MONDAY NIGHT STARCRAFT

Drefsab: Welcome to week 2 in our first exciting season of Monday Night Starcraft. Tonight our matchup features Pika_Flare versus the relatively unknown -John. Joining me tonight is my colleague E-Minor and Minor, you can't get anymore simple then John can you?

E-Minor: No you can't Dref, but I'll tell you this right now, I hope that Pika_Flare fella isn't related to Pikachu. I hate those damned Pokemons.

Drefsab: Sure Minor, I saw you trading Pokemon cards with TheRubberDucky this afternoon during pregame warmup.

E-Minor: (blushes) Awww Dref, you didn't have to say that...

Drefsab: Ahem, anyway, let's talk about tonight's game. Tonight's host is John and it looks like he has chosen to take the home field advantage by creating a game on Dire Straits. Minor, what makes this map different from most maps?

E-Minor: Well Dref, its an island map and that changes the entire perspective of the game. Islands give a player the chance to power without being swarmed over by an early low tech rush.

Drefsab: Like the 4 drone rush that you're so fond of?

E-Minor: Err, yeah.

Drefsab: Well, the players have arrived in the room now. Pika Flare has opted to go with Yellow Protoss while John has chosen Red Zerg. Minor, what do you think of John's decision to go with Zerg against a protoss opponent?

E-Minor: Well Dref, I feel like this is one of the toughest matchups in the game when playing on islands. The early muta rush gets beaten down by corsairs and hydra drops can easily be handled by templar and reavers. If John hopes to win this matchup, he's got to contain Pika in the early game, outexpand him, and then overpower him.

Drefsab: Well we'll find out what these players have in mind shortly because the game is about to begin. There goes the countdown... and here we go. Pika has started at the top left position while John has started at the bottom left position.

E-Minor: Well, the players have started close to one another, it will be interesting to see who strikes first.

Drefsab: Hey, did you see that?

E-Minor: What?

Drefsab: There's someone behind your chair... It's TheRubberDucky!! Ducky, what are you doing here?

TheRubberDucky: Minor, we need to have a little chat.

E-Minor: (Glancing nervously at his feet) What do you want Ducky?

TheRubberDucky: (Thrusting some cards into Minor's face) These Pokemon cards you traded me this afternoon are fake.

E-Minor: Yeah right Ducky, how do you know?

TheRubberDucky: When I took them home and looked at them under my microscope I saw that they were made out of toilet paper... used toilet paper.

Drefsab: Guys, can we settle this later? there's a game going on here.

TheRubberDucky: (exiting to the right) I'll be waiting for you outside Minor.

Drefsab: All right, during that little interuption, the players have gotten there build orders started. John has gone with an extractor and then a spawning pool. He's morphing a Lair now. Pika has gone with a pylon, an assimilator, a gateway, and a second pylon. He's got a cy core and a 3^rd pylon warping in now. Minor, do you see anything strange about this build order?

E-Minor: Well Dref, it looks like Pika has overkilled on pylons. With three pylons he's at 33 supply. Dref, he's only got about 14 probes down there. Going with that extra pylon early will slow down his economy.

Drefsab: This could make things interesting because John's Lair is complete and he's morphing in a spire and a 2^nd hatchery.

E-Minor: Well Dref, normally I would say that a muta rush build is suicidal, but Pika has warped in a robotics facility and a robotics support bay. This is definitely not an anti muta build.

Drefsab: John's first mutas have popped out of their eggs and he's morphing his creep colonies into sunkens. Minor, what do you think about the use of sunkens for base defense in this situation?

E-Minor: Dref, I don't like it. When you're playing as Zerg on an island map, you're inevitably going to be facing corsairs. If you're going with a muta rush, you better morph those creep colonies into spores and let your mutas handle any ground assault.

Drefsab: Minor, look at this, a shuttle loaded up with a lone probe is moving out from Pika's base. Its moving south to the island between his and John's main. I'm forced to question the intelligence of this move.

E-Minor: Dref, Pika may not yet know the location of John's base. John's scouting overlord did not pass directly over Pika's base. However, I agree that starting a naked expansion this early in the game is a big risk.

Drefsab: He's dropped off the probe now and his shuttle has continued moving south. He has flown right into John's base. The mutas have spotted the shuttle and boom!! That shuttle just went down in a blaze of glory.

E-Minor: Dref, I think the key to scouting with a shuttle is to do it quick without losing the shuttle.

Drefsab: Huk huk Minor, thanks for stating the obvious.

E-Minor: Bite me Dref...

Drefsab: Heh, no time for that now, John's got 10 mutas and they are flying north towards Pika's base. In fact, they may just spot Pika's lonely probe starting its first pylon on that island.

E-Minor: Dref, they're flying towards the left hand side of the screen, I don't think they're going to spot it.

Drefsab: You're right Minor, the probe just barely missed getting detected. The question is, does Pika have enough base defense with his reaver tech to hold off a muta assault.

E-Minor: Dref, Pika has managed to produce 5 dragoons out of his one gateway and he has one photon cannon protecting his probe line.

Drefsab: 10 mutas versus 5 dragoons and a photon cannon. Hmmmm...

E-Minor: Pika's probes better run for cover.

Drefsab: Well, the mutas have flown around the left side of Pika's base and now they're flying in from the northwest corner. The dragoons and cannons are firing... Oh my God!! The mutas are running away!! Minor, explain this to me.

E-Minor: Dref, I can't. John must have panicked. I really think he missed a golden opportunity to do some damage.

Drefsab: Well, the mutas are now flying south towards home, and they have passed right over Pika's naked expansion. Will they fly right by without even noticing? Nope, here they come back. Pika's first expansion attempt has failed.

