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ISL 7 Championships
by unknown · 2012-10-05
The championship match up. The last two titans left after a grueling and intense competition. The ISL has weeded out the week. All that is left is two Zergs. Mafia Zerg vs HidE . Hide is widely considered the best player in the game, but since arriving into the knock out stages, he has only been playing his SSS ZvT. On the flip side, Mafia is fresh off an incredible ZvZ series, beating the legend BIRDMAN , 3-2. This will be the first championships to include players who were drafted, instead of randomly generated players assigned to teams, a transition that will change Shakuras forever. With two of the top Zergs facing off in what is sure to be a blistering ZvZ, lets look at the details.
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#Past Matches#
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All Time Series : Mafia Zerg 1 - 2 Hide
* Way back in Sep. 30, 2011, Mafia beat Hide in their first ever meeting in a SESPA match. While the two grew up in the same PC Bang, and no doubt played many games against each other, their first game was a short one. Coming out first against each other in a Winners League match, Mafia pulled away after harassing Hide's third, beating Hide's zergling force. This led to Hide's eventual defeat, a solid match for two young players.
* Next, on Mar. 28, 2012, Hide took his revenge. Mafia, then known as Minah Zerg, hit an aggressive timing attack. Hide, however, took over the game from there, flanking Mafia's units, and slaughtering them across the map. He simply strolled into Mafia's base afterwards, and evened this series up.
* Last but not least, in Apr. 23, 2012, the two championship contenders had their most recent meeting. Like the other two matches they had previously, this one was quite short, and based a lot on positional play. In the 19th minute of that match, Hide took advantage of his speedling upgrade kicking in slightly before Mafia's and destroyed Mafia's lings. Hide then rolled his way to a victory.
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#Stats and Exp#
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Both of these Zergs are near the top of their game, and indeed, easily in the top 1% of players in all of Shakuras. They are examples of the payoffs of Macro Strat training, one that has led to many similar looking players. The poster boy of the style, Hide, and one of his greatest competitors, Mafia. Hide leads narrowly in the Stats and Exp department, with 73 stats compared to Mafia's 70. Also, Hide has 13 exp, one more than Mafia. Extremely similarly built, the Zerg mirror will be close, but better stats and better experience usually point to the winner of ZvZs. Along with this, ZvZ is Hide's statistical best match up, with a ridiculous win rate of 79.1%, winning 4 out of every 5 ZvZs. Mafia's is not as impressive, only at 67.1%. However, Mafia brought down Birdman, who brought down Kolll , widely considered 2 of the best Zergs. If Mafia takes out Hide, he'll claim the title of the Best ZvZer. Hide will definitely have something to say about that though.
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#Maps and Prediction#
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* Blue Storm - Mafia's Record - Never Played. Hide's Record - Never Played.
Neither player has ever had a league match on this map. A very balanced map, it is very good for all the favorable match ups. As this is a mirror, it doesn't teach us much though. My pick, is that Hide opens up aggressive, and takes the game to Mafia.
Prediction - Mafia 0 - 1 Hide
* Python - Mafia's Record - 2-0. Hide's Record - 9-0.
Now, Python is a map where both of these guys have played on. Mafia has had 1 career ZvZ win on the map, while Hide has had 2. Mafia's sole ZvZ win here was against Birdman last week though, and so Hide has a very recent VoD to watch on Mafia's style on this map. Hide's most recent match here, a ZvT against Ghost, is less helpful to Mafia, and time in the film room will give Hide the advantage here as well.
Prediction - Mafia 0 - 2 Hide
* Monty Hall SE - Mafia's Record - 0-1. Hide's Record - 3-1.
Mafia's sole loss here came against Birdman last week, a great asset VoD for Hide to watch to see how to defeat his opponent. However, Ghost took Hide out on a rare macro game victory against the Butcher. This might be a mental stumbling block for Hide, and so I expect Mafia to claw back into the match with a momentum turning victory.
Prediction - Mafia 1 - 2 Hide
* Fighting Spirit - Mafia's Record - Never Played. Hide's Record - 1-0.
The one match played on this map between the two players was a Hide ZvP victory against Nal_rA . As so, this is where I feel that Mafia's luck runs out. Hide was denied his first ISL gold in game 3, but he will not be denied again. The Second Bonjwa Rises.
Prediction - Mafia 1 - 3 Hide
_HidE Wins_
* Destination - Mafia's Record - 3-3. Hide's record - 3-1.
In case Hide hasn't won by now, Mafia will be in luck. Destination is one of those maps that he has more experience on than Hide. However, Mafia's 1-1 in ZvZs on this map, while Hide has never played a ZvZ here at all. Maybe he'll bring out an incredible build and just roll Mafia over. Either way, Hide will win this.
