BROOD WAR SEASON II TOURNAMENT FINALS [5th]Fire vs. LARRY-THE-WEIRD Game: Three Map: Winter Conquest Players: [5th]Fire - Protoss - Yellow - Top Middle LARRY-THE-WEIRD - Zerg - Brown Middle Right Length of Match: 25:50

(6)Winter Conquest

The two combatants now find themselves on the snowy plateaus of Winter Conquest. LARRY-THE-WEIRD decides to command a Zerg Horde, while [5th]Fire chooses to use his familiar Protoss warriors. The Protoss led by [5th]Fire take position at the northernmost plateau, while LARRY-THE-WEIRD's Zerg begin on the southeastern plateau. Winter Conquest has some similarities to the often fought over Lost Temple, and both commanders use opening strategies that are often used on Lost Temple.

LARRY-THE-WEIRD saves up the minerals necessary to build a second Hatchery, and decides to build it first instead of a spawning pool. The second Hatchery begins to take shape at the mineral patches below the ramp leading to his base. A Pylon, Gateway, and a second Pylon are added to [5th]Fire's base in quick order. LARRY-THE-WEIRD's initial Overlord then finds [5th]Fire's base of operation to the North. The location of the Overlord means that the Zerg base must be located to the southeast, and [5th]Fire sends a Probe out to make sure this is the case.

[5th]Fire sends out a pair of Zealots to the South in hopes of catching LARRY-THE-WEIRD without suitable defenses, but the Zerg commander is well prepared with a Spawning Pool and 8 Zerglings already hatching. The Zealots are quickly thwarted, and retreat back to the relative safety of the high ground at their main base. LARRY-THE-WEIRD supplements his unit production with a third Hatchery placed strategically near the top of the ramp leading to his main base. A newly created Dragoon starts to punish LARRY-THE-WEIRD by destroying an Overlord that loitered for far too long over [5th]Fire's base. Seeking to deprive [5th]Fire of any additional resources, Zerglings are sent on a patrol across the map to check the plateaus for signs of Protoss construction. LARRY-THE-WEIRD also knows that [5th]Fire will try to expand to the resource node below his base soon.

[5th]Fire orders a Probe to create a Nexus below his base, but prepares no defenses to protect the fledgling base. One single Zergling sent to scout out the area by LARRY-THE-WEIRD causes [5th]Fire to panic and cancel the Nexus. Realizing the need to defend his intended expansion, [5th]Fire moves down some Zealots off of his plateau to guard the choke leading to the resource node. A Pylon is also placed below to provide power for Photon Cannons. When the Pylon completes its warp onto the battlefield, two Photon Cannons also begin to shimmer into existence nearby. LARRY-THE-WEIRD attacks at just the right moment, and the few Zealots and Dragoon protecting the chokepoint are driven back. This forces [5th]Fire to once more cancel his buildings warping in, including the two Photon Cannons that were almost complete. The Zerglings begin a vigil to watch for another attempt to expand by [5th]Fire.

A little time passes, and then a lone Dark Templar comes down the ramp from [5th]Fire's base with revenge on his mind. The assassin swiftly begins to kill Zergling after Zergling. LARRY-THE-WEIRD has no Overlords near the killing zone and must retreat, but the Dark Templar is able to kill over a half dozen Zerglings with its Warp Blades. The Dark Templar pursues the retreating Zerg, but his hunt is cut short when reinforcing Hydralisks appear with an Overlord overhead. The Dark Templar barely escapes but is gravely wounded. With the reprieve gained from the Dark Templar attack, [5th]Fire is able to finally reinforce the chokepoint leading to his base with additional Photon Cannons, Zealots, and a feared High Templar.



LARRY-THE-WEIRD was also busy during the short lull, expanding to the mineral only resource node at the southern edge of the battlefield and rapidly recreating his army of Hydralisks and Zerglings. Attempting to keep the pressure on [5th]Fire, the Zerg launches another attack against the Protoss stronghold. The crackle of a Psionic Storm and a blaze of Photon Cannon fire halt the attack cold, and LARRY-THE-WEIRD pulls back his remaining Hydralisks and Zerglings to the middle of the battlefield. [5th]Fire's Dark Templar uses the confusion to break through the lines and the assassin begins to check the nearby plateaus for Zerg expansions. The Dark Templar finds LARRY-THE-WEIRD's southern expansion, but the already wounded warrior dies to the fire of a Sunken Colony.



Knowing that he must try and attack the Zerg lest they cover the entire battlefield with Hatcheries and Creep, [5th]Fire attempts to breakout and attack LARRY-THE-WEIRD. The two opposing armies meet near a centrally located Vespene Geyser, and battle ensues. LARRY-THE-WEIRD once more singles out [5th]Fire's High Templar for extermination, seemingly ignoring the presence of the numerous Zealot and Dragoons on the battlefield. With his Templar eliminated from the battlefield, [5th]Fire orders his remaining forces to retreat. Desiring both to harvest Vespene gas and increase his unit production capabilities, LARRY-THE-WEIRD places another two Hatcheries near the Vespene Geyser in the center of the map.

[5th]Fire then tries to sneak out a Probe to begin a new Protoss base on another plateau, but LARRY-THE-WEIRD has shrewdly placed Hydralisks on each of the unclaimed plateaus. [5th]Fire is now completely pinned down to his starting base and the expansion below, while LARRY-THE-WEIRD is harvesting resources from five different resource nodes. [5th]Fire still has a rather dangerous ground army, and his forces could still win the day for him. A few well placed Psionic Storms can easily turn the tide of the battle in [5th]Fire's favor.

LARRY-THE-WEIRD sets in motion a plan to break the back of the Protoss army. A sizeable force of Hydralisks is sent to the west, and then they are ordered to attack. [5th]Fire responds by sending most of his army to face the threat from the west. The Hydralisks are well spread out to prevent too many from melting in the fury of a single Psionic Storm, and once again LARRY-THE-WEIRD specifically targets the High Templar with his troops. The second prong of the Zerg attack is now launched from the east, and a mass of Zerglings and Hydralisks pours into the valley seeking the blood of any High Templar on the battlefield. With the remaining High Templar eliminated from the field of battle, the remaining Zealots and Dragoons suddenly face a withering barrage of concentrated Needle Spine fire from LARRY-THE-WEIRD's Hydralisks. [5th]Fire's Zealots try to break through to attack the Hydralisks with their powerful melee weapons, but Zerglings are able to keep the Zealots at bay.

The proud Protoss warriors must once again retreat, but LARRY-THE-WEIRD continues to press his advantage. More Hydralisks swarm into the breach, and Zerg Overlords begin to transport additional Hydralisks onto [5th]Fire's main base plateau. The Hydralisks on the plateau blow apart the few Photon Cannons guarding [5th]Fire's buildings, and the Protoss commander knows his base will soon be in ruins. [5th]Fire congratulates LARRY-THE-WEIRD on an excellent played match and then proudly retreats from the battlefield. LARRY-THE-WEIRD is now the Season 2 Brood War Ladder Champion.





Victor: LARRY-THE-WEIRD