Road to BlizzCon #6 - ROOTHydra - WCS 2015 Text by TL.net ESPORTS Graphics by shiroiusagi, dravernor Story

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Analysis The Road to Blizzcon - Ch VI - Hydra







Chapter VI A Strange Sailor from a Strange Land by CosmicSpiral



A flying shuttle, they called it. Polt's hands reminded him of those in all their strange mechanical precision.



Hydra hadn't expected an invitation to Polt's quarters. Normally, their enmity was so palpable that any measure of shared silence was torture. Their alliance, ostensibly an alternative to the carnage that would've resulted from further war, was a farce that had nevertheless gained uneasy acceptance. No amount of multicultural jabbering would unite Zergs and Terrans under one flag. Their hatred was born out of biological imperative. Tracking the outline of the ceiling bulbs, Hydra's skin began to pulse with unsettled blood. Steel and phosphorus! The wonders of ingenuity! How typical of civilized races. They fell in love with their ability to corrupt nature, only to tout it as the 'ne plus ultra' of their capacity (for some reason, Terrans liked quoting dead languages to reinforce this). All of a sudden, Hydra felt a dreadful urge to speak. The walls had somehow inched forward and the air had acquired a foul tinge.



“Ahhh, you needed this to beat MMA?”



Nothing. Not a word. Only the slight twinkle of an upraised eye.



Shit, how did he land himself into this mess? Metzennala was none of their business anymore. Even if the rumors about Life and Dream were true, what did it matter? Let the scavengers fret over the scepter. He didn't know anything about kingship but being a former pirate, he had had plenty of time to observe how it was so much less than advertised. No, Hydra liked ruling his territory and staying alive. A king could only do both tenuously at best.



“You say that like he was a nobody. He was a somebody back then. More than that. Don't you remember? The SlayerS clan laid claim to almost every territory back then. MMA terrorized us.”



Hydra let out a brief snort. “Remember what? Back then, I was raiding La Mancha and running circles around Stork.” God, what fun times. Not exactly the thrill of raiding cities on his own terms, but there was a certain allure knowing you had the mighty CJ machine behind you. It took a long time to mourn over its loss once he set up his armies in Oegugin. Here the infighting was less fierce and lacked the powerful identities so prevalent back home. Only here could Hydra savor a conquest without guilt over not preparing for the next one. It was a feeling he was learning to enjoy.



“Remember what? Back then, I was raiding La Mancha and running circles around Stork.” Hydra paused, giving way to unadultered snark. “You want to talk about downfalls? That poor bastard is running messages for Solar now. He's worse than nothing now. He's a shadow of nothing. Nothing grinds its heel in his face when he steps out of the door in the morning.”



“Well, it was bad. Everyone underestimated Boxer. We thought the old dog had no teeth left in him. SlayerS was going to be a novelty at best.” The soft yellow of the lamp was slowly shifting into neon red. “Maybe MMA was his true son. It runs in the blood, you know. That kind of power. Soldiers know when someone is born into authority. They can smell it.” Polt's voice, sharp and attentive like a chickadee just a few minutes ago, was now mellowing out. One of his hands had slid off his chest and was hanging off the bed, still repeating its orbit around whatever idea he was trying to figure out.



Sigh, still nothing. This whole recreational charade was a bad idea. Zergs couldn't get high anyway, unless massive amounts of toxic waste were involved. Hydra imagined Polt was having the time of his life, but all Hydra could feel was a dry throat. He feebly coughed in hopes Polt would believe he was getting something out of it.



He loathed that opaqueness more than anything else. He knew Polt said that with a smile, one of those inscrutable ones that could only be read into. For any other human Hydra would have labeled it a put-on, some misguided attempt to bring an air of mystery into every single encounter. Terrans were always so concerned about such things. But such things didn't work on Zergs. No matter how much they postured and inflected their sentences, Hydra could still smell the cortisol pumping through them. They couldn't help it if their bodies told the truth.



Except...their initial meeting defied all expectations. When Hydra strode into the initial talks, he was fully confident that Polt would cede to all his demands. After all, his opponent was on the back foot and called for parley in the first place. It was Polt who was on the losing end of two huge battles, whose army was exhausted and longing for home. So when the Terran general arrived for negotiations, Hydra looked for the signs. Surely he would strain to keep a straight back; obviously he would maintain a flat, aggressive tone to hide his fear. But Polt turned out to be unnervingly cool in the face of what should have been his greatest humiliation. Not a drop of unintentional sweat, a flicker of eyelids betraying his true feelings. With the typical wry smile and keen eyes, Polt conversed as if he was an invited guest to brunch. And without warning, he extended his hand in friendship. “What use is there in squabbling over small towns and dying fields?”, he claimed. “We would be like all the arrogant savages back home, desperate for glory and recognition at all costs. Surely there was something better.”



