Wow, great write up, Brad. Less news, more views (about any game) from the GB crew!

Quite excited for the Mothership Core. It is something Protoss desperately needs. It would finally allow up to pressure early game without having to all-in. They're gonna have to balance recall or it will be straight up broken though but I sincerely hope they don't get rid of that ability because it's so cool and has so much potential and can help Protoss so much if they go for pressure as it will no longer be game-ending if it fails against Zerg or Terran because we can actually retreat.

@Otzlowe said:

I always get super bummed when I think about the theoretical potential of things in games and then realize that their usefulness in competitive gaming is ruled out by math-hammering and degrees of conformity. I truly dislike that it often comes down to mathematics deciding the usefulness of something, regardless of the way in which it affects the game experience. (Especially since math-hammering, in many cases, ends up not being as definitive as it gets treated).

So, I'll probably be a carebear forever. =/

You should seriously check out some TF2 Highlander games or other FPS MLGs. There's still obviously a bit of math with weapon loadouts, but you can't just boil it down to mathematically perfect builds and strategies, like in an RTS.

now zerg is the only one with a base that can't attack

Haters gonna hate! SC2 is a great game to watch as well as play, but I have found myself watching (and playing) a whole lot more Dota 2 than SC2 these days.

Dunno what it is about Dota 2 that makes it more enjoyable, but I can still squeeze in a few SC2 matches and VODs here and there. @Brad should check out TobiWanKenobi over at joindota.com to understand why MOBAs can be fun to watch. Tobi is pretty much the Day[9] of the Dota 2 world. Valve has him commentating their next $1million+ International event.

Campaigns and custom maps here I come!

@Brad said:

@Spellbot5000: For someone who clearly cares so little about the game, you really spent a disproportionate amount of your life clicking through to this article and writing a comment on it. Why?

Wow, staff biting back. Certainly rare :)

I have been a fan watching video games getting played professionally and speed run for a long time and have absolutely loved the explosion of easy and accessible streaming. This piece was a surprise and I really liked it, nice work Brad. Also I really want to share my opinion on a statement you made towards the end.

@Brad said:

" I very earnestly believe there's no purer an expression of complex video game mechanics and the human ability to approach mastery of them than what's going on with pro-level StarCraft these days."

This is wonderfully put and my favorite sentence in the whole piece. The passion represented is exactly what any fan would say of their favorite competition to watch.

All I wanted to say is that, just because StarCraft 2 is your favorite and the game you understand the most does not make it the purest. I wouldn't say that about my favorite game that I watch over StarCraft now, DOTA 2. No one can discern which is the most pro. Other games have closely matched and sometimes bettered the StarCraft recipe in terms competitive game play.

Oh and yeah I am hyped for Heart of the Swarm.

The "pull" ability of the Zerg looks really annoying...

Beta is going to be the wild west all over again.

@Gunharp said:

@Brad said:

@Spellbot5000: For someone who clearly cares so little about the game, you really spent a disproportionate amount of your life clicking through to this article and writing a comment on it. Why?

Wow, staff biting back. Certainly rare :)

Not that rare from Brad. He has a tendency to slap mofos back into their places.

I think I might try installing SC2 on my bootcamp mac and see how it runs just in wait for this expansion!

I can't wait for HOTS to come out. I've stop playing multi player for a while due to having no time and ladder fear but still follow the pro scene. The addition of un-ranked match making is what I'm looking forward the most to

@BeachThunder said:

Hmm, how did I know this article was going to be written by Brad...

Only he can tell SCII like it is. Only he...

I already keep up with fighting game stuff so much, with great games like Virtua Fighter 5 FS, Skullgirls, Tekken Tag 2, Persona 4 Arena, and the new Guilty Gear update coming out, it is hard to keep up and understand everything. Though Starcraft II is wonderful - but to me I can only watch a few of the biggest tournies and play single player.

Love that community. Brad's rant reminded me of

http://day9.tv/manifesto/

I love watching TvT. I know that's a slightly controversial opinion, but I do. I get why people don't, but I love seeing the armies face off in encounters where a couple of inches of movement too far forwards can cost you everything.

I heard a while back that there was the potential for another Giant Bomb scrubb league tournament involving SC2. And, that Day9 would possibly cast the tourney. That would make an entire years premium membership worth it. Honestly. Please?

@Wintermute: Isn't there one going on for European Giantbombers?

Brad has yet to answer the big red phone

@brad "after a grueling week of E3" this statement is tongue and cheek, right?

Word was Flash played his opening match with a keyboard that didn't work >.>

Edit: And still won in convincing fashion.

As a starcraft enthusiast I need to say thank you for the article and Can I have more?

It was confirmed during the Live on Three after-hours interview with Flash and a translator that half of his keyboard wasn't functioning in that first match.

@Spellbot5000 said:

Good god, I had a bet going with a friend that Brad was going to bring fucking SC2 up again right after E3. Where are the articles about chess championships or Boggle Tournaments? You know, stupid things like SC2 that no one gives a shit about except their core base of nutter fans.

Woah buddy calm down there, nobody's forcing you to read this in depth and well written article on a highly crafted and supremely balanced game supported by an enthusiastic and friendly fanbase ;). Oh sorry, lolfag teabag! feel more at home?

