Stalemate

Infinity's army congo-lined into the enemy fire. His Zerglings charged in first, weaving through the harvesting Drones and targeting the three Sunken Colonies Kahar had erected there. Despite their two-upgraded carapace, the first few rascals were beaten down like Mike Tyson on a ho. In addition to the three Colonies, Kahar had stationed a considerable group of Hydralisks and Zerglings in the area. His Sunken Colonies served as an excellent distraction, allowing his Hydralisk to pound in several damage points. Infinity's troops continued to target the Sunken Colonies, as his Hydralisk arrived on scene. One by one, the defense structures collapsed, leaving Kahar's force vulnerable.

By now, both armies had taken their fair share of hits. In response, Infinity sent in six Hydralisk and twelve Zerglings for reinforcement purposes. The extra units assisted him greatly, as Kahar struggled to construct new Sunken Colonies and Zerglings. Outnumbered, and out-upgraded, he attempted the 'lure tactic' once again. His new Sunken Colonies were operational and he began to micro the intruding army closer and closer to the deadly tentacles. Sure enough, Infinity's troops pursuited the micro'ers and found themselves in the meatgrinder. With the absence of available units, Infinity's army fell to Kahar's without destroying the Hatchery.

Kahar's tech tree was coming along nicely. He already possessed a Defiler Mound and had just finished upgrading his Zerglings' attack speed. In addition to his successful teching, he began to rebuild his expansion and the harvest team. Stealthily, he had also recently expanded to the lowlands. Kahar needed the resources desperately, since the attack on his natural. The two bases South and South east of his main rewarded him handsomely with the valuable cash needed to keep his Hive cluster going.

Infinity had also teched, but instead of the viral Defilers, he chose to go with the versatile Mutalisks. He focused all spending on the flying creatures for a good two minutes. In that time, he had amounted a dozen of them. As his resources began to recover a bit, a new plan came to mind and he started to spawn Hydralisks and Zerglings rapidly.

Mutalisk Maneuvers

Infinity readied his troops. War was once again among the Zerg commanders. As his Hydralisks and Zerglings hatched out of their eggs, he sent them Northeast, down the familiar road to Kahar's natural. At the same time, he ordered his Mutalisk control group East across the main base adjacent to his own. They rested there for a while, as Infinity observed his Hydralisk/Zergling army advance up the battlefield. Yet, his troops where in big trouble.

Kahar had been preparing all along for this situation. He had massed his upgraded Zerglings at the expansion and they charged ruthlessly into the skirmish. It was pretty much a no-contest in the end. Kahar's frenzied Zerglings disemboweled enemy Hydralisks like professional autopsy surgeons. However, trickery was afoot.

The goal of Infinity's ground forces was to annihilate the few Hydralisk that Kahar possessed. Their objective was completed, despite being killed in action by the ravenous enemy Zerglings. Yet, their sacrifice was not in vain. The control group of Mutalisk came speeding in over the Southern ridge of Kahar's main and headed straight for the defenseless Drones. Fortunately for Kahar, he had just finished spawning a new group of six Hydralisks to hold off the Mutalisks for a while. Frantically, Drones began to construct Spore Colonies everywhere. Most were dismembered, but others survived and were completed. Infinity knew he had to move. He targeted the Defiler Mound for a while, but was unable to destroy it due to the hostile Hydralisks being spawned at an alarming pace.

Infinity's Mutalisk retreated to the West, into Kahar's natural. There, they got off a few pot shots at the harvesting Drones and Zergling defenders. The Hydralisks were hot on their trail though and were soon on the scene. They opened fire. The Mutalisks stood no chance against the superior anti-air spines of the Hydralisks. They were pierced with ease and fell one by one from the sky until the entire fleet was vanquished. Kahar's base reverted back to a placid state for now.

After losing a large amount of his army, Infinity desired a new expansion. He set his eyes on the far off 12 o'clock main. He commanded a Drone along with two dozen Zerglings for escorting purposes. The force cut straight through the middle of the map without encountering any resistance. However, a nearby Overlord belonging to Kahar detected the enemy movement. He summoned nearly a dozen Zerglings to attack the youthful expansion. As his army entered the base single-file, they were fiercely assaulted by Infinity's defense troops. Severely outnumbered, Kahar took full aim on the newborn Hatchery. His Zerglings slashed the structure down to about half health, but were then completely abolished by the much larger enemy swarm.