E-Minor: Well, Pika is not letting this set him back. He's expanding again this time to the island on his right. He's teched up to templar now and he's merged two of them into an archon to protect his new attempt at an expansion.

Drefsab: Look at this Minor, John has researched speed for his overlords, and he has cloned 8 of them to fly over each expansion on the map. One of them has discovered the probe on the top middle expansion spot that is warping in its first pylon.

E-Minor: John's gotta take that expansion down before any cannons have a chance to warp in.

Drefsab: He's got 12 mutas to do the job. I think that should be sufficient. They will definitely arrive in time.

E-Minor: Yup, here they come...

Drefsab: They have focused fire on the archon and my God!! I can't believe how grouped up they are!!

E-Minor: Holy God!! 7 mutas just vaporized in 1 shot from the archon. The splash damage is slaughtering those mutas.

Drefsab: 2 more have dropped, and there go the last three!! All 12 mutas have perished to 1 archon!! This is truly a catastrophe for John.

E-Minor: It sure was Dref. Not only has John lost 1200/1200 mineral and gas without destroying any of Pika's buildings or units, but he has also failed to stop Pika from expanding. Dref, we both know how important containment is for Zerg in the island game.

Drefsab: Well, John has got to be rattled now. I'm looking at his base and there is something wrong.

E-Minor: Dref, if you and I are looking at the same thing, I would say that you are talking about John's lack of corsair defense. There is no hydra den or spore colonies in John's base.

Drefsab: That's right Minor, up until now, he's been okay because Pika hasn't built any corsairs, but I see a Stargate in Pika's base now and its blinking... this can't be good for John.

E-Minor: That's right Dref. John is morphing his Lair into a hive, but he has produced nothing but zerglings and overlords since he lost those mutas. He appears to be going with some kind of crackling offensive.

Drefsab: Oh, and look at this, John is finally attempting to expand. He has begun morphing a naked hatchery at the island to his right.

E-Minor: Dref, that expansion attempt doesn't have a prayer. Look, a patrolling corsair just flew right over it.

Drefsab: Right again Minor, here come 3 shuttles from Pika's main loaded with assorted goodies. Here comes the drop. Pika has brought 4 dragoons, 2 zealots, and 2 templar with 3 corsairs overhead for support.

E-Minor: Not that he needed them, look how quickly that hatchery got blasted and not a bit of resistance from John.

Drefsab: Well, it looks like John may have another plan Minor. Look, his Hive has finished morphing now and he's loading up overlords with cracklings. The overlords are moving out now. I count 14 Minor.

E-Minor: Hmm, 14 overlords. If they are loaded up to full capacity, that's 118 cracklings headed for Pika's main.

Drefsab: But do they stand a chance against Pika's base defense?

E-Minor: Dref, it looks like he has 8 zealots, 8 goons, 4 templar and 2 reavers, not to mention 3 or 4 cannons. I really don't see this attack doing a whole lot of damage. Probably the best John can hope for is a distraction that weakens Pika and gives John the chance to try for another expansion.

Drefsab: Ummm, Minor, those 14 overlords are flying up the left side of the map and they just flew by one of Pika's observers. Pika's got about 10 corsairs sitting over his base waiting for some action.

E-Minor: And the've got their chance Dref. They're flying out across the map on an intercept course. Those overlords are in for an unpleasant surprise.

Drefsab: The corsairs have met up with the overlords on the southern tip of Pika's main island. They are firing!! Holy mother of God!! The overlords are over land but they're not dropping their payload and they are starting to pop quickly. 7 are dead!! Now 10!! All the overlords are dead!! How many cracklings landed Minor?

E-Minor: Dref, I count to small red splotches on the ground outside Pika's main base. 2 zerglings out of 118 landed safely.

Drefsab: Well Minor, I think that's game. Pika is loading up his shuttles now for a massive counterattack and John doesn't have much to stop it.

E-Minor: No he doesn't Dref, this looks like the end.

Drefsab: He's got 9 shuttles loaded up with 10 goons, 6 zealots, 2 reavers, and 4 templar along with 12 corsairs for air support.

E-Minor: John has managed to scrape together 2 guardians, 4 devourers, a few cracklings, and 3 sunkens for defense.

Drefsab: There is no way that's gonna be enough to stop Pika. Wow, this is a one-sided assault. John is toast.

E-Minor: Yeah, look at how quickly those buildings are getting razed. Dref, its all over!! What a crazy game!! I definitely need to get a Pika_Flare Pokemon card. Maybe Ducky has one, I'm going outside to talk to him. Later Dref!!

Drefsab: Yeah thanks Minor, leave me stuck with the post game show you freak. **sigh** Well, here's the scores folks...

We'll be right back with the post game show after these messages.

(Man with no leg stumbles onto the scene, little boy walks up to him)

Little Boy:

Mister, how did you lose your leg?

Man with no leg: Son, one of those zerglings ripped it off.

Little Boy: Wow, that's cool, how can I get my leg torn off like that?

Man With No Leg (points to recruiting office down the street): Sign up for the marine core today. You'll be on the front lines in no time.

Little Boy: Cool mister, thanks!!

(Little Boy skips down the street.)

Voiceover: Army, Be all that you can be.

---

Drefsab: Welcome back to the post game show where I have John here to discuss the game with me. John, what was going through your mind as Pika's 1 archon destroyed 12 of your mutas?

Drefsab: I see. And what were you thinking when all fourteen of your overlords got destroyed and only 0.7% of your drop landed safely.

Drefsab: Err yes, well.... NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? DON'T THROW THAT CHAIR AT ME!! Good Lord, YOUR INSANE!!! (Runs screaming out of the room.)

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for tuning in, we'll see you next time on Monday Night Starcraft.