Hello everyone, I am Corazon. I've been around TL for around 2 years, and I've always had a love for Starcraft. Although I do not play anymore, I still try to watch as many games as I can. I've always wanted to write about Starcraft, and I thought I would start with these mini-analysis of games. This isn't going to be as polished as the TL Strategy guides, but I still feel like I can give good analysis and help players out.
I believe that a lot of players are stuck at this plateau where their macro and micro are at decent levels, but there is just something holding them back on the ladder. That thing is decision making. Not all games are going to go on one script or go as planned. The ability to make the right decisions on the fly is absolutely crucial at the higher leagues. When everyone macroes as good as you and everyone can scout and micro as good as you, decision making makes you stand out. Another part that players lack is good planning. Sure people can follower openers and timings, but having a solid plan is what separates the good from the great. I hope this series will show very great examples about how the best players are able to stand out and win important games!
Disclaimer: I'm doing this for fun and to hopefully help people out. I might get a few things wrong here or there, so don't be mad if you read this and don't win 20 ladder games in a row. If I'm forgetting something, please feel free to share your opinion/analysis and we all can learn more as a community! :D
Stork vs. Flash (2014 Proleague Round 2 - February 25th, 2014) Map: Outboxer
This was the pivotal fourth game of the series and a must-win for Stork and Samsung Galaxy. Being down 1-2, Samsung put Stork on their shoulders. The map chosen was Outboxer, a map that is still relatively unknown due to the fact that it is only played on Proleague. I could spend a lot of time on the map, but lets just get into the game!
The players spawn on Outboxer, with Flash in the top left, and Stork in the bottom right.
Perfect depot placement, Flash could see any in-base proxies and gets full use of his supply depot.
Stork goes for 2 gasses before his expansion. This seems a bit strange as the gas delays his expansion, but it is all part of Stork's plan. The early gas allows Stork to make a mothership core, stalker, and warp gate all at the same time (as opposed to when the second gas is delayed). Flash scouts the double gasses and tries to send in the reaper, but Stork's perfect mothership core placement denies the scout.
Flash has two choices: not scout Stork's main or lose his reaper. He chooses to save the reaper.
Flash ends up losing his reaper whole going for a very safe 3 barracks opening. Knowing that two early gasses can lead to oracles or blink, Flash's 3 rax, along with the early engineering bay, allows him to be safe to most of the strategies that Stork could do to him. However, Storks strategy involves misdirection. Upon seeing Stork's expansion, Flash is very likely to guess that Stork is going for a tech build off of two base due to the nature of Stork's early gas and the regular Protoss meta. However, Stork is simply going for a very quick 3-gate attack. He pokes into Flash's natural at 6:00 and sees:
That square is where a bunker should be...(also, look at Stork's gas)
Flash, not expecting pressure until at least 8:00 (the time a blink stalker attack would hit), does not start building his bunker until 7:00. This is where Stork's genius shows. When Flash scouts the natural expansion, he is expecting a tech build. To give Flash credit, it makes sense. If Stork was going for some sort of gateway aggression, why would he take his gas so early? It would simply delay his extra gates. Stork knows that is what is going through Flash's mind, and does something that Flash would never expect. That is why Flash's bunker is so late, which makes Stork's attack work. If Flash had the bunker up sooner, there is no way that Stork would be able to break it. But alas, that is for an alternate universe. Stork is able to break up Flash's ramp with superior numbers, and forces the GG.
I actually believe that Stork put more effort into his build than his celebration.
Summary: Stork's double-gas opening makes Flash think he is going for a tech build, when in fact he is going for a quick gateway aggression build. This was helped greatly by the fact that Flash was unable to scout very much after the initial stages of the game. The most important thing to take from this game is that sometimes, doing the least expected thing can beat even the most prepared and greatest of opponents.
I hope you guys enjoyed this quick write-up of this game. Give me feedback and hopefully I can make the next ones even better. GG!
When I watched the game I didn't really think it was anything "super fancy" more like.. welp Flash just needs to do better! But after reading this and thinking a little more about it Storks little mind games are what won him this game and IMO that's when starcraft really gets fun!
This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
You can't watch much TvP if you are saying Flash wasn't playing greedy with failed scouting and no bunker...
Only time you see a terran go no bunker is if they SCOUT 2 forges or something like that...
On February 28 2014 17:46 hellokitty[hk] wrote: Flash is always greedy.
Yeah. It annoys me. He's greedy and often plays below expectations. I'm a huge Flash fan so he has been extremely dissappointing for me, I've been facepalming a lot watching him, even when he wins, lol..
i missed things you pointed out as second post said i just saw it as 3 rax vs early protoss pressure doesn't do well - but you are right. A lot more too it.
Nice write up, Flash has always been susceptible to these type of plays. He likes to make assumptions (usually correct) and cut as many corners as possible.
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
You can't watch much TvP if you are saying Flash wasn't playing greedy with failed scouting and no bunker...
Only time you see a terran go no bunker is if they SCOUT 2 forges or something like that...
Greedy? No bunker is not greedy its stupidity. Greedy would be if he cut down and rax/units and maked a faster 3 cc.. lol
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
You, my friend, see the greater things in StarCraft that a lot of viewers don't. The world needs more people like you. ^^
Good analysis, spot on. I think the biggest issue here, though, is Flash's bungled reaper control. Stork did a great job of denying information, but I still think the reaper should have been able to get the necessary scout needed.
However, in the end, Stork had a brilliant and solid opening. GG
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
Stork has a huge advantage as protoss. if he sees the defense and don't want o commit , he can fall back to his macro build.if he see terran cuttting corners, it is GG. Gateway units pre stim are the most powerful units in the game.
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
Stork has a huge advantage as protoss. if he sees the defense and don't want o commit , he can fall back to his macro build.if he see terran cuttting corners, it is GG. Gateway units pre stim are the most powerful units in the game.
That is just not true. Making 7 gates and not using them is a waste, delays your third/tech and thus, puts you behind compared to where you could be. Whatever way you try to twist your words, whether you believe Protoss is ahead all game long or not, you cannot say that committing infrastructurally to an attack but not committing the units puts Protoss even.
Now, relatively ahead/behind is another story.
Also, I'm fairly certain equal cost of bio beats equal cost of gateway units without stim, especially with bunker support and close to the rally. The 'problem' is that Protoss can power infrastructure faster.
Ahh this is what you were talking about! Nice write up, i didn't catch the game put it perfectly summarizes everything in a short an effective way, thanks!
Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
P.S. lol at the "mind games" of stork. I guarantee you he was planning that all in from the beginning of the game. Expand, hide a bunch of gateways, all in with stalkers. Mind games!
On March 01 2014 08:56 tskarzyn wrote: P.S. lol at the "mind games" of stork. I guarantee you he was planning that all in from the beginning of the game. Expand, hide a bunch of gateways, all in with stalkers. Mind games!
...Did you even read the write up?
Yes, of course he was planning it from the beginning of the game. Duh.
Yes, and I thought the write up was completely unnecessary.
"...That thing is decision making. Not all games are going to go on one script or go as planned. The ability to make the right decisions on the fly is absolutely crucial at the higher leagues. When everyone macroes as good as you and everyone can scout and micro as good as you, decision making makes you stand out."
The decision making of Stork in this game was arbitrary. He could have picked any all in, and as long as he blocks the reaper with his MSC/stalker Flash is the one that has to scout and make decisions. I have no idea what was so spectacular about Stork's play this game, other than the fact that he horribly mismanaged his gas and his macro in general was far below what you would expect from a top tier player. All this game showed is that no matter how bad you are, if the Terran is unable to scout your all in you have a decent chance at winning.
3 gate pressure =\= all-in. He kept making probes through the harass and even had his tech following up the aggression. It was a mistake on Flash's part to not have the bunker
I don't know why you're hating so much, just enjoy the content
Stork did an excellent job of denying scout. He had stalkers out to intercept any reapers, and even used his probes to kill that last reaper before it could scout the 2 extra gateways.
Flash definitely knew something was amiss, but because of the excellent scout denial, Stork came out the winner.
A lot of people feel that Protoss doesn't need to scout, but sometimes its better to deny your opponent's scout and rely on a well timed pressure attack.
Now I know Flash could have done numerous other things to survive Stork's pressure, but he had no indication the pressure was going to start so early.
Stork played incredibly well; Flash succumbed to lack of information.
On March 01 2014 09:18 tskarzyn wrote: Yes, and I thought the write up was completely unnecessary.
"...That thing is decision making. Not all games are going to go on one script or go as planned. The ability to make the right decisions on the fly is absolutely crucial at the higher leagues. When everyone macroes as good as you and everyone can scout and micro as good as you, decision making makes you stand out."
