EPT
July
-How do you feel about being on this stage right now?
I’d like to thank everyone the fantastic turnout today, and I promise to show you very entertaining games to make up for it.
-The Golden Mouse is within your reach, how do you feel about it?
Well I’d like to focus on winning the games. If I accomplish this, the golden mouse and the 3rd OSL win will naturally follow.
-You mentioned earlier on that you will aim to recreate the magic of the famous Boxer-Yellow face offs. However considering the history of OnGameNet, Zerg has never fared so well in the previous finals.
I will make sure that the Zerg will be victorious in this particular scenario today.
-I hear that your father even cut his business trip short to make it here in time for your performance. What would you like to say to your parents and your fans?
I thank my father for making the trip back to be here for me. My parents alone are reason enough to try my best and win.
Iloveoov
-How are you feeling right now?
I’m very nervous, but at the same time very excited as I will finally be able to show what I have been practicing so much for this one moment.
-That’s the first time I’ve heard the words nerves and Choi Yun Sung in the same sentence.
I’ve often lied about being confident in the past, I’m usually quite nervous during games. However right now I am being honest, and seeing as my opponent is someone as good as Park Sung Jun I must respect him, maintain my focus and not be complacent at any time.
-How well do you remember your encounter back in 2004 Gillette OSL, when Park Sung Jun defeated you on the way to his royal road in the semi-finals? (royal road is a term used by the Korean community when a starleaguer goes on to win the whole thing in his first time in the starleague.)
Yes, it’s a moment I remember clearly and I will have my revenge here.
-Your final words for your parents and your fans?
I will make sure I will win today.
Game 1 : JulyZerg(z, POS) vs iloveoov(t, SK T1) on Cultivation Period.
This is the oov view.
The manly oov find himself at the 12 position, and quickly gets around the usual worker-producing stuff. Cleverly blocks his entrance with the first depot, effectively blocking his cowardly opponent from seeing anything. While a worker is scouting the map and disturbing a drone about to make a hatchery, he starts two barracks in his main. Classic solid TvZ should be all he need to beat down the predictable zerg build on this map.
To prevent July from getting too bold around him he clears out a few lings outside his base. Also makes sure to keep any overlords out when adding his 3rd rax and first academy units. A few lings tries to get in and scout, but a brilliant 2-medic wall blocks every attempt while the marines keep the area clear.
When the manly terran is ready, he moves out his now very impressive infantry group, meting little restistanse in taking down the few sunkens defending the zerg expansion.
Oov's sexy marines taking care of some business
With no static defense, July can't do anything to defend himself. "God of War my ass", screams the marines and runs by the lurkers who arrives 30 minutes too late, wrecking more havoc in the main zerg base. The marines hardly notices the few lurkers trying to interrupt the destruction and a few more marines from the terran base is all he need to seal the deal and scare July into surrendering - as oov knew he would.
Oov 1:0 July
Oov's times 3 rax rush worked perfect, as he never let July scout him and when he moved out July had nothing to stop him.
Interview with Joo Hoon( T1’s manager) and Kingdom before game 2.
(to Joo Hoon)
-Game 1 ended so quickly with the 3 barracks rush. Was this planned before the games?
After much analysis we found that Cultivation Period is not so bad for Zerg after all. Knowing the immense importance of the first game, we decided it was best to end the game early with a strategy involving strong offensives. On the way here we discussed how many medics should be mixed in with the marine force, and by the time we arrived the preparations for the strategy in game 1 was complete.
-People have been touting Cultivation Period as a Terran map so much. Did this put Choi Yun Sung under any pressure at all?
Yes, we both agreed that he would be expected to win the first game, considering the choice of map. We certainly knew how crucial winning the first game would be. In order to gain the momentum and the upper hand psychologically, it would be ideal to win the game through a strong strength-based play. I’m glad that it has so far turned out as we had planned.
(to Kingdom)
-You must know your teammate inside-out; are there any particular maps that you feel expect Choi Yun Sung to win on?
Rush Hour has always been one of his favourite maps. I feel the match is 80% won, considering he has won the crucial first game as well as Rush Hour being used in game 4. Even if Park Sung Jun holds out until the final game I feel he will have a limited number of cards to play on Cultivation Period.
Game 2 : JulyZerg(z,POS) vs iloveoov(t, SK T1) on Ride of Valkyries
This is the Julyzerg view.
July finds himself safely at the 7 position, and knows from practice games that the chances of oov being @ 5 are pretty good. Knowing how terrans nowadays don't have the balls to play straight up, he smartly plants his spawning pool before expanding to the natural. A confident expression shows at his face as a marine turns back next to his hatchery, and he plants another one on top of his ramp.
His first lings arrives at the terran ramp to find a almost laughtable number of marines. The fool terran has only a single rax! His 8 lings makes quick work of the few marines holding the ramp, and are now free to roam around the terran base. A new cc takes to the air, and he smiles to himself as he rallies his hatcheries to the terran expansion and starts the production of more lings.
When arriving at the terran base yet again he finds the ramp guarded by only workers and a single firebat. Knowing that firebats in themselves are not much to be afraid of, he confidently ignores the workers and focus on the firebats. After a few rounds of ling he finds himself inside the terran base, fighting with now speedy lings against only workers and the firebats that comes out of the two rax now and then.
Sure of his victory, he pumps a few more drones to complete his hold of the game. But the fool terran must be chating! He has never really belived the "cheater" nickname of oov, but somehow the ape has a million scvs working the minerals while using a full group to fight! The sheer surprise makes him missclick and lose an all-important group of lings to workers and a single firebat.
Ling control 101 from prefessor July
His opponent somehow lived thru it all! July can't belive it, but still has a nasty surprise ready: spire is almost done, and there is no way oov can get sufficiant defenses up in time..
As the first mutas take to the air and wing their way against the hated terran encampment, July takes the time to expand up left and makes the switch to lurkers, just to seal the deal. But the mutas he put his trust in are greeted by a mass of turrets, and a running expansion! Thinking quick, July orders them to circle the expansion and go in from above. On his way he notices an impossible 4 working rax and two almost-complete factories. What the hell? Feeling the game slipping, he takes a few scv kills before fleeing thru a maze of turrets. Good thing he prepared with lurkers and a 3rd base, he should still be well in the game.
July gathers the rest of his muta and lings in his 2nd natural area while waiting for the lurkers to arrive, but a nastry surprise comes before the lurkers. Out of the darkness comes a solid mass of marines, stimmed to the teeth and with medics backing them up! The ape! Somehow he times the killing of supporting units perfectly and leaves the trusty lurkers shooting spines at nothing but air, while the rather unattractive marines now attack the important expansion at 11. Most of the lurkers die in a futile defense attempt, and being the smart zerg he is, July knows he has one choise - all-in! Everything he has decends upon the terran natural, the symbol of evil, in hopes to get back the game that is rightfully his. But the cheater terran lives up to his name and has tanks backing up the marines. As his last forces are sandwitched between infantry and tanks, July lifts his hand and types a sad gg.
Oov 2:0 July
July did excellent pressure early on, but did a fatal miss in the middle of oov's base and lost lings at a critical moment. He never hurt oov's economy, and with two cc's pumping workers oov had a monster econ once he cleared his base.
Game 3 : JulyZerg(z, POS) vs iloveoov(T, SK T1) on 815.
Oov's poster reads "The Final Round He Will be Champion", and after watching the July rape in game 1 and two, I belive it. Everybody whining about maps can pretty much shut up, as oov's ownage in game 1 was July's own fault and on the only zerg-favoring map oov still walked over July like a battle.net newbie.
The 3rd and possibly deciding game has oov taking 11 and July finding himself at 5. Both opens no-nonsense builds, with July taking his natural right away and oov doing rax-gas-fac. Letting July take his natural is no problem, as the 815 naturals lack the gas that usually makes fast expanding zergs so dangerous. July is working his way to drop tech and with a hydra den and a 3rd hatchery I would suspect a pure hydra opening. I am right. Hydras pour from July's hatcheries as oov's master plan is revealed. The terran giant is simply teching to dropships while adding another rax and a single upgrade from his ebay.
But July is on to him. The first dropship barely leaves the base before running into July's first hydra group and eventually turning back. Oov takes the time to drop a worker on the 10 island before setting out again, now sporting two shiny dropships o'doom. Unfortunately July is on it yet again, and oov is forced to turn around down at 7. July has meanwhile expanded to 1 and has a mass of hydra roaming around the map. Unfortunately he didnt cover oov's ramp and oov is able to gather about 24 m&m and set out to attack the new zerg base.
Oov's forces gather below the ramp, but are promptly slaughtered by an incredible mass of hydra. Oov is left trying to establish his own expansion, something he manages to do thanks to some nice dropship divertion (running his dropship back and forth between his base and July's 1 base). July still has a nice mass of hydras, and rallies them to attack the new terran expansion. About 3 groups of hydra goes on the offensive, and while outnumbering and out-positioning the marines he still somehow manages to lose when oov's impossible reinforcement numbers arrive. With oov winner of the last battle, 6 working rax in the terran base and the first vessel arriving, the game seems to be evening out.
Oov tries to buy some time with a quick 2-ship drop aimed at 1, but July has scourge in the air and kills the dropships before they can drop anything. Untouched by the loss, oov moves out an impossible large m&m army, accompanied by two science vessels. The usual "oooh" and "aaaah" from the crowd, and my usual surprise. I think oov's macro is, if possible, getting STRONGER. July, now sporting lurkers to help his hydras, moves his etire army into position. A mass of hydras supported by lurkers should be a match for any infantry-army, but somehow oov ends up winning.
July making positioning mistakes? Now I've seen everything
July did attack from a somewhat akward situation, but oov even had enough units left to force his way up to the 1 base of July despite the ramps being even less than normal hetrosexual. As usual: How the hell did he DO that?Oov har even found the time to send a small marine force to deal with the newly completed hatchery down at 7.
Oov can obviously forgo the laws of nature and has no problem producing two port vessels from a single gas. July kept his 1 base for now, and is still going strong on hydra/lurk. He should really switch now, as the vessel count is getting scary, but with only two gas and money spent on range upgrades he can't afford it just yet. That new hatch on the 3 island might change that, if he can hold off the endless sea of infantry just a little longer.
With much of the zerg force consentrated on the defense of the 1 ramp, oov moves his new, even more impressive army down towards the zerg natural, and with the support of now 7-8 vessels walk over whatever defense July has there.
"My Gorilla styles is stronger! Hear me roar!"
July, seing no way out and no way to turn this around, surrenders the game, match and championship to the might gorilla terran: iloveoov!
Final Score: iloveoov 3-0 July!