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#Prominent Players Pitch In#
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Misaya - It's amusing that two players with such low scouting and harassment made the finals l0l. Mafia Zerg only stands a chance if he cheeses successfully, but HidE is probably too strong regardless. Hide will win 3-1. Too bad he isn't Protoss.
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Xello - I've recently quit TvZ training after watching HidE play. I had always found myself a really good TvZer, standing up against [player=155}, but Hide is just too good. Mafia Zerg 's good as well, I see him taking a win on the 3rd map. But Hide will win 3-1.
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Blungy - This one's going to be a tough one for Mafia Zerg . Although BIRDMAN was the reigning ISL champ going into this tournament, each of us players has known for a long time that the new king is HidE . He's 22-1 over the last four months in ZvZ, against everything that's been thrown his way. Mafia Zerg is a respectable 15-9 in ZvZ during that time, going 3-3 against Birdman, but it's clear that he's not as consistently dominant as Hide.
Having made the My Little Pony ISL Finals, I know a thing or two about winning matches you're not expected or supposed to win. Mafia Zerg can do this, but it's going to be difficult. First, he's got to be at 100% condition and hope for some Birdman sabotage the night before, ala taking Hide out for some hookers and dope. Next, he's gotta win the first set. If he wins on Blue Storm, I say he has about a 40-45% chance of winning the title. If he also wins on Monty Hall, the ISL is his. And don't take Viagra before the championship finals dude! It's not a good idea--no matter how awesome it is to tell people you took Viagra to rape your opponent! Not worth it. Trust me on that one.
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CrazyHydra - Having played countless ZvZs with Mafia Zerg and a bunch against HidE , I can't emphasis enough on how amazing these guys are. I am currently practicing with Mafia, and I'm actually forgetting about how it is to win a ZvZ. Even the game where I 9 pool and he 12 hatches, he just holds it off, brings it to hive tech and beats me late game, he's that amazing. I'd usually give a prediction based on logic, but seeing how hard this guy gives everything he has into practicing for that one match, I can tell you that any logic becomes invalid and I think it will go 3-2 for the former Proleague champion (Mafia Zerg).
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TORRES - The 2 17 year-old zergs are monsters to face. I've never had the displeasure of facing off against Mafia Zerg in a TvZ but I've had my fair share of games against HidE .
Hide is a complete beast and his brilliance shines through in the lategame. I think no one in the game comes close to his understanding of every situation and his ability to plan ahead is second to none. As a result, he is very composed when he plays and it's hard to get him rattled. This composure might be the key to him winning this ZvZ final.
But from what I've seen in Mafia Zerg's games he is no slouch either. He did take down the legendary BIRDMAN (albeit some may say he is past his prime) and I think the momentum is in his favor because of that. He is still the underdog in this match up though. I even asked TORRES , who's played both players in ZvZ, and even he says that he thinks this is Hide's final to lose.
I think it's about time for Hide to claim the Zerg throne this ISL final, but it'll be nice to see the man who threw down Birdman to win it.
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FrOzean - As HidE 's teammate and friend I definitely want him to win. I think that Hide is the best player in the world and even though I'm Terran, I think his ZvZ is better than Mafia Zerg 's. But ZvZ can be tricky sometimes, so I wish Hide all the luck!
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BIRDMAN - HidE 3-0. He has successfully dodged me yet again by giving steroids to Mafia Zerg and I am the only player in the universe who can stop him. Fools do not understand...
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TORRES - Wow, what a match. I couldn't think of anything better for the first ZvZ ISL Final than this (except maybe, maybe HidE vs BIRDMAN ). In my mind, these are the top two Zerg players right now. Hide has been at the top for quite a while, after he overtook Birdman in the ELO ranking, and with Mafia Zerg 's win last weekend I would have to say he's surpassed Birdman now for the second spot.
I believe that the ISL 7 Final is a bit like the ushering of a new era. Out with the old guard, and in with the new crop of dominant players. After all, this will be the first final that does not include Birdman, Lightning , Tester , or myself (at least one of us has been a part of each ISL Final up to this point). I think that pretty much says it all.
Now, as for my own evaluation of the two finalists.. I would say Hide has the slight edge but that's only because I've played against him many times, and he's beaten me in a majority of those games. I'm sad to say that I've never gotten a chance to face Mafia in an official game, but his style is reminiscent of Badger . While I only played him once, it was an incredibly difficult game, and I imagine playing against Mafia would be like that. Also, he's beaten Birdman in a Bo5 with one attempt, while I've yet to do that with two, so he must be pretty damn good :)
Onto my prediction, I'm a sucker for drawn-out BoX's that go the full distance, so I'm rallying for a 3-2 win. As for the winner, I'll give the nod to Hide since he has all the hype surrounding him, and he can back it up. No matter the winner though, I just hope the first ZvZ final in the ISL will be a great and memorable one.
