Pre-Game Chat:

Sitting in nohunters, I was looking for a game that I could join before I went to bed for the night. My dreams came true soon after I started my search, with Fractal, Yrm, and Snow looking for a game, preferably a ffa. I quickly said that I would play, and the game was set. I quickly messaged everyone the name of the game, as always, Fiz/Ban. Its my staple. I was looking around in my map directory, quickly finding a good map, Rivalry. I like Rivalry for FFA's because it allows for each player to have 3 exp ansions nearby, along with the 2 major gas geysers located in the center of the map. Another good reason is that it is not very imbalanced, at least in my opinion. I just like Rivalry. Seconds after I create the game, 7 other people show up, quickly filling my screen with players. Snow, YRM, and Fractal quickly moved up into the beasts slot while DoomDragon, Twip, and two other observers stayed in as the beauties. Conversation started as I tried to talk my way out of the game, as I wanted to watch The Practice, but Fractal would not allow with. With one stern You're Playing, I caved in and allowed myself to stay. The chat moved on from here, going into predictions on who would win. I nominated SnowSquall, while the other people nominated everyone else . Then Fractal suggested that everyone should kill me first, as I was most likely to win. The other liked this and said ok, but I stated the definition of an FFA and we agreed that we should make this fair. The chat dwindling and the players getting restless, I proposed very simply, Go? I was met by 7 go's, and my pointer slid on over to the ok button. I looked up at this time to see that everyone, except me, had chosen a race. Yrm had gone with zerg, Fractal with terran, and SnowSquall, my hero, with the all-powerful protoss. I stayed with random, representing my worst race, and started the game. So it begins...

Placement:

Fizban_ - Top Left, Fractal_Wave - Top Right, YourRoleModel - Bottom Left, SnowSquall - Bottom Right

Early Game

"Risky Behavior"

The next thing I saw, after the delightful No Briefing Screen, was a Command Center and four delightful scvs. I quickly and happily ordered them to start mining, as I clicked on the diplomacy icon and gave vision to the four observers. Close to this time, I think I lost my mind. Instead of doing my normal 7 rax, 8 depot, 9 rax build, I deviated and did a 8-depot, 9-rax, early exp build. An SCV, newly off of the barracks building job, was sent down my ramp and ordered to construct a second Command Center un d erneath the minerals at my natural. Marines from my barracks were rallied down, massing around the sides of my new expansion. A second scv was sent about the time the command center reached 1000 hitpoints, its job to construct a bunker to protect my expan s ion. From the pre-game chat when I was threatened about being 4-pooled or quick zealed, I had the right to be scared. My expansion Command Center finished about the time the bunker did, which was quickly filled with marines as a sextet of scvs from my mai n pranced around my depots, apparently oblivious of my order to mine minerals at my natural. Frustrated, I manually pushed them around the buildings and down the ramp, and finally, after what seemed like hours, they started mining minerals.

My economy being good and the belief of safety in my head, I began a factory at my main, the refinery already being built and pumping for a few minutes. An academy followed soon after this, as I sought to live past the often-frequent DT , lurker, or wraith rushes. A secon d factory and a engineering bay followed this, all the while my two Command Centers and my barracks were pumping scvs and marines. Just as my second factory finished, my supply had hit 50, most of that being scvs. Feeling a bit adventurous, I ordered the construction of an armory and a third factory, seeking to build up a force of gollies along with my marines, medics, tanks, and vultures. Suddenly, my heart stopped as I saw the color red, the color of my enemy. I always do the shift-tab in FFA's, turning a ll the colors on the mini-map to either red, green, or yellow, showing whether the units are enemy, my own, or my ally's. Now, back to the blot of red near my main's cliff, I quickly clicked over to it, and I saw roughly six overlords, pumping their bloat e d wings as fast as they could as they sought entry into my main. My giant force, 4 goliaths and 12 marine and medics, was ordered over to the attacking zerg meanies. My single turret was not enough to stop the overlords from dropping, and my bottom left corner was soon filled with the howling zerglings and hydra. My fearless scv, whom shall remain unnamed at the request of his family, scrambled to fight the horde, bringing his powerful fusion- cutter to bear on the zerg hides. Needless to say, he was sent into that big Command Center in the sky in seconds. However, my giant force, supported with my supply depots as blockers, exterminated the zerg threat, but not before losing about half of my marines and three supply depots to the zergling claws.

This threat being exterminated, I went back into build up mode, ordering the construction of another armory and a second barracks. Seeing my need for another resource node, I sent a force of 4 marines, 2 tanks, 2 scv's, and 2 vultures to the expansion between Fractal and I, setting up a bunker, a turret, and a command center. A second command center was quickly added, since my first was too far away from the gas geyser. Upon the completion of this expansion, a battle between Yrm and Snow at the 6 o'clock expansion, briefly observed in a quick ComSat, ushered in the new age, Mid-Game...