An elongated sneer jolted Hydra out of his memory. “Well, it was bad. Everyone underestimated Boxer. We thought the old dog had no teeth left in him. SlayerS was going to be a novelty at best.” The soft yellow of the lamp was slowly shifting into neon red. “Maybe MMA was his true son. It runs in the blood, you know. That kind of power. Soldiers know when someone is born into authority. They can smell it.”



Yeah, sure. If heritage was the golden goose, then Happy would have been Mvp's successor. “Legitimate, illegitimate, does it really matter? You broke him and you beat him.”



“Took a while. I couldn't decipher his plans. His troops were executing maneuvers that our clan never saw before. Simulations didn't give us jack to work with either. Good old Choya,” he grinned. “I knew he was getting all those crazy ideas from somewhere. He was eager to share.”



“And what, exactly, did this wonderful substance tell you to do?”



“...'Go and kill him. That's what he's vulnerable to.'”.



“Vulnerable to what?”



“Dying.”



“Nice. Really nice.” Hydra leaned backwards in his chair and slightly tilted the pipe, letting the bottom half disappear into the darkness. “What grand revelations is it telling you right now?”



“Relax. Give it time.”



“So you're clutching at straws again”. Hydra's eyes glimmered mischievously.



“Time.”



“Straaaaaaaawws,” he drawled.



Surely there was something better. When did he, professed pirate with no yoke on his shoulders, choose to believe that? After all Oegugin was conquered under their rule? When his so-called ally stopped razing the earth as a declaration of sanity? When he assured Hydra that yes, Lilbow could be dealt with, and his crazy tactics were simply that? Crazy gambles by a leader who knew he couldn't win in a traditional fight? Unconsciously Hydra started scratching away at his temple. None of this made sense. They shouldn't have been friends, let alone allies. Polt ran hot and cold at what seemed like a deliberate pace. When he wasn't dazzling those around him with deft charm, he was oddly inert like a rock. Apart from general strategy, Polt shared everything else at his own whim. He had even cajoled Hydra on this secret mission, based on nothing at all. No one knew if Life was alright. No one knew if the scepter was up for grabs or crushed underneath the debris of a mountain. And that was the oddest part of all. His ally might be maddeningly blank in most aspects, but he never made a move without calculating the possibilities. This risk was no risk at all then. It was an opportunity with a great chance to succeed and a clear way out.



It didn't take an expert to see Polt was gone. All his careful diction had gone out the window. He now struggled to convey his thoughts in a tone that suggested he wanted to speak to ants and comfort a child simultaneously. “I don't need to know that. We know what we know, and we know what we don't know. And we know Life's got to meet granddaddy Fruitdealer in the great garden in the sky.” Polt paused, realizing the great error he committed. “Uhhhh...under the ground. Whatever.”



“He couldn't have been beaten! He was too good to get surprised by a greenhorn.” Hydra was surprised at the defiant passion overlying it. When did he care so much about that snotty brat?



“Eh? Who?”



“Life. That kid is a cockroach. If Armageddon came down on our heads tomorrow, he'd crawl out of the dirt. He wouldn't roll over and die to a stripling.”



“Why not? Unknown factors are always the most dangerous. He took the throne when competition got soft and exposed their hands. No one thought it could happen with Mvp and well...he's gone for good.”



As he spoke, Polt slowly rose up and hunched over the side of the bed. He looked surprisingly frail in the ambient glow of the lamp. With his dead eyes and blank face, he could've been mistaken for a china doll. Only now did Hydra notice the humming of the ship, as gentle as the murmur of a congregation after Mass ended. A smile slowly formed over his face. This time it was thin-lipped, and it turned his face into a ghoulish mask.



“So...how is it?” he whispered. “I mean...” He gestured flippantly at the pipe Hydra cradled at his side.



Hydra shrugged. “Sore throat. Slightly nauseous. Not much else.”



“Hmmm, curious. Different physiology, I guess.”



Hydra shifted his weight subtly, just enough so Polt could only see his left side. He slowly slid his hand down his leg, lightly brushing against the concealed dagger. He tried his best to remain dispassionate. “Well,” Polt grumbled. “You've been wonderful company. Maybe I'll invite a magpie next time.” With that he slowly reclined, pressing up against the wall with arched spine. Hydra watched uneasily as Polt then started to crumple into a ball, falling into the bed in slow motion. He had never seen him defenseless before.



The gentle hum of the engines had disappeared; the ship must have been arriving at the shore. With a choked grunt, Hydra stood up and wobbled toward the bed. The weight of the blade felt irresistibly heavy. If he didn't pull it out of the lining, it would burn through his leg. It would definitely burn through his leg.



A phrase exhaled out of Polt in a faint wheeze. “Ahhhh, I finally understand.”



“Understand what?” Hydra whispered.



“It. The whole thing. How to take Metzennala. It's so simple...”







Hydra had forgotten to properly breathe in the smoke, and the back of his nostrils burned with a dull, throbbing ache. His focus was entirely applied, laser-like, on the barely lit silhouette across the room. It rested peacefully on the bed like a mummy, its legs draped in shadows. The palms of its hands, usually crossing over a map or gently cradling a pen, spastically circled his chest in elliptic patterns. And yet it was undeniably graceful. What did humans call that machine again? The one that created cloth from threads? Hydra could not summon the name on command, but he somehow remembered that small piece that zoomed back and forth as it operated., they called it. Polt's hands reminded him of those in all their strange mechanical precision.Hydra hadn't expected an invitation to Polt's quarters. Normally, their enmity was so palpable that any measure of shared silence was torture. Their alliance, ostensibly an alternative to the carnage that would've resulted from further war, was a farce that had nevertheless gained uneasy acceptance. No amount of multicultural jabbering would unite Zergs and Terrans under one flag. Their hatred was born out of biological imperative. Tracking the outline of the ceiling bulbs, Hydra's skin began to pulse with unsettled blood. Steel and phosphorus! The wonders of ingenuity! How typical of civilized races. They fell in love with their ability to corrupt nature, only to tout it as the 'ne plus ultra' of their capacity (for some reason, Terrans liked quoting dead languages to reinforce this). All of a sudden, Hydra felt a dreadful urge to speak. The walls had somehow inched forward and the air had acquired a foul tinge.“Ahhh, you neededto beat MMA?”Nothing. Not a word. Only the slight twinkle of an upraised eye.Shit, how did he land himself into this mess? Metzennala was none of their business anymore. Even if the rumors about Life and Dream were true, what did it matter? Let the scavengers fret over the scepter. He didn't know anything about kingship but being a former pirate, he had had plenty of time to observe how it was so much less than advertised. No, Hydra liked ruling his territory and staying alive. A king could only do both tenuously at best.“You say that like he was a nobody. He was a somebody back then. More than that. Don't you remember? The SlayerS clan laid claim to almost every territory back then. MMA terrorized us.”Hydra let out a brief snort. “Remember what? Back then, I was raiding La Mancha and running circles around Stork.” God, what fun times. Not exactly the thrill of raiding cities on his own terms, but there was a certain allure knowing you had the mighty CJ machine behind you. It took a long time to mourn over its loss once he set up his armies in Oegugin. Here the infighting was less fierce and lacked the powerful identities so prevalent back home. Only here could Hydraa conquest without guilt over not preparing for the next one. It was a feeling he was learning to enjoy.“Remember what? Back then, I was raiding La Mancha and running circles around Stork.” Hydra paused, giving way to unadultered snark. “You want to talk about downfalls? That poor bastard is running messages for Solar now. He's worse than nothing now. He's a shadow of nothing. Nothing grinds its heel in his face when he steps out of the door in the morning.”“Well, it was bad. Everyone underestimated Boxer. We thought the old dog had no teeth left in him. SlayerS was going to be a novelty at best.” The soft yellow of the lamp was slowly shifting into neon red. “Maybe MMA was his true son. It runs in the blood, you know. That kind of power. Soldiers know when someone is born into authority. They can smell it.” Polt's voice, sharp and attentive like a chickadee just a few minutes ago, was now mellowing out. One of his hands had slid off his chest and was hanging off the bed, still repeating its orbit around whatever idea he was trying to figure out.. This whole recreational charade was a bad idea. Zergs couldn't get high anyway, unless massive amounts of toxic waste were involved. Hydra imagined Polt was having the time of his life, but all Hydra could feel was a dry throat. He feebly coughed in hopes Polt would believe he was getting something out of it.He loathed that opaqueness more than anything else. He knew Polt said that with a smile, one of those inscrutable ones that could only be read into. For any other human Hydra would have labeled it a put-on, some misguided attempt to bring an air of mystery into every single encounter. Terrans were always so concerned about such things. But such things didn't work on Zergs. No matter how much they postured and inflected their sentences, Hydra could still smell the cortisol pumping through them. They couldn't help it if their bodies told the truth.Except...their initial meeting defied all expectations. When Hydra strode into the initial talks, he was fully confident that Polt would cede to all his demands. After all, his opponent was on the back foot and called for parley in the first place. It was Polt who was on the losing end of two huge battles, whose army was exhausted and longing for home. So when the Terran general arrived for negotiations, Hydra looked for the signs. Surely he would strain to keep a straight back; obviously he would maintain a flat, aggressive tone to hide his fear. But Polt turned out to be unnervingly cool in the face of what should have been his greatest humiliation. Not a drop of unintentional