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Ghost - I think HidE will take this. It doesn't matter what anyone does. He always seems to have the perfect counter. His timings are impeccable, his control superb, and his management is absolutely incredible.
Mafia Zerg really has a tough road ahead.
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tamp3r - Even though Mafia Zerg beat BIRDMAN , he is 1-2 against is opponent and HidE has unmatched skill at the moment. I was astonished after playing him and I believe he will take the championship.
Mafia Zerg 1-3 Hide
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Echoic - I think HidE is a favorite to win this ISL. He is 1st in Sespa and ELO rankings. He also has better ZvZ than Mafia Zerg . Even though odds are against Mafia, I predict that he will be the champion in this ISL. I always root for the underdogs, and I believe that Mafia can beat Hide :). My prediction is a 3-2 for Mafia
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Tester - Looking at it logically, all of my money should be on HidE to win pretty easily. I mean, he's the #1 ranked player in both the SESPA rankings and by ELO and also hasn't lost to a Zerg player in over 30 games. On the other hand, we have Mafia Zerg who barely beat BIRDMAN and lost to Echoic not too long ago. I'm sure most people would agree that Hide is the clear favorite in the final, but I think in this prediction they are forgetting something...
In my prime many people would come up and ask me things like, "Tester, how do you win so much? You have the mechanics of an amateur and the game sense of a foreigner!" I could understand why they did not see the reason for my wins, I mean the consensus is that skill is what determines the best and in terms of pure skill, I was a noob. So why was I one of the best with so little skill? It is simple, I had the confidence in myself to overcome all my opponents.
Going into the final with the confidence of beating the almighty Birdman and the thirst to defeat the second of the zerg kings, Mafia Zerg will surely prove once and for all that skill is not everything in this beautiful game.
Mafia Zerg 3 - 2 HidE
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Thanks everyone that helped and I really hope you guys enjoy this one, I put lots of thought into it. Also, Ascent says Hide 3-1 Mafia, and he's a super genius, so sorry Whisperkill. Kralic thinks that as well. Thanks Rivers, ihchulk, BigBlungy, Whisper, Rebs, forbenz, yesplz, FearlessMango you handsome stud, release, maur, kefif, and Loneeee. I hope you guys really enjoy this one, I understand is a big wall of text, but I had a good time making it. Best of luck Hide and Mafia!
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#Past Matches#
---
All Time Series : Mafia Zerg 1 - 2 Hide
* Way back in Sep. 30, 2011, Mafia beat Hide in their first ever meeting in a SESPA match. While the two grew up in the same PC Bang, and no doubt played many games against each other, their first game was a short one. Coming out first against each other in a Winners League match, Mafia pulled away after harassing Hide's third, beating Hide's zergling force. This led to Hide's eventual defeat, a solid match for two young players.
* Next, on Mar. 28, 2012, Hide took his revenge. Mafia, then known as Minah Zerg, hit an aggressive timing attack. Hide, however, took over the game from there, flanking Mafia's units, and slaughtering them across the map. He simply strolled into Mafia's base afterwards, and evened this series up.
* Last but not least, in Apr. 23, 2012, the two championship contenders had their most recent meeting. Like the other two matches they had previously, this one was quite short, and based a lot on positional play. In the 19th minute of that match, Hide took advantage of his speedling upgrade kicking in slightly before Mafia's and destroyed Mafia's lings. Hide then rolled his way to a victory.
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#Stats and Exp#
---
Both of these Zergs are near the top of their game, and indeed, easily in the top 1% of players in all of Shakuras. They are examples of the payoffs of Macro Strat training, one that has led to many similar looking players. The poster boy of the style, Hide, and one of his greatest competitors, Mafia. Hide leads narrowly in the Stats and Exp department, with 73 stats compared to Mafia's 70. Also, Hide has 13 exp, one more than Mafia. Extremely similarly built, the Zerg mirror will be close, but better stats and better experience usually point to the winner of ZvZs. Along with this, ZvZ is Hide's statistical best match up, with a ridiculous win rate of 79.1%, winning 4 out of every 5 ZvZs. Mafia's is not as impressive, only at 67.1%. However, Mafia brought down Birdman, who brought down Kolll , widely considered 2 of the best Zergs. If Mafia takes out Hide, he'll claim the title of the Best ZvZer. Hide will definitely have something to say about that though.
