[MLG] “Redeemed” - Columbus Recap Text by Hot_Bid Graphics by R1CH and MLG

Day 1 Late night, and MLG Columbus is still going strong.



“Redeemed” - MLG Columbus Recap

By Hot_Bid and tree.hugger

Images by R1CH and MLG





APRIL.



INT. DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER.



Construction crews disassemble the MLG Dallas main stage. SUNDANCE sits alone in an empty hall. LEE approaches. They exchange a pained, knowing look. Both men exhale heavily.



Sundance pulls a small plastic card from his pocket.



SUNDANCE:

"I went out last night at 3am and had it printed. Do you know what this is?"



LEE recognizes the coloring. But the event wasn't for two months.



LEE

"That's an MLG Columbus staff pass."



SUNDANCE

"Nah. It's a time machine."





It was standing room only. MLG doubled their seating, but two thousand chairs wasn't enough. Spectators huddled on the floor or brought lawn chairs from home. They crammed the aisles and stood up when matches were over and screamed at the right times. Fans mobbed the players wherever they went. July said he was recognized in Korea, but the level of fan passion at MLG Columbus was something he had never experienced before. Even TL admins were signing autographs, that’s how rabid the fans were.



The biggest story of MLG Columbus was not MMA winning or the budding MC vs Idra rivalry. It was the crowd. From the moment the event started, the energy felt different. The crowd roared when players built expansions. They cheered when overlords scouted tech. They went nuts at every medivac drop or baneling explosion. This was a passionate, loud, smart mass of StarCraft fans.







MMA! MMA! MMA!



On Sunday night, during MMA’s post finals interview,



In his



Years ago, nobody could have imagined that a Korean progamer would ever say that about an international event. It had always been a quick trip overseas to



This time, Korea watched us. Comments from the Korean forums:

“Wow! This is really global! This is great… finally international!”



“After watching this… we can’t say to foreigners who say there are better international tournaments than GSL.”



“Wow I can’t believe I stayed up all night, but I’m not sleeping since the game’s starting”



“I wonder what MLG Seoul would be like…”



“Naniwa just come to Code A please!”



“If Thorzain comes it’s awesome for Code A!”



“I bet Idra and Naniwa could win Code S.”



“Great day for MMA. Great day for Korea!” The games were amazing and the atmosphere was electric, and a few times during Day 1, it looked as if perhaps we’d even have an non-Korean champ. But in the end, the skill and quality of the Korean invites won out. MMA and Losira dominated, going a collective 24-3 against foreign competition, most of their losses coming on Day 1. MC, who was flown over on short notice, recovered from his loss to Idra to run through Thorzain, Moon, Naniwa, and Idra to get to the loser’s finals. No Korean lost to a non-Korean in bracket play. MMA did not lose a series, going a perfect 8-0 in best-of-threes.







International appeal.



APRIL.INT. DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER.SUNDANCE:"I went out last night at 3am and had it printed. Do you know what this is?"LEE"That's an MLG Columbus staff pass."SUNDANCE"Nah. It's a time machine."It was standing room only. MLG doubled their seating, but two thousand chairs wasn't enough. Spectators huddled on the floor or brought lawn chairs from home. They crammed the aisles and stood up when matches were over and screamed at the right times. Fans mobbed the players wherever they went. July said he was recognized in Korea, but the level of fan passion at MLG Columbus was something he had never experienced before. Even TL admins were signing autographs, that’s how rabid the fans were.The biggest story of MLG Columbus was not MMA winning or the budding MC vs Idra rivalry. It was the crowd. From the moment the event started, the energy felt different. The crowd roared when players built expansions. They cheered when overlords scouted tech. They went nuts at every medivac drop or baneling explosion. This was a passionate, loud,mass of StarCraft fans.On Sunday night, during MMA’s post finals interview, something awesome happened. JP asked him, “Do you anything to say to your fans?” MMA started to answer, but the crowd began to chant his name, first softly and then louder, until all he could do was shake his head and look at his translator, speechless. He said later that he had a good answer, but was overwhelmed by the moment and forgot.In his TL post-game interview , MMA said the passion and cheering at MLG Columbus reminded him of the 2002 World Cup, and that “it would be awesome if GSL could be as popular.”Years ago, nobody could have imagined that a Korean progamer would ever say that about an international event. It had always been a quick trip overseas to nab the cash and jump back on a plane. Even DreamHack invitational felt like that for MC. But MMA was right: from a fan perspective, MLG Columbus felt bigger than the GSL Finals. It felt more like the OSL Finals, with thousands of fans in an airplane hangar watching the best in the world compete. Except this time we were not watching on internet streams in the middle of the night. We were there in person, yelling our lungs out, same as we would at a football or basketball or soccer or baseball game. That's what MLG is trying to accomplish here.This time, Korea watched. Comments from the Korean forums:The games were amazing and the atmosphere was electric, and a few times during Day 1, it looked as if perhaps we’d even have an non-Korean champ. But in the end, the skill and quality of the Korean invites won out. MMA and Losira dominated, going a collective 24-3 against foreign competition, most of their losses coming on Day 1. MC, who was flown over on short notice, recovered from his loss to Idra to run through Thorzain, Moon, Naniwa, and Idra to get to the loser’s finals. No Korean lost to a non-Korean in bracket play. MMA did not lose a series, going a perfect 8-0 in best-of-threes. oGs.MC

RTS is not FPS, and StarCraft is not Halo. There is a distinct lack of trash talk and true animosity between players. This is why Jang Min Chul and Major League Gaming are perfect for each other. MC brings more personality and bravado than all the other Koreans combined, with their “I can’t predict who wins, I just hope to show good games.” Instead, MC says “I'm going to win, and my opponent is going to cry." He knows how to be a showman. It was fitting that the opening match of the entire event was MC 0-2, quickly shattering the aura of invincibility around the Korean invites. Some say MC was jet lagged or not in good form, but the loss lit a fire under Min Chul and propelled him through the rest of his matches. It also created one of the most dramatic moments of the weekend.



