January 2011 Code S Round of 16: Group C

Now this is a group to be reckoned with:

Player		Code S Rank	Previously in GSL4	2010 Results
NsPGenius	P	T-#14	W AnyproPrimeWE W LeenockfOu W STRainBOw	ro64, ro8, ro32
oGsNaDa	T	#20	L oGsMC W oGsInCa W oGsInCa	DNQ, ro8, DNQ
EGIdrA	Z	#21	L LiquidJinro W oGsEnsnare W CheckPrimeWE	ro32, ro16, ro32
TSLClide	T	#26	W MarineKingPrimeWE W ZeNEXLiveForever	ro16, ro64, ro64

NsPGenius started the tournament strong, sweeping a group including LeenockfOu and STRainBOw. Given his win in GSL 3, oGsMC is widely considered to be the best Protoss player, but NsPGenius is right behind him. Apparently a certain amount of arrogance is important to mastering Protoss, for both players have made their share of enemies of the years. Genius tends to like planned timing attacks, something I dislike because it means weaker players sometimes happen to counter him and win, but that may be a positive against his first game opponent oGsNaDa given the latter's heavy macro style.

Starcraft 1 fans were eager to crown oGsNaDa as one of the top SC2 players when he switched over before GSL 2, but while he's had his moments to me NaDa still has a lot to prove (much like his rival SlayerSBoxeR). I certainly can't claim any real insight but if I had to pick someone as the weakest player in this group, it would have to be NaDa. That's not saying much, though...this group is loaded and I can easily imagine him winning it.

EGIdrA used to be an easy pick for the best foreigner in Korea, but LiquidJinro has made that a pretty complicated discussion. Certainly you could call him the senior foreigner, not because he's the oldest but because he's been there by far the longest whether you take his Starcraft 1 play into account or not. It's funny that he's in NaDa's group because in his playstyle he's the Zerg equivalent of NaDa (or vice versa, perhaps). Based on his televised matches, his best match up is ZvT, and his first game will be against TSLClide. It's hard to believe but he's never reached a GSL quarterfinals. He can by getting out of this group, but it won't be easy.

TSLClide is another player, like CheckPrimeWE and EGIdrA, with a lot of respect and not a lot of results. He's already equaled his best finish way back in GSL 1, but he's not one of these players who did well early and then fell back. His losing effort against LeenockfOu showed he hasn't lost any ground even if he's been unlucky in his opponents.

Group C VOD

NsPGenius (P) vs. oGsNaDa (T) on Shakuras Plateau
Match Rating: 7/10

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Cross positions, oGsNada at 5 and Genius at 10

Reactor, command center on 20 supply, then a second and third barracks for NaDa

Genius gets a Nexus at 23 supply

Stim for NaDa, meanwhile Genius goes three gate robotics

Observers and robotics bay for Genius

NaDa moves out as stim finishes with about five marauders and a dozen marines

Genius has six sentries and almost nothing else so he force fields his ramp

Factory and two more barracks for NaDa, colossus and thermal lance for Genius

Starport now for NaDa, sentries starting to run low on energy

NaDa withdraws

Two more gateways for Genius, NaDa gets a turret in front of his natural and starts a third command center

After warping in a wave of stalkers, Genius moves his two colossus army to the center of the map

NaDa has his units spread out so when Genius comes to his side of the map, a vast concave of marauders close to attack

Third nexus and twilight council coming for Genius, NaDa's new command center lands at his third

NaDa making vikings, Genius still making colossus but also getting a templar archives

Genius comes through the rocks to threaten NaDa's third, then pulls back when NaDa's army approaches

The two armies maneuver around the center of the map

Three more barracks for NaDa, storm for Genius

NaDa approaches Genius but force fields slow him down

With psi storm not finished, NaDa moves in and attacks

The vikings kill the colossus, the marauders kite the zealots, storm finishes but too late

With the Protoss army defeated, NaDa moves in and snipes Genius' third nexus, then loads medivacs and flies away

Genius recreates the third nexus while getting more gateways, a new third nexus, zealot charge, and amulet

NaDa drops marauders and snipes the templar archives just after the amulet upgrade finishes

He tries to get the robotics bay as well but Genius repels him

Fifth command center being built for NaDa, who has a 30 supply lead

NaDa low on vikings but has added ghosts to his army

Forge for Genius, armory for NaDa

The two armies fight, but although a few storms land most of the templar get EMPed

