THE GREAT BATTLEREPORTING CONTEST (Week 2)

This week's contest involves once again guessing the winning team in a 2v2 match-up. The second part of the contest asked contestants to guess the total combined score of the four players.

I had some interesting guesses including a couple in the high millions, which probably came from the fact that the people guessing closed their eyes and pounded on the number keypad with their fists.

Anyway, I know you all are just peeing your pants to find out how this will turn out so without further adieu I present:

Pitt & Fox^1 Vs. Snakeyez & The.Confessor

Pitt and Fox both draw Zerg and Pitt immediately bounces a strat idea off Fox.

Fox agrees and they both do a 9 pool build followed by a 2nd hatchery at their respective chokes.

Meanwhile, Confessor and Snake scout, find their dual zerg opponents, and discover their dastardly plan.

Snake and Confessor work on producing early units to combat the zerg threat. Confessor works on zealots and Snake works on marines. However, those of you that have faced a double 9 pool know that it always gets there quicker than you think.

STRIKE EARLY, STRIKE HARD

Unfortunately for Confessor, he is the one who is caught with his pants down. He sends a probe out for the purpose of sitting outside Pitt's base and detecting incoming zerglings. The probe detects zerglings all right, and they are already up Confessor's ramp and inside his main.

To make matters worse for Confessor, he has his gateway rallied to the top of his ramp. The 12 combined zerglings from Fox and Pitt meet up with the zealot about halfway between Confesor's ramp and his main. Because it is not on attack move, the zealot dies without getting a single hit on any of the zerglings.

When the zerglings first arrive in Confessor's main, their only opponents are mineral mining probes. The probes, determined not to go down without a fight, turn to face the ravenous zergling invaders. Many probes die in the few breathless moments between the time that the probes engage the zerglings and two zealots warp out of Confessor's gateways.

By the time the zealots join the fray, Confessor only has 5 of his 17 probes left. However, the 5 probes combined with the zealots prove to be enough to end the early threat and Confessor doggedly returns to probe and zealot production.

DESPARATION

It's desparate times for Snake and Confessor and Snake does what only a desparate man will do. He heads towards Fox's base with a force of 4 marines and 12 SCVs!!

Thinking that Snake is just messing around now that his team has been screwed by a Zerg double cheese, I immediately demand a rematch. However, the players stay quiet and continue to concentrate on the game.

Snake's SCV/marine force rolls up Fox's ramp and onto his plateau where a fresh hatchery has just completed its morph. The SCVs and marines lay into the hatch with everything they've got and, sooner than I expected, the hatchery explodes in a giant gush of red. Adrenalized by this victory, Snake's "troops" continue their push into Fox's main.

Seeing his partner's plight, Pitt says:

But alas, once the troops reach Fox's main, they meet up with 1 sunken colony and 8 zerglings for defense. After losing a couple of SCVs, Snake orders a quick retreat and Fox's zerglings follow. Once out of sunken range, Snake turns and fights killing all zerglings with the loss of another marine and another SCV. The remaining terran troops return to Snake's base.

ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES

After a very busy early game, there is a momentary lapse in the action. Pitt and Fox both expand to their naturals while Confessor explains to me what caused his early game lapse.

Snake sends out a scouting SCV and discovers Fox's recently morphed hatchery at his natural. He and Confessor immediately send out troops. Confessor sends 6 zealots across the map to meet up with Snake's force of marines/medics. However, Pitt's overlord spots Confessor's troops moving across the map and immediately sends zergling to reinforce Fox's own compliment of zerglings.

Snake's 12 marines, 3 medics, and 1 SCV are the first to arrive at the rendevous point outside of Fox's natural. As they wait for Confessor's zealots to arrive, the SCV begins constructing a bunker.

Pitt's force is the next to arrive on the scene. His force of 12 zerglings and 3 hydras runs into Snake's troops from the right at the same time that Fox's 12 zerglings attack from the left. Both zerg forces are on attack move and because of this, Fox's zerglings attack the SCV that is constructing the bunker first giving Snake the time he needs to pull his marines back from between the two oncoming forces. With this subtle move, Snake is now facing the entire zerg force head on instead of being completely surround by melee troops.

