The Best Games of January and February 2014

by lichter

In a new, hopefully recurring feature, we've combed through our best games of HotS thread to put a spotlight on the best games of the month. We're more than two months into the year already, so we start off with a double feature including the best games of both January and February!

If you want to see the full list of great games from January and February without the colorful descriptions, scroll down to the bottom of this post or click this link.

If you want to see the list of every great game since HotS was released, go and check out the Best Games/VODs of HoTS thread if you haven't already.

Note: Some of these games aren't so great as they are hilarious.

Symbol vs MyuNgSiK on DF Yeonsu - VOD (paywall)

What better way to start than with a game so bad it's good?

The proxy 2-gate is a truly classic build, and Myungsik decided that a crucial match in Code A was the best time to execute it. Now, if it had worked, obviously this game would not be on this list because a successful 2gate just isn't very fun. A failed 2-gate, however, can be really funny.

Myungsik's plan was seemed immediately foiled by a scouting overlord, but Symbol played a little bit too greedy given his perfection information. What followed next was a series of back and forth all-ins, with both players managing to look both as sharp as psi-blades and as clumsy as Thors at the same time. In short, the game was a blindfolded slap fight after both players had covered their hands in greasy cheese.

TRUE vs FanTaSy on Star Station - VOD

The single best rivalry in all of SC2 is TRUE vs FanTaSy. They have played four televised games against each other since they first met in April 2013, and so far, 2 of those games are considered among the best games of all time. That's a 50% Best Games Ever ratio, better than any other rivalry in existence (sorry, Maru and Dear).

It makes sense, if you think about it. TRUE plays a baneling heavy, chaotic, and sometimes mind numbingly stubborn style of ZvT. He's basically some unholy combination of hyvaa, kyrix, and Leenock. FanTaSy, on the other hand, thrives on not having bases, not spending his money, and not paying attention to the big picture while he micros small groups of units that are destined to die.

So when the lineups were released and they were set to meet on Star Station in SPL, every Best Games Aficionado knew it was going to be a match worth seeing. And oh, it was soooooo definitely worth it. I'm not even going to bother talking about it. It's like alchemy, but instead of gold you get explosions and a reason to laugh and weep.

Flash vs DongRaeGu on The King Sejong Station - VOD

If you didn't watch Reality vs. Soulkey, we highly recommend you go watch it. Yes, it was an abomination of a game. So much so, that it will give you the right mindset to fully appreciate actually good swarm-host games like this.

The knee-jerk reaction to swarmhosts is always one of disdain, displeasure, followed by a sudden urge to vomit. However, maybe perhaps we should hate the players more than the unit. Just like mech, swarm host play can lead to amazing, see-sawing battles of positioning. This Ace Match between Flash and DongRaeGu showed how exciting and interesting mech vs swarm host can be when the players aren't cowardly campers.

Instead of cowering in a corner, Flash was unafraid of move out on the map and try to force his will on DongRaegu. Banshees were busy scouring the map for easy pickings even in the late game, and his tank movements to push back locusts was always perfectly timed. DRG on the other hand, never let his swarm hosts idle in one spot too long, constantly looking for the under-defended base to attack. It was chess in space at its best, and goes to show that there is a place in the game for a unit that pops zombie zits on its back. So instead of complaining about swarm hosts, go write mean letters to Soulkey and Reality and enjoy this game.

Rogue vs Seed on Alterzim Stronghold - VOD (paywall)

I bet that if we counted the number of best games from Code S and Code A, the latter would win quite handily. There is something about that desperation of not being sent back to the depths of hell that forces players to pull out the most ridiculous builds and play like their careers depend on it. Maybe because their careers DO depend on it.

If anyone knows what desperation is, it has to be Seed. A once GSL champion, Seed has been fighting to stay in our memories for over a year now. Against Rogue, Seed played perhaps his best game since his title winning season. He spent an entire game fighting back against swarm hosts, roaches, and hydras with exclusively almost blink stalkers. It didn't matter if it was his initial timing push, his defense while 20 supply down, or his last ditch effort while 50 army supply down. It was all blink stalkers, being microed with every last ounce of his strength.

SuperNova vs Stats on Habitation Station - VOD

Polt vs Rain on Habitation Station - VOD

Base trades are awesome. That is a fact. Especially ones that devolve into complete madness.

Polt, for some reason, is one of those players that just keeps finding himself in those kinds of situations. Last year, he had a memorable game against Sage that made the year end list. This year, he's likely to be on it again with this crazy game against Rain. The SKT T1 Protoss on the other hand, is famed for his defense and the calm nature of his play. Suffice to say, he doesn't get into base trades as often as Captain America. This game came down to a ramp block at the gold 29 minutes into the game, after 20 minutes of running around trying to destroy each other's buildings. It was a crazy, frenetic race against the clock with a dramatic finish.

Patience vs Jaedong on Alterzim Stronghold - VOD

Thank God for IEM Cologne. Seriously. It might have been the greatest (at least game quality-wise) tournament in SC2 that we've ever had. Whether there was something in the water in Cologne or it was just some randomly fortunate confluence of events, we'll never know, but it's a shame that I'm too lazy to write about more of the games there. We'll just content ourselves with writing about the very best ones (in our opinion).

Jaedong vs Patience stood out among all of the awesome series at IEM Cologne, and it was capped off by a blistering hot game 5. After fighting all across Alterzim Stronghold, the game ended in a final, climactic battle that nobody could predict. Reading the twitch chat, the live report thread on TL, or various skype chats, you could see Jaedong and Patience toy with everyone's emotions as the momentum of the battle swung back and forth.

Soulkey vs PartinG on Crux Frost - VOD

It's only February but I'm pretty sure I'll be naming Frost map of the year for 2014. Seriously. It was already one of the best maps from last year, and it continues to churn out great games this year. It doesn't matter if it's in WCS, IEM, or qualifiers - it seems like this map just brings out the best in people, just like Whirlwind did before it was retired.

While Soulkey vs. Innovation was a highbrow, sophisticated match, this game from IEM Katowice Qualifiers a lot more hectic, and thus a lot more exciting. With a chance to win 100k on the line, neither player wanted to give up as they tried to take every base on Frost. It was a back and forth slugfest as neither player wanted to commit to a direct engagement, electing to siege far off expansions instead. Eventually, the game derailed itself from standard patterns completely, turning into a battle of who could think more quickly and intelligently in an unusual situation.

Scarlett vs TooDming on Crux Frost - VOD

Once in a while, there are games that contain one moment of singular, refined and unforgettable genius that even on its own, worth spending 20 minutes waiting for. We rarely ever recommend ZvZs because they have a tendency to look the same, and because roach blobs seem to be the comp-du-jour nine times out of ten. This game doesn't deviate much from that, but this back and forth had some of the best army movement you will ever see, in any matchup.

The icing on the cake was the battle that decided the game, a 360 degree surround in the middle of the map using the famously clunky and unwieldy roaches. It was a sight to behold, something that we've never seen done in such a picture perfect way.

Full List of Jan/Feb 2014 Games

January

+ Show Spoiler [Click to Reveal] +

February

+ Show Spoiler [Click to Reveal] +

Grand List Compiler: monk, lichter.
Photos: Silverfire