You would think a loss to a foreigner would be humbling. Maybe MC might be more reserved when they faced again, especially since he’d be down two games in a best-of-seven extended series. Instead, MC points at Idra,



MC knows how to please his fans and the crowd. He knows how to generate hype. In fact, MC has a very high opinion of foreigner play, especially considering how he’s interacted with his Liquid housemates HuK and Jinro and from how he’s spoken about Thorzain, Naniwa, and Idra. But he understands it’s a show and that entertainment sells. In the end, MC didn’t win, but he was a big part of why MLG Columbus was so memorable. Some may look at him and think “arrogant,” but a more appropriate word is “aware.”







Contemplating Code A?



RTS is not FPS, and StarCraft is not Halo. There is a distinct lack of trash talk and true animosity between players. This is why Jang Min Chul and Major League Gaming are perfect for each other. MC brings more personality and bravado than all the other Koreans combined, with their “I can’t predict who wins, I just hope to show good games.” Instead, MC says “I'm going to win, and my opponent is going to cry." He knows how to be a showman. It was fitting that the opening match of the entire event was MC 0-2, quickly shattering the aura of invincibility around the Korean invites. Some say MC was jet lagged or not in good form, but the loss lit a fire under Min Chul and propelled him through the rest of his matches. It also created one of the most dramatic moments of the weekend.You would think a loss to a foreigner would be humbling. Maybe MC might be more reserved when they faced again, especially since he’d be down two games in a best-of-seven extended series. Instead, MC points at Idra, throat slashes like a pro-wrestler, and brashly predicts a 4-0 where Idra “boo hoos” afterward. This guy was called the suicide toss in Brood War for a reason: MC puts an astronomical amount of pressure on himself. He’s always raising the stakes. He’s either the biggest winner or biggest loser, nothing in between. Even in the deciding match against Idra on Testbug, MC was still pushing the hype higher and higher. “Are you angry?”MC knows how to please his fans and the crowd. He knows how to generate hype. In fact, MC has a very high opinion of foreigner play, especially considering how he’s interacted with his Liquid housemates HuK and Jinro and from how he’s spoken about Thorzain, Naniwa, and Idra. But he understands it’s a show and that entertainment sells. In the end, MC didn’t win, but he was a big part of why MLG Columbus was so memorable. Some may look at him and think “arrogant,” but a more appropriate word is “aware.” mouz.Thorzain

Thorzain was almost at the point where his reputation threatens to outpace his results. The TSL3 Finals was weeks ago, and the fast moving world of SC2 competition always asks: “what have you done for me lately?” Thorzain responded, beating FXO.qxc, x6.Shadow, and Fnatic.KawaiiRice on his way to Group C. Yes, that Group C. While he dropped a quick set to MC, Thorzain handed Idra his only loss in group play. And when MC beat Thorzain, it wasn't the "ho hum, as expected, I won." MC ran out of his booth, performed a ceremony right in front of Thorzain, and started to high five fans.



MC respected Thorzain enough to let out a frustrated sigh when he found out Thorzain was in his group. That’s the biggest compliment you can get from someone like Min Chul. The two would meet again, and this time split the second series 2-2. After the tournament ended, we asked MMA which international players he’d like to see in the GSL. His response: “Of the foreigners, I think Thorzain would do very well.” That’s a lot of respect coming from a SlayerS team loaded with elite Terrans.



Thorzain, Korea is waiting.







"He plays like Boxer would play TvZ." - Mr. Chae



Thorzain was almost at the point where his reputation threatens to outpace his results. The TSL3 Finals was weeks ago, and the fast moving world of SC2 competition always asks: “what have you done for me lately?” Thorzain responded, beating FXO.qxc, x6.Shadow, and Fnatic.KawaiiRice on his way to Group C. Yes,Group C. While he dropped a quick set to MC, Thorzain handed Idra his only loss in group play. And when MC beat Thorzain, it wasn't the "ho hum, as expected, I won." MC ran out of his booth, performed a ceremony right in front of Thorzain, and started to high five fans.MC respected Thorzain enough to let out a frustrated sigh when he found out Thorzain was in his group. That’s the biggest compliment you can get from someone like Min Chul. The two would meet again, and this time split the second series 2-2. After the tournament ended, we asked MMA which international players he’d like to see in the GSL. His response: “Of the foreigners, I think Thorzain would do very well.” That’s a lot of respect coming from a SlayerS team loaded with elite Terrans.Thorzain, Korea is waiting. SlayerS_MMA

MMA swept MLG Columbus without dropping even one series. However, his 18-2 record was not as dominant as it seems on paper: MMA’s best matchup is TvZ by a far, and he only faced two non-Zerg opponents all weekend. But man, when he played that TvZ, he played it well. Tree.hugger explains.



M arine M edivac A nnihilation

By tree.hugger



On his way to the MLG championship, drew upon that unique winning formula of equal parts luck, skill and perseverance. But in his finals series, MMA dismantled LosirA with pure class. Out macroed, microed, positioned, and multi-tasked, LosirA conceded each game having savaged his opponent's economy, but neutered in the face of MMA's end-game forces. The story of how MLG was won is the story of how MMA has developed his awesome TvZ, and why it's a small but meaninful change in the short history of Sc2.





