EG's Puma is the first player to reach the Grand Final of DreamHack Winer 2011. The Korean terran was almost unstoppable in his game against NightEnd and took the series 3-1.
Undet the cheer of thousands of people, Puma and NightEnd stepped into their booths to determine who deserves it most to be at the final stage of DreamHack. Counted as the heavy favourite for the series, Puma and his play did not disappoint in the first game. NightEnd opened with a 3-gate robo but Puma was quick to scout it and throw a bunker immediately. As the rush failed, NightEnd fell back to regroup knowing that will be in a temporary disadvantage and this is when Puma struck true. The terran marched towards the ramp of NightEnd with a deadly bio/ghost army only to find the sweet gift of clumped sentries. A couple of EMPs later NightEnd's army was rendered impotent and Puma walked it to take the lead.
"His passivity allowed Puma to go up to a fat deathball"
NightEnd still has a thing or two to say about people's predictions about a 3-0 stomp. The protoss started off on a rocky start on Altar and his passivity allowed Puma to go up to a fat deathball of marauders and vikings. Puma's maneuvering and control was on a top notch level when he sniped both of NightEnd's forges the game seemed over. As the game entered its very late stages, however, NightEnd displayed perfect understanding of how the protoss race should operated under these conditions, maintaining an optimal balance of archons, storms and colossi to make Puma worry. When the terran missed to EMP the templars in the decisive battle, NightEnd tied the series, aflaming audience's emotions.
"No thermal lance"
With the score 1-1, Puma's job didn't seem as easier as everyone would think. In order to support his TvP playstyle, Puma chose Dual Sight and immediately rushed for a 1/1/1 build and NightEnd endured a living nightmare. As Puma's ground army was on its advance, the banshees flew to the SCV line, baiting part of NightEnd's army and hurting his income potential. The protoss was up to the ropes - he had no thermal lance and once Puma crossed the choke to the natural the game was pretty much over.
Three-rax starport and two-medivac drop
Daybreak was another quick set and saw Puma go for 3-rax/starport and launch a two-medivac drop onto the protoss main. That was the doom of NightEnd's nexus and thus Puma walked out with a 3-1 victory and a place at the Grand Final, where he will play either Ret or HerO.
