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Week One Interviews

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by Kwark

Fantasy vs Hyuk



+ Show Spoiler [Game One - Icarus] +

Mind vs Calm



+ Show Spoiler [Game One - Aztec] +

Modesty vs Kal



+ Show Spoiler [Game One - Gladiator] +

Stork vs HiyA


I have to admit, that's the ugliest stork I've ever seen.

+ Show Spoiler [Game One - Pathfinder] +

by WaxAngel




Following in the footsteps of Great Barrier Reef and Flight-dreamliner, Pathfinder is the third consecutive OSL unique map to strongly emphasize aerial tactics while retaining a strong ground-based core. Pathfinder utilizes just one simple but significant quirk to achieve this: the air distances between mains are extremely short.

With 32 games now played, and the OSL more than half over, we can start to talk about trends, points of interest, and maybe even dare to take a crack at balance.


Terran vs Zerg (8 : 3)

Let’s begin with the matchup that deviates the most from the norm when played on Pathfinder. For Zerg, short air distances means there is little reason to stray from the standard two or three hatch mutalisks strategy, but Terran players can be tempted into a variety of one-base options.

By now any professional Terran player can pull off a pretty decent two starport wraith build. So well, in fact, that it temporarily became the standard Pathfinder build after its debut. It led to an amusing TvZ metagame which was very similar to the old “Fantasy build” metagame where Zerg would try to go to three hatch mutas while building the bare minimum number of hydralisks required to defend.

From there, Terrans have mixed it up with even more one base builds that try to exploit Zerg’s tendency to pump as many drones as possible before mutalisks. Both Hiya and Suny went for clever one base dropship builds timed to hit before mutalisks; Hiya succeeded and Suny would have if not for his mistakes. There was some creative defense on display as well, when Fantasy dusted off his old “Fantasy-build” which rushes for goliaths and valkyries in order to counter mutalisks (though in that particular game, his opponent read the move and went for a three hatch hydralisk all-in).

Standard 1 rax FE has been decent on the map as well, which is not surprising since you can’t really go wrong with mass M&M into vessels against Zerg. Though it hasn’t been the dominant strat on Pathfinder, it is certainly viable. I did find it amusing though, that Mind, a very safe player who prefers rax FE in almost any scenario, has used 2 port wraith exclusively on this map.

Even with 11 games played, I don’t think we can come to many conclusions on this map. Terran players are still experimenting with different strategies, while Zerg players have yet to utilize many counter-counter builds as of yet. This matchup should continue to be unpredictable and entertaining.

Games of Interest: Shine vs Suny, Mind vs Hero


Protoss vs Zerg (3 : 9)

In a trend not limited to just Pathfinder, Protoss players have been dropping games left and right to Zerg attacks at the five hatchery timing. Stopped corsairs at five? Die to muta-scourge. Made an archon? Die to hydralisks. It’s a little bit more complex than that in an actual game, but overall it shows that Zerg players are scouting and reading their Protoss opponents very well and catching them completely off guard.

One thing that surprises me is that in only one of out ten games did Protoss go for a two stargate robotics build (Movie vs Hyuk). Though it is a risky build that is very slow to transition, it might be better than the middle of the road templar archive builds that are getting slaughtered by the appropriate Zerg counter. At least when you guess correctly with two stargate +1 corsairs, you are completely countering your opponent.

Overall, Pathfinder hasn’t really visibly altered the matchup in a big way, with players going for the same old standard PvZ strategies. Once again, balance is a hard topic to tackle. If a map has an unbalanced record where most games follow a similar pattern, you suggest there is something wrong with only a few games played. Though Zerg leads Protoss so far, it’s hard to pinpoint a cause.

Game of interest: Paralyze vs Great


Terran vs Protoss (3:4)

Fast drops are typically performed in PvT in order to catch your opponent off guard, but Pathfinder changes that mentality to a degree. Close air distances mean any drop performed from the main are equivalent to a semi-proxy robotics on most other maps. Also, Pathfinder’s 360 degree wide open mains offer even more routes of entry for shuttles compared to standard maps where one or two sides of the main are closed off by the map border.

