The history of the Shock Squadron Showmatches goes long way back, and was started with the likes of Woody and Disappointer, the torch was then relayed to me, which I carried for a relatively short time with S3. Now after a break that lasted half a year the Showmatches are back, now under skilful leadership of PILAT, with a new name and whole lotta bang!
***Update***
ToT)inControl( is experiencing computer problems and was substituted by his teammate- ToT)HullaHatZu(
ToT)HullaHatZu(3:0Casper[S2] (reppack) ToT)HullaHatZu(>Casper[S2]@Luna ToT)HullaHatZu(>Casper[S2]@Paranoid Android ToT)HullaHatZu(>Casper[S2]@R-Point |
NotForU[S2]2:3T.3)Cuteboy (reppack) NotForU[S2]<T.3)Cuteboy@Luna NotForU[S2]<T.3)Cuteboy@Ride Of Valkyries NotForU[S2]>T.3)Cuteboy@Gaia NotForU[S2]>T.3)Cuteboy@Luna NotForU[S2]<T.3)Cuteboy@Luna |
*Game 1 Cuteboy went fast tank tech and devastated NotForU by destroying all sunkens before NotForU could get a sizeable army.
*Game 2 Cuteboy goes 3 barrack Spark terran strat and annihilates NotForU's defences.
*Game 3 Was a long back and forth game, with NotForU managing to take the win with help of massive ultra army and defiler support.
*Game 4 Suprisingly Cuteboy picks protoss!. Cuteboy goes reaver, NotForU makes nice drop in Cuteboy's main, a 37 kill luker, and GG! 2:2
*Game 5 Cuteboy picks T in this deciding game, yet again, on Luna. NotForU goes Z. Cuteboy rushes, and the game is over at a bit over 4 and a half minutes. GG.
Weekshow, as you might have guessed is a WEEKly series of showmatches, hosted on the WEEKends, where Shock Squadron members battle it out against their respected opponents in a swift and sweet BO5s. But wait, here’s a twist. S2 is taking on the whole world, one enemy at a time. And since the Korea is an enemy deserving their own spot, PILAT decided to split the showmatch in two parts(and to deliver you double dose of entertainment). In the first S2 stars will clash with crème de la crème of the non-korean scene, and in the second another one of Squadron warriors will face a pro, semi-pro or just a widely known Korean gosu!
The first WeekShow was held two weeks ago, but due to most unfortunate circumstances, the coverage provided was pretty weak. In an attempt to catch up I will try to recap what happened during last two weeks.
On Saturday, April 22nd, Ro[S2] was defeated by the swedish powerhouse fanatiC.Kaaz 2-3, in a very close TvZ series.
fanatiC.Kaaz3:2Ro[S2] (reppack) fanatiC.Kaaz>Ro[S2]@Luna fanatiC.Kaaz<Ro[S2]@Rush Hour fanatiC.Kaaz<Ro[S2]@R-Point fanatiC.Kaaz>Ro[S2]@Gaia fanatiC.Kaaz>Ro[S2]@Map Unknown |
The next day the best Russian protoss Pomi[S2] faced off korean semi-pro from the G.s team, which over the past few weeks have taken a lot of joy in proving the famous Leeroy Jenkins true, and managed to take home the glory.
Pomi[S2]3:2G.s)Paradiso (reppack) Pomi[S2]>G.s)Paradiso@Luna Pomi[S2]>G.s)Paradiso@Rush Hour Pomi[S2]<G.s)Paradiso@Map Unknown Pomi[S2]<G.s)Paradiso@R-Point Pomi[S2]>G.s)Paradiso@Neo Forte |
The second installment of the showmatches was played last week. Due to conflicting schedule with WGTCL both matches were scheduled for Saturday. In the first one, a rising protoss star aSuWiSh[S2] clinched swords with a rising American star, and Kaaz's teammate, fanatiC.Idra. After two PvT matches, Idra is down 0-2, and he decides to switch to Zergs. This original tactical move brings him the victory, as he takes the next 3 games in a row, and wins the whole thing 3-2.
aSuWish[S2]2:3fanatiC.Idra (reppack) aSuWiSh[S2]>fanatiC.Idra@Luna aSuWiSh[S2]>fanatiC.Idra@Gaia aSuWiSh[S2]<fanatiC.Idra@R-Point aSuWiSh[S2]<fanatiC.Idra@Rush Hour aSuWiSh[S2]<fanatiC.Idra@Ride of Valkyries |
The other match was originally planned to be played between one of the best Russian zergs NotForU[S2] and Korean-born T.3)Cuteboy, but due to personal issues Cuteboy could not show up to this match. Savvy organizers did not lose any time, and delivered as promised- a replacement was found, although not a Korean, but very skilled nonetheless- an American protoss uT)Alexa. And this time around the players stuck to the tradition, and finished with a 2-3 in favor of the American.
Notforu[S2]2:3uT)Alexa (reppack) Notforu[S2]<uT)Alexa@R-Point Notforu[S2]>uT)Alexa@Rush Hour Notforu[S2]<uT)Alexa@Map Unknown Notforu[S2]<uT)Alexa@Gaia Notforu[S2]<uT)Alexa@Map Unknown |
The World steps in the third week with a comfortable 3-1 lead(although when it comes to individual games, it shows how extremely close it really is: 11-9), where once again members of Shock Squadron will face their adversaries in eternal quest for world domination!
May 6th 2006, 17:00 CET
ToT)inControl( vs Casper[S2]
ToT)inControl(. Being one of the greatest American players, and an active member of Templars of Twilight he barely needs an introduction. A zerg powerhouse he is, he displays excellent results in every event he comes to, whether it is a clan war, a showmatch, or a tournament. His passion for this game and his drive to succeed are incredible- and tomorrow he has two showmatches and a nation war to play in. But he is confident going into the new day, and predicts that he will come out victorious, 3-1 or 3-2. "I just play lots of zvt's," says inControl, "I expect awesome games and am glad to be included in the Russian community!". |
Casper[S2] is a great player, who often gets overlooked just because his race of choice is Terran. Nonetheless he surely isn't a punching bag, and he has 3rd place on PlayGround's February Tourney, and innumerous top 3 finishes at online tournaments to prove it. His original style, unexpected strategies, and ability to play all three races makes him a very challenging opponent! |
May 6th 2006, 17:00 CET
T.3)Cuteboy vs Notforu[S2]
T.3)Cuteboy is a resident of United Arab Emirates, but was born in the mecca of cybersport- South Korea. The distance between him and his homeland does not stop him from achieving great skills and success, and an A+ rank on PGTour proves it. And this isn’t surprising when you realize who his training partners are- Cuteboy frequently plays against the aspiring protoss star Much[gm] of CJ team and the Gorilla Terran, iloveoov of SKT1 himself. Cuteboy is confident in his skills and, although he hasn't heard of his opponent before, he predicts he will come out victorious with a 3-0 or 3-1 score. And just to make sure of that Cuteboy is planning to play some extra TvZ today just to prepare for the match. |
Notforu[S2] is a relatively new star in the Russian skies. Quickly gaining respect from his fellow peers for his manners and skills he has become known as one of the best Zerg players in Russia. His latest achievements include 4th place at Playground April Tourney, and 2nd places at both EuroCup preliminary tourney and Russian Racewars IV. |
Expect shoutcasts in English from Micro-Lzruha, and in Russian from Odd_Ulvar[S2]. Unfortunately because of conflicting schedules, only one of this matches can be shoutcasted, but we promise you will not miss any action, as we will try to get the replays out to you as soon as possible!
Links
S2Clan - Home of Shock Squadron
S2 Radio - Russian Shoutcast from Odd_Ulvar[S2]
WGT Radio - English Shoutcast