VS.

Part II

First off,  if you are reading this without seeing Part One you are an idiot.  Ok, maybe just Severely Mentally Challenged.  Go and read Part One HERE as this is a continuation of it.  Doh!

When we left off, Hawk4 had just dropped and we were restarting the game at a point that was the calm before the storm.  The game is TEAM MELEE.  The map is Sherwood Forest.  Mark4/Hawk4 have terran at the middle left and an expansion at the top left.  Necro/PoA have protoss at the lone bottom and a budding expansion at bottom right.  The preivious battles are all for naught and we are back to 2 marines of Mark4/Hawk4 leaving the base for scouting, and Necro/PoA moving a dragoon force out for the first offensive...  again.

Necro/PoA are beginning TAKE 2 of their initial dragoon attack on Mark4/Hawk4.  This time Mark4/Hawk4 know they are on the way.  They make an attempt to save their marines that died in the center but it doesn't work.  The bunker was again attempted, but the dragoons of Necro/PoA are still able to get up the ramp and thwart the bunker attempt.

This time the dragoons don't waste anytime and barrel right into the base.  They are able to catch the lone vulture and begin to wreak some havoc.  It looks like the goal is to destroy all possible mine toting vultures and basically stall until reinforcements arrive.  And things seem to be working fairly well.  Necro/PoA seem to have a better handle on this attack after the debauchery of the first one.

The dragoons taunt and micro their way back, luring attacking SCV's away from mining and begin to shoot them down.  Of course, Mark4/Hawk4 have a different plan now, and have researched siege instead of mines.  The micro of the dragoons and SCV's works to Mark4/Hawk4's favor and a tank rolls off the line and immediately hunkers down in preps of using the awesome arclite cannon.  Vultures are produced out of the other two Factories, and the Machineshop barely stopped moving due to starting mine research as soon as it was able.

This totally catches the Necro/PoA dragoons off guard.  Another tank joins the first one, and a few mines start to play in and before any kind of reinforcements arrive, the area is becoming secure.  Mark4 is very happy now seeing the dragoons retreating to distance, but wait!  Hawk4 has another stellar move up his sleeve!  The exact same move he pulled before!  Except this time team Mark4/Hawk4 have survived well, and should be in great shape.  Hawk4 defies all and promptly....

No, this is not a copy of the first wait screen.  It is a prompt and legitimate disconnect of Hawk4.  Everyone curses.  Mark4 probably the loudest, and Necro/PoA probably just because it seems the thing to do (the second go around did not fare well for them).

This leads us for a very GAY TAKE 3.  So, go back and read the intro right up above just one more time, because this second disconnect happened so fast we didn't get a chance to save again.

Lets take a quick check though.  On TAKE 1, Necro/PoA got in a good dragoon attack, and though the initial attack didn't quite come off the way it was intended, it made a large enough hit to give them an advantage.

On TAKE 2, Mark4/Hawk4 really did a nice job of dealing with what they knew was coming.  There was really no telling what was going to happen for sure after the second start.

Now we go to TAKE 3 in which both teams saw what worked and what didn't work.  (My god Hawk, please don't disc this time)

Ok, again we have Necro/PoA dragoons on the way to Mark4/Hawk4.  Again we have Mark4/Hawk4 attempting a bunker.  THIS time the bunker is started right in the base perimeter and not out by the choke.  Still, Necro/PoA are able to get close and try and halt the bunker attempt.

The bunker actually makes completion, but Mark4/Hawk4 are unable to get anyone into it as it is surrounded by the dragoons.  Vultures attempt to get some shots in on the goons, and dragoons shoot at the vultures.  Somehow, a lone marine is able to sneak into the bunker in all the crossfire.  Necro/PoA begin to assault the bunker, but realize they are better off leaving the bunker alone as more troops will be produced soon.

The dragoons make it near the mineral line where they are met by a large group of pissed off SCV's.  I would say about half of the mining SCV's cam off mining duties and forced some dragoon micro and movement while more troops are produced.  Soon enough, two vultures join the fray.  Necro/PoA are forced to move the dragoon force, now whittled down to 3, to the free space area below and out of range of the mineral line.

The first troop of goons have done some fantastic dancing, but their time is running short.  Good thing Necro/PoA have more on the way.  And even though Mark4/Hawk4 have a few vultures and mines now, the next small group of dragoons are quite a handful to take care of.  Mark4/Hawk4 are putting on a school of how to micro in your base though.  The first tank out is able to fend off and keep some of the dragoons at bay.  The tank is eventually forced to retreat to the "safety" of the mineral line where it can me repaired more easily.

But when two Dark Templar show up, Necro/PoA gain an advantage that is not lost again.  Mark4/Hawk4 realize their main is going to be in ruins very soon, and begin to build replacement structures up at their top left expansion.

Possibly because they sensed Hawk4 to disconnect again, Necro/PoA seemed to slow up a little in intensity.  The game is basically over, but Mark4/Hawk4 decide to play "irritant" and refuse to die.  They declare their strategy of staying alive as long as possible, no matter how painful.

Necro/PoA had their Hatchery expansion in the bottom right up and in full swing.  Several zerg structures were there.  It is only a matter of time and sure enough a group of zergling head up to the top left expansion.  Hawk4 is a little upset at the turn of events this game.  But nonetheless Necro/PoA are victorious.

This game actually rolled on for what seemed like forever.  Mark4/Hawk4 refused to die and kept trying to build when they could, and float when they couldn't.  I would have more pictures, but the bulk of the battles on this game were the "replayed" dragoon offensives.  I must say, it was very interesting seeing what happens when you give players the opportunity to actually play out the "If we only did this, when they did that!" syndrome.