Your new worst nightmare.



It should be obvious to even the most careless of observers that MMA's style revolves around the eight marine drop. His use of this strategy—it's a tactic for everyone else, but MMA nearly makes it into a lifestyle—has born tremendous fruit in recent games apart from the MLG final. In the GSTL Ace match, MMA outlasted DongRaeGu with the same relentless harass.



But MMA's use of the drop goes well beyond what most players would consider feasible or safe. Almost by definition, dropping your opponent requires segmenting your army to achieve either surprise, a positional advantage, or both. The player conducting the drop is taking several risks in order to achieve an advantage. But if the drop is sniped or is cleaned up with no losses, then it creates a disadvantageous position for the dropping player. They have just given away a significant part of their army for nothing. In more than several instances, a drop is designed as a key part of an overall strategy, and it's failure can scuttle the preparation of a player.



It's not even entirely fair to say that MMA drops better than anyone else, although he does some things extremely well. One of MMA's strongest suits is his patience in letting a drop develop, when scouted, he nearly always unloads to kills off the offending scouting unit. Another characteristic is his persistence in keeping a drop alive with pick-up/cliff micro until it is forcibly killed off. Yet in nearly every one of his late-game TvZ games, MMA lost at least one of his drops having done no damage, and in most cases, this occurred multiple times. In other occasions, MMA inflicted only cosmetic damage or suffered damage to his main army in part because he had marines and medivacs engaged elsewhere.



So what exactly makes MMA's drop play so effective?





Cheshire Cat.



The critical aspect of MMA's drop play is it's frequency and persistence. MMA nearly always ensures that he drops two places at one time. He wears down his opponents, and snipes key buildings or units if they hesitate for a second. While his opponents are in the dark about his drops, MMA constantly puts himself in a good position to concentrate on his drops, sieging his tanks and keeping his marines split as his drops come in. His aforementioned patience with his drops is also important, as he constantly keeps dropping lanes clear of overlord or zergling traffic—LosirA, it should be noted, was extremely diligent about sending out overlords to scout for drops throughout the game—and finally his drop micro is extremely solid. A combination of these factors;

1) Superior Multitask

2) Superior Preparation

3) Superior Patience

4) Superior Micro

Gives MMA some insurance that his drop play will do damage at some point. But these are hardly noteworthy observations. The wear and tear that MMA's drop play causes upon his opponents is obvious. In the finals, LosirA made his largest mistake of the series—losing all of his mutalisks in a desperate bid for decisive victory in game one—after losing an expansion and many drones to multipronged attacks. LosirA's gg in the first game of the final set on Shattered Temple wasn't prompted entirely by the loss of his main army and drones. Before leaving, LosirA took a look back at his base, where eight marines and two medivacs were killing his tech. That's when he left.



But MMA's drop play rests upon a stronger theoretical foundation that makes it difficult to simply defend endlessly and win. A strong comparison can be made here to the famous TvP vulture play of . There are strong ties between these two players. Both are skinny with narrow faces. Both have a former bonjwa mentor in the background. Both are extremely clutch in teamleague play. And the comparisons are only reinforced in their playstyle. Both dangerously skimp on defense throughout their games in favor of risky offense or expansions. Both favor harassment as a means to an end. Both have displayed questionable crisis management on several occasions, and made brilliant decisions in others. Both are inconsistent, but unquestionably tremendous players. And both abuse terran cost-effectiveness like Hot_Bid does sunglasses or I do adverbs.



In BW TvP, the vulture is versatile and fast. It is seamlessly integrated into the standard terran TvP tech pattern, yet it's usefulness is somewhat diminished after it lays its spider mines. In the TvP horror universe of fantasy's creation, vultures gained an entirely new dimension as fantasy used them throughout the game to raid protoss bases and empty them of probes. Protoss players responded by developing effective vulture-safe wall-offs for their expansions. Fantasy responded by dropping the vultures in. Protosses began to put cannons in their mineral lines. Fantasy took the damage and killed the probes anyway, or else turned on his maphacks to intercept probe transfers. For a period, fantasy TvP's had protoss playing scared, often resulting in a passivity that allowed fantasy to ninja expansions, assume map control, or get away with an appalling lack of defense in midgame situations.



In Sc2, MMA has used his marine-medivac drops like fantasy does vultures. That's because the marine-medivac drop is extremely similar to the vulture runby. It is versatile and fast. It is cheap. It has the potential to be very disruptive. Just as vultures could massacre a probe line in seconds, eight marines can bring a stunning amount of DPS to bear against drones, tech, or a hatchery. Moreover, simultaneous MM-drops are surprisingly efficient uses of two medivacs and eight marines at the most basic cost-benefit level. Compared with TvP, medivacs are more expendable in TvZ, and their primary use is often to pick up marines from lost ground battles than it is to actually make a difference with in-battle healing like they are against a protoss army. Marines, as well, can be lost cheaply in drops, as terran can, and expects lose some of them easily anyway to banelings. Additionally as MKP demonstrated last year, marines are cost effective in virtually any setting, so using them in groups of eight as opposed to groups of twenty or thirty isn't going to greatly diminish their usefulness, especially in surgical base raiding. In comparison using groups of two tanks or four stalkers is obviously idiotic when you can mass them for much greater effect.



