MONDAY NIGHT STARCRAFT

Drefsab: Hi, welcome to week 1 in our first season of Monday Night Starcraft. I'm Drefsab, and joining me tonight are my colleagues, The.Confessor and MikeyMonty. Tonight we feature a great matchup between two well known Starcraft players, Mark4 and Krebster. Confessor, how do you think Mark4 will fare tonight?

The.Confessor: Well Dref, as we all know, Mark4 is a Starcraft God. I have my own autographed Mark4 statue sitting on the stand next to my bed. I kiss it once in the morning when I get up, and once at night before I go to sleep. Since Mark4 is such a god, it is obvious what the outcome of this matchup will be. Mark4 will OWN!!

Drefsab: Ahem, okay Confessor, thank you for your in depth analysis. Also joining me tonight is MikeyMonty. Mikey, what do you think Krebster's chances are of winning this matchup tonight?

MikeyMonty: Well Dref, I am just coming off a victory where I spanked Mark4 all over this very map. Me and some other guy played Mark4 2 on 1 and beat his ass. All Krebster has to do is pretend like he is 2 people with twice as many units as Mark4 and he is sure to win.

Drefsab: Yeah Monty, that makes sense to me. All right then, our two opponents have arrived in the game room and it looks like we're ready to get this show on the road. The map that has been chosen for this matchup is Snowbound and it looks like Mark4 has chosen to take Blue Protoss tonight. Krebster has chosen to play the enigmatic random race with green for his official team colors. Guys, what do you think of Krebster's choice to go random.

The.Confessor: It doesn't matter what race Krebster gets. Mark4 is going to own him, especially since I brought my Mark4 statue with me tonight. As long as I continue to lovingly carress the statue throughout the game, Mark4 will prevail.

Drefsab: Errr, yeah, okay Confessor, what about you Monty?

MikeyMonty: I feel that going random on an island map like Snowbound is actually a pretty good idea when facing a Protoss opponent. Protoss are the slowest to get mobile recon units and Krebster could catch Mark4 off guard with an early assault.

Drefsab: Okay, it looks we're ready to get this game started. Mark4 has gotten the 6:00 position while Krebster has landed at the 12:00 position with his random choice giving him the zerg race. Confessor, what do you think about the protoss zerg matchup?

The.Confessor (rubbing statue emphatically): Oh my God yes!! Mark4 will crush Krebster's pathetic Zerg minions with his overpowering mastery of the Protoss race.

MikeyMonty:Actually Confessor, Krebster may hold an early advantage due to his choice to go with random. If he strikes quickly, he may be able to overpower Mark before Mark is able to figure out what he is facing.

The.Confessor: What kind of weed are you smoking Monty??

Drefsab: The early build orders are starting to become distinguishable now. Mark4 has elected to go with a pretty typical protoss island build. He has erected a pylon, an assimilator, a gateway, and a cyber core. He has teched up by constructing a robotics facility and an observatory, a second gateway, and now he has a citadel of adun warping in. Krebster has elected to go with a spawning pool, an extractor, a second hatchery, a hydra den, and he's morphing his original hatchery into a Lair. Guys, what do you think about these builds.

The.Confessor: Mark4 is going to own Krebster with a turbo observer rush.

MikeyMonty:Umm, it looks like Krebster is going to go with early hydra drops. This build will give him versatility because not only can he put pressure on Mark4 but also expand quickly.

Drefsab: Look at this Monty, Krebster has elected to give up the anonymity that random offers in exchange for valuable scouting data by sending an overlord to float over Mark4's base.

MikeyMonty: I don't know Dref, that's not a safe place for that overlord to be considering the fact that Mark4's cyber core has completed and he's free to produce dragoons.

The.Confessor: Haha!! Here comes a goon now!! Krebster's overlord is toast!! I love you Mark!! (bends down to kiss Mark4 statue.).

Drefsab: Mark4 is continuing to power. He has added a third gate and his templar archives is completed. He's producing dragoons and shuttles.

MikeyMonty: I don't know how smart Mark's build is. It seems like he is very vulnerable to a Zerg drop at this point.

The.Confessor: You forget, Mark4 is God. He could beat a 24 hydra drop by microing 1 dragoon.

Drefsab: Ummm, sure Confessor. Well it looks like he'll get the opportunity because Krebster is loading up his overlords now.

MikeyMonty: He's got 6 overlords loaded up so we're talking about a 24 hydra drop here. They are heading to the southeast so they will probably land on the right side of Mark's island. This could be tough for Mark to handle. He's only got 8 dragoons for defense.

The.Confessor: Get a life guys, Mark ain't no chobo. Look, those overlords flew right past one of Mark's observers. Mark will be ready for Krebster's drop.

Drefsab: Well Confessor, I hate to say this, but you may be right. Mark has moved all of his dragoons over to the right side of his base along with a couple of freshly made templar.

MikeyMonty: I don't think Krebster realizes that Mark4 has an ambush waiting for him. If he has already set his overlords to land and is microing somewhere else, he could be in trouble.

