StarCraft 2

[Chaos2Frozen]

It's here.

[Flying Dagger]

I have still been keeping a close eye on the game and still watched the top tournaments, mainly the various WCS final events.

They are making some GIGANTIC changes to the game... starting with 12 workers... good bye 6 pool. I guess it may eliminate a lot of early game no-scout cheeses (bunker rushes) which imo is "health" at the tournament level (since it can be a part of mindgames - just that it's not fun to watch for spectators when your fav player falls to a proxy).

On new units:
I don't know why I feel that terran is once again getting all the new toys. The new firebat thing sound insane! (I mean, come on! Can hook themselves up to charge into melee range? Can even be upgraded to deal AoE damage? Isn't that just a... firebat?)

Combined with their new mobile long ranged unit, I think they are going to phase out hellions?

With zerg, they finally "bent over" and added lurkers. They get a lot of other "siege" options (esp if the new roach mutate can hit buildings with their nuke).

I am disappointed that they wouldn't just simply allow you to morph a queen into a mobile unit and give them the new frenzy ability given to infestors.

Protess imo is really lacking. I can clearly see how the other races would change composition based on the new changes, but not for protoss. They most likely would still open similarly.

Their new unit is like some widowmine+baneling hybrid.

The dark shrine, along with dark templars, are still too niche of a unit. Giving them a shadowstep upgrade, or some sort of a "temporary complete phase out" where they "hide" in another dimension might be justifiable via research.

It is almost as if they are hesitant to add gateway units due to warpgate mechanics (which is getting nerfed).

[yezhanquan]

Looks like Legacy will be a bang. Let's jam!

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by Flying Dagger

I have still been keeping a close eye on the game and still watched the top tournaments, mainly the various WCS final events.

They are making some GIGANTIC changes to the game... starting with 12 workers... good bye 6 pool. I guess it may eliminate a lot of early game no-scout cheeses (bunker rushes) which imo is "health" at the tournament level (since it can be a part of mindgames - just that it's not fun to watch for spectators when your fav player falls to a proxy).

On new units:
I don't know why I feel that terran is once again getting all the new toys. The new firebat thing sound insane! (I mean, come on! Can hook themselves up to charge into melee range? Can even be upgraded to deal AoE damage? Isn't that just a... firebat?)

Combined with their new mobile long ranged unit, I think they are going to phase out hellions?

With zerg, they finally "bent over" and added lurkers. They get a lot of other "siege" options (esp if the new roach mutate can hit buildings with their nuke).

I am disappointed that they wouldn't just simply allow you to morph a queen into a mobile unit and give them the new frenzy ability given to infestors.

Protess imo is really lacking. I can clearly see how the other races would change composition based on the new changes, but not for protoss. They most likely would still open similarly.

Their new unit is like some widowmine+baneling hybrid.

The dark shrine, along with dark templars, are still too niche of a unit. Giving them a shadowstep upgrade, or some sort of a "temporary complete phase out" where they "hide" in another dimension might be justifiable via research.

It is almost as if they are hesitant to add gateway units due to warpgate mechanics (which is getting nerfed).

Yeah, I haven't played the game because it is really stressful but I still love watching pro matches.

I love the economic change, Starcraft 2 overall needed something drastic and I am interested to see if this will affect anything. Lot of pros did call for change in economy since the getting 3base and sitting back did get stale.

And I love Ravager and the warpgate nerf. This was needed as force field nd warp in dictated too much of the map, stifling map creativity. Something had to be done with Protss and I love this approach, I do hope for more dramatic change with LotV.

Finally, I hope Blizzard makes the multiplayer f2p.

[Flying Dagger]

How well will the ravager do in breaking FFs? FFs are "dirty cheap". By the time you can get ravagers (which is at least lair tech and competes with roach speed), sentries would have gathered enough energy to just recast it. Ravagers don't even feel like it is something that will be "ready" against the classic warp prism sentry->FF on main ramp stranglehold.

When it comes to new units, I want to know exactly what role they will have. Why would you want ravagers vs say... hydras? How will the new swarmhost work vs your standard zergling runby?

