Flash spawned at 1 in red while Stork got yellow at 7 on New Bloody Ridge. Flash went for a very ambitious one rax FE build with just one marine when he took his expansion, although he would add more alongside a bunker. He used the bunker and the barracks (which he flew out) to narrow his choke while he took his natural.

Meanwhile Stork had rushed to dragoon range and gone for a quick second gateway which allowed him to apply some heavy dragoon pressyre to the bunker, forcing three+ scvs to constantly repair it. However, this came at the cost of delaying his own expansion significantly.

Flash finally got his first tank with siege mode and attempted to use it to force the dragoons back but instead they surged forwards, sniping the tank and two scvs for the loss of two dragoons. Stork followed up by double expanding and getting his robotics.



Flash stuck on two factories and focused on making tanks so he could creep forwards and take his third, adding a quick academy for comsats - both for scouting and to defend against possible DTs. However Stork was already getting his late game on. He was on three bases with observers out, adding two more gateways before starting on +1 air attack. While Flash was focusing on holding his corner and taking his third, Stork was rushing to the late game and praying Flash would remain passive for long enough.

A pylon wall shielded Stork's fourth base at 11 while Stork remained on four gateways and pumped out dragoons alongside carriers from three stargates. Flash scanned and realised Stork was trying to catch him napping in the mid-game so he could take by surprise later. In response, he pushed out on just four factories with a predominantly tank army supported by zero vultures.

His target - the expansion at 11 - was quite out of the way and very tricky to push to in any short amount of time. The route was exposed on multiple sides, and without the control and mobility that vultures give (both from mines cutting off flanks and the incredible speed of vultures themselves), he found his army continually outmaneuvered. Stork sacrificed a lot of dragoons but Flash's push was slowed to a snail's pace, having to constantly shift focus from aggression, to rearguard action, to protecting his reinforcements. Stork did well to remove the first few tanks to reach 11, but negated that gain by allowing an important group of delaying dragoons to get sandwiched between Flash's main force and reinforcements.

Stork long term goal had to combine a dragoon and carrier army and use his awesome carrier micro to abuse the cliffs and multiple routes on Bloody Ridge. However while he had lost too many dragoons trying to delay Flash's push and retained his fourth base, leaving him with far too little ground support once his carriers were out. Stork tried to take a shot at Flash's natural but found himself being repelled by newly produced goliaths while Flash's main tank force crushed his bases at 11 and 9. This put Stork down to just two bases, without anything to stop Flash's tanks while his carriers pecked away fruitlessly at Flash's bases. The inexorable tank advance moved into Stork's natural and he was forced to GG.

It's official: The OSL is in an opening slump.

Let's begin with this season's opening. Intros are supposed to be the ultimate form of hype, used to fill the viewers with giddiness and excitement. But the only response this generic, uninspiring, theme-less montage leading into the games of the Jin Air OSL can invoke is a chorus of whatevers from OSL fans.



There's really nothing about it that gets your heart beating. The players are walking around looking bored and doing nothing except some really awkward gazing. Flash can even be seen praying to every past and future incarnation of the Buddha to please make this shoot be over already.

The music is some of the most subdued we've ever heard. Though the songs from past OPs might have disagreed with your musical taste, but at least most of them had some good energy going. Jin Air's theme is just too plain, reminding me of an extra dull version of the 2008-09 Proleague Intro OGN Version.

Also, how are we supposed to tell who won the last OSL? You'd probably guess Jaedong from the video alone, because actual Bacchus 2010 winner Fantasy receives the worst hype treatment of any past champion. I mean seriously, Stork got his own goddamn statue for beating Fantasy.

Now, how about the previous OP? It's definitely better than the Jin Air OP, but that's not a hard feat to accomplish. I gave it two out of five stars in my review at the time, stating that there's nothing really wrong with it - just that it was just too plain for a company that has shown they can do much better.

And the one before that? Well, besides glass-exploder Jaedong, what do you really get out of it? If you're not a Jaedong fan, then there's pretty much nothing to like. Not that there's anything to hate either, but that just leaves this OP stuck in mediocrity.

I have to take another step back to find the last OSL intro I can really give a "good" or better rating: the Korean Air Season II RO36 intro. Effort's eyes burning with visions of glory creates a truly captivating visual image and the scene is further enhanced by the use of some awesome music that was deemed dramatic enough to be used in the trailer of a major motion picture.

I wouldn't say OnGameNet's status as the greatest ESPORTS production company in history is in any jeopardy, but COME ON! From 2010 onward, they've been pretty much on par with MBCGame. That's kind of embarrassing considering the fact that MBCGame doesn't even use video (ok, so they started using a little in the ABC Mart intro).

Maybe I'm being overly harsh. But after feasting on offerings such as the IOPS Starleague OP in the past, can you really blame me?

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.