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#Maps and Prediction#
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* Blue Storm - Mafia's Record - Never Played. Hide's Record - Never Played.
Neither player has ever had a league match on this map. A very balanced map, it is very good for all the favorable match ups. As this is a mirror, it doesn't teach us much though. My pick, is that Hide opens up aggressive, and takes the game to Mafia.
Prediction - Mafia 0 - 1 Hide
* Python - Mafia's Record - 2-0. Hide's Record - 9-0.
Now, Python is a map where both of these guys have played on. Mafia has had 1 career ZvZ win on the map, while Hide has had 2. Mafia's sole ZvZ win here was against Birdman last week though, and so Hide has a very recent VoD to watch on Mafia's style on this map. Hide's most recent match here, a ZvT against Ghost, is less helpful to Mafia, and time in the film room will give Hide the advantage here as well.
Prediction - Mafia 0 - 2 Hide
* Monty Hall SE - Mafia's Record - 0-1. Hide's Record - 3-1.
Mafia's sole loss here came against Birdman last week, a great asset VoD for Hide to watch to see how to defeat his opponent. However, Ghost took Hide out on a rare macro game victory against the Butcher. This might be a mental stumbling block for Hide, and so I expect Mafia to claw back into the match with a momentum turning victory.
Prediction - Mafia 1 - 2 Hide
* Fighting Spirit - Mafia's Record - Never Played. Hide's Record - 1-0.
The one match played on this map between the two players was a Hide ZvP victory against Nal_rA . As so, this is where I feel that Mafia's luck runs out. Hide was denied his first ISL gold in game 3, but he will not be denied again. The Second Bonjwa Rises.
Prediction - Mafia 1 - 3 Hide
_HidE Wins_
* Destination - Mafia's Record - 3-3. Hide's record - 3-1.
In case Hide hasn't won by now, Mafia will be in luck. Destination is one of those maps that he has more experience on than Hide. However, Mafia's 1-1 in ZvZs on this map, while Hide has never played a ZvZ here at all. Maybe he'll bring out an incredible build and just roll Mafia over. Either way, Hide will win this.
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#Prominent Players Pitch In#
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Misaya - It's amusing that two players with such low scouting and harassment made the finals l0l. Mafia Zerg only stands a chance if he cheeses successfully, but HidE is probably too strong regardless. Hide will win 3-1. Too bad he isn't Protoss.
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Xello - I've recently quit TvZ training after watching HidE play. I had always found myself a really good TvZer, standing up against [player=155}, but Hide is just too good. Mafia Zerg 's good as well, I see him taking a win on the 3rd map. But Hide will win 3-1.
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Blungy - This one's going to be a tough one for Mafia Zerg . Although BIRDMAN was the reigning ISL champ going into this tournament, each of us players has known for a long time that the new king is HidE . He's 22-1 over the last four months in ZvZ, against everything that's been thrown his way. Mafia Zerg is a respectable 15-9 in ZvZ during that time, going 3-3 against Birdman, but it's clear that he's not as consistently dominant as Hide.
Having made the My Little Pony ISL Finals, I know a thing or two about winning matches you're not expected or supposed to win. Mafia Zerg can do this, but it's going to be difficult. First, he's got to be at 100% condition and hope for some Birdman sabotage the night before, ala taking Hide out for some hookers and dope. Next, he's gotta win the first set. If he wins on Blue Storm, I say he has about a 40-45% chance of winning the title. If he also wins on Monty Hall, the ISL is his. And don't take Viagra before the championship finals dude! It's not a good idea--no matter how awesome it is to tell people you took Viagra to rape your opponent! Not worth it. Trust me on that one.
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CrazyHydra - Having played countless ZvZs with Mafia Zerg and a bunch against HidE , I can't emphasis enough on how amazing these guys are. I am currently practicing with Mafia, and I'm actually forgetting about how it is to win a ZvZ. Even the game where I 9 pool and he 12 hatches, he just holds it off, brings it to hive tech and beats me late game, he's that amazing. I'd usually give a prediction based on logic, but seeing how hard this guy gives everything he has into practicing for that one match, I can tell you that any logic becomes invalid and I think it will go 3-2 for the former Proleague champion (Mafia Zerg).
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TORRES - The 2 17 year-old zergs are monsters to face. I've never had the displeasure of facing off against Mafia Zerg in a TvZ but I've had my fair share of games against HidE .
Hide is a complete beast and his brilliance shines through in the lategame. I think no one in the game comes close to his understanding of every situation and his ability to plan ahead is second to none. As a result, he is very composed when he plays and it's hard to get him rattled. This composure might be the key to him winning this ZvZ final.