Marines and medivacs are expendable, and even more expendable in TvZ than in other match-ups. Terrans usually do not have to make vikings or marauders until much later stages of the game, which means that cheaply lost marines and medivacs always have replacements already in production. The advantages one or two drops can cause in a game is disproportionate to their worth. It's like if the three point line in basketball became a five point line. Sure you might miss a little more often from the new line, but would anyone ever shoot a two point shot?





LosirA's army, recently victorious, is AWOL when the follow-up drop kills... everything.



Even more that with just the hard math, MM-drops show their worth with a whole host of intangibles. If one drop pulls the entire zerg army over to one side of the map, or even just divert the zerg's attention, than it can buy time for the second drop to kill a spawning pool, snipe an expansion or assassinate a wealth of drones. This means that MMA's drops as a whole wind up being cost effective in a way that one drop or two drops could not be. Most terran players make drops only when they are behind, or at highly predictable timings when their first medivacs come out. MMA's drop play is predictable only in the sense that it will happen. But after defending one drop, there is no guarentee of later safety. After passing one particular timing, there is no reason to let down your guard. MMA's drop play is simply more effective because it happens more often, and largely regardless of situation. MMA's drop play actually creates a climate of fear that prevents zerg from running free.



The proof is in the pudding. A critical snipe of a spawning pool (Typhon Peaks), a drone massacre (Shattered Temple), some time wasting overlord sniping (Metalopolis), all contributed to MMA's overall victory in a way that eight, sixteen, twenty four, or even more marines really couldn't. MMA's drops pay for themselves in more than just minerals and gas. They buy time and allow for a faster expansion. They distract and confuse the zerg. They set the stage for phantom drops, or for real pushes. They allow terran to sieze control of the game from an agressive low-tech zerg. When you have macro like MMA and you're facing an opponent the level of LosirA, these things matter. That's the critical insight that fantasy's vulture play abused in BW, and that MMA's non-stop drop play has brought to Sc2.



Even with proper appreciation for the glory that is MMA's TvZ, it's difficult to believe that he can keep this up forever. Fantasy's vulture play has been slowly deflected as protoss BW players have become more adept at the predictive skills needed to defend it. So too will Sc2 zergs regain the multi-tasking ability they seem to have leeched after months in Sc2. MMA's drop play is far from undefendable, and there's no reason that a spine crawler and a transfuse, or a spore crawler and pre-placed banelings can't shut down MMA's play. Or perhaps a healthy dose of all-in ling aggression—LosirA's preferred remedy—will force MMA into a more defensive posture. But for the moment, the advantage lies with the terran and those who are quick enough to press the boundaries of Sc2's micro and multitask.







And in that vein, MMA's win and MLG in general was wonderful for thousands of fans as well as this writer. This is in large part because Sc2's is changing from a maxed-army, ball vs ball standard of play into something more dynamic. And a small piece of that change occurred before our eyes last weekend. It was a great thing to see.



