[GSL May] Code S ro32 Day 4

Match 1: anypro < Tal'Darim Altar LE > Virus
Match 2: Ensnare < Xel'Naga Fortress > TesteR
Match 3: Virus < Tal'Darim Altar LE > Ensnare
Match 4: anypro < Metalopolis > TesteR
Match 5: anypro < Xel'Naga Fortress TesteR >
Match 6: 1st/2nd tiebreaker < Xel'Naga Caverns >

Virus 2:0, moves to round of 16.
anypro 2:1, moves to round of 16.
TesteR 1:2, moves to up and down matches with 2 chances to stay in code S.
Ensnare 0:2, moves to up and down matches with 1 chance to stay in code S.

Straight in to the matches today and we have Anypro spawning at 2 while Virus spawns at the 5. Anypro scouts Virus’ position first as both players start with very typical builds. Virus drops a Command Center straight after one Barracks while Anypro goes for the fast Nexus after Cybernetics Core. A massive amount of Barracks go down for Virus straight after his expansion, as Anypro tries to poke in to the natural of Virus but is denied by Marines. Virus gears up for a very scary Marine pressure which is spotted by Anypro who falls back to his base with his Stalkers. A huge amount of SCVs get pulled off the line as Virus baits out some force-fields with the Marines already there. Probes get pulled off the line to try defend but Virus’ huge early Marine pressure takes out the natural Nexus of Anypro, quickly followed by a GG there after.

Ensnare spawns at 7 and Tester spawns at 11. Tester scouts early and begins to harass the SCVs building. Ensnare throws down a quick Command Center after Barracks while Tester opts to expand as well after scouting the lack of Gas. With 2 more Gateways and 3 more Barracks going down, Ensnare scouts the entirety of Testers base with a lone SCV. 9 Marines begin to head out for Ensnare, pushing Tester’s Stalkers back to his natural, however reinforcing Stalkers push the Marines back quickly after. Ensnare invests in a Factory while Tester chooses the Forge, warping in Stalkers at the front of Ensnares base, putting on pressure with good micro. A Starport goes down for Ensnare while Tester goes for a Twilight Council and Robotic Facility. As soon as the Twilight Council finishes, Blink starts instantaneously while Ensnare begins Medivac production. Ensnare gears up for a Medivac drop but a well placed Pylon spots it, denying major damage from being done.

A second Forge as well as a Robotics Bay go down, as well as an Engineering Bay and Armory for Ensnare, as he tries to find places to drop. Ensnare tries to push in to the natural of Tester, however amazing force-field placement along with a Stalker clean up decimates the Biological forces of Ensnare. With a Ghost Academy now in production, both players gear up to take their 2nd expansion, while Tester commits to building Colossi and Thermal Lances. Throwing down multiple Gateways, Ensnare also throws down a few more Barracks. A mis-micro from Ensnare has one or two of his Vikings picked off by Stalkers, as Tester pushes in to the natural of Ensnare with a huge Gateway/Colossus force, laying down great force-fields, finally taking the GG from Ensnare.

Ensare spawns at 11 while Virus spawns at 8. Ensnare begins to position his buildings very early on, on the parameter of his base in order to account for spotting any drop play easier. Virus goes for a quick 1 Barracks expand while Ensnare commits to a quick Factory. Shortly after Ensnare throws down Starport, indicating Banshee play to compensate for Virus’s early economy advantage. A quick Engineering Bay for Virus goes down, just in time as Ensnare begins to research Cloak for the Banshees. Despite scouting the Missile Turrets with the Banshees, Ensnare allows Cloak to finish and begins to throw down more Barracks, committing to more of a Biological army. During the Banshee harass Ensnare did throw down his own natural, as well as begin Tank production and Siege Tech.

