Well, I had finally gotten my lazy ass back into StarCraft and decided what better way then to celebrate then to test my skills out on ladder? My first ladder game was an easy victory, a failed muta rush into my turrets was followed by other failed attacks by mutas, and so on until my opponent got bored and left, earning me an initial score of 1000. My second game I decided to try my hand at a ladder free for all. The players were, sadly, not to bright, my protoss opponent choosing to cannon up his entire main and go for 6 carriers, whilst my terran advisary opted for building all his main buildings at the bottom of the ramp, sans detection. A few dt later and after a quick map take over I easily over power both players and increase my score 50 points.

I was growing bored at the sadness in qualities of the games, but soon my attention was drawn to another free for all, this time on Dire Straits. My opponents for this round: Sp0rKs., spawning zerg at bottom left; and se-hitman-wd, landing terran at the top left.

I begin the game with teal zerg at the bottom right and, like most matches on island, I start off by not knowing what the heck to do. I decide since it's ffa to go hatc pool instead of a quick gas for faster tech. My scouting overlord soon discovers Sp0rKs. at the bottom left, who seems to be going for a quick tech, having only 1 hatc, morphing lair, pool, and a gas already completed. I assume a muta rush.

A few moments later, as his lair completes, my hypothesis proves accurate as he takes a drone and begins morphing a spire. I rally that lord back home and send my other scouting lord at the top right toward the top left, after finding no one there. Sp0rKs.'s scouting lord has entered my base and won't leave, and since I still haven't decided on a strategy I plot down 2 spores in my base. This not only scares his muta away, but gives me protection toward a muta rush. I decide to go for a hydra drop, something versatile. It won't require as much gas as mutas and I still haven't found out what my other opponent is, so I lay down a hydra den and hope for the best.

My second lord at the top edges its way toward the last base and I then see a control tower within its vision. The lord is sent back, and I begin to research lord speed. I begin producing hydras from my 2 hatcs, when I notice a purple blurb on the mini map. Just down below my drones I see 2 mutas flying eastward. I send my first 3 hydras down toward my drones, afraid Sp0rKs. will try to wreck my economy, and leave the others spread thru my base. Then, 6 mutas shoot northward out of the fog and begin shooting at my hydra den. Simulataneously my hydras are sent to counter while I pull a drone off gas (didn't realize at the time) and make a nother spore to cover the last open section of my base. The mutas were left on 'attack den' mode so my hydras got a couple of quick shoots off. I manage to kill 1 muta and damage a couple more before Sp0rKs. pulls back up to the northern, undiscovered section of my island.

I increase my hydra production, and decide it's a good time to make another hatc. My upgrade for lord speed is finished, so I begin research for drop. Sp0rKs.'s mutas from before make a quick re-appearance from the north, flying straight into a spore colony, then double time it back out. I'm assuming he thinks I am a deadlier opponent then se-hitman-wd's is or he hasn't been attacked yet by him.

My hydralisk army now stands at about 11, and my research is almost done. I begin thinking about weither to expand or attack when I notice 2 wraiths camped out at the lower left corner of my minerals. The wraiths seem to just sit there for a while, over the water, and then start taking potshots at a couple of drones. I get annoyed and send 4 hydras to eliminate the threat when at the same time Sp0rKs. sends about 8 mutas from the north down to attack base. I panic for a sic, then realize I have ample hydralisk to spare, and send about 10 hydras up to attack them. A flanked attack, by both players, north and south. Hmmm. Either se-hitman-wd and Sp0rKs. are just coincidentally attacking me with air or I've fallen victim to the 'teehee, let's double team people in ladder' game.

I turn my attention quickly back to the wraiths, who apparently haven't died, and have some how managed to kill a hydra. Interesting, cloaking vs zerg. A lord is sent over to stop my hydras from milling around and se-hitman-wd's now 3 wraiths are all destroyed. I'm feeling a bit of anxiety. Can I fight off 2 players if it is a double team?

My drop research finishes so I rally all my hydras and 5 lords to a vacant section of creep. I decide brown isn't too much of a worry, wraiths wouldn't be too much to handle for hydras, so I plan on dropping on purple. I send the 5 lords to the most western coast of my island, following 12 hydras. Before my lords even make it to the edge I see 4 guards coming straight at me. Lucky, the guards were spread out thinly, and 24 hydras are more then a match for them. The guards manage to kill a total of 2 hydras before giving off their death cry and dissolve in mid air. I smile with glee, thinking now is the perfect time to attack purple.

