"You guys are all gayer than ORC"
-Persian-POW
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| The Luck of the 'Dark One' | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 08/30/99 10:08 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | Starcraft(1), Text Only(1) | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 5, Max: 8, Min: 7
Lifetime Rating for Barage: 7.8000 |   | What a day. After over 10 games of wins, I’ve lost twice in a row, and both due to horrible playing on my part. While
berating myself over it in Nohunters, Masterofmordor, the ally of about half my 2on2 wins in my streak comes in and attempts to lift my spirits by finding another game. Icy-the-feared steps in eventually, and before you can die by a zergling rush, ‘gl’ is exchanged and the countdown ends to a new game.
Game: Use Map Settings, 2 v 2
Teams:
+:xenon:+ (brown zerg) around 10:30
and
icy-the-feared (Blue terran) 5:00
vs
Barage (green protoss) Just below 9:00
and
Masterofmordor (orange terran) 3:00
Map: flooded plains
Rules: No listening to Final Fantasy 8 music during the game.
And they're off!
When I saw both Master's base and my own I thought it was an island map. I never played it before. However,
Masterofmordor knew it and informed me that 3 bridges connected my ‘island’. If you've ever played bridge to bridge combat you know this one well already. Now, remembering how many of my games went with Master, I decided to try for corsairs and d-web while he goes for a ground force of tank/marine/medic. It's risky I knew, but if I could survive just long enough I knew we could win this one.
Boy, what a risk it was!
So much for surprise!
Master sends out an scv (no, not Deon.. he was on vacation) north while I send one south. However, I hoped not to find
anyone so close to me; a rush would just kill here. For all the talk on luck here, wasn't lucky here.
Zerg found, and well within rushing distance.
(Well, at least he didn't find me)
Overlord spotted just past the fog of war... near my minerals.
Mordor calls out that he's been spotted.
Just now my stargate forms. No gate units in production.
(Why me?)
Changing my build would lead to ruin, though; I can't out produce them now, and going another branch would just stretch my resources. I must go on. If I were in my enemy's shoes, though, I'd rush and rush fast. Only a fool wouldn't. My forge finishes and two cannons come eventually. If you think that going corsairs in a land map was crazy, what I decided next would have you commit me.
Fleet beacon up.
That's right. Corsairs couldn't fight ground, and they wouldn't be much help as they are. D-web was a necessity. Luckily I had just enough to start it immediately. Now all I can do is prey. Meanwhile, Mordor sends out a mid-sized attack force aimed at the zerg. Just have them tech up a little longer.
Barage faces the barrage.
It was long enough. From the south come marines- just under 10- complete with stim. As they started tearing down pylons I sobbed. Soon after, about 6 hydras came from the north and started on my nexus. Is it another loss fo....
Research complete. Remember the d-web? ;)
All I had was a dragoon and 4 corsairs, 2 ready to web. However, Mordor, being the great player he is, noticed this and had vultures on the way (before you say 'why not marines' take one look at the map, think about where we are, and remember I was a minute from death. I'd prefer the fastest unit in SC myself). I just need to delay and harass. Webs started up and the dragoon sent. Not a single marine died, but neither did my stargate, which was in the south of my base, and in the path of destruction. By the time the marines gained a clear line of fire, vultures were popping them one by one. Meanwhile, marines and a tank entered the scene to stop the hydras. My webs were gone, and so was my dragoon so I was left to watch my nexus drop below 300hp. I had only 7 minerals left. If the nexus falls it's over. Meanwhile, I hear orange marines stim up.
100 left. The hydras turn from the marines and focus on the nexus! NO! 55...39...28...17...
The last hydra pops. With a sigh of relief, I send my probes, which ran from the slaughter, back to work. Even the gas probes went to minerals. I NEEDED a nexus in case another attack comes. Eventually, 400 cash is gained and a base starts just north of my main. Meanwhile, mines are placed outside my base to warn against another attack (and perhaps ruin it as well).
Oh btw, wonder how much health the nexus was at? 7hp. Hydras do 10 damage don't they?
How you suffer, your friends shall feel threefold.
I’m alive, with only pylons in rubble. Another attack might be the end unless I can pull something out of my…you know. 1 tank and about 8 marines with 2 medics reached to the west of the zerg base. I send out three of my 6 corsairs- all webbing ready- to join in. With some skill on my part, we can make brown pay for his actions. With most of his hydra force away from his base, we’ll take it down with ease.
Wait…hydra force away?
And after Mordor’s main.
A quick glance showed a repeat of the attack on my base, with blue on the south fighting vultures. There was no way I could let him die after he saved me, so I sent what I could; my remaining corsairs. Sadly, there was nothing left of his army to take advantage of the webs. He had a second base up and his scvs already there to rebuild, but nothing else escaped the onslaught.
It’s ain’t over yet, boy!
Meanwhile I noticed the influx of minerals I had; my nexus that was to surve as a replacement for when the first fell ended up as a well running exp. 4 gateways popped up, as did a citidel and archives. My plan; heavy zealots, and I mean HEAVY. Add in WELL placed webs (that’s right, using webs with melee units :P) and I might be able to overwhelm our enemy. Speaking of an attack? That small force near the zerg was still waiting there. As I took control of the corsairs, the ground force moved forward. If this fell, though, it was over.
