pullarius1 Profile Blog Joined May 2010 United States 508 Posts #1 Sorry, don't have time to do both right now. I might get back to it and update it later tonight though.



SlayerS_MMA vs MarineKingPrime.WE

MarineKing, the tragic hero of the GSL, is looking to make it to his fourth GSL finals. He started this tournament in a 3/14 TvT slump that seemed just as much due to playing difficult opponents as to poor performance. However, he completely demolished TheBest in a savage beating last round, and has gone on a 9-1 tear this tournament. More importantly, MarineKing and MMA recently played a tough match in the UpAndDown matches for Code S, and MarineKing came out victorious.

Of course, this means that MMA is out for blood against the player who helped keep him in Code A. MMA has been a TvT machine this GSL, winning four in a row so far against impressive opponents. He's already done his team proud by becoming the first SlayerS member to reach a semifinals- perhaps he can outdo even his mentor Boxer by reaching the finals.

Game 1:

+ Show Spoiler + Crossfire

MMA opens with two barracks and an extremely early ghost academy. MarineKing goes for fast banshees with cloak. MMA's first two-ghost marine force does significant damage, forcing MarineKing to pull many of his scvs to defend. Meanwhile MMA expands to his gold. MarineKing finally gets rid of MMA's units in his base, and proceeds to do equal damage to MMA with his banshee, essentially equalizing the worker count. But MarineKing does not know about MMA's gold expansion, and it seems like the entire game will hinge on him finding it. But it ends up not mattering, as MarineKing smartly makes a few hellions that own the exclusively light units in MMA's base, forcing him to gg.

A really interesting build from MMA. It seems strange that he didn't wall off his ramp, but I'm sure there was a reason for it. I'd also like to see MMA wait on the push until cloak and then emp the orbital, a la TLO. Of course, there is a good chance that it would be scouted by then, so perhaps it is not worth it.



MarineKing wins.

+ Show Spoiler + Metalopolis, cross positions

Both players one-rax expand: MMA with two gas, and MKP with only one. MarineKing goes for three barracks and combat shields. MMA techs to cloak-less banshees and two-rax marines with stim. But MarineKing attacks before either stim or the banshee finishes, and just after his own combat shield comes into play. The pushdoes a lot of damage, putting him up by ten scvs and forcing a lift at MMA's expansion. MarineKing uses his advantage to tech to siege tanks and a starport to complement his huge marine force. MMA's banshees quickly get nullified by vikings. MMA executes some crafty maneuvers to stay in it, but MarineKing keeps on the pressure, and eventually bullies MMA out of the game



MarineKing wins.

+ Show Spoiler + Dual Site

MMA gets a quick reaper and expands to his gold. MarrineKing one-rax expands, then techs to cloaked banshees and concussive shells. MMA techs to blue-flame hellions and cloaked banshees as well. MMA's hellions keep MarineKing's units pinned in the main, rending his expansion inoperable as MMA starts dumping mules on his own secret gold expansion. Both players' banshees do solid damage to the other's mineral line, but it hurts MarineKing much more as he is already behind due to the gold base.

Both players transition to marine/tank/medivac. MarineKing had started tank production a little earlier, giving him a four tank lead which he uses to force MMA to lift his gold's orbital. MarineKing almost manages to kill the floating building with marines, but MMA saves it just in time, allowing him to land it at his third. Despite MKP's tank lead, MMA has about twenty more marines with +1/+1, while MarineKing's marines are still upgrade-less. This lets MMA attack MarineKing's natural, equalizing the tank count and killing scvs. MarineKing goes for a counterattack which ends poorly when his force gets cornered and wiped out, plunging him into a fairly deep supply hole. MMA moves in and elevator's MarineKing's main, which kills a starport but little else before MarineKing sends over a four medivac drop of his own, forcing MMA to retreat and equalizing the supply. Both players take their thirds.

The army compositions have switched now- MMA has a ten tank lead, but MarineKing has thirty more marines. The tank deficit takes it's toll on MarineKing as he is unable to protect his third and his marine balls accumulate more and more tank shots. Eventually MMA uses his advantage to siege MarineKing's natural and main, prompting him to counterattack for a base trade. But MarineKing just doesn't have enough units, and leaves the game with just eight supply on the field to more than a hundred of MMA's

Looking back- once MarineKing lost that starport, he never bothered to rebuild it. So he switched into heavy bio, but stayed on only two medivacs for the entire rest of the game. This does not work against siege tanks.



