Best Games of March 2018

Compiled and written by Ej, Elentos, and Durn

At long last, TeamLiquid.net's best games list is back! Whether it's a major international event or an obscure online cup, StarCraft II's most intolerable s***posters devoted fans have scoured the competitive scene to bring you a list of the best games possible. Every month, the absolute cream of the crop will be featured in a TeamLiquid.net article. On top of that, dozens of more great games are being compiled in a master list, so make sure to check that out as well. Anyway, on to the games!

The Life vs Elfi Award:
For games that are so stupid that they are stupid

Before we begin the list proper, it's tradition to feature a game that's not so much good as it is unique. There are plenty of games that feature mechanical excellence and strategic brilliance, but only a handful of games deserve to be celebrated for their sheer weirdness.

BreakingGG vs Qike on Blackpink - VOD
GPL 2018 Season 1, Quarterfinals

Some fans might think big-name players need to be involved for a match to be enjoyable. Others might demand the highest level of gameplay. But with Blackpink as their battlefield, Chinese players Qike and BreakingGG—well beyond „off the radar“ for most of the Western fanbase—showed us that all a StarCraft II match needs to be great is PURE MAYHEM. The absolute chaos of this match forced us to ask ourselves a number of unanswerable, existential questions. Is this match actually good? What does "good" even mean? And how did that little Probe get a full scout of the main base thirteen minutes into the game?

The Best Games of March 2018

Dark vs Solar on Eastwatch - VOD
IEM Season XII World Championship, RO24 Group Stage

Many StarCraft fans consider ZvZ the worst match-up in the game, finding most of the games to be boring and one-sided. However, not all ZvZ's fit the stereotype.

In a match-up infested with 13/12s, 12pools, speedling floods and spine crawler rushes (thanks Bly!), it seems crazy that anyone would ever go for TWO expansions before a spawning pool. Of course, it would be absolutely ridiculous for both players to open in such an insane manner. Well, 'absolutely ridiculous' turns out to be best way to describe Solar versus Dark. Both players opened with greedy, double-expansion openers, both players followed-up with Roaches, and then both players followed up with Spire tech. That's where the two players' plans diverged. Dark, upon scouting Solar's spire, decided to go into Corruptors. Wait, Corruptors? What followed was a ridiculous tug of war between Roaches, Zerglings, Mutalisks, Corruptors, and Banelings, all while Caustic Spray rained down on the Hatcheries below.

Not only is this one of the best games of the month, but already, we're confident in saying it's one of the best of the entire year.

Trap vs Rogue on Eastwatch - VOD
Ballistix Brawl, Season 2, Week 8

Before his IEM run, Trap had gone under the radar in the competitive StarCraft II scene, regarded as just another member of Korea's middle-class. Even after he beat Dark in a best-of-eleven showmatch during the off-season, he couldn't convert that success into GSL results. Tossed into a round of sixteen group with only Protoss players, few fans blinked when Cho Sung Ho was eliminated from Code S. IEM Katowice provided Trap with a rare chance to demonstrate his skills in important matches against elite players, with the entire StarCraft II world looking on. Rogue might have stolen the show at IEM Katowice, but Trap certainly earned everyone's respect with his top-tier play. Weeks after IEM, Trap once again showed us exactly what he's capable of in PvZ when he took on Rogue in the online Ballistix Brawl.

Maru vs Dark on Eastwatch - VOD
WESG 2017, Grand Final

March was the month of Dark and Maru, as the two clashed in a series of epic Terran vs Zerg matches that made us completely rethink the nature of the match-up. The two played in many excellent matches, but this particular set on Eastwatch was one of the two we felt deserved a spotlight. Traditionally, we think of mechanic Terran a style that sacrifices mobility for higher damage compared to the classic TvZ infantry playstyle. However, on some maps, and in certain metas, the exact opposite is true. In game two of the WESG Grand Finals, Maru used Cyclones and speed Banshees brilliantly to keep Zerg occupied while mass expanding himself to secure an enormous economy. Other Zergs may have been overwhelmed and outclassed, but Dark was able to maintain his composure and gear himself up for an all-out war against the best Terran in the world.

Maru vs Dark on Blackpink - VOD
GSL Code S Season 1, Semifinals

Just a week later after their WESG final, Maru and Dark met again in GSL semifinals. As Starcraft is a game of constant adaptation, Dark abandoned Ling-Bane-Hydra on Blackpink (that earned him a quick loss to a tank timing at WESG) in favor of a Mutalisk opening with a Roach-Ravager followup. Maru's defense was pristine, but Dark wouldn't be Dark if that was the end of his aggression. When Maru decided to move out to try and punish Dark, counter-attack after counter-attack came in to decimate his economy. With a crippled economy and Hive units coming soon, the Jin Air Terran's true test began...

TY vs Dear on Acid Plant - VOD
IEM Season XII World Championship, RO24 Group Stage

Mech may not be standard in TvP, but it's factory units that cause the biggest headaches for Protoss. Hellions, Widow Mines, Tank pushes—All of that was made just to infuriate you if you don't have a Stargate out. Dear felt the pain of many a Protoss player as his economy was crippled by a Hellion drop, and his counter-attack with Blink Stalkers was shut down by Siege Tanks. As TY went up to 5-Barracks to go for the kill, the only way Dear could survive was to turn the game into a no-holds-barred brawl in the dirt. Disruptors, Colossi, and thirty Probes sacrificed without much of a care—just a normal part of a game between two former champions.

More recommended games from March 2018

We featured the absolute best games above, but there were plenty of other great games from March (against all odds, there's even a PvP). Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy these games. Check back next month for all of the best games from April.

Neeb vs Nerchio on Acid Plant - VOD
Neeb vs Serral on Catalyst - VOD
Maru vs Solar on Backwater - VOD
Classic vs Dear on Catalyst - VOD
Trap vs Dark on Blackpink - VOD
Zest vs Impact on Blackpink - VOD
Classic vs Serral on Eastwatch - VOD
Trap vs GuMiho on Catalyst - VOD
Has vs BratOK on Backwater - VOD
Bunny vs soO on Eastwatch - VOD
Bunny vs TY on Eastwatch - VOD
SpeCial vs INnoVation on Eastwatch - VOD

Check out the master list for all of the best games from 2018! (Soon to be updated to include January and February)

For fans who don't mind taking a trip back in history, here are our comprehensive, year-end lists from the past

The Best Games of 2012

The Best Games of 2013

The Best Games of 2014

The Best Games of 2015

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