As part of our "constantly updated" feature in The Grandmaster Manual, every week we add new valuable content that will enhance our subscribers experience. This week features TGM Author & coach OxygeN's thoughts on his ladder games. OxygeN has made a sensational return to the rankings, taking the #2 spot on the SEA GM ladder in just under 1 week of returning to actively laddering.
We hope you enjoy these reports but we would also like to give exclusivity to our premium TGM members so only the 5 first games will be displayed for all and the rest can be seen by subscribing! We hope everyone here will enjoy the new releases from our coaches/guest pros each week!
A person I have been playing with since a long way back, I tried a 1 rax tech lab expansion, with a 2 marauder 1 scv poke, which results in my marauder dying, and killing only 1 stalker. Thereafter he sets up a soft contain on my ramp, and with an observer on the top of my cliff, he manages to run as I attempt to break the contain. Running to his base, I see collossus, and the base carries on with a MMMV vs his gateway + colossus composition. I was never able to mass up a huge ball as the threat of colossus and his aggression kept preventing me from hitting critical mass. and even with some clutch emps, I still lost that engagement, losing my OC, and kept contained. The game ended with him having outplayed me from the start, and with me never able to gain any momentum.
gggggggg.
Rating: 8/10 (I was clearly outplayed.) What I could improve on: I was indecisive throughout the game, should I 1 base, should I expo, should I put bunkers, and he just was too aggressive and didn't give the indecisive me time to choose.
General idea was to play a 1 base strong push if side spawns, and macro if it was cross spawns. So on my usual scout post-rax i found this..
So my next play was to 1 base him in general, MMMG Hellions was my composition of choice, got caught with my usual push, lost a couple of units then I knew I had to do some kind of clutch play because obviously I won't be winning with a 10 food differential off 1 base. So he did a very strange suicidal push up my ramp, and followed it up with immortals that I couldn't break.
The final result; 1 emp wins the game!
Rating: 6/10. My TvPs are generally boring unless its TDA/Shakuras Plateau. What I could improve on: Micro better, since 1 base strategies revolve so much around micro.
General Idea was to try out my new hellions opening, so I opened up with reactor hellions, killed pretty much every drone save for 13, I then knew that he would either All-In me, or to mass macro back, the first option I would be safe if I turtled a little, the second, a timing push would critically cripple him or kill him outright.
Did a timing push, prepared for a counter attack...
Victory!
Rating: 5/10 (Kinda one-sided) What I could improve on: Could've microed my hellions better and transitioned more smoothly.
A familar face to many of us, the ultimate whiner, and yes he did whine in channel after this game. Really can't be bothered to macro vs Protosses, and this map I could never FE without being heavily threatened anyway, did a 1 base MMMG Hellions push with my trademark!
SCVSSSSSSS. though it is much less than normal, it still works. lmao.
Collect 4 points. Yay.
Rating: 5/10 What I could improve on: More crisp execution, and timings.
A opponent I really respect, RA is back to ladder baby! Already at #3 on the ladder in like 1 day??!? This was Metalopolis side spawn. He opened reaper first, and so my 3 Marine 1 SCV did a reasonable lot of damage. Seeing that reaper first = low defenses to air, I followed up with a banshee, and a marine tank banshee push.
THE ATTACK!!
Eventually after a few more waves of units, and a couple of SCVs massacres(by him and me,) he finally GGs out. Thank god. I thought my ridiculous idea of going and attack him instead of turtling was gonna backfire!
The final scene
Rating: 6/10 (Not much micro, generally a BO win, and a mistake.) What I could improve on: My micro was terrible as I got grossly complacent, and perhaps throw down an expansion after I pushed.
The good thing about OxygeN replay packs is that you can get through 10 games worth and it only takes up the time of 1 replay from anyone else! Reccommended!
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Brendan "TAdeL" Ferguson Clan TA | Twitter | YouTube
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