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Introduction

This report is about a public 2vs2. The first team is comprised of S.O.S. (chosen Human) and OrcWarlordz (chosen Orc) at 12 and 9, respectively. Ryanbagend (random Undead) and s_tuf_f (random Night Elf) make up team 2 at 3 and 6.

The map is Harvest Moon, which should be fairly well known here. S.O.S. has chosen to tech to steam tanks, a rather risky strategy that involves securing an expansion early and keeping costs to a bare minimum until the tech is complete. The path to tanks is even more troublesome on a map like Harvest Moon, in which the "Natural" expansions are a considerable distance from each starting location.

Considering the combined opposition of Night Elf and Undead, he will be at great risk for the majority of the game. However, the payoff for this strategy is a swift victory if it is seen through.

Unfortunately for Team 1, s_tuf_f and ryanbagend will mass and rush.

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Map and Player Positions

Click on a player's name for a brief description:

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Early Builds

S.O.S begins with 4 workers on his mine and the fifth building an altar. He enqueues three morw in his town hall. The Sixth worker starts a farm above the exit to his mine, apparently to speed his mining. Worker 7 starts his Rax, and at 1:22, he is able to start his Archmage.

OrcWarlordz sends 2 workers to his mine and immediately starts a burrow, his Rax, and his altar. He starts his hero nearly synchronously with S.O.S.. By the time his Tauren Chieftain arrives, he will have started a war mill and another burrow.

Ryanbagend trains an acolyte, and immediately begins mining with all of his units. When his fifth Acolyte completes, he warps in a zig, crypt, and altar. He starts his Death Knight at around 2 minutes.

S_tuf_f starts his altar and a moon well, then just harvests for a good 1:30 before building his Ancient of War. His Priestess of the Moon is the last to arrive.

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Early Creeping and Expanding

S.O.S. is the first out the door with his Archmage. With the aid of a single footman and a level 1 water elemental, he quickly kills his local Gnolls for 100 experience and some stylish Slippers of Agility. His rally point is set on his hero, and he is joined by another foot before the fight is over.

Knowing that he has to expand, S.O.S. sets out to the 10:00 "natural". By now, he has 3 foots and a forth just exiting the barracks and rushing to join his creeping party.

To take his expansion, he calls three workers to arms and sends them to join the Archmage. Provided that the Militia are used in a supporting role, this move is only advantageous. A 0/0 Militia is easily comparable to a 0/0 Footman, compensating for its lack of hitpoints with a +2 armor superiority, and when the Call to Arms expires, S.O.S. is able to build. He constructs a town hall and two towers for the first expansion of the game, sustaining only the loss of 1 footman.

With the 270 experience from the creep, the Archmage (370/500) levels up, choosing Brilliance Aura for his level 2 spell. S.O.S. sends a map alert to OrcWarlordz to hit the Goblin Merchant south of the 10:00 natural. He also walks out with a Potion of Restoration.

At this point, OrcWarlordz has trained 3 grunts. He chooses War Stomp for his Chieftain and rushes to meet S.O.S.

By now, ryanbagend has 8 crypt fiends, and s_tuf_f has a few archers and huntresses. At the end of the second creep, each hero gains a level with 275/500. S_tuf_f chooses TrueShot Aura and ryanbagend takes Unholy Aura. S_tuf_f also gets his hands on the Ankh of Reincarnation, while ryanbagend snags 2 tomes of strength. Just as a footnote - Although I can't be sure what their first chosen spells were, it looked to me like Scout and Death Coil.

With enough peasants around for Call to Arms, S.O.S. continues his tech with a blacksmith and a keep. Each building should complete at around the same time, and he'll be ready for his workshops.

Now joined by OrcWarlordz and a small band of grunts, S.O.S. continues to creep, knocking out the 10:00 Goblin Merchant for 140 experience each. This pushes S.O.S.'s Archmage to level 3, and he opts for the level 2 Water Elemental Upgrade. This is the first experience OrcWarlordz' Tauren Chieftain gets.

Team 1 continues the creep to the 8:00 natural, where OrcWarlordz plans on expanding. The expansion is worth 135 each, and OrcWarlordz gains a level and chooses Endurance Aura.

As soon as his keep finishes, S.O.S. begins his first workshop and the upgrade to Castle, sparing only enough resources to fortify his main and his expansion, still only a Town Portal away from either base.

With his Unholy Aura, ryanbagend rockets ahead of the lumbering Night Elf to the 2:00 natural. The creep is annihilated for 135 exp each. Team 2's heros are now each at 410/500, just shy of level 3. Ryanbagend's Death Knight picks up a Book of the Dead. Now that he has amassed enough Fiends, he decides that it's time to attack.

