EPT
Maybe ALL OF THE ABOVE? Well, whatever it was, the charged energy I usually sense leading up to, during and after the final just wasn't there this time. The trio of OGN casters/commentators were decked out in snazzy, Andre Kim knock-offs (or...were they REAL?!), but all things considered, they were over-dressed for the occasion. Most of you all already know the final results, but here's what happened in more detail:
GAME 1: Neo Bifrost
Traditionally, the most important game in best-of-five OGN finals (the winner of the 1st game ends up winning it all in like over 70% of the time), it was no exception today. This game really set the tone for the rest of the series and conclusively demonstrated again how a SINGLE friggin' mistake can cost you the game, series and title in competitive SC.
Things looked to be pretty even going into the match stats-wise, both players with a solid 4-1 record on Bifrost's icy tiles. Interesting to note also that both had lost to opponents playing the same race as the other this day, Nada losing to an amazing three hatch hydra strat v HOT and Chojja losing to the Zerg-killing wizardry of the French gosu ElkY. Nada (@8) had come prepared with a risky forward rax strat he had devised together with his teammate and practice partner Yellow (Talk about unfair advantage! I doubt Chojja had Boxer to practice with...). The strat failed miserably when one of Chojja's scouting drones spotted the rax flashing just outside and to the right of Chojja's main entrance (@2). Now here we see some nice counters by both players. Chojja immediately sends five drones to surround the rax to wait for the first marine to arrive (5x drones > 1 marine). Great move, but Nada's one step ahead and has his forward scv start on a supply to block the entrance and prevent the drones from getting out. By the time the drones spit thjeir way past the half-done supply, Nada's got 3 rines and and scv all prepped. Of course, Chojja's not gonna gamble everything on a drone rush. Chojja's lings came rushing out just in time to scare off the rines and take down the rax. Excellent crisis-management by both Nada and Chojja, hallmark of all champion-level SC gamers.
Both players re-group and start in earnest. Nada's initial ploy's fucked, but he's already started on an interesting mass vult/gol build. Chojja's quickly takes his natural and the 5 gas expo and shows mass ling/muta combo. Nada tries to push the 5 expo before it gets too comfortable, but Chojja incredibly takes out the mass gols with just 0-1 mutas and almost no ling support. EXCELLENT. Now it's Chojja's turn. His ovie spots Nada trying ta take the 11 gas expo and chojja sends a sizable contingent of muta/lings to raze it. But Nada's turned the 11 expo into a fortress with turrets everywhere and rines/vults/gols baring some serious-looking teeth. Chojja takes one look and just heads south - straight into an undefended main! Chojja's lings and mutas are crawling all over Nada's main now and Nada, sensing a make-or-break situation, brings everything (and I mean EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink - rines, vults, gols, scvs and all their relatives at the 11 expo) down to drive away the harrassing forces. Amazingly, when the dust had settled, Nada had lost some scvs, but that was about it. Not much in the way of building damage, either. Chojja, too, seemed in great shape tho, having lost his lings, but saving most of his mutas.
An intense series of attack-counter-attacks ensues after this, Nada with mass gol/tanks/rines and Chojja countering with mass ling/muta/lurker combo. Nada tries to end the semi-stalemate (Chojja's still got the slight edge in econ, forces and overall game management) with a decisive push into Chojja's 5 expo with a large expedition of units. Nada looks to have the drop on Chojja here and I'm thinking Chojja's 5 expo is toast. Then out of nowhere Chojja attacks full-throttle with every muta he's got - only mutas. The two let their untis settle into the pitched battle and I'm expecting the mutas to melt, but Chojja's 0-2'd his mutes and they slowly look superior. Nada's forces get decimated. Amazing! What a move by Chojja! Now Nada's in deep shit, cuz his reinforcements don't look anywhere near enough to take on a Chojja counter-attack. Nada's got mass gols, but nowhere near the gas production to go mass gol/tanks. He's also done with marines cuz he's too deeply committed to metal now. And, oh yeah, Nada's got ZERO vessel support. Nada looks fucked and the crowd and Chojja senses a very even series the rest of the way.
And then Chojja has a momentary lapse in judgment that will forever be labeled in the annals of OGN championship matches as "The Mistake." Nada takes a deep breath and just pours everthing into one last do-or-die gol/scv rush. And Chojja, instead of doing SOMETHING ELSE, commits his entire muta force in a head-on encounter with Nada's last-ditch gol/scv rush - over the bridge in the middle of the map. Chojja's lings and lurkers don't have the space to maneuver and get popped as they're crossing the bridge bumping into each other while the mutes get muted by the mass gols. And in the wink of an eye, Chojja has nothing left and he's dead in the water. About 10 seconds after that Nada's remaining gols get within range of the 5 expo and Chojja taps out GG.
Chojja knew he had Nada by the jugular. Chojja knew he had the game won. Chojja knew better PERIOD. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. With one mistake, Chojja falls faster than a puppet with its strings cut and Nada looks set to make this the fastest sweep in OGN finals history.
And I'll stop here with the detailed reports, cuz the next two matches were almost foregone conclusions after that monumental unraveling by Chojja. Chojja (@11) put up a half-hearted struggle in Game 2 on Zerg-favored Avant Garde II, but even Chojja's sauron-supported Cowboy Zerg style (ie herds of ultralisk) crumbled before wave after wave of Nada's (@1) massive m&m/bat/tank/vessel pushes. And Game 3 on Neo Forbidden Zone was a 10-minute joke, with Nada (@5) no expo 2 ship dropping Chojja's main (@7) with m&ms, while Chojja barely made a dent on Nada's main with 3 ovie lurker drops. Nada wins the Panasonic OGN Starleague final 3-0.
It was painfully obvious Chojja remained shell-shocked by the loss on Bifrost. He played tentative and safe the rest of the way and looked nowhere near as dangerous as he's looked for the past 3 months. True, Chojja was an awesome player even before his recent transformation into "Cowboy Zerg," but the old Chojja never stood a chance against a punishing opponent like Nada.
Yeah, it was boring as heck. No doubt about it. But, before anyone jumps on the let's-lynch-Chojja-for-being-so-newbie bandwagon, here's something I wanna mention. After the final GG, Cho came out of his isolation booth and stood side-by-side on stage with the OGN casters and Nada. And there, on stage, oblivious to all around him, Cho quietly cried tears of disappointment and humiliation, while one of the OGN casters put a sympathetic arm around him. A sad, poignant moment I'll remember for a while I think. As disappointing as the final was for me as a fan, I can't help but feel sorry for Cho. Even Nada seemed a bit embarrassed at having won so easily. It made me think once again about the price these players pay to become so great. Here's hoping Chojja bounces back leaner, meaner and more experienced. Actually, I don't need to "hope." I know he will.
Congratulations to both players.
UH:
