GSL 3 Quaterfinals: Day 2

MarineKingPrimeWE (T) vs oGsMC (P)
Match Rating: 5/10
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Game 1 - Lost Temple

Cross positions, MarineKing at 1 and MC at 7

MarineKing walls in the bottom of his ramp

Standard opening for MC, command center on 20 for MarineKing, then first gas on 22

MC rallies stalkers to the natural choke where marines are defending

Stargate coming for MC

MarineKing out-micros MC and kills a stalker in the skirmishes, bunker up as well to help defend

Three gates and a void ray out for MC as well as a proxy pylon

MarineKing pushes out with his infantry but three zealots warp into his base with the void ray

The void ray charges on the barracks while the zealots fight marauders and SCVs

Marines finally make it back but more zealots are warped in

Void rays down to very low health but they pull back and let their shields recharge

MarineKing gets two turrets up by his command center but MC brings in void rays faster than marines can kill them

MC hits a critical mass where he can easily kill units as they are produced from MarineKing's buildings

MarineKing concedes

Very sharp rush by MC. When MarineKing didn't scout the proxy pylon he was always going to have trouble, but if MC hadn't masterfully kept his void rays alive as long as possible than the rush might have failed.

Game 2 - Delta Quadrant

Right positions, MarineKing at 2 and MC at 5

Proxy barracks in the center of the map by MarineKing with gas on 10, fast scout by MC arrives in the main however

MC goes to the watchtower and sees the barracks making a marauder, standard opening from MC albeit chronoboosting zealots

MarineKing puts a bunker at the bottom of the ramp while the first marauder engages the zealots

Probes force the marauders to retreat back to the watchtower where the last zealot manages to kill the last marauder

The scouting SCV finishes the bunker but the next marauder that comes doesn't have vision of the top of MC's ramp

MarineKing pulls back and builds two more barracks, MC adds another gateway and moves out with a small group of stalkers

MC's stalkers beat MarineKing's marauders with the help of a zealot and destroy the tech lab researching stim in the center of the map

MC moves into position outside MarineKing's base with a sentry and some stalkers, robotics finishes at his main

Two bunkers for MarineKing, nexus now for MC

MC uses a pylon to warp in some stalkers to the back of MarineKing's base

While MarineKing fights in the back of the base, MC moves up the ramp and engages the bunkers, but is repelled

Warp prism out for MC plus an immortal, MarineKing getting a starport and finally finishing stim

Robotics bay coming for MC, warp prism in place behind MarineKing's base

MarineKing sends his SCVs to help fight, colossus halfway done

MarineKing drives MC's forces back up the ramp and kills the nexus at the natural, then snipes the observer

Surviving SCVs go back to MarineKing's main, a zealot is warped in there and kills a few SCVs

Two vikings join MarineKing's army, MC loses his last stalker and only has sentries for anti-air

The vikings easily take out MC's two colossus while the infantry runs over MC's sentries and zealots

MC concedes

That probably wasn't how MarineKing planned out the game, but he didn't give up and managed to turn things around by attacking just before the first colossus was done for MC

Game 3 - Blistering Sands

MC puts his first pylon behind the minerals at MarineKing's natural, then his gateway

MarineKing's barracks is at the ramp, the first zealot arrives before the first marine is even finished

MarineKing tries to tank with SCVs, but his marines are being made on the other side of his base from the SCVs

The SCV count drops steadily as MarineKing can't manage to stabilize

MarineKing surrenders

MarineKing is famous for his marine micro but MC out-microed his marines and SCVs with his zealots, winning easily.

Game 4 - Jungle Basin

Standard opening for MC, gasless opening for MarineKing into expansion on 20 supply

Three more gateways for MC, a zealot and a stalker move up MarineKing's ramp to pressure

MC puts a proxy pylon near MarineKing's rocks, but not close enough to warp on to the other side of it

MarineKing walls in his main ramp, MC's stalkers start attacking the rocks

An SCV sees the attack on the ramp and MarineKing builds two bunkers

Forcefields prevent him from defending the bunkers, forcing him to lift his command center

MC moves up the ramp but SCVs block the units, a bunker at the top of the ramp with SCVs repairing repels