The First Battle

Team 1 finishes with the Mercenary Camp for 120 experience each, and OrcWarlordz grabs a Claws of attack +9. They begin to creep for the middle, but by that time S.O.S. is already under seige at his main.

The attack begins with ryanbagend's 1/1 Crypt Fiends attacking 2 of S.O.S's unfinished workshops. Each is Razed.

Ryanbagend's move to attack occurs shortly after s_tuf_f completes his tech to Dryads. Rushing to join the attack, s_tuf_f's Dryads will show up exactly where they belong, in the back of their combined forces firing slow poison on the enemy.

The crypt fiends move to take out a scout tower as S.O.S. and OrcWarlordz Town Portal in. Led by his level 2 Chieftain, OrcWarlordz' 1/1 grunts storm the agressors as S.O.S.'s Archmage casts a level 2 Water Elemental, dealing out 31-39 damage per hit. He also sends his 0/0 footmen in to die. The combined forces target the Death Knight.

S.O.S. calls all of the workers in his base to arms. The Militia storm in as ryanbagend casts his Book of the Dead, falling back to the cover of his skeleton warriors. By now, s_tuf_f joins the fight, and Skeletons and Night Elfs alike are plowed over by Grunts and cleaned up by Militia.

The Grunts move in for the Preistess, who is trapped between a wall of militia and a mess of Crypt Fiends. She dies at the hands of OrcWarlordz, who levels up at 596/900 and chooses to upgrade his War Stomp.

Using a souvenier Wand of Wind, S.O.S.'s Archmage launches ryanbagend's Death Knight into the air, his miltia continuing to carve through Team 2's attacking front.

As his 1/0 Dryads continue to take pot shots at Team 1, s_tuf_f's Preistess is revived by that one-time mystical round-trip ticket known as the Ankh of Something-or-Other. In the spirit of Charma, she almost instantly levels up choosing the self-mana-burning searing arrows, which s_tuf_f leaves on Autocast.

OrcWarlordz' Tauren Chieftain mows down ryanbagend's level 2 Death Knight, but is shortly thereafter taken down himself by the concentrated fire of Crypt Fiends and Dryads.

As his Call to Arms expires, S.O.S. is forced to retreat his militia, leaving a handful of grunts, a Water Elemental, and his now level 4 Archmage (who still holds a Potion of Restoration).

Knowing that S.O.S. can retreat to his towers, Team 2 attempts to lure out his Archmage by running out of the choke and striking with a volley of ranged attacks.

The advantage is shortlived, as S.O.S. plays into the luring game, rushing his AM out and calling out fresh Militia to meet his attacking forces as they chase him back into his choke. Wise to the tactic, ryanbagend and s_tuf_f retreat, chased out by a few Militia that S.O.S. set after them. Eventually, the Call to Arms expires, and the Militia meet a death fit for a 1950's Horror B-Movie. S_tuf_f's archers actually nab one of the kills, and his Priestess levels up her True Shot once more. For a moment, ryanbagend starts to head back into his base with his remaining crypt fiends, but ultimately thinks better of it. All forces begin to regroup, and at 12 minutes into the game, the first battle is over.

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Half Time Report

Here's a look at each player's status at the end of the first battle.

The first battle being only a minor setback for S.O.S., he picks up his tech right where he left off by rebuilding the 2 razed workshops with multiple peasants. He also spares the 500g and trains a Paladin with Holy Light, a particularly good spell against the likes of so many undead spiders. He groups and rallys his Workshops, and with ample resources is ready to start building Steamies and Dwarven Riflemen. During the assault on S.O.S., OrcWarlordz began to tech and expand. Upgrading his Stronghold, erecting 2 spirit lodges, and researching Shaman Adept Training during the battle, he is now building Shamen and upgrading to a Fortress for the Bloodlust upgrade.

Also with surpluses, s_tuf_f and ryangbagend each have an opportunity to change up their strategies in response to S.O.S.'s apparent tech to heavy armor. Neither does, however, and at about the time that he should be thinking about expanding, s_tuf_f continues to mass dryads while ryangbagend fortifies and continues to mass crypt fiends. Considering Team 1's teching advantage, this low-tech massing strategy is questionable.

After ryangbagend's Death Knight is revived, he summons a Lich.

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The Second Battle

After securing their bases, Team 1 resumes their original initiative to clear out the Ogre Magi in the middle of the map. OrcWarlordz is the first out the door with his Level 3 Chieftain (794/900), about 5 grunts, and 2 shamen. S.O.S. gets the map alert, and leaves with his Level 4 Archmage (1378/1400), his "greenhorn" Paladin, a couple of overworked 0/0 foots, and three 2/0 Rifleman with their recently-upgraded long rifle.

