Written by: Nydra
Game 1: Atlas
Kicking off the series was the most standard Innovation and Symbol we know, the former opening with a widow mine drop and the latter defending it perfectly to lose but a handful of drones and some mining time. Knowing there's likely to be a window of tranquility before the next Terran attack, Symbol went full macro and started spreading creep and droning up like every Zerg was designed to do.
Symbol's perfect execution of the above came to greatly aid in his survival and was the only reason he lived for as long as he did. Blood-hungry as usual, Innovation moved out as soon as he had a decently sized bio/mine/medivac army and all hell broke lose. Entranced in a back-and-forth tango of death, Symbol and Innovation traded armies and played the tug-of-war for a good ten minutes before things started going south for the Zerg. Opting to establish a powerful broodlord-centric army which was to win for him in the late game, Symbol was promptly reminded of this said army's biggest flaw - immobility.
If for the better part of the game Innovation's attack were always targeted at one location, be it a Zerg base or a vital position on the map, they now spread out like shrapnel pieces and started hitting everywhere. With his brood lord army anchored to a blood-red hatchery as its sole defense, Symbol was in a checkmate - he could either stay as he was and see every other base of his fall or move out, lose his dying hatchery and suffer a defeat anyways. Realizing the dire position he was in, the Zerg gg-ed out and prepared for game two.
Game 2: Star Station
The series went from standard to weird in seconds. Seeing how he can't beat Innovation in straight up macro game despite playing pretty much perfectly, Symbol opened with the emanation of cheesiness - a 6-pool with a drone pull. Little did he know that on the opposite side of Star Station, Innovation was doing a 12/12 proxy rax cheese of his own.
The drones and lings of Symbol arrived just in time to spot the lack of any tech or CC and so a batch of lings were immediately rallied to 12 o'clock where Innovation's rax were. However, Innovation was a step ahead already and had begun erecting a bunker to protect his marines and buildings and once again Symbol couldn't do a single thing. He barked at Innovation's depot wall for a while and tapped out shortly thereafter.
Game 3: Akilon Wastes
Over the next couple of games it would become apparent that Symbol would prefer to not have any late-game dealings with Innovation and stick to low-econ plays in attempt to break arguably the best TvZ-er in the world at the moment. His plan for the third game involved a 2-base roach drop with a nydus worm on the side, aiming to crush the heavy-on-hellions opening of Innovation.
But crush he did not. Innovation had smelled Symbol's plan and as the drop arrived, he was more than prepared. By getting right underneath the overlords, Innovation was able to shoot down the roaches mid-air and have enough units left over to focus down the nydus worm and prevent constant reinforcements.
With the failure of another "all-inish" strategy, Symbol was once again in huge trouble. Although he had secured his third base and was keeping even with Innovation in terms of supply, all of his army was in roaches and roaches would not win him anything come the late game. Aware of that, Symbol continued to find cracks in Innovation's defense but there were none. A few more nydus worms were shot down and Symbol surrendered for the third time today, falling dangerously close to a defeat.
Game 4: Red City
The first of Symbol's triumphs came on Red City after another all-in strategy. Having tried 6-pools and roach drops already, Symbol had but one other option left - a baneling bust.
Thus, a baneling nest was put right after the natural was saturated and Symbol rallied a huge swell of lings up towards Innovation's position. To Symbol's luck, Innovation had went for a macro and was accenting on economy more than on units and had but a handfult of marines and a bunker. At the first sight of green-colored explosions, Innovation suffered his first loss for the day.
Game 5: Daybreak
If it ain't broke, don't fix it - this was Symbol's mentality coming into the fifth game of the day. Staying as far away as possible from any late-game scenarion, Symbol put down another baneling bust but this time supplemented it with a front line of roaches. A third base was planted on the back of this attack, to ensure that Symbol will have some kind of follow-up should Innovation somehow live.
To Symbol's relief, this particular safety belt was never needed. With his army consisting exclusively of fragile bio units, Innovation helplessly watched as the banelings and roaches melted his base and his forces into aciding death. The score was now only 3-2 and Symbol was looking the comeback in the eye.
Game 6: Whirlwind
However, Symbol was not the only player learning and evolving during this particular match-up. Certain that the Zerg will attempt some kind of early play yet again, Innovation heavily invested in tank production after the standard hellion opening and he would thank this particular decision of his just minutes later.
Meanwhile in Zerg land, Symbol opened with a quick overlord speed instead of Lair but had to forgo any plans of drop play he might or might not have had upon his entire base getting scouted by Innovation's hellions. Double evo chambers were planted down in response and Symbol - whether he liked it or not - had to go for the more standard of a Zerg play.
By the time there were enough roaches and banelings on the map, Innovation had already secured a third base and this is where Symbol directed his attack at. Craving the death of as many SCVs he can get, Symbol rolled in only to find himself under siege tank bombshelling. The perfect positiong of the tanks, sieged at the unreachable territory behind the wall of depots and refineries, additionally screwed up Symbol's plans and the Zerg had to retreat tail between legs and in the supply disadvantage.
And being behind in supply was not what any Zerg wants when playing Innovation. Confident in the firepower of his forces, the STX Terran moved out and Symbol soon tasted his own mortality. In spite of the bulky infestor count, Symbol couldn't withstand the pressure coming from Innovation - there was little to no creap on the map, Innovation was on equal three bases, the DPS of his army was way higher and the units were diligently spread, preemtively negating any attempt for chain fungal that might come. Imprisoned within his own base, Symbol made one final attempt to swarm down the ramp and break the position of the Terran but all in vain. Upon cleaning up the Zerg, Innovation accepted his last GG and advanced to the Code S grand final.
Write-up banner photos by: Team Liquid
Rotator photos by: Daily eSports (Innovation) and Fomos.kr (Soulkey)
