Snute clashes against Symbol in a Bo7 ZvZ for the HSC VI Grand Finals; Snute being the underdog while Symbol reigned as a top zerg worldwide during the summer for his run both in GSL and in premier level tournaments, it's somewhat of a David vs. Goliath match.
That being said, Snute has proved everyone wrong at this event that doubted him, smashing top level players with seemingly no effort and throwing down both surgical and unique zerg strategies to get the upper hand. Let's dive into the series.
Game 1 - Whirlwind
Spawning in the top right of the map in the NE corner was Symbol; Snute in the bottom left SW corner. Symbol goes for a bold quick expand opposed to the cheese we've seen from him all tournament while Snute goes for a quick pool and early aggression to see what Symbol's up to; some quick banelings get denied by Symbol's queens, but the speedlings of Snute overwhelm him early. A damaged economy and unsaturated two-base economy ultimately makes Symbol GG out right below the 10 minute mark. Snute 1-0 against Symbol.
Game 2 - Ohana
Both players thinking heavily about going early aggression due to last game; as they both play mind games, we see them both go for quick expands while Snute ones again rushes speedlings and overwhelm's the natural of Symbol, forcing him to move his queens making a choke at his natural's ramp, rotating his drones to the main base.
Snute loses his banelings as the queens tank them, and Symbol's early roaches hold off the speedlings -- minimal damage dealt. Tactical banelings along with an onslaught of even more speedlings while Symbol attempts to take a third and macro is simply too much and Snute overtakes Symbol with a quick GG. 2-0 Snute heading into Game 3.
Game 3 - Cloud Kingdom
A stunning performance by Snute at this tournament, going 2-0 against Symbol after decimating the opposition over the last 2 1/2 days, he's in tip top shape to take this series, but can Symbol come back in this Bo7?
Both players go for quick expands as they tech past zerglings to roaches, making this seemingly a mid-game roach against roach onslaught. Both players by the 10 minute mark have a dozen roaches, slinging them every which way at each other. Symbol gets a nice concave early on near the bottom of his natural base, but Snute flanks Symbol and manages to get revenge. An ongoing battle ends nearly 10 minutes later after Snute's sheer army force overwhelms Symbol's and makes it 3-0 in favor of Snute; Symbol needs to win four straight games or Snute will win HomeStory Cup VI.
Game 4 - Abyssal City
Let's see if Snute can 4-0 Symbol or if Symbol has enough fuel in his tank to bring this series back. We see a quick pick from Snute onto Symbol's drones with a few lings in the early game, managing to let one escape. We see Snute transition to roaches along with Symbol as they both secure their third and macro up a bit -- no real aggression going on at the 10 minute mark.
We see a nydus go down as Symbol researches burrow. Snute's up 30 supply 142 to 112 of Symbol. A slick engagement at Symbol's third base allows Snute to take a hatchery for free, wounding Symbol's economy drastically. It's all going to come down to positioning as we see Snute with a wicked concave. Snute has done what many have said would be impossible; Snute has won HomeStory Cup VI 4-0 against one of the top Korean zerg players. Expect more video coverage and recaps including a full review coming up shortly.