EPTWell here we finally go. The long awaited replay pack: http://www.mediafire.com/?guogc10hxlcdux2
And with the replay pack, and interview after MLG. AhhBoxxah played Agh in the first round losing 2-1, then went to the loser's bracket where he had a bye in the first round (according to MLG) and then eliminated Crebstar and Mercadia from the competition before going on to face Agh again in the losers bracket. Now because he lost to Agh once before, they extended the original series (2-1) to a Bo7 game. AhhBoxxah tied it up 3-3 but ended up losing game 7.
How do you feel about your performance in the MLG?
To be honnest, I was pretty disapointed with myself. I am definitely capable of doing a lot better, but at the same time I don't practice as much as I should so perhaps I didn't deserve it as much. I also had no issues with stress playing live, I think I actually played really well, I just lack a lot of practice ^^.
Why was the 2nd set against Agh a best of seven? How did those games play out? (Editor: I asked this question because I was confused about the extended series format when I first wrote these questions)
It was part of the MLG "extended series" format, where if you play the same player twice, you start with the score that you had in the first bo3, which in this case was 2-1 for him, and you play a bo7 from there. Essentially he only needed to win 2 games while I needed to win 3 games. Unfortunately I once again started out losing so the score was 3-1. However I managed to win 2 games afterwards. The last game however, I really feel like I had that game, but I threw it away so the final score was 4-3 for Agh. Nevertheless props to him for playing well and getting the win. I won't go into detail with what happened in each game so just download the replays!
How did you enjoy your trip into America?
I've been to America quite a few times now, and to be honnest I don't have much to say as we didn't have a lot of time to visit Dallas and whatnot. My team and I mostly spent time within the hotel, except for the first day where we went out for some Denny's rofl. Beisdes that however, I must say I really enjoyed MLG. I got to meet soooo many people, and it's amazing how nice and sociable all the guys in the community are.
What do you think you need to work on the most?
At the moment obviously my TvP. My other matchups are really solid yet I struggle with a lot of TvP aspects, mostly dealing with strong 2 base colossus play rofl (editor: Agh used this strategy). I actually discussed TvP with a number of strong Terran players at MLG, so hopefully I can benefit from that. Ultimately though, I just think that I need to practice a lot more than I am practicing now, and after this event I'm definitely a lot more motivated for future events both online and off.
Are you going to change your name now, and what are you going to change it to?
I really want to change my name rofl, but I have no idea what to change it to! I'll think about it.
Editor: Maybe people can suggest names in this thread?
Have your parents been supportive of your competitive Sc2 gaming?
Yeah definitely, I mean there have been several bumps a long the way, but ultimately I have to admit that despite a lot of immaturity on my part, and perhaps some misunderstanding on theirs, they never really opposed it. My mom seemed actually pretty excited about me going to Dallas, talking about it to her friends and co-workers rofl.
Can I finally have that Zerg replay pack :-P?
Yeah let me get home and I'll send you whatever I can find LOL.
Anything else you would like to add?
First I really want to shoutout sixjax for sponsoring me and my teammates. They're an awesome company and everyone should go check them at www.sixjax.com. The site is scheduled to launch in 2 weeks or so! Without them I wouldn't have been able to go to this MLG, nor future ones so I really appreciate that, and I also appreciate their care for their players. Also shoutout to all the people I met at MLG and said hi to, you know who you are, you're all awesome. And of course shoutout to everyone in sixjax NrG, and I guess any fans that I may have rofl! I also wanted to add that you will definitely see more of me in the future, and I will definitely strive to become a top worldclass player =D, at least thats my goal! Also, thanks a lot Vincere you're awesome I really appreciate that you took time in setting this up! Keep up the boss streaming
Original post
+ Show Spoiler +
Profile: http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/profile/1265398/1/AhhBoxxah/
GosuGamers Profile: http://www.gosugamers.net/starcraft2/members/NrG.AhhBoxxah
Disclaimer: I've never been particularly good at writing, so if my writing makes you want to strangle yourself, please at least read the interviews and watch the replays/VoDs at least :-)
I was casting the US Craftcup (http://www.bitsperbeat.com/ussc2/?site=brackets&tID=264#grid) this last Saturday (10/16/2009) and ran into AhhBoxxah in the tournament.
AhhBoxxah's ZvT strategy used strictly Marines, Tank and Medivac build against Zerg, and I was amazed how well it worked, although I never saw amazing baneling use against him, he was able to avoid decent baneling use. A late transition into Battlecruisers will seal the deal if the game does not end before then.
I was lucky enough to witness this beacuse in the Semi-finals he knocked out a Zerg player (Disturbance) and then moved on to knock out another Zerg player in the finals (vOddy)
I was surprised at how well his strategy worked, watch the games and see for yourself. Between some matches in the US CraftCup I was waiting for a game to join and did a short interview where I asked him why he went this build, and he said he liked the APM this strategy required to pull off well. So in a later game when I got to see him versus Zerg again, I made sure to pull up the APM tab near the end and saw that it was over 250. I found it very impressive to keep that high of an APM up the entire match and actually do something with all that spamming (please don't turn this thread into an APM discussion).
I'll leave more details of his strategy up to him in the interview below.