Ensnare begins to set up for a drop, however it gets cleaned up very quickly doing minimal damage. Virus begins to stage a drop of his own, but Ensnare cleans that up as well in similar fashion. Siege Tech now on the way for Virus as well, and it begins to look like both players are going for a very stereotypical TvT, laden with Marines and Tanks. Both players push out to mid-field and begin to establish their own respective foot-holds, however Virus stages yet another drop in the natural of Ensnare, shutting down mining for a brief second before being forced to retreat. While Virus expands to his 2nd expansion, a sensor tower denies any potential drops Ensnare can commit to, as Virus continues to drop the main of Ensnare. During the drop, Virus pushes toward the natural of Ensnare, gaining excellent position and starts shelling the natural of Ensnare. Ensnare is forced to GG after a fantastic move by Virus, splitting the forces of Ensnare and conquering accordingly.

Anypro takes to the stage at 6, while Tester spawns at 9, making for close-by-air positions. Both players open with almost identical build orders in predictable manner. Tester commits to a 3 Gateway Robo on 1 gas, while Anypro goes for the standard 4 Gateway as is so common in PvP. Adding a 4th Gateway, Tester begins to build a Warp-Prism to begin some harass on Anypro’s base. However, a terribly failed Warp Prism drop is caught by Anypro’s Stalkers, and Tester conceeds as quickly as a Prism dies.

Gearing up for a rematch, Anypro spawns at 7 and Tester spawns at 11. Both players builds once again mirror one-another in the early stages. Tester commits early to a second gas which Anypro scouts and both players build an additional 3 Gateways. Tester throws down a Twilight Council, and an unexpected twist has Anypro throwing down an expansion as well as a Twilight Council. Anypro cancels the Nexus as he scouts a large Stalker count, and both players begin Blink research, making this PvP potentially the most micro intensive game of the night. Tester begins to gain ground at the bottom of Anypro’s ramp, quickly falling back as he scouts the equally scary Stalker count of his opponent. Tester throws down a Dark Shrine while Anypro goes for a Robotics Facility. Anypro quickly chrono boosts out an Observer, protecting his main currently from Dark Templar harass, while Tester throws down a Nexus. Tester attempts to send a Dark Templar up the ramp of Anypro, however the Observer and Stalkers make quick work of it. As Anypro moves out, a Dark Templar swings in to Anypro’s probe line, killing a lot of Probes. Tester also research of Charge as Anypro takes out the sacrificed natural Nexus of Tester.

A second Dark Templar moves up in to the main of Anypro, killing more probes and gaining Tester the economy advantage even further. Tester runs all his Zealots down the ramp and blinks down with all his Stalkers, however Anypro’s force is too large, killing a lot of Testers force, but Tester snipes Anypro’s Observer. Tester begins to warp in Dark Templars as Anypro has no way of attacking them, and Tester holds off the massive pressure with a brilliant defense. Both armies meet in the middle however the Observer gives Anypro the ability to take out the Dark Templar, and Anypro rips apart the force of Tester with a huge amount of Stalkers left over. Tester is forced to GG as he is mined out.

Not needed

Match 1: July < Metalopolis > Rain
Match 2: InCa < Terminus SE > HuK
Match 3: July < Crossfire SE > HuK
Match 4: Rain < Crevasse > InCa
Match 5: Rain < Terminus SE InCa >
Match 6: 1st/2nd tiebreaker < Crossfire SE >

July 2:0, moves to round of 16.
InCa 2:1, moves to round of 16.
Rain 1:2, moves to the up and down matches with 2 chances to stay in code S.
HuK 0:2, moves to up and down matches with 1 chance to stay in code S.