Here are the lopsided scores for this game:

So, here we stand.  Old School vs. New School TEAM MELEE tournament and the two finalists, both Old School, are tied at one game apiece.  Tension is high.  Well, not really that high, everyone is having a great time even with the channel splits and Hawk's disconnects.  We are trying to decide the final map.

Hawk wants Lost Temple (man, this guy never ceases to provide ammo for his own heckling), and no one else wants to play on it.  A few other names are tossed around before I am asked to pick the last map.  I go to look at the full map selections wanting to make sure I don't miss or forget one, and come back to declare Ashrigo as the final map.  Hah, it turns out Basic had said I would pick Ashrigo too!  Anyway...

GAME 3:

As I said, we were all in pretty good spirits, and this was good.  Once we all joined the game, Hawk4 said he would be right back.  Doh!  Hmm, if he is not pausing, he is disconnecting, if he is not disconnecting he is afk.  Hmm, what to do with this guy?  Well, talk about him when he is afk, for sure!

Ok, we suck.  We can't hold a flame to Hawk's style of comments though PoA has a pretty good handle on it!  Anyways, on to the game.

Both teams opt to start with zerg as the primary race.  Yellow and teal are again the colors as Mark4/Hawk4 spawn their Hatchery at bottom left and Necro/PoA spawn at bottom right.  Mining commences as overlords leave the bases.

Mark4/Hawk4 had the good fortune of sending their first overlord straight towards the right, which allowed them to park their eyes in their opponents base.  Necro/PoA started their overlord to the north.

Each go for another Hatchery, followed by a Spawning pool and then an Extractor.  It is funny to note that Mark4/Hawk4 are soon able to see every move being made in Necro/PoA camp.

Necro/PoA begin to make zerglings and start to rally a healthy amount out towards the entrance ramp to Mark4/Hawk4.  Seeing that their opponents are going hard zerglings, Mark4/Hawk4 begin to morph a Lair.  Yet, there are quite a large amount of zerglings that have left camp Necro/PoA, so Mark4/Hawk4 station a single group + a few (about 20) of lings at the top of their ramp.

About the time they finally get an overlord into Mark4/Hawk4's base and see that there is a Lair almost finished, Necro/PoA decide they better hit fast and hard.  Can't let them have that Lair.  So, they scamper every hatched larvae they can find and attempt to break the ramp of Mark4/Hawk4.

What happens is a big bloody mess.  The best way to describe it is just that the zerglings trying to get up the ramp extremely outnumbered the ones defending the ramp.  And the defenders withstood big time.  Lots of blood though.

As you can see, Necro/PoA are finally successful in breaching the ramp.  However, it is only with a mere 2 zerglings.  More are on the way, though.

The goal was to break in and destroy enough stuff so Mark4/Hawk4 could not support mutalisks.  You see, as soon as the Lair was finished, Mark4/Hawk4 started a Spire.  And the Spire just finishes as Necro/PoA bring in the threatening 3 zergling pimp squad.  A few more zerglings join them as they try to attack a Sunken Colony, but the newly hathced mutalisks of Mark4/Hawk4 spell disaster for the lings.

Necro/PoA realized the predicament they were in and began a Lair themselves before the zergling ramp battle ended.  In an effort to buy themselves time from total mutalisk annihilation, they have stationed another pimp squad near the ramp to Mark4/Hawk4.

Soon, Mark4/Hawk4 send out a group of 3 mutalisks and 4 scourge.  Miraculously, Necro/PoA have their own 2 mutas and 4 scourge to defend with and the air threat is somewhat efficiently dealt with.  Mark4/Hawk4 send a few more air units out to attack again.

Remember the small pimp squad of zerglings that Necro/PoA had stationed again near the opposing ramp?  Well, they decide to attack again while Mark4/Hawk4 are launching their second air attack.  But Mark4/Hawk4 not only have 2 Sunkens and some defending zerglings, they have infiltrated Necro/PoA's main with scourge and decimate several overlords.  This would be a decisive maneuver.  For without supply, you cannot make troops.

Though the pic above only shows 2 overlords biting it, I think close to 6 were taken down.  Basic notes the success of the scourge attack, as does Mark4.  Necro also realizes what is going on.  Notice here how Mark4 and Necro seem to be on the same page, while Hawk4 is off in la la land.

And seeing how Hawk4 is off in la la land, Mark4 declares the control of what would be the final affront:

And attack he does.  Yes, zerglings are on the way, just as Necro predicted and just as Mark4 declared.  However, as a nice compliment to the ground attack, Mark4 sends in a few mutalisks and scourge to mix it up a bit.  What happens is that Team Necro/PoA are unable to deal with the attack since they are still trying to recover from the devastating supply raid.  The air units actually forced the game, but when the zerglings got there, it was all over.

WINNERS!  Mark4 & Hawk 4, Team Old School

With this win, the Old School Team of Mark4 and Hawk4 are declared the winners of this tournament.  They displayed great adaptability, superb communications, and excellent skills.  Good job!

Necrosausage! and ProtectorofAiur gave it a good go, and were close to pulling off an *cough* upset.  Mark4 and Hawk4 were not an easy opponent to defeat, and with the intricacies of TEAM MELEE they played admirably.

TEAM MELEE games are really a lot of fun, and I hope I captured some of the good times there.  Yes, Hawk is so easy to make fun of.  He is a good sport though, and provides sooooo much ammo for his own demise!

Thanks guys, for letting me watch!

On a total side note, I had to include this pic of a bit of chat that was going on in the Fox^1 tournament.  I am not one that does Quotes of the Month or anything like that, but Necrosausage! had one of the funniest things I ever heard in a channel.  Whoever submits quotes and what not, have a ball with this one.

Dr.Zchivago