The culmination of all things StarCraft at the WCG was this final match between Stork and Luxury. Both players have looked very strong throughout the tournament, but only the hungriest player would be crowned winner. Today, hunger has found a name in Luxury.
After seeing Stork's drubbing of Jaedong in the quarter finals, it would seem at a glance Stork was the favorite to win today. Even though he almost stumbled in the semi finals against LoveTT, he is fresh of a Starleague win and has looked convincing in the tournament otherwise. However, one should never discount Luxury, expecially when he's been on an equal tear in the tournament so far. Stork was about to learn this lesson the hard way.
Game 1 @ Ride of Valkyries
To use some symbolism to describe the first game, a fitting one would be water
smashing against cliffs. Periods of stillness were interrupted by periods of complete and utter pandemonium, with the cliffs finally cracking and breaking. Stork started out in the bottom right and Luxury in the bottom left. Nothing worth noting happened early on, both players fast expanding and establishing firm economies. While Luxury was teching to lair, Stork planted down two stargates, obviously with the intent of gaining air superiority. Luxury obliged Stork by placing down a spire, but the first crash of the waves was about to hit.
Luxury had amassed a large force of zerglings and decided to try to smash Stork's front door in a very aggressive maneuver. Stork holds it off with cannons, zealots and probes without too much difficulty and only three zerglings manage to slip by Stork's defenses. Although these zerglings were unable to do damage, they did spot the twin stargates which forced Luxury to switch his game plan. Stork sent out a single zealot to harass Luxury's natural expansion, but the drones mobbed up on the zealot, taking him out with only two casualties.
While Stork was content to sit in his base and wait for his reavers to pop out, Luxury was not willing to be patient, prompting the second crash of the waves. A massive hydralisk force gently taps Stork's front door, completely destroying every building in sight. Unlike the game against Jaedong, a reaver did not pop out for Stork in the nick of time to save him. Stork is forced to surrender after a perfect timing attack by Luxury, and the cliff had shattered.
Game 2 @ Tau Cross
With Stork in the top right position and Luxury in the top left, the early game settled into another standard opening, with Luxury going a fast pool and Stork with a standard fast expansion. Stork's probe manages to slip by Luxury's zerglings, but is swiftly killed, preventing any further information gathering. Subsequent probes meet a similar fate. While both players are teching up, Stork sends a couple of zealots out toward the 12 o clock expansion, which Luxury had claimed early on in the game. Luxury has no spotter out, so is completely unaware of this until the zealots are upon the drones. Fortunately the distance between the bases is so small that zerglings are able to rush to defend quickly. The zealots hide out behind the mineral line and take out a number of zerglings, but no drone kills.
Stork's tech of choice this game was a citadel followed by the templar archives, so within minutes a force of zealots with legs move out to cause trouble for Luxury while high templar started to gather up at Stork's natural. Luxury had both spire and hydra den up and as such had scourge in the air and hydralisks on the ground. The zealot force Stork sent out accomplishes nothing, but rather runs around in a confused fashion, unsure of where to go. Luxury amasses a huge force of hydralisks and starts to establish a presence on the map. Stork attempts to expand again at the 3 o clock position and moves out with his units in a defensive fashion. The first major battle occurs close to the bridges near that expansion. Luxury critically snipes a few high templar with his hydralisks, severely limiting the amount of storms Stork can dish out. Nonetheless, the hydralisks are forced to retreat, and Stork is safe... Or is he?
Luxury has a trick up his sleeve in the form of a large force of mutalisks that sweeps into Stork's main base, killing tons of probes and wiping out most of Stork's tech buildings. Stork frantically scrambles to defend against this, but the damage is done. Luxury then manages to snipe even more high templar before the final mutalisk falls to archon and storms. With so few high templar left, Stork has not enough to stop the massive hydralisk force that moves in to first level Stork's second expansion, then his natural expansion. A reaver pops, gets instantly destroyed and Stork's defeat is a fact. Luxury takes home the second game and the entire tournament!
A Zerg On The Throne
In the end, Luxury managed to prevent Stork from winning two consecutive WCG titles in a row with some excellent aggressive zerg play, while Stork looked static and rigid in his play. A gracious Stork congratulates Luxury after his win, who is posing with the Korean flag in front of a cheering crowd.
Vods will be released on the WCG website, so make sure to check them out once they are released!
Links
wcg.com - WCG