sweat, a flicker of eyelids betraying his true feelings. With the typical wry smile and keen eyes, Polt conversed as if he was an invited guest to brunch. And without warning, he extended his hand in friendship. “What use is there in squabbling over small towns and dying fields?”, he claimed. “We would be like all the arrogant savages back home, desperate for glory and recognition at all costs. Surely there was something better.”An elongated sneer jolted Hydra out of his memory. “Well, it was bad. Everyone underestimated Boxer. We thought the old dog had no teeth left in him. SlayerS was going to be a novelty at best.” The soft yellow of the lamp was slowly shifting into neon red. “Maybe MMA was his true son. It runs in the blood, you know. That kind of power. Soldiers know when someone is born into authority. They can smell it.”Yeah, sure. If heritage was the golden goose, then Happy would have been Mvp's successor. “Legitimate, illegitimate, does it really matter? You broke him and you beat him.”“Took a while. I couldn't decipher his plans. His troops were executing maneuvers that our clan never saw before. Simulations didn't give us jack to work with either. Good old Choya,” he grinned. “I knew he was getting all those crazy ideas from somewhere. He was eager to share.”“And what, exactly, did this wonderful substance tell you to do?”“...'Go and kill him. That's what he's vulnerable to.'”.“Vulnerable to what?”“Dying.”“Nice. Really nice.” Hydra leaned backwards in his chair and slightly tilted the pipe, letting the bottom half disappear into the darkness. “What grand revelations is it telling you right now?”“Relax. Give it time.”“So you're clutching at straws again”. Hydra's eyes glimmered mischievously.“Time.”“Straaaaaaaawws,” he drawled.. When did he, professed pirate with no yoke on his shoulders, choose to believe that? After all Oegugin was conquered under their rule? When his so-called ally stopped razing the earth as a declaration of sanity? When he assured Hydra that yes, Lilbow could be dealt with, and his crazy tactics were simply that? Crazy gambles by a leader who knew he couldn't win in a traditional fight? Unconsciously Hydra started scratching away at his temple. None of this made sense. They shouldn't have been friends, let alone allies. Polt ran hot and cold at what seemed like a deliberate pace. When he wasn't dazzling those around him with deft charm, he was oddly inert like a rock. Apart from general strategy, Polt shared everything else at his own whim. He had even cajoled Hydra on this secret mission, based on nothing at all. No one knew if Life was alright. No one knew if the scepter was up for grabs or crushed underneath the debris of a mountain. And that was the oddest part of all. His ally might be maddeningly blank in most aspects, but he never made a move without calculating the possibilities. This risk was no risk at all then. It was an opportunity with a great chance to succeed and a clear way out.It didn't take an expert to see Polt was gone. All his careful diction had gone out the window. He now struggled to convey his thoughts in a tone that suggested he wanted to speak to ants and comfort a child simultaneously. “I don't need to know that. We know what we know, and we know what we don't know. And we know Life's got to meet granddaddy Fruitdealer in the great garden in the sky.” Polt paused, realizing the great error he committed. “Uhhhh...under the ground. Whatever.”“He couldn't have been beaten! He was too good to get surprised by a greenhorn.” Hydra was surprised at the defiant passion overlying it. When did he care so much about that snotty brat?“Eh? Who?”“Life. That kid is a cockroach. If Armageddon came down on our heads tomorrow, he'd crawl out of the dirt. He wouldn't roll over and die to a stripling.”“Why not? Unknown factors are always the most dangerous. He took the throne when competition got soft and exposed their hands. No one thought it could happen with Mvp and well...he's gone for good.”As he spoke, Polt slowly rose up and hunched over the side of the bed. He looked surprisingly frail in the ambient glow of the lamp. With his dead eyes and blank face, he could've been mistaken for a china doll. Only now did Hydra notice the humming of the ship, as gentle as the murmur of a congregation after Mass ended. A smile slowly formed over his face. This time it was thin-lipped, and it turned his face into a ghoulish mask.“So...how is it?” he whispered. “I mean...” He gestured flippantly at the pipe Hydra cradled at his side.Hydra shrugged. “Sore throat. Slightly nauseous. Not much else.”“Hmmm, curious. Different physiology, I guess.”Hydra shifted his weight subtly, just enough so Polt could only see his left side. He slowly slid his hand down his leg, lightly brushing against the concealed dagger. He tried his best to remain dispassionate. “Well,” Polt grumbled. “You've been wonderful company. Maybe I'll invite a magpie next time.” With that he slowly reclined, pressing up against the wall with arched spine. Hydra watched uneasily as Polt then started to crumple into a ball, falling into the bed in slow motion. He had never seen him defenseless before.The gentle hum of the engines had disappeared; the ship must have been arriving at the shore. With a choked grunt, Hydra stood up and wobbled toward the bed. The weight of the blade felt irresistibly heavy. If he didn't pull it out of the lining, it would burn through his leg. It would definitely burn through his leg.A phrase exhaled out of Polt in a faint wheeze. “Ahhhh, I finally understand.”“Understand what?” Hydra whispered.“It. The whole thing. How to take Metzennala. It's so simple...”





Stats are from Aligulac.com







However, the age-old cliché that you can only beat what’s been put in front of you still applies, and in that regard, Hydra has excelled for much of 2015. He possesses the finest record in WCS for the year—a silver and a gold medal apiece, alongside his quarterfinal finish in Season 3—and the 3,850 points thus sourced have contributed heavily to his final total. It’s his performances in the cups that have started to concern his fans though. Dual silver medals in Gfinity’s Spring Masters series were impressive showings, but he wasn’t able to convert those early promising Major results into weekender victory at the various Premier tournaments dotted around the schedule.



A loss to eventual champion Zest in the opening round of the IEM World Championships may have been harsh given the quality he showed to go 2-0 up, but there can be few excuses for his poor displays at IEM Taipei and Dreamhack Open: Tours, while the defining memory of his games at MSI MGA was the way INnoVation rolled over him with almost lackadaisical ease. Having left Korea for the easier competition offered up in foreign events, he now finds himself back competing against the very best of his former scene. Soon, we’ll find out if Hydra is a legitimate contender, or merely a big fish in a small pond.



WCS Points:





Top 5 Games







1. Hydra vs Zest, IEM Katowice 2015 - Deadwing

Going into this set, no one believed Hydra had a chance. After all, for all his opponent’s issues in the first few months of 2015, Hydra had just come off a pretty mediocre 2014 (2 Code S qualifications, 10-16 record in Proleague), while his departure to the WCS system hardly inspired confidence in his long term success. A win in game 1 could be easily written off due to a botched immortal-sentry all-in; his win on Deadwing was anything but. An aggressive swarm host siege contain outside Zest’s fourth immediately put him under pressure, while the follow up 200/200 death push quickly sealed the deal. He may have lost the series, but as a statement of intent, it gave us ample warning of what to expect for the rest of the year.









2. Hydra vs MaNa, WCS 2015 Season 1 - Vaani Research Station

Over the past 12 months, we’ve become accustomed to seeing Hydra roll over his opponents in the foreign scene. Games end entirely as expected, with the ex-CJ Entus zerg reeling off standard play after standard play to claim win after win with ease. That’s why this game was so unexpected, as MaNa put up one hell of a fight against the champion elect. The ZvP lategame is one that we’ve seen far less often than in 2014 due to the death of the swarm host. Some love it; others may hate it with a passion; but seeing Hydra pushed right to the limit of his late-game control was a sight sadly lacking from the rest of the year.









3. Hydra vs Polt, WCS 2015 Season 1 - Overgrowth

With the hype surrounding their climactic encounter in the grand finals of Season 1, it’s all too easy to forget that Hydra and Polt had actually already met earlier that weekend. Game 1 of that series on Overgrowth was a mere appetizer of the madness that would ensue. Hydra demonstrated all his championship credentials right here, fending off Polt’s hellbat / banshee harass with ease, before crushing the CM Storm terran when he dared to venture onto creep.









4. Hydra vs Jaedong, WCS 2015 Season 2 - Coda

If there’s one thing that stands out about Hydra’s play, it’s the uncompromising simplicity of his gameplans. Sometimes, what you really need to do is shove a gigantic wedge of zerg units into your opponent’s natural and claim your GG, and that’s exactly what he did against Jaedong in this game on Coda. Fake expansion into all-in is one of the oldest ploys in the textbook, and Jaedong falls for it hook, line and sinker.









5. Hydra vs Polt, WCS 2015 Season 2 - Expedition Lost

In just a few short months, the proxy hatch cheese on Expedition Lost solidified its notorious place in Starcraft 2 history. Effective against both protoss and terran, it ended the Starleague campaigns of several fan favourites prematurely, while causing plenty of controversy in Proleague. It might be grim viewing for any terran fans, but seeing Hydra cap off his summary 3-0 execution of Polt and ascend to the finals with the meta move of the time was strangely fitting.