Kicking off Group H, the “God of War” spawns at 8 while Rain spawns at 2. Rain opens by walling off the top of his ramp while July goes for a Hatchery first. Rain cancels a second gas after July scouts it, instantly throwing down a Factory there after, while July commits to a Speedling opening. A second Barracks goes down for Rain as he starts Hellion production off a Reactor Factory, however a Zergling spots the transitioning Hellions mid-field. As July begins morphing in a Lair, he denies the initial 2 Hellions from doing any damage with good Queen control. July quickly begins a Spire as well as a Spine Crawler, quickly followed by a second. Rain pulls the majority of his SCVs, going for an all-in with Marauders and Hellions. Doing a lot of damage, July buys time for his Spine Crawlers to finish with a huge Zergling count, and finally cleans up the push taking literally zero drone or infrastructure damage. Rain GGs as he spots the first Mutalisks spawn.

On to the most anticipated game now for a lot of foreigners, InCa spawns at 12 while HuK spawns at 6. As is so often in PvP, both players builds mirror each others almost exactly, with HuK’s Cybernetics Core just a little earlier. Both players go for a rather quick second gas while HuK goes for a very fast Twilight Council as well. Both players throw down another 2 Gateways and HuK throws down a Dark Shrine while InCa commits to a Robotics Facility. InCa decides to push up HuK’s ramp with a small contingent of units, but is forced to retreat as he loses an initial Zealot. With an Observer on the way to HuK’s base, InCa lays down an amazing force-field twice on his ramp, denying Dark Templar from entering his base. During this InCa got his Robotics Bay down, and HuK decides to research Charge as well as expand.

InCa scouts HuK’s expansion with his Observer, and decides to push out with his initial Colossus. Seeing the push out, HuK attempts a main base Dark Templar harass but it’s denied by Zealots and an Observer. InCa pushes in to the natural of HuK, and even though HuK snipes the lone Colossus, it isn’t enough to hold off the reinforcements of InCa and Huk is forced to GG.

Kicking off HuK’s chances to redeem himself, he spawns at 1 while July spawns at 7. July quickly opts for a standard Spawning Pool along with an Extractor. HuK begins to create the normal wall off against Zerg as July’s Zergling Speed begins. July’s Hatchery goes down with no harassment and HuK’s Warpgate tech begins. Once HuK kills off the scouting drone he throws down 2 more Gateways and starts to set up for a 3 Gateway expand. As July begins to spread his creep to connect bases, he throws down a Roach Warren as well as begins to morph in a Lair. HuK begins to warp in a lot of Stalkers in the back of his base, so as not to be scouted, and begins to push out across the map.

July picks off a reinforcing Stalker but with great force-field placement, HuK catches several Roaches and kills them in rapid succession. 3 Spine Crawlers finish just as HuK arrives and July begins to try reinforce with a huge amount of Zerglings. Burrow has finished now and more Roaches flood in, HuK realizes his pressure is over and takes the retreat.

Throwing down a Robotics Facility and more Gateways, July contaminates 2 Gateways to delay the production of HuK by just a little. HuK begins to push out however July tries to counter attack with a lot of Roaches and Zerglings. HuK realizes he can’t break the Spine Crawler line and heads home to try save his base, but the Roaches cause more damage in the main as HuK prevents reinforcements with a well placed force-field on a ramp. With Spire done, July pours in more Zerglings and Roaches in to HuK’s natural, but HuK holds and is able to force July to retreat. HuK now invests in a Forge however 11 Mutalisks head in to the natural of HuK and start decimating probes, quickly pushed away by HuK’s Stalkers. July plants down a 3rd, along with Tunneling Claws on the way and moves out across the map with a huge Zergling and Roach ball. HuK seems to be in a strange predicament, wanting to move out but he know’s July’s counter-attack is imminent with the use of an Observer. HuK uses a brilliant sandwich near his natural with his forces, Force-fielding the retreat for July and taking out a huge portion of July’s army.

Now throwing down a Twilight Council, HuK moves out to the natural of July, whilst the Zerg hits the counter attack he’s been looking for. Force-fields in July’s natural rain down but the huge Stalker count rips through the defending Spines, as July decimates the natural of HuK and proceeds to move in to the main. July kills off the last Nexus of HuK, only for HuK to throw down a Nexus next to July’s natural, as HuK demolishes the rest of the buildings in July’s main. HuK scouts the 2nd expansion of July, and tries to take it out, however a huge Spine Crawler count slowly whittles down the forces of HuK. July pushes in with his force and overpowers the final army of HuK, forcing the GG.

