GSL Ro16 Group A Recap



After a grueling night with plenty of close games, former GSL champion (T)MMA advanced in first place. MMA showed a resurgent dominance compared to his RO32 form, dismantling Dark with both mech and bio before picking INnoVation apart with signature mutlitasking. (P)Terminator proceeded to play a brilliant PvZ series vs (Z)Dark, eliminating him before falling again to (T)INnoVation in the deciding series.

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INnoVation and Terminator opened the night on King Sejong Station. INnoVation opted for his trademark widow mine drop opening, and did significant damage by sniping Terminator’s mothership core. The loss of photon overcharge allowed INnoVation to constantly threaten with drop play, keeping the Protoss contained on two bases while he was free to expand at home. This took its toll on Terminator, and a frontal attack at the natural proved a fatal distraction when INnoVation’s undefended drop in the main dealt game-ending damage. Game 2 was a similar case of Terminator gifting INnoVation far too large an economic lead. For a second it looked like the Protoss would hold the standard 200/200 timing with 2/2 upgrades; INnoVation had built too many vikings against a primarily chargelot/archon composition. However Terminator overcommitted to a counterattack, and a trio of EMPs from INnoVation’s reinforcing ghosts reduced his army to dust.

The second series of the night turned out to be a lot better, to put it mildly.

Game 1

Deadwing

RATING:


Upon scouting MMA's mech opening, Dark elected for a roach/ling/bling bust. MMA microed brilliantly and barely survived at the price of several SCVs. Despite failing to kill his opponent, Dark felt comfortable enough to drone up and establish several bases. However MMA took a page out of ForGG's book and pushed across the map with an early force. MMA killed some workers wisely pulled back before he could be broken by enemy reinforcements, only to return later with a much larger and stronger army. This time MMA inflicted a lot more punishment, killing the 3rd and setting up a contain on the zerg's doorstep. Unwilling to give up, Dark broke the rocks leading to his natural and snuck burrowed roaches and lings around MMA's line. The resulting counterattacks ravaged MMA's economy and eventually forced the Acer Terran back. The harass continued until MMA finished missile turrets at every base and added a raven for his army; this delay let Dark re-expand and tech up to ultralisks and vipers. Once again MMA set up another siege line near Dark's bases. Dark was ready this time though and crashed through, nearly destroying the entire army. But during all of this, MMA had added several expansions on his side of the map and stood in a comfortable economic position. Instead of trying to camp the production facilities, Dark made the mistake of attacking the outlying bases. Sensing weakness, MMA sent out more harassment groups and scorched many drones while deflecting a frontal assault. With nearly no mining bases and no buffer for his swarm hosts, Dark quit.

Acer MMA T11 RATING:

Despite all the mishaps, MMA maintained composure throughout the game. His base management was pristine, his army movements were excellent, his positioning sublime, and his harassment unrelenting. MMA loses points here for his initial indecision: he could have ended the game with his first major push if he controlled it properly. However, in every other situation he knew what to do and acted upon it.

Z5 SKT DarkRATING:

Dark earns great credit for his initiative in trying to catch MMA off guard as well as his fierce tenacity, nearly clawing his way back into the game several times off the back of his decision making and harass.


The second game wasn't as spectacularly strange with both players going for the standard bio vs ling/bling/muta dance. Dark, perhaps shaken by Game 1, was not up to snuff here. He lost several units carelessly to widow mines, prompting MMA to assault and destroy the 4th. From there, Dark was unable to stem the tide of marines and tapped out.

This set up a winners' match between the two Terrans and former teammates. In the first game, MMA chose to be the aggressor with a gas first into banshee build while INnoVation start a fast CC with the intention of being defensive. Nevertheless MMA found a good position near INnoVation's natural and forced a CC lift. MMA transformed his small lead into a stronger army, with which he continuously denied INnoVation's 3rd base and eventually smothered him. In the second game both went for gas first builds. Here MMA's multi-tasking was the key difference: he ably deflected harassment while dishing out massive damage of his own. This prompted MMA to attempt a finishing blow, grievously wounding INnoVation but not killing him. Unable to finish him off, MMA established a strong contain while simultaneously getting a 3rd base and researching upgrades. INnoVation tried to make a game of it and eventually broke out, but surrendered when the cost efficiency of MMA became too much to handle.