Counter-Attack Confusion

Kahar decided that an effective counter-attack was in order. With his several Hatcheries, he began to spawn Hydralisk at a rapid pace. Due to his early tech to a Hive, his Hydralisk were already three upgraded in the weapons department. The tech also brought him the advantage of possessing Defilers before his opponent. He didn't target his adversary's new expansion. This time, he was headed for the main.

Just as his twenty-fourth Hydralisk hatched, Kahar commanded his minions, along with the Defiler, to his natural. When they were regrouped and in order, he led them Southwest, towards Infinity's natural. On the enemy perimeters, Kahar stopped his troops. He took hold of his Defiler and summoned Dark Swarm a short ways ahead. With the orange haze creeping over the battlegrounds, his Hydralisks plunged headfirst into the hostile outpost.

One problem : Cracklings. Infinity had been spawning them for some time now. At his natural alone, he possessed around thirty or forty. They charged the Hydralisks with vigor, leaving deep gashes in the enemy flesh. Their melee-based attack left Kahar's Dark Swarm useless, and even worsened the situation. Observing the mass failure of his counter-attack, he commanded his Hydralisks to evacuate the Dark Swarm. The action was not very helpful at all, as the Cracklings chased the Hydralisks like starved piranhas after a T-bone steak. Kahar's counter-attack turned out a huge disaster.

A Crushing Blow

With the extremely efficient victory over his opponent, Infinity had plenty of force resting under his command. He knew a powerful strike was needed to minimize the threat of defeat. His Greater Spire had just finished construction and he began to evolve his Mutalisk into Guardians. At the same time, he launched an assault that put Kahar's entire infrastructure in jeopardy.

The assault consisted of the Hydralisk/Crackling combination we've witnessed several times in this battlereport already. Infinity regrouped at his main and headed Northeast into Kahar's natural. The base was relatively unguarded. Besides a couple of Sunken Colonies and a few misplaced Zerglings, the entry was pretty much an open door. As his natural became under attack, Kahar frantically spawned Hydralisks and Mutalisks. His Sunkens took out a rather surprising amount of enemy forces, yet they were still overran in under twenty seconds, victims of the 3/2 upgraded Crackilings. He had a pair of spare Queens in his main and hastily ensnared most of the oncoming invaders. The action revealed to Infinity that his opponent was weak, stalling for time. He readied a second wave.

Kahar had enough problems with the first wave however. His Hydralisks and Mutalisks had finally hatched and he raced them over to salvage what was left of his natural. The rescue mission was successful, as his new army annihilated the last of his adversary's troops. Yet, recuperation was no where in the near future for him as Infinity's second wave of Hydralisks, Mutalisks, and Guardians were bearing down on his base at this very moment.

Kahar struggled to build up groups of Hydralisks and Zerglings. However, He was not completely prepared for Guardians. As the second, and more formidable wave of Infinity's army entered his base, he used ensnared once again to bye as much time as possible. A bunch of his Zerglings had just hatched and he ordered them to attack the hostile Hydralisks (hell, it was the only type of enemy they could attack). They took out four, but were then finished off by the Guardians. Fortunately, he found a spare group of six Mutalisks at the rear of his base. A quick micro was necessary if he wanted life opposed to death.

Kahar took the group of flyers and swooped South, behind the enemy Guardians. His Mutalisks were stationed over water when they began to attack. But, Infinity spotted the microing Mutalisks and sent his Hydralisks (3/1 upgraded) to knock 'em up. He wasn't about to let his Guardians sit there and take damage either and moved them away from the water. The Mutalisks had no choice and pursuited the Guardians, but they were blasted out of the sky before ending the life of a single one.

With the Mutalisk threat eliminated, Infinity was free to ravage the enemy main at will. In a maniacal frenzy, he destroyed the Chambers, Defiler Mound, Hive, and eventually the entire base in record time. The vicious assault resulted in a decimated tech tree for Kahar along with a large portion of his army and Overlords.