MarineKing loses many SCVs blocking the ramp, but MC finally pulls back and goes to expand himself

An SCV starts an engineering bay just before the nexus can be warped in

Twilight council coming for MC, stim researching for MarineKing

MC scouts MarineKing retaking his expansion and moves back with his stalker army

Dark shrine finishing as MC attacks the expansion, MarineKing repels the attack reasonably easily

The first DT arrives and is killed with a scan, the second comes in but gets too close to a turret and dies almost immediately

MC pushes in again, but MarineKing's marauders force him back

Another wave of warp ins pushes back into MarineKing's natural, but gets repelled again

Templar archives and zealot legs are done, blink and storm researching

MarineKing lands a factory in MC's expansion mineral line and builds a hellion, forcing some zealots to warp in

MC starts a nexus at an outside expansion but it's scouted and MC cancels it

MarineKing's army kills two pylons there and supply blocks MC, ghost academy done for MarineKing

MC starts another nexus at the center expansion, MC gets the templar energy upgrade

MarineKing moves out with a medium sized infantry army and several ghosts

MC perfectly storms the infantry ball, a back and forth storm and EMP battle ensues

MC ends up routing MarineKing's army, though a few marauders bypass MC's army and kill some probes

During the battle a probe built a pylon at MarineKing's expansion, allowing a few zealots to be warped in for harassment

MC takes a fourth base, MarineKing still on only two bases though they have similar supply levels

MarineKing floats an orbital to the center expansion but his defending forces take a beating from feedback and EMP

MC alternates between templars and blink stalkers forcing the command center to lift

MC adds two colossus to his composition and marches into MarineKing's main, crushing the few remaining defenders

MarineKing surrenders

MarineKing held off everything MC threw at him for most of the game, but in the late mid-game he had no answer for the templar tech. Ghosts are good but they weren't enough against energy-upgraded templar that could storm the moment they warp in.

Commentary: Both players were good, and MarineKing might have had the edge when it came to micro, but MC showed he has a far better understanding of the strategy of the matchup than MarineKing. It seemed like every one of his strategies worked very well, and even when MarineKing held out it was only by the skin of his teeth. I think it's safe to say TvP has got to be MarineKing's weakest matchup.

choyafOu (P) vs LiquidJinro (T)
Match Rating: 7/10
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Game 1 - Steppes of War

Standard openings for both players

choya steals Jinro's gas, so Jinro's marines start working on clearing it

Proxy factory for Jinro positioned to float into choya's main, bunker at the top of Jinro's ramp

Starport and another barracks coming for Jinro, his factory scouts and sees two more gateways coming for choya

Expansion and robotics start for choya, Jinro makes another barracks, a raven, and stim

Stargate coming as well for choya, banshee on the way for Jinro

Observer out for choya, phoenix coming from the stargate

The first banshee goes to harass, but stalkers and a phoenix kill it easily

Jinro moves out with about eight marauders, ten marines, a raven, and a banshee

Some SCVs coming with Jinro as well, forge coming from choya but it's not finished yet

Jinro tries to move up the ramp to choya's natural, but choya blocks him with force fields

The point defense drone is used up while the force fields are out, they get reestablished when the first group fades

Only a small number of Jinro's units were trapped in with the Protoss army by the force fields so there are plenty still waiting below

The sentries are out of energy and Jinro sweeps in with his army, cornering the outnumbered stalkers who remain

choya concedes

Very good build from Jinro. Other than the banshee caught out in the open by the phoenix, everything he did countered choya's composition perfectly.

Game 2 - Xel'Naga Caverns

Quick gas for choya then gateway on 15, finishing it up by stealing Jinro's gas again

Jinro gets a tech lab after two marines start working on choya's geyser, choya adds another gateway

Concussive shells and a marauder coming for Jinro, choya puts a pylon at his third and then starts a twilight council

Jinro adds two more barracks and scouts around the map with his SCV, dark shrine for choya

Jinro has a second orbital command making in his main, choya gets a nexus at his natural

Jinro floats his second command center to his natural and adds another barracks, two more gateways for choya

The dark shrine finishes, no proxy pylon for choya so his DTs warp in near his base

