GSL Ro16 Group D Recap


After the routs we’ve seen in the past couple of days, Friday night in Gangnam was a refreshing return to matches tottering on a knife's edge.

(T)Maru and (P)PartinG began the evening with a highly aggressive series. Much has been made of Maru’s weakness to PartinG’s unique brand of aggression, but the little Terran was in indomitable form on Deadwing. Seemingly endless drops brought PartinG's economy crashing down, while his trademark colossus snipes and impeccable micro crushed the remnants of a desperate all-in.

PartinG took back the initiative on Merry Go Round, rushing out DTs. Taking a hidden third base further compounded his economic advantage, and he converted it into a vastly superior army to win. Initially Game 3 seemed to confirm PartinG’s permanent residence inside Maru’s head, as he read and countered him at every turn. However, a crucial over-extension chasing a portion of Maru’s army allowed the Terran to snipe the third nexus. One final, beautiful, engagement sealed the deal for the teenage prodigy.

After their brilliant series in the WCS Global Finals Round of 16, many expected an equally entertaining match between (P)MC and (P)herO[jOin] this time around. Unfortunately, none of the games here reached that level of play. Game 1 played out in typical fashion, with herO going for the ever-so-standard oracle into colossi build, while MC opted for his preferred archon/immortal composition. An absolutely terrible engagement at MC's natural ramp brought the game to an abrupt end as the CJ ace drew first blood.


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In Game 2, herO summoned the spirit of (P)sOs and proxy gated inside MC’s natural. The universe quickly adjusted to correct this possible violation. MC scouted well, and entered the midgame well ahead with blink done. A desperate roll of the dice (i.e. DTs) did critical damage inside MC’s main base before the robo was complete; however, with observers in play, MC was able to use his massive advantage in stalker numbers to cut through herO’s remaining force. Game 3 was a damp squib. herO decimated MC’s whole army while the latter was posturing out on the map, dealing heavy damage while taking zero losses, and it was over.

herO showed that while he remains comically susceptible to the same build again and again in PvP, PvT is another story. A couple weeks after Maru destroyed him on Deadwing (in the same spawning locations to boot), herO displayed the lessons he learned from the school of life. He was ready for Maru’s widow mine drops, shutting each one down with minimal losses. He pulled ahead with solid engagements throughout the game, accumulating a massive stalker force to buffer for his colossi; a well controlled push towards Maru’s base systematically gutted the Terran.


Game 2

Merry Go Round

RATING:

Game 2 started as a mirror of Deadwing: aggressive drops from Maru and proper defense from herO. Seeing the third nexus already completed Maru pulled the boys, and it was here that the game got crazy. We saw the rarest of events in TvP, a SCV pull that didn't end in the game in someone's favor. Stuck on an inferior economy Maru was forced to maintain his push, halting herO’s attempts to establish a third over and over again. herO cracked under the chaos and pulled his probes in response. A base trade resulted and as buildings were lifted, the final encounter hinged on a single pylon.
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Polt returns to haunt herO

Jin Air Maru T10 RATING:

Jaw-droppingly good play from Maru. In a terrible position after his failed SCV pull he constantly found holes in herO’s defense where none seemed visible, taking small engagements and abusing Protoss’ lack of mobility with constant drops. He constantly dodged the brunt of herO's defensive moves, making up for his significant army disadvantage by hitting wherever herO wasn't. If a paltry criticism exists, it’s that his favorite widow mine drop opening has become far too predictable.

P6 CJ.herORATING:

For much of the game, herO looked in control. Sure, Maru’s constant niggling damage was irritating, and constantly having his expansion delayed was worrying. But herO still had the superior army and economy. His micro was on point every time he was able to force an engagement, as was his army positioning in the attempt to catch Maru’s elusive medivacs. When push came to shove and the game descended into madness, Maru's beautiful maneuvers were just a bit better.



The final game was another unfortunate downer. herO quickly teched up to DTs and a warp prism, and his constant harass forced Maru to stay at home. Seeing his tactics succeeding, herO indulged his greed with quick upgrades and a third base. Once Maru had finally dealt with his invisible tormentors he pushed out, only to find the CJ Protoss fully prepared. Crushing Maru’s attempt at a head-on engagement, herO moved swiftly into the playoffs.

In the losers' match, PartinG unleashed his entire bag of tricks—DT drops, followed by storm drops—but MC showed that sometimes the old ways are best. Game 1 ended quickly when MC shoved a huge wedge of stalker/immortal into PartinG’s natural. In Game 2, MC attempted to ride his mental advantage to victory with a double proxy gate; however, PartinG’s micro was equal to the challenge. With every second that ticked by MC’s economic deficit grew, and he conceded defeat. On Merry Go Round DTs proved a crucial agent again, as PartinG’s dark shrine blind countered MC’s 4 gate + blink. It was a sad ending to the Boss Toss’s homecoming, but he’s shown enough this season that writing him off as a has-been is a hasty proclamation.

After being taken apart by Maru in the midgame in the opening series, PartinG showed no inclination to let him get that far again. A DT rush hit just before turrets were ready on King Sejong Station and proxy oracles on Merry Go Round caught Maru with his pants down. In a short bittersweet series, one of the favorites to win the season was rudely shoved out of the tournament.