MarineKingPrime vs. oGsMC Summary and Analysis

Marine King opens with a completely standard floating to the gold base, while MC is doing the completely standard Nexus first. :O MC double scouts a base when scouting, as he thinks he may have missed the command center. Marine King begins a bunker in MCs base and tries to push with his initial marines. MKP is using the extra income from the gold to go three barracks and manages to kill MCs nexus. MKP pulls more SCVs and builds more bunkers, trying to guarantee the kill on the nexus first. MC is beginning a four warpgate as MKP uses the extra minerals to get a fast second base. MC does a brilliant zealot warp in and does some good economic damage. MC begins pushing down the ramp and kills off all of MKP's forces and just overwhelms the marine heavy composition of MKP and forces the gg.

This game is actually very tough to analyze, because it was so unorthodox. I think that MarineKing actually showed that if your protoss opponent tries to nexus first on Metalopolis, you can successfully punish him for that with a two rax + SCV bunker rush, which is very interesting and deserves to be tested. MarineKing also showed the strengths and weaknesses of floating to the gold base. The extra income allowed him to three rax expand instead of the more typical two rax expand for pressure, but also left him quite vulnerable to any rush that MC could have done.

Now the real question is this, should you do this? And my answer, is yes, yes you should. What MarineKing did this game by no means should be your standard play, or else protoss just does any rush and dominates you. But if you are ever in a tournament setting, this is a very smart way to do a risky play that will throw your opponent off their kilter.

MC also puts forth the notion yet again of the possibility of last minute Nexus cancelling into 4 gate, and it seems that every player should be more prepared for this in the future, in all matchups, as even without the extra 400 minerals, MC is still able to kill with it.

Terran: How to take a smart risk in a tournament setting, and a possible counter to nexus first on non GSL maps

Protoss: That the Nexus cancel 4 gate may be workeable against terran. Although he didn't actually do this, the fact that he was able to kill Marine King even when losing the 400 minerals shows that it may be workable.

Everyone: CHECK THE XEL'NAGA!

Both players appear to be doing normal openers, getting their gateway/rax and their first gases. But what's this?! MarineKing is proxying a factory and getting his second gas at the standard 1-1-1 timing. Marine King gets an armory, and at this point it is obvious that he is going for a thor rush.

MC almost does huge damage just poking at MKP's front, but MK is able to hold with some fabulous marine micro. MC continues to punish MarineKing's lack of defense with his three gate and just keeps picking off MKPs limited forces. Through three gate aggression, MC is able to punish MarineKing's fancy play and manages to do huge damage and just kill him. MKP counter attacks with his thor, but it is too late to do anything since MC can just pull all of his probes to hold the attack since he has taken over MKPs main base.

First, just a quick note on MKP's building placement; he begins walling his choke with supply depots, if you watch the Huk vs. MVP series, MVP uses some similar great building placement, if you want to go tanks in TvP, or just be smart against early pressure, having a supply depot wall helps against any early attack timings that hit before what you're trying to do is out.

Marine King seems to be in retro mode today, as he is doing some old Terran foolishness against protoss, it may have worked, but MC just plays really well. One thing that MC has taught me and that I hope he can teach others, is that a three gate expand can be super aggressive and kill many terran builds without ever becoming all in. You should almost always test a terran's front with your zealot and stalker to see if damage can be done, seeing an opportunity, MC immediately goes into a 3 gate expand and if you go pure stalker sentry off of it, you can be very powerful. MC also demonstrated this in his game vs. Liquid'Jinro when he was able to straight up kill Jinro's fast expand with a three gate expand with sentries and stalkers.

Terran: To be reassured that proxy thor is very risky to any pressure before the thor is out, but also that it is a useful build to know, because if MKP is pulling it out in a tournament, you can too.

Protoss: Why you should poke with your first zealot and stalker, and how you can be aggressive with a three gate expand. MC manages to make protoss units look incredibly strong, and I find the way he uses them inspirational to my own protoss play

MC IS GOING GAS FIRST! Whenever I see a protoss do this I get so excited, because I have tried to theory craft for so long an opening with gas first, but we'll see how this works out. Gas on 12 Gateway on 14, for those wondering. MKP has not gotten any gas and appears to be going for a one rax fast expand. MC still has not done anything special with his extra gas, and gets the standard Zealot followed by Stalker while MKP is indeed one rax fast expanded. MC throws down a stargate, but the faster gas allows him to not get a second gas, as he lays down three more gateways putting him up to four. MKP will truly show some excellent play if he manages to hold one of the hardest all ins I've seen with a 1 rax fast expand.