InCa spawns at the 5 while Rain spawns at 1. InCa manages to scout Rain’s position first and begins to harass the working SCV, while going for an extremely fast Nexus. Rain also decides to throw down a Command Center after one Barracks. InCa begins to move out across the map with 2 Zealots and 2 Stalkers however a mis-micro has one Zealot die to a Bunker full of Marines. InCa commits to 6 Gateways in total so it’s likely we’ll see some massive pressure soon. An interesting twist has InCa throw down two hidden Stargates at the 10 o’clock position, whilst Rain has made a huge amount of Barracks. Now pumping dual Void Ray’s from the Stargates, Rain produces Ghosts as well as a massive amount of Marines and begins to push out. The Void Rays begin to head home while a Starport beging to be produced by Rain, along with a Command Center. Rain grabs a watch tower and manages to catch a glimpse of the Void Rays, beginning Viking production asap.

InCa pushes out to the natural of Rain, charges up the Void Rays on the rocks, pushes up the ramp with his entire army, but mis-micro moves the units up way too far. EMP lands on the units and Rain is able to crush through the All-in of InCa. InCa is forced to GG shortly after.

InCa ends up spawning at 3 while Rain spawns at 6 for the final game of the night. Rain once again begins to wall off the top of his ramp while InCa begins very standard. The wall in from Rain completes, denying InCa’s probe from acquiring any scouting information inside the base. Rain begins to build a Command Center on the high ground an goes for a Factory as well as second gas. InCa also places down an expansion after 3 Gateways, followed by a Robotics Facility, as Rain decides to begin Tank production as well as Siege tech. InCa tries to poke up with a few Stalkers but is denied by Marines and a Bunker. With an Observer on the way to Rain’s base, the Stalkers fall back as Rain pushes out and secures his natural. Protoss invests in a Twilight Council and Immortals, as well as 3 more Gateways along with Charge for his Zealots. Killing the automaton-2000, Rain now grabs a Starport and begins Medivac production to compliment his Bio forces. InCa puts down a Templar Archives as Rain begins to move to the mid-field with his forces.

Rain pushes in to InCa’s natural, placing bunkers along the way, great force-fields pin the marines in however the dps is too great and InCa is forced to retreat, giving up the position fully to Rain. InCa attempts to use a Warp-Prism to warp units in behind the entrenched Terran position and sandwich the Tanks/Marines, however it’s unsuccessful, allowing Rain to push in and do more harassment to the natural. Leap-frogging with Bunkers, InCa is powerless as the Marines continue to chip away at the Nexus of InCa. InCa pushes through, trying to break the contain with Immortals/Dark Templars/High Templars/Zealots and cleans up the contain, however the second wave of Rain comes in to continue the pressure. At the same time InCa uses a nice Dark Templar harass to kill a lot of SCVs of Rain, but InCa’s main is being ran-sacked by a tonne of Marines. With the majority of InCa’s buildings underpowered, InCa tries to kill as many buildings as possible, and Rain is forced to lift off all his buildings and retreat.

InCa tries to hold out as he has one or two Nexus going up in odd locations and this game takes a turn for the weird. InCa attempts to re-establish a base at the 9, while Rain has very minimal SCVs, and tries to get a Raven out since InCa has map control with Dark Templars. InCa now having re-powered all his main base gateways, some how finds a way of pulling his way back in to this game, however Rain tries to seal the deal by pushing in to the now established base of InCa. InCa though not having it, uses his High Templar/Zealot/Stalker mix to push through Rain’s forces, completely surprising us by taking the GG from Rain when he’d almost certainly lost.

Not needed