Drefsab: Look at that guys!! The overlords are flying right into the dragoon fire. There goes one overlord, now two. Two overlords got blown out of the sky before having the opportunity to drop their payload. The templars have enough manna to storm and they are using it. The hydras that are able to land are quickly being destroyed. The hydras are spreading out now but Mark has 8 dragoons firing on them. The hydras don't seem to be doing any damage Confessor.

The.Confessor: You see what happens when I rub my statue Dref? Mark4 OWNZ!! This is just another perfect example of Mark4's godlike Starcraft skills.

Drefsab: Yes, well the dust is clearing now and it looks like Krebster's 24 hydra drop has succeeded in killing a grand total of two dragoons. Not very cost effective Monty.

MikeyMonty No it's not Dref. This could really hurt Krebster as he and Mark4 race to get expansions.

Drefsab: Well, Mark4 already has an undetected expansion started at the bottom left spot. Krebster has an expansion started at the top right expansion however, Mark4's observer is floating directly over it.

MikeyMonty: Dref, Krebster also has a hatchery morphing at the 9:00 starting position and a spire morphing at his main base.

Drefsab: And it's a good thing too because Mark4 has a 3 shuttle payload heading straight towards Krebster's naked top right expansion. He's dropping the payload now and it consists of 5 dragoons and 1 archon.

The.Confessor: Oh my God, this is going to be a cakewalk. Mark is tearing down that expansion with absolutely no resistance from Krebster.

MikeyMonty: Well Confessor, Krebster isn't going to let Mark get away with 0 casualties. Here come some hydra reinforcements dropped by overlords from Krebster's main base.

Drefsab: Mark4 is loading up his shuttles and escaping. Two dragoons are left behind and are killed by the hydras, but the archon and 3 dragoons have escaped in the 2 shuttles.

The.Confessor: Mark4 has regrouped and he has 5 shuttles flying towards Krebster's main base. He's going to finish it baby!!

Drefsab: Confessor you may be rig-- err, wait... Here comes a line of scourge. Shuttles are falling from the sky. 3 are down, the other 2 shuttles are dropping their troops in no man's land. What a disaster!!

The.Confessor: OH MY GOD!! I'M NOT RUBBING MY STATUE!! (sobs) Mark, I'm so sorry.

MikeyMonty: Confessor, get therapy.

Drefsab: Err... yeah. Well, the games starting to get interesting now. Mark is starting an expansion at the mineral only spot above his main.

MikeyMonty: Dref, this expansion will be key. If Mark can hold onto it, he will have a serious resource advantage over Krebster. This will be a serious problem due to the fact that Zerg units are the least cost effective of the three races.

Drefsab: Well, both players are working on securing their expansions. Krebster has attempted to secure his expansion at the 9:00 position by dropping off 8 hydras there while Mark4 has built 4 cannons around the newly warped nexus at his mineral only expansion.

MikeyMonty: Dref, also notice that Mark has taken quite a risk by constructing 3 gateways at his newly founded expansion. It could pay off quite nicely though because Mark will be able to quickly produce ground troops that have access to all the expansion sites on the map. All the expansion site are connected by land while the starting positions are isolated islands.

The.Confessor: It will pay off, because Mark4 is God!!

Drefsab: Don't speak too soon Confessor. Here comes Krebster's assault. It consists of 12 hydras and 6 mutas. They are coming down the ramp into the expansion now. Mark's only defense is his 4 cannons and 1 archon.

The.Confessor (rubbing his statue and sweating profusely): Come on baby, come on baby.

Drefsab: Kreb is attacking with his hydras first to take out the archon. They succeed. Now he's moving in his mutas. The mutas and hydras are taking down the cannons 1 by 1. Their numbers are down to 4 hydras and 6 mutas. But all the cannons are destroyed now and the mutas are working on the probes. There are at least 12 probes mining minerals and they are being slaughtered. Krebster's forces are now working on razing the nexus, but wait, here comes a shuttle. It has dropped off a dragoon and 2 templar. Here comes the storm.

MikeyMonty: Oh my God!! All the mutas are dead!!

Drefsab: He's still got those 4 hydra to deal with and the hydras have taken out the dragoon and the templar.

The.Confessor: Hahaha!! Look at that guys. 2 dark templar have just come out of Mark's gateways. They're sending those hydras to an early grave baby!!

Drefsab: It appears that Mark's nexus has survived the assault. Not without losing all his probes and cannons though.

MikeyMonty: Hold on guys, it's not over yet.

Drefsab: That's right. Here comes 2 more overlords loaded up with 8 more hydras. There are only 2 dark templar left to defend the now cannonless mineral expansion.

MikeyMonty: Wow, those dark templar died fast. They really don't earn their keep once there is detection around.

Drefsab: That's right Monty, and now the hydras are free to tear down the nexus.

The.Confessor: Don't speak too soon Dref, here comes another shuttle from Mark's base.

MikeyMonty: Sorry to disappoint you Confessor, but that shuttle only has 2 dragoons. That's not going to be enough to stop the 8 hydras.

Drefsab: You're right Monty and Boom!! There goes the nexus.

The.Confessor: Oh my God!! My hand is getting sooooo numb!!

