Replay of the Week: HuK vs Mvp

The players spawn close by air, HuK at 8 o'clock and MVP down at 6. The Canadian protoss chooses 1-gate nexus as his opening, while MVP goes for quick banshees but sneaks a CC at the 12 o'clock location, a decision that would keep him alive for a long time throughout the game.

A timing highlight comes at 5:23 as HuK puts down his robo after starting two more gateways. Of course, HuK is forced to do so due to being denied any scouting and the fact that he had not seen MVP taking the natural by that time, usually a strong indicator of 1-base plays like cloak banshees.

Indeed the first banshee of MVP comes around the 7th minute mark but HuK is already prepared - he has an observer out, despite it being a bit obsolete as his stalkers take a good care of the banshee just the same.


Robo and 2 gates get down shortly after the 5-minute mark. As the banshee arrives at 7:20, there are plenty of stuff to take it down

Having killed the banshee and still seeing no expansion from MVP, HuK launches an immediate counter attack as soon as his immortal pops out. By 9:45, the protoss army is already at terran's front door and the composition of HuK seems deadly scary. HuK starts to push in (denying the expansion along the way) and after several rounds of warp-ins he manages to climb the ramp and wither the economy of MVP. The terran defends by the skin of his teeth by pulling off SCVs and building marauders like crazy. Of course, his hidden expo proved to be a life-saver, still keeping MVP standing in this crazy race called "not mining less resources than my enemy". However, MVP is now down 28 SCVs to 44 probes of HuK - a scary situation to be in as terran, despite the mules and the third CC.

HuK uses this big victory to start teching hard. At 14:00, he throws a third nexus and a Dark Shrine, but cancels the latter when it gets scouted. Instead, he adds two more stargates and starts +1 air armor and +1 shields, apparently gearing up to add strong air support to his ground army, both Void Rays and Phoenixes being an excellent choice at the time.



HuK moves in to pressure MVP and as the attack concludes, the time for the extensive teching begins

MVP tries to equalize the scales with a big drop play, knowing that it would be lethally dangerous to assault HuK's front door. The drop occurres at 18:40 and HuK had to reveal his void rays, chasing the marauders of MVP away. The terran loses every single unit and once again HuK makes the decision to counter attack, splitting his forces by rallying the void rays into the main and pressuring the natural with his ground army. Somehow, MVP manages to defend, but for some reasons he still would not float a CC to the 3 o'clock expo, a decision that would put him behind in economy once again.


MVP's drop would not do the damage necessary and the terran is soon facing a counter attack. The 3 o'clock base for MVP continues to stay unclaimed

Finding MVP a hard nut to break and already having good upgrades for his air units, HuK throws down a fleet beacon at 21:00 and a minute later he finally scouts MVP's hidden CC as he prepares to take a fourth nexus. Moments later, the CC is chased away and the terran is in a very difficult position: the void rays of HuK are eating through the tanks and his ninja expansion is no more; MVP is down to only one mining base. The terran tries to expand to the gold while repositioning his 12 o'clock CC down at the 2 o'clock position. Instead of charging in straight away, HuK smartly waits for his carriers and high templars before attacking in and killing the gold planetary.

Amidst all this hell, HuK sends some Zealots up to the 2 o'clock base of MVP and warps in a DT at the south expansion so he cannot reposition the orbital. Another DT is put at the 3 o'clock, further limiting MVP's expand options. With twice as few workers and only one mining expansion, MVP finds it impossible to battle HuK's high tier, heavily upgraded army with high templars, +3/+1/+3 carriers, chargelots and later - colossi. Knowing that the game is his to lose, HuK plays ever so patiently without any overcommitments and by winning the final engagement, the Canadian superhero puts an end to this epic 40-minute long game.


The battle for MVP's gold and the final engagement both go into HuK's favour



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