Of all the players in attendance at Blizzcon, Hydra is perhaps the one who is shrouded in mystery the most. While we’ve become used to seeing the Korean contingent 5 days a week in Proleague, Starleague and the GSL, and while Polt and Lilbow’s respective styles are pretty much set in stone at this point, it’s still difficult to know what to make of the ex-CJ Entus zerg. He’s certainly been the most successful of the recent Korean exports to the foreign scene, but whether that should be considered as damning with faint praise is still uncertain.However, the age-old cliché that you can only beat what’s been put in front of you still applies, and in that regard, Hydra has excelled for much of 2015. He possesses the finest record in WCS for the year—a silver and a gold medal apiece, alongside his quarterfinal finish in Season 3—and the 3,850 points thus sourced have contributed heavily to his final total. It’s his performances in the cups that have started to concern his fans though. Dual silver medals in Gfinity’s Spring Masters series were impressive showings, but he wasn’t able to convert those early promising Major results into weekender victory at the various Premier tournaments dotted around the schedule.A loss to eventual champion Zest in the opening round of the IEM World Championships may have been harsh given the quality he showed to go 2-0 up, but there can be few excuses for his poor displays at IEM Taipei and Dreamhack Open: Tours, while the defining memory of his games at MSI MGA was the way INnoVation rolled over him with almost lackadaisical ease. Having left Korea for the easier competition offered up in foreign events, he now finds himself back competing against the very best of his former scene. Soon, we’ll find out if Hydra is a legitimate contender, or merely a big fish in a small pond.Going into this set, no one believed Hydra had a chance. After all, for all his opponent’s issues in the first few months of 2015, Hydra had just come off a pretty mediocre 2014 (2 Code S qualifications, 10-16 record in Proleague), while his departure to the WCS system hardly inspired confidence in his long term success. A win in game 1 could be easily written off due to a botched immortal-sentry all-in; his win on Deadwing was anything but. An aggressive swarm host siege contain outside Zest’s fourth immediately put him under pressure, while the follow up 200/200 death push quickly sealed the deal. He may have lost the series, but as a statement of intent, it gave us ample warning of what to expect for the rest of the year.Over the past 12 months, we’ve become accustomed to seeing Hydra roll over his opponents in the foreign scene. Games end entirely as expected, with the ex-CJ Entus zerg reeling off standard play after standard play to claim win after win with ease. That’s why this game was so unexpected, as MaNa put up one hell of a fight against the champion elect. The ZvP lategame is one that we’ve seen far less often than in 2014 due to the death of the swarm host. Some love it; others may hate it with a passion; but seeing Hydra pushed right to the limit of his late-game control was a sight sadly lacking from the rest of the year.With the hype surrounding their climactic encounter in the grand finals of Season 1, it’s all too easy to forget that Hydra and Polt had actually already met earlier that weekend. Game 1 of that series on Overgrowth was a mere appetizer of the madness that would ensue. Hydra demonstrated all his championship credentials right here, fending off Polt’s hellbat / banshee harass with ease, before crushing the CM Storm terran when he dared to venture onto creep.If there’s one thing that stands out about Hydra’s play, it’s the uncompromising simplicity of his gameplans. Sometimes, what you really need to do is shove a gigantic wedge of zerg units into your opponent’s natural and claim your GG, and that’s exactly what he did against Jaedong in this game on Coda. Fake expansion into all-in is one of the oldest ploys in the textbook, and Jaedong falls for it hook, line and sinker.In just a few short months, the proxy hatch cheese on Expedition Lost solidified its notorious place in Starcraft 2 history. Effective against both protoss and terran, it ended the Starleague campaigns of several fan favourites prematurely, while causing plenty of controversy in Proleague. It might be grim viewing for any terran fans, but seeing Hydra cap off his summary 3-0 execution of Polt and ascend to the finals with the meta move of the time was strangely fitting.

Hydra vs Zest

IEM Katowice 2015 Ro16 - Deadwing LE

by: litcher



When Hydra decided to jump ship from CJ Entus to a foreign team, eyebrows were raised regarding his intentions. The former MSL winner was still an integral part of the CJ lineup, and with EffOrt retired, it looked like he'd be able to nail his place down as a starter. His results in individual leagues may not have been great, but his team still needed him.



However, now that Hydra's been with ROOT for over a year, we can easily say that he's been one of the few Koreans that truly embraced foreign life. From his frequent selfies to his rapidly improving English to his love of Gossip Girl, we can say that Hydra's integration has been smooth. His title in Season 2 of WCS was pretty good, too.



Unfortunately, with his region switch came questions about his abilities. Championship contender or not, having to tussle with weaker opponents suggested that Hydra couldn't cut it with the best anymore, and that he was on the lam from his betters. Even though his lack of success in international tournaments suggested that may have been true, Hydra showed some sparks of life that proved he could still handle himself against the elite. He may not be able to take series consistently, but he could still take games.



