The Liquid Weekly #8

Brought to you by the letters F, F and A.

Quick Links

Liquid` Sightings

Looking Ahead
Jinro on TLO report in.

Liquid` Fighting!
(with itself)

This Week In Replays

Fan Feedback
Now with added FuDDx goodness.

TL T-Shirt Giveaway

Tyler and HuK play TL SC2 Open #2 - October 2nd 2010

Our dual armed Protoss wrecking machine will take to the tilesets this weekend in the TL SC2 Open #2. [More]

HuK to IEM NY, October 8th - 10th 2010

Tyler and HuK play TL SC2 Open #2 - October 2nd 2010

Our dual armed Protoss wrecking machine will take to the tilesets this weekend in the TL SC2 Open #2. They will go up against SC2's very best in a gruelling 512 player knockout bracket and we're sure that you'll join us as usual on the forums and on IRC as we root for the home team. Tyler and HuK fighting!

HuK to IEM NY, October 8th - 10th 2010

Liquid's newest member, TLAF-Liquid`HuK will be heading out to New York next week to begin a bid to take home the first American IEM championship, just like he did at the maiden MLG Pro Circuit event. With one major title under his belt, and a trip to the Liquid-oGs house in Korea on the horizon, this may be HuK's last chance for the foreseeable future to take a North American title.

Tyler and Ret to DC, October 15th - 17th

Last week we announced that Tyler and Ret would be at MLG DC in October. Check out our interview with them for more information. Also, our newest recruit TLAF-Liquid`HuK will of course be there at this Pro Circuit event, especially seeing that he is the reigning MLG Champion. Await interviews and updates from both all three Liquidians in the weeks to come.

Hi JinTLO! What's up in Incheon?

Jinro: Nothing much, the house is almost empty as half the oGs team is celebrating Chuseok with their families and spunky is out for the day. Waiting for pizza to arrive. =] The day is young anyway, only been up since 6 pm.

Late night?

TLO: Well… At least I woke up before you, Jinro.

Jinro: Well, that’s because you caught some shuteye in between. Unfair imo.

TLO: That’s only because I wake up so much earlier than the rest of you wimps.

Jinro: But yeah, a loss like yesterday’s necessitates at least some drinking.

TLO: Hehe I really needed that... just to get a fresh start and stop thinking about my loss.

So what plans for the evening now, especially considering it's a rare off day?

TLO: Oh to be honest I'll go to bed pretty early. I wanna wake up early and practice hard, and for that I need a good rhythm.

Jinro: My hangover only just passed, so I’m content with just some pizza and a movie or something – I’ve got a new sc2 account as well (previously been borrowing one) so gotta grind that back up. =)

Work, work, work as usual, eh? GL with those games. Speaking of which, everyone has heard of Nada and July switching to SC2. Any ladder sightings or rumours of them yet?

TLO: I’ve played Julyzerg a lot on ladder already, but I didn’t face Nada yet so no, I haven’t played him since IEM Cologne. Gon asked him but it didn’t work out. Julyzerg didn’t impress me yet, but he learns really quickly. You could see huge improvements in his play after only a few days.
Jinro: Yeah, Nada has a pretty good looking record, and Julyzerg has been playing for a while now. He’s a lot scarier when he doesn’t try to allin.

Do you expect to see them in the next GSL?

TLO: Hmmm, well I can't speak for the others but I’m pretty apprehensive. They will be good soon and probably qualify! It’s gonna be so much harder, and I just hope I'll be able to compete still.

Jinro: I have no idea what the format will be, or how much harder the qualifiers will be
if it’s the same as last time and the tournament doesn’t have any seeds from the first season. If so, they should make it for sure. Nada already has a 200 – 100 ladder record.

What is the general feeling around the house (and around the scene) about Broodwar players getting into SC2?

TLO: I have a lot respect for the SCBW stars coming in. They are obviously super talented but most of the Koreans probably don't care so much since they are very confident and know that they have a big lead here.

You guys were the first Liquidians to arrive in Korea, but soon Haypro and Ret will be joining you. Excited?

TLO: The more the merrier - it’s gonna be a lot of fun. I'm really happy whenever a foreign player comes here, not only Liquidians. Everyone is invited by me.

