Today is the Grand Finals of the Iron Squid tournament and casted by TotalBiscuit and d’Apollo. This live report thread will bring you up-to-date news of what is going on. Will the GSL Code S champion, and heir to the throne Moon “SlayersMMA” Sung Won defeat unproven Zerg master Kang “TSLSymbol” Dong Hyun? Or will Symbol find a way to break through with his first international title?
Game 1 – Bel’Shir Beach Winter
MMA opens with a Reactored Hellion proxy. Symbol opens with a Fast Expand. MMA goes for a Marauder-Hellion all-in. Symbol fails to hold! GG to MMA.
SlayersMMA 1 - 0 TSLSymbol
Game 2 – Daybreak LE
This game goes on for a lot longer, as MMA opts for the very greedy double expand. Symbol plays much more standard, going for Infestors, Mutalisks, and Banelings off two bases. The upgrades and economy swell up very rapidly for MMA, allowing him to get +3/+3 attack/armor upgrades with Combat Shields and Stimpacks for his marines. He allows his macro advantage with his great multitasking ability to simply overrun Symbol’s army – causing the second ‘GG’ in a row from Symbol.
SlayersMMA 2 - 0 TSLSymbol
Game 3 – Cloud Kingdom LE
This is panning out to be the most standard game of the series, with MMA opening with a 3 rax, 1 fact, 1 starport. Symbol again plays straight up. But different from the previous game, Symbol is the one with the great engagements, good fungals, as well as good Mutalisk and Baneling control. Symbol takes out MMA’s third very quickly, surrounds and crashes through the Terran army, forcing the GG from MMA and taking his first game of the series.
SlayersMMA 2 - TSLSymbol
Game 4 – Calm Before The Storm
Symbol spawns in the Northeast position, MMA in the Southeast. Symbol, this time, opens with the greedy double expand.
MMA gets his own third base. Both players shaping up for what seems like a long macro game, as Calm Before the Storm is the largest map in the Iron Squid map pool. A pack of Reactored Hellions are sitting outside Symbol’s third.
Symbol techs to Banelings, and sacrifices an Overlord to get a scout on MMA’s third base. The scout is successful. Shortly afterwards Symbol takes a fourth base as well as an Infestation Pit. Both players looking incredibly comfortable, as MMA’s +1/+1 upgrades finish.
Symbol is teching incredibly fast, going for Hive tech and Ultralisks aside from +2/+2 upgrades for his army.
MMA pokes in and actually brings the fourth base of Symbol down to astoundingly low health.
MMA pushes in through Symbol’s part of the map with Siege Tanks, Marines, and Marauders. MMA uses this distraction to drop again, but the drop is reflected expertly from Symbol.
Symbol gets Overlord speed and Ventral Sacs, possibly indicating a doom drop.
Symbol drops a ton of Banelings onto MMA’s army, forcing it back and taking a lot of his infantry down to begin with!
MMA takes a fourth Command Center – both players relatively even.
A pack of Zerglings runs into some of MMA’s army as Iron Squid’s English cast audio breaks again.
Symbol’s army is taken out by some cost-efficient micro from MMA.
Burrowed banelings take out more of MMA’s army!
Symbol morphs in a ton of banelings while his first round of Ultralisks come out. Another drop goes towards Symbol’s base.
MMA splits his army, pushing the third and fourth bases of Symbol while defending his own fourth.
Great fungals and ULTRALISK DROPS TAKES OUT A TON OF MMA’S ARMY but not enough to end the game quite yet.
MMA drops Symbol’s natural again, while Symbol causes MMA’s army to be moved out of position and retreats back to MMA’s base.
More Infestors are coming out, and the later the game goes the more valuable they become – with Fungal Growths and Infested Terrans being extremely powerful against this type of army composition.
Symbol charges into MMA’s army with Ultralisks and Banelings, trying to get back into it.
MMA’s macro is looking godlike as he throws another small army away to take Symbol’s expansions down again.
We can see that Symbol’s being more worn down as time goes on, as MMA takes a significant supply lead.
Ghosts and Nukes from MMA! Nukes may be thrown down relatively soon.
MMA marches down the center of the map to attempt to kill Symbol once and for all.
Symbol GG’s after throwing away his last Infestors and Ultralisks!
SlayersMMA 3 – 1 TSLSymbol
Game 5 – Metropolis
MMA only needs one more map to take the crown.
Symbol spawns in the East, MMA in the South.
MMA walls off his main, while Symbol scouts the main with an Overlord before the first Marine pops out.
SCV scout from MMA goes relatively unpunished.
Symbol might be going for an All-In, as he stops drone production.
A lot of Zerglings are in production. MMA has Reactored Hellions.
MMA throws down two bunkers in preparation for a rush from Symbol.
Symbol breaks through MMA’s natural, forcing MMA to go back to 1 base!
Symbol drones behind this, making it not an all-in, but ironically putting Symbol incredibly ahead.
Double Evolution Chamber from Symbol, consolidating his lead.
Mutalisks pop out – going right into MMA’s main.
The first batch of Mutalisks looking to be enough, Symbol does even more economic damage to his Terran opponent.
MMA tempts Symbols Mutalisks by dropping again – attempting to get back into the game.
Symbol crashes through MMA’s natural again, but some incredible infantry splitting from MMA forces the attack to stop for now.
A drop gets to Symbol’s 5th base but is cleaned up quickly by some Mutalisks.
MMA pulls SCV’s with his army, going for a futile All-In which is quickly cleaned up by the Banelings of Symbol. MMA GG’s!
SlayersMMA 3 – 2 TSLSymbol
Game 6 – Antiga Shipyard
MMA spawns in the East, Symbol in the West.
MMA GOES FOR 11/11 PROXY RAX!
Symbol will see it with the Overlord and can prepare accordingly.
Symbols goes Hatch first. Bunkers started outside Symbol’s natural!
Pool completes for Symbol. Forces the cancel on the Bunker.
Pressure looks like it will be squashed very soon by Symbol.
Spine Crawler finishes, finishing this rush.
MMA still putting on pressure however, with the worker lead at 14-12.
Only zerglings, no queens up yet.
MMA retreats, making another Command Center.
Symbol trades very well with MMA, losing all but a couple Zerglings at the cost of all of MMA’s Marines.
Overlord scout sees 2 rax still, although MMA has added on two additional Barracks with Reactors.
Stimpack researching from MMA, who is now aware of Symbol’s third base.
Symbol goes for a counter-attack into MMA’s main while his army is out of position but does not get the cost-efficient trade as he loses a lot of Zerglings for basically a bunker.
MMA forces Symbol to retreat and make more units as he begins to march out across the map.
Symbol surrounds this army and trades even more cost-efficiently!
MMA pushes into Symbol’s third, and to great effect as there are no Infestors out.
Great splitting by MMA as he trades very efficiently with Symbol’s army!
MMA completely in control, as a good fungal finally comes out and pushes MMA’s army back slightly.
MMA drops Symbol’s main again, taking down the Infestation Pit. Symbol does have a hidden expansion but the more pressure that MMA puts on, the less effective it will be.
170-127 supply right now in MMA’s favor, good fungals from Symbol outside of his natural allows Zerglings to get some good surface area.
Lots of Infestors get caught by MMA’s flank coming down from his own main, causing Symbol to GG!
SlayersMMA 4 - 2 TSLSymbol
SlayersMMA is your Iron Squid champion!