The outcome? The tank died quickly, and 2 sunkens littered the land. However, I had three webs to use. 1 hit the sunken near the west entrance, 2 were used to ruin the hydra defenders long enough for stim to finish them. I had to wait 25 energy to web down the second sunken, but soon the base was no more. Blue didn’t come to his aid at all.
That’s because Ice decided to finish off my partner. He couldn’t just waltz in, however. Mines littered the bridges, which held them at bay. For a while anyway. Eventually, they were killed with help of comsat. Marine/medic/tanks rolled in and Master was forced to fight back with marine/medic/vultures. D-web turned a hopeless situation to a desperate attempt at a defense. However, d-web with its limits, and Mordor’s force was overwhelmed. As blue marines stimmed to finish the CC I can feel the reality of losing from my poor ally (or was that just myself). I should’ve built land units faster. I should’ve had a shuttle. I should’ve remembered that I had already sent in a pack of zealots.
That last I was reminded of as they passed by the base to tear into blue armor.
Payback’s a bitch ain’t it?
The current situation:
Xenon had lost his main, but had an expansion to the south with blue defending it with marine/medics (found by a corsair gone astray).
Ice was untouched so far, but probably steaming at being so close to winning.
Master either has better eyes then me or was still shocked at the rescue. His remaining scv goes back to mining in an attempt at recovering. My zealots sit back in defense as are my corsairs.
Me? I have 3 bases, all three tech buildings, and starting to pump out upgrades and zealot/dragoons.
And me and master wanted blood. A small zealot (and 1 dt) force attempts to finish off the zerg, but falls short thanks to marine fire. The small force that took down the main zerg base moved to do some damage, and all but finished off the marine force before it fell as well. It took a third attack of zealots to finally break through, and there wasn’t much left of the attack afterward.
Xenon has left the game.
Hope has been reborn.
Back and better then ever!
There were two mines sitting outside the southern entrance to my base. Please note that I was ‘were’. I noted this and sent a corsair to see what has come to visit. A large pack of marines, medics(I say, about 24 together) and tanks(3) answered back. It’s time to show how d-web works against a mobile force. My dragoons (under 12.. ok so I can’t mass produce :P) stepped forward. My corsairs moved to web.
I lost 7 dragoons, thanks to me fighting through a small choke. No terran survived to tell of the unfortunate encounter. Meanwhile, I decided to see if ghosts existed within that army, and started on carriers from 3 stargates. Also, Mordor noted about expansions, so observers were sent in mass on the lookout. A defenseless base was spotted to the south of my main and 2 dts moved to eliminate the offending CC. Meanwhile, Master expanded and scanned the main base, seeing starports building. An observer spotted another expansion to the southwest of his main, and was nearly torn from the sky by a turret and bunker. I sent out a 12 pack of dragoons and 4 carriers which made quick work of the base. Yet another CC was spotted to the east of his main, and the 2 dts moved to eliminate that base as well. The CC fell just as a comsat was used and marines sent to remove the ‘demolition team’. They ran, but sadly, whether they escaped was never discovered. Attention was now focused on the main base.
The final battle.
12 dragoons, 4 carriers, and 10 corsairs stepped forward to confront Ice and end his reign once and for all. Without the expansions, there was nothing there except an excess of marines and medics, a few tanks, and 4 battlecruisers with more building.
4 BCs!? More building?? Looks like he’s gained enough from those expansions.
The BCs fell, but not before removing all but 3 corsairs, which moved to web down any turrets and tanks that could cause a threat. BCs continued to finish from nearby starports, but dragoons moved to intercept them. Meanwhile interceptors tore down the webbed defenses. The infantry came in, but I was sure that the carriers could handle them.
Perhaps killing all of the interceptors from 12 carriers is too hard for marines to do, but from only 4 they can handle well. Sure enough, the interceptors fell like flies. Meanwhile, my corsairs had run out of energy. More dragoons were coming, but medic/marines can handle mere infantry (if you consider dragoons mere infantry).
That’s when I saw Masterofmordor enter from the north, stimmed and calling for me to bring them over. Against interceptors and dragoons, marines could perhaps handle, but not if you add in marines as well. Though upgraded all three units proved too much, and the terran commander humbly submitted.
Morals of the tale:
1. If you tech, you better make SURE no one can rush you.
2. Never give up till it’s over. Sometimes your luck can hold out in the end.
3. To those that believe that you can simple move from a web and fight as normal, you need to face a good micromanager.
Many of these battles would’ve been disastrous for our side if the webs weren’t there. In the least, the webs on the first assault against me kept my nexus alive.
4. Don’t sacrifice your ally when you can save him. If you can’t make a strong counterattack, you better send what you can to help then make sure he’ll be all right. The mines placed near my base allowed me to later see the heavy terran attack coming and ambush it. The tanks just sieged up when my corsairs were moving. Mordor saving me allowed me to save him and supply the needed webs later on. Me saving him allowed for the attack that helped cripple the defense in the xenon’s last base and finish blue’s main.
5. Don’t mock vultures. If my webs were helpful in defense, the mines were priceless in keeping Ice at bay. The vultures themselves supplied some quick aid as well.
6. Don’t fear to rush. As I said, only a fool would let a player tech like I did, and our foes weren’t fools. I truly shouldn’t have survived that attack.
Lastly, even if you don’t plan to write a BR, take pictures of important events. I never planned on writing till after I reflected on the match. Now I wish I had pictures, watchers, a better memory, and better ability with html. |
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