GSL 2 Semifinals: Day 1

Trying something different this time: real time notes written as the games happened. A little less organized than a recap but perhaps easier to read.

Foxer vs HopeTorture
Match Rating: 7/10

Click here to display the full match play-by-play and commentary (spoilers)

Game 1 – Delta Quadrant

Foxer in the upper left, HT in the upper right
Foxer gets second barracks on low ground, normal build for HT
Three marines and an SCV rush from Foxer, HT building bunker
HT’s bunker isn’t up in time, tries to defend with SCVs
Foxer’s marine micro is too good, he obliterates defenses
Massive SCV losses for HT
Hellion comes out…Foxer 19 SCVs now against 5
Foxer spreads his marines and kills the hellion fairly easily, gg

Foxer 1-0 HopeTorture

Game 2 – Lost Temple

Cross positions (3 and 9) on Lost Temple
Marine fast expand from Foxer, builds the CC at the low ground
HT gets factory then tech lab for his barracks
Reaper for HT, then starport
Scouts the expansion but loses the reaper without seeing the main
HT getting banshee and cloak
10 marines and a marauder push to HT’s natural
Banshee arrives at Foxer’s base
Foxer scans to kill the banshee after minor damage, second banshee inbound
Foxer’s small field army prevents HT’s floating expansion CC from landing
Second banshee killed with a scan after relatively minor damage
HT pushes into his natural with infantry under siege tank cover fire, finally lands CC
HT’s expansion very late, Foxer building many barracks
Foxer takes out the rocks at the gold
Foxer sends two dropships with marines and marauders
Banshee spots SCV building at the gold and kills it
Foxer kills another banshee with a scan, still hasn’t taken much damage from them at all
Foxer drops his infantry on the ledge, harasses HT’s expansion
Supply is 109-77 for Foxer
Huge drop for Foxer in HT’s main, six dropships…
No, he drops on HT’s sieged up tanks and infantry at the expansion
Four siege tanks and some infantry defend easily, massive losses for Foxer’s army
HT pushes out with large numbers of marines and a few tanks
Foxer surprises two siege tanks before they can siege and kills them
Echange between infantry inconclusive, HT’s siege tanks push Foxer back and contain
Foxer collects a big group, attacks the siege tank position, kills tanks but loses army
HT building a planetary in his gold (without taking out the rocks)
Foxer finally overwhelms HT’s much weakened containment force, pushes out
Foxer marches on to HT’s gold and kills it
Foxer takes a fourth base in the 9 o’clock main
HT is very behind economically, sends all his attacking units for a final battle
Foxer snipes most of the tanks early with marauders, then routs the infantry, gg

Foxer 2-0 HopeTorture

Game 3 – X’el Naga Caverns

HT opens normally, Foxer skips gas and gets a marine out just in time to deny scouting
Fast command center again for Foxer
HT builds a proxy starport in Foxer’s third
Foxer getting three more barracks, still no gas
HT scouts the expansion but doesn’t see the huge number of barracks and marines
HT getting banshee and cloak plus bunker at his ramp
Foxer pushes with over a dozen marines, HT’s first banshee flies into the expansion
Foxer pulls his scvs back to his main
While the banshee attacks the main, Foxer tries to break HT’s ramp
Destroys the bunker and the marines, but a tank and SCVs push him out
Two banshees in Foxer’s base on 2 hp but still alive
Finally gets one with another scan
Then gets the last one, but suffered quite a bit of damage here
35-18 advantage in SCVs for HopeTorture
Another banshee comes, Foxer sends his marines to HT’s main
No siege mode yet for HT, but Foxer doesn’t move in yet…now he’s going
Too many tanks and marines on the top of the ramp, HT holds easily despite no siege
Still more damaging banshee harass in Foxer’s main
HT pushes into a contain position with tanks, banshees still picking at SCVs
Foxer finally ggs

Foxer 2-1 HopeTorture

Game 4 – Steppes of War

Foxer does his gasless fast expand again
HT makes a quick bunker to defend from a rush
Four barracks before gas for Foxer
HT getting a starport, appears to be going for banshees again
Foxer scans the starport, then gets two extractors
HT adds another factory and barracks, doesn’t expand, doesn’t get cloak
Foxer gets shields and stim, puts marines at both towers
Foxer intercepts the first banshee with marines at the north watchtower, forces it back
HT’s banshee tries to go through the center but is blocked again
The banshee finally makes it to Foxer’s expansion but dies immediately to marines there
Stim finishes just as Foxer’s marines are reaching HT’s defenses
Siege not done for HT, looks like Foxer wants to attack before it does
Foxer brings SCVs to fight with mass marine against three tanks and a few marines
Foxer’s mass marine crushes HT’s army easily before siege finishes
Seiged tank HT’s ramp but little else, Foxer easily takes the top of the ramp, forcing gg

Foxer 3-1 HopeTorture

Game 5 – Blistering Sands

Foxer takes his gas, finally doing a normal build mirroring HT’s
After killing HT’s scouting SCV, Foxer gets a factory, HT follows just afterward
Both players getting their second gas, reactor for barracks
Foxer starts getting a tank while HT gets a starport
Late starport for Foxer, HT starts a banshee and cloak
Foxer pushes out with a small marine force with one tank, building a dropship
First banshee out for HT, stumbles on Foxer’s force in the middle of the map
Medivac brings a tank and some more marines to HT’s rocks, HT has a spotting supply depot
HT moves a force there to counter but it’s clearly not large enough
Two cloaked banshees to help defend, Foxer scans and repels them
Around HT’s main, brutal fighting as both banshees fall to scans while many SCVs fall
Finally Foxer’s remaining force is repeled, meanwhile he expands
He moves in again with three tanks, two landed vikings, and a few marines
HT holds but loses all his SCVs and army
1 mule and 2 banshees for HT vs functioning base for Foxer
Vikings kill two banshees
HT has another banshee in Foxer’s main, kills many of Foxer’s SCVs
Foxer’s army in HT’s base again takes down HT’s few marines
Kind of a silly low econ ending, HT finally ggs
Foxer wins the series 4-1

Commentary: Just like in the GSL 1 semifinals and finals, HopeTorture came with a build he clearly thought was optimal and stuck with it. Obviously, it wasn’t enough. It’s hard to be too critical of HopeTorture since it’s not clear what he should have done. Foxer’s not an all-in player. His macro is actually quite good, and while skipping the banshees for more infantry and tanks would keep HopeTorture from dying so quickly, Foxer has shown he’s willing to expand across the map and overwhelm players who turtle against him.

For Foxer’s part, he has to be the favorite against either of his possible opponents in the finals. NesTea and SlayerSBoxer are more experienced than he is and are obviously quite good, but no one has had a more impressive tournament than Foxer. In FruitDealer, SangHo, and HopeTorture he has beaten players who are at the top of all three races, and that’s not even mentioning his brilliant victory (close though it was) over KyrixZenith’s unconventional Zerg style. Foxer has been criticized as a “one dimensional” player but while his micro is fearsome, his timing attacks are what make him the most dangerous player both in this tournament and on the Korean ladder. His opponent in the finals will have to hope the large venue makes him nervous and play a little more like he did in the round of 64.