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Today Samsung played GO in a best of 7.
Todays winner goes on to play KTF.
The winner of that match goes on to play SK1 in the finals.
KTF will be wanting revenge on SK1 after its previous loss, but first they have to get through another challenger. Lets find out who advances between GO and Samsung:
Game 1: Xellos vs Stork on Forte
This match turned out to be a 25 minute macro slugfest, with Xellos taking the entire right and Stork with the entire left of the map. Stork showed some brave play attacking with zeal/goon/HT/arbiter and smashing apart some fiersome looking pushes with great spellcasting. For a while both players traded and rebuilt expos. However, Xellos was in macro mode with at least a dozen factories always working, and once he reached 3-3 a massive ground army rolled over a then arbiterless Stork for a Terran victory.
Interesting point: With his tanks stasised, Xellos consistantly redeployed tanks just in range of the stasis, forcing Stork to back off a bit. However, Stork was not ready to let them go, and it made for some interesting micro once the units unfroze, with Stork trying to take them out, and Xellos punishing him for the attempt.
Go 1:0 Samsung
Game 2: Sigamari (Z)/Ever (P) vs Oversky (Z)/Much (P) on Usan Nation
The two protoss players were on the left, and ever spun a probe up to Much's base and triple-proxy gated outside Muchs choke. Much made one zealot before dying. Oversky had managed to expand, but couldn't take advantage of it well. Eventually, a one base sair P and one base muta Z overwhelmed Oversky's muta force which had tried its best to take out the P.
Interesting point: Triple gate proxy is ballsy, thats for sure. When done well like this, it earns to victory.
Samsung 1:1 GO
Game 3: Jju (Z) vs Oversky (Z)
This game got off to an interesting start. Jju 9 pooled vs Oversky who 12 hatch expoed. GG right? Well Oversky cancelled his hatch at 99%, causing the game to crash. That meant a restart to the game, where the players did each others BO. Jju looked to be a double sucker as Overskys lings came down, but the lings only killed two drones, and Jju kept things on even footing. Although both players got spires, no one made a muta as this was a severe low eco game with a 1/2 dozen drones each. Eventually, Jju caught Oversky away from his base, defended and attacked with lings at the same time, and came away with a much deserved victory.
Interesting point: Jju showed sick micro this game, frustrating Oversky by sneaking two lings into his base and attacking his expo hatch with other lings. Although his units were a screen away, Jju controlled both groups perfectly, keeping oversky busy and leveling the playing field.
Samsung 2:1 GO
Game 4: CuteBoy (T)/JiHyun (Z) vs IPXZerg (Z)/Rage (P)
Khan combined for a ling MM attack on Rage, but he defended really nicely with his zeal goon, and delayed the advance enough for IPX to catch the attcak from behind. However, two brave bats roasted Rage's probes, leaving him behind. The protoss player continued to shine though, as he defended and then countered with IPX, knocking JiHyun out of the game. From this point on, Cuteboy tried to turtle and drop, but noce the HT's arrived, Rage busted through the bottom of his base from the win.
Interesting point: Rage really defended well even after losing most of his probes to a sneaky move by Cuteboy, running bats in while his marines bit the dust. Rage deflected a couple ling attacks with a single 1 hp cannon and probes.
Go 2:2 Samsung
Game 5: Ggon (P) vs Iris (T) on R-Point
Ggon opened with rA's nexus first build. Unfortunately for Iris, his scv didnt find it until there were two gates infront and range a upgrade in the works. He tried to push quick with 6 rines, a vulture and mines, and a tank, but Ggon stood his ground with some sweet goon mirco. From that point on, Iris tried to expo to catch up, but Ggon went into macro mode and rolled over the terran defenses about 6 m
Interesting Point: There wasn't one really, unless you count that the nexus first build is 2-0 on R-Point now*
* In ProLeague
Samsung 3:2 GO
Game 6: Sigamari (Z)/Ever (P) vs Iris (T)/IPXZerg (Z)
Like the first 2v2 game, this was played on Iron Curtain, and for the third time in a row the teams started at cross positions, with the zergs on the same side. IPX lost an overlord early, and then was run over by Sigmari's lings. Iris tried to counter at Ever's main, and did a great job of ripping through a cannon and defending goons. Sigmari countered with mutas at Iris's main, but Ever had taken a rough beating, having no nexus. Sigmari kept losing drones to sneaky IPX and his assasin lings and it was a lopsided 1v1 now. Iris used the barracks trick to squeeze his units through the minerals in the middle, and then plowed through the 3 sunk defense of Sigmari for the win.
Interesting note: Iris definately made up for his lackluster play the game before. So much so that Sigmari didn't even type GG before leaving.
Go 3:3 Samsung
And so it goes down to the final game. The time when the Ace is secret, and both teams go all out for a chance at KTF next week.
Game 7: ??? vs ??? on Neo Requiem
IPX Zerg (Savior[gm]) stepped up for GO, while Stork[gm] took the stage for Samsung in a battle of clanmates. Stork got off to a good start, as he got a drone kill with a probe, then as Stork's hard charging double gate zealots came in, tried to counter with 4 lings and got no where. This cost him another 4 drones and things looked rough for the normally fearsome zerg. Was this the completion of a GO comeback?
Well, 16 zealots and a shuttle later, Stork still could not kill IPX's expansion at 1, and mutas were in the air. Stork went for sairs and zeals to expand, while IPX switched from muta to hydra. The sairs, numbering about 7, were a constant headache for IPX, killing muta and overlords alike on Requiems difficult terrain. With his expo running smoothly, Stork tried once again to take out 1 oclock, but his reavers could not get the job done as scourge swooped in against corsairs and shuttles. Both players expanded, with Sotrk still harassing well with sairs, and dt's ninja slicing unwary drones at IPX's expansion.
Stork continued to hold the pace of the game as his reaver filled shuttles and corsair escorts probed the map for any weakness in the zerg armour. His three port sair was punishing, and his upgrades were making it very difficult for scourge to be effective. Not only that, but IPX had ceased expanding, and the players were even in mineral sources. Things looked to go from bad to worse as the bloated belly of a carrier threw a long shadow in the protoss main.
The airfleet got big, and while he tried to use nydus canals, IPX was simply not mobile enough to deal with the protoss air. The long fought over 1 o'clock expansion fell, carapace littered the ground, and it looked very good for aiur. IPX was not done though, as he got off a great plaugue that covered most of Stork's air. Following that, devourers and scourge winged to the air supported by hydra on the ground. Still though, IPX continued to lose expansions at a lethal rate. It seemd to be a race as Stork worked off one expansion and tried to storm IPX's drones into submission. In the end, Stork won the race, and despite all his stellar spellcasting with queens and defilers, IPX was not able to take down the protoss air force. It rampaged around the map and killed everthing in its path. In the end Stork didn't even have an income, but it didn't matter.
Interesting Point: IPX used almost the entire spectrum of the zerg in his fight, queens, defilers, burrow, nydus, you name it. But, he just couldn't give Stork the lethal bow he needed and Stork microed like a demon. Win or lose, his team owes him a drink after that performance (and for winning two 2v2's) that is for sure.
Samsung 4:3 GO
Next time around, Samsung will face KTF and the winner will head on to face SK1 in the finals. Thanks to GTR and PoP for filling me in on some of the background of this match.
Mani
