Haven reef, convince me it's a good map?

[biass]

I'm not going to give a full sob story, but yesterday i played the most boring 20 minutes of my life on this map,

So i'm here to start a discussion on why i shouldn't ask for a draw or ctrl'k whenever i pull the map?

of course, shitposting is always welcome

[Hawkei]

It is a very difficult map to play, but has many avenues for attack and can be quite complex... Over all, it combines the necessity for early map dominance, correct selection of units, and very good reconnaissance to know what your opponent is doing.

There is the land bridge which is vulnerable to early land aggression, which can also be easily shut down with defensive structures. There are far flung expansions which require air power, dropped units, and amphibious attacks. Finally, there is the threat of T2 navy which can dominate the map. All of the specific strategies are potentially game changing and have definite windows of opportunity. The game will normally be won either by a ballsy all in attack, or by the more careful macro player, or by the player who can keep tabs on what their opponent is doing and effectively respond. There are a lot of areas which need to be controlled, and considering the amount of leverage - recon and denial tactics are very strong.

This map doesn't really support the "spam tanks and win" philosophy. Building the right units and sending them to the right places, at the right time, is critical. You cannot be lazy when playing this map. Overall, I would rate this as a frustrating map to play - but can also be rewarding when you learn to appreciate it.

[Apofenas]

I'm sure some people like this map and enjoy it.

With that said.

That doesn't prevent me to insta-leave ladder once i get map i don't like in protest against current ladder system. This way i save a lot of time for my opponent and for myself.

[biass]

One straight passage right down the middle is not the definition of vulnerable, especially if you're defending as aeon xD

Apofenas, you mean the rotation system?

[Apofenas]

I mean the whole system with small map poll that replaced old ZeP's matchmaker with ability to pick maps and have same probability as your opponent to enjoy the map you like.

[Mad`Mozart]

You go first bomber and bomb enemy reclime on the hill.
There is no other way to play it (yes its a bad map).

[Hawkei]

One straight passage right down the middle is not the definition of vulnerable, especially if you're defending as aeon xD

Apofenas, you mean the rotation system?

It is vulnerable if the opponent doesn't defend it. Or neglects land in favour of a faster air or naval production. Or if they drop too many units to the islands and don't leave sufficient force for defence. As you can tell. The most powerful unit here is the air scout... Yes, most players will simply block it off with T2 PD. But you can always "meta-game" this and develop sufficient land force to counter. Or spam down middle so heavily that they have no choice. The land bridge is often a quick path to victory and can't be ignored. Defending it is relatively easy.

But, when T2 navy enters the field it can be totally devastating, and will render all defences moot. So that defence has a definite lifespan. Heavy forces on the land bridge will mean less forces capturing and protecting the islands. So at any time there can be six different battles going on simultaneously, and any of those can affect a change in the course of the game. That is what makes this map so interesting.

[Hawkei]

You go first bomber and bomb enemy reclime on the hill.
There is no other way to play it (yes its a bad map).

If my opponent went first bomber I'd be going for first interceptor... denying the bomber - and than air locking your air factory while I use transports to drop the other 3 places where there is reclaim.

[biass]

You wouldn't know enemy was going (actual first bomber, not 2nd air first bomber) unless you planned to go first interceptor, and that is a huge gamble if you're stuck with an interceptor and enemy went 1st + 2nd land

as for the land bridge? enjoy some walls

[Hawkei]

You wouldn't know enemy was going (actual first bomber, not 2nd air first bomber) unless you planned to go first interceptor, and that is a huge gamble if you're stuck with an interceptor and enemy went 1st + 2nd land

as for the land bridge? enjoy some walls

Not at all.

Opening with interceptors makes a LOT of sense on that map. You combine with a few air scouts, and follow with 1 or 2 land factories and a transport. The air factory you need anyway to get the transport, and the interceptors will not just deny bombers anywhere, but they can deny air, deny transports, and give very useful and early intel... Point is, that if he goes 2 land then I will KNOW that he is doing this, and respond accordingly with my ACU and some PD + land of my own. I'm then going to put the air in his face to force the AA, pull back to a perimeter patrol, and drop, reclaim, and expand like crazy. All while using enough force on the land bridge to slow or stop his land push... I don't need more land on the bridge, because, stopping = winning.

We also need to go back to the meta, which Mozart outlined. Which is that early bombers are often used on that map. Early interceptor counters the meta and leaves plenty of time to develop land force.