Zerglings start to burst but so do marines as the forces finally clash. At first it looks like Snake's troops will be overrun. But his little manuever has bought him enough time and suddenly, Confessor's 6 zealots arrive to suplement the marine/medic force. With these additional troops, the tide turns decidedly in favor of Snake and Confessor and Fox and Pitt's zerg troops are quickly eliminated.

The remaining terran/toss force rushes into Fox's natural and begins laying waste to the hatchery, the creep colony, and the 3 drones who had just started mining. Just as the hatchery explodes into a bloody mess, a control group of hydras, courtesy of Pitt, arrive on the scene. Seeing their brother's hatchery in ruins, they vow to have their revenge.

What the hydras don't count on though is how pimped up zealots become when they have 3 medics close by to heal their injuries. The hydras manage to kill 3 of the zealots before losing 6 of their own number. At that point, since there is nothing left to save at Fox's natural, Pitt brings them back home where they can cower behind the protective wall of sunkens that sit around Pitt's natural.

Instead of following the hydras, Confessor's 3 remaining zealots return to Fox's natural where they find a sunken colony morhping on the creep that still remains from the hatchery that once stood there. The zealots begin to pound on the morphing sunken but alas, 3 newly morphed mutas fly out of Fox's main and without the protective cover of the medics who had returned to Snake's base, the zealots were quickly defeated.

Trying to press his advantage, Fox flies the mutas across the map to Confessor's main where he hopes to use some harrassment tactics on Confessor who is still weak from the early game rush. But Confessor has teched up to goons and 4 are sufficient to chase away Fox's mutas.

Snake realizes that Confessor is going to need some help so he sends 4 marines and an SCV across the map. They set up shop at the top of Confessor's ramp where the SCV constructs a bunker. The marines hop into the bunker and Confessor puts a pylon and a cannon there to supplement the terran force.

With his strengthened choke, Confessor feels confident enough to expand. He brings a probe down into his natural and starts warping in a pylon and a Nexus. Unfortunately for him, Pitt's overlord is floating nearby and spots the would be expansion. He runs a control group of hydras supported by 6 mutas from Fox. Confessor's goons are quckly destroyed and he is forced to cancel his buildings. Fox and Pitt do not try to press up the ramp. Instead, they return their troops back to their mains.

ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE TIDE

At this point in the game, Pitt's expansion at his natural is running at full capacity and Fox has reconstructed his. Due to the fact that Confessor's expansion attempt failed and Snake has yet to expand, Confessor and Snake decide that its time to go on the offensive.

They gather a force of 12 marines, 3 medics, and 6 dragoons outside of Pitt's natural. Pitt's defense force stands at 2 sunkens, 12 hydras and some zerglings in his main.

Snake and Confessor charge in and Pitt immediately calls for assistance.

The hydras are quickly destroyed with the loss of only 2 marines and then the combined protoss and terran troops start working on the sunken colonies. As the troops are focusing fire on the sunkens, 6 more hydras and 12 more lings come from Pitt's main. Snake's troops have become spread out and Pitt's hydras are able to focus fire on the medics and kill them before they have the chance to heal each other.

The hydras pay the ultimate sacrifice, but they are followed up by 12 ravenous zerglings. Pitt's lings are also sent to zerg heaven, but not before doing some damage. Snake's troop count is down to 2 marines while Confessor has 4 dragoons remaining.

At that moment, Fox's reinforcements arrive in the form of 12 lings and 6 mutas. The surviving troops have already weathered 2 waves of zerg troops. The third wave proves to be the backbreaker. The terran/toss force is finally disposed of.

A lot of Zerg troops died in that assault and it was cost effective for Confessor and Snake, however, Pitt's expansion is still running at full capacity.

THE BREAKING LOOSE OF HELL

In response to the terran/toss assault, Pitt and Fox send 3 control groups of zerglings in single formation up Confessor's ramp. Thanks to Snake's bunker, the attack is easily repelled. However, Pitt says something that, had it been broadcasted to all players, would have struck fear into the heart Confessor.

