"Just like I like toss... crispy on the outside."
-HardDrive99
|
| 2v2, Praying at the temple | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 05/07/99 07:05 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 2, Max: 10, Min: 8
Lifetime Rating for Mark4: 8.6829 |   | To help get some quality battle reports on this site I asked the residents of Shockwave's forum to let me observe some games. DisgruntledApe was the first to volunteer, and he quickly set up a 2v2 game on Lost Temple for my viewing and your reading pleasure.
The teams started out with CattleBruiser drawing protoss from random in the left start and DisgruntledApe choosing protoss in the top location taking on Velo who randomned to terran in the bottom start and {KGB}Agent choosing zerg at the right start position.
The lines of battle were clearly drawn in racial and geographic boundaries. Both of the protoss player chose to start with the conservative double gate approach. Velo began walling in his main while making three barracks, and KGB went for a quick double hatchery and zergling defense. The protoss team made the first move of the game, each team member sending six zealots to the entrance of KGBs zerg base. The warriors were sent into the fray only to be greeted by two sunkens and a full bunker, as well as a swarm of zerglings. Ape realized the futility of the assault and drew his troops back, while CB pressed his attack, losing all of his troops while trying to run past the blockade, only to be met by more zerglings blocking the top of the ramp. Ape's zealots slunk home to muster a defense for the counterattack.
The counter was quick in coming. Velo took his mass of troops from his three barracks and sent them towards Ape's base. He had nine marines, nine firebats, and three medics. His troops assaulted the front of Ape's base where two cannons and two shield batteries bolstered the ten zealots Ape was using to defend himself. As the firebats pressed in with medic support the zealots were forced to use the shield batteries, but the splash from the firebats stripped the shields off faster than they could regenerate. The end result was the zealots standing by and frantically trying to recharge shields instead of attacking, until the battle ended in a large explosion of psi energy signalling the zealots departure from the battlefield. The cannons and zealots had taken thier toll, only a few firebats and marines remained to kill the cannons. With the medic's help, two marines survived after the last cannon fell. KGB sent in his zerglings and lurkers at this point. Newly made forces from Ape and reinforcements from CB whittle down this new threat. One lurker was killed by Ape's freshly made reaver before it could burrow. This machine turns the tide and only the lurkers are left to deal damage. An observer is swifly made and the reaver dispatches the remaining lurkers, but not before Ape had lost quite a few probes.
Cattle decides that this is the time to expand. He takes the natural spot below his main. Ape feels a burning desire for revenge and drops his reaver on KGBs main. He kills some drones and then retreats off the field of battle. He returns shortly with two reavers and destroys an assimilator and a few sunkens before taking off and looking for a good sunken free spot to drop on next to the drones. Not finding one, he goes to the expansion where his shuttle is hit with hydras. Ape maneuvers to get away, running right into the marines Velo had unloaded from the bunker for just this opportunity.
Velo decideds the next move must be made by his team. He sends a SCV to make a turret and a bunker outside CB's expansion. Then he begins the most feared terran tactic, the tank push. KGB reinforces with hydras and zerglings, but loses them to a luring attack and a well placed psi storm. Annoyed by this loss, KGB expands to the bottom right island to gather the resources he needs for revenge. Velo constantly adds tanks and bunkers to the push, moving forward. In a well coordinated but futile move, Ape attacks with reavers and zealots from behind the push while CB attacks from the front with zealots and an archon. This attack is repulsed with the loss of two tanks. Velo keeps comsating the ledges above his position in CBs main where templar try to storm his tanks, sometimes catching one as it begins its run and killing it before it can cast. Other times they get through and do thier damage.
In a massive flurry, Velo expand to his natural, Ape expands to his, and KGB to the upper left island. Taking advantage of the distraction this offers, CB storms repeatedly and kills half of the opposing tanks with psi storm. Velo moves his tanks into a new position more secure from the deadly storms. CB sends in his zealots on a tank killing mission and kills two tanks at the cost of six zealots. This leaves only one, but Velo is allready reinforcing from his main. CB takes the initiative in a different arena, sending his corsairs to kill overlords in KGBs area. This expedition is cut short by spore colonies and hydra fire.
Ape finds the expansion by KGB in the upper left and lands a force of two dragoons there, killing the undefended hatchery. He then send a carrier to the cliff over the tank push and kills one tank. The massive bunker and turret fire destroys his interceptors and he is forced to retreat. KGB goes on the offense and tries to open a second front. His hydra force destroys Ape's nearly undefended expansion, then continue on to support the tank push. Ape has no minerals in his main and things start to look grim for the toss coalition. The final push on CB's expansion begins. KGB's hydras are told to attack the nexus and they do, holding in place even as the fury of a psi storm washes over them. The zerg forces are no longer a threat, but the patience of Velo's terran push finally pays off as he destroys the expansion with his tanks. This leaves CB without cash, and Ape is heard to mutter despairing comments.
The final battle for CBs main is about to begin. CB uses corsairs to dweb tanks and then psi storm them from the safety of his ledge. KGB tries to distract Ape from the fight with a three guardian attack on his main. Unfortunately, guardians do not do nearly as well against carriers as he thought =]. KGB tries again, seeing that Ape has once more expanded to his natural. The defending carriers are faced with the dreaded devourer/muta combo. As they engage the carriers they are faced with a sky turned blue by the electric crackle of psi storm. The carriers use the shield batteries to defend and repulse the attack. CB takes this chance to expand to the mineral only place below Ape's main. Its a move made just in time. Comsat reveals the ledge defending CBs base to the waiting tanks, and a volley of fire destroys the waiting templar. Velo begins his final push, reinforced by a few guardians and hydras from KGB. As the battle progresses zealots fight against dmatrixed tanks and a new column of goliaths enter the fray. The sorely overmatched protoss troops fight to the last soldier, but do little damage to the terran jugernaut.
Ape knows he needs to make something happen quickly. He sends his six carrier force to KGBs main, keeping a shuttle filled with templar close by in case of trouble. He easily deals with a muta counterattack, but pulls back in the face of devourers. Velo takes this chance to bring his troops into the fray. KGB throws over 24 mutas and six devourers into the action. Velo Dmatrixes some, but to little avail. The clustered troops are wiped out almost to the last muta by a skillfull series of psi storms from Ape, damaging the carriers but not killling any. Velo's hardened troops then move in to fight the battle. Goliaths and upgraded marines turn the tables and destroy all of the carriers at the cost of over half of the horde of twenty or so goliaths. A psi storm catches a few goliath, but more are allready on the way. The massive tank army moves into siege mode and the science vessels reveal the high ground. At the same time KGB's zerglings find CB's mineral only base without defenses. As the base defenses crumble, Ape realized the hopelessness of his situation without cash and conceded the game.
Lessons learned:
o Tank pushes when properly executed are deadly. Velo wouldn't move a tank once he placed it, he just put the next tank from his main a little farther forward.
o Dmatrix can make a tank into a zealot killing nightmare.
o Orders to attack a fixed object aren't a good idea with zerg against a templar happy protoss. I wouldn't recommend hitting carrier defended expansion with mutas/devourers on orders to fire at one carrier either. At least spread out your forces so psi isn't so deadly, or send those mutas right on top of the cariers and spread out your devourers.
o Defend expansions harder than you defend your main in the middle game. They are your lifeblood.
Mark4
"We won't win because CattleBruiser is good" KGB at the start of the game.
"Never give up. There's still hope" CattleBruiser after he lost his expansion.
"I give up." CattleBruiser after his 3 probe mineral only expansion was found by KGB's zerglings. | | Battle Shots! | 
The last lurker attacking Ape's main gets a bad feeling.
Ape shows where to not drop reavers.
CB giving an inspirational speech as his expansion dies =]
KGB demonstrates his patented carrier killing guardian strat.
CB issues a dire warning to me as the last carrier goes down.
|
|
|
|
Home
Forum
Starcraft Tournaments
