Do not read ahead if you don't want to know the results of these games
Note: I have no experience doing battle reports whatsoever, so enjoy, if you can...
A large crowd, guess what's happening
The first OSL of the 2007 season comes to a close as two, unexpected players make the finals in Iris and GGPlay. Iris, being known for making it so far, but not beating the bump, while GGPlay, who has been dubbed "Round of 16 Zerg" for his failure to get past that sweet round of 16 in OSL's. So, can Iris defeat his hump and become a true champion? Or can GGPlay remove his mediocrity from his name once and for all and become the third Zerg OSL champion?
It begins right here, right now.
Iris (Terran, Purple, 8 o'clock), GGPlay (Zerg, Blue, 2 o'clock)
As both players spawn at their positions, GGPlay opens up with a 9 pool opening with fast gas for speedlings. Iris opens up with a 2 barracks build.
Iris does not find out about this fast pool until a group of zerglings come to him. It looks bad for Iris as his ramp is broken through, as GGPlay desperately tries to salvage free SCV and Marine kills. At GGPlay's base though, he is unaware that Iris' SCV has killed 3 drones of his. GGPlay eventually fends off the situation by killing the SCV with his drones, but the damage has been done.
As GGPlay builds a hatchery at his expansion a while into his harassment, Iris reacts with his own Command Center. A while later, both players have sizable forces. GGPlay does some minor mutalisk harassment to annoy Iris, but it does not do enough damage. After a few skirmishes around the map, Iris decides it's time to move out and destroy GGPlay.
When Iris reaches GGPlay's choke with his mnm/Tank/Vessel army, GGPlay valiantly waits for his defiler technology to develop, but gets impatient and decides to flank the containment with a lurker/zergling/mutalisk force, to no avail. With no units left, GGPlay has no choice but to type out.
Iris > GGPlay (1-0)
GGPlay could not really take advantage of his 9 pool, and him losing 3 drones early on really counted for Iris. That and he wasn't really prepared for the later game stages lost him the game.
Iris (Terran, Purple, 1 o'clock), GGPlay (Zerg, Teal, 5 o'clock)
Both players opt for a fast expansion build of sorts, as GGPlay does a standard 12 hatchery, while Iris with a 1 barrack-Command Center build.
As both players start with their economy, Iris oddly gets a machine shop early. It is eventually found out that he is pumping out vultures for some harassment. As a group of vultures pop, GGPlay barely notices it, but it is too late as the vultures wreck some damage to GGPlay.
GGPlay, after settling the situation, expands to the 8 o'clock expansion. Iris meanwhile adds a few more barracks' to his production line.
The game eventually gets to the end-game, and it is very close. Iris sets up a containment with most of his force at the 8 o'clock expansion, but GGPlay manages to break it. This continually happens for a while.
As Iris expands to both the main and natural expansions of the 11 o'clock base, GGPlay currently has most of the bottom under his control. Iris uses dropship play to harass GGPlay and his expansions. It is successful and GGPlay is set back a bit.
As Purple and Teal blobs of balls run around on the mini-map, GGPlay is eventually sacked down by the huge force that Iris has. With over, literally, 15 vessels, GGPlay tries to save the game with Swarm, Ultralisks and Lurkers, but is eventually overran by the money-driven army of Iris.
Iris > GGPlay (2-0)
Iris played extremely well this game. From his vulture harassment at the start to his massive dropship play at the end, it looked good for Iris from start to finish. Iris also managed to keep GGPlay at his heels, and didn't let him get out of his base at all, except for the rare occasion.
Iris (Terran, Blue, 11 o'clock), GGPlay (Zerg, Purple, 5 o'clock)
Iris opens up with an odd 2 barrack build at his gas natural choke, while GGPlay goes for the standard fast expansion at his gas natural.
GGPlay, seeing the odd 2 barrack build position, uses drones to fend off the initial marine/SCV harassment brought on by Iris.
As GGPlay masses up sunkens to shoo Iris away, Iris goes for a quick Tank/mnm Push.
It is all well for Iris, but GGPlay has a card up his sleeve. As Iris slowly chews away the sunkens, GGPlay manages to amass Mutalisks, and wreck havoc on Iris' forces. As Iris tries to take a gamble and bring all of his army in, they are literally wiped out by mutalisks and sunkens.
As the mutalisks of GGPlay fly over to Iris' main, with no units, Iris' decides to surrender.
Iris < GGPlay (2-1)
The 2 barrack/tank push was a risky maneuver from Iris, as it used most of Iris' resources. He could not react quick enough to GGPlay's mutalisks. Thus, this time, it lost a game for him, as GGPlay showed some superb mutalisk management to come back and win the game.
Iris (Terran, Brown, 5 o'clock), GGPlay (Zerg, Orange, 11 o'clock)
As the game starts, GGPlay pushes a drone through the middle lane, while Iris goes for a fast expansion on the top/right lane of the map.
GGPlay eventually shows that he has been studying Silver's ZvT games on Monty Hall very hard, as he builds a hatchery in the middle lane on Iris' side. He then follows up with another hatchery, on his side of the middle lane.
Soon as the command center finishes, Iris then scouts the hatchery, but he couldn't do anything about it. As GGPlay starts to go up the tech tree, Iris starts building up his forces.
With some mutalisk harassment, GGPlay manages to stall enough time to get to Hive Tech, and thus Guardians. Iris, knowing this, starts to build up a wraith force to kill these guardians, so GGPlay gets his Hydralisk Den up just in case.
GGPlay then expands to the bottom/left lane on his side, with 4 gas nodes running, it looks very good for GGPlay compared to Iris' 2 gas nodes. As guardians now morph for GGPlay, hydralisk swarms eventually come to the middle lane to support GGPlay's Guardian Army.
With some harassment, GGPlay manages to contain Iris inside of his base. To be safe, GGPlay eventually gets defiler tech and lurkers, and then after some time, Iris gets slaughtered right inside of his base with Guardians/Hydralisks/Lurker/Defilers.
Iris < GGPlay (2-2)
It was simply perfect execution from GGPlay. Iris could not really do anything after he scouted the hatchery in the middle lane.
Iris (Terran, White, 5 o'clock), GGPlay (Zerg, Brown, 2 o'clock)
As the final game approaches, Iris opens with a standard 1 barrack Command Center build, while GGPlay goes for the typical 3 hatchery build.
Both players apply some sort of pressure to each other (marines/zerglings). Soon after, GGPlay expands to the 12 o'clock main. As the initial Mutalisk harass does little damage, GGPlay gets lurkers.
As Iris attempts to move out and apply heat onto GGPlay, some nicely placed stop lurkers decimate half of Iris' marines. Iris is hasty and retreats, but lots of damage has been done to him. Iris then moves out and tries to kill the 12 o'clock expansion, but a group of mutaling saves it.
Both players tech up as usual, and many battles ensure, with "lots of green, orange and red" (Irradiate, Dark Swarm and Plague).
Base for base, it is a close match. Iris moves his army around in a circle to avoid any flanking or damage. As Iris plants mines everywhere, ultralisks pop out for GGPlay. It looks bad for Iris as a spell war erupts everywhere.
Eventually, GGPlay manages to raze Iris' expansions. With lots and lots of Ultralisks and Zerglings, GGPlay just runs over Iris' main force. As the mineral-only expansion of Iris goes down. He surrenders.
Iris < GGPlay (2-3)
Woah! GGPlay comes back from 2 games down to win his first ever major title! Just unbelievable! His execution in this game was just more than fantastic.
So there you have it, GGPlay comes back out of nowhere and wins the Daum OSL 3-2!
An emotional roller coaster, but one happy man here.