2011 GSL January Up And Down Matches: Group H

Group H is the last group of the Up and Down Matches and fittingly it has been saved for oGsTOP, winner of the Code A tournament. Able to pick from the field of players in danger of relegation, TOP selected SlayerSLegalMinD and sanZenith as his opponents. LegalMinD is definitely not one of the better Code S players (despite having one of the cooler nicknames), but sanZenith is in a class by himself. san has yet to live down his GSL 2 game against MakaPrimeWE, widely considered the absolute worst performance in any 2010 GSL game. If TOP wins as expected against LegalMinD, that sets up an interesting PvP. sanZenith has the worse reputation but it's not clear he's actually that much worse than LegalMinD.

oGsTOP (Code A Challenger) Terran Code A T-#2 2010 Results: ro16, DNQ, DNQ GSL 4 Results: W STAce (2-1) W TSLAlive (2-0) W BanBansZenith (2-0) W sCfOu (2-1) W ZeNEXByun (4-3)

SlayerSLegalMinD (Code S 3rd Place) Protoss Code S T-#29 2010 Results: ro16, ro64, DNQ GSL 4 Results: W ZeNEXLiveForever L MarineKingPrimeWE L MarineKingPrimeWE

sanZenith (Code S 4th Place) Terran Code S T-#27 2010 Results: ro16, ro32, DNQ GSL 4 Results: L oGsInCa L oGsMC

oGsTOP (T) vs. SlayerSLegalMinD (P)
Match Rating: 4/10
VOD Link

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Game 1 - Delta Quadrant

Right positions, TOP at 2 and LegalMinD at 5

Standard openings for both players, though TOP puts his depots at the ramp leading to the back natural

Stargate for LegalMinD, starport for TOP

Void ray for LegalMinD, cloak and banshee for TOP

The first void ray arrives and shows itself harassing a depot.

TOP cloaks his banshee and drives off the Protoss ground units. LegalMinD starts a robotics.

The banshee follows the units all the way back and then runs out of energy. A phoenix kills it immediately.

Armory, then thor and viking for TOP

LegalMinD starts a nexus at his front natural

The phoenix tries to scout and harass but two vikings drive it off

Robotics bay and two gateways for LegalMinD, TOP getting a raven and clearing the rocks at his back natural

Second factory for TOP, LegalMinD still making void rays

Now LegalMinD gets an immortal from his robotics. TOP makes another banshee.

Second starport for TOP, who makes another banshee while his recently made one cloaks and moves into LegalMinD's natural

LegalMinD attacks into TOP's base with his void rays and gateway units. He lays down force fields, but TOP has a ton of thors with his marines.

LegalMinD's army melts. Meanwhile the banshee has killed 13 probes.

LegalMinD concedes

Not an impressive start for LegalMinD. If the initial banshee had gone straight to his main it could have been even worse.

Game 2 - Metalopolis

Close air positions, TOP at 6 and LegalMinD at 9

Hellion, blue flame, and starport for TOP. LegalMinD takes his natural at 34 supply

Robotics and forge for LegalMinD, raven for TOP

TOP's medivac moves three hellions into LegalMinD's base

The three hellions kill a few probes, then TOP picks them up as LegalMinD's units respond

TOP sends two more hellions around to LegalMinD's natural, then drops the original three again

LegalMinD suffers massive probe losses. He appears to actually take his probes and right click on a blue flame hellion...this is not a good move.

With twice as many workers, TOP just attacks off one base.

Marines, marauders, SCVs, and blue flame hellions move into LegalMinD's natural

Point defense drone from the raven helps with the stalkers. Sentries and zealots get slaughtered by the hellions and marauders.

A banshee arrives to help but the battle is really already over.

LegalMinD surrenders

Another easy win for oGsTOP.

Commentary: Under other circumstances you'd say TOP was lucky to face LegalMinD, but of course he earned his luck by winning Code A and then picking LegalMinD from the third place finishers. TOP moves on to Code S where he probably belongs. LegalMinD probably doesn't belong, but he can stay another month by defeating sanZenith.