On his way to the MLG championship, MMA drew upon that unique winning formula of equal parts luck, skill and perseverance. But in his finals series, MMA dismantled LosirA with pure class. Out macroed, microed, positioned, and multi-tasked, LosirA conceded each game having savaged his opponent's economy, but neutered in the face of MMA's end-game forces. The story of how MLG was won is the story of how MMA has developed his awesome TvZ, and why it's a small but meaninful change in the short history of Sc2.It should be obvious to even the most careless of observers that MMA's style revolves around the eight marine drop. His use of this strategy—it's a tactic for everyone else, but MMA nearly makes it into a lifestyle—has born tremendous fruit in recent games apart from the MLG final. In the GSTL Ace match, MMA outlasted DongRaeGu with the same relentless harass.But MMA's use of the drop goes well beyond what most players would consider feasible or safe. Almost by definition, dropping your opponent requires segmenting your army to achieve either surprise, a positional advantage, or both. The player conducting the drop is taking several risks in order to achieve an advantage. But if the drop is sniped or is cleaned up with no losses, then it creates a disadvantageous position for the dropping player. They have just given away a significant part of their army for nothing. In more than several instances, a drop is designed as a key part of an overall strategy, and it's failure can scuttle the preparation of a player.It's not even entirely fair to say that MMA dropsthan anyone else, although he does some things extremely well. One of MMA's strongest suits is his patience in letting a drop develop, when scouted, he nearly always unloads to kills off the offending scouting unit. Another characteristic is his persistence in keeping a drop alive with pick-up/cliff micro until it is forcibly killed off. Yet in nearly every one of his late-game TvZ games, MMA lost at least one of his drops having done no damage, and in most cases, this occurred multiple times. In other occasions, MMA inflicted only cosmetic damage or suffered damage to his main army in part because he had marines and medivacs engaged elsewhere.So what exactly makes MMA's drop play so effective?The critical aspect of MMA's drop play is it's frequency and persistence. MMA nearly always ensures that he drops two places at one time. He wears down his opponents, and snipes key buildings or units if they hesitate for a second. While his opponents are in the dark about his drops, MMA constantly puts himself in a good position to concentrate on his drops, sieging his tanks and keeping his marines split as his drops come in. His aforementioned patience with his drops is also important, as he constantly keeps dropping lanes clear of overlord or zergling traffic—LosirA, it should be noted, was extremely diligent about sending out overlords to scout for drops throughout the game—and finally his drop micro is extremely solid. A combination of these factors;1) Superior Multitask2) Superior Preparation3) Superior Patience4) Superior MicroGives MMA some insurance that his drop play will do damage at some point. But these are hardly noteworthy observations. The wear and tear that MMA's drop play causes upon his opponents is obvious. In the finals, LosirA made his largest mistake of the series—losing all of his mutalisks in a desperate bid for decisive victory in game one—after losing an expansion and many drones to multipronged attacks. LosirA's gg in the first game of the final set on Shattered Temple wasn't prompted entirely by the loss of his main army and drones. Before leaving, LosirA took a look back at his base, where eight marines and two medivacs were killing his tech. That's when he left.But MMA's drop play rests upon a stronger theoretical foundation that makes it difficult to simply defend endlessly and win. A strong comparison can be made here to the famous TvP vulture play of Fantasy . There are strong ties between these two players. Both are skinny with narrow faces. Both have a former bonjwa mentor in the background. Both are extremely clutch in teamleague play. And the comparisons are only reinforced in their playstyle. Both dangerously skimp on defense throughout their games in favor of risky offense or expansions. Both favor harassment as a means to an end. Both have displayed questionable crisis management on several occasions, and made brilliant decisions in others. Both are inconsistent, but unquestionably tremendous players. And both abuse terran cost-effectiveness like Hot_Bid does sunglasses or I do adverbs.In BW TvP, the vulture is versatile and fast. It is seamlessly integrated into the standard terran TvP tech pattern, yet it's usefulness is somewhat diminished after it lays its spider mines. In the TvP horror universe of fantasy's creation, vultures gained an entirely new dimension as fantasy used them throughout the game to raid protoss bases and empty them of probes. Protoss players responded by developing effective vulture-safe wall-offs for their expansions. Fantasy responded by dropping the vultures in. Protosses began to put cannons in their mineral lines. Fantasy took the damage and killed the probes anyway, or else turned on his maphacks to intercept probe transfers. For a period, fantasy TvP's had protoss playing scared, often resulting in a passivity that allowed fantasy to ninja expansions, assume map control, or get away with an appalling lack of defense in midgame situations.In Sc2, MMA has used his marine-medivac drops like fantasy does vultures. That's because the marine-medivac drop is extremely similar to the vulture runby. It is versatile and fast. It is cheap. It has the potential to be very disruptive. Just as vultures could massacre a probe line in seconds, eight marines can bring a stunning amount of DPS to bear against drones, tech, or a hatchery. Moreover, simultaneous MM-drops are surprisingly efficient uses of two medivacs and eight marines at the most basic cost-benefit level. Compared with TvP, medivacs are more expendable in TvZ, and their primary use is often to pick up marines from lost ground battles than it is to actually make a difference with in-battle healing like they are against a protoss army. Marines, as well, can be lost cheaply in drops, as terran can, and expects lose some of them easily anyway to banelings. Additionally as MKP demonstrated last year, marines are cost effective in virtually any setting, so using them in groups of eight as opposed to groups of twenty or thirty isn't going to greatly diminish their usefulness, especially in surgical base raiding. In comparison using groups of two tanks or four stalkers is obviously idiotic when you can mass them for much greater effect.Marines and medivacs are expendable, and even more expendable in TvZ than in other match-ups. Terrans usually do not have to make vikings or marauders until much later stages of the game, which means that cheaply lost marines and medivacs always have replacements already in production. The advantages one or two drops can cause in a game is disproportionate to their worth. It's like if the three point line in basketball became a five point line. Sure you might miss a little more often from the new line, but would anyone ever shoot a two point shot?Even more that with just the hard math, MM-drops show their worth with a whole host of intangibles. If one drop pulls the entire zerg army over to one side of the map, or even just divert the zerg's attention, than it can buy time for the second drop to kill a spawning pool, snipe an expansion or assassinate a wealth of drones. This means that MMA's drops as a whole wind up being cost effective in a way that one drop or two drops could not be. Most terran players make drops only when they are behind, or at highly predictable timings when their first medivacs come out. MMA's drop play is predictable only in the sense that it will happen. But after defending one drop, there is no guarentee of later safety. After passing one particular timing, there is no reason to let down your guard. MMA's drop play is simply more effective because it happens more often, and largely regardless of situation. MMA's drop play actually creates a climate of fear that prevents zerg from running free.The proof is in the pudding. A critical snipe of a spawning pool (Typhon Peaks), a drone massacre (Shattered Temple), some time wasting overlord sniping (Metalopolis), all contributed to MMA's overall victory in a way that eight, sixteen, twenty four, or even more marines really couldn't. MMA's drops pay for themselves in more than just minerals and gas. They buy time and allow for a faster expansion. They distract and confuse the zerg. They set the stage for phantom drops, or for real pushes. They allow terran to sieze control of the game from an agressive low-tech zerg. When you have macro like MMA and you're facing an opponent the level of LosirA, these things matter. That's the critical insight that fantasy's vulture play abused in BW, and that MMA's non-stop drop play has brought to Sc2.Even with proper appreciation for the glory that is MMA's TvZ, it's difficult to believe that he can keep this up forever. Fantasy's vulture play has been slowly deflected as protoss BW players have become more adept at the predictive skills needed to defend it. So too will Sc2 zergs regain the multi-tasking ability they seem to have leeched after months in Sc2. MMA's drop play is far from undefendable, and there's no reason that a spine crawler and a transfuse, or a spore crawler and pre-placed banelings can't shut down MMA's play. Or perhaps a healthy dose of all-in ling aggression—LosirA's preferred remedy—will force MMA into a more defensive posture. But for the moment, the advantage lies with the terran and those who are quick enough to press the boundaries of Sc2's micro and multitask.And in that vein, MMA's win and MLG in general was wonderful for thousands of fans as well as this writer. This is in large part because Sc2's is changing from a maxed-army, ball vs ball standard of play into something more dynamic. And a small piece of that change occurred before our eyes last weekend. It was a great thing to see.







