Blizzard Cup 2011 Recap

As we rapidly approach the end of this year, it's time for GOMTV's annual tournament, the Blizzard Cup. It's one of the highlights of the calendar year, as the GSL's very best battle it out, selection based upon GSL Ranking (points awarded for tournament placings throughout the year).

At time of writing the group stages are well underway and the excitement is ramping up yet I find myself casting my mind back to this time last year, to the first ever Blizzard Cup and the greatest GSL final the world has ever seen. With this article I wanted to remind people just what an excellent show GOM had created, and to inform newer viewers of what they missed out on by not watching last year.

The tournament brought us great moments: Tasteless & Artosis in tuxedos, NaNiWa's suspension-inducing probe rush, DongRaeGu's tense series against MC, and MMA gaining a dominating 3-0 win over fellow Terran, MVP. None of this, however, would compare to the final best of seven series between MVP's Zerg player, DongRaeGu and SlayerS' Terran, MMA.

DongRaeGu and MMA being introduced. -Image courtesy GOMTV.net

The map set-up was an interesting one, with the initial three maps being considered weighted towards Zerg play, and the following four being slightly more in favour of the Terran. The talk was that DongraeGu would come out strong, with MMA trying to sneak a win or two early in the series and then make a strong push to take the series once they reached maps like Dual Sight and Antiga Shipyard.

 

Initial Domination

From the off this looked to be the way it would play out, with DRG holding off the initial Hellion pressure (the standard in every TvZ in 2011) and following up with a Baneling & Roach attack that pushed all the way into MMA's main base. Miraculously, MMA held on and made superb use of cloaked Banshees to swing the game in his favour and win.

Game two saw a much more cautious DRG facing off against a confident MMA on Tal'Darim Altar. DongRaeGu's cautiousness paid off as he held off both the Hellion pressure and the Marine/Tank/Medivac timing attack (although he lost an Evolution Chamber in the process). As the game went on, however, MMA's drop harass managed to completely shut down DRG economically, allowing him to take a rather swift 2-0 lead.

The third game saw DongRaeGu completely fall apart as MMA's standard Hellion harass simply never died. A multitude of Zerglings and Drones died to the increasing number of Hellions in his base, to the point where he had no chance to hold off the Marauders that followed. This misstep left DRG just one game away from defeat, with only Terran-favoured maps left to play on.

Pictured: MMA's Hellions killing everything ever. -Image courtesy GOMTV.net

The Comeback

Game four saw a similar opening, with the Hellions doing a fair amount of harass, although nothing as devastating as on the previous map. MMA geared up for the same timing attack as on Bel'Shir but this time DRG was prepared. Using his Queens, DRG was able to hold off the push while simultaneously counter-attacking with Speedlings into MMA's main, causing untold economic damage and getting a full scout on every tech building.

The game was far from over, however, as MMA tried to get back into the game by expanding, pushing out and attempting to drop all at the same time. Unfortunately for him, the drop was caught, the push died to burrowed banelings and the 3rd came under heavy pressure from Zerglings and Ultras. Harrassed as he was, MMA had no chance of stopping the maxed out army of DRG from simply crushing him, giving DongRaeGu his first win of the series.

MMA, in game five, once again hid his first Barracks, doing his absolute best to scare the crap out of DongRaeGu. This game actually played out near identically to the first game with DRG massing up a Roach & Baneling attack, although MMA was lacking Banshees this time. The attack hit and, once again, did a great deal of damage but didn't quite end the game.

 

DongRaeGu's Banelings breaking down MMA's wall. -Image courtesy GOMTV.net

The end came shortly after when MMA's double drop, containing most of his army, was destroyed. From this point onwards MMA never had the forces to hold back DRG and was forced to gg after several minutes of losing everything he owned.

Despite DongRaeGu rallying back to take two consecutive games MMA remained confident as the following map was Antiga Shipyard, historically Terran-favoured. MMA's confidence was fairly well-placed, as his Hellion/Marine/Tank push would have absolutely crushed a Zerg player going for the standard Muta/Ling combo.

Unfortunately for MMA, DRG was playing the game like it was still in beta with a huge force of Roaches upgraded with +2 Attack that rolled over MMA's force. After that crushing defeat, it was simply a matter of DRG's Roaches moving in for the kill, aided by Banelings dropped from upgraded Overlords to finish things off and level the series in an incredible comeback.

 

All To Play For

Everything has built up to this one moment, only the second time ever a GSL Final had gone to the wire. After six games there was no way to separate between the two players, even at the last game of a tournament created to discover the greatest player of the entire year.

The map would be Shakuras Plateau and there would be no cheese from either player. Neither was willing to risk a loss with such a coinflip strategy. Instead, both players fell back to what they knew. MMA opened with Reactor Hellions as DRG defended and transitioned into Muta/Ling play after establishing his third base.

 

MMA denies DongRaeGu's Mutalisk harass. -Image courtesy GOMTV.net

The harass went back and forth, with DRG's Mutalisks doing damage to MMA's worker line but MMA responding with a drop at DRG's attempted fourth, forcing a cancellation. While the harass never truly stopped, the main focus of the game was the centre of the map.

Time and again MMA would position his Siege Tanks on the high ground outside of DRG's potential fifth and sixth bases, stifling DongRaeGu's economic growth. DRG would respond by building up a sizeable army and pushing out to break the contain, switching masterfully between Ultralisks and Broodlords to keep MMA guessing.

At no point did MMA ever stop dropping any base he could, constantly killing Drones, Hatcheries and any tech buildings he could get his hands on. DongRaeGu's responses were, inevitably, excellent. Drop after drop was shut down, DRG's supply swinging wildly with the flow of the game.

Finally, DRG's tech variance paid off as his army of Broodlords caught MMA by surprise, smashing his mainly Marauder force to pieces, allowing DRG to take a supply lead for the first time in fifteen minutes and denying MMA's expansion attempt.

 

DongRaeGu catches MMA out with a switch into Broodlords. -Image courtesy GOMTV.net

Forty minutes into the game and DongRaeGu is at the front of MMA's base. MMA looks completely out of it at this point. All his Vikings were Fungaled to death, leaving DRG's Broodlords free reign to destroy MMA's Barracks. MMA continued to make units, rallying them to the side of his base, desperately trying to build up enough of an army to push out.

Suddenly, two Siege Tanks that had been left out on the map attack into DongRaeGu's only mining base (all other bases being mined out after so long). Out of nowhere, DRG's income had fallen to zero, and MMA had enough damage to break the contain that was no longer able to receive reinforcement.

With no income and no army DongRaeGu had no choice but to type out "GG" for the last time that night, handing the series to MMA 4 - 3. The audience, who had been riveted all night, exploded into joy.

SlayerS as happy as they've ever been. -Image courtesy GOMTV.net

Watching back I feel a great sense of contentment in seeing a team that struggled in 2012 until they eventually disbanded get to celebrate possibly the greatest victory in GSL history, as the entirety of SlayerS swarmed the stage, ending the show with MMA surrounded by his closest friends and training partners.