Late Game (30:01 - 46:08)

Run For Your Life

After the total annihilation of his main base, Kahar began the slow and painful task of rebuilding. Currently, he maintained three minibases on the lowlands. All three were relatively weak, however, he did possess a control group of Mutalisks. They would serve as the lone defenders of his dimming hopes for victory.

He began construction on a Spawning Pool, Lair, Spire, and various Colonies. Yet, a single minute after he cheated death, a group of six Guardians hovered ominously into view. They were headed straight for his expansion located just below 3 o'clock. Sure enough, Infinity's Guardians began to pelt his newborn Spire as if it was a cripple in the middle of a snowball fight. Fortunately for Kahar, the Guardians were without Hydralisk support, and his Mutalisk were free to scramble things up. Eventually the Guardians were destroyed, but not before eliminating the Spire and harvest force.

Kahar was quick to rebuild the base. He erected three Sunken Colonies and continued to spawn Mutalisk and Zerglings. In case the base was lost, he built a second Lair at his other expansion. This proved to be a smart plan, as one of his Mutalisk scouts uncovered a sizable drop in store for him.

At the very same expansion that was just attacked by Guardians, four of Infinity's Overlords began unloading Hydralisks all over the perimeter. Kahar wasn't about to sit there helplessly and watch his empire go to ruins. He hurled his Zerglings and Mutalisks into the fray. As you can imagine, this did not work very well, as the Hydralisks shot the costly Mutalisks out of the sky mercilessly. The Zerglings were slightly more effective, but were still blown to ketchup rather hastily. Infinity's Hydralisks continued into the base where they met the three Sunken Colonies. The Sunkens, once again, did fairly well against the Hydralisks, but one by one, they exploded in a shower of blood. With the defensive structures down, the Hydralisks went on a rampage as they tore down everything in their sight.

As his Hydralisk force weakened from the continuous endeavors of warfare, Infinity sent in a control group of Mutalisk reinforcements. At that point, Kahar's expansion went to waste and he didn't bother to send a relief force in. His base was quickly transformed into ground beef.

Infinity wasn't done yet. He did not want his opponent alive so he spawned another control group of Mutalisks. He sent them Northeast to the recently destroyed enemy base. From there, he commanded his troops North, then West, headed directly for Kahar's second expansion.

Infinity dove straight into the enemy expansion with his eighteen Mutalisks and six Hydralisks. Immediately, they were in big trouble. He had chose to attack Kahar's most heavily guarded expansion. It was located a short distance from 12 o'clock (right side on the minimap) Kahar had planned ahead and rebuilt his Spire. Then, he began to amass a large army at the expansion, as he knew it was probably next on Infinity's hit list. Currently, it housed over twenty-four Mutalisks, over a dozen Hydralisks, and four Spore Colonies. Infinity didn't dare retreat. He wanted Kahar dead at all costs.

The battle itself lasted under ten seconds. A full retreat would have been a hell of a lot more efficient for Infinity. Kahar's forces chopped through his like a steak knife through marshmallow. It was a great victory for Kahar and his army.

Shortly after his victory, Kahar took the initiative and summoned six Mutalisks. He commanded them into 12 o'clock, where he found a very strong and potentially dangerous enemy base. Looking to cripple Infinity's income, he began blasting the harvest Drones with Glave Wurms. After a few violent ricochets, Infinity sent in Hydralisks and Mutalisks to quell the pesky attackers. Kahar knew he was outmatched and quickly retreated. He was very aware of the fact that he needed every unit he could get.

Kahar sensed a weakness in his opponent's gameplay. For the entire thirty-eight minutes that the game had been running, he had never gotten a glimpse of Infinity's main. He was the one that was continually on the defensive and decided that now would be the perfect time for a little revenge. At his Southern-most lowlands expansion, he loaded seven Hydralisks into a couple of Overlords. He safely guided the two transports over the Southern 6 o'clock ridge and dropped the Hydralisks atop four key tech buildings.