The decision making of Stork in this game was arbitrary. He could have picked any all in, and as long as he blocks the reaper with his MSC/stalker Flash is the one that has to scout and make decisions. I have no idea what was so spectacular about Stork's play this game, other than the fact that he horribly mismanaged his gas and his macro in general was far below what you would expect from a top tier player. All this game showed is that no matter how bad you are, if the Terran is unable to scout your all in you have a decent chance at winning.
The entire series is going to be about decision making. I originally thought that Stork had made that attack on the fly but after watching the replay over and over, I realized that this was his plan the whole time. That second paragraph was an introduction to the entire series of "game reports" I would like to do.
You could also say that Flash's decision to get a late bunker (which I think was a decision, but it could've been a mistake) was something that cost him the game.
On February 28 2014 16:23 AnonymousSC2 wrote: This game was not worth an analysis of any kind... Flash's reaper control was bad, he was unable to scout, and still played super greedy without even a standard bunker at the front that you should go vs almost any protoss build. The analysis ends there. Flash was greedy, honestly insanely greedy and deserved to lose.
Flash was unable to scout because Stork was able to cut off the two paths a reaper could use to get into the main. Flash didn't play ridiculously greedy. Stork just mind-gamed him to hell. A blink all-in would've met Flash's +1 and stim, which would've ripped Stork to pieces.
Every game is worth analysis :D especially with two high caliber players
You can't watch much TvP if you are saying Flash wasn't playing greedy with failed scouting and no bunker...
Only time you see a terran go no bunker is if they SCOUT 2 forges or something like that...
Greedy? No bunker is not greedy its stupidity. Greedy would be if he cut down and rax/units and maked a faster 3 cc.. lol
Greedy and stupidity have essentially the same meaning, you are splitting hairs. It IS greedy because it is cutting corners. What you describe is an extreme and unheard of version of greed. Basically, your example is the extreme. Cutting a bunker is a lighter form of greed, but greed nontheless.
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans. He does not have the same strength in SC2 has he did in BW.
Also, you underrate Stork. As you say, if you never take risks, you will never have an edge. Stork took a risk with this build and outright killed Flash in this game.
It seems you are a Terran player, and I am too so I feel your pain that Protoss can get very easy wins with easily executed builds, but you are exaggerating the difference in skill between Stork and Flash.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2. He has moments of brilliance and moments of absolute fail where he looks like another average Terran. While he may have a good proleague record, he has virtually no results in individual leagues, which is a big deal.
This is what Day9 used to do. Now all his dailies are dumbed down with vagueness and generalities. I am pretty analytical myself, but you sir, you are very smart. Please keep this up. Maybe make some videos? I guess if you don't have time to play, you don't have time to make videos. Regardless... great work!
On March 01 2014 12:24 cywinr wrote: This is what Day9 used to do. Now all his dailies are dumbed down with vagueness and generalities. I am pretty analytical myself, but you sir, you are very smart. Please keep this up. Maybe make some videos? I guess if you don't have time to play, you don't have time to make videos. Regardless... great work!
Thank you :D
I'd love to do videos (and to that extent, casting), but I have a shitty mac and so I can't do any of that
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2.
You're making yourself look stupid. He had the most wins in proleague last season and made a heap of Code S groups of death. A 60% winrate in HotS vs top tier competition and being the ace of the best team in proleague and you don't think he's a top terran? I guess Bbyong is then because he's one of 3 T's in Code S along with all those other deserving players like Myungsik, Pet and Paralyze.
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2.
You're making yourself look stupid. He had the most wins in proleague last season and made a heap of Code S groups of death. A 60% winrate in HotS vs top tier competition and being the ace of the best team in proleague and you don't think he's a top terran? I guess Bbyong is then because he's one of 3 T's in Code S along with all those other deserving players like Myungsik, Pet and Paralyze.
You're making yourself look stupid by spouting lies. He did not have the most wins in proleague, since you don't know, Maru and TY had more wins.
And BTW Flash road his TvZ which is world class for those wins. I gaurantee if he played TvT and TvP he would be middle of the pack Terran, that's why he can't cut it in individual leagues and tournaments.
He's not a top terran because he hasn't won any big tournaments, has done extremely poorly in individual leagues, and has terrible performances frequently.
