EPT
TeamLiquid.net KT-KTF Premiere League Games of the Week, Week Three
Yellow (Hong Jin Ho) v IntotheRainbow (Kim Seong Jae) on Luna
Yellow's resurgence has been marked over the last few months and he was looking to retain his unbeaten record in the Premiere League against the week two Oov-killer, IntotheRainbow. Rainbow (protoss at eight) went for a forge-first cannon rush as he warped in a pylon next to the enemy's natural mineral line with Yellow (zerg at two) trying to set up his early expansion. Yellow's drones forced the cancellation of one cannon but could do nothing about the other and he was forced to abort his expo and build a new hatchery at the top of his ramp.
Rainbow had warped in a gateway and two cannons at the base of his ramp in preparation for an early expo, while Yellow started a secret third hatchery at the five o'clock position. Rainbow was warping in a stargate and archives in his main and also brought in a new nexus at his natural. However, as Rainbow tried to secure his expo with a third cannon, Yellow hit him with a lightning strike. The veteran zerg had been steadily building a force of lings and he efficiently encircled the protoss cannons before Rainbow even new what was happening and destroyed the protoss defences, leaving the new expansion and Rainbow's only gateway at his mercy.
With Rainbow's entire game already in tatters lurkers began arriving from the zerg main and Rainbow's lone dark templar could do nothing to stop them taking down both the protoss bases, More lings arrived to finish the job as Rainbow tried a pointless counter at Yellow's expansion with his dark templar as the Yellow razed the protoss main. As his main nexus was destroyed Rainbow typed out and Yellow remained unbeaten.
[Red]Nada (Lee Yoon Yeol) v ArtofHan (Han Oong Nyeol) on Luna
Having been wiped out in the opener by Nal_Ra, Nada bounced back to utterly demolish Terato in week two and his third match was a tricky encounter with a player who retains a reputation as a terran v terran player despite recent indifferent results, ArtofHan.
Nada (terran at 11) opened with two factories, while Han (terran at seven) opted for a one factory early expansion build. Nada raced down the map with his first three vultures and a single tank and set up near Han's expo as the command centre floated out to its landing site. With his early unit advantage and seeing Han's expo, Nada took his own natural expansion. Han erected a starport, while in the opposing base Nada was putting up an armoury and academy. Han tried some early harassment with his first wraith but carelessly allowed it to be blasted out of the sky by Nada's goliaths.
Both boasting healthy economies, the two players moved out towards the centre of the map, warily holding position out of tank range. Nada opted to expand again to the two o'clock position and soon after Han attempted to send a force in that direction only to be cut off by the fast-reacting Nada and seeing his attackers destroyed.
Han opted to double expand to the five main and five natural as Nada erected another command centre at the one o'clock position. Han moved part of his army to the low right centre position, simultaneously guarding his two new expansions while at the same time creating possible threats to the two o'clock expansion. However, Nada took advantage of the repositioning to launch a sudden attack at left centre, smashing a group of Han's tanks. Nada built on his success by taking yet another expo at 12 while suddenly starting work on three starports, followed by a science facility and a fourth starport.
By now Han was sensing that Nada's economy was getting out of control and he attempted to drop the two expo, sending the SCVs fleeing initially but returning after the invaders were destroyed. Nada now had five starports and had added a physics lab to his science facility. Han too now had a set of starports and a science facility.
Battle was finally joined in the centre as Han launched a mass attack, with a tank advance supported by drops among the defending units, blasting all of Nada's tanks to oblivion. However, his elation was short-lived as four giant battlecruisers glided slowly towards the battlefield. Han sent his tanks off in hunt of a Nada expo but they were tracked by the menacing cruisers. In his own base, Han was accumulating a set of wraiths to counter. He engaged the battlecruisers with wraiths and goliaths, managing to take down some but was unable to deliver a serious blow to Nada's ever-strengthening army and airforce. Nada's tanks and cruisers obliterated Han's five natural expo. Han attempted to attack again but Nada's growing fleet of cruisers was far too strong for the wraiths.
Vultures broke into the five main, destroying numerous SCVs even while under heavy fire from a fleet of wraiths. With Han's infrastructure on the brink of collapse, Nada's huge fleet of cruisers headed towards his opponent's natural/main, meeting no resistance, and Han went down to his second defeat of the tournament.
Iloveoov (Choi Yeon Seong) v GoRush (Park Tae Min) on Nostalgia
GoRush (zerg at the one o'clock position) opted for the familiar early expansion while Iloveoov (terran at five) went for the standard two barracks build. As GoRush started morphing his lair, Oov sent a squad of six marines towards the zerg base but then thought better of the move and brought them back before suddenly starting work on two factories in his main. Meanwhile, GoRush had his hydralisk den on the way and started work on a new hatchery at the seven position.
