MLG Dallas [Day 3]

01:09 GMT (+00:00): Life 4 - 3 Leenock.


Life went aggressive in game seven, going for a fast pool into ling-baneling attack off one base. However, Leenock had no trouble stopping the attack despite having gone hatch first, and Life was in a deep hole. However, like Leenock had come back miraculously in an earlier game, Life was determined not to let the game go. Starting with a sneaky baneling runby that helped even the game count, Life kept picking away. Unfortunately for Leenock, he couldn't keep his cool with his lead, and kept giving away his edge. He was indecisive with his mutas when they came out, unable to protect his own third base or prevent Life's. When he finally went to attack, Life's infestors were already out, rendering the mutalisks useless. Leenock belatedly tried to catch up in ground army, but Life had already put together what he needed with a roach-hydra-infestor force. With one great attack, the momentum finally swung permanently Life's way, and Leenock was forced to surrender the championship.

00:48 GMT (+00:00): Life 3 - 3 Leenock. Leenock tried to steal an advantage with a faster pool, but Life played it safe by not going hatch first, putting Leenock at a disadvantage. Leenock opted to follow-up with a total all-in, going for roaches and lings off one base. Though Leenock microed well to focus down Life's banelings with roaches, Life simply had too many lings on defense. Leenock reloaded for a final all-in with roaches, banes, queens, and lings, but GG'd out after that attack failed as well.

Day 3 Stream Guide

Watch at MLG, Own3d or Twitch.TV
(Times are estimates and subject to change due to runovers)
Matches being streamed in bold

Day One Match Recaps - Day Two Match Recaps

Grand Finals
Life vs Leenock

• Game One - Daybreak: Leenock started off the game with a great defense against Life's faster pool, and continued to increase his lead by getting out mutas, taking map control, and taking a faster third. The ball kept rolling for Leenock, as he used a simultaneous attack with infestors in Life's main with a roach attack on his third to take game one.
  
  
• Game Two - Ohana: Life went for another early pool, but instead of trying to go for the drone line, he contented himself by killing off Leenock's second hatchery, which led to both players being in a fairly even situation. After some line-bane shenanigans on both sides, Leenock tried to go up to mutalisks while Life went roaches. Life managed to find a timing to attack just as mutalisks came out, delaying Leenock's third while he took his own safely. That was the edge Life needed, and he was able to roll it into a victory in the deciding roach-infestor fight.
  
  
• Game Three - Metropolis: Both players opened hatch first on Metropolis, but it didn't stop Life from putting on the pressure by going for a roach-bane attack. Fortunately for Leenock, he noticed Life's plan in time and put together a good defense. Both players took their thirds and teched up to infestors and massed up forces for the mid-game. The game was decided by one major clash between forces where Leenock won out.
  
  
• Game Four - Cloud Kingdom: Leenock pulled off a sublime comeback to take game four. Both players were able to take three bases quickly to start, but while Leenock went for heavily upgraded roaches, Life went for a less upgrades and a mixed roach-infestor composition instead. It looked like Life had made the right choice initially, as he won several battles, took a supply lead, and established a fourth base while denying one for Leenock. However, Leenock worked hard to get back into the game, attacking Life on multiple fronts and using tunneling claws to infiltrate Life's bases. Slowly, but surely, Life's lead began to slip away as his drone count fell and Leenock added infestors to his force. Leenock kept piling on the pressure, and eventually crippled Life's economy enough to win the final battle and earn the GG.
  
  
  
• Game Five - Antiga Shipyard: Life stayed alive in the tournament with a win in game five. Leenock attempted to punish Life for rushing up to spire with heavy ling-bane attacks, but Life weathered the storm, and then turned the tables on Leenock once mutas were out. Leenock was put in an awkward spot with his third base denied by mutas while Life controlled the map and powered up, so he went for a SLOW queen + infestor attack across the map. Life had more than enough time to prepare, and flanked Leenock's forces to wipe them out and force a surrender.
  
  
• Game Six - Entombed Valley: Leenock tried to steal an advantage with a faster pool, but Life played it safe by not going hatch first, putting Leenock at a disadvantage. Leenock opted to follow-up with a total all-in, going for roaches and lings off one base. Though Leenock microed well to focus down Life's banelings with roaches, Life simply had too many lings on defense. Leenock reloaded for a final all-in with roaches, banes, queens, and lings, but GG'd out after that attack failed as well.
  
