The video is in Bulgarian. This page sums it up in English.
Guest Christian Drechsler (Beast), WCG 2004 bronze medallist, reviews his games against ElKy and Enjoy, his 3 Factory build on Valhalla and what chess taught him.
- Beast is Bulgaria's most successful player: bronze at WCGWCGThe World Cyber Games, the international esports championship with national qualifiers. 2004 in San Francisco.
- Against another Terran's fast Command Center: proxyProxyA building placed outside your base, near the opponent, for an early attack. Factories and early pressure.
- Play it like chess: an opening (build order), a middlegame and an endgame.
Try these in your next game
Tick a lesson once you have practised it.
What this episode covers
- Grast opens episode 9 and introduces the guest Christian Drechsler (Beast), Bulgaria's most successful StarCraft player.
- A highlight video of Boxer's precise Marine control against a Zerg army.
- Beast's achievements: the WCG 2004 bronze medal in San Francisco and European championships.
- A WCG 2003 game between Beast and the French Terran ElKy, won with scoutingScoutingSending a unit to see what your opponent is building and where., proxy Factories and Siege Tanks behind the minerals.
- An archive interview with Beast just after winning bronze at WCG 2004.
- Beast joins the show live to talk about his historic games and how he grew as a player.
- A game from the Bulgarian WCG 2004 qualifiers between Beast and Enjoy, and Enjoy's background in chess.
- Grast and Beast compare StarCraft with chess: an opening, a middlegame and an endgame.
- Beast's build for the island map Valhalla against Didi8: three Factories, a Starport and Dropships.
- Beast on WCG 2004, meeting Midas, Android and Mondragon, and his move to professional poker.
Test yourself
4 quick questions on this episode.
1. Where did Beast win bronze at WCG 2004?
WCG 2004 was held in San Francisco; Cologne was a European championship in 2005.
2. How does Beast beat ElKy at WCG 2003?
Beast scouts, builds proxy Factories and presses with tanks behind the minerals.
3. What does Beast build on the island map Valhalla?
Three Factories, plus a Starport for Wraiths and a Dropship to carry Siege Tanks.
4. What did Beast move to after StarCraft?
Like ElKy, he became a poker player and took his Brood War discipline with him.
Questions this episode answers
What is Beast's biggest achievement in StarCraft?
Bronze at the World Cyber Games 2004 in San Francisco. He also reached the top five of a European championship in Cologne in 2005 and was invited to the Blizzard Mystery Maps Invitational.
How does Beast play Terran on the island map Valhalla?
He uses his own build with three Factories around his mineral expansion, protected by Missile Turrets. A quick Starport adds Wraiths and a Dropship that carries Siege Tanks and intercepts his opponent's air and drop attempts.
How is StarCraft like chess, according to Beast and Grast?
Both demand mental, mathematical and strategic preparation, and both have clear phases: an opening (the build order), a middlegame (positioning) and an endgame (converting the advantage). Both also require reading your opponent's next moves.
Why did Beast move from StