Code S November Group G: Supernova, Virus, Jjakji, Killer

As the end of Code S Ro32 approached with only two groups remaining, the question of would we see another protoss in the top 16 reappeared as Killer stepped forth to pass the PvT trials.



It was a classic mech vs bio on Crossfire but not a very volatile one. In the early to mid game both players tried to find cracks in each other's defenses (Supernova with banshee pressure and preigniter harass and Virus with some marauder drops) but neither attempt led to a match point.

Definite wins and losses were first seen at the 17th minute when Virus stormed the center highground, aiming to break Supernova's positions and after the second try he did manage to climb the hill and look for a tactical transition. The most obvious one was attacking Supernova's 10 o'clock base. A marauder attack forced a lift and cracked another link in Supernova's defense. By keeping his macro fluent and the aggression neverending, Virus downed the enemy tank count to negligible proportions and force out a GG.


Virus' first attempt to break through the middle



The game was on CbtS and we all know the drill - heavy macro, many upgrades and grand earthshaking battles. Both players chose expansion first build with Killer in particular transitioning into double forge colossus while Jjakji exploded with huge bio force as it befits the TvP match up.

Soon the storm that everyone is talking about began. Jjakji pushed towards Killer's third and it would seem he had enough to come victorious but Killer pushed back with clutch storms just in the right moment and the terran had to fall back to regroup.

In order to avoid another direct engagement, Jjakji launched a drop sniping Killer's 4 o'clock but the protoss took the opportunity to make a move of himself. Killer went straight for the outer natural, approaching the battle with a perfect templar spread to mitigate EMP damage. Jjakji pulled his forces back, regrouped and engaged in one of the closest battles in the set. Killer's colossi fell quickly to vikings but the ground support of archons, stalkers and templars was a tougher nut. Jjakji's bio was chased to its death and the HoSeo terran thus conceded the match.


Storm is brewing



Initially, Killer opened with a DT build but switched to double forge mid-way only to find that a very important decision of his as soon the war for his third hit the field. Virus was unrelenting in his determination to conquer the protoss base but Killer stood there solid as mountain foundations and held the terran back with forcefields and colossi while at the same time damaging or delaying reinforcements with DTs.

Engulfed the chaos of this siege, Virus started making minor mistakes that escalated into huge ones, the most crucial being him constantly losing vikings. Without the air threat opposite of him, Killer gathered up enough confidence (and units) to successfully break the soft contain and double expanded immediately.

With the protoss now on the loose, Virus could only contest the fifth base at the center but the double forge and the outstanding macro had brought Killer a scary death ball. Virus crashed like a tidal wave in a rock and all Killer had to do is go straight for the jugular to extort a GG.


Killer finally breaks out



This was one of the most peculiar games I have seen this season. It was as short as it was confusing and ended in the most anticlimactic fashion.

Both terrans went for mirroring proxy marauder rushes but as as Jjakji chose to place a bunker at Supernova's choke, his opponent himself threw down a second rax to double his marauder production.

After having dealt the damage needed at Jjakji's base, Supernova withdrew his proxied marauders back to his side of the map. From where his stood, the situation was extremely beneficial for him - he had more marauders, a healthy economy and double the production capabilities of Jjakji.

So instead of patiently waiting and overpowering his opponent, he charges towards the bunker, loses everything and throws the game away.

I know, right...?


Marauder party in its best



The game began with (almost) a perfect mirror with both player going hellion into cloakless banshee but Virus adding a reactor to his factory for double the units and double the fun. Sadly for him, however, double the fun was not as exciting as it sounds and after his hellions and banshee he only had seven SCV kills to his account.

Even less fun for Virus was his follow-up tank/marine push through the centre. Virus had not calculated his stim research at all and when Jjakji stimmed forward to engage, Virus suffered an embarrassing defeat, losing all his tanks and being forced to fall back and regroup.

The StarTale player tried to get back in the game with a rather successful marine drop that increased the SCVs-killed-count to near 20 but once again he failed engaging properly during the main battle - Jjakji's push had better upgraded marines and more siege tanks and thus executed a merciless slaughter, winning his Code S Ro16 spot.

Code S November Group G Standings
Killer	2	0	To Code S Ro16
Jjakji	2	1	To Code S Ro16
Virus	1	2	To Code A Ro32
Supernova	0	2	To Code A Ro48

Oh, what a wild group. First, we get a protoss topping the standings which has not happened since July and, furthermore, the group transcended into some freaky matches for the top 2 spot.

Naturally, Killer steals the applauds with ease, displaying a solid and almost unbreakable style. It would seem that all protosses needed was some bigger macro maps where they can go double forge and crush face in the mid and late game. In his two games that night, Killer took a very decisive and, more importantly, correct approach to his race, leading to two dramatic victories and a Ro16 spot.

The 2nd place finisher Jjakji, on the other hand, is there mainly due to the mistakes of his opponents. Even as we speak, I bet he is sitting in the HoSeo house and laughing his ass off to Supernova's crisis management and to Virus' cluelessness of how to approach TvT engagements. But, you know, a win is a win and the ends justify just about everything.