In this situation, DT drops and reaver drops take on the character of fast mutalisks in ZvT, daring opponents to stop a strategy they know is coming. Turret coverage won’t always be perfect, neither will mine and tank placement. If there’s a gap, then it might be GG right there.

It’s not a matter of stopping a rush or not, because anyone can stop a rush if they really want. In today’s greedy, fast-expanding environment, it’s about how much many corners you can safely cut against an early attack, and on the other end identifying and exploiting those cut-corners.

Well, that’s what I can get from seven game’s worth anyway. Over half the games involved some sort of drop, though not all were of the extremely fast sort. It seem that Protoss players consider drops a risk very much worth taking on Pathfinder.

Note: The 12:00 -> 8:00 TvP push worried me from the second they released the map. Push four screens, setup in a ridiculously narrow corridor, neutralize Protoss nat for free? Presented with such a free-win starting position, Leta proceeded to throw the game by clumping all his tanks together and allowing half of them to get stasised.

Games of interest: Stork vs Hiya, Kal vs Baby


Mirrors: Interestingly enough, we’ve only had ZvZ as a mirror matchup on Pathfinder. Since ZvZ NEVER changes, regardless of what map it’s played on, there’s not much to say there.

Similar to TvP, super fast reaver drops might be a bit rough to stop in PvP, even if they are expected. For the most part, however, PvP doesn’t change too much depending on the map, so it probably won’t stray too farm from the norm.

As for TvT, I’m excited this map might take us away from the current trend of fast expanding and playing passively for the late game. When the dropship speed patch came out many years ago, fast drop builds and aggressive air play quickly became the norm. From there, the TvT has gradually slowed down and become a much more resource focused matchup. If Mind and Fantasy can make it past their opponents, I hope they can revive the good old days of early dropship wars.

by Milkis

Editor's Note: Milkis' original, unaltered manuscript was alas, too controversial for its time. Here we present a highly sanitized version, though you can probably guess what Milkis wrote in the original.

2011 has finally arrived, and there's little doubt that the makers of Pepero are ridiculously happy. This is because Koreans religiously celebrate Pepero Day, 11/11, meaning that we'll there will be all kinds of celebrating and overdosing on these Pocky clones when we hit the magical 11/11/11.

But I'm getting eleven months ahead of myself. Of course, the new year represents other things as well. While the more naive ones amongst us like to make resolutions for themselves (hoping that this arbitrary change in the calendar will bring about changes in their lives that they never had the willpower or capability to change to begin with), some of us (stuck in an airport, waiting for a flight) would rather suggest resolutions to others. Because after all, us armchair Starcraft players know what we're talking about, right? So without further ado, here are some e-Sports resolutions for 2011.



Flash -- Stop being arrogant

There's a fine line between being confident and being downright arrogant. It could just be Flash's bonjwa force, but it's more likely the latter case -- in some of the games he has played recently it looked like he was downright underestimating his opponents and expecting them to be paralyzed in fear. The deadly sin of arrogance was particularly noticeable in the games that knocked him out of the MSL. Maybe it's simply his just deserts, but none of us want Flash to go back into a mini-slump -- one that Flash himself had attributed to arrogance. Hopefully, he'll treat the players he plays with a bit more dignity and he won't get caught with his pants down anymore.


Jaedong -- Rethink the risk/reward paradigm

The biggest reason the consecutive Flash - Jaedong finals were disappointing was because Jaedong simply did not keep up with Flash's mind games. Jaedong opted for greedy plays for one reason or another and got rolled over before he could put up a fight. Remember the game on Triathlon, with the fake Mutalisk that never showed up? And the perfectly timed Dark Swarm and Plague that kept Flash's forces at bay? And then remember that Jaedong didn't make units and got rolled over? Or do you remember the game on Polaris where a surprise bio build caught Jaedong with no units whatsoever? Or the game on Odd Eye, where Goliaths simply rolled Jaedong over... etc etc. Jaedong just took too many big risks -- whether it was due to poor scouting or just general greed. Rethinking the risk/reward paradigm will help Jaedong out a lot, and maybe he'll stop losing games to players like Hogil afterwards.


