Game 1
Map: The Lost Temple
Matchup: Elky: T vs. Blackman Z (as are all the games in the match)
The Game: Elky started at 3 and Blackman started at 6. Setting the tone, Elky did a 10/10 rax before depot. Blackman did an early exp build and lost to a bunker rush. Interesting move by Elky, as Blackman would have to think twice in the rest of the matches about builds that facilitate his insane macro.
1-0 Elky
Game 2
Map: Neo Vertigo
The Game: Elky started at 8 Blackman at 2. Both players did early exp builds (Elky was forced to because Blackman took his gas). Elky built up from his 1 exp while doing M&M raids and M&M vessel drops, thwarting Blackman's attempts at expanding. Elky then brought his massive M&M tank army out from hiding, and Blackman had nothing else to do than surrender.
2-0 Elky
Game 3
Map: Neo Forbidden Zone
The Game: Elky started at 1 Blackman started at 5. Blackman started out with a gas-pool-hatch build into hydra/lurker with slow ol dropping. Elky did 2 rax mm + vessel/tank/dropship and a rather late CC. As soon as Blackman's ol dropping finished, he unloaded some hyrdalurk and 2 drones and then double expanded. In a little while, Elky unloaded his units and attacked Blackman's exp and killed it. Right as that happened Blackman did a lurker drop on Elky's main which killed a lot of scv’s and could have done great damage. Unfor
tunately for Blackman he unburrowed and moved the lurkers over near the SCV's but then brought his attention back to the fray at his natural and forgot about the lurkers. Elky quickly dispatched with the defenceless lurkers. Elky then grabbed his exp and continued putting the pressure on Blackman with attacks/drops. Blackman defended nicely with hydralurk and some hold pos lurkers, but eventually Elky overpowered him.
3-0 Elky
Game 4
Map: Plains to Hill
The Game: Elky started at 11 Blackman at 8. Black man did 3 hat, 1 exp in choke 1 exp on nat and took Elky's gas. Elky did 2 rax with an exp soon after his gas was stolen. Blackman powered and went hydralurk with ol speed/dropping and took the 5 oclock exp. Early on Elky's micro fended off all of Blackman's attacks and drops. Eventually Blackman's drops started doing substantial damage, but Elky also was killing Blackman's exps left and right with M&M Tank. Losing exps didn't seem to touch Blackman one bit. His macro was incredible this game he just kept on exping, kept on pumping, kept on dropping, and kept on defending himself. Eventually Elky's attacking forces got overwhelemed and his exp finally died after being mutilated again and again by Blackman's drops.
3-1 Elky
Game 5
Map:Gaema Gowan
The Game: Elky started at 8 Blackman at 2. Once again Blackman did a 3 hat build, while Elky opted for quick gas quick academy this game. When he had a few MMF, Elky used the up and around tactic to get to Blackman's main avoiding sunkens. This attack killed lots of lings. Elky continued to use this tactic, along with some dropships and killed Blackman's mins only exp. By this time blackman had staved off Elky's attacks and he had another gas exp at 5's nat. Here we go again....Macro-mode. Blackman kept exping and exping while teching to guards and ultras, while elky had his 2 exps. Blackman's overwhelming macro along with some nice defiler usage smashed Elky shortly thereafter.
3-2 Elky
Game 6
Map: Neo Bifrost
The Game: Elky started at 7 Blackman started at 1. Elky did a fast exp to mm build, while Blackman did 3 hat exp to hydralurk (what a shocker). Most of Elky's attacks were quelled by Blackman's hydralurkling, while Blackman's drops really screwed with Elky's economy. Then Macro-mode etc….
3-3 Tie. What looked like an easy win for Elky has turned out to be a very interesting match with Blackman turning up the heat in games 4 5 and 6.
Game 7
Map: Neo Forbidden Zone
The Game: Elky started at 8 Blackman at 5. Avoiding mind numbing redundancy, Blackman went MUTA! + drop to triple expand. Elky went dual ebay for fast 1-1 rines. Blackman's mutas did virtually no damage as Elky had more than enough M&M to beat them back. Once Elky got his 1-1 rines unloaded, there was nothing Blackman's mutas could do to stop them. Perhaps Blackman should stick with what works best.
4-3 Elky
Game 8
Map: The Lost Temple
The Game: Elky started at 12 Blackman at 6. Blackman did a 2 hat early exp to hydralurk drop build, Elky did one of his favorites: 2 rax rines with a fast exp build. Elky fended off all of Blackman's drops rather easily and killed all of Blackman's attempts at exping with M&M and micro to kill his lurks. Blackman soon conceded the game.
5-3 Elky
Game 9
Map: New Remote Outpost
The Game: Elky started at 5 Blackman at 11. Elky stole Blackman's gas and then went 3 rax M&M drops, while Blackman went 4 hatch dual exp to ling/muta. Elky's first drop killed Blackman's Spire before it finished. Elky kept dropping and attacking exps and had Blackman on the ropes all game. Elky had 1-1 rines steamrolling around the map before Blackman could muster up enough lurkers to defend himself. Elky kept expanding while doing several attacks. Blackman, being severely disadvantaged, quit the game.
6-3 Elky
Rekrul’s Rating of the games in this Match: 7 out of 10. I gave it a 7 because while each one played very well, each game was rather one sided and there were no really long and epic games.
Elky began and ended the match in perfect fashion. He succeeded in getting his “revenge” even though Blackman got a few good licks in. I don’t know who is going to play next, but I think this huge match will hold you over fine until then. Thx to both players and the replays will be posted soon.