The Gracken promised to stay longer in games.



MMA swept MLG Columbus without dropping even one series. However, his 18-2 record was not as dominant as it seems on paper: MMA’s best matchup is TvZ by a far, and he only faced two non-Zerg opponents all weekend. But man, when he played that TvZ, he played it well. Tree.hugger explains. EG.IdrA

Idra was the center of attention again, this time for



It was a wasted opportunity to seize momentum in the series and break the Korean stranglehold on the podium. Nobody wanted the invites to fly in and easily plow through MLG, and almost everyone was hoping for Idra to beat MMA and set up an epic finals rematch with MC. It’s a pity, because this particular moment took the spotlight from Idra’s excellent play from the group stages of the tournament.







djWHEAT and Day9 after IdrA GGs against MMA.



Thus far we’ve seen two versions of Greg Fields: the confident, brilliant Idra that looks almost unstoppable when winning, and the uncomfortable, self-defeating Idra when losing. If only Idra was capable of playing up to his potential every game, and believe in his ability to overcome whatever racial imbalances he conjures up in his mind, then we may have seen a very different MLG Columbus top 3.



It was still a positive tournament for Idra. He came tantalizingly close to breaking through to the finals. And whether it was a new setting or a new girlfriend, Idra looked genuinely happy throughout most of the weekend. It’s all within his control, and we’ll see if he can finally seize the opportunity at Anaheim.







"APM? I don't care about no APM."



Idra was the center of attention again, this time for leaving a game early . Idra is known for GG’ing early in games, but this was the first time he’s done it when he was actually in the lead. Day9, djWHEAT, the crowd, and even MMA couldn’t believe it. Five seconds earlier, Idra fans were celebrating his mutalisks breaking MMA’s tank push. Then it happened, and for a few seconds the crowd reacted as if MMA left. As they realized, the sound and energy was sucked out of the room, as the crowd laughed nervously at Day9’s confused expression. The replay confirmed it: Idra was ahead in drones, supply, and was even winning the battle when he inexplicably left.It was a wasted opportunity to seize momentum in the series and break the Korean stranglehold on the podium. Nobody wanted the invites to fly in and easily plow through MLG, and almost everyone was hoping for Idra to beat MMA and set up an epic finals rematch with MC. It’s a pity, because this particular moment took the spotlight from Idra’s excellent play from the group stages of the tournament.Thus far we’ve seen two versions of Greg Fields: the confident, brilliant Idra that looks almost unstoppable when winning, and the uncomfortable, self-defeating Idra when losing. If only Idra was capable of playing up to his potential every game, and believe in his ability to overcome whatever racial imbalances he conjures up in his mind, then we may have seen a very different MLG Columbus top 3.It was still a positive tournament for Idra. He came tantalizingly close to breaking through to the finals. And whether it was a new setting or a new girlfriend, Idra looked genuinely happy throughout most of the weekend. It’s all within his control, and we’ll see if he can finally seize the opportunity at Anaheim. Korean Zergs

Losira’s quiet, happy-silly demeanor contrasted sharply with how he played. The first time we stood behind Losira and



For all his success in WarCraft 3, Moon was regarded as the weakest of the four Korean invites. MC, Losira, and July are Code S, and MMA is Code A. Moon was unable to qualify for even Code A last season, and unfortunately the MLG-GSL exchange program would have really helped him if it wasn’t giving Code A seeds to only non-Koreans. Eighth place is an acceptable result for someone who admittedly doesn’t even play SC2 fulltime yet, but we should expect more out of Moon. TL Admin and head writer Waxangel had Moon sign his forehead. Why? “Forehead is reserved for best WarCraft 3 player ever.” We’re just waiting for the real Moon to show up. Until then, at least we can enjoy some







"I'll be back next month."



And last but not least, there was one more invite and he had to go through Open. I remember watching a Zerg in Brood War who did more damage with lower tier units than anyone in the history of real time strategy games. I remember watching him 4-pool and drone drill his way to a Golden Mouse. And now, I’ll remember him winning four games in less than 25 minutes total at MLG Columbus. It was a surreal experience seeing him exist in person, playing games right in front of me instead of in a tiny screen while commentators I couldn’t understand yelled in the background. It didn’t really sink in until I saw him and Milkis eating in the food court. I plopped myself down next to them and said, “TUSHIN” to which July smiled and nodded. I said, "you beat Goodfriend on Forte back in 2005, I remembered that game." July did too.



We all wish July finished higher at Columbus, but the open bracket is not an easy beast for an old man progaming veteran like him, who at age 24 has been ordering zerglings and mutas to attack for almost a decade now. But the bigger reason was it just wasn’t the right time of year. July made it to five Ongamenet Starleague Finals during his nine year Brood War career, winning three of them. The OSL is held multiple times a year, but all three of July’s wins have come in the month of July. The dates for MLG Anaheim are July 28-31. You may see coincidence, but for July, I see





The MLG Dallas champion put forth a good fight, but danced a little too early against MC.



