"...if king is a 1200 protoss i'm a bearded alligator. "
-Ronin
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| To Choke or Not to Choke, a TOOL Story | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 11/10/99 09:11 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 8, Min: 8
Lifetime Rating for Silent Strike: 6.7143 |  | To Choke or Not To Choke
The Pregame
Today’s game pitted Nohunters favorite loser, -TOOL- against solid Terran player -=DarkHawke=- on The Lost Temple. I watched the game, as –TOOL- and myself had just finished a 3 game series. All games –TOOL- started Protoss, while I randomed all 3 games, getting each race once. I won 2 of 3, losing the terran game to disruption web and carriers. I wanted to watch a game between –TOOL- and Spine, both friends in real life, but DarkHawke said he would play in a somewhat loud, repetitive and annoying manner.
The Players
-TOOL-: A solid toss with a reputation of losing battle reports. At one time, he had a 3 or 4 game winning streak against me. He has good unit control and probably likes dragoons a little too much. He has yet to win a reported game, mostly because of his lack zerg skills and his persistence to random in reported games. He continued this pattern and randomed zerg again. By any means, I definitely wanted to watch him lose. I don’t know why, it’s just fun to see him spaz after losing a game and be able to call him a choker even more.
-=DarkHawke=-: One of a handful of Nohunters’ terrans, this guy can play. He played Terran this game. Once in a team game this guy busted up my ramp by sieging below it, comsatting only once, blasting my zealots and dragoons on the ramp, and then sneaking vultures up the ramp to mine it and give himself needed vision to push up the ramp. His execution was really impressive to say the least. While he can use the factory units well, I had yet to see him pump marines from craploads of rax Maynard style. He was the favorite by default, he was playing against –TOOL-.
The Opening
-=DarkHawke=- started with a hint of heavy metal at 12 o’clock. He went with his 8th SCV at his ramp, with a nearby rax. However, TOOL, being the FOOL he is, sends his first overlord from 3 to 12. While this is the shortest distance to the next start location, he already knows the terran is going to do one of two things, the former being more like with the appearance of a scouting overlord; Go with a marine rush order or tech hoping his random opponent got Terran or Protoss. A minor mistake, if a mistake at all, but DarkHawke was just a little happy to see an overlord. In a sense, TOOL his giving away more information than he is getting.
Instead of facing a heavy metal terran as zerg, -TOOL- now faces an annoying double rax start from terran. DarkHawke continues with a 13 barracks, 14 depot, 18 refinery and academy soon thereafter. Tool, in all his uniqueness, goes overlord, 12-13 hatchery above his ramp, spawning pool, and extractor just before DarkHawke starts his refinery. Instead of putting his second hatchery below his ramp, where it is sure to not let marines pass to his expansion, TOOL puts his hatchery on top of his ramp. In fairness to TOOL, this will cause the marines to suffer of sight and uphill shooting miss percentage, but is still not the best place for the 2nd hatchery.
The Action Begins
DarkHawke’s academy finishes, and Dark builds 2 medics to aid his 10 marines. Upon completion of the medics, DarkHawke gather’s his 10 marines and 2 medics outside of TOOL’s natural expansion. –TOOL-, being a natural born choker, gives this reaction:
At this point, TOOL has 2 sunken colonies and a zergling above his morphing lair. DarkHawke was going to charge up the ramp, but upon seeing the expansion at TOOL’s natural, he stays out of sunken range and slays the few mining drones at the expansion, a creep colony, and finally the hatchery. Upon the death of the hatchery, DarkHawke stims his marines and attempts to run his way through the ramp.
As much as I hate to admit it, TOOL deserves credit for his choice in sunken placement. His two sunkens and 2 newly hatched zerglings kill the marines almost as fast as they get up the ramp. While my method might have prevented him from losing his expansion, TOOL’s method prevented him from losing the game, at least for the time being. One marine and 2 medics manage to get up the ramp, kill the zergling, and kill a drone. Two hydras kill the marine and dispel the immediate threat to TOOL’s security.
Payback via Lurker
TOOL started his hydra den a little late, as it finishes after his lair finishes. If TOOL started the den earlier, he would have had lurkers earlier. DarkHawke now makes his first mistake. He builds an engineering bay and 3rd barracks instead of factory. He really should know that lurkers ARE coming and that using marines against them isn’t a good idea. Terran can afford to play conservative against zerg, temporarily giving up some offense is not going to kill you, even if the zerg gets an expansion you aren’t in bad shape.