While Pitt is preparing his drop, Snake has finally taken his natural. He is pumping infantry out of four rax, he has a few tanks for defense, and he has teched up to science vessles. He has also built another bunker at Confessor's natural to help him defend his expansion.

Confessor has moved the bulk of his troops to his expansion and when 7 overlords full of Pitt's troops land in his main covered by 12 mutas from Fox, all he can say is, "haha, gosu."

Instead of trying to defend his main, Confessor says

Confessor has managed to scrounge 6 zealots and 8 dragoons. Snake meets him at Pitt's natural with 24 marines/meds/firebats, 2 tanks, and 2 science vessels.

The troops roll into Pitt's natural where they meet the pathetic resistance of 12 zerglings. The zerglings don't even make a dent in the offensive.

Fox attempts to help by sending in his mutas but they are quickly fried by irradiation from the science vessels with the help of some plasma bolts and bullets from the ground troops.

Zergling support from Fox also arrives but it meets the same fate as its muta counterparts. Resistance was futile and Pitt's natural is completely obliterated.

After destroying the natural, the terran/toss team climbs the ramp into Pitt's main. Pitt's attempts at defense are futile since the bulk of his troops are still in Confessor's main. The troops start tearing into his buildings and his own main begins to fall. Luckily, he has managed to start a secret expansion on an island on the north side of the map and will not be eliminated.

However, Confessor has not fared so well. Pitt's hydras have completely ravaged his main and they begin to work on his expansion. Since Confessor's remaing troops are helping to destroy Pitt's main, he has nothing to defend his natural but Snake's bunker and 2 cannons. They are not enough to stop Pitt's 18 hydras and the natural falls. Had Confessor not built a pylon in Snake's main, he would have been knocked out of the game.

It's a good thing that Confessor survives because his remaining troops are still beating on Pitt's main. Pitt has nothing left to hold off the onslaught and his main is completely wiped off the map leaving Snake and Fox as the two main contenders.

The one advantage that Fox and Pitt have is that Pitt's 18 hydralisks have finished destroying Pitt's building and they are free to terrorize Snake. They charge across the map to counter the counter of the counter.

The hydralisks charge in and because most of Snake's troops were committed to attacking Pitt, His natural is lightly defended with a bunker and a few extra marines.

The attack succeeds in destroying Snake's natural, but he is able to float his command center away and run his SCVs up the ramp to safety. With the combination of irradiate and sieged tanks on the cliff above his ramp, Snake is able to hang on.

However, his economy has been interupted. He puts his command center back down at his natural and starts mining again. But since Confessor is now out of the game, Fox can concentrate completely on Snake and he begins sending steady streams of cracklings at Snake. The attacks are not enough to end the game, but they keep Snake distracted while Pitt starts to build back up.

Snake fights valiantly but he is never able to go on the offensive again with Fox's constant harrassment. After a couple of minutes, Pitt becomes a threat again. Snake is good, but he can't compete against the double team and is forced to surrender.

As Fox and Pitt clean up, I get this message from the eliminated Confessor. Obviously, the statue that he worships is not pleased with his performance.

AND NOW THE SCORES

I know, I know, you're just dying to know how close you got. I've taken the liberty of adding it up for those of you who are math deficient.

THE STANDINGS

And now, here are the current standing after two weeks of action:

Just a few Scoring notes:

• Efficiency (a.k.a Syncmaster_6ne) gets double points this week since he was in last week's game.
• The player's with stars by their total scores were players in tonite's game and will get double points next week.
• `Phillip's score was reset to 0 due to the cheating stunt he pulled last week (see the comment section in my last report)
• GTLoco is actually ~_KingTut_~ on last week's score but he requested I change it since he just changed his B.Net handle

I will be returning to the putting players scores in order next week due to numerous suggestions that its more fun and it adds more skill and less luck to the contest. Even with all the luck involved, I can think of at least 4 people who came within 6000 points of the actual score.

Keep an eye on the BR.com forum and Shockwave's forum for next week's matchup. I will be posting it sometime on Wednesday afternoon.

See you next Saturday night with week 3.

Cheers,

DREFSAB