Losira’s quiet, happy-silly demeanor contrasted sharply with how he played. The first time we stood behind Losira and watched him , we just looked at each other and laughed. “Does he have some special speed setting enabled?” It came as no surprise that this kid was a skilled pianist. His hands were a blur across the keyboard, so fast it was absurd. We had never seen an international Zerg play SC2 in person this way. It seemed like a different game, all speed and instinct and reflexes rolled into one. Losira seemed the personification of his hands, a force of nature more than a person. The “urban legend” of MLG Columbus involved a malfunctioning keyboard and Losira playing against Incontrol with 185 mouse only APM.For all his success in WarCraft 3, Moon was regarded as the weakest of the four Korean invites. MC, Losira, and July are Code S, and MMA is Code A. Moon was unable to qualify for even Code A last season, and unfortunately the MLG-GSL exchange program would have really helped him if it wasn’t giving Code A seeds to only non-Koreans. Eighth place is an acceptable result for someone who admittedly doesn’t even play SC2 fulltime yet, but we should expect more out of Moon. TL Admin and head writer Waxangel had Moon sign his forehead. Why? “Forehead is reserved for best WarCraft 3 player ever.” We’re just waiting for the real Moon to show up. Until then, at least we can enjoy some epic baneling landmines And last but not least, there was one more invite and he had to go through Open. I remember watching a Zerg in Brood War who did more damage with lower tier units than anyone in the history of real time strategy games. I remember watching him 4-pool and drone drill his way to a Golden Mouse. And now, I’ll remember him winning four games in less than 25 minutes total at MLG Columbus. It was a surreal experience seeing him exist in person, playing games right in front of me instead of in a tiny screen while commentators I couldn’t understand yelled in the background. It didn’t really sink in until I saw him and Milkis eating in the food court. I plopped myself down next to them and said, “TUSHIN” to which July smiled and nodded. I said, "you beat Goodfriend on Forte back in 2005, I remembered that game." July did too.We all wish July finished higher at Columbus, but the open bracket is not an easy beast for an old man progaming veteran like him, who at age 24 has been ordering zerglings and mutas to attack for almost a decade now. But the bigger reason was it just wasn’t the right time of year. July made it to five Ongamenet Starleague Finals during his nine year Brood War career, winning three of them. The OSL is held multiple times a year, but all three of July’s wins have come in the month of July. The dates for MLG Anaheim are July 28-31. You may see, but for July, I see providence Scanner Sweeps

Many of you may not have noticed, but other players had success despite not finishing on the podium. Slush and Ret finished 5th and 7th, and were among the five Zergs to place in the Top 8. FXO.Sheth and Liquid`HayprO played well in group stages, finishing just behind the Koreans in groups and placing in the Top 16. Naniwa turned in another strong showing by finishing 6th despite his ill-advised zealot dance of death. In the Open Bracket, Sixjax.Major made a great debut, blowing through his bracket with dancing marines and victory MULEs. Meanwhile, Fnatic.Fenix ran a gauntlet of Zerg players to qualify as well. The four Open qualifiers would go on to finish 9th (Thorzain), 11th (Fenix), 12th (July), and 16th (Major).



All of these guys were somewhat overshadowed by the drama and spectacle of the main stage matches, but these results were excellent for the players clawing through Open to make their MLG debuts, and quite important as well for those looking to grind ranking points and earn seeding position for Anaheim and Raleigh. It may not be flashy, but consistency is rewarded in this MLG format.







Satellite truck does not allow me to troll it.



Many of you may not have noticed, but other players had success despite not finishing on the podium. Slush and Ret finished 5th and 7th, and were among the five Zergs to place in the Top 8. FXO.Sheth and Liquid`HayprO played well in group stages, finishing just behind the Koreans in groups and placing in the Top 16. Naniwa turned in another strong showing by finishing 6th despite his ill-advised zealot dance of death. In the Open Bracket, Sixjax.Major made a great debut, blowing through his bracket with dancing marines and victory MULEs. Meanwhile, Fnatic.Fenix ran a gauntlet of Zerg players to qualify as well. The four Open qualifiers would go on to finish 9th (Thorzain), 11th (Fenix), 12th (July), and 16th (Major).All of these guys were somewhat overshadowed by the drama and spectacle of the main stage matches, but these results were excellent for the players clawing through Open to make their MLG debuts, and quite important as well for those looking to grind ranking points and earn seeding position for Anaheim and Raleigh. It may not be flashy, but consistency is rewarded in this MLG format. Raising the Bar

The ubiquitous emotion at the end of a tournament final by event crew and staff is, without a doubt, relief. But somewhere between tiny lag spikes and the crowd chanting MMA, the emotions changed from relief to celebration. Ever since Dallas this was MLG’s moment. They heaped an almost unreasonable amount of pressure on themselves to execute this event. MLG and MC had parallel storylines. Dallas was their group stage, Columbus their extended series. MLG called their 4-0, and like MC, they backed it up.



A bracket with two hundred and seventy players is not easy. Fans tend to see the front guys like Tastosis or Wheat or Day, but what makes the tournament tick are the league operations guys like John and Adam and Ryan and the referees on the floor. For three long days, the MLG staff worked until that bitter Dallas aftertaste was gone.



It’s not that nothing went wrong or there were no problems. The Koreans could have flown in earlier. The lag could have been minimized. There should be less downtime between matches. Players should be informed of their schedules better. There definitely should have been more chairs. But all these are minor issues. The stream worked, the competition ran smoothly. All it took were some siege mode satellite trucks that survived all sorts of natural disasters. That and luck. Always some luck. After Dallas, the universe owed MLG some lucky breaks.



But sometimes, you can create your own luck. Bomber missing his flight actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and MLG gets all the credit for flying in MC at the last minute. Because of the booths and Koreans and casters and everything, MLG created an event that everyone in the community was rooting for. The brief, scary lag spikes drew out hopeful cheers instead of sarcastic groans, and that sort of positive energy really does help.







Three main stages, all broadcasting StarCraft 2.