One of his more impressive outings was his close 2-3 loss against Zest at IEM Katowice. Zest may have been suffering his worst Korean tournament stretch at the time, but he was still able to take the title home at the IEM World Championships. Things looked dicey for him, however, when he dropped his first two maps of the tournament against the resilient Hydra. The ROOT zerg's display on Deadwing pushed his opponent to the limit.









Spawning cross positions, neither player wanted to play predictably: Hydra opened with 14/14 while Zest pylon scouted. At the time, 14gas 14pool was a very powerful deterrent against nexus first, especially on maps with large natural chokes like Deadwing. Zest had the presence of mind to build a forge before his nexus, and his quick scout allowed him to wall off while forcing Hydra to change his plans. While lesser zergs would have committed, Hydra switched gears. In fact, he even cancelled zergling speed, which he would have been unable to use anyway. With 4 zerglings for some map control, Hydra took his natural and then his third in quick succession. A good overlord scout spotted Zest's follow up stargate, and it was all drones from there for the zerg with no gateway pressure incoming.











Hydra's saved up gas allowed him to take a well timed lair, and with little trouble Hydra had equaled the worker count by the 6 minute mark despite his early committal to units. His spores finished in time, and Zest's oracle flew around hopelessly with a single drone kill. In response to seeing nothing but drones, Zest took his third base at 8:05 before starting his twilight council for blink stalkers. +2 blink would be Zest's choice, and he added on 7 more gateways for a total of 10, suggesting an all-in. Hydra had spent the entire game so far growing his economy, and he had not built anything other than drones since his 4 initial lings. Fortunately, he was well aware of Zest's intentions and his early lair had allowed him to finish his infestation pit, +1 attack and roach/ling speed in time for the push.









Zest arrived behind Hydra's third and was able to deny it, but accomplished not much else. With enough roaches above and locusts streaming in from the side, Hydra felt comfortable enough to even start flier upgrades as well as a batch of mutalisks. Zest tried to stay as long as he could to stop the base from mining, but a misrallied muta clued him into to his opponent's plans, and he recalled back home while starting phoenixes. His +2 timing denied, Zest transitioned into a robo as well as a robotics bay and +3 attack. The threat of swarmhosts had to be dealt with, and the compact layout of Deadwing meant that he could stay safe from mutas without committing to more stargates. Hydra's mutas failed to do damage, in fact, and the switch was not on. The Root zerg pumped out more ground army while all his upgrades churned, and by 15:20 his hive was halfway done. Zest kept pace with his double robo and 4th base, and decided to push out once more once the first two colossus complete.









Because of Hydra's poor creep spread, the protoss army was able to waltz straight back towards the third base. It would have been a good timing had Hydra been a lesser zerg, but the former MSL winner had kept his upgrades and tech going even in the midst of Zest's earlier attack. Vipers were ready, and well placed yanks and blinding clouds trapped Zest's army in a squeeze. The protoss was routed, but he did have 4 bases and a solid bank. He had to react quickly, however, because Hydra's untouched swarmhosts were now on the move. Hydra occupied the space between the third and the fourth, with his siege units keeping Zest at his fourth while his hydras ransacked the third. Zest had no choice but to let it go, though he eventually had enough to wipe out the vanguard leaving the zerg's expensive units vulnerable. Hydra had stayed a bit too long and paid with more than a dozen swarmhosts.









At that point, things almost looked even. Zest had killed a base while Hydra was attacking, though he did lose one of his own. Unfortunately, he was also 60 supply down and had lost a ton of gateways walling his third base. Zest could not find anything with his spare stalkers, and Hydra did not wait for him to recover. The zerg cut straight through the map to the fourth base, and no amount of storms could stop the swarm.









This game is a good example of how Hydra plays standard games with excellent subtleties. His decision to save 100 gas on speed allowed him to get his tech on time, and his confidence in his defense meant his upgrades and evolution never stopped progressing. Hydra also displayed a keenness towards what he could and could not defeat, an important trait for zergs who like to play standard games. It's important to add that Hydra was never an abuser of swarmhosts and often enjoyed roach hydra viper compositions more due to its versatility. Even though the ROOT zerg isn't as flashy as the likes of Rogue or ByuL, he's the textbook kind of zerg that adds a lot of insightful notations.



