EPTGSL Ro32 Group E Recap
It was business as usual for the two Code S regulars in Group E.
PartinG was the first to confirm his place in the Round of 16, beating First in a tight PvP before curbing Maru’s aggression with his characteristically superb micro. 
Maru advanced in second, but certainly not without his fair share of scares from both Hack and First.![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/DarkLordOlli/Code_S_Group_E.png)
The opening match pitted one of the most celebrated Terrans in Code S against one of the least. Maru took the series lead with an extremely odd TvT on Catallena, keeping Hack pinned back with an endless stream of cloaked banshees. Despite Hack’s diligent defense, his reluctance in getting a raven cost him dearly. Forced to spend all his energy on scans, Hack fell behind economically and was unable to break his opponent. Merry Go Round would prove to be much more fruitful ground for the Startale Terran. A strong push with banshees and tanks denied mining at Maru’s natural, and as Maru attempted a desperate doom drop, Hack’s army positioning allowed him to equalize the series. In the deciding game Hack’s tank drop in the main was a failure, and that costly defeat dropped him into the loser’s match.
Early aggression remained the choice de rigueur on the other side of the group. PartinG opened with a proxy gateway initially held by First, but a 3-gate transition would surprise First when his stalker defense force was flanked. PartinG continued to spin the wheel of cheese on King Sejong Station with an aggressively positioned proxy stargate. A bit too aggressive, it seemed, as a pylon in First’s main allowed him to scout the shenanigans. PartinG was forced to cancel his plans, and First converted his advantage into a much larger army. The yFW protoss recovered well on Merry Go Round, countering First’s colossus composition with his chargelot/archon mix. A beautiful surround on First’s army would send PartinG through to a showdown with the Marine Prince.
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/LyO4p1cl.png)
oops
In his winner’s interview PartinG claimed he knew exactly how to combat Maru’s aggressive tendencies, and it certainly showed here. While Maru’s rushed hellion drop in Game 1 did significant damage, it came at the cost of leaving him vulnerable at home. A single oracle dealt out enormous damage on the other side of the map, so PartinG’s subsequent 3 gate push was strong enough to end the game.
Game 2
Merry Go Round
RATING: 
While PartinG certainly played well in the preceding games, it was on Merry Go Round where he showed us the gamut of control he has to offer. Opening with another proxy stargate, his oracle/phoenix combo gave him complete map control in the early game. His micro with both units was superb, lifting widow mines and denying drops while scouting out pockets of Maru’s army all over the map.
RATING: 
Last week in the GSL, we saw a clinic in PvZ from herO; this week, PartinG would show similar dominance in PvT. After a disappointingly simple victory in game 1, PartinG was forced to work a bit harder for his reward here. Forced back by Maru’s signature early game aggression, PartinG was shunted onto the back foot. He deflected attack after attack flawlessly, with his phoenixes being particularly useful in shutting down Maru’s medivacs. An attack at Maru’s natural crippled the Terran, and Maru’s attempt at a baserace was quickly shut down.
RATING: Maru’s aggression is the source of his power as well as his greatest weakness. Against an inferior player, his sheer control can gradually wear them down; here, PartinG was more than up to the task. Maru opted for continuous widow mine drops and that stubbornness cost him dearly. Unable to do damage all game, his viking-less composition was helpless when defending PartinG’s final composition.
Hack impressed once again in the losers' match. Early game damage and a crucial snipe on the robotics core gave him a strong advantage in the late game, so his maxed out army easily crushed First’s meager force. Game 2 proved one of the shortest games of the season so far. Once again Hack looked to early game aggression as his deliverer. Unfortunately, a proxy dark shrine gave First an instant victory as DTs snuck into the terran base.
Game 3
Iron Fortress
RATING: With his Code S status on the line, First resorted to elaborate trickery in Game 3. Opening with a colossus drop, it became apparent to viewers that this was designed to hide his transition into templar play. His defense and harass throughout was exemplary and once storm was complete, he was easily able to overwhelm Hack.
RATING: Our second televised game on Iron Fortress resulted in another beat down from a Protoss. This time, First unveiled an innovative build that paved the way to the decider match: instead of getting thermal lance first from the robotics core, he rushed out warp prism speed and began to harass Hack’s natural with a colossus drop. This drew back Hack’s whole army, which had been on the verge of committing to an attack. It’s debatable whether First could have prevented significant damage if the Terran had followed through. Behind this, First researched storm for an incoming templar switch. Hack was completely oblivious to the ploy, and his failed attack at First's natural only made his position worse. With no ghost academy in sight and down on army supply, a final push from First sealed the victory.
RATING: Hack’s major mistake in this game was bad scouting. An overly ambitious poke at First’s natural was punished, with First’s single colossus able to burn through the majority of Hack’s marines before vikings could bring it down. Preparing to face a standard protoss colossus composition, he was completely unaware of First’s ploy; indeed, he was still producing vikings until storms began to rain down on his army.
Maru found his clash with First significantly easier than his previous battle with PartinG. First’s poor army control allowed Maru to shine on King Sejong Station. Again and again Maru found First’s colossi separated from the rest of the army, and the young Terran’s multitasking tore his opponent apart. On Overgrowth, Maru switched it up and opened with a 2rax. First held, but the earlier command center from Maru put him ahead for the rest of the game. First would eventually reach 4 colossi at the expense of a buffering force, so a final SCV pull proved fatal.