Oov made his move when he had reached four vultures and they, accompanied by a group of marines, discovered the seven expo. GoRush reacted to the appearance of vultures by morphing a spire and tried to morph up to four sunken colonies at his new expansion, not in time to hurt the enemy force. However, Oov was in a for a nasty shock as the first flight of zerg mutalisks zeroed in on his main, arriving to find, astoundingly nothing in the way of air defences with most of the terran marines in action at the seven position. As the merciless mutas picked off SCVs the terran marine force was racing back from seven to defend, arriving in time to stop serious damage to the terran natural expansion. Curiously, Oov had not finished off the seven hatchery and GoRush finally consolidated it with sunkens, as well as morphing a new expansion at 12.
Oov tried to bite back at his opponent with a vulture attack a the new 12 o'clock hatchery, but GoRush was able to defend with zerglings. GoRush, having severely damaged his opponent's economy with his early mutalisk assault, was no on top and launched another attack on the terran main with a flight os mutalisks, taking down three turrets and bringing marines scurrying back to defend. The mutas fled to safety having done even more damage to the terran position.
GoRush sent a force of lurkers and mutalisks to attack Oov's double roadway entrance while, already having a hive, waiting for his defiler mound and greater spire. Oov was working on two starports but it was too late to assist as the overwhelming zerg swarm charged into his natural, mass lings supported by lurker, dark swarm and guardians, finishing the game.
Other Games:
Nal_Ra (Kang Min) v Cloud (Cha Jae Ook) on Luna
Ra (protoss at 11) went for double gate ranged dragoons as Cloud (terran at five), coming off an impressive win last week against GoRush, relied on a one factory marine and tank opening, pursuing Ra's early dragoons across the map and at the same time taking his natural. In response to the early expo, Ra quickly added two expansions of his own and increased his gate count. As Ra's probes headed to his as yet undiscovered expansion at the two Cloud saw them and tried to break into the expo through wall of pylons Ra had quickly started warping at the ramp. The decisive moment came with the terran army's acquisition of dropships. Cloud dropped four tanks at Ra's undefended expo at two and despite not immediately targeting the nexus was able to destroy it before Ra's army could arrive on the scene. Cloud took advantage of this success to mass an army before heading towards Ra's natural, tanks and vultures taking down the expansion as they came under fire from a carrier Ra had been warping in in his main. Ra tried to counterattack but Cloud's natural was well defended and he was expanding along the bottom of the map. As his carriers slowly chipped away at the attacking force, Ra saw his main razed to the ground, effectively ending the game.
TheMarine (Kim Jeong Min) v Mumyung (Seong Hak Seung) on Arizona
A curious game which perhaps demonstrates why Mumyung has never quite made it to the next level. The anonymous zerg, at the five position, opted for a standard early expansion build while TheMarine (terran at eleven) walled in with a single barracks and made a second command centre, seen immediately by a roaming overlord as it moved to 12. As TheMarine waited for two starports, Mumyung spotted an opportunity and broke through the barracks with zerglings, destroying a gaggle of SCVs. More lings and lurkers entered the terran main and it looked as if the game was over. However, with TheMarine holding out at 12 Mumyung did everythign possible to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with some woeful decision-making. He allowed TheMarine to cause havoc with a whole host of wandering, irradiating science vessels and wraiths and for a while it looked as if TheMarine was toying with a chobo before the giant zerg economy finally helped Mumyun close out the game.
GoodFriend (Lee Byeong Min) v Sync (Byeon Kil Seop) on Nostalgia
Sync has been in fine form recently and looked to repeat his performance against TheMarine last week in a similar style of match-up against the struggling GoodFriend. GoodFriend (terran at five) opted for vults against Sync's (terran at seven) early armoury, setting up an early siege at Sync's double roadway. Unlike last week's game, where Sync gradually overpowered TheMarine with a series of fine decisions and a few lucky breaks, Sync never got to grips with GoodFriend's early control of the map. Time and again he tried to break out of his opponent's powerful containment, to little effect. GoodFriend built up to a sizable fleet of wraiths while expanding efficiently and safely and picking off tanks from the air. After one last desperate attempt to break out into the centre, Sync typed out and succumbed to his first defeat of the tournament.
