ToT)Mondragon( and 
rS.Testie. Facing them will be the German team 
ash.doLife and ash.Zpiet. Both teams made it past several challenges to make it here, and were ready to do battle.Mondragon and Testie demolished everyone in their path en route to the final series. They were never really threatened in any series. Interestingly enough, it was these guys who sent their final round opponents into the loser's bracket.
Being close to elimination, the ash team responded well, beating the Finnish team
Clawson and Lomaxson in the loser's bracket semi finals. They would get no relief in the finals, having to play a team comprised of two great European players, 
ElkY and 
Nazgul, taking that match 2-1 and ending up here in the finals.Mondragon and Testie would start with a 1-0 lead because they were coming with the winner's bracket. The format was best of 7, so the first one to win four games would be crowned the winner of teamliquid's 2v2 tournament.
Note: if you don't want to read the battle reports, click »here for a quick overview + replays
| Game #1: rS.Testie (Zerg, 6:00) & ToT)Mondragon( (Zerg, 12:00) versus ash.doLife (Terran, 3:00) & ash.Zpiet (Zerg, 9:00) |
Map:  Lost Temple |
| Replay: » Download here |
There was to be no surprise as to what Mondragon and Testie would do. They would open with none other than their trademark dual 9 pool builds. doLife, the lone player not to use the zerg swarm, prepared appropriately. Immediately after his first barracks was complete, he made a bunker in between his closely knit buildings. Testie would not comply with this, however, and instead made a hatchery on his ramp before a pool. Zpiet put his second hatchery next to the first, matching Testie's timing. Mondragon did not opt for speedlings, but rather did a 1 hatch lurker build, being in proximity to the terran.
Testie eventually started a lair and then a spire, with zergling speed fitting in between the two. Zpiet made the zergling speed upgrade, and proceeded to pump nothing but lings. doLife and zpiet tried to conquer the middle, but were stopped cold by Mondragon's newly hatched lurkers. Zpiet was now in dire straits at this point in the game. He had to keep making zerglings to survive against the dual zerg ground onslaught, but doing so would jeopordize his chances of making adequate defense for the mutalisks of Testie. Unfortunately, it did not work out well for zpiet. The mutalisks came and finished the job, and zpiet promptly left the game. Could doLife pull off a miracle 1v2 win and tie this series at 1-1?
No. The lurker/mutalisk/zergling combination proved to be too much, and despite a great attempt by doLife, he conceded the match.
| Game #2: rS.Testie (Protoss, 11:00) & ToT)Mondragon( (Zerg, 2:00) versus ash.doLife (Terran, 7:00) & ash.Zpiet (Zerg, 5:00) |
| Map: Nostalgia |
| Replay: » Download here |
This time, Testie went for protoss instead of his usual zerg, while Mondragon stayed with his native race. doLife and zpiet stayed with their trusty terran/zerg combo, hoping to close the gap in this series. Mondragon built a hatchery on his ramp, and then the regular zerg tech build of a pool and gas. Testie made 2 gateways, at 11 and 13 psi. Zpiet went for a pool first, at 11 control this time, and doLife decided to tech quickly to dual factory vultures. The protoss and zerg forces put a little pressure on zpiet, but he had defense ready, and dealt with the attackers without much of a problem. Testie had already started his tech with a citadel, and Mondragon had started a spire. Zpiet's second hatchery had just finished, while doLife was increasing his vulture numbers.
There are certain moments that truly define a great series, and this was one of them. Testie, who had greedily teched very fast, had just three zealots guarding his base. A swift attack by dolife/zpiet knocked him out in a heartbeat, and it was suddenly 1vs2 for Mondragon, as the forces of aiur fell. Mondragon furiously countered, striking dolife's main base with his mutalisks, but dolife's brave scvs repaired a missile turret that the mutalisks had damaged to under 10 hp. Mondragon was forced to retreat, taking lots of shot from multiple turrets. Then, in a fatal error, dolife sent his vultures out to take down what was left of Testie's main. Mondragon reacted quickly, sending his mutas and lings to dolifes main, and finding almost no opposition.