MMA wins

+ Show Spoiler + Xel'Naga Caverns

MMA sticks with what works and get another early reaper and a somewhat hidden command center. MarineKing goes for marine/hellion/medivac. But MMA again gets the infernal pre-ignitor, which helps him hold off MarineKing's first push fairly easily. MarineKing starts siege tank production, but MMA attacks with a lot of hellions and marines before they some out, and kill twenty supply worth of scvs and marines with almost no losses! MMA backs off when he sees the first siege tanks, and starts building a mech army with two factories for tanks and reactored vikings. MarineKing sticks to marine/tank/medivac.

MMA sieges MKP's main base from beneath the cliff, taking out his lone factory., which spurs MKP into pure bio play with FIVE barracks marauders. As the armies run around the middle of the map, blue-flame hellion harassment from MMA gives him a 60-40 scv lead. But since MMA's army is so siege-tank heavy, MarineKing baits a siege and just runs all the way across the map to MMA's main! It takes MMA so long to get back there that he loses half of all his scvs when he is forced to use them to defend. Despite the new-found scv lead for MarineKing, MMA has taken his gold and probably has an economic advantage. So MarineKing stims into the gold and forces it to lift... then does the same with MMA's natural! And MMA sieges MKP's natural, forcing it to lift as well. MarineKing breaks the siege line with scvs and marauders...but a single viking shoots down his flying orbital command, which was his own mining base! At 22' into the game, it's 17 scvs to 13, but three orbitals to one in favor of MMA.

MarineKing floats his main's orbital all the way to the gold, but MMA re-lands all of his orbitals, and in the time it takes MarineKing to start mining again, MMA doubles MarineKing's supply, and wins the game by denying mining at MarineKing's gold.

MarineKing looks extremely stressed in his booth as we go into the final game.



MMA wins.

+ Show Spoiler + Crevasse- MarineKing clockwise

The game starts with some lewd cheerfuls (StarCraft makes my panties drop) as both players go for command center first. MarineKing eschews gas for the first bit and gets four naked barracks. MMA techs to starport for cloak-less banshees and starts his third command center at just 6' into the game. When combat shields finish, MarineKing pokes up into MMA's base with his marines, but sees two bunkers and a banshee, so retreats. Both players settle into marine/tank with only one factory for tanks and a lot of marines with upgrades. MarineKing takes his third. At 12' into the game, both players have essentially identical numbers of every unit. Both players go for big marine drops, but MarineKing's runs into missile and he loses everything for no gain! MMA's drop goes a little better; it doesn't do crippling damage but it does escape.

MMA is the first to dedicate two factories to tank production, and uses his tank lead to set up a contain outside MarineKing's third. MarineKing tries to walk around it, but gets caught on the low ground, and loses thirty net supply in the resulting battle. At 17'30”, MarineKing is down by four tanks, twenty marines, and is only up in the scv category by ten. MMA's marines are also +2/+2 to MarineKing's mere +1/+1. MMA forces a lift on MarineKing's third. MarineKing tries all of his usual drops and counterattacking tricks, but all get shut down and his supply deficit grows to seventy. When MMA makes his final push, he drops mules, dances his marines, and becomes the first Slayer to make it to a GSL finals.



Those last three games were all so close. Games 3 and 4 are especially worth noting, I think, because they both came down to a command center almost dying. Had MMA not saved that orbital in game 3, or had MarineKing not lost his in game 4, MarineKing could very easily been going to his fourth finals. But as it stands...



MMA wins



SlayerS_MMAvs MarineKingPrime.WEMarineKing, the tragic hero of the GSL, is looking to make it to his fourth GSL finals. He started this tournament in a 3/14 TvT slump that seemed just as much due to playing difficult opponents as to poor performance. However, he completely demolished TheBest in a savage beating last round, and has gone on a 9-1 tear this tournament. More importantly, MarineKing and MMA recently played a tough match in the UpAndDown matches for Code S, and MarineKing came out victorious.Of course, this means that MMA is out for blood against the player who helped keep him in Code A. MMA has been a TvT machine this GSL, winning four in a row so far against impressive opponents. He's already done his team proud by becoming the first SlayerS member to reach a semifinals- perhaps he can outdo even his mentor Boxer by reaching the finals.Game 1: @pullarius1