GSL Season 2 - First Impressions

Another season of the GSL Starcraft II Open is upon us and with it comes another $90,000 USD(approx) grand prize for the winner. Oh, did I mention the tournament was even better this time around? It is.

GOMtv has gone to great lengths to improve the production value of this tournament is quite a number of ways, paying special attention to areas that viewers had been whining concerned about during the first season. Did they smooth out all the wrinkles? I'll give my view beyond the break.

GOMtv Starcraft II Team Invitational

When you're having people over to your house for a fancy dinner, you want to make sure everything's in order before they get there. And if you happen to be having say.. thousands of people over to watch 64 of the best players in the world square off in Blizzard's Starcraft II, then that need for preparation is all the more urgent. This is exactly why GOMtv is holding a short(4 day) tournament for the biggest Starcraft II teams in Korea from October 13-16, 2010.

That's right, as a dry run to test the limits of their improved streaming service, GOMtv is hosting a full-blown tournament that anyone can watch... FOR FREE. Details follow the break.

GSL Starcraft II Open: Season 2 is coming!

If it wasn't apparent before, I am a huge fan of watching pro-level Starcraft II matches. I'm also a big supporter of what GOMtv and Blizzard are trying to do with the GSL and the TG-Intel Open. So it will come as no big surprise to you then that I'm stoked for Season 2 that will be coming to a live stream near you October 18th, 2010! You can see the GOMtv news post here.

Straight From Team Liquid: Fruit Dealer GSL Highlights and Music Video

In case you don't check the Blizzard page regularly.

If you saw the GSL or even if you didn't, check out this awesome video created by Teamliquid.net. Everyone loves a good montage!

GSL Final: Set 5

Map: Scrap Station

Wow.

Just wow.

GSL Final: Set 4

Map: Desert Oasis

Well, I suppose a straight 4-0 win just wouldn't have been good TV. Despite a great start from Fruit Dealer who managed to counter HopeTorture's marine-only starting force with speed banelings and infestors, the game quickly became unstable with both players losing their main bases.

Fruit Dealer expanded to both islands while HopeTorture grabbed the gold, giving both time to recover some of their production ability. Unfortunately, Fruit Dealer just couldn't recover in time to defeat HopeTorture's mix of marines/thors/tanks.

The score is now 3-1 and the match continues.

GSL Final: Set 3

Map: Kulas Ravine

Bahahahahaha. Bahahaha. Bahaha. Ha.

Sorry, had to finish laughing at the insanity of Set #3 before I could start writing this. Kulas Ravine is by far the worst map for Zerg, exposing them to so many attacks and being incredibly difficult to defend your expansions. At least, this is what is normally true. In the mystical world of Fruit Dealer, maps apparently don't matter.

GSL Final: Set 2

Map: Lost Temple

After the first set, my confidence in Fruit Dealer has gone even higher than it was before if that were possible. Hopefully, his domination continues all the way to the $90,000 prize.

The second set begins with the players spawning as close to each other as possible which is never good for a Zerg player. Fruit Dealer went for Zergling speed again, expanding and slapping down a spine crawler in anticipation of a tank drop which is a common Terran tactic on this map and HopeTorture did not disappoint.
Luckily, Fruit Dealer managed to counter this drop with a pair of Spine Crawlers and three queens, protecting his expansion from the Siege Tank Death Rain and transitioning into Mutalisks.

HopeTorture continued to attempt different drops as he tried to put a dent in Fruit Dealer's tempo, but Fruit Dealer's mutalisks seemed to be everywhere at once and knocked medivacs out of the sky all day long.

This combined with Overlord drops into HopeTorture's main and Baneling drops coupled with infestors/lings/roaches against the Terran army ended the game once again in Fruit Dealer's favour.

GSL Final: Set 1

Map: Delta Quadrant

This set was an example of what a master Zerg player can do and how even the most experienced of Terrans can make mistakes that cost the game.

Fruit Dealer opened with Zergling speed, expanded at 21, and set about building to counter HopeTorture's typical build of tank/marine/thor. You might think that this would set up the map for those large, high food count battles that Terrans seem to do so well in, but you would be wrong.

From sniping medivac drops with his Mutalisks to killing harassing Hellions before they even manage a single kill, Fruit Dealer was on HopeTorture's every move with a counter and expanding at every opportunity. Even when his expos were scouted and HopeTorture pushed in to take one out, Fruit Dealer was there to respond.

With heavy use of Fungal Growth and flawless flanking of HopeTorture's forces with banelings, zerglings, or ultralisks, Fruit Dealer dominated this set from beginning to end. He even built a Greater Spire, simply to bait HopeTorture into making Vikings, without building a single Broodlord.

Masterful.

GSL Final: Intro

I'm going to be trying to blog and watch the matches at the same time, so bear with me. I'll be providing details on each set as they finish and then I will go to sleep. It's 5:55am right now and I probably should have had a nap before this. Anyways, here we go!

Burrow Play: Why Roaches Rule

When I was first starting in Starcraft II, I had a very loose idea of what the Zerg were. Having barely played the first game, I of course knew that Zerg were bugs on steroids and that they overwhelmed their opponents by sheer speed and numbers. The archetypical Zerg is the zergling, usually. It's what almost everyong thinks of first. Then, of course, they think of Hydralisks, Mutalisks, Brood Lords, Queens, etc. But does anyone's mind first think of Roaches?

TG Intel Starcraft II Open: Part 2

We are now entering Day 4 of the TG Intel Starcraft II Open(what a mouthful) and I have to say GOMtv has improved their offering every step of the way.