Anyway, to see this strategy in action, you can watch the VoDs of AhhBoxxah play against Disturbance and vOddy at:
Game 1 Semi-finals US CraftCup: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10246966
Game 2 Semi-finals US CraftCup: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10247216
Game 1 Finals US CraftCup: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10247854 (failed baneling bust ends this game early)
Game 2 Finals US CraftCup: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10247997
Game 3 Finals US CraftCup: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10248332
or download the replays at:
[url blocked]
AhhBoxxah vs. Catz (Note: I am not affiliated with Basement Starcraft)
Part 1: here
Part 2: here
Replay: http://sc2.replayers.com/replays/view/3286
Interview of AhhBoxxah:
First of all could you introduce yourself to us?
Hello, my name is Mihai Avrigeanu, I live in Montreal, Canada and I'm 17 years old.
Where'd the name AhhBoxxah come from?
Essentially it's just a joke between some friends of mine and myself. We would yell out AHHBOXXAH whenever someone tried to micro in broodwar, as a sort of homage to Boxer of course, but it was mainly used ironically as we would use it whenever some failed at microing haha ^^, however I think that I will eventually switch my name because it's pretty awkward when I introduce myself to other people at events rofl.
Could you please explain your Marine, Tank and Medivac strategy in your own words?
The strategy itself isn't too complicated, but uses quite a few thought out transitions, which I won't cover in this interview as I don't want to write an entire essay haha ^^. Basically, I try to get out an expansion as fast as I can, as well as getting quick upgrades. These upgrades obviously allow my marines to become more effective, and give me good push timings. Moreover, marines are easy to mass as they are really cheap, which allows me to constantly pressure the zerg, and this works really well when executed with drops. On the other hand, tanks are the main unit that allow me to fight a zerg army head-on, as I usually never engage with marines because banelings completely destroy them, which is why you must use stim a lot to constantly kite banelings. For most of the game, however, the tank's main purpose is to defend my side of the map, hence defend my expansions, until I get a critical mass and push. Medivacs are used for the obvious reasons of support and added mobility. Actually, I also use BCs intentionally late game, as they offer a very strong transition in that they abuse the very ground heavy army the Zerg usually uses to counter my army composition, as mutas and hydras progressively become more obsolete. In short, the units have really good synergy, and it allows for good offense and defense. I would be happy to comment extensively on the deeper thought behind the build if the interest is high enough ^^.
What is your gaming history?
I've been playing computer games since the age of 5 or 6, having played games such as RA1, Dune 2000, warcraft on dos rofl! Eventually I started playing broodwar at the age of 9, fastest map/bgh and what not. My first encounter with competitive gaming was during my warcraft 3 period, which was when I was around 13-14 years old. It was the first time when I discovered the world of eSports. However I eventually gravitated back to brood war, and have been playing it competitively for the past 3-4 years, having established myself as a solid player after having joined team NrG, playing amongst the B ++ level players.
What is the one strategy that you hope not to see from your Zerg opponent?
There is no specific strategy I fear the most. However I really think that once zergs become more proficient with their multitask, as well as start using broodlords and infestors more, complimented by good baneling positioning and constant creep spread, my play style will have a harder time, and I might eventually have to start incorporating other units, more specifically marauders again.
Are you on a gaming team?
Yes I am currently on team NrG, along with brood war superstars NrG.stev aka YoonHo, NrG.Humble aka Jackass, NrG.dde aka Tidy, NrG.eve, NrG.v1ktor, NrG.Bamboo, as well as our newly added WoW progamers NrG.Kvz and NrG.ViBE, and up and coming superstars NrG.Deph and NrG.CrY! Also shoutout to our always loyal nergs NrG.ZaM, NrG.Cirno, and NrG.fcuk, and last but not least the best leader of all time NrG.Neverexpo. Woot my first true shoutout! haha
Could you explain what's going on in what was the issue you seemed to have with Catz?
Haha this was quite the fiasco! Long story short, amidst the competition there was some good trash talk, nothing serious! In case you're up for some good drama http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=150845
No hard feelings though, I actually really respect CatZ from what I see him doing with team ROOT, and with the bonds that he seems to share with all of his teammates, he seems like a really cool guy ^^.
No hard feelings though, I actually really respect CatZ from what I see him doing with team ROOT, and with the bonds that he seems to share with all of his teammates, he seems like a really cool guy ^^.
Who are your favorite SC2 players currently?
I don't really have any favorite SC2 player, although I'm really looking forward to seeing old BW pros play (NaDa, Boxer, JulyZerg, etc). Besides that, I find watching all of the high caliber NA/EU players entertaining! I must say though that former brood war players will always have a place in my heart <3!
How do you feel about the balance of Terran right now?
Hmm what a controversial topic haha! I find that I have no major complaints about any matchups really. I find that, at least from my style of play, the matchups are pretty balanced, and that ultimately the better player will win. The only regrets I have are of the very stagnant map pools for tournaments i.e. the constant use of blizzard maps. I really wish that we could explore different types of maps, with different architecture and dimensions, so that we can further assess what truly affects matchup balance and metagame. Other than that nothing major!
Any other things you want to say?
I just wanted to say that I am really humbled by this interview! This is the first time I actually get some exposure, and I hope that perhaps I gained some fans from this haha! Ultimately, I would really like to thank you for this opportunity, and I'd be happy to contribute in anyway possible to the community, and I can promise you that this isn't the last time you will have heard of me! Shoutout to team NrG, the best team ever! =D
Ending Note:
I just really enjoyed casting his games and hope to see more of his games. AhhBoxxah took out AlLaboUtyOu in the quarter-finals. Also AhhBoxxah is working on his own TvZ replay pack to add to this thread.
I hope you enjoy the read, and if not, at least enjoy the games/strategy.
.
