+AnathemA+ vs. ::nobody::

on... Dire Straits

Intro

Welcome to the many firsts for me.  My first br, my first text-only br, and the first time I even thought about br'ing.  I'm learning computer programming, and so I really don't have the time to learn putting pretty pictures and graphics like the experienced ones do, but hopefully I will be there someday =].

As I was hanging out in nohunters, I was talking to anathema and nobody, and I got them to play a game against each other.  Previously, I teamed with anathema against nobody and -=Hobbes=- (aka Sharandar) on Dire but I had to leave midway through.  So on this cold, late Tuesday night, the two would battle it out for…um…I guess they were playing for bragging rights :}.  After a few minutes of chatting about giving weird nicks to each other, and procrastinating homework to play bw instead, the game got underway.

The actual beginning

I'm pretty sure that most of you know the two contestants of this game, +AnathemA+ and ::nobody::, especially nobody for his excellent br's.  I think that you guys know the map just as well.  Seeing both play before, I don't think either has an advantage over the other, which can only help this br :P

Both players random and once the game begins, Anathema has started out with Terrans in the bottom left main, while nobody draws zerg in the bottom right main.  Both players commence with their build orders which vaguely looks like this…

Anathema produces a barrack, academy, factory, barrack, an engineering bay and a starport (something like that :P), all compactly built around his command center with a bunker and 3 turrets to complete the wall-in.  He is looking to drop, and drop hard.

::Nobody:: creates a hatchery, spawning pool, lair, and then… surprisingly, creates a hydralisk den and a spire!  Although he has a spire, he will eventually go for a power hydra drop tactic.

It's heating up…

Nobody used his first muta to scout anathema's base, after anathema had scanned nobody's base many times before.  It died to turrets firing upon it and gauss shells pounding into the gross exterior.  Anathema started to brag about his little victory, but that kill would only be a prelude to many attacks to come.  

Anathema decided that the time was ripe to expand, and took the closest island, between his base and nobody's base.  He had a bunker built, and was in the process of building a turret when nobody had apparently seen this expansion attempt.  He took with him 2 ovie loads of hydras.  He is successful in landing his hydras, but doesn't kill anything as m&m's and a bunker hold off that attack.  As Anathema starts to brag about his micro skills, nobody promptly loads up this time 4 ovies with a muta to try to deter away turret and bunker fire.  Again he lands his troops successfully, and this time he actually succeeds in killing every Terran building on that island.   

While the action has increased, Anathema has expanded to the expansion above his, as well as the top left main.  At the same time, nobody has also expanded to the expansion above his main, as well as the top right main.  Nobody spots anathema's attempts to exp, and crushes the natural above his original main with another ovie drop of hydras.  At this point, both players haven't really taken the time to upgrade their units to this point, with only an increase in weapons for both hydras and marines.  Nobody also spots Anathema's expansion to the top left main, and promptly drops 6 ovie loads of hydras on it, destroying the expansion.  Anathema is in a bad situation, with no expansions, while nobody has freely expanded twice without anathema knowing it.  

Anathema's demise???  

It looks like the game is over as nobody drops about 10 ovies worth of cracklings and hydras on the edge of Anathema's main.  At the same time he drops his troops, however, Anathema has unloaded his own troops on the fringe of nobody's main.  He immediately creates bunkers while sieging his tanks and blasting arclite cannons onto the outlaying buildings.  Since most of nobody's troops are stationed on Anathema's main, he sends them to wreak havoc.  The only problem for nobody is that Anathema has 4 siege tanks walled-in, along with a bunker.  As the cracklings and hydras divert their attention to the tanks, they attack in single filed lines, making them easy pickings for his tanks.  Anathema has survived, although his surrounding buildings have taken a beating from all the splash damage.  Yet, he has put nobody is in a very bad situation, as he has no defense against the m&m's with the 3 siege tanks helping to lay waste to every Zerg building.  I can imagine Anathema, snickering himself for his comeback, as the hive goes down in a gigantic pool of blood.

End of nobody? (err.. ::nobody:: that is :] )

All of nobody's tech buildings are suddenly gone, and the momentum is now favoring Anathema.  As I wonder whether or not this game is good and long enough to br, I notice that in nobody's new main, he has 5 hatcheries, with an incredible 6th one being built.  Nobody, I concluded to myself, must have an incredible amount of resources, as his spawning pool is done.  He had already upgraded both adrenal glands and metabolic boosts for cracklings, and proceeds to hatch about 15 larvae worth of cracklings (for those mathematically challenged, that's 30).  Anathema is delayed only in destroying nobody's other expansion, when I realize that nobody has a chance to really win this one.  Anathema has not expanded since and hasn't been able to create new units to support his demolition force.  Nobody takes advantage of this, and breaks loose with his increasing amount of cracklings, overrunning the Terran force.  At the same time, nobody has landed about 10 ovies worth of cracklings and let them loose upon Anathema's base.  However, Anathema's building placement, along with the same 4 tanks kill off single building, but not before the surrounding buildings become heavily damaged from the splash damage.   

The end of Anathema

Anathema tries to erect an expansion that he previously tried to but was shut down by nobody.  Nobody, however, is really alert in his detection, as he spots this attempt, and overruns the expansion, although Anathema had a couple of spider mines, bats, and m&m's.  And then Anathema tells me he is left with only one other option...  peon ferrying!!!  I'm guessing that the game is probably over...although its takes nobody 2 tries with cracklings, before he is successful in taking down every single building, as the wall-in is eventually cracked open like an egg.  Actually, Anathema floats off his buildings and tries to run away... that is until nobody brings 15 mutas and Anathema gives up and leaves, leaving the winner...

::nobody::

-This was a very unpredictable game, in which the game could have gone either way.

-Let this be a lesson... EXPAND while your attacking.  Anathema had literally no more income, which let him in big trouble.  I'm guessing nobody had a LOT of money to be able to spawn 5 hatcheries at his new main in a matter of seconds.

-Although his first attack consisted of hydras, I think that Anathema should have recognized the fact that nobody would go mass crackling, and should have produced some bats/vultures.

-Leaving his main bare changed the favor to Anathema, as he wasted nobody's main with all his tech buildings, when nobody couldn't really destroy anything significant.

-The biggest mistake I think that Anathema made was not being able to make science vessels.  A couple of those would have been the clincher and let him macro more.

Thanks to ::nobody:: and +AnathemA+ for playing and enjoy!

GoT~GaMe Production