But from what I've seen in Mafia Zerg's games he is no slouch either. He did take down the legendary BIRDMAN (albeit some may say he is past his prime) and I think the momentum is in his favor because of that. He is still the underdog in this match up though. I even asked TORRES , who's played both players in ZvZ, and even he says that he thinks this is Hide's final to lose.
I think it's about time for Hide to claim the Zerg throne this ISL final, but it'll be nice to see the man who threw down Birdman to win it.
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FrOzean - As HidE 's teammate and friend I definitely want him to win. I think that Hide is the best player in the world and even though I'm Terran, I think his ZvZ is better than Mafia Zerg 's. But ZvZ can be tricky sometimes, so I wish Hide all the luck!
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BIRDMAN - HidE 3-0. He has successfully dodged me yet again by giving steroids to Mafia Zerg and I am the only player in the universe who can stop him. Fools do not understand...
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TORRES - Wow, what a match. I couldn't think of anything better for the first ZvZ ISL Final than this (except maybe, maybe HidE vs BIRDMAN ). In my mind, these are the top two Zerg players right now. Hide has been at the top for quite a while, after he overtook Birdman in the ELO ranking, and with Mafia Zerg 's win last weekend I would have to say he's surpassed Birdman now for the second spot.
I believe that the ISL 7 Final is a bit like the ushering of a new era. Out with the old guard, and in with the new crop of dominant players. After all, this will be the first final that does not include Birdman, Lightning , Tester , or myself (at least one of us has been a part of each ISL Final up to this point). I think that pretty much says it all.
Now, as for my own evaluation of the two finalists.. I would say Hide has the slight edge but that's only because I've played against him many times, and he's beaten me in a majority of those games. I'm sad to say that I've never gotten a chance to face Mafia in an official game, but his style is reminiscent of Badger . While I only played him once, it was an incredibly difficult game, and I imagine playing against Mafia would be like that. Also, he's beaten Birdman in a Bo5 with one attempt, while I've yet to do that with two, so he must be pretty damn good :)
Onto my prediction, I'm a sucker for drawn-out BoX's that go the full distance, so I'm rallying for a 3-2 win. As for the winner, I'll give the nod to Hide since he has all the hype surrounding him, and he can back it up. No matter the winner though, I just hope the first ZvZ final in the ISL will be a great and memorable one.
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Ghost - I think HidE will take this. It doesn't matter what anyone does. He always seems to have the perfect counter. His timings are impeccable, his control superb, and his management is absolutely incredible.
Mafia Zerg really has a tough road ahead.
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tamp3r - Even though Mafia Zerg beat BIRDMAN , he is 1-2 against is opponent and HidE has unmatched skill at the moment. I was astonished after playing him and I believe he will take the championship.
Mafia Zerg 1-3 Hide
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Echoic - I think HidE is a favorite to win this ISL. He is 1st in Sespa and ELO rankings. He also has better ZvZ than Mafia Zerg . Even though odds are against Mafia, I predict that he will be the champion in this ISL. I always root for the underdogs, and I believe that Mafia can beat Hide :). My prediction is a 3-2 for Mafia
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Tester - Looking at it logically, all of my money should be on HidE to win pretty easily. I mean, he's the #1 ranked player in both the SESPA rankings and by ELO and also hasn't lost to a Zerg player in over 30 games. On the other hand, we have Mafia Zerg who barely beat BIRDMAN and lost to Echoic not too long ago. I'm sure most people would agree that Hide is the clear favorite in the final, but I think in this prediction they are forgetting something...
In my prime many people would come up and ask me things like, "Tester, how do you win so much? You have the mechanics of an amateur and the game sense of a foreigner!" I could understand why they did not see the reason for my wins, I mean the consensus is that skill is what determines the best and in terms of pure skill, I was a noob. So why was I one of the best with so little skill? It is simple, I had the confidence in myself to overcome all my opponents.
Going into the final with the confidence of beating the almighty Birdman and the thirst to defeat the second of the zerg kings, Mafia Zerg will surely prove once and for all that skill is not everything in this beautiful game.
Mafia Zerg 3 - 2 HidE
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Thanks everyone that helped and I really hope you guys enjoy this one, I put lots of thought into it. Also, Ascent says Hide 3-1 Mafia, and he's a super genius, so sorry Whisperkill. Kralic thinks that as well. Thanks Rivers, ihchulk, BigBlungy, Whisper, Rebs, forbenz, yesplz, FearlessMango you handsome stud, release, maur, kefif, and Loneeee. I hope you guys really enjoy this one, I understand is a big wall of text, but I had a good time making it. Best of luck Hide and Mafia!