Stork -- Man up

While Stork's nickname is the "Commander in Chief", it's always a stretch when applying that nickname to someone like Stork. And no, it's not just because half his twitter posts are about dieting or the condition of his skin. He's easily the most sensitive/emo Progamer I have seen -- avoiding pictures because he thinks he looks bad or saying stuff like he only plays for the fans now because he doesn't have that much passion anymore, or being a hypocrite and calling out Flash. I dunno, Stork is awesome as a player but his girlish character needs a bit more work. Stork's resolution should be to get traded to Hwaseung Oz and be under the tutelage of their ex-kickboxer head coach (who has threatened to crush ggaemo if he gets caught surfing the web again), or join KT Rolster and learn a thing or two about manliness from Reach. It's time to stop getting babied by January 24/7!


Bisu -- Get a real personality

It's shocking to me that people think Bisu has good enough looks to succeed as a star elsewhere after his BW career. His looks aside (my personal opinion is that he looks like he's a bit... vacant upstairs), the number one reason he won't succeed is because he lacks a personality. He isn't entertaining, he isn't charismatic once he opens his mouth, and SKT knows this -- enough to block Fomos from interviewing him on multiple occasions. Just getting a little bit of personality would help him out, and would help him transition to a variety show position like Shark. Bisu could learn a lesson or two from his former MBCGame teammate!


Paralyze -- Don't get a haircut Keep it up!

One of the biggest travesties in Progaming is that the ID PerfectMan is already taken. Because, of course, we know who the rightful owner is. Paralyze's only flaw is being new -- he has everything that is needed to become an entertaining player: the willingness to speak up, challenge better players, and of course, he has amazing hair. We forgive his 0-3 elimination from the OSL, because he's a rookie after all. He just needs a bit of experience, and he'll keep on being awesome.


firebathero -- Win more games, give more interviews.

Firebathero has been giving some amazing interviews in ACE's surprisingly numerous winner's interview sessions. From channeling the spirit of Flash during his games to reaching Nirvana once reaching Ace, everything this man says is pure gold. More Firebathero also means more ceremonies, and more (bad) manner Command Centers, which you can never have enough of.


Violet -- Qualify for the next OSL

Violet wanted to get a twitter account, but apparently he was denied by the team because he did not qualify for the OSL. We all want to see Violet's tweets, considering he's one of the most outgoing progamers currently playing. Qualify for OSL simply so we can follow your twitter!


Kal -- Realize your true potential

Some of the games that Kal has been showing us have been nothing short of amazing due to his incredible micro. From intricate shuttle drop/pick up to clutch shield batteries, Kal has used his incredible micro to win games that he could have easily lost.

However, if he keeps up this way, he's in danger of becoming a player like free -- a player who often starts off at a disadvantage but relies on one well-fought, decisive battle to obtain victory. Kal's inconsistency reflects this point -- many of the games he loses, he simply gets beat before he has the chance to show us his amazing micro. If he improves the other aspects of his game, Kal could easily win Protoss of the year come this December.

(Oh and please teach Midas how to micro.)


iloveoov -- Create more rivalries

iloveoov is remarkably good at making controversial statements that create hype and bring attention to e-Sports. The hype that he created helped the last SKT - KT series to reach #4 in national TV ratings, which is quite a figure for a game that people are so quick to proclaim dead. I hope oov finds more ways to keep the scene interesting, and I also hope that other coaches also help create hype and interest in e-Sports.


GomTV -- Figure out how to attract more than 10 people to the Code S games

The Code S tours have gathered surprisingly little attention in Korea. GomTV decided to rent out a 5000 seat gymnasium for the opening ceremonies and games -- which was a bold move, considering that the last GSL finals only had 1800 people in a 6000 seat stadium.

The result was nothing short of disappointing. Only 500 people showed up, prompting one netizen to comment "Are there Arbiters present? I can't see anyone in the audience".

It only went downhill from there -- only 50 people showed up for Boxer's Code S matches, and apparently, only 10 or so people showed up for Tester's Code S matches. Whatever GomTV is doing, they need to rethink their strategies and retool how they're going to pull this off, because the initial hype in Korea is slowly turning into disinterest. Since it is up for GomTV to keep SC2 alive in Korea -- please, please, promote your games better.