So first night out with them, dinner is on you then?

Jinro: Well his budget is based around winning a future GSL, so every dinner should really be on him.

What about bunks? Which ones do they get?

Jinro: They can have bunk beds once they have proven themselves sleep on the floor for a month like we did imo! (^^)

TLO: I'm afraid Ret is ripped enough to throw you out of your bunk easily!

Jinro: Pfft.

So there is an initiation process being planned then?

TLO: The initiation process can't be revealed. It dates back centuries and only the chosen ones will experience it.

You were both eliminated at different stages in this ongoing GSL. Looking back on the tournament, and looking ahead to the next GSL Open, what do you think you'll be focusing on the most as you prepare for it?

TLO: I still need to become a lot more solid in my play. My skill varies too much. I have days on which I can take out everyone, not matter who. And then sometimes I just choke. People know this problem and I know it too. I guess only massive training can help there.

Jinro: Sleeping more than 3 hours the day before and hopefully having decided on a build for every map way in advance. Don’t even know what the maps are yet though!

When we spoke to you both last, things were just starting to settle down after Nazgul's departure and you mentioned that a daily rhythm was just starting to take place. How is that going?

TLO: Oh pretty good... I was thrown off my rhythm after the GSL but I think tomorrow it will be in place again. I really notice how it helps me practice better if things are more routine.

Have practice sessions begun to incorporate more strategy discussions yet? In your last interview you guys said it was still minimal.

TLO: It’s probably still gonna take a long time to communicate with the Koreans on that level. Having more people from Liquid here will improve the situation too I guess.

Indeed! And you're getting two Zergs to spar against. Excited about the TvZs which you'll be able to analyse together?

Jinro: I think he’s more excited about the prospect of forcing his ZvT style on them.

Well, compulsion is always a good motivator, or so they say. Looking ahead, what is the talk in the trenches about the balance changes announced for Patch 1.1?

Jinro: Well the Ultralisk splash bug of death looks like fun…

TLO: I don't think the Koreans care much about it, and neither do I. The balance changes are small and it’s not gonna change a lot. The bug with the Ultralisk is gonna be fixed quite soon I suppose.

Are there any features that you expected in Patch 1.1 that haven't made the cut?

TLO: Hmmm... Well nothing specific but I kinda expected more changes. This patch is pretty boring!

Jinro: Was hoping for some more ladder maps.

Oh, thanks for bringing that up. Maps! Let's talk about them. What does the Korean scene in general feel about the present map pool? Especially seeing that Korean map makers were an integral part of keeping pro Broodwar alive and kicking, has there been any sort of talk of Korean maps for SC2 so far?

TLO: Hmmm, not have heard about. I only know that the Koreans here are in agreement with the fact that many of the current maps are quite horrible. I'm pretty sure some people are already working on new maps somewhere though. We'll just have to be patient and wait for good maps!

Jinro: Well all the Korean pro-mapping stuff was done by the SCBW scene, right? I doubt GOM - being the only major organisation to switch so far - has a map team at the moment. I also doubt that there are many people actually qualified to make SC2 maps yet.

If you guys could give the Blizzard map team one piece of advice as they make their next round of ladder battlegrounds, what would it be?

TLO: Please give us some bigger maps and 3 player maps. That’s all I want! Oh, and maps without gold expansions - I really don't like those.

Jinro: They should just make the Peaks of Baekdu clone a ladder map. =) Crossfire, or whatever they have called it. Oh and please stop making only shared bases maps for 2v2... it’s really boring!

Good point you brought up! SC2 already has Lost Temple, a SCBW staple. Which other Broodwar maps do you think would do well as SC2 ports?

Jinro: Hmmm, well not Destination. ^^ We’d just see a bunch of split map turtle TvZs just like on the original.

TLO: Enter the Dragon!!!!

Jinro: Maybe Fighting Spirit?

Is Pro Broodwar followed in any capacity in the house? Were the OSL finals a topic of conversation among you guys, or was the focus solely on the GSL these past few weeks?

Jinro: Very cursory. Some Flash imba comments.

TLO: Let’s hope he doesn’t switch too soon.