[Oops]Reach (Park Jeong Seok) v Kingdom (Park Yong Ook) on Requiem
The two powerful protoss pros used almost identical builds, with Reach (at nine) and Kingdom (at six) going for two gates with early zealots, teching at the same time to cybernetics core, range and robo. Somehow, Reach managed to squeeze an earlier third gate into his build, which should have given him something of an advantage in the early skirmishes although the first major engagement came out even. Both players warped in a robotics facility, Kingdom following with a support bay and Reach electing for observers. Reach launched a new attack but Kingdom's first reaver stopped it in its tracks, although the battle left Kingdom trapped in his main. By now Reach had his own bay and was awaiting a reaver. Kingdom tried a disastrous reaver drop on the plateau above his main, perhaps hoping to charge out with his dragoons too but ended up losing one reaver for no gain. Both players expanded, Kingdom to five and Reach to 12. The game was decided by a timely double reaver drop against Kingdom's defenceless expansion, destroying it completely. Kingdom tried to counter with an unsuccessful reaver drop at Reach's main, getting some probes but losing both reavers and his shuttle. Reach soon charged into Kingdom's main to finish the game.
Chojja (Jo Yong Ho) v July Zerg (Park Seong Joon) on Requiem
Both players opted for standard early pool and gas, although July (zerg at 12) managed to have his structures ready significantly earlier than his opponent. Taking advantage of this, July went for early ling pressure, netting a couple of drones and forcing Chojja (zerg at six) to use another drone up creating a sunken. Maintaining the advantage he gained early game, July started his lair much quicker than Chojja and while Chojja managed to get scourge in the air quick enough to hold off immediate muta destruction he was always struggling to stay with his opponent. July eventually overwhelmed Chojja with a swarm of zerglings while at the same time harassing his main with mutas, closing out the win.
Boxer (Lim Yo Hwan) v Rage (Kim Hwan Joong) on Luna
The hapless Rage has looked out of his class in such illustrious company the first two weeks of the Premiere League yet here he came up against another winless player in the shape of beaten finalist Boxer. Boxer (terran at 11) constructed a strange 'wall' of rax, two depots and a factory as he kept the protoss out of his base early on. Rage (protoss at seven) constructed a second gate after being forced back by Boxer's early tank and marine force but Boxer elected to pull back and take his natural expansion while erecting a second factory. Rage tried a poorly executed reaver drop in Boxer's main, losing his reaver for little gain. As Boxer massed tanks and moved out into the centre of the map, Rage caught his opponent off guard and obliterated a large number of tanks with some superbly targeted storms but failed to break the push completely as Boxer closed in on the protoss natural. The Emperor of Terran set up an iron-clad containment outside the expansion and gradually squeezed the protoss base until Rage was forced to quit.
Xellos (Seo Ji Hoon) v Terato (Park Jeong Kil) on Arizona
Xellos (terran at five) walled in with one barracks while Terato (protoss at 11) went for double gate ranged dragoons. Behind his wall Xellos bult one factory and a starport and launched a fast two vulture, one tank drop at the protoss main. Terato held on, sustaining relatively minor damage despite not having any observers to deal with mines. By the time Xellos tried a second unsuccessful drop, having to retreat due to well-placed dragoons, he was also working on a second command centre in his main. Terato also expanded and both players started massing their armies. Both players moved out towards the middle of the map, Xellos setting up in siege mode only to find his tanks blowing each other up due to a series of superbly placed zealot drops by his protoss opponent, drawing admiring gasps from the watching audience. Having weakened the terran position, Terato charged with his main army and broke the terran push. In his main he had a stargate ready and a fleet beacon on the way and had scouted the new terran expansion at three. Terato attacked again and took out yet more tanks but was forced to retreat although he now looked to be gaining control of the game, with carriers imminent. As Terato dropped two dragoons at the new undefended terran expansion at three Xellos strangely typed out. Although Terato looked to be in command of the game it seemed a bizzarely premature decision from the suddenly Imperfect Terran, allowing Terato to pick up his first win of the tournament.
And the TeamLiquid.net KT-KTF Player of the Week award goes to:
The only player in the tournament to retain his unbeaten record, zerg legend Yellow. Having offed teammate Nal_Ra last week, the KTF star's resurgence continued in week three as for the second game in a row he demonstrated perfect timing to deliver an early killing blow to a suspect protoss build.
Standings after week three:
Group A:
Yellow 3 - 0
Cloud 2 - 1
GoRush 2 - 1
Mumyung 2 - 1
Sync 2 - 1
Goodfriend 1 - 2
Iloveoov 1 - 2
IntotheRainbow 1 - 2
Nal_Ra 1 - 2
TheMarine 1 - 2
Group B:
Chojja 2 - 1
July Zerg 2 - 1
[Oops]Reach 2 - 1
[Red]Nada 2 - 1
Xellos 2 - 1
ArtofHan 1 - 2
Boxer 1 - 2
Kingdom 1 - 2
Terato 1 - 2
Rage 0 - 3