Infinity's Evolution Chamber, Hydralisk Den, Queen's Nest, and Greater Spire were all in terrible danger. Kahar's Hydralisks were targeting each building one by one. The structures were falling at an alarming rate. Although this was his main base, Infinity's ego had gotten in the way and he never bothered to construct Sunken or Spore Colonies. Troops were of short supply as well. Almost all of them were stationed at his 12 o'clock base. His main laid defenseless against the rather pathetic drop for a good minute. It was only until the last of the four buildings fell that Infinity's Mutalisks arrived on the scene, all the way from 12 o'clock. The twenty Mutalisks easily took out the seven Hydralisks, but the damage had been done. It was a cheap shot that by all means, should have been prevented.

While his 'rather pathetic' drop was taking place, Kahar had been biding his time at his lowlands expansion a short distance from 12 o'clock. There, he had built three Hatcheries and from them, spawned dozens of Hydralisks and Mutalisks. It was by far, his largest army yet. He commanded all available Overlords to the base and prepared a deadly drop.

After several minutes of silence, Infinity became suspicious. He ordered a Mutalisk to scout Kahar's expansion that he had attacked earlier with his Hydralisk/Mutalisk combo. To his utter disbelief, he found a fully operational base and army at his opponent's disposal! The Mutalisk scout was obliterated in under a second by the large mass of Kahar's brutes. Infinity became restless. He should have foreseen this! All this time he had been struggling to find resources. All this time he had been leading minor attacks on his opponent. He should have concentrated on containment! He should have followed through when he laid waste to his adversary's main base! Now...now he had a whole new enemy to face. An enemy no longer scrambling in the ashes of his empire, but an enemy with a full-fledged Zerg battalion and five functioning expansions on the lowlands. Dazzled, but not about to give up, Infinity began to amass large amounts of Zerglings, Hydralisks, Mutalisks, and Guardians at 12 o'clock. Murder was set on the horizon.

The Drop From Hell

Kahar's army was ready. Over two dozen Hydralisks loaded up into his several Overlords. He sent them Southward over the Eastern ridge of 12 o'clock. His Mutalisks followed, anticipating the battle to come. The Overlords unloaded the twenty-seven Hydralisks and were sent back to the expansion. With nothing holding them back, Kahar's army moved West, smashing directly into the enemy base.

Infinity ordered his Cracklings to charge and eliminate the hostile Hydralisks without mercy. Then, he commanded his Hydralisks and Guardians to push forward as well. The strategy was well executed, drastically decreasing the size of the opposing army. His Cracklings shredded plenty of Kahar's Hydralisks and his Guardian/Hydralisk combo was used to pummel the survivors. Kahar's Mutalisk didn't put up much of a fight after their Hydralisk support was vanquished. They quickly retreated a short bit, as reinforcements where on the way.

Kahar had figured that his first wave of troops wouldn't be sufficient to destroy Infinity's entire base. So, he was spawning Hydralisk reinforcements the entire time. When his army required assistance, all he had to do was send his Overlords to play a little game of fetch. Due to their close location, the Overlords were able to transport Hydralisk to and from the battlefield in under twenty seconds.

This never-ending supply of enemy force was enough to overrun Infinity's base after the third wave. With additional Mutalisk support from the West, Kahar and his ravenous army took over 12 o'clock. It was a major loss for Infinity.

Kahar didn't waste any time celebrating his victory. Immediately, he ordered his Mutalisk fleet South to strike Infinity's main base. As they entered the area, they found virtually no resistance. Structure after structure, unit after unit fell to the Mutalisk swarm. Infinity's tech tree crumbled and his army deteriorated. They demolished the main like a wrecking ball through a 99¢ Store.

Infinity had lost. His main laid in ruins and he no longer had a source of income. In my opinion, the lone reason victory slipped out of his grasp was because of his laziness. This game should've been over when he took out Kahar's main base way back at the twenty-five minute mark. Instead, he let his opponent survive until he was stronger than himself. Kahar and his troops had fought well and reigned victorious. A very GG.

And so ends my tale of blood, strategy, and survival. I hope you've enjoyed this piece of literature. Please leave a comment. Your words can only strengthen my desire to report once more.

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