Success creates expectations. MLG Anaheim now has to live up to one of the best live events in SC2 history. Next time, fans won't just be happy with a lag-free stream or be blown away by two sets of commentators. Maybe for Anaheim Tastetosis will cast from a space shuttle or Boxer will parachute in from a blimp. We’ll find out in two months. Or in a few days, depending on certain Twitter accounts. But we already can’t wait.





JUNE.



INT. COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER.



Construction crews disassemble the MLG Columbus main stage. SUNDANCE sits alone in an empty hall.



FANBOY approaches. He pulls out an MLG Dallas 2011 shirt.



FANBOY

"Awesome finals! Can you sign my shirt?"



SUNDANCE signs it.



SUNDANCE

"Thanks. Better than Dallas, right?"



FANBOY

"Did Dallas have this many people? I don't remember."







MLG Columbus Lists



"Remember at Columbus..."

1. ROOT.Slush

2. EG.IdrA

3. Fnatic.Fenix

4. Liquid`Ret

5. Sixjax.Major



"Is it Anaheim yet?"

1. ROOT.KiWiKaKi

2. Dignitas.SeleCT

3. Liquid`TLO

4. EG.iNcontroL

5. Everyone who was knocked out in Open



Biggest Upsets

1. Idra 2-0 MC

2. Slush 2-1 NaNiwa

3. Losira 2-1 MC

4. Moon 2-0 July

5. MC 2-0 Bomber



Best Moments

1. “MMA!” chants during post game interview

2. MC high fives the crowd

3. Idra defeats MC in opening match

4. Moon's baneling bombs

5. Milkis translates English to English



Most Drama

1. MC calls out Idra

2. Idra’s early GG vs MMA

3. MMA kills his own command center

4. Naniwa dances his zealots

5. Brief finals lag screens



Anaheim To Do List

1. Force MC to come back by stealing his watch

2. Buy some Korean food

3. Change controller in logo to mouse

4. Build some chairs

5. Lose to TL in relay race



Links

● MLG Columbus SC2 VODs, Brackets, Results

● TL interviews MLG Columbus winner MMA

● More MLG Columbus Video Interviews

● Hot_Bid interviews EG.IdrA and girlfriend

● MLG Photos by R1CH

● The MLG Columbus Translator Experience - Part 1 by Milkis

● The MLG Columbus Translator Experience - Part 2 by Milkis

● Korean players leave fan club messages by Milkis

● MLG Columbus Liquipedia Editor Appreciation





The ubiquitous emotion at the end of a tournament final by event crew and staff is, without a doubt, relief. But somewhere between tiny lag spikes and the crowd chanting MMA, the emotions changed from relief to celebration. Ever since Dallas this was MLG’s moment. They heaped an almost unreasonable amount of pressure on themselves to execute this event. MLG and MC had parallel storylines. Dallas was their group stage, Columbus their extended series. MLG called their 4-0, and like MC, they backed it up.A bracket with two hundred and seventy players is not easy. Fans tend to see the front guys like Tastosis or Wheat or Day, but what makes the tournament tick are the league operations guys like John and Adam and Ryan and the referees on the floor. For three long days, the MLG staff worked until that bitter Dallas aftertaste was gone.It’s not that nothing went wrong or there were no problems. The Koreans could have flown in earlier. The lag could have been minimized. There should be less downtime between matches. Players should be informed of their schedules better. There definitely should have been more chairs. But all these are minor issues. The stream worked, the competition ran smoothly. All it took were some siege mode satellite trucks that survived all sorts of natural disasters. That and luck. Always some luck. After Dallas, the universe owed MLG some lucky breaks.But sometimes, you can create your own luck. Bomber missing his flight actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and MLG gets all the credit for flying in MC at the last minute. Because of the booths and Koreans and casters and everything, MLG created an event that everyone in the community was rooting for. The brief, scary lag spikes drew out hopeful cheers instead of sarcastic groans, and that sort of positive energy really does help.Success creates expectations. MLG Anaheim now has to live up to one of the best live events in SC2 history. Next time, fans won't just be happy with a lag-free stream or be blown away by two sets of commentators. Maybe for Anaheim Tastetosis will cast from a space shuttle or Boxer will parachute in from a blimp. We’ll find out in two months. Or in a few days, depending on certain Twitter accounts. But we already can’t wait.JUNE.INT. COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER.FANBOY"Awesome finals! Can you sign my shirt?"SUNDANCE"Thanks. Better than Dallas, right?"FANBOY"Did Dallas have this many people? I don't remember."1. ROOT.Slush2. EG.IdrA3. Fnatic.Fenix4. Liquid`Ret5. Sixjax.Major1. ROOT.KiWiKaKi2. Dignitas.SeleCT3. Liquid`TLO4. EG.iNcontroL5. Everyone who was knocked out in Open1. Idra 2-0 MC2. Slush 2-1 NaNiwa3. Losira 2-1 MC4. Moon 2-0 July5. MC 2-0 Bomber1. “MMA!” chants during post game interview2. MC high fives the crowd3. Idra defeats MC in opening match4. Moon's baneling bombs5. Milkis translates English to English1. MC calls out Idra2. Idra’s early GG vs MMA3. MMA kills his own command center4. Naniwa dances his zealots5. Brief finals lag screens1. Force MC to come back by stealing his watch2. Buy some Korean food3. Change controller in logo to mouse4. Build some chairs5. Lose to TL in relay race Thanks for reading. See you in Anaheim. @Hot_Bid on Twitter - ESPORTS life since 2010 - http://i.imgur.com/U2psw.png