TOOL finishes lurker aspect and promptly morphs 4 hydras into lurkers. Meanwhile, DarkHawke offensive turrets outside TOOL’s natural expansion. Mistake number 2 for DarkHawke; c’mon man, you gotta know lurkers are coming and that going after lurkers without tanks or vessels is not a good idea. TOOL breaks this offensive stance easily with 4 lurkers and 8 zerglings.
DarkHawke’s reaction
TOOL then places his lurkers below the terran ramp. TOOL you FOOL, grow some balls, or at least, some brains. There are two better choices for TOOL at this point. He could either try to run his lurkers directly passed the unprepared marines. By the looks of it, this would have worked. He could have also "Lurker Pushed" up Dark’s ramp if he had the brains to position an overlord near Dark’s ramp beforehand. Balls? No. Brains? No. TOOL? Yes.
Instead, TOOL expands twice, one to his natural and the other to the 9 oclock natural. TOOL gathers an additional 2 lurkers and now tries to lurker push up the ramp. However, he waited too long, the window of opportunity is closed. Dark now has some extra marines and tank without siege. With some decent unit control and smart use of comsat, Dark puts down the effort.
A Short Buildup
After a long period of time in which both players used to maximize unit efficiency, they now go back to production. TOOL has researched transport and overlord speed, builds double evolution chambers, adds a hatchery, and queen’s nest. After his upgrades finish, I learn he got armor and ranged attack upgrades. DarkHawke researches siege mode, puts up two starports, builds a CC inside his main near his expansions and researches cloaking.
Tool Time
TOOL loads 4 lurkers into overlords and proceeds to drop lurkers on DarkHawke’s main. The first overlord drops two lurkers to that are seen by wraiths. The lurkers unload and burrow, marines charge but the comsat is late and quite a few marines are lost.
Meanwhile, TOOL’s other 2 lurkers burrow near Dark’s SCVs. Dark evacuates the SCV line before taking many losses but still does not have any bunkers or turrets near his command center.
DarkHawke transfers all his SCVs to his new expansion at his natural. As soon as comsat permits, Dark scans the lurkers near his main command center and finishes off the lurkers.
Redemption for DarkHawke
Hawk keeps his head up. He scouts to the left with his wraith, and kills a drone and an overlord in the top left island, then proceeds down to the 9 o’clock natural. Dark kills 3 drones and forces the remaining 3 at the expansion to morph spore colonies. Dark then proceeds down to the 9 o’clock main and attacks another morphing hatchery. Dark then sends 8 marines and a medic to the poorly defended expansion. Expansion cleaned up, but what is this?
Redemption or Suicide?
DarkHawke’s move of sending part of his already low army at TOOL’s expansion was a risky one. I won’t call this a mistake however, as desperate times call for desperate measures.
TOOL does not stand for loss for his expansion. TOOL knows parts of DarkHawke’s forces are not at home and so he drops 6 overlords full of lurkers, hydras, and zergling into the mineral line at Dark’s natural expansion. The SCVs drop like flies, as do Dark’s chances of winning the game. He does manage to efficiently kill the dropped force after damage has been taken. He tank pushes his way through his own mineral line. Hydras engage marines without lurkers, and die. Without the aid of the hydras, the lurkers are sitting ducks. A comsat or two and the lurkers die.
Dead yet? No…
Dark plans a nice two pronged attack. He sends a group of marines and medics to TOOL’s front door while 4 cloaked wraiths eliminate all the drones in TOOL’s natural expansion.
Death by Ultras
TOOL decides enough his enough. He finishes his hive and starts and ultra den. Dark still has not completed a science facility. Bad sign. TOOL gets both ultra upgrades. 4-1 ultralisks lead the way for masses of hydras. Dark only has one upgrade on his marines, while the hydras are 1-2 I believe. The lack of resources is simply too much to overcome. DarkHawke, being the Canadian he is, contemplates disconnecting before leaving with a few burning buildings at the top left island.
DOH!
The whole point of this report was to see –TOOL- lose. TOOL, with his total lack of respect, ended up winning the game. Hmmm. Guess I have to officially promote TOOL to SEMI CHOKER status. Congratulations!
Final Thoughts
Damn, battlereports take a long time to write. This is probably a solid 8, but definitely deserves an extra point for making fun of TOOL so much. Well, at least Sp|ne will agree with me. I could have included some of the other pics.. but I've spent 5 hours on this already and I think it's done. I even had to set up a new damn web space account because Tripod is gay.
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