Mid-Game

"Prelude to the Climax"

I began to feel good as my second expansion was pumping, and my third one, located at the gas geyser in the middle left of the map, was starting up. Seeing that I had 3 addon-less Command Centers, I added a two ComSats and a Nuke Silo to my repertoire. Excess money stored in my bank, I built a 2nd engineering bay and a 3rd armory, and began to upgrade my air attack, seeking to start up on Battlecruisers to add to my force of marine/medic/ghost and tank/goliath/vulture. Four Starports were soon added to my first one, and the BC's began to construction at my main and my natural airports. Without warning, or at least without my knowledge, I hear tank blasts, and as I quickly click on over to the situation, I see that Fractal had constructed a very sound perimeter around his natural, made up of many tanks, bunkers, and turrets. His tanks, which seemed to be angry at me, were pounding on my bunker, which had no means of retaliation. I quickly took an scv off of my gas line and ordered him to build a bunker a little more back, away from the mean tanks' guns. At this same time I cloaked a ghost stationed at my natural and ordered him to lockdown the foremost tank, and began attacking it, but only got off one shot before I had a stroke of genius, I ordered the ghost back, out of the tanks range, and lo and behold, the ComSat sparkle soon graced my eyes.Yet, my ghost was not there. Fractal acknoledged his disgust with a quick 'damn you' and I went back to my business.

Seeing that my expansions were going dry, I sent an scv to the expansion below me at 9 o'clock to see if I could expand there. I was greeted by 4 morphing hatcheries. I simply could not sit by and let this happen. I must act. I sent forth my mighty force of 6 goliaths, 12 marines, 2 medics, and 2 firebats to stop this infestation. The expansion was soon but a crater in the ground, and YRM was simply not happy about this, at least that is what I took by his message 'Damn, I hate double teams.' Sending down my lazy, unemployed scvs to my new expansion at 9 o'clock, I was quickly reaching the supply limit, so I decided to try my luck at Fractal, ordering 12 of my loyal scvs to waste the well-defended natural. I don't think I have to tell you that they didn't succeed. Scanning with my four comsats, I confirmed that Yrm had been taken out of this game, no doubt by SnowSquall and his carrier/arbiter force. Next, I scanned Fractal, and saw that he also was quite out of this game, as his main and natural were out of minerals and he had no way to expand to get more. It was just me and Snow now, and I was scared. Late game was coming, and I knew, it would be soon...

Late-Game

"Down with Blimps, Down with Blimps"

My fears came true shortly after my expansion at 9 o'clock was created as Snow came into my air space with 8 carriers and 2 arbiters. I was quite scared, as my entire defense of 6 goliaths, 8 marines and medics, and 4 wraiths wer e quickly under stasis. The focused fire quickly took down my 2 command centers, leaving me with 366 minerals and 20 scvs, yet no command center at my expansion. Quite ticked off, I ordered my 4 battlecruisers and 8 ghosts to destroy the intruders, but I d idn't know if they could. As I quickly entered the battle, I selected 2 of my battlecruisers and ordered them to yamato one arbiter, as my other pair yamatoed the second arbiter. It worked marvelously. Then, in another stroke of genius, luck, whatever you call it, I was able to lockdown not one, not two, but six of the seven carriers. The last carrier, obviously scared away by my amazing might and my battlecruisers imposing big gun thing, ran away, straight across the map. My four battlecruisers quickly mad e short work of the immobile carriers, killing all six without retaliation.

Feeling quite good, I floated my CC from my natural down to 9 o'clock to begin mining there again. Not wanting to be caught off guard again, I began a scan fest, and as I scanned 6 o'clock, Snow's once only working exp, I see nothing, its all destroyed. I guess I can give YRM credit for helping me out a bit here. The next few battles between me and Snow take place below 9 o'clock, in the area between the bridges. Yamato, Lockdown, Emp, and storm are passed back and forth, but in the end, I ended the threat to me here. Seeking to press my advantage, I send my 5 battlecruisers, 3 tanks, 2 scvs, 7 ghosts, and 12 marines and medics down to 6 o'clock. I was going to begin a push on Snow's natural, the only thing between me and his main. Them micro battle at his natural was one of the best things I have ever seen. I lockdowned, assassinated templar, yamatoed while Snow stormed, stasised, and mind-controlled. I came out in the end however, albeit losing almost all of my troops, leaving me with 3 ghosts, 3 tanks, and 3 of my 5 battlecruisers intact. All DoomDragon and Fractal could say was how that was simply magnif icent. They just kept saying wow. Snow came in with the final word, saying simply, 'Amazing.' All that was left for me now was wearing away at what was left of Snow, as all he had was one arbiter, 4 corsair, 1 carrier, and 2 temp. Yamatoing and tanking hi s cannons in his main base, I sent in my giant scv army, numbering 12 to destroy the base, as I had uses for my other units elsewhere. In his final attack, Snow managed to destroy a tank, a bunker, and four marines at my 12 o'clock expansion. Then, with many, many good game's exchanged, Snow quit as my scvs took down his main and my battlecruisers, now numbering seven, as I found 4 that were hiding elsewhere on the map, destroyed his expansion at 3 o'clock. Doom and Fractal proceeded to say 'Fizban = God', and I accepted the compliment with a 'Paladine = God.' I must comment Snowsquall, Fractal, and Yrm on a game VERY well played, and was very much for me. I hope that we can do a part II sometime in the future.

Le Fin

Author's Notes:

I did this battlereport because I thought that this game was very well deserving of one. I don't have any pics because I was microing so much during this game. If I did not portray this game well it is because I was a player, and I can not catch everything while playing. I hope any of the other players or observers could add anything in too. I'll finish this with one question.

"Is Ghost/Bc a better counter for carriers than Wraith/Valk or any other counter?"

Cordially,

Fizban_