@gunslingerNZ said:

@Spellbot5000 said:

Good god, I had a bet going with a friend that Brad was going to bring fucking SC2 up again right after E3. Where are the articles about chess championships or Boggle Tournaments? You know, stupid things like SC2 that no one gives a shit about except their core base of nutter fans.

Woah buddy calm down there, nobody's forcing you to read this in depth and well written article on a highly crafted and supremely balanced game supported by an enthusiastic and friendly fanbase ;). Oh sorry, lolfag teabag! feel more at home?

with gunslinger. I don't really care about SC2 but I sure as hell can appreciate the enthusiasm of others. Also GB Chess Tournament reports would be fantastic.

Viper abduct ability is going to just prevent high tier units and will end up Protoss just going mass stalkers, that needs to go or shorten the range. I'm not really impressed by the units added.. :(

Great Article Brad! I gotta say the Blizzard balancing process sounds MUCH more hectic than I imagined... 22 range??? really? lol You can just put it above space areas that are only reachable by air and if the guy doesn't have a starport/gate/spire ALREADY you will have like 5-6 min of uninterrupted damage on their base, I doubt the DPS is low enough to make than insignificant

Looking forward to it.

@Spellbot5000 said:

Good god, I had a bet going with a friend that Brad was going to bring fucking SC2 up again right after E3. Where are the articles about chess championships or Boggle Tournaments? You know, stupid things like SC2 that no one gives a shit about except their core base of nutter fans.

Nobody gives a shit about Starcraft? What? That's one of the most ridiculously clueless things I've ever heard anyone say on this site. I am not a Starcraft fan for a number of reasons, but I still find the phenomenon intriguing. The game is impressive in its depth. There is a reason why there is an enormous crowd of players out there who enjoy the game on both a casual en more fanatic level. That you don't particularly care about the game is absolutely fine, but to throw a hissy fit over it, especially if your only argument for doing so is a blatantly wrong one is just retarded.

It feels kind of weird seeing an article like this evangelizing Starcraft 2. I don't know if you've heard but Blizzard and their products are pretty popular already.

@Dudacles said:

@Spellbot5000 said:

Good god, I had a bet going with a friend that Brad was going to bring fucking SC2 up again right after E3. Where are the articles about chess championships or Boggle Tournaments? You know, stupid things like SC2 that no one gives a shit about except their core base of nutter fans.

Nobody gives a shit about Starcraft? What? That's one of the most ridiculously clueless things I've ever heard anyone say on this site. I am not a Starcraft fan for a number of reasons, but I still find the phenomenon intriguing. The game is impressive in its depth. There is a reason why there is an enormous crowd of players out there who enjoy the game on both a casual en more fanatic level. That you don't particularly care about the game is absolutely fine, but to throw a hissy fit over it, especially if your only argument for doing so is a blatantly wrong one is just retarded.

Dude, don't feed the troll... Obvious troll is obvious...

The new units look cool.

The protoss are even more amazing this time :DDDD

Are we going to hear about Brad's lunch for his next blog post?

@MasterRain said:

Are we going to hear about Brad's lunch for his next blog post?

fuck off

Isn't anyone bothered by how most the "new" abilities are just the very same abilities from SC1 they took out at first?

Pretty sure the Abduct ability is going to single handedly break the game, zerg looks insanely strong. (I play zerg)

HOTS is a pretty unfortunate acronym.

Thank you so much for the post Brad! I really love Giant Bomb and I get crazy excited when I get to read an article about SCII on here.

I care only for StarCraft single player. But I do care :)

I'd just like to see more of you and Norm playing and commentating in TNT. I don't play SC, but I really enjoyed that!

@Y2Ken: Mech TvT is my preferred match up to watch, Bio TvT is ok but it's just not as exciting to me.

The thing that kept me from playing more SC2 was the way the league system eventually broke down into me getting creamed every time I played. I realize I am terribad (and can only play Terran with any hopes of winning), but I hoped with HOTS they would either add more leagues or a coaching system for newcomers like in the coming MOBAs. Maybe Starcraft is just becoming impenetrable to me :(

Awesome article dude!

I've never played Starcraft 2 but this stuff fascinates me! Fantastic article! I'm wondering if heart of the swarm will bringing new players to SC2. I would love to get into the game with others of no experience!

I watched that entire tournament live via MLG's phenomenal HD stream while texting my two brothers and Moletrap who were actually at the show. Those bastards. Brad I love that you're so into the pro starcraft scene! My brother and I used to commentate Broodwar games on YouTube for a brief period, and it was tons of fun. There are some talented players in the GSL, but I've always felt like their speed and skill paled in comparison to BW players!

Never played Starcraft, but I find it very interesting. Great article, Brad!

@Malarkain said:

Woo Brad!

Also, I hate to be that guy...but I wanna see more campaign stuff. I may suck at the actual game but I still managed to get slightly invested in the story.

Totally with you. I am terrible at the multiplayer and when I do play I don't last very long, but I love watching others duke it out. I could use a little more on the campaign as well.

I love this feature, Brad. Keep it up!

Starcraft is the only real competitive multiplayer game I could ever get into. Screw first person shooters and fighting games (and also every other RTS). Starcraft is the only online multiplayer game for me!!

This is why brad has been playing so much SC2..