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PvZ on Luna

Changelog:

2006 February 15: Swapped player names, because search and replace owns me. Thanks to veteran reporter maareek for pointing out my newbness.

Introduction

Welcome, readers, to yet another BW battlereport. Our match today will be a PvZ on Luna, where Dream.t)YUBI pits his noble protoss warriors against c00l[f0u]'s insatiable zerg horde.

Luna is quite a popular map. For readers unfamiliar with it, the four initial locations are large, raised plateaux. A full expansion node is available at the bottom of each main's access ramp, and a mineral-only populates the remaining vertex of the starting triangle.

Artificial and natural bridges allow travel between the massive flatlands in the middle of the map and the corners. While the choke points provide an advantage to the defender in any land assault, the large size of the raised mains will force the commanders to guard against drops and air assaults.

And without further ado, our feature presentation!

Early Game

c00l[f0u] bobs his initial overlord over to the west, and Dream.t)YUBI does likewise with his eighth probe after teleporting a pylon at the top of his ramp. The blue cerebrate elects to place a spawning pool at his main and take his natural early, while his protoss opponent warps two gates. c00l[f0u]'s second overlord, heading south, will soon spot the enemy camp. Dream.t)YUBI's scouting probe, having gone counterclockwise, determines the zerg position by the process of elimination.

The first few minutes are very quiet. c00l[f0u] sends some lings down south to keep an eye on protoss activities. Dream.t)YUBI's zealotry can easily handle the zergling invaders at the ramp, so the enemies just stare coldly at each other. Development-wise, the executor has opted for climbing the tech tree, as evidenced by a forge researching ground weapons, and a cy-core. A lone goon pops a nosy overlord in the protoss base, but a couple of scouting probes were dismantled by zerglings, so things are pretty even at this point.

By the five-minute mark, the two players have revealed their intentions. The zerg are morphing a lair and have a hydra den in the works, whereas the protoss are warping a citadel. Dream.t)YUBI moves his zealots to clear out the zergling onlookers, but through a series of feints, c00l[f0u] manages to sneak a pair of zerglings into the protoss village. In addition to wrecking two more probes, the lings manage to collect valuable intelligence -- they spot Dream.t)YUBI's templar archives.

The commanders' two forces tire of inaction. Simultaneously, red zealots stream to the north and speedy blue hydras string towards the south. The forces intersect at one of the mid-map bridges, and the zealots have to retreat as the ranged zerg take potshots. However, Dream.t)YUBI's withdrawal is very well timed; mere seconds after his melee units reach friendly lines, they pick up their new leg enhancements and it's payback time. The zerg and protoss skirmish from one end of the great plain of Luna to the other. Though both sides lose units, the hydras are eventually thrown back into home territory, where the protoss do not yet dare tread.

With what amounts to a stalemate, the cerebrate makes two tech shifts. He morphs his hydras into lurkers, to better handle Dream.t)YUBI's pesky Zs; at the same time, the zerg leader sprouts a spire to unlock the aerial strains. After claiming their natural, the protoss research psi storm and ready two templar to employ this deadly spell.

Dream.t)YUBI's army, camped outside of the zerg infestation, is pushed back by the new lurkers. This, in conjunction with some sacrificial zerglings, enables c00l[f0u] to slip a couple of drones to the west. The delay is just enough to allow blue lurkers to manoeuvre to protect the drones from the rampaging zealots.

Cowardly drones abandon their zergling brethren to an ignominious fate.

So, how're our competitors doing so far?

Elapsed Time -- 10:00
	Dream.t)YUBI	c00l[f0u]
Nodes	2	2+2
Minerals	84	344
Gas	40	253
Supply	78/106	72/83
Upgrades (in progress)
Infrastructure	2+4 gateways, robo fac, observatory, templar archives.	3+2 hatches, spire, hydra den, pool.
There hasn't been a whole lot of action so far, but with the protoss going heavy ground, and the zerg soon to have four colonies, there's a potential for very large battles.

Mid-Game

With Dream.t)YUBI temporarily thwarted by the lurkers, c00l[f0u] tries a different route: mutas. A spying overlord sees that many of Dream.t)YUBI's troops are stationed at the secondary nexus; it wouldn't be unreasonable to conclude that the main would be lightly defended. However, the zerg air force turns slightly too soon, and is spotted by the protoss buildings below. Penetrating deeper into the enemy stronghold, c00l[f0u] discovers that the primary nexus is guarded by a pair of cannons. Together with red dragoons now arriving up the ramp, this will be too much for the mutas to handle.