Match 1 Loser vs. sanZenith (T)
Match Rating: 6/10
VOD Link

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Game 1 - Xel'Naga Caverns

sanZenith sends one of his initial probes and tries to sneak it to the bottom of LegalMinD's main. LegalMinD checks for it and sees it.

Four gates for LegalMinD, then a little later four gates for san

LegalMinD puts a proxy pylon at san's choke, but san moves out with a zealot and stalker, forcing a cancel

LegalMinD has to warp in farther away, then place a closer pylon on his way in

LegalMinD moves up the ramp and a micro battle ensues. san has only a single pylon powering his warp gates.

LegalMinD doesn't initially press that probe and later does not get a chance to hit it.

The battle goes back and forth but san pulls away in unit count.

LegalMinD finally withdraws, down in supply to san due to the failed rush.

Robotics for LegalMinD, stargate for san

Robotics support for LegalMinD, void ray for san

Immortal now for LegalMinD, whose observer reaches san's base and scouts the stargate making void rays.

LegalMinD makes a colossus anyway. san moves to attack.

san puts a proxy pylon and pokes up the ramp

LegalMinD force fields the ramp, but the two armies just skirmish

When the force fields are gone, san recollects his army. The colossus comes out.

LegalMinD actually attacks down his ramp at san. The void rays (three by now) kill the colossus easily.

Stalkers manage to take out only one of the void rays before LegalMinD runs out of units that can hit air.

LegalMinD concedes

san did a good job finding the pylon, delaying LegalMinD's rush just enough to survive. Not sure why LegalMinD would make a colossus after scouting the void rays. Surely what he needed was more stalkers at that point.

Game 2 - Scrap Station

Four warp gates for both players

LegalMinD puts a pylon behind the minerals at san's third

LegalMinD moves up to the smoke and warps in another pylon there

LegalMinD warps in a pylon right at the ramp and then attacks upward

After some back and forth, san's stalkers shoot down the nearest pylon

LegalMinD attacks and gets into the main. san actually pulls probes briefly but LegalMinD retreats

From there it is back and forth. LegalMinD has a brief window where he has more stalkers, but later the numbers equalize.

After still more inconclusive fighting, LegalMinD gets a sentry and uses guardian shield

Now LegalMinD has a decisive advantage, breaking the deadlock and killing all of san's stalkers

san concedes

Smart move by LegalMinD to get the sentry. san had more probes than he did so that was his last chance to make it work.

Game 3 - Steppes of War

Four warp gates for both players

LegalMinD puts a pylon above the rocks outside LegalMinD's natural

LegalMinD attacks up san's ramp. san never put a pylon at his ramp, so he has to fall back into his main and fight there.

After some suboptimal micro from both players, LegalMinD ends up at a disadvantage and withdraws

Twilight council for LegalMinD, robotics for san

Blink for LegalMinD, observer for san

Robotics bay starts for san, then canceled. He makes an immortal instead.

LegalMinD moves to san's ramp and attacks up the ramp. san puts a force field on the ramp, but LegalMinD doesn't blink up to the high ground, he just blinks hurt stalkers to the back.

LegalMinD settles into a contain.

Twilight council for san, stargate for LegalMinD

Void ray coming for LegalMinD.

Robotics for LegalMinD as the first void ray heads down toward san's base

san blinks his stalkers to the low ground and attacks the containing force

san has way more stalkers. He rolls back LegalMinD's stalkers, then blinks under the void rays and kills them.

LegalMinD surrenders

Decent game from san. He made less mistakes than LegalMinD, so you have to call it a deserved victory.

Commentary: After a tournament of making jokes about sanZenith, he escapes relegation and stays in Code S another month after scraping through a very tight match against LegalMinD. There wasn't much of a difference between the two players, but it was enough to send LegalMinD down to Code A.