You guys are going to play the Liquid FFA in a couple of hours. Do you get to ever play non-serious SC2 with your oGs house mates?

Jinro: Sure, every time there’s a chore to be done, the unlucky person that gets to do it is decided by a custom racing map. It’s hilarious. Someone needs to do the dishes on the days the maid isn’t there? Racing map. Someone needs to go down to the lotte mart and buy ice cream?
Racing map.

TLO: Poor hyperdub, it’s him or Jonathan who get the short end of the stick.

Jinro: Pfft. I’ve got a 50/50 survival ratio, having played the map twice. Hyperdub keeps spawning as a turret though. I feel for him!

Hahahaha, that is amazing! Do you guys ever team game?

Jinro: Don’t think I’ve played any team games at all since getting here... Dario drunkenly managed to agree to a bet game of TT vs TZ vs Gon and Thewind when we first got here but thankfully it seems they have forgotten. I think he snapcalled a 100$ b et or something.

TLO: I am 100% confident that we would Terran the shit out of those guys.

HuK has promised dinner on him when he arrives in Korea. Dario has promised dinner on him for any foreigner arriving in Korea - how will this situation play out?

TLO: The Universe will explode.

Jinro: I will get 2 free dinners. Score!

At the same time? Isn't that like a 4v4 with four Terrans, all meching? i.e Overkill?

If enough alcohol is involved maybe I can get more than 2 free dinners... and there is no such thing as overkill.

TLO you've been saying you need to focus on your TvP. How excited are you that you'll soon have HuK around 24/7 to spar against? Jinro, you looking forward to some Protoss games too?

Jinro: Sure, though I think my TvZ needs more work. But yeah, an additional protoss will be nice.There are only two oGs P players.

TLO: It’s good news for myself. Having a Liquid Protoss over here will help me a ton!

Well, we're looking forward to it too. Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk, guys, and good luck with training!

Jinro: Np, always a pleasure. =]

TLO: I had a great time. See you next time, TL!

(with itself)

Download Replay

Ever wondered what pro players do between laddering and practice sessions? They FFA. Here's an exclusive VOD and replay from one of Liquid's top secret practice runs, featuring Nazgul, Tyler, Jinro, TLO, Ret and HuK, as well as our own playing sponsor, Mat "heosat" Peterson! After you've watched the VOD (thanks for the amazing cast, Husky!) and checked out the replay, look below to read the winner and runner-up interviews and see how Reddit stalked us and why FFA may be the next big thing™.

+ Show Spoiler [Liquid FFA #1 Winner Interview] +

▶ "...if you leave the game before the nuke hits you, your farm won't be damaged and this really encourages nuke play. "

- You played well today, with a strong a Raven only build that was aimed at countering almost every unit your opponents fielded. When did you first begin to formulate this strategy
▲ I remember how I came up with the build exactly 1 month ago. I was getting very frustrated with all matchups... but I neglected one unit, the Raven. So I basically started secretly practicing this Raven + ghost build. I didn’t reveal my ID to anyone. Most people didn’t take it seriously as it seemed so odd. But now GSL2 is approaching and people will experience the full force of the build.

- What about the critics who say that this style of play is too gas heavy and that when using so many Ravens it is impossible to supplement your army with tanks or other damage dealing units?
▲ Ha, I laugh at them! I will dump my minerals on marines and maybe build 1-2 PFS and never move out with those forces. So, I have this extremely powerful and solid defense. I’ll slowly take map step by step, while dealing sick damage to any kind of army on the battlefield with my Ravens. Its not like I have to end the game fast. Autoturrets last forever and it’s basically a free unit. I'll just wait until everything is mined out. Sorry GOM, but you won’t be able to show anyone else except me and my poor opponent when my playdates come up. There just won’t be enough time with this new strategy of mine.

- There were many nukes in this game, especially in TvP situations, and Jinro had upto 4 silos at a time. Do you think this shows that multiple silos with constant nukes are becoming standard in TvP?
▲Of course it will be standard, There is this new build in Korea where you build 10 silos so you can constantly nuke. What you do then is you basically build a path of nukes to his main he can’t attack because there are nukes falling constantly and you go step by step until you corner his army and there is no space for him to run anymore. I really hope Blizzards fixes it, even in TvT the only counter is to nuke back. It doesn’t make any sense at all.