Once again, with the Protoss army down NaDa moves into the third and attacks the nexus

All of NaDa's marauders are extremely weak from storms and stim, but they manage to snipe the nexus

Probes start long distance mining but more infantry arrives to harass them

Genius just barely manages to clean up this latest attack, but the next wave of reinforcements inbound already

This group of about a dozen marauders kills long distance mining probes, dodges a few storms, then moves into Genius' main and kills the templar archives again

Genius concedes

Great game from NaDa. It used to be Terrans would send timing attacks at the pre-colossus timing. NaDa did that but force fields prevented it. This time, however, he hit again at the pre-storm timing. Once a colossus-based Protoss army loses a battle it's just so difficult for them to rebuild.

EGIdrA (Z) vs. TSLClide (T) on Xel'Naga Caverns
Match Rating: 7/10

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Clide walls in on the low ground and then goes two barracks, IdrA goes gas and then pool first

IdrA expands on 20 supply and gets zergling speed, Clide starts a command center in his main

Factory for Clide and a bunker on the low ground, lair for IdrA

Zerglings kill the SCV making the bunker and force a cancel

Clide switches the factory to his reactor and starts making hellions

Stim for Clide, spine crawler and a spire for IdrA

Four hellions move down to the natural and fence with the queen and zerglings

After killing some zerglings, the hellions withdraw to the center of the map

With eight hellions Clide harasses and starts killing creep tumors. The infantry is coming to join them.

8 mutalisks on the way for IdrA, only seven marines with Clide's army

IdrA sends in his zerglings first, attacking the marines, then moves in with his mutalisks

The hellions dart into the main base, killing a number of drones before the mutalisks take them out

Clide has a big worker advantage and puts up bunkers

The mutalisks and zerglings move in and pick off marines

The mutalisks perch over the production builds, picking off marines as they come out

IdrA tries to take out the bunker but SCV repair sends the mutalisks back into the base

Third base for IdrA while his mutalisks sit in Clide's base

Two barracks are destroyed the mutalisks, then a third

Clide tries to remake his barracks but the mutalisk count continues to rise

Clide now has a ridiculous number of turrets in his base, IdrA gets baneling speed

The mutalisks find gaps in the turret coverage and kill more barracks and marines

Armoy for Clide as the dwindled number of mutalisks move out of the base

IdrA has about twenty mutalisks and is adding banelings, starport and a third command center coming for CLide

IdrA harasses a little more and takes out the rocks at his gold base

Clide moves to his gold base, but of course IdrA moves in with his vastly superior army

Not only are the defenses at the gold base destroyed, there's plenty of banelings left to move into Clide's natural and tear it to shreds as well

Clide concedes

Not sure Clide should have tried to go marauder/hellion against IdrA given how frequently IdrA gets mutalisks. As it was, the transition was a narrow thing with IdrA losing a lot of drones and coming close to being fatally weakened.

Match 1 winner vs Match 2 loser
Match Rating: 6/10

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oGsNaDa (T) vs. TSLClide (T) on Scrap Station

NaDa gets a factory, Clide gets a reactor and then a command center on 19

Two more barracks for Clide, NaDa making a hellion and researching blue flame

Engineering bay for Clide who scans and might have caught a glimpse of a hellion

Stim starts for Clide, who shifts marines to intercept a hellion drop

Commaned center starting for NaDa who moves into Clide's natural

The marines fight each other, then the hellions dodge past into the main

Clide spreads his SCVs but several die before the hellions go back down the ramp

They go to the natural and this time Clide doesn't spread his SCVs, losing just about all of them

The hellions now go back and kill even more SCVs. Clide only has two SCVs left.

There's a bit more flailing around but mules or not, two SCVs isn't enough.

Clide surrenders

Ouch. It's funny because Clide lost in GSL 2 using blue flame hellions in TvT, and now he loses because he didn't counter NaDa's particular flavor of the strategy adequately. Artosis talks about how a bunker would have saved Clide, but on Scrap Station TvT you almost always see banshees and drops, not frontal attacks. Maybe that'll change after this game.

Match 2 winner vs Match 1 loser
Match Rating: 6/10

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EGIdrA (Z) vs. NsPGenius (P) on Xel'Naga Caverns

Low ground pylon and forge for Genius, hatch first on 15 for IdrA

Genius puts three pylons behind the minerals at IdrA's expansion

IdrA cancels the hatchery and sends the drone to the area that normally would be Genius' fourth to remake it

Roach warren for IdrA, nexus for Genius

Genius' scouting probe sees IdrA's expansion, IdrA moves out with his roaches

There's only one cannon at Genius' natural. The roaches shoot it down easily.

Genius quickly adds on more cannons, but the roaches shoot down Genius' gateway

Genius desperately adds still more cannons but the roaches destroy the nexus

Now the cybernetics core is destroyed. IdrA getting lair

With four cannons near the ramp, Genius is safe despite being weak

Genius has three more gates in his main and remakes the nexus, IdrA getting zergling speed and a spine crawler

The roaches clean the cannon and pylons out from behind IdrA's natural

Genius moves out with about six stalkers and some sentries. IdrA takes his natural and makes a creep highway to his expansion

Genius moves into the expansion and force fields the ramp behind him

The force fields don't last long enough for Genius to do significant damage

Stargate coming for Genius, hydralisk den for IdrA

With about twenty roaches IdrA moves into the natural again, killing the zealots and nearest cannon

Void ray coming for Genius, hydralisks for IdrA

The roaches kill the last stalkers and cannons, though the void ray is finished

The roaches ignore the void ray and kill the stargate

Reinforced by hydras, the army moves into Genius' main

Genius surrenders

Foolish decision by Genius to only get one cannon at his natural. His cannon opening was almost certainly going to make IdrA get roaches. Despite how long the game ended up going, it was lost by Genius almost immediately.

Deciding Game(s)
Match Rating: 7/10

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EGIdrA (Z) vs oGsNaDa (T) on Metalopolis to decide round of 8 seeding

Close ground positions, IdrA at 3, NaDa at 6

Hatch first for IdrA, factory for NaDa

NaDa pressures with his first two marines and an SCV, killing a drone or two

NaDa goes back home once zerglings are out

Zergling speed starts for IdrA, armory and starport for NaDa

Roach warren for IdrA, then canceled in favor of a baneling nest

Lair for IdrA, medivac coming for NaDa

The dropship moves out with the thor, spine crawler starts at IdrA's natural

The moment it gets dropped in IdrA's main he surrounds it with zerglings, meanwhile queens shoot the medivac

Baneling speed and a roach warren for IdrA, NaDa moves out with marines, SCVs, and two medivac/thor combinations

Banelings hatch for IdrA and kill all the SCVs and most of the marines

Both thors are damaged but IdrA's queens were all killed so the medivacs can help them to retreat unmolested

Roaches and another spine crawler for IdrA, two more barracks for NadA who has also repaired his thors

Three thors, some SCVs, and marines move into IdrA's natural

Banelings kill the marines and roaches pick off one thor and force the other two to retreat

NaDa sending more SCVs to help, IdrA keeps making roaches and zerglings

NaDa tries to attack again but there's just too many roaches, they shoot down the SCVs and thors

NaDa concedes

IdrA made that thor drop strategy look completely terrible even though he didn't scout it until the first thor arrived.

Group C Results and Commentary

Click for results, standings, and commentary

Results
oGsNaDa (1-0) defeats NsPGenius (0-1)
EGIdrA (1-0) defeats TSLClide (0-1)
oGsNaDa (2-0) defeats TSLClide (0-2) [NaDa advances, Clide eliminated]
EGIdrA (2-0) defeats NsPGenius (0-2) [IdrA advances, Genius eliminated]
EGIdrA (3-0) defeats oGsNaDa (2-1) [IdrA places first, NaDa places second]

Standings
1. EGIdrA
2. oGsNaDa
-. NsPGenius
-. TSLClide

Commentary
The group seemed quite even in skill level but the results were not. NsPGenius didn't go out doing a counterable play, at least: he played straight up against oGsNaDa and just flat out got beaten, then made a pretty bizarre error against EGIdrA and paid the price for it. TSLClide won't feel much better about his performance, since he narrowly lost to IdrA but then got stomped by NaDa in a defensive error that was, while more understandable than Genius' mistake, just as catastrophic. oGsNaDa played one of his most impressive games yet against Genius before winning and then losing with flashy early pressure strategies. No one will be selling him short in the quarterfinals. IdrA, however, swept the group and enters the GSL quarterfinals for the first time having made a strong claim to being the world's best Zerg player. No one is going to call him that just yet, not when IMNesTea is still crushing through the tournament as well, but he's back in that conversation.