Mondi's lings took out the turrets, and dolife desperately tried to make anti-air defense. It was too little, too late, however, and dolife's main fell victim to the swarm. He still had a team of vultures left, however, and was determined to still be a factor in this match. For the most part, it was now down to a 1on1 match. Zpiet had started to pump hydralisks, and his units would be clashing with the mutaling combo controlled by one of the most feared zergs in Europe. dolife's vultures managed to kill drones going to expand, slowing Mondragon down, and allowing zpiet to expand himself. After 6 minutes of constant back and forth fighting, zpiet emerged on top, fending off Mondragon's lurkers in the deciding battle to take this game.
| Game #3: rS.Testie (Protoss, 6:00) & ToT)Mondragon( (Protoss, 12:00) versus ash.doLife (Terran, 9:00) & ash.Zpiet (Zerg, 3:00) |
| Map: Valhalla |
| Replay: » Download here |
Mondragon and Testie decide to use a double protoss selection, doLife and zpiet of course stay with their normal terran/zerg combination. Both Mondragon and Testie use similar builds. They make shuttles, and charge for the zerg's base. Zpiet expected such an assault, however, and had two sunkens ready that defended him perfectly. Meanwhile, zpiet finished his spire, and dolife began to pump goliaths. Testie fails at expanding, as mutalisks stop the operation. He is now in full defense mode, after his dt drop on dolife does little damage. dolife and Mondragon both successfully expand, and zpiet continues to pump units. Mondragon's corsairs prevent the mutalisks of zpiet from doing anything. Not a lot of action has taken place at this point, typical of an island map game.
The game started to take shape when the period of massing began. dolife and Testie each took a corner expo, and zpiet was now the lone man without an expansion. A dual drop on zpiet's main really crippled his economy, killing more than half of his drones. Testie is still more or less in defensive mode, with no offensive army. Mondragon loses his expansion to the out of range tanks, and Testie responds by making a second one. The ash team tries to attack this new expansion, but are stopped cold by his effective storms. Mondragon cleared out dolife's expansion, and managed to save his own from the zerg assault. This game had begun to take a turn in favor of mondi and Testie.
The rest of the game was futile for the terran and zerg squad. dolife actually succeeded in killing Mondragon's expansion, but ended up losing his army and his own expansion. Zpiet was never really able to get established, confined to 1 base for the whole game. Mondi and Testie gradually took over the whole map, and ash decided to move on to game 4.
| Game #4: rS.Testie (Protoss, 5:00) & ToT)Mondragon( (Protoss, 2:00) versus ash.doLife (Terran, 7:00) & ash.Zpiet (Zerg, 11:00) |
| Map: Nostalgia |
| Replay: » Download here |
The ash team again chooses nostalgia to make their last stand. The builds are virtually the same as in game 2. Mondragon does a hatchery on his ramp, Testie goes for 2 gateways, dolife techs, and zpiet goes pool first. As soon as dolife gets vultures, ash tries to go for it all and attack Testie full force. Testie makes a great arch with his zealots, and manages to survive the attack with a very good defensive move. Mondragon's spire is half done by this point, and zpiet has started a secret third hatchery at the very top corner of the map. The attackers then turned their heads to Mondragon.
Despite having a bunch of zerglings and four sunken colonies, Mondragon loses his ramp to the vultures and zerglings, with the mutalisks about 3/4 completed. Most of his drones, and his pool, fall. Eventually, the mutas hatch to restore order, and Testie begins to move out for a counter. Just as the protoss and zerg combo goes to strike zpiet, dolife slips some vultures by and kills most of Mondragon's drones. Mondragon was hurt at this point, but still in command of the game with his air. Testie then goes back to zpiet's main and wipes him out, and dolife's counter on Mondragon is overrun by a surprising number of mutalisks. Ash concedes the game, and the series.
Quick Overview:
| Map | Winner | Replay |
| Lost Temple | rS.Testie & ToT)Mondragon( | Download |
| Nostalgia | ash.doLife & ash.Zpiet | Download |
| Valhalla | rS.Testie & ToT)Mondragon( | Download |
| Nostalgia | rS.Testie & ToT)Mondragon( | Download |
So, Testie and Mondragon are the champions of teamliquid's first 2on2 tournament. They will get the first prize of $50 for their victory. Congratulations! Ash, coming in second, will receive $40, and congratulations to them also for coming back from the loser's bracket to nearly win it all!
Links
teamliquid - source of tourney
