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So Go4SC2 Cup number 40 was almost cancelled, but at the last minute 3 people signed up late and we had a cup. A small cup though, with only 17 people. But we still had a cup. Again, clashing with the ever popular Masters cup is a problem (*cough*skiptorumours*cough*). Still, i would not be put off, and Byrnsy and I adminned. Familiar faces like Jerry, and GO4SC2 cup stalwart Ninja were present, as well as some faces we hadn't seen in a while, namely FaNaTic and JaBiTo. It was also good to see some newer players, as well as some lower league players stepping in there to compete with the pros. It can never hurt guys, and it gives you good experience. The chances of you getting through are slim, but i want to see BSG'ers repping it up in the leagues!

Dun Dun dun... we saw the injection of a new Korean face! The mysterious Kim Sung Je, whom through my extensive research (putting Kim Sung Je into TeamLiquid) has revealed is none other than StarTale player Rainbow! Unfortunately Kim Sun Je didn't show up for his match, so that avenue wasn't explored. Hopefully he enters next week and we see some players going up against him in tough matches!

This no-show saw Jerry skip through to his quarter final, where the infamous random seeding had put him up against Ninja. Recently having joined sequential gaming from aLt, Ninja was playing with a vengeance. He rolled over Sanctify, and Jerry put up a brave fight but still lost 2-0 to a player that it seems is becoming a very dangerous Zerg. On the other side of the brackets, pokerface, recently having joined the ESL in the last few Go4SC2 matches, was rolling his way through as well. Going 5-0 up until his final against Ninja. The stage was set for a great final.

And a final it was! With both players trading wins in the bo5 until at 2-2 they faced off in an all or nothing match. It was Ninja that prevailed, with some calm play. Congratulations to Ninja who won 3-2 and won the $75 and points towards the monthly finals.

Brilliant cup, despite the small amount of people.

So the first match was on Shakuras Plateau, and from the look of the stream, the majority of the viewers were barracking for Rossi. Both players opening standard for Shakuras, with fast expands coming out. Some mismanagement from Rossi saw his first 3 marines get trapped ouside the wall and eaten by lings. Poor guys...

Phoenix was playing very standard, with some good creep spread, and upgraded lings. Rossi immediately went for 2 Eng bays and started getting 1/1 for his marines! Moving out with 20 upgraded marines at around the 10 minute mark was probably a bad idea. Phoenix already had almost the entire half of his side of the map covered in creep, and those banelings were just that little bit faster werent they. 5 banelings and a little shielding from some zerglings, and bam. No more marines.


Silly marines, thinking you acid-resistant

This put phoenix waaaay ahead. He now had map control and could deny Rossi from taking his third, while he was already safely expanded to it. But 2/2 was on the way for Rossi, and we all know those marines are dangerous when they get upgraded too much. And at 12 minutes Rossi again had enough marines and tanks to defend that 3rd. A little creep killing venture was in the books, and rossi managed to push it back quite well for a time. But the marines forgot to come home, and got mutalated! Some muta harass kept Rossi on his toes, but those 2/2 marines were becoming 3/3 marines and slowly Phoenix was losing his advantage. Even expanding twice more like he did was iffy, with the marine/tank count coupled with upgrades.


30 scv's was the final destroyed count from this muta harass!

Rossi began to move out, his huge marine tank force going to cut a swathe through the opposing zerg force... wait... where was it. Not only was his army out of position, but he left his door open, and in walked 50 lings and 20 banelings to clean up any mining that was still going on after the mutas had left.


What, were you born in a tent?!

Rossi powered forward. His army could take the zerg base, while the zerg was taking his. Again, some brilliant baneling micro managed to take out Rossi's force, but by this stage, Rossi had defended, and wiped out both the natural and most of the tech at the main. Things were looking good for him. But there was something on the way that no terran wants to see. Something with amazing armour, splash, and burrow. Something big enough to laugh at the 3/3 upgrades on those marines. Phoenix had been building an ultra cavern, and now 8 of the massive units were on the way.


Phoenix used Ultralisk. It was super effective!

From then on, it was a foregone conclusion, 2/2 ultras with chitinous plating were tough, and Rossi was still only on 3 base. Some valiant defense saw many think he might still win, but the ultras were too much, and he finally succumbed after half an hour of intense gaming.

Phoenix spawned in the top right on GSL Crevasse. Rossi, a Terran, spawned in the bottom left. Both players opened standard, with Rossi going a 14 rax and Phoenix going a 15 hatch 14 pool on a map with an easily defended rear expansion. Rossi went a fast expand with an early reactor'ed factory, while Phoenix went roaches and ignored zergling speed. Two hellions raced across the map to hopefully get some worker kills until they saw the roaches bearing down on them and decided it probably wasn't worth it. However at the 8 minute mark, when Phoenix decided to concentrate on expanding to his 3rd and spreading creep, Rossi ninja'd 5 hellions into the base! Losing them all, but splitting them well and taking out 12 workers in the one engagement, i would say that was a fair trade.


Ahhh the burning bodies of drones

Rossi then pulled out 5 rax, 2 eng bay. In an aim to get some 3/3 op marine play happening (jjks) while phoenix did the same with Evo Chambers and his zerglings, intelligently getting a baneling nest as well, to deal with those marines. Phoenix began to move out, clearing some of the rocks for extra mobility with his zerglings, that is until Rossi's tanks decided that he didn't like that idea.


what did we ever do to you?!

However Phoenix was going sneaky, and sent lings to the opposite rocks, unbeknownst to Rossi. Rossi's marines were on the way back, but Phoenix managed to get 19 lings in to Rossi's natural! Brilliant defence saw him only lose 1 scv though! I'll skip through a little bit, because this is a long match. Muta play, and constant marine defense micro, saw a tense match, as Phoenix took 5 base and kept Rossi to 3. Then in a horror engagement at 18:00, Rossi lost most of his army. With 6 rax, 4 with reactors, and 2 Factories though he was soon rebuilt. But Phoenix definitely had the upper hand here. The mutalingfestor ball again denied Rossi his 4th. But the 3/3 marines showed just how strong they are by defending it all themselves, while Rossi rebuilt and sent his force out to go clear the top of all those pesky expansions by the zerg player. Phoenix really had nothing to compete... or did he?


something no terran/protoss player wants to see... ever

But again! Those 3/3 marines managed to hold their own, with the help of two vikings. Rossi then proceeded to clear the map, and the gg came from phoenix after a brutal half hour!

Phoenix chatted a little bit about his delay because he was in germany, and this play maybe should have alerted Rossi to what was coming. A standard 14 pool with ling speed came out, but.. um... wtf is that up there?


uhhh... pretty sure thats a proxy baneling nest? wtf?!

Rossi did not get the scout on the proxy baneling nest, and he was expecting some hard macro play from Phoenix. The banelings busted in the front door, and with Rossi going a fast expand it was looking dangerous, but the hellions that Rossi gets early save the day. And as the all in fails, Phoenix calls gg and Rossi gets through to the semi finals!


ice ice banelings

1/ Go4SC2 keeps clashing with the masters cup, which is an extremely popular event... Say it changed, to say... saturday night instead. This would solve many problems... Thoughts?

2/ September and October's monthly finals are going to be soon. That means more $250 prizes. This means more exciting competition!

3/ I hear that sixcube, head esl SC2 admin... is actually a rectangle and not a cube! :O

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