I am not just talking about KR Code S. You want to tell me Flash is better than Polt, Bomber, Taeja, Maru, or even TY? I'm not saying Flash is a bad player, but you think hes top 5 terran in the world? No, he's not until he proves it. BW is irrelevant in a SC2 conversation. Sorry fanboy
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2.
You're making yourself look stupid. He had the most wins in proleague last season and made a heap of Code S groups of death. A 60% winrate in HotS vs top tier competition and being the ace of the best team in proleague and you don't think he's a top terran? I guess Bbyong is then because he's one of 3 T's in Code S along with all those other deserving players like Myungsik, Pet and Paralyze.
You're making yourself look stupid by spouting lies. He did not have the most wins in proleague, since you don't know, Maru and TY had more wins.
And BTW Flash road his TvZ which is world class for those wins. I gaurantee if he played TvT and TvP he would be middle of the pack Terran, that's why he can't cut it in individual leagues and tournaments.
I am not just talking about KR Code S. You want to tell me Flash is better than Polt, Bomber, Taeja, Maru, or even TY? I'm not saying Flash is a bad player, but you think hes top 5 terran in the world? No, he's not until he proves it. BW is irrelevant in a SC2 conversation. Sorry fanboy
Work on your comprehension before calling me a liar. Last season, Flash went 44-21 (in a league stacked with Protoss), TY went 26-26 and Maru didn't play. Considering the length of a season and that he beat out players like Rain and Innovation (at the peak of their powers) for MVP I don't see how you can say he's not reliable after that. He barely enters any individual leagues besides GSL and results in one cutthroat tourney during a period of Terrans struggling isn't enough to say he's inferior to the guys farming foreign WCS and lesser foreigner-filled tourneys. He's regularly picked ahead of Zest and TY for ace matches, for good reason. Even this year he's 3-0 in Ace matches during the worst period for T's since SC2's inception. The coaches know how reliable he is and they don't base their decisions on "oh but he hasn't won an individual tourney." Anyone who's followed him knows his priorities. He prepares and plays for his team first and individual leagues second.
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2.
You're making yourself look stupid. He had the most wins in proleague last season and made a heap of Code S groups of death. A 60% winrate in HotS vs top tier competition and being the ace of the best team in proleague and you don't think he's a top terran? I guess Bbyong is then because he's one of 3 T's in Code S along with all those other deserving players like Myungsik, Pet and Paralyze.
You're making yourself look stupid by spouting lies. He did not have the most wins in proleague, since you don't know, Maru and TY had more wins.
And BTW Flash road his TvZ which is world class for those wins. I gaurantee if he played TvT and TvP he would be middle of the pack Terran, that's why he can't cut it in individual leagues and tournaments.
I am not just talking about KR Code S. You want to tell me Flash is better than Polt, Bomber, Taeja, Maru, or even TY? I'm not saying Flash is a bad player, but you think hes top 5 terran in the world? No, he's not until he proves it. BW is irrelevant in a SC2 conversation. Sorry fanboy
Work on your comprehension before calling me a liar. Last season, Flash went 44-21 (in a league stacked with Protoss), TY went 26-26 and Maru didn't play. Considering the length of a season and that he beat out players like Rain and Innovation (at the peak of their powers) for MVP I don't see how you can say he's not reliable after that. He barely enters any individual leagues besides GSL and results in one cutthroat tourney during a period of Terrans struggling isn't enough to say he's inferior to the guys farming foreign WCS and lesser foreigner-filled tourneys. He's regularly picked ahead of Zest and TY for ace matches, for good reason. Even this year he's 3-0 in Ace matches during the worst period for T's since SC2's inception. The coaches know how reliable he is and they don't base their decisions on "oh but he hasn't won an individual tourney." Anyone who's followed him knows his priorities. He prepares and plays for his team first and individual leagues second.
Very fortunately for Flash he faced a Zerg in all of those ace matches. He gets absolutely thrashed by other terrans, a clear indicator that he is weaker than them, and by most protoss as well, something other top Terrans aren't having an issue with.
You seem very biased, let me enlighten you. Both TY and Maru have destroyed protoss in proleague. Polt, at IEM Cologne, put up the most impressive TvP performance of the year, taking out Stardust and Mana easily, Classic, Rain, and nearly HerO in the finals. Flash would have absolutely no chance in such a tournament at the moment.