- This was one of your first competitive FFA games. Do you see leagues picking up the discipline anytime soon? What about Global Free For All Starcraft League (GFFASL)?
▲I'm not allowed to reveal names yet, but I have from trusted sources that a dozen SCBW progamers are already switching to SC2 because of FFA. The competition is gonna be insane and the fact that I don't speak Korean will make FFA a lot harder for me. It’s a lot about alliances and backstabbing, and I'll be at a big disadvantage because of the language barrier. However, that will only make me work harder so I can overcome my opponent even though they have the better conditions to begin with.

- Finally, there is a user submitted SC2 + Bnet.20 Real ID suggestion that when a player's probe/drone/scv line is nuked, he or she should lose all structures and animals in Farmville as well. How do you think this will affect game balance and competitive play?
▲ People are gonna be three times as cautious, because nobody wants to lose their animals, do they? According to my understanding, if you leave the game before the nuke hits you, your farm won't be damaged and this really encourages nuke play. Even if you are 100 supply behind, if you put down 3-5 nukes on the map to hit the enemy workers you might just force him out of the game. That’s awesome for SC2 as an observer sport, as it will make incredible comebacks possible.

+ Show Spoiler [Liquid FFA #1 Runner-up Interview] +

▶ "...I would have lost MLG for sure without constant assistance from the the all-knowing Aldaris."

- Your strategy and timings were spot on today but you somehow fell to your Terran opponent. What would you say your biggest mistake was?
▲ Hmm not sure I really don't think I prepared as much as I should of, I woke up to warm up 2h ours ahead of time. Next time I think I’m going to wake up 5 hours ahead to make sure I'm ready.

- Your carriers counted TLO's Ravens almost perfectly, but the positional disadvantage you had may have cost you the game. If you could play that last battle again, what would you do differently?
▲ Make sure I had High Templars, a few storms or feedbacks either way could have turned that battle. His marines just downed the interceptors so fast! I really wanted to succeed with this for Day 9's monday funday challenge but unfortunately I failed. I will make sure to train hard for the next battle though.

- Fans complain that PFs are very underpowered at the moment. Do you agree? If so, what sort of buff do you think they should receive?
▲ Yes completely, I think it should just go with the general Terran theme. Increase the range, damage, and make it so you can stim it for 10hp. Also it should be able to lift off and shoot while in the air as well, because terran doesn't have enough anti-air as of right now. I mean carriers are totally imba so TLO should of been really able to lift off and defend with his PFs.

- How much of your success so far in SC2 do you attribute to Aldaris' constant presence, from reminding you to construct additional pylons to telling you that you require more minerals and vespene gas?
▲ A ton. He’s been my mentor for years now. I mean, I would have lost MLG for sure without constant assistance from the all-knowing Aldaris.

- A nuke leaves Jinro's base traveling at 240Kmph. Three seconds later, a warp prism leaves Nazgul's base going at 140Kmph. You cast Vortex at the point at which they cross. What is the combined energy of all your templar at this point, assuming that you have upgraded Khaydarin Amulet soon after researching storm?
▲Over 9000.

- You're first MLG Pro Circuit champion for SC2. If MLG introduced a FFA Pro Circuit (MLGSC2FFAPC) and you had to choose between focusing exclusively on 1v1 and the new category, which one would you pick and why?
▲MLGSC2FFAPC for sure. Really, FFA is a lot more skillful then all other types of gameplay. I think the competition is growing really quickly. I mean I want to compete against the best and the 1v1 ladder right now is a complete joke while FFA is hugely competitive.

This week's rep pack comes courtesy of the new kid on the block TLAF-Liquid`HuK. Enjoy!

Download Liquid Weekly #8 HuK Rep Pack

This just got real, friends.

If you've been here for any time at all on TL, you know FuDDx. Father, balloon gosu and man about town, FuDD has the only five star blog on TL and is certainly one of our top posters. In this Liquid Weekly, we say hi to the man himself, and give him a chance to tell us about why he's a Liquid fan - with balloons!