So c00l[f0u] instead directs his airborne warriors to the ledge overlooking the protoss expansion. By focussing his fire, he can do a fair amount of damage to the probes; because of the cramped quarters, defending dragoons will have problems getting into range. Oh, but the best-laid plans do often go awry:

No mutas were harmed in the making of this picture. Well, not fatally.

The mutas suffer heavy psi damage, in exchange for two probe kills. In the aftermath, c00l[f0u] starts mining operations at his western regions, as Dream.t)YUBI claims the protoss mineral-only.

A red observer makes a circuit around the northern edge of the map, taking in many interesting sights. Dream.t)YUBI notes the undefended primary hive cluster, but at the moment he does not have enough transport capacity to raze the infrastructure there. The impassive observer finds scourge, lings, and hydras at the zerg natural, and though no lurkers show up on the view screen, they are surely not far away.

Protoss warriors twiddling their thumbs.

The flock of mutalisks makes a scouting run to the south, inadvertently running across the bulk of Dream.t)YUBI's army protecting his expansion attempt. The protoss forces far outnumber the mutas, so the zerg flee.

The zerg army can't hope defeat the protoss one for lack of numbers, and the protoss army, if it invades, risks defeat due to scattered lurkers, scourge, and static defense, not to mention c00l[f0u]'s potential for speedy unit production. Looks like these two are gonna be feeling each other out for some time yet.

Dream.t)YUBI rearranges his army to cover for a probe expanding to the 7-o'clock natural. In the meantime, three speedlots wave bye-bye to their shuttle as they embark on a suicide mission at the 11-o'clock hatchery. Five drones bite it before c00l[f0u]'s nearby mutas pulp the Zs.

Probable loss of more valuable protoss lives aside, Dream.t)YUBI decides to pressure the cerebrate with his main body of troops. The executor urges his fat goons to lumber across the plains; with the support of archies and darchies (with maelstrom in the works), perhaps he can breach his zerg opponent's defenses. He heads for c00l[f0u]'s northeastern natural, but a watchful overlord spies the impending attack and spoils the surprise factor. Dream.t)YUBI rethinks his plans; pulling the eager Khalai back onto the plain, and regrouping them to blockade the northwestern corner.

c00l[f0u], curious at the delay, sweeps his fliers outside of his borders to see what's what. Unfortunately, they glide smack dab into the middle of the protoss army, and must -- yes, again -- run away. As the protoss reform their lines, the mutas check the southwest main and harass a land-grabbing operation, precipitating the recall of Dream.t)YUBI's conscripts. Half the mutas are butchered upon being drawn into the goon fire, leaving c00l[f0u] to wonder why anyone builds mutas, and the rest of us to wonder when these two players are going to stop dancing around and get down to some bloody BW-style action.

Though battle-wise things have been slow, both commanders have been busy adding new weapons to their arsenals. Since our first status update, c00l[f0u] has spliced ultralisk DNA, in addition to taking +2 melee/armour, both zergling augments, and overlord transport. Dream.t)YUBI has +1 armour and +2 attack (+3 in the works), and is preparing stargates to provide a little air cover. Both players are near max control.

With the moderate success of his first zealot drop, Dream.t)YUBI tries the same trick in c00l[f0u]'s main, while the main protoss army reorganises on the plains of Luna. The drop wreaks havoc upon the drones, but the zerg air force once again annihilates the attackers. In addition to slowing c00l[f0u]'s resource flow, the Z drop revealed the presence of the ultralisk strain. This intelligence will allow the executor to properly prepare a counter.

Sadly for Dream.t)YUBI, the enemy cerebrate's next move does not allow the time for a proper counter. With the protoss army practically unassailable on open ground, and mutas proving ineffectual thus far, c00l[f0u] takes a page from his drop-happy opponent's book. Except when zerg players drop, they don't do no single overlord harassment jobs. No sir, that swarm goes all the way. While Dream.t)YUBI's army traverses the flatlands, a group of overlords floats into the protoss main and unloads lines of ravenous zerglings within the primary production area. With all of the protoss ground forces at the other side of the map, there are but three corsairs to stand against the zergling menace. The corsairs do their best, which in this particular situation, amounts to bubkes. Before red zeals and archons can make it back home, fully half of the executor's base has been burnt, including all of the primary gateways, the cybernetics core, and the templar archives. Amazingly, both players are still at 190+ control.