Again, since you lack comprehension skills, I believe Flash is a great terran. But I stand by my belief that he is not currently top 5, in the list I made above. You can even throw other terrans like Innovation, Jjakji, maybe even more that would give Flash a run for his money any day of the week.
Honestly, Flash needs to show a lot more strength in TvT before he is elgible for the conversation. And more consistency vs Protoss and not lose to Stork 3 gate pressure and other questionable protoss like Sora who went 2-4 in round 1 and 0-1 and benched so far in Round 2.
I love TL posters who come out of the woodwork to insult people and start an argument but I don't mind proving you wrong. Scarecrow is a good name for you.
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2.
You're making yourself look stupid. He had the most wins in proleague last season and made a heap of Code S groups of death. A 60% winrate in HotS vs top tier competition and being the ace of the best team in proleague and you don't think he's a top terran? I guess Bbyong is then because he's one of 3 T's in Code S along with all those other deserving players like Myungsik, Pet and Paralyze.
You're making yourself look stupid by spouting lies. He did not have the most wins in proleague, since you don't know, Maru and TY had more wins.
And BTW Flash road his TvZ which is world class for those wins. I gaurantee if he played TvT and TvP he would be middle of the pack Terran, that's why he can't cut it in individual leagues and tournaments.
I am not just talking about KR Code S. You want to tell me Flash is better than Polt, Bomber, Taeja, Maru, or even TY? I'm not saying Flash is a bad player, but you think hes top 5 terran in the world? No, he's not until he proves it. BW is irrelevant in a SC2 conversation. Sorry fanboy
Work on your comprehension before calling me a liar. Last season, Flash went 44-21 (in a league stacked with Protoss), TY went 26-26 and Maru didn't play. Considering the length of a season and that he beat out players like Rain and Innovation (at the peak of their powers) for MVP I don't see how you can say he's not reliable after that. He barely enters any individual leagues besides GSL and results in one cutthroat tourney during a period of Terrans struggling isn't enough to say he's inferior to the guys farming foreign WCS and lesser foreigner-filled tourneys. He's regularly picked ahead of Zest and TY for ace matches, for good reason. Even this year he's 3-0 in Ace matches during the worst period for T's since SC2's inception. The coaches know how reliable he is and they don't base their decisions on "oh but he hasn't won an individual tourney." Anyone who's followed him knows his priorities. He prepares and plays for his team first and individual leagues second.
Very fortunately for Flash he faced a Zerg in all of those ace matches. He gets absolutely thrashed by other terrans
Wow, way too prove me wrong with such hyperbole. Flash is 55% vs T. TY is 45%.
In this matchup Flash is getting "thrashed" in he's got a better winrate than Maru vs P (who you describe as destroying Protosses and having no problems). Colorful language aside your argument is largely bullshit. Please support your arguments with terms less subjective than "thrashing" and "destroying" and preferably some stats.
On March 01 2014 08:54 tskarzyn wrote: Just lmao at some of the replies. Flash's play is "greedy", "stupid", "disappointing". His win record in SC2 proleague is among the very best, and he is the greatest BW player of all time for a reason. If you try to counter every possible build that has a chance of killing you, you will never have an edge. Flash goes for optimal play based on his reads, and while he occasionally loses silly games to bums like Stork this strategy works out well in the long run.
Stork's play was heavily weighted towards builds that do not require an early bunker, so Flash's late bunker was a good decision. Unfortunately SC2, especially sc2 protoss, is designed in such a way that one small error can insta lose games even if your opponent is horrible, and that is what happened this game. Stork rolled the dice and beat a far superior player with an easy to execute all in that was difficult to identify.
I disagree. Flash has rarely if ever looked like a top Terran in SC2. Any masters player can point out mistakes in virtually every game he plays, stuff you don't see from other top Terrans.
Flash has not proven he is a reliable Terran player in SC2.
You're making yourself look stupid. He had the most wins in proleague last season and made a heap of Code S groups of death. A 60% winrate in HotS vs top tier competition and being the ace of the best team in proleague and you don't think he's a top terran? I guess Bbyong is then because he's one of 3 T's in Code S along with all those other deserving players like Myungsik, Pet and Paralyze.
You're making yourself look stupid by spouting lies. He did not have the most wins in proleague, since you don't know, Maru and TY had more wins.
And BTW Flash road his TvZ which is world class for those wins. I gaurantee if he played TvT and TvP he would be middle of the pack Terran, that's why he can't cut it in individual leagues and tournaments.
I am not just talking about KR Code S. You want to tell me Flash is better than Polt, Bomber, Taeja, Maru, or even TY? I'm not saying Flash is a bad player, but you think hes top 5 terran in the world? No, he's not until he proves it. BW is irrelevant in a SC2 conversation. Sorry fanboy
Work on your comprehension before calling me a liar. Last season, Flash went 44-21 (in a league stacked with Protoss), TY went 26-26 and Maru didn't play. Considering the length of a season and that he beat out players like Rain and Innovation (at the peak of their powers) for MVP I don't see how you can say he's not reliable after that. He barely enters any individual leagues besides GSL and results in one cutthroat tourney during a period of Terrans struggling isn't enough to say he's inferior to the guys farming foreign WCS and lesser foreigner-filled tourneys. He's regularly picked ahead of Zest and TY for ace matches, for good reason. Even this year he's 3-0 in Ace matches during the worst period for T's since SC2's inception. The coaches know how reliable he is and they don't base their decisions on "oh but he hasn't won an individual tourney." Anyone who's followed him knows his priorities. He prepares and plays for his team first and individual leagues second.
and not lose to Stork 3 gate pressure and other questionable protoss like Sora who went 2-4 in round 1 and 0-1 and benched so far in Round 2.
I love TL posters who come out of the woodwork to insult people and start an argument but I don't mind proving you wrong. Scarecrow is a good name for you.
How about Bomber losing a Bo3 to Arthur...... Seriously every Terran has ugly losses to Protoss now and again. Stork mindgamed him, it happens.
Calling Sora a questionable Protoss just shows how ignorant you are. He's 80% vs T and got silvers in both WCG Korea Qualifiers and the World Finals, holding his own vs guys like Soulkey and Parting. Clearly a scrub -.-
I'm hardly coming out of the woodwork, you must be new here. I post regularly and when I see bullshit I'll call people out on it. Flash may or may not be top 5 but at least make your argument objective and fact-based.
On March 02 2014 13:34 B-rye88 wrote: Just wanted to post to say I appreciate the content and look forward to more.
Thanks :D I plan to do the next article on State's debut in Proleague, so I will write the next one after that game (unless its like a cannon rush or something) ^^
I'd like to add a few things; especially since so many people are trying to oversimplify this game by making insulting statements about Flash, stork, or protoss in general.
1. Flash lost his original reaper to the msc. I believe this is simply a mistake on flashes part, but it is questionable how much it mattered. As the op pointed out, stork had made an early stalker at the same time as the msc to deny scouting. Flash would have gotten more if he were willing to suicide the original reaper for a later scout, but even then there would be some luck dependence on how far he got and to what areas. As it was, he didn't even see the natural go up.
2. Flash made a second reaper to try to scout. This second reaper suicided in order to see only the natural expansion nexus (not the area around the minerals). This second reaper delays his unit production and infrastructure slightly. More importantly, the second reaper saw most of the natural, but not the important part, that is the 2 gates behind the natural minerals.
3. Most protoss going for this 3 gate before tech build would not place their extra gates behind the natural minerals. Several considerations go into this. The first several buildings usually go into creating a wall at one end of the main base minerals in order to prevent the first reaper from making a loop around them. This was not needed after flash lost his first reaper. The first reaper also usually sees the first few pylons placed, and this allows the terran to know prime positions to be scanned. Again, flash did not get this due to his initial reapers death. This came back to hurt him as his second reaper saw most of the natural, and so he chose to scan the main in order to reveal a greater total area rather than the sliver of ground by the natural minerals.
4. Although stork was not exactly all-in with this build, it is a real investment. Had the defenses been in place for Flash, even if Stork did not choose to use his warp ins, he still would have his tech greatly delayed, making it hard for him to both take a reasonably timed third and deal with the initial medivac timing of flash as well as delaying any potential scouting he could do of Flash's base. This was a cleverl risk that Stork took, and it paid off hugely.
Great write up. Really nice to see the mind games explained so clearly. When I saw the MsC, WG, and a Stalker all start at once, I realized that there was going to be early aggression. But you explained that so much better.
EPT![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/a/ab/Picon_small.png)
Stork vs. ![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/9/9d/Ticon_small.png)
Flash (2014 Proleague Round 2 - February 25th, 2014)![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/bATMDDFl.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/97uc6zSl.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rqHxeCul.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Dr9OYiDl.png)