  
• Game Seven - Tal'Darim Altar: Life went aggressive in game seven, going for a fast pool into ling-baneling attack off one base. However, Leenock had no trouble stopping the attack despite having gone hatch first, and Life was in a deep hole. However, like Leenock had come back miraculously in an earlier game, Life was determined not to let the game go. Starting with a sneaky baneling runby that helped even the game count, Life kept picking away. Unfortunately for Leenock, he couldn't keep his cool with his lead, and kept giving away his edge. He was indecisive with his mutas when they came out, unable to protect his own third base or prevent Life's. When he finally went to attack, Life's infestors were already out, rendering the mutalisks useless. Leenock belatedly tried to catch up in ground army, but Life had already put together what he needed with a roach-hydra-infestor force. With one great attack, the momentum finally swung permanently Life's way, and Leenock was forced to surrender the championship.
  
  
• Life 4 – 3 Leenock

Championship Winners Bracket
+ Show Spoiler [Match Results] +

[b]Championship Losers Bracket
[spoiler=Match Recaps]TaeJa vs By.Rain

• Game One - Ohana: In a tense showdown, both TaeJa and Rain maxed out without incident and stared across the map at each other while shying away from committing to a game ending engagement. Eventually the two had to clash, but it ended up being more on Rain's terms than TaeJa's, with his massive zealot warpins taking advantage of TaeJa's high viking count.
  
  
• Game Two - Entombed Valley: TaeJa tried to go for a banshee expansion to open, but it ended up being hard countered by Rain's decision to do an immortal attack off one base. TaeJa could only put up a token defense as Rain tore through and took the series.
  
  
• TaeJa 0 – 2 Rain

NaNiwa vs By.Rain

• Game One - Ohana: Despite a strange, phoenix heavy early-mid game from Rain, the match turned into a typical, three-base vs three-base colossus war on Ohana. The critical moment came when Rain allowed NaNiwa to destroy his third, but only as a trap so he could engage him in a vastly superior position. Rain crushed NaNiwa in the battle, and took the game.
  
  
• Game Two - Antiga Shipyard: The game reached a somewhat similar conclusion to game one, with both players building up big colossus armies, and Naniwa getting crushed in a battle on Rain's third.
  
  
• Naniwa 0 - 2 Rain

Polt vs Heart

• Game One - Daybreak: Heart opened up with a banshee into a double expansion, which ended up giving him an economic advantage compared to Polt's regular fast expansion. While Polt skirmished well against Heart, it wasn't enough to overcome the sheer number of marines and tanks that Heart was able to produce.
  
  
• Game Two - Entombed Valley: Polt's macro and troop movements looked rather off in the second game as once more, Heart pumped out huge armies that Polt couldn't match.
  
  
• Polt 0 – 2 Heart

viOLet vs Polt

• Game One - Daybreak: Polt looked to be in deep water after his marine-tank attacks couldn't get anything done against viOLet before brood lords were out. However, he somehow managed to hold against the first attack despite a late viking transition, all the while doing just enough drop harass to keep viOLet's economy at a manageable size. Polt then massed enough anti air to fight viOLet's next brood lord force in a good concave to take the game.
  
  
• Game Two - : Polt got off to a good start when he slipped hellions into viOLet's main to toast some drones, and he never gave up the lead after. viOLet did a good job holding out against marine-tank attacks until he had ultralisks out, but he eventually he had to fold against Polt's continued attacks.
  
  
• viOLet 0 – 2 Polt

soO vs By.Rain

• Game One - Daybreak: In a match between SK Telecom teammates, Rain's patented pre-hive, three-base timing prevailed again as his blink stalkers and immortals pummeled soO before he could get out a hive army.
  
  
• Game Two - Ohana: Rain went for an immortal all-in on Ohana, but his less-than-perfect forcefields and warp-prism pick up micro proved he was no PartinG.
  
  
• Game Three - Cloud Kingdom: After the failed two-base all-in in the previous game, Rain fell back on what he does best with another three-base timing attack before hive. SoO seemed to have a good composition with infestor-ling against an immortal-stalker army, but even then, he couldn't hold out against Rain's attack.
  
  
• soO 1 – 2 Rain

[/spoiler]