WCS America Finals Coverage

Semifinals - Polt Vs. TaeJa - Game 1 (Neo Planet S)

Polt, who spawns as the Blue Terran at the bottom left corner on Neo Planet S opens with a Barracks and an early gas, while Taeja opens with a Barracks with a slower assimilator. This allows Polt to grab a much earlier Factory and Starport for some Banshee play while TaeJa builds a Command Center on the highground. With some fantastic micro and the disparity in tech that allowed Polt to build a Banshee long before TaeJa completed his own pulls Polt far into the lead. His Banshee manages to kill 14 units, both marines and SCVs alike, before escaping with 4 hp. TaeJa's Banshee, on the other hand, only managed to pick up 3 kills before being denied any further aggression by Polt's Marines and his follow up Raven.

Following the early game pressure, both players establish their natural expansions with TaeJa fortifying his position with a couple tanks and a bunker. Polt begins construction on his third while poking TaeJa's natural with a Raven. Polt releases a couple seeker missiles to kill one of TaeJa's sieged up tanks while bringing back the Captain Banshee for another three SCVs mining TaeJa's main.

Both player's fly their third Command Centers to their respective 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions, however Polt cuts in from the top left to delay TaeJa's expansion, allowing Polt to solidify his third before TaeJa.

TaeJa slips up on the south side of the map where he loses a small group of Marines and two Medivacs. Pressing his advantage, Polt grabs a fourth while attempting a contain TaeJa's third although without actually pressuring it, this misallocation of forces proves to be a detrimental mistake as TaeJa pushes Polt's tanks on southeast, managing to outnumber and stim his way through six sieged tanks and a handful of marines. This marks the beginning of what may be a comeback for TaeJa as he starts to assert his presence on the map - winning another large skirmish on the south, destroying Polt's Planetary on the fourth while denying Polt's push on TaeJa's own fourth. TaeJa manages to also kill Polt's vestigial forth at the 10 o'clock base and also spots and intercepts Polt's attempt at a triple Medivac drop at TaeJa's main, killing two before they drop off a single unit and the third, which only manages to drop off three marines.

Although it begins to looks rather grim for Polt, the Blue Terran manages to contain, pressure, and eventually kill Taeja's fourth while prohibiting TaeJa's units in the center of the map from counterattacking with well positioned tanks. TaeJa manages to land a Command Center at the gold, albeit the victory as short lived as Polt pushes in to annihilate the defending forces with his much larger one.

Polt comfortably reestablishes his fourth and fifth while Taeja's mineral income sits at a rate close to 0. In a last desperate attempt, TaeJa sends his nearly 70 supply deficient army against Polt's only to get crushed. Polt leads the series 1-0.

WCS America Semifinal Coverage - Polt Vs. TaeJa – Game 2 (Newkirk Precinct)

TaeJa, as the Red Terran spawning on the west side, likely plagued by visions of Polt’s relentless opening Banshee, decided to mimic his opponent’s build from last game this time around. Polt, favoring the Banshee play once again follows suit, albeit TaeJa receives much more favorable results, yielding 17 kills with his Banshee attack. Polt’s pulls in meager results, managing only to snatch up 3 kills before getting pretty much one-shot by a widow-mine burrowed in TaeJa’s mineral line.

TaeJa’s presses his economic advantage, establishing his second while sending out a Raven coupled with a Viking to intercept any other Banshees coming from Polt, TaeJa with the same strategy in mind sends out his own pair. The two meet and trade, Polt loses his Viking first, but manages to Seeker Missile TaeJa’s Raven before it could escape.

Polt, expecting a push from the front, positions a Tank and his Marines on the ramp of his natural with an additional tank on the high ground. TaeJa’s capitalizes on Polt’s positioning by dropping two Marine filled Medivacs on top of Polt’s high ground tank, killing it instantly. TaeJa manages to pick off a Viking and a few of Polt’s Marines, before having to evac, losing about 8 of his own Marines in the entire process.