Dark and Terminator met in the losers match, where they played their hearts out in a desperate struggle for survival.

Game 1

King Sejong Station

RATING:

Dark's early pool was quickly scouted, allowing Terminator to deflect it with minimal losses and minor investment. From there both macroed up, with Terminator going for stargate as his followup. Knowing that Dark was vulnerable after his failed gamble, Terminator started to crank out Void Rays after the initial oracle; his masterful maneuvers and recall tactics allowed him to snipe two hatches at nearly no loss. Dark was prompted to counterattack in a bid to buy time for his hydras to emerge and 4th base to return investment. Terminator calmly went for carriers and while he lost some of his outlying bases, he survived the ordeal thanks to Dark's sloppy army management. From there Terminator continued to be unusually active in spite of his endgame plan, sniping units and buildings while avoiding direct confrontation with either intelligent army movement or tactical recalls. He also used his army presence to secure 4th and 5th bases. However, Terminator made a huge mistake by recalling only half his army from a bad engagement, losing a large number of void rays and some carriers. But concurrently Dark lost a large part of his army and was unable to push into Terminator's fortified territories. Dark rebuild his forces quicker but overestimated the size of his lead, bullheadedly trying to force a direct engagement. Meanwhile, Terminator was busy ravaging the Zerg's bases with dark templar and some voids, and when he regrouped the Protoss had just enough to come out ahead. Battered and bloodied, Dark GGed out.

Jin Air Terminator P11 RATING:

Terminator really impressed in this game by not only showcasing his unexpected endgame composition, but by playing really well up to that point. While the mass void ray strategy and tactical snipe recalls were clearly inspired by sOs, Terminator went one step further. In the first serious strategy of its kind since WoL, Terminator incorporated carriers into his build and made them work, he kept up the pressure to buy himself time, he expanded appropriately to fuel his economy and he protected his investment via templars with storm. Terminator was a bit sloppy and lost units and bases carelessly at certain points.

Z5 SKT DarkRATING:

All things considered Dark played this game fairly well from a bad position. He took an early risk that didn't pay off, and spent most of the midgame trying to balance the scales. He pulled the right moves to get himself even or possibly ahead. However he continually underestimated the power of Terminator's army and didn't plan appropriately for the lategame. In particular, he ailed to incorporate any vipers at the point where Zerg must systematically pick Protoss apart with abducts.



Game 2 was very straightforward in comparison. Once again Dark tried to catch Terminator with an early game attack and failed to do damage. Fortunately Dark was prepared for Terminator's massive gateway attack. This forced Terminator to get a 3rd base and tech while Dark aimed for swarm hosts. Under pressure from the impeding locusts, Terminator cut stalker production to get faster colossi out; anticipating the shift in tactics Dark exploited it with a big mutalisk switch, ending the game. The last game was more reminiscent of the beginning of the series, being another fun game. Finally Dark got the hint and played greedy, but retained enough awareness to halt a potential cannon rush. Terminator geared up for a sentry/blink stalker attack which caught Dark off guard, sniping the 4th while also securing his own 3rd base. From there Terminator continuously found more ways to do damage and deny further bases. The SKT1 Zerg, visibly flustered, threw away a couple too many units cost-inefficiently until Terminator forced the decisive engagement and ended Dark's GSL run.

Sadly the last series was underwhelming. In both games INnoVation chose to go for mind games and early attacks, inflicting heavy economic damage upon Terminator. In the first game he forced a photon overcharge on the main nexus, while building a bunker and assaulting the natural. Behind this, INnoVation expanded and soon overpowered Terminator with an overwhelming economic advantage. In the second game Terminator tried to assemble the classic phoenix/colossus composition but INnoVation sent a squad of bio across the map and hit at the perfect time, killing most of the units and ransacking the main. Dejected, Terminator tapped out.

Overall MMA was in absolute control from start to finish. He looks like the complete package in terms of mechanics and decision making. INnoVation looked dominant against Terminator but lost and flustered against MMA, but we can chalk this down to MMA playing brilliantly more then INnoVation having bad TvT. Terminator looked brilliant in PvZ, showing a good understanding of noncommittal pressure and air mastery. His early game PvT was lackluster though. Finally Dark looked great in both series, but it looks like his lack of experience got the better of him. He wasn't able to deal with the pressure after both his long games and fell apart as the day wore on.