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When Hydra decided to jump ship from CJ Entus to a foreign team, eyebrows were raised regarding his intentions. The former MSL winner was still an integral part of the CJ lineup, and with EffOrt retired, it looked like he'd be able to nail his place down as a starter. His results in individual leagues may not have been great, but his team still needed him.However, now that Hydra's been with ROOT for over a year, we can easily say that he's been one of the few Koreans that truly embraced foreign life. From his frequent selfies to his rapidly improving English to his love of Gossip Girl, we can say that Hydra's integration has been smooth. His title in Season 2 of WCS was pretty good, too.Unfortunately, with his region switch came questions about his abilities. Championship contender or not, having to tussle with weaker opponents suggested that Hydra couldn't cut it with the best anymore, and that he was on the lam from his betters. Even though his lack of success in international tournaments suggested that may have been true, Hydra showed some sparks of life that proved he could still handle himself against the elite. He may not be able to take series consistently, but he could still take games.One of his more impressive outings was his close 2-3 loss against Zest at IEM Katowice. Zest may have been suffering his worst Korean tournament stretch at the time, but he was still able to take the title home at the IEM World Championships. Things looked dicey for him, however, when he dropped his first two maps of the tournament against the resilient Hydra. The ROOT zerg's display on Deadwing pushed his opponent to the limit.Spawning cross positions, neither player wanted to play predictably: Hydra opened with 14/14 while Zest pylon scouted. At the time, 14gas 14pool was a very powerful deterrent against nexus first, especially on maps with large natural chokes like Deadwing. Zest had the presence of mind to build a forge before his nexus, and his quick scout allowed him to wall off while forcing Hydra to change his plans. While lesser zergs would have committed, Hydra switched gears. In fact, he even cancelled zergling speed, which he would have been unable to use anyway. With 4 zerglings for some map control, Hydra took his natural and then his third in quick succession. A good overlord scout spotted Zest's follow up stargate, and it was all drones from there for the zerg with no gateway pressure incoming.Hydra's saved up gas allowed him to take a well timed lair, and with little trouble Hydra had equaled the worker count by the 6 minute mark despite his early committal to units. His spores finished in time, and Zest's oracle flew around hopelessly with a single drone kill. In response to seeing nothing but drones, Zest took his third base at 8:05 before starting his twilight council for blink stalkers. +2 blink would be Zest's choice, and he added on 7 more gateways for a total of 10, suggesting an all-in. Hydra had spent the entire game so far growing his economy, and he had not built anything other than drones since his 4 initial lings. Fortunately, he was well aware of Zest's intentions and his early lair had allowed him to finish his infestation pit, +1 attack and roach/ling speed in time for the push.Zest arrived behind Hydra's third and was able to deny it, but accomplished not much else. With enough roaches above and locusts streaming in from the side, Hydra felt comfortable enough to even start flier upgrades as well as a batch of mutalisks. Zest tried to stay as long as he could to stop the base from mining, but a misrallied muta clued him into to his opponent's plans, and he recalled back home while starting phoenixes. His +2 timing denied, Zest transitioned into a robo as well as a robotics bay and +3 attack. The threat of swarmhosts had to be dealt with, and the compact layout of Deadwing meant that he could stay safe from mutas without committing to more stargates. Hydra's mutas failed to do damage, in fact, and the switch was not on. The Root zerg pumped out more ground army while all his upgrades churned, and by 15:20 his hive was halfway done. Zest kept pace with his double robo and 4th base, and decided to push out once more once the first two colossus complete.Because of Hydra's poor creep spread, the protoss army was able to waltz straight back towards the third base. It would have been a good timing had Hydra been a lesser zerg, but the former MSL winner had kept his upgrades and tech going even in the midst of Zest's earlier attack. Vipers were ready, and well placed yanks and blinding clouds trapped Zest's army in a squeeze. The protoss was routed, but he did have 4 bases and a solid bank. He had to react quickly, however, because Hydra's untouched swarmhosts were now on the move. Hydra occupied the space between the third and the fourth, with his siege units keeping Zest at his fourth while his hydras ransacked the third. Zest had no choice but to let it go, though he eventually had enough to wipe out the vanguard leaving the zerg's expensive units vulnerable. Hydra had stayed a bit too long and paid with more than a dozen swarmhosts.At that point, things almost looked even. Zest had killed a base while Hydra was attacking, though he did lose one of his own. Unfortunately, he was also 60 supply down and had lost a ton of gateways walling his third base. Zest could not find anything with his spare stalkers, and Hydra did not wait for him to recover. The zerg cut straight through the map to the fourth base, and no amount of storms could stop the swarm.This game is a good example of how Hydra plays standard games with excellent subtleties. His decision to save 100 gas on speed allowed him to get his tech on time, and his confidence in his defense meant his upgrades and evolution never stopped progressing. Hydra also displayed a keenness towards what he could and could not defeat, an important trait for zergs who like to play standard games. It's important to add that Hydra was never an abuser of swarmhosts and often enjoyed roach hydra viper compositions more due to its versatility. Even though the ROOT zerg isn't as flashy as the likes of Rogue or ByuL, he's the textbook kind of zerg that adds a lot of insightful notations. Story

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