TaeJa, relentless in his assault, regroups his first drop squad with additional marines and two more Medivacs before dropping again in Polt’s main, picking off SCVs, denying mining time, and killing an engineering bay before backing off just to regroup with his reinforcements to push Polt’s natural. This frontal assault is the final attack as TaeJa’s forces clean up Polt’s with ease, killing his Command Center in a matter of seconds and forcing the GG. Series ties at 1-1.

WCS America Semifinal Coverage - Polt Vs. TaeJa – Game 3 (Akilon Waste)

Polt, spawning on the southeast as the Blue Terran opened with one gas to an early Command Center following a Barracks + Reactor to Widow Mines whereas TaeJa opens double gas for Banshee play.

Polt builds a Viking while littering Widow Mines around his base to deter Banshees. TaeJa sends four successive Banshees, although each Banshee only yields a few kills per attack before getting taken out, Polt defends very successfully.

Each player expands to their respective second and third with no real contention, with Polt landing his third a bit earlier than TaeJa. Both players transition into marine/tank/medevac armies, with Polt choosing to be the first aggressor.

The Blue Terran moves to TaeJa’s front, solidifying a position outside of TaeJa’s natural for a short while. TaeJa pushes Polt out and in a series of won encounters, TaeJa manages to gain a notable army lead, at one point dwindling Polt’s tank count to a mere 1. Both players establish their fourth bases and attempt at ninja fifth bases, which are taken out on both sides. More exchanges occur, each going in favor of Polt, pulling him back into the game.

The skirmishes go back and forth with both players trading pretty equally. Strangely, the game’s decisive battle isn’t really a battle at all. Polt moves his force straight through the middle to TaeJa’s main while TaeJa attempts to hit Polt’s fifth (planetary). Polt repairs and TaeJa takes inefficient trades while Polt drives up destroying all of TaeJa’s production buildings. TaeJa desperately tries to rebuild, but the damage was too great. Polt finishes off TaeJa’s remaining forces with little contention forcing the GG. Polt leads the series 2-1.

WCS America Semifinal Coverage - Polt Vs. TaeJa – Game 4 (Belshir' Vestige)

TaeJa, spawning on the top left corner as the Red Terran, opens with gas first while Polt opens with a Barracks to gas allowing TaeJa to get his Banshee out on the field before his opponent. As a result, TaeJa was able to get his Raven to deter Polt's Banshee, causing a disparity in kills scored between the two - TaeJa with 9 and Polt with 3.

Both players expand to their natural at about the same time and a macro interim takes place. TaeJa breaks the lul with a two base push, coming straight from the front of Polt's natural with a supply lead of 14 as Polt opted for his conventional third. TaeJa intelligently opens the gates by locking two seeker missiles on one of Polt's defensive siege tanks, reducing Polt's defensively positioned tanks to one at the time of the attack. Polt's third tank arrives too late and is caught out of siege, taken out before it could deal any substantual damage to TaeJa's assaulting forces.

Polt pulls his SCVs, but the damage was too swift and too great, Polt GGs and the series goes to a concluding game 5. Series tied at two a piece.

WCS America Semifinal Coverage - Polt Vs. TaeJa – Game 4 (Belshir' Vestige)

TaeJa, spawning as the Red Terran on the bottom left opens with a Command Center first, a surprise in a series filled with Barracks and Gas openers.

Polt follows up with his Barracks/Reactor for a Command Center built on the low ground, slightly slowing down his Factory. Polt decides to go extremely greeding, beginning construction on his third CC before his second even finishes.

A macro phase dominates the mid game, although Polt's economy flourishes quicker due to his greedy third. A few small skirmishes take place between Polt's Hellions versus some of TaeJa's bio. Polt decides to aggress with a roughly 30 supply lead, setting up a siege position outside of TaeJa's third. TaeJa's attempts to stim in his Marines to take out Polt's unsieged tanks, but is too late in his response as Polt's Tanks return some heavy artillery fire, thinning out TaeJa's infantry support. Polt storms in moments after with a 50 supply lead army, taking out TaeJa's army, his third, and forces the GG.
Polt wins the series 3-2.