Brilliant! MC uses the proxy void ray to get sight on MKP's high ground and then warps in zealots underneath. The Zealots will make it so difficult to micro marines against the void ray, but if anyone can do it, it is the king of marines. MKP did go three barracks after the expand though, he has a chance to hold. Through flawless marine micro and slowly getting a viking out, MKP manages to holds the all in and is far ahead in tech and production and is able to counter attack for the win.

This is a super awesome all in by MC with a great use of going gas first, it allows for the void rays while still allowing enough minerals for the four warp gate zealots. I would definatley recommend giving this a try, as I can imagine it would beat many players with worse crisis management micro then MKP.

This was a fantastic hold of a void ray all in by marine king prime. What I'm noticing in the meta game of TvP, is that terrans are liking to go pure marine longer than usual, because they are very capable with enough numbers of holding attacks until either many stalkers, colossus, or storm is out.

Protoss: A very cool all in, 4 gate void ray off of one gas

Terran: how to crisis management, how to micro marines against early pushes, and why you may want to consider staying on marines for a bit when fast expanding rather than super fast teching as some terrans are riskily doing.

These guys are refusing to open standard! Marine King is getting a second gas before barracks, possibly indicating cloak banshee, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a different move. MC is doing the standard opening this game. MC again uses his first zealot and stalker for a poke at MKP's ramp. Marine King is getting a siege tank and a starport while MC expanded and has gotten his robo.

Marine King gets a banshee and another tank while MC is adding on 3 more gateways and getting an observer. Marine King is slowly cutting SCVs while doing some great banshee harass. MC get's one immortal out and MKP brings some SCVs to repair his tanks. Marine King continues adding on Banshees and tanks, and his one base attack manages to break MC's greedy build. Artosis says it best: "Well, siege tanks are pretty good"

MarineKing is blindly going for his one base all in, so it is difficult to analyze, the one very good thing that he does is bring a few SCVs with him, many terrans forget to do this and it really helps with repairing the tanks. Also the timing is very good by him, skipping cloak as not everyone does. Also getting the second gas early and delaying siege mode allowed him to squeeze out the banshees faster and speed up the push.

MC really didn't quite react to this correctly in my opinion. Having seen a factory and no expansion, he should have assumed that tomfoolery was about. He didn't cut any probes and skipped quite a few warp ins and wasn't really reacting to the fact that MKP was one basing with a factory. I don't know if he should have semi-blindly gone stargate, or prioritized units over probes, but either would have been better to him not reacting and continuing to focus on worker over units when it was clear that his opponent was one basing.

Terran: Excellent execution of a marine, tank, banshee all in.

Protoss: That you absolutely need to analyze what your opponent is doing and react accordingly, and sometimes you just need to cut probes when you know you are ahead and being all inned.

Marine King is not getting his gas and appears to be going for a one rax expand while MC gets his at the standard time. MC looks like he's not getting his second gas. MKP is going for a very safe fast expand, adding on 3 more barracks after expand while MC looks poised to do his 3 gate expand. MKP gets an SCV in and sees exactly what MC is up to. MC is really committing to this 3 gate and MKP continues marine production and adds bunkers. MKP adds on two more barracks, really committing to marine maurader while MC expands.

MKP is preparing to do a big MM attack, but MC is getting a fast colossus, and if it pops in time, then MKP will be behind because he has very little tech. Marine King manages to hit a perfect timing before the colossus are out. But MC is doing a great job microing to delay until the colossus out, and Marine King has begun to tech up for vikings and medivacs. Forcefields and stalkers with the one colossus are enough to clean up MKP's push. At this point MKP is up 10 SCVs and has caught up on tech. Both players get their third bases up, with MKPs much earlier and get the standard TvP unit compositions. Marine King is up too much on MC in the food count from earlier in the game and manages to just straight up kill MC and take the series.

This is the perfect time to analyze how to stop a fast expand. You either have to commit and do damage, or expand and be a little behind, MC made a mistake of trying to punish the expand of MKP while also doing a normal expand build himself. If you're interested in this, Day9 did a daily on stopping fast expands here: http://blip.tv/file/4486834/?utm_source=blip&utm_medium=site_search&utm_content=blip&utm_campaign=s_ab daily number 224. I feel like this was a huge mistake by MC, as since he didn't commit to an attack, he got no advantage and was even further behind then had he just expanded.

MKP's fast expand was also extrememly solid and reminds me of Root.Drewbie's. It is very well proofed aganst most all ins, as a high marine count is good enough before protoss gets a lot of tech and gas units.

Protoss: Why to either commit to punishing a fast expand, or just expand yourself

Terran: A very safe way to fast expand and taking full advantage of an early advantage.