"Captain Chobo"
-WilliamWC3
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| SNOWBOUND | | | Author: | | | IP: | gateway.XXXX | | Date: | 10/07/01 01:10 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 6, Min: 6
Lifetime Rating for Monty Pylon: 6.0390 |  | SNOWBOUND
Welcome one and all to a new installment of Monty Pylon non-fiction. I had considered releasing a new fic, but I saw the list of gold reports that graced the sites front page and decided that a fic would get shit on like a dog park. Therefore I bring to you a new BR featuring my good friends Dragon2 and Zealatose. It would seem that these two have once again discovered the joy that is Starcraft and have provided me with a long list of games to BR. God bless the replay. Today's fight is on the cold and frosty plains of Snowbound. For those of you who don't know this map, allow me to explain.
THE MAP
Snowbound is an island map without water. There are four plateaus at 12, 6, 3 and 9. These mains are only accessible by air and air alone. The center of the map is a long and narrow plateau that snakes its way down the length of the map with ramps leading down to each of the six expo's. The expos are laid out so each main has an expo to the left, the right and in front of it. If you still have no clue as to what I'm talking about go here: http://www.battle.net/images/battle/scc/lp/beta/xsb.jpg
THE PLAYERS
Dragon2 still remains the firm champion of the Terran, but often shakes his head when a island map faces him. Islands were never his strong point because he prefers to strike fast and hard in his early game to throw his opponent off guard. This strategy/advantage is somewhat neutralized by the island builds. In the past on maps like Dire, I've seen him use a mass infantry drop strat to blitz his enemy and then switch to air and mm/tank drops.
Zealatose is a great Protoss island player, but I've never seen his Zerg island game. In the past, corsairs with D-web and a combination of reaver/goon/templar drops were more than sufficient to crush any foe. I would assume that Zerg air, a doom drop or both will be in store for Zealatose's strategy.
THE EARLY GAME
The game begins with Dragon2 landing a center on the north main and Zealatose morphing a hatchery at the south main. Instead of giving you a build order that eventually leads to a starport and a lair, I will give you a look at the players.
Dragon2 begins with by massing infantry from two barracks while teching to dropships. An academy is constructed for both medics and a comsat station that reveals Zealatose is on the southern main. By the time two dropships have rolled off the line, Dragon2 has an infantry force of sixteen marines and five medics. The infantry is loaded into the dropships and head south. At home, Dragon2 tightens his defenses with a light mesh of four turrets and two manned bunkers. He has also built a machine shop and has begun research of siege tech, while building two tanks and a third rax.
Zealatose elects to morph a second hatch and techs straight to hydralisks and their lurker brethren. A scouting overlord finds Dragon2 at the north main but is chased off by marines. It is stationed in front of the enemy main to look for dropships. Zealatose morphs a double lair, a third hatchery and begins to pump hydras. As Dragon2 launches his strike, Zealatose has a large army of eighteen hydralisks and a lurker. Both overlord speed and transportation complete as the terran offensive arrives.
The dropships deploy on the eastern end of the plateau, out of the range of two spore colonies and a sunken colony that were spotted in a comsat. Zealatose expected this and his entire army is station just out of range of the infantry. The marines and medics are allowed to land as the Zerg inch forward. Just as the last terran touches the ground, the hydralisks surge forward. The marines open fire but four die in the first few seconds of combat. A lone lurker pushes ahead, burrows and in one string of spines six marines are cut down. The medics rush to the aid of the soldiers only to be caught in a web of spines above and below. The dropships retreat and Dragon2 prepares for a counterstrike.
Zerg 16
Terran's 3
Zealatose loads his hydralisk and lurker force into five ovies and heads north with bad intentions in mind. A single drone is also brought along and is deployed at the expo just up and to the right of the Zerg main to begin an expo for the Zealatose broods. Dragon2 has two manned bunkers, three siege tanks and two wraiths to defend against fifteen hydralisks and a lurker. Dragon2's buildings serve as a wall to protect his main with turrets to prevent drops on his mineral lines. The overlords drop their cargo on the western edge of the north main and the hydralisks bunch together in preparation of the bloodlust. They charge towards a barracks and come under fire of two siege tanks and bunkered marines. The single lurker moves forward and draws the tank and marine fire. This distraction is enough to allow the hydras to flatten the barracks and overrun a tank and a bunker. Siege fire continues to decimate the hydralisks lines and the screams of frenzied Zerg become less and less as the boom of siege fire echoes across the valley. The terran main is standing, but it comes at the price of two depots and a barracks. The Zerg have lost a replaceable force and have a expo that will soon be coming online. The terran strategy must change.