Engineering bay only half done as the DT arrives at the base, Jinro spots the blur and follows it with his infantry

The first DT is killed with a scan but two more DTs follow

Jinro gets a turret up at the mineral line his main, uses a scan to kill one at his expansion while he builds a turret there

All the DTs are cleared out, robotics finishing now for choya

Robotics bay and an immortal on the way for choya, starport coming for Jinro

Ghost academy building for Jinro, colossus and thermal lance start for choya

Medivac moves out with two marauders and four marines, heading for choya's main

Four stalkers are waiting for the dropship and force a hasty retreat, leaving behind a marine and a marauder

Second starport for Jinro and several more barracks, he also begins clearing the rocks leading to his third

Jinro's army moves to the gold and kills the rocks there, using EMP to kill a scouting DT there

Choya moves in and Jinro retreats, allows reinforcing vikings to arrive

choya pokes into the natural, but vikings flank the colossus army and force him to retreat

choya clears the rocks at his gold, starts zealot charge

Jinro starts a nexus at his gold, Jinro now with 12 vikings

Jinro starts his command center, choya moves in with army to try to stop it

Jinro flanks again with his colossus, stalkers move to intercept them but there are so many vikings they can't save the colossus

Without the colossus protecting them the marauders rout choya's army, then move up and kill the nexus at choya's gold

Jinro moves up to choya's natural but choya has rebuilt a large army

Seeing the army with a scan Jinro retreats, allowing choya to rebuild the nexus at his gold

While the two armies dance around the center, Jinro's vikings snipe a colossus

Jinro floats a command center to the gold and starts building a planetary fortress

Jinro moves up to choya's third but pulls back in the face of choya's army

The two armies engage, the vikings destroy the two colossus easily

choya has about a dozen sentries with his army but ghosts EMP all of them before force fields are deployed

With no force fields to split Jinro's army and no colossus, choya's army melts to Jinro's mass marauders

choya concedes

Very well played by Jinro. choya had a very tight DT build that got DTs to Jinro's base slightly before he was ready, but he stayed calm and held them off. choya was at a slight advantage, but Jinro outplayed him from there and ended up winning convincingly.

Game 3 - Lost Temple

Cross positions, Jinro at 9 and choya at 3

Tech lab after two marines for Jinro, choya hides a probe in his base but a marine finds it

Jinro gets a command center fairly quickly, choya gets a nexus early as well

Jinro adds barracks, choya adds gateways and a robotics that are all immediately scanned by Jinro

Immortal coming for choya, shields and then stim for Jinro

Factory now for Jinro, who has a small infantry force in the center of the map being watched by an observer

Jinro moves up to the natural, scans and kills the observer, then pulls back

Two starports for Jinro, robotics bay for choya

Colossus and thermal lance for choya, Jinro adds more barracks and tech labs while pumping vikings and medivacs

choya gets an observer into Jinro's main and sees what he's doing, makes a stargate

Ghost academy finishing for Jinro, phoenixes coming for choya

Jinro takes a third and builds a supply depot at choya's fourth

choya starts to move out, Jinro scans and kills his observer

choya is still on two bases, Jinro on three

choya attacks, the phenoxies distract the vikings while choya's larger ground army forces Jinro to retreat

The vikings get more out of position as Jinro's army retreats, allowing the zealots and colossus to clean up Jinro's infantry before the vikings get there

Most of the colossus die but there's far too much left for choya and nothing but vikings for Jinro

Jinro concedes

Very good attack by choya, timed to come right before Jinro's third bumped up Jinro's production.

Game 4 - Delta Quadrant

Right positions, choya at 1 and Jinro at 5

Standard openings for both players, but a factory after barracks for Jinro

Choya puts a proxy pylon at the 6 o'clock gold, Jinro scouting with his factory and adding a barracks

Raven for Jinro, robotics for choya

choya moves up Jinro's ramp with a group of stalkers, Jinro has two barracks at the top of his ramp

choya's stalkers bypass the bunkers and head into Jinro's main

Jinro walled off the back expansion so the stalkers end up getting trapped behind Jinro's minerals and cleaned up

Robotics bay for choya despite the fact he hasn't expanded, banshee out for Jinro

