The first of two heavily Protoss groups, the results followed predictions precisely as the games themselves were decent, but not great (I noted the best below). You can watch the VODs via the link and here's my look at the various matches:
This was a very short series running against predictions as Welmu went for DTs each game while BabyKnight went for blink--Welmu was scouted each time and died as his DTs accomplished nothing. This was the least interesting series to watch.
The series went as expected. Game one StarDust went up to three bases (not saturating the third) as TLO built roaches to handle the initial gateway push (hitting before blink and +1 was finished) and as they traded out the German player wound up ahead; TLO aimed for a roach/hydra/viper army as StarDust transitioned to colossus; StarDust bought himself some time by catching half of TLO's army with his entire force (along with doing some warp prism harass); TLO forced StarDust to cancel his fourth and killed his third as StarDust harassed multiple bases (killing the fourth); TLO built a few broodlords, but StarDust attacked with his army and kept their supply count close before withdrawing as he rebuilt his third; TLO added ultralisks as StarDust built a dark shrine, adding tempests and storm; TLO killed the fourth again before withdrawing; TLO tried to attack the fifth, but ran into StarDust's army and had to withdraw; TLO attempted a flank, but didn't time the attack correctly to have all his units hit at the same time and was forced to tap out. Game two StarDust went for an immortal/sentry attack as TLO responded with hydras; StarDust snipped the third and recalled out; TLO attacked the natural and while he traded he did no damage to the economy; StarDust teched to colossus while harassing with his warp prism; TLO forced a cancel at the third and then tried a surround the army, but StarDust used forcefields to prevent it and killed one half as the other withdrew; StarDust killed the third and shortly afterwards assaulted the natural, forcing TLO to tap out. The first game was entertaining and well-worth watching.
This series followed predictions. Game one BabyKnight went stargate as StarDust teched to blink and an expansion; BabyKnight didn't do much with his phoenix and then went for an attack with some immortals which he aborted almost immediately; both players went up to three bases as StarDust got double robo production behind him; StarDust used his blink stalkers to snipe the robo bay; BabyKnight attacked the third, but was forced to recall out while StarDust forced the cancel of the fourth; BabyKnight killed the fourth himself, but StarDust went for harassment at the main and third and did a ton of damage with DTs; BabyKnight's own harassment allowed him to snipe the third; StarDust (now up to 13 colossi) went for a fight and crushed BabyKnight. Game two BabyKnight comically thought StarDust was in the wrong main while attempting a four-gate; StarDust also went for a four-gate; BabyKnight tried to go up the ramp, got cut off by forcefields and tapped out immediately.
This game also followed predictions. Game one Welmu went up to a quick three bases as he added blink and +1; TLO went hydra heavy and built a proxy spire that went unscouted; Welmu feigned pressure at the third which did a tiny bit of economic damage; TLO sent hydras to the third, but they were chased away easily; mutas racked up a lot of probe kills and sniped the robo bay as the hydras killed the third; Welmu built a ton of blink stalkers, but continued to take damage from the mutas; TLO transitioned into ultralisk/infestor, attacking with his initial army just to trade and killed Welmu with the following attack. Game two Welmu went for an early third base and went up to eight gates and blink as TLO attacked with a pile of roaches--he killed all the sentries, but was unable to do actual economic damage; TLO attacked again, but this time Welmu had an immortal and pushed back more effectively; TLO built a spire as Welmu went up to a ridiculous number of blink stalkers (33!) anchored by immortals; TLO attacked catching Welmu out of position, but couldn't hurt the Protoss economy; Welmu kept forces at home while attacking and in the end, army versus army, TLO couldn't hold against +3 attack and tapped out. In the final game Welmu went super greedy into an immortal/sentry push as TLO again went for a spire; TLO attacked with lings as part of Welmu's army move out--nothing was killed which, despite the energy lost, was crucial--Welmu took a pair of brilliant engagements and despite having many stalkers beat the ling/muta army and won the game. The third game was short, but featured great engagements by Welmu so is worth watching for that. Game two was also a lot of fun and the closest of the three.
The re-match was more in line with predictions. In game one both players went for blink which Welmu held against as he had more stalkers; Welmu aborted his own push as BabyKnight went for DTs--the scout gave the Finnish player the chance to get detection and prevent the DTs from doing anything; BabyKnight built up a huge immortal count and Welmu's stalker/sentry army could not handle it and he had to tap out. In game two BabyKnight went for a stargate as Welmu went for DTs followed by blink; both players expanded twice as they transitioned into colossus; BabyKnight pressured the third despite being behind in army supply and got run over and tapped out. In the final game Welmu went for an oracle and transitioned into a robo as BabyKnight went for blink; BabyKnight lost units to forcefields on the ramp and probes to continual oracle harassment; as Welmu took his natural BabyKnight tried to continue the pressure, but lost his observer so settled into a contain as he took his expansion; Welmu attacked the containing force and BabyKnight lost his entire army; Welmu killed the natural, but recalled due to some harassment; shortly afterwards BabyKnight tapped out after losing most of his stalker army while attacking.
StarDust and Welmu move on.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
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