Dragon2 decides that air is the key to victory. He builds two more starports and tightens his defenses with a mesh of more three more bunkers, six tanks and scattered turrets. Duel armories are constructed to upgrade his air forces that stand at ten wraiths and growing. Zealatose expo is in full swing as he adds two more hatcheries bringing his total to five. His bases are fortified with a series of spore/sunken colonies, but mainly lurker and hyradlisks form the backbone of his defenses. He too decided air power is the next step and morphs a spire along with a queens nest.
THE MID GAME
Dragon2 comsats the map and finds Zealatose has an expansion at the five O'clock expo and has decided to claim the central expansion just above the Zerg main. Dragon2 has constructed a center that he will float to the ten O'clock expo just south of his main, but Zealatose will still have three mining sites to his two. By now, his wraith fleet is at sixteen and he decides to eliminate the isolated and unguarded central expo. His fleet cloaks and sets out to seek and destroy. Upon his arrival to the site, a flock of eight mutalisks swoop in and hover over the newly hatched hatchery. They are without an overlord. Sadly now, there can be only one outcome. The wraiths slaughter the mutalisks and begin to blast the hatchery into a bleeding mess. A comsat of the Zerg main reveal a group of four overlords carrying reinforcements are on their way. The wraiths break from the hatchery and catch the overlords over the cliffs of the central plateau. Two overlords are popped immediately and the others crash and burn before dropping half of their hydralisk cargo. Without detectors, the hydralisks are power less against the cloaked adversary and are picked off as they scramble for shelter.
The fleet turns to the second Zerg expo and appears to want to drive yet another nail in the coffin. A comsat reveals two spore colonies, an overlord and ten hydralisks. The wraiths head into the fray and target the colonies. The hydralisks unburrow and lay into the steel hulls of the tiny fighters as the colonies unleash a hailstorm of acid spores. The colonies fall and the wraiths target the lone overlord spraying its innards on the valley below. The remaining seven wraiths aim for the hatchery and bring it into the red, until three overlords arrive to drive the wraiths from the sky as the retreat signals the end of the terran onslaught.
The retreating wraiths join ten more newly produced wraiths and the 1/1/1 fleet heads back out into the world. They reach the outskirts of the remaining Zerg expo, when two familiar screech rings out over the ice. The first is a queen who splatters the wraiths with ensnare, the second are ten scourge that swat half of the wraith fleet from the sky with the fury of a sports section. The wraiths turn to run, but are not fast enough to escape the scourge and mutalisks forces in pursuit thanks to the mucus bath provided by the queen. Without a fleet, Dragon2 braces for another Zerg air raid. It doesn't come. Zealatose only has seven mutalisks and the bunkers and turrets of the terran expo and main would shred them. The time has come to rebuild and tech for a final showdown.
Dragon2 decideds to stick with mass wraiths and builds two more starports. His armories work hard to bring his fleets to 2/2/2 armor and he plans to expand again once his army has been built. Zealatose researches broodlings for his queens and morphs a hive and a greater spire. He pumps both mutas and scourge until he has twenty-eight mutas and ten scourge. He also upgrades his air to 1/1/1 and prepares all of his ground troops for a doom drop.
THE END GAME
Dragon2 has built twenty-five wraiths out of five starports. Each wraith has cloak and energy upgrades and has 2/2/2 armor and weapons. He comsats the map and finds that the Zerg have not expanded again. The target is the wounded Zerg expo. The wraiths heads out and circle the Zerg expo. A comsat reveals no burrowed troops and only three spore colonies. Dragon2 comsats the Zerg main and finds no ground troops, and more importantly no overlords. The revelation comes to Dragon2 fast and he comsats all around his main and expo. The fourth comsat reveals a large gathering of overlords and guardians just east of his main. The wraiths turn to eliminate this threat and fly over a strategically placed drone at the three main.
The wraiths are closing in on the overlords when the fleet is dosed in a thick layer of green mucus. The wraiths grind to a snails pace and scourge kamikaze any terran vessel with extreme prejudice. Devourers and mutalisks finish off the limping fleet and the terran main is ripe for the picking. Like sick poetry in motion, the Zerg strike with a precision and unity that would put a Swiss clockmaker to shame. The guardians lay waste to the turrets and queens broodling the siege tanks. The guardians are ordered to fire at will as the group of twelve overlords drop hydralisks and lurkers in the very heart of the terran main. Scourge and devourers are positioned outside the starports to demolish wraiths as soon as they arrive.
With the Terran main in ruin and his expo mined out, Dragon2 is forced to concede a well fought victory.
GAME OVER
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