Pony Express Issue 92: Sep. 14 - Sep. 21, 2009

Good ol' zatic
Click-click!

The game starts with Testie spawning at bottom right position and HbQ at the top right, they start gathering the shiny minerals right away.


another early morning for the scv's I wonder does this job pay well.


probes on the other hand have no union so they work for free


The game starts like any normal tvp, HbQ sets up a wall at his ramp and Testie goes for a normal 1 gate core build, but HbQ isn't planing on expanding just yet, he adds a second factory soon after his first one, but a sneaky probe spots it before getting blown up by a marine. Soon an attack force is seen moving out towards Testies shiny base.


Expanding is for wimpy zergs, this is how real men open


Here comes the pain train choo choo

Testie, having spotted a 2 fact prepares his defenses and gets ready to deflect the attack, HbQ rallies his factories to Testies base and continues making vultures but with some fancy micro and a zealot that poped out at just the right time Testie defends.


Come up here, no you come down here, no...


This sneaky zealot picked the right time to warp in

While his troops were laying down the law HbQ took his natural, Testie, seeing that he couldn't expand right away because of the 2 factory makes a reaver and a shuttle, but HbQ floats his barracks into his base and spots it, the barracks get destroyed but its a small price to pay for the information and the reaver does no damage.


Despite not being a wimpy zerg, HbQ reluctantly expands


I dont know if reavers can feel fear, but with this shuttles driver I would be terrified, he sure likes those turret missiles

While his reaver was doing nothing at all, Testie double expanded to catch up with HbQ, meanwhile HbQ expands again, at this point im starting to wonder, maybe he is a zerg after all.
Not wanting his reaver to go waste Testie uses it to harras HbQ's new expansions but it gets chased away by some tanks. All this time HbQ has been macroing like crazy and he prepares his first attack force.


Im in ur base, stoping your expansion


huh, when did this happen ? I really need to stop watching these reps on x8.

Testie has also been busy, taking fourth base and doing some crazy macroing of his own, he sets up an ambush for the mighty terran armada thats about to come rolling over his way. HbQ sets out to do battle, and expands two more times like the zerg he is, a huge battle ensues and ends in what we could call a " draw " both armies being obliterated, but a few vultures and one tank stay alive, so HbQ kinda wins.


im guessing the weather conditions aren't to HbQ's liking.


Glorious victory !!!!

After his great victory, HbQ rallies his survivors and some reinforcements and starts rolling toward Testies 4th base where he proceeds to set up shop and beat up on a poor nexus. Not wanting to lose his pretty nexus Testie sends all of his troops to save it, some mines get in the way but in the end, largely thanks to one ninja dt he manages to fight off the attack.


I hope atleast the DT have a decent union, this guy works hard for his money.


HbQ doing what all zergs do, saturating his expansion.

After the first battles, and with no truce in sight both players continue to macro and prepare for another showdown, this time Testie uses his shuttles filled with templars to soften up the terran ball before the big fight, using the high ground as a excellent position to throw a few storms. Another battle breaks out, but this time Testie is the victor !!


somebody better gets some AA up here fast.


This planet really has bad thunderstorms

Now with all this macroing and all his fancy expansions, HbQ decides hes not making enough killy things fast enough so he throws down more factories, now at 14 factories it seems like there is no stoping him ! Testie on the other hand makes the only thing i hate more than storms, the dreaded arbiters.


14 factories, can he do this ?


argh, I hate these things so much, i wanna rant so bad right now.

Now that the arbiters are out, not even his fancy 14 factories are helping HbQ that much, staisis is a bitch, but he still gathers up a large enough force to roll out and threaten Testies 5th base that he has taken while I wasn't really paying attention. When he finally arrives at the 5th base he does what any reasonable terran would do, he starts building a cc right next to the nexus before he even won the fight, now thats confidence right there.


i hope those arbs dont have any energy...


How could this possibly end badly ?

Despite odds being against him, the brave CC manages to get built but before it can start mining some mean dragoons come and chase it away, while all this was going on HbQ expanded AGAIN, I swear he must have been a zerg at some point, now with even more expansions he, you guessed it, adds more factories, now at about 22-24 (too lazy to count) he is obviously compensating for something, keep in mind all of this time Testie is macroing from 12 gateways and is doing just fine.


brb, i suddenly have a strange craving for ice cream.


can he seriously do this ? Isn't this like breaking the limitations of the game or something, ive never seen this many factories in a 1v1.

Now at this point Testie decides that HbQ has been expanding enough, and sends some troops to bust up his latest acquisition. He succeeds with his plan but HbQ arrives soon and mops up the ragged survivors.


No more zerging around for you HbQ


HbQ doesn't take kindly to trespassers.

Now at this point HbQ has so many expansions that I have no idea when he took all of them and how, but they are there, and Testie doesnt like it, he sends another band of merry protoss to destroy another one just below HbQ's might production facilities. Right after that little skirmish they both gather up in the middle for another go at each other, death ensues but in the end Testie is left standing once again, damned be storms.


Whats with all the CC hate ?


As a terran player, I am not amused by this turn of events. (-.-)

Now, almost all of the map is mined out except a few choice spots and the small islands, so Testie takes one of the last remaining non island spots, and also casually drops some high templars to storm the scvs at HbQ;s last mining base, sexy. Too bad some vultures do a drive by on the poor expansion.


used to be templars.


all up in those probe's grill (what does that even mean ? Slang confuses me)

Even after killing the probes mining there, HbQ wants more and sends his troops to level that expansion, and after that probably salt it so nothing grows there ever again, he is a mean mean person. But Testie isnt going down without a fight, even a hallucinated fight. After defending, he takes one of those fancy little islands, I wish I had one of those.


Huh, can one of you guys who plays this game tell me why are those dudes blue ?


Harass : you're doing it wrong.

Somehow, even without any expansions HbQ manages to gather a giant tank force, he must have been saving up for a rainy day. Testie also has a sizable army but he decides he could have even more, and cast some sort of hack or something to triple his army. A big fight happens and this time the survivors are few.


Bet you dont see this all too often


distraction in action

HbQ manages to commandeer the last mineral island from Testie and gathers his troops for one final fight, what happens next is a real nail bitter, who is gonna win, I have no idea, stasis, storm, everything is everywhere, i'm scared to look in fear of a epileptic seizure like that time i watched pokemon.


All your base are... oh screw you internet, im not doing it I still have some dignity left.


Avert ye eyes lest your soul be consumed by the awesomeness of this game

Now this is how a game of sc should end, go put on The Final Countdown and watch, both players gather up everything they have, even probes and scvs, Testie starts wrecking HbQ's base, but HbQ is having non of that, they meet in the field in front of his base for a final confrontation, a stasis goes off, will it be enough ? Once the dust settles, it seems no, all that are left are probes, they bravely try to fight off the tanks but to no avail, HbQ stands victorious and Testie taps out.


Is this game awesome or what


And that wraps it up, damn.

In conclusion, I believe Testie posted this game as a christmas gift, and it sure beat whatever crap i got from my parents that year, watch the game, be amazed, if you like it leave nice comments, if you don't I will come to your house and you don;t want that since i don't shower that often.