, it's a link, which will probably lead you somewhere when you click it. (Duh.) Whenever you come across a picture, mouse over it to see some witty and/or related remarks. If you can't tell already, I really love alt-text. If it wern't just an inanimate piece of HTML code, I would probably ask it out.
Sorry for putting that image in your head. But on the plus side, the pictures are probably almost finished loading. So, on to the report!
The Map:
Ice Flow (4)
This is a fairly small four player map. There are bases towards the middle of the map at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. There are expansion nodes in each of the corners. Dead center is a Fountain of Health, which is well guarded by a varying collection of Creeps. Each base has two easy collections of Creeps, one Ice Trolls and one Frost Wolves, nearby. The expansions are moderately guarded by Ice Trolls and/or Giant Spiders.
The players:
I really don't know to much about them. As you can see, Cadaver chose to command the blue Undead, landing a base at 12:00, while eloist is the green Night Elves, scoring a Tree of Life at 9:00. From now on, if you can't guess, Cadaver's name will be bold, while eloist's will be in italics. I did this A) because it will be easier to tell who I'm talking about and B) because I'm too lazy to use colors.
The early BO's:
Cadaver took a unique path: Crypt first, then two Zigs. He finished off this wonderful plan with a Graveyard and then, finally, an altar. After the Altar, he began construction on a Tomb of Relics, presumably to buy things. (Duh.) During this time he trained several Ghouls and began a Death Knight.
Meanwhile, eloist was following a more traditional NE Build: Altar/Moon Well first, then AOW and another Moon Well. He quickly placed some wisps on lumber, as his Master PlanŽ was already brewing. He decided to go with a Demon Hunter as his first Hero.
As he built up, he added some archers to his force and set out for some creeping. He cleared the upper creep camp near his base, and dispatched a single archer to go scouting.
During this time, Cadaver beefed up his forces with a few Crypt Fiends and began researching burrow. He also decides to get some serious creeping action going on. He clears both of his local creep camps, and girds up his loins to take the top-right expo.
Things heat up:
However, before he can take the Expansion, Cadaver is attacked in a daring raid by eloist. The Demon Hunter and a few archers move in on Cadaver's main, hoping to score a few kills on the Acolytes. As his Halls of the Dead has not finished yet, Cadaver is forced to retreat his forces back to deal with the threat.
And then...retreat again? What the...? Yes, Cadaver decides to fight it out under the protection of his Nerubian Towers. A brief battle ensues, but eloist, clearly not interested in losing the DH, teleports back to his base. The losses: Cadaver, a ghoul or two. Eloist, a couple of archers. Fascinating stuff.
"As Azeroth Turns..."
As the game progresses, both Cadaver and eloist clear expansions. Cadaver takes the top right, while eloist secures the top left. However, only Cadaver decides to actually expand. He begins a Haunted Gold Mine, and after that, he adds two Zigs.
Meanwhile, both sides beef up their forces with new heroes. Cadaver buys a Pit Lord from a nearby Tavern, while eloist takes a more traditional approach and trains a Keeper of the Grove.
Cadaver continues to add Crypt Fiends, while researching Web and added a Gargoyle or two in anticipation of Chimaeras. eloist adds some Druids of the Talon and sends a handful of wisps down to the bottom of the map to...you guessed it...make some Chimaera Roosts.
But that's not all eloist had in mind. Oh no, he wanted blood! He sent both of his Heroes, backed by a largish force of Archers, to pound on Cadaver's main. The two armies danced around each other for some time, both suffering substantial losses. eloist lost a very substantial number of archers before TP'ing back, but Cadaver suffered an even worse fate: Though he lost few units, both of his heroes were slayed in the battle. The nice collage below should help you sort out some of this mess.
The end draws near:
eloist decides to once more try his luck in an assault on Cadaver's base. He sends both of his Heroes, some archers, and 4 Druids of the Talon to Cadaver's main. Cadaver moves his forces back to intercept. The battle is back-and-forth for a while, but eloist decides to once more TP back to avoid losing his high-level DH. Unfortunately, Cadaver is not so lucky, and poor Duke Ragereaver bights the Blight...again.
In the brief lull that ensues, Cadaver uses a brand-spankin' new Slaughterhouse to produce an Obsidian Statue and a few aboms. He also revives his Death Knight, and prepares for another attack. And sure enough, he doesn't have to wait long...
Hold it for just another minute...
eloist decides to smash down Cadaver's expansion. Both heroes and a handful of units move in on it, and begin beating up on the Towers. But the fun doesn't last for long: Cadaver brings his army down and, seeing that he is outnumbered, eloist TP's back. Again.
But eloist has begun to execute his Master PlanŽ, and things begin to quickly stack up against Cadaver.
As Chims began to come out, eloist readied his final assault. But Cadaver's scouts found the Chimaera Roosts, and he began to add more Gargoyles and a Lich in anticipation of the attack. eloist, feeling secure in his current position, is content to forgo his 3rd hero in favor of more Chims w/the Corrosive Breath upgrade.
Then the inevitable attack came. eloist's Chimaeras swept over Cadaver's base like a wildfire through 1998 Florida. The Black Citadel fell, then the Haunted Gold Mine and the Graveyard. Cadaver's Gargoyles and Lich attacked the Chims, but it was too little, too late. Then, elosit's ground forces, including his now-level-6 DH, moved on Cadaver's main. The end result was all too obvious to all involved, and Cadaver bowed out silently. Here's a nice collage to show the culmination of the Master PlanŽ.
The End
Lessons Learned
1. Never just sit in your base for the whole game.
2. Chimaeras are way overpowered.
3. Hero harrassment is a great way to get heroes promoted.
4. I'm in Frozen Throne! *Does the happy dance.*
Conclusion:
Well, I hope you enjoyed my first HTML report. I think it's a marked improvement over my last ones, don't you? The game was fun to watch and fun to report, though the ending was slightly anticlimactic. Sorry there's no replay, but you can't view TFT replays. (Though, oddly enough, you can still save them.) As always, remember to leave your comments. See you again soon!
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