Hello Team Liquid !!!

O man, I am excited and nervous. I think I am always nervous. I was asked if I wanted to contribute to the Liquid Weekly with something balloon related and my first thought was to make some sort of unit, doodad, or building from the game that needs no name among us. That idea quickly developed into something more - with the recent news of TLAF becoming an actual team again, with sponsors, I thought let's make our players out of balloons. And that is exactly what this fellow has… umm.... attempted at least. ^_^

This site is the greatest site ever. It means a lot to me to be able to have fun and grow with friends, and as a person through this site and with some great guys and gals. Being an older gamer sometimes can be lonely, but you all give me some company! It also means a lot to be able to contribute, even if in a small way like doing this. I know most of you old timers know me, but some of you new guys may not. You can find out a lot about me on my blog and see more of my balloon work on my photobucket account.

Anyway, I'd first like to just touch on some of my history with balloons, and then we can get down to the meat and tatters and show some latex!! Ive been twisting balloons just over a year now. August 18th 2009 was the day I watched Twisted, and that day has changed all my days since. Definitely check it out - it’s a neat documentary on its own.

Finding out about balloon jams (gatherings of twisters sharing ideas and sculptures usually at a restaurant), I set off and found some local twisters. Since then I have grown my list of things I can make, expanded into balloon Décor work with the only CBA here in Tucson and won 4 awards recently at a balloon convention in Phoenix Arizona. I really love and enjoy balloons, never having “found” the elusive career path that really appealed to me. I hope to one day be able to merge the Décor and twisting with my love for gaming and StarCraft in particular. Maybe I can start doing balloon déco- twisting at video game tourneys and conventions. An old man can dream……

With that said, FuDDx presents,

Liquid Air - a tribute to Liquid and its players!

Thx2u TLAF for sponsoring our team.

First, the man, the myth, the legend. Team leader Extraordinaire - TLAF-Liquid`Nazgul!!

The All American Protoss, TLAF-Liquid`Tyler.

Having lost the racing map yet again, TLAF-Liquid`Jinro goes to the Lotte mart for ice cream.

Meanwhile, TLAF-Liquid`TLO chills happily back at the team house.

TLAF-Liquid`Haypro, when asked whether Patch 1.1 balanced the game.

Having played field hockey, basketball and soccer at the same time for 76 hours, TLAF-Liquid`Ret takes a break from his workout and contemplates the meaning of life.

Thanks so much for letting me share a bit and as always, let me know what you think! Also, Huk - I will make you but it just might have to be after WCG!! Hope to see some of you there!

FuDD

Liquid is currently blessed with a sponsor that just keeps on giving, and we're now ready to share some of TLAF's awesomeness with you too! Thanks to The Little App Factory, we're going to be giving away a TL Winged Horse t-shirt every week.

The Winged Horse, as worn by Liquid and every TLer worth his or her salt.

To win yours today, try your luck at the

TLAF Battle Report Contest

1) Grab the Liquid FFA replay.

2) Write a Battle Report on it. Please limit your BR to 500 words and have a maximum of 10 screenshots, please. Of course, as with any Liquid Weekly contest, you're encouraged to be as creative as possible!

3) Make a blog post (if you don't have a TL blog, get one!) with it and PM the link to 'riptide' here on TL. Posting it in this (The Liquid Weekly) thread will not count as an official contest entry.

When will I know if I've won or not?
The winner of this week's contest will be announced in next week's Weekly.

Is is true that wearing the Winged Horse will immediately increase my SC2 skills by 50%?
Although we cannot confirm this, our users have claimed that the t-shirt has significantly changed the way they play the game.

+ Show Spoiler [Last Week's Cheerful Contest Winner] +

Congratulations to TL user Torr for winning last week's Cheerful Contest! Please pm 'riptide' on TL for more information on how to get your t-shirt.

Liquid` is proudly sponsored by The Little App Factory, makers of fine applications for Windows and Mac OS X and fans of great Starcraft! Their flagship program, iRip allows you to recover your music from iPods - a life saver if you, like many of us, do tech support for friends and family. In fact, for a limited time, you can use the coupon code TEAMLIQUID to get 25% off when you get TLAF products!