Drefsab: Well, Kreb's hydras are heading back up the ramp now that the expansion is destroyed. They are moving toward Mark's 3 gateways.

MikeyMonty: Dref, I don't think those hydras know what they are in for, there are 4 fresh templar guarding those gates.

Drefsab: But do they have any manna?

The.Confessor: Of course they do you fool.

Drefsab: They do have storm. There goes 1 storm, now 2. 6 of the 8 hydras have been killed. The templar are obviously stormed out now because they are merging into 2 archons.

MikeyMonty: Those 2 hydras are trying to destroy the 2 archons before they complete their merge.

The.Confessor: Too bad they are each focusing on a different archon.

Drefsab: That's right Confessor. Both archons have completed their merge now and they both have half of their shield energy left. It looks like if Krebster had focused fire, he could have killed one of the archons.

MikeyMonty: Well, those hydras are all dead now. It looks like Mark has been able to hold on to his gateways.

Drefsab: Well guys, while we were focusing on Krebster's attack, it looks like Mark has been busy.

MikeyMonty: That's right Dref, Not only has he started a new expansion at the bottom right expansion spot, but he has also executed a quick drop on Krebster's 9:00 expansion.

The.Confessor: The drop consisted of a templar, a zealot, and a dragoon. Looks like most of Krebster's drones have been destroyed. Mark you own, you are making me hot!!

Drefsab: Ahem, calm down Confessor. Well, Krebster is in serious trouble now. His main base is mined out and all the drones at his only expansion have been destroyed.

The.Confessor: It's curtains for Krebster now... Hahahaha!!

Drefsab: Well, Krebster has 6 overlords full of troops and 6 mutas. They are flying down from Krebster's main.

MikeyMonty: Well, it looks like they will arive in time to save the hatchery but all the drones have been destroyed. This is bad because Krebster has no mineral income.

Drefsab: It looks like Krebster is planning on returning the favor. He's got all his remaining troops heading south to Mark's bottom left expansion spot.

MikeyMonty: It's a good move Dref, however, Mark is willing to let that expansion fall because it's almost mined out and he's got a fresh one on the bottom right.

The.Confessor: That's right Monty, and while Krebster is concentrating on destroying that expansion, Mark is launching a counterattack on Kreb's only expansion where 3 new drones have just hatched.

Drefsab: Well, those hydras have completely destroyed Mark's expansion, but Mark has also destroyed Kreb's only expansion and some templar and goons have finally arrived from his 3 gateways to take on Kreb's remaining hydras.

MikeyMonty: Look at that storm. Mark's troops are dead. But Krebster only has 8 hydras left and no minerals left to replace the dead ones.

The.Confessor: I knew it, Mark4 is a God!! He can't be beat!! He could play Starcraft, talk on the phone, do pushups and still kick ass!!

Drefsab: Hmmm, yeah Confessor, you're probably right. Anyway, Mark has 2 shuttles heading towards Krebster's base. This looks like the end.

MikeyMonty: Yup, the shuttles are unloading now, let's see what kind of heavy duty mix of units Mark has chosen to finish the game.

Drefsab: Oh my God, its all probes. 16 probes are destroying Krebster's buildings. Now tell me that isn't adding insult to injury.

The.Confessor: Dref, Krebster deserves it. All Starcraft players are chobo compared to Mark. Mark4 is a God and I worship him. (kisses his statue).

Drefsab: Well, there goes one of Krebster's hatcheries and there goes Krebster. Krebster has left the game.

The.Confessor: MARK4 WINS!! MARK4 WINS!!

Drefsab: Ummm yeah, it was a pretty exciting game. Here are the scores folks...

Drefsab: We'll be right back with the post game show after these messages.

Baby Lurker: Mommy, mommy, I'm hungry.

Mother Lurker: Don't worry honey, we're near a Terran base with no detection. There will be plenty of marine stew tonight.

Baby Lurker: Goody!!

Voiceover: Marine Stew, for the hungry Baby Lurker in your family.

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Drefsab: Welcome back to the post game show where we analyze the action of the players in our Monday night showcase. Confessor give me your thoughts on the game.

MikeyMonty: Ummm Dref, Confessor just left. He said that he was going to go get drunk to celebrate his God's victory tonight.

Drefsab: Hmmm, well, okay then, what were your thoughts on the game.

MikeyMonty: Sorry Dref, I gotta go, my friend is messaging me. He wants me to do another 2 Vs. 1 with him. Cya later.

Drefsab: Errr, okay. Well I guess that wraps it up here from Snowbound. Thanks everyone for tuning in to Monday Night Starcraft.

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Disclaimer:

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As you probably guessed, I took a few liberties on the comments that my fellow observers made during the game. Even though I expanded on what they said, I tried to depict their overall attitude towards the game. MikeyMonty was more willing to talk about strategy while The.Confessor was more interested in worshipping the wonder that is Mark4. Anyways, I thought it made for some interesting commentary. Hope you all thought so too. Thanks for reading.

Also, I know it's Tuesday night but the actual game was played on Monday Night. No live broadcasts are available yet for Starcraft. Sorry guys.

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