Well yes another report, but I'm not in it this time, and it has all the ingredients for a nice rating, good players, not on temple or variant, but I'm not telling if terran wins (again)...

2vs2 on Dire Straights

Apex-X & Yavoon VS Squick & King Lewis

Well after my games with [HS]Persian we decided it would be fun to be on the same side for once, so we start a 2v2 game and end up as the observer team 0_o. One player drops and Persian disapears so we restart and I decide to watch anyway. One of the first comments comes from the terran team bomaning their race selection. But surely this very race matchup was discussed on shockwaves forum only a few days ago...

Breifly puzzled by Apex's lack of gas, I soon realise he is going for an early CC float, and sure enough 2 SCV construct a barracks and CC on the edge of his island nearest his ally yavoon. King Lewis is going strong corsair to contain the terrans, but Apex has already expanded. Squick and Yavoon go for fairly conservative buils, squick focusing on mutas, while yavoon is cleary going for drops.

The first and most pathetic attack of the game comes from yavoon, whose dropship narrowly squeaks past a couple of scourge to land some marines and an SCV behind squicks minerals, having no medics the marines life expectancy is less than a second. Meanwhile Squicks mutas have been testing the terran defences but do not make any real attacks. A large group of corsair is patrolling in front of Apex's main, but Apex is happy to sit tight for a while.

Yavoon has to save Apex's scouting ebay from mutas, and is preparing another drop, unfortunantly it lasts only a few seconds longer than the last :( Meanwhile both Squick and King Lewis expand, King Lewis double expands to a large island while squick takes the small island between them. Relying on mutas and corsair to protect them the probes/drones sit tight as the expansions come on line. The terrans are now way behind on expansions but have floated a rax to 2 islands in an effort to secure them with marines.

Barracks wars, yavoon finds a rax no match for a bunch of mutas, but once they have retreated from his marines settles back on to the island. Apex also has a rax and 5 marines on a large island, but when 2 shuttles full of zealots attack yavoon's barracks, they move on to Apex's killing the marines there also. Yavoon has a cunning plan of dropping marines on his attempted island expansion before floating buildings over, now the zealots are ripped apart by gauss fire giving the barracks a chance to start producing.

Only one island has not been fought over so far, and that island is covered by many corsair, but is soon becomes a major engagement. If you remember Apex got an early expand and has barely fought a single battle yet, he has a whole load of troops heading for the island in question just as King Lewis lands his own troops there. King Lewis's corsair are still patroling over the edges of Apex's island and now in a nice manouver Apex positions many marines under the corsairs path taking several down and forcing the rest to flee. With the corsair in retreat dropships are quickly sent to claim the island killing the probe and shuttle there.

Squick and King Lewis have put together a powerful force of corsair/scouts/guardains, to make things worse for the terrans dweb has just finished researching. 4 dwebs now cover the island severly limiting the marines firepower, Apex's wraiths are unaffected as King Lewis hastily brings in an observer. But soon a small force of valks appear from yavoon giving apex time to reinforce the island, there is now a breif lull in the fighting while Apex tries to stop the CC burning down, and King Lewis fetches a reaver from his base. The reaver kills several marines, but Apex has yet more wraiths and the island is now under terran control.

Meanwhile yavoon has been building all sorts of buildings over the 2nd large island, but oddly no CC's are built yet. Squick and King Lewis switch their attention to this island, assembling a huge force. At this point I feel the terrans are in a bit of a 'whole', but Squick and King Lewis are slow to attack slowly building up more and more troops. King Lewis adds a 4th stargate as the yavoon is praying he doesn't go carriers, Squicks OL are in trouble as all his forces are away from base, and there are valks all over his base, devourers quickly eliminate the threat however.

Squick and King Lewis STILL haven't attacked as planned, and Apex and yavoon land a large force of tanks and M&M on King Lewis's island. So the zerg/toss offensive is halted and quickly turn back to defend King Lewis's main. The terrans do some damage to the base, before being cut apart by scouts/corsair/guardians and decisivley here cracklings. The remnants of the zerg/toss army now head to attack their original target, but yavoon has had time to prepare and fends the attack even tho his SCV are forced to fight.

The toss base is now weakened and the terran team are ahead on expansions. With toss hurting the terrans decide to finish him off with mass M&M. A very succesful attack ensues, and King Lewis quits, despite having a double expansion, he has no army or production facilities, although he could have easily rebuilt. Squick is doing well however, raising yavons main with cracklings, and yavoon's expansion with guardians. He has a lot of burrowed troops around, with nydus canals, and a sneaky zergling spy. Trouble is King Lewis had taken most of his teams expansions, and squick is low on resources.

Apex however is not low on resources, he has had a BC fleet for a while now, and it has done an admirable job keeping well out of trouble. Seeing squick virtually defenseless he decides to risk the vunerable cruisers and kills squicks only expansion. With no minerals squick is forced to concede.

Lessons Learnt

Corsair are good on islands, but try and make some other units too.
Don't quit so soon.
Only drop when you have enough forces.
Attack, don't just sit around.
Corsair are good with Carriers, not with more corsair.

Willzzz.