Note to self: lock door when leaving home...

c00l[f0u] continues with his new aggressive stance, unburrowing the lurkers guarding his natural and scurrying them towards the south. Ultras follow, but not quickly enough: the lurks meet up with the executor's forces in transit. c00l[f0u] chooses to attack with his lurkers, and although Dream.t)YUBI's observer is MIA, the hasty and ill-clustered burrowing lends itself well to some storming. c00l[f0u]'s ultras arrive, and jockey for position in the sweet spot around the surviving lurks, but then Dream.t)YUBI calls his dark archon to the fore and unleashes a dash of maelstrom. With a chunk of the ultras busy "looking at the pretty colours," retreat is the best option for the zerg survivors.

Betcha those lurkers are wishing they scouted first.

Hot dang, that maelstrom sure comes in handy.

So, at this point, the question is, wassup?

Elapsed Time -- 20:00
	Dream.t)YUBI	c00l[f0u]
Nodes	4	2
Minerals	1334	2686
Gas	613	479
Supply	174/197	180/200
Upgrades (in progress)	+3	+3 +3
Infrastructure	5+1 gateways, 2 stargates, robo fac, observatory, templar archives.	5 hatches, spire, hydra den, pool, queen's nest, ultra cavern, defiler mound.
With their attention needed elsewhere, both players have let their mineral stores run up. Two of c00l[f0u]'s nodes are almost dry, and Dream.t)YUBI is keeping an eye on unclaimed resources, so money may become an issue soon. Dream.t)YUBI hasn't bothered to rebuild his main, instead putting his new gateways in the southwest corner. He's got plenty of cannons there to discourage a repeat zergling drop. With maelstrom and storm in the mix, c00l[f0u] will be pretty leery of engaging the protoss army head-on. In contrast, Dream.t)YUBI will be wary of splitting his military against superior zerg numbers, especially in light of the static defense at each of the zerg naturals. What will happen? Who can say? And don't you hate rhetorical questions?

End Game

c00l[f0u] continues to press. Zerglings and ultras race from the northern corners onto the plain to engage the protoss army. The adrenalised lings and lisks start to chomp and saw through the zealots, but Dream.t)YUBI's casting, supporting his invisible assassin units, withstand the zerg melee units. The Khalai, though victorious, by no means escape unscathed.

Well, after this latest set-to with c00l[f0u]'s mob, Dream.t)YUBI is feeling confident; he marches his veterans towards the north. However, this proves to be a fatal error. With available troops being reinforced by nearby hatcheries, the protoss cannot punch through even with their casting and DT advantages. There are just too many zergies, and the protoss army is finally defeated.

c00l[f0u]'s first major army-vs-army victory is tainted by his lack of ranged units: a squad of red corsairs has been picking off overlords, making it impossible to get a fix on the enemy DT. Consequently, the two commanders spend a couple of minutes prancing their troops around on the plain, neither willing to engage just yet. c00l[f0u] pumps hydras to defend against those annoying corsairs, while Dream.t)YUBI works on replenishing his zealot corps.

The two armies take turns butchering each other.

After a couple of minutes' worth of waltzing across the map, c00l[f0u] manages to draw some fresh protoss troops back to the north. This time, the zerg melee strains are covered by hydras, effectively nullifying the corsair/DT threat. Despite maelstrom making another appearance, the larger zerg force soundly chastises Dream.t)YUBI's troops.

Hydras, zerglings, and ultras dash south across the plains, with the remainder of c00l[f0u]'s defensive lurkers tagging along. Dream.t)YUBI's army is too small to take on the zerg forces, but he's got two darchies morphing; perhaps they can pull a rabbit out of the hat. c00l[f0u] targets the protoss mineral-only at 6-o'clock while his lurkers pester Dream.t)YUBI's troops at the 5-o'clock natural. With no detection and little templar energy, the executor watches helplessly as his expansion falls. c00l[f0u]'s surviving units move on to the southwest corner, aiming to choke the protoss economy.

However, with Dream.t)YUBI's gateways located there, the base is not as undefended as the zerg player might think. As the zerg units attack, Dream.t)YUBI plants a couple of psi storms to rip apart the hydras, which, as hydras are wont to do, are clumped like premium kitty litter. At the same time, Dream.t)YUBI pilots an observer over to his natural, lifting the lurker containment. Those forces join up with the defenders at 7-o'clock, turning the zerg troops in a squishy sandwich. Advantage protoss.

Not content to rest upon the laurels of recent victories, Dream.t)YUBI gathers his loyal followers and treks towards zerg territory. By this time, c00l[f0u] has defilers, who are having a pre-battle snack of raw zerglings. With his ultras reduced to dust and bone, the cerebrate must use zerglings and hydras to hold mixed toss ground forces at bay. The two commanders face off at the top edge of great plain, as we pause for our final situational overview.

Elapsed Time -- 25:00
	Dream.t)YUBI	c00l[f0u]
Nodes	3+1	4
Minerals	226	1346
Gas	285	133
Supply	168/200	123/167
Upgrades (in progress)	+3 +2	+3 +3
Infrastructure	13 gateways, 2 stargates, robo fac, observatory, templar archives.	7 hatches, spire, hydra den, pool, queen's nest, ultra cavern, defiler mound.
Two of Dream.t)YUBI's functioning bases are running dry, and in retaking his min-only, he's not really getting a full node. In contrast, c00l[f0u]'s three nodes are still healthy, including the 9-o'clock mineral patch which he has recently claimed. c00l[f0u] probably won't be able to hold off Dream.t)YUBI's approaching army with just lings and hydras, but if he survives, his stronger economy may tip the balance back in his favour. However, the executor's greater production capacity, now split between the two southern corners, means he can keep up with the swarm.

Within seconds, Dream.t)YUBI's Khalai are upon c00l[f0u]'s troops. A defiler, too far ahead of friendly lines, unleashes an ineffectual shot of plague before expiring. Predictably, the rest of the zerg forces are turned into mincemeat when the protoss casters work their magic. The protoss march on, rolling over the hatchery at 12-o'clock, leaving barely enough time for the resident drones to elope. c00l[f0u], lacking the numbers to go toe-to-toe with the attackers, sends a new batch of ultra/ling into protoss lands. This move, though doing little economic damage, draws Dream.t)YUBI's minions back, and buys precious time for the zerg to respawn their military.

Understandably, Dream.t)YUBI is unwilling to provide any breathing room to his opponent. Fresh warriors from the southwestern gates pour into the new zerg hatchery at 9-o'clock, but the protoss have insufficient numbers to defeat the garrison and the reinforcements. The main protoss task force is more than enough to trash the zerg expansion, but once that big red blob appears, c00l[f0u] dispatches yet another group of melee units to draw them away. This time, the zerg raze the original natural in the southeast, and incapacitate the five gateways at the top of the ramp before Dream.t)YUBI can remove the attackers. c00l[f0u] may be on the ropes, but Dream.t)YUBI hasn't quite got this one in the bag.

The two armies avoid each other to better raze each other's expansions.

One more time, Dream.t)YUBI arrays his might in the northern flatlands, and tears up the zerg resistance despite a sudden outbreak of bubonic plague in the local zealot population. The protoss cleanse the 12-o'clock position of a new hatchery, and fall back to rest at a new nexus in the 9-o'clock mineral node.

Zerg troops mop up the remains of Dream.t)YUBI's original corner. Then, the two armies, both in transit, meet on the plains and the protoss predictably maul the zerglings and ultras. This continues for some time; Dream.t)YUBI trying to finish c00l[f0u], while c00l[f0u] uses his speedy units to force a retreat. Both players expand; both players lose their expansions. The dashing to and fro is much better served by an animation of the match's last ten minutes, and by the final frame, it will be clear who the winner is:

In the end, c00l[f0u], continually losing units in a war of attrition against the tougher protoss warriors, must concede. To Dream.t)YUBI, the victor, go the spoils.

At long last, the protoss come knocking.

Interested parties can download the 1.13e replay from GosuGamers.net.

And that's that. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a comment. Oh, and ~~first~~ second of 2006, moohahaha.