[Wigwams]

just keep in mind that most of these new stuffs will either be changed so much or outright removed. i still remember hots...

[Who]

So... we're playing as Artanis again, after playing as him in the original Starcraft. That's interesting.

Anyways, Protoss main ship looks like a carrier and a void ray had a baby.

Spoiler for Carrier Ray has arrived:

And I guess the rest of the campaign overview.

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/star...panel-overview

[Skane]

So after 16 years of watching that opening cinematic... we finally get to play with the Protoss Ion Cannon? Please don't ditch it like what they did with the Mothership.

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by Flying Dagger

How well will the ravager do in breaking FFs? FFs are "dirty cheap". By the time you can get ravagers (which is at least lair tech and competes with roach speed), sentries would have gathered enough energy to just recast it. Ravagers don't even feel like it is something that will be "ready" against the classic warp prism sentry->FF on main ramp stranglehold.

When it comes to new units, I want to know exactly what role they will have. Why would you want ravagers vs say... hydras? How will the new swarmhost work vs your standard zergling runby?

Though the timing should be vastly different because of starting with 12 workers.

[Eisdrache]

Terran certainly got all the toys. Zerg looks interesting but can't hold a candle to T. Lastly P looks ... gimmicky.

[Flying Dagger]

Anyone watching WCS finals?

Today's showmatch just show how powerful the terran toys are as predicted.

I am really curious to know what they have for protoss... something like a shield battery might not be out of the question...

[Last Sinner]

Hehe...Life prevails with Zerg.

[FlareKnight]

Well I think they did say the protoss had at least one other new unit but they weren't ready with it yet. Think they've had more issues figuring what to do with them for multiplayer and have been switching up ideas.

The changes for Terrans all sound awesome. Siege Tank drops while in siege mode? Yes, please. The Cyclone looks awesome, the grappler could be a fun unit and the other changes all seem good. I can't imagine the warping Battlecruisers lasting though. That ability just seems too over the top.

Single player seems like it's shaping up well. Not a bad idea to focus on recruiting as the means of adding awesome new units to the fleet.

[ImperialKnight]

Be interesting if the Battlecruisers' warp does stay in. It would help out their limited mobility and it is a one shot deal. Once they warp in that's it they have to finish the fight or they're dead.

[cloud04]

for an expansion that's named after them...(toss)
they sure got the short end of the stick compared to terran and zerg LOL

[FlareKnight]

At this point I'm just hoping the cyclone doesn't get obliterated out of existence like the warhound. That seems like such a fun unit to use.

Curious to see what happens with the Protoss. With the other two races getting 2 'new' units, have got to think they'll come up with something else new for Protoss before they get to a beta stage.

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Hehe...Life prevails with Zerg.

Kinda funny. Beginning of the year Protoss dominated and during the third season Terran began to win more tournaments, but at end of the Zerg wins.

Overall the semi finals were great (excluding the technical difficulties in the beginning) and the final was aright.

[Flying Dagger]

Life finds a way.

Honestly, I really think it's just the Artosis curse.

In the semi-finals for example, Taeja just wasn't being himself. Maybe too tired? His marines eating so many banelings...

MMA's early aggression style is far too predictable.

While the finals were ok, personally I think there have been better matches this weekend.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by Flying Dagger

Life finds a way.

Honestly, I really think it's just the Artosis curse.

In the semi-finals for example, Taeja just wasn't being himself. Maybe too tired? His marines eating so many banelings...

MMA's early aggression style is far too predictable.

While the finals were ok, personally I think there have been better matches this weekend.

I don't know about that, the first game taeja rolled him. Second game, with the odd hatch strategy really messed with taeja, and the baneling connects weren't happening until he had less than 15 workers. Then life messed with him again with the same hatch strategy; I just think it threw life off just a little bit, and when its 2-2, it's anybodys game.

[Flying Dagger]

One can argue, what are the chances of a proxy reaper build meeting a proxy hatch build blindly?

The failed splits imo is what tilted a somewhat even position to a disadvantageous one.

I guess Life winning makes a good story: he has gone through hell and back to reach the finals. In a day and age where kespa players seem to have established the dominance, Life reminded us all that he is the top dog.