2v2: The Forgotten Art

Posted by Xeris[LighT] on 2008-11-05 11:33

2v2: The Forgotten Art

Team matches in Brood War used to be much more popular than they are today, back in the day, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, it was not uncommon to have several team matches, 2v2 and even 3v3 games played in clanwars - I myself remember playing and witnessing some really epic matches. As time has gone on however, team play has gotten increasingly less attention eventually culminating in the recent announcement that this new season of Proleague would not feature 2v2 any longer.

Unlike the game itself, 2v2 seems to be a dying art - there are few really strong, consistent 2v2 teams that are well known in the community, the ICCUP 2v2 ladder almost ALWAYS features the same people every season getting top ranks, and 2v2 matches are usually never heard of outside of WGTCL and BWCL. Why is it that 2v2 has declined so much from the glory days of Vanilla and early Brood War where it was hugely popular?

The 2v2 Problem

There are several reasons why I believe 2v2 is increasingly decreasing in popularity:

1) Lack of media attention - for example think about any report done on a league (whether it be WGTCL, BWCL, or even Proleague); and you will notice that the 2v2 gets little attention. The progamers who focus on 2v2 are usually much less known than their 1v1 counterparts, and the same goes for the foreign scene.

2) It may oftentimes difficult to follow the action in 2v2 games. One may argue that the game is intense enough with just two players battling, and with having to watch four players at a time, it often can get too confusing. Whatever the reasons behind it, one thing is certain: there are less and less 2v2 players every year.

3) It is hard to find good, stable partners. Since 2v2 is really about communication, finding a partner you can coordinate specific hours to play with may be difficult and lead to people not caring enough to play 2v2 seriously.

4) The lack of 2v2 (on ladders such as ICCUP) continues a downward spiral because it makes practicing much more difficult.

2v2 is Great - Try it!

It is my goal to shed some light on the forgotten art that is 2v2. Not only is 2v2 faster paced and oftentimes more exciting than 1v1 games, the strategies employed are vastly different than 1v1, and the skillset is also incredibly different - 2v2 is a totally different game than 1v1. Some of the greatest 2v2 players are not even that good at 1v1, like Yan for example. Here are some features that make 2v2 different than 1v1: In 2v2, really high APM is not as important, teamwork and communication are key, and balancing between macro and micro is more vital than in 1v1. For example, in 1v1 games it is pretty standard for any race and matchup to pump workers nearly until you reach 130-150 supply, with short pauses in between as needed to work on maximizing troop count at certain moments of games; this is not necessarily the case in 2v2. In 2v2 games it is more important to find the perfect number of workers that will allow you to macro strongly off of one base (a lot of 2v2 is fast paced enough that one base play is common); terrans often go 4 barracks off one base, while you will almost never see that in a 1v1 game.

Highlight: DeA and Tenryu

I am now going to highlight a specific 2v2 team to make my case that 2v2 is awesome. Hopefully after reading this, some people will be swayed to start playing, following, and taking 2v2 more seriously!

I have chosen DeA and Tenryu partially because they are in my team, so it was easy to access them and their replays, etc, but more so because they have become what I would argue, one of the best non Korean 2v2 teams in the community, and because their games are fun and entertaining to watch.

Here is a quick bio of some of their accomplishments:

• Reached A- rank on ICCUP in three different seasons
• Combined 13-2 record in BWCL the past two seasons
• 4-0 against MYM 2v2 teams of Strelok+White-Ra and Strelok+DinOt

VODS - DeA+Tenryu vs Yan+Nyana

Game 1: DeA+Tenryu (ZT) vs Yan+Nyana (ZP) @ Python
Part 1


Part 2


Game 2: DeA+Tenryu (ZT) vs Yan+Nyana (ZP) @ Python
Part 1


Part 2


The Interview

Click HERE to read the full interview with DeA+Tenryu! Learn the secret art of 2v2. It should be a really interesting / fun read for anyone who is interested in 2v2.

Replay Pack

Click >>HERE<< for the replay pack! Includes about 37 replays!

<3 2v2!