I load up 20 hydras, but before I can make it to Sp0rKs.'s base 3 wraiths appear from the south and start attack a lord. I quickly unload the hydras but lose 3 hydras as the wraiths manage to pop a lord. The wraiths flee as the hydras attack, somewhere over water and I get annoyed. I reload my hydras but then 2 wraiths come from the north, seemingly blocking the path toward purple. 5 wraiths begin to patrol the borders of Sp0rKs.'s base, so I decide to send my forces northwest toward se-hitman-wd.

se-hitman-wd doesn't appear to realize, though, that I've changed direction. In the middle of the map my heart jumps, 2 wraiths fly right by my 4 lords, but for some reason don't attack. Haha! He has set a rally point for his wraiths down near my base and hasn't seen my drop. I then make it to the sourthern section of se-hitman-wd's base and unload my cargo. I highlight my forces and send them straight into his base. Thankfully, brown wasn't expecting an attack, so all he had were scvs and a single goliath protecting his base.

The goliath is swiftly raped, as are the rest of his buildings. While my hydras are tearing into his main brown gets desperate and sends his wraiths into the main of my base. He cloaks them again, but to no avail, spores had that tendency to detect, something he just couldn't get by. Nor could his 9 wraith milita fight off my new 20 army hydras. se-hitman-wd's base is now crushed, his attacked defeated. He some how managed to float away 1 starport, and even tried to rebuild his cc with his last scv. Sadly, my hydralisk were still within vision and promptly killed his scv. Now that se-hitman-wd has no more units and 1 floating building he is put promptly out of the game, leaving me the rest of the time to concentrate on Sp0rKs..

Before I do my victory dance of brown's defeat I decide to scout out the map, to see if the terran is trying anything sneaky. I scout the closest expos with the lords from my drop and discover that brown didn't bother to get a dropship. I try morphing 9 more hydras, but apparently I don't have enough gas (only 2 drones mining), so I load up a drone and drop it over to the expo north of my base and begin a hatc. Seconds later, it seems, the sole surviving muta of Sp0rKs.'s finds my expo and begins attacking it. I cancel the hatc, lose the drone and rememeber if I kill him now I won't need an expo.

I've now got about 26 idle hydras in my base, so I send them all toward my western border, preparing for a drop. Suddenly, 1 hydra heads away from the group, as it begins to attack a purple lord entering my base. It follows the lord and to my dismay, 7 lords are now sitting in the northern expanse of my base. I hear the familiar "sqlgrgrrhg" sound of a zerg drop as 7 lords worth of lings are dropped. I immediately react by sending all my hydras back into the heart of my base to counter the drop.

At first I seem to have the advantage. I've researched +1 hydra attack, and my bunched up hydras take down about 7 or so lings without injury. But these are cracklings. Speedy and extremely harmful at close proximities. Sp0rKs.'s lings quickly flank my bunched hydras and I watch as my outer layer is torn to shreds. I then split my hydras into 2 gropus, frantically trying to micro, using my own building placement to my advantage. The lings almost defeat my hydras, but I manage to lure the lings in and out of fire. Even if they failed though, I had 18 lings of my own being grown, ready to leap to the rescue.

I research ling speed, now that I've started making lings to drop. I get worried, wondering what purple's next move will be. Then I notice I still have my 16 hydras in brown's base, waiting to be dropped. I quickly reload up the lords and head for Sp0rKs.'s base. I drop the hydras off onto the northern coast of his island, but I'm discovered, as a ling was within firing range. Not waiting any longer I send the hydras down into his base, hoping I can still catch him off his guard. The hydras plow right into his greater spire, and tear it down, just as 8 lings come to his aide. The lings are defeated though, and I move all my hydras straight into his mineral patch. They begin laying waste to his drones and buildings. I also kill off two morphing guards and his newly hatched lings.

That's when I see a stream of zerglings coming outta the fog, straight into my base. About 30 this time. Apparently he didn't have any defense because he was dropping on me again. This time, his attack was held off much easier. As my ling force fought his own ling force 7 hydras started taking shots from the background. He loses all his lings, and his entire main, while I only lose 25 or so lings and 3 drones. A good trade off.

My last remaining hydras in his base finally knocked the last few hp of his last hatc away and I clear out his main. I didn't see the eliminated message, so I began searching for his expo. But it was an unnecessary precaution as he soon responded:

Sp0rKs.: gg, teal

Followed by a reply from brown:

se-hitman-wd: gg

Purple immediately leaves, followed by brown moments later. My heartbeat slows down, and I let out a sigh. With the game over I check out my new score, 1089, up 39 points. Not bad.

• Going air in a ffa leaves you at a disadvantage. Unless you got the cash to support air to comabt all the players and dominate the skies, I suggest a drop.
• After viewing the rep it becomes more obvious they double teamed me. Neither bother to scout the other, they both come straight for me, and there are multiple imes when a wraith starts to attack a muta then backs off. For shame.
• If you go quick wraiths have some sort of defense at home.
• Stick with 1v1s in ladder. Your odds for getting double teamed will drastically fall.
• 2 drones on gas is bad.
• Brown stayed in the game for what purpose? He was obvious the sucky one, hoping purple would get him free ladder wins =[.
• I didn't bother reporting my opponents for ladder abuse cause I won. Maybe some other day I'll do it for kicks when I'm in a bad mood.

-Mjotnar