The banshee moves to the back of choya's main and kills four probes before stalkers drive it off

choya moves out with a pretty good army, gateway units and two colossus

choya moves up the ramp, one viking is out for Jinro plus a point defense drone

One colossus dies and choya retreats

Jinro takes his back expansion, themral lance coming for choya

choya starts a nexus at his front natural, kills the SCV there, then cancels it

Jinro starts a fight near the center of the map, killing one colossus but losing his viking and the rest of his vikings

choya puts a pylon in Jinro's front expansion and warps some zealots into Jinro's expansion, but Jinro handles it perfectly

choya now attacks Jinro's army in front of his ramp, he tries to retreat up the ramp but choya drops a force field and traps him outside

Jinro concedes

Another game where choya let Jinro expand and then attacked right before the economic advantage arrived. Very good timing, and the canceled nexus was a nice touch.

Game 5 - Lost Temple

Standard openings for both players

choya hides a probe in Jinro's base and this time the marine doesn't see it

Jinro getting another barracks, concussive shells, and a marauder

The probe scouts Jinro's base before getting killed

Reaper as well for Jinro, he moves out with a few marines and marauders

Twilight council on the way for choya, stim coming for Jinro

The reaper helps Jinro kill the spotter pylon at choya's rocks, choya gets supply blocked

Dark shrine now for choya, the reaper returns and gets killed almost immediately...but not before spotting the twilight council

Engineering bay for Jinro and a missile turret at the top of his ramp

Two DTs arrive at his ramp, one dies immediately

Choya expanding, Jinro getting a raven and banshee cloak

Jinro gets a banshee now as the raven finishes, no robotics yet for choya

Command center building on the low ground for Jinro, a DT tries to slip in but is spotted by the raven

Robotics starts for choya as the banshee enters his natural

The banshee cloaks and kills some sentries, then moves into the main to kill more probes

The first banshee is out of energy but a second banshee heads for the natural

Jinro moves in with infantry and a point defense drone, but choya has enough force fields to defeat it

Jinro falls back to his natural, making ghosts and vikings while choya starts his robotics bay

Immortal coming for choya in the meantime, Jinro keeps making infantry

Minor skirmishes in the center of the map, Jinro clears the rocks at his gold

Another banshee harasses probes in the main base

Command center at the gold for Jinro, zealot charge coming for choya

choya has plenty of colossus but no thermal lance...almost certainly a mistake

choya moves into the center of the map with his army and the two armies dance around each other

choya tries to engage but many EMPs land, forcing him to withdraw

Banshee in choya's main getting more probe kills

Both players maxed, Jinro with lots of resources banked, nexus coming at choya's gold though he has to be low on probes

A small group of marauders stop choya's nexus at his gold

choya pushes in and tries to engage, but gets repelled at Jinro's choke

choya takes down the rocks, Jinro takes a fourth base

choya moves into Jinro's main and attacks the supply depots, then pulls back when Jinro moves to counter

Finally there's an engagement, the vikings take down the colossus and Jinro's huge force of marauders routs choya's army

The marauders pursue choya's desperately retreating units, picking off the slower sentries

Jinro's economy keeps him maxed as they fight across the map, choya's supply drops dramatically

Last stand for choya's last surviving units outside his natural against marauders and landed vikings

choya surrenders

This is a tough loss for choya. Forgetting to research thermal lance--well, it happens to the best of us. choya played well anyway but seemed to crack under the pressure at the very end, attacking hopelessly into a superior position. Admittedly with Jinro up to four bases the game was close to being over anyway.

Commentary: When all things were equal, Jinro seemed like the stronger player. Rather than try to cheese, choya dealt with this by doing strong one and two base timing attacks to take advantage of Jinro's relatively (for a Terran) quick expansions. That worked well in games 3 and 4 as Jinro got caught off guard and trapped into losing battles, but in game 5 Jinro's agility moving his large army through the map architecture never left an opening that choya was able to exploit. The banshee harassment left him far too low in probes to stay with Jinro economically. Had he had thermal lance it's possible he might have broken Jinro when he attacked the natural choke and had enough units left over to handle reinforcements, but we'll never know for sure. A great victory for Jinro, the first foreigner ever to reach the GSL semifinals.