyed.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis2_4.jpg)
Say g'night, carrier!
Confident in his position, Skyhigh resumes his push into the middle of the map. Bisu isn't interested in engaging Skyhigh's main army, however, and goes around it again, this time hugging the west side of the map with three carriers, nine zealots and six dragoons.
Skyhigh scans the maneuver and moves to cut off Bisu's army, but when Skyhigh's army seiges, Bisu runs away and pushes up the undefended middle, forcing Skyhigh into an awkward position. The combination of the bridges and a lack of in-position tanks allows a microing Bisu to thin out Skyhigh's goliath. Bisu jumps on the opportunity to chase the remaining tanks back to Skyhigh's base, where he flies his carriers in to snipe Skyhigh's armory. His attack successful, Bisu sends his ground army of fourteen zealots and thirteen dragoons to assist his carriers in pressuring Skyhigh's natural. Skyhigh rushes after Bisu's carriers with what remains of his goliath and the protoss ground army eats them alive.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis2_5.jpg)
Foiled!
With thirteen-hundred minerals and six-hundred gas in the bank, Skyhigh admits defeat, giving the second game of the day to Bisu.
+ Show Spoiler [Key Moments] +
Bisu's use of Destination's topography to avoid Skyhigh's army turned Skyhigh's formidable push into 4-5 poorly positioned units killed on this side of the map and 4-5 poorly positioned units killed on that side of the map. Over time, cutting Skyhigh's army into ribbons. It really didn't help that Skyhigh's macro was poor this game.
Skyhigh walls in preparing for a one factory fast expand at eleven o'clock and Bisu builds toward the ten/fifteen gateway pressure build at one o'clock. Then Bisu hides a pylon at twelve o'clock for his reaver tech.
Bisu get's three dragoons to the wall-in before a tank comes out. His harass of the wall earns him three SCV kills before he's forced to back away a bit, he settles on hitting the barracks until the siege upgrade finishes.
As Skyhigh takes his natural, Bisu elevates five dragoons, two zealots and his reaver onto Skyhigh's high ground, outside the edge of Skyhigh's fog of war. Although Skyhigh scouts the proxy reaver tech, Skyhigh is completely unprepared for the extra dragoons, and Bisu's able to overrun the natural with ease.
![[image loading]](/staff/Tadzio/GOMsemi/skybis3_1.jpg)
Paste this picture in your dictionary next to "rape."
Skyhigh holds on for a while, defending with SCVs, but Bisu takes the desperate assault in stride, focusing on destroying Skyhigh's wall. Skyhigh finally GGs once it's clear he cannot recover. Bisu is going to the finals!
+ Show Spoiler [Key Moments] +
Skyhigh was completely unprepared for Bisu's opening. Brilliant play by Bisu.
sKyHigh: 0Bisu: 3Recommended Game
+ Show Spoiler +
sKyHigh vs Bisu Game 2 on Destination. Skyhigh had the advantage briefly in this game, but Bisu took him on a tour of Destination anyway, dismantling the CJ terran in an impressive fashion.Due to the Chinese New Year celebration, free[gm] vs JangBi won't be played until February 1st. I'll preview that matchup closer to the date.
). So I gave it up.