OrcWarlordz reaches the southern mine in the map center, and discovers that Team 2 has already beaten them to it. He is chased back to his base by a horde of Crypt Fiends and Dryads in superior numbers.

Ryanbagend's Death Knight (who gained level 3 on the creep), and s_tuf_f's level 4 Preistess continue the charge. S.O.S. flanks and concentrates on the Priestess, who is promptly slain at the hands of his Archmage. Ryanbagend's Death Knight, who is already down 546 hitpoints thanks to OrcWarlordz' grunts, falls back to the cover of Fiends and Dryads. OrcWarlordz retreats back to his base, followed by s_tuf_f's Dryads, and there is a clear division of forces, as Ryanbagend's Crypt Fiends focus on S.O.S..

After being briefly rendered airborne at the hands of S.O.S.'s Wand of Wind, the Death Knight joins the Crypt fiends against S.O.S.'s forces. Another Rifleman joins the fight.

S.O.S. temporarily defers the careful and systematic extermination of all things arachnid to slay Ryanbagend's Death Knight, who in a spasm of tragically poor micro traps himself between S.O.S.'s forces and his own. Another one bites the dust.

The Archmage is awarded level 5, and the next Water Elemental he casts will have 900 hitpoints and deal out 41/49 damage.

After losing his Priestess at the gates of OrcWarlordz' main, s_tuf_f decides to rejoin ryanbagend against S.O.S.. Ryanbagend's new Lich shows up and bitch-slaps the Archmage for 115 hit points with his Frost Nova. Fortunately, the slowed Archmage just drank his Potion of Restoration and can rely on his level 3 Paladin liuetenant to rejuvinate him for the near future.

Holy Light and Brilliance Aura: the beer and pretzels of the human hero.

Ryanbagend's Lich engages S.O.S.'s archmage with the assistance of a few Crypt Fiends. Both the Lich and the Archmage sustain heavy damage, and S.O.S. is forced to retreat his Archmage as his Paladin's mana dwindles. He speeds for the 12:00 main.

Ryanbagend's Lich and Fiends follow, but they cannot pursue without the speed upgrade provided by the Death Knight's Unholy Aura. The Archmage gains enough distance to send a level 3 Water Elemental back to the fight before he actually tags home base.

The Fiends and Lich return to the center, where they are met by the Paladin, who dances around them for a moment while he tries to engage the weary hero. As the Water Elemental arrives, ryanbagend is distracted long enough for the Paladin to score 2 hits, sending the freakish Lich back to Rural Pennsylvania where it belongs.

OrcWarlordz' Chieftain is brought down, but the battle halts with the exhausted armies of Team 2 falling back and regrouping.

So far, the battle has seemed like an uneasy victory for Team 1. They've done little more than keep their opponents at bay, with OrcWarlordz suffering substantial losses. The minimal resistance of S.O.S. has seemed like little more than a delay for Team 2's eventual victory. With OrcWarlordz weakened from the battle, ryanbagend and s_tuf_f will target S.O.S.'s main.

S.O.S. has very different plans.

With his tech completed, all that S.O.S. requires is time to build his army of steam tanks. It is this time that the last battle has provided. He rolls eight 2/0 (47-77d) Steam Tanks out. His target: Whomever he runs into first. Ryanbagend's frustration with the apparent stalemate will soon be relieved...

...And in a curious move, Ryanbagend runs his high-speed Death Knight and Crypt Fiends across the map to greet S.O.S.'s tank platoon with nary a shade to be found. Conventional wisdom may tell us that spiders are not a very effective counter for Heavy Armor, but ryanbagend figures, "WTF? It'S NoT LikE TheY Can ShOoT BacK!" I'm not saying he was a hacker or anything. We all know that no one would have the balls to hack in random team-ladder when Blizzard threatens to ban their CD-Key. These are random team-ladder ratings at stake here.

Ryanbagend tries in vein to stop the tanks in their tracks, but is only able to shave about 300 hitpoints off of one. S.O.S. runs his tanks deep into the heart of ryanbagend's swingin' vampire pad and begins blasting buildings.

S_tuf_f Town Portals in, and together they kill 4 of the tanks, but not before half of ryanbagend's main is utterly decimated.

Having just taken the remaining Ogre Magi in the center, S.O.S.'s infantry shows up, accompanied by a band of OrcWarlordz' Bloodlust-casting Master Shamen and 1/1 Grunts. Between the heros and casters, there is Brilliance Aura, Endurance Aura, Bloodlust, and Devotion Aura for all to bask in.

This is the salad day for Team 1's heros. After a hard day of bug-killing, they'll sit around the campfire and feast on Dryad's asses...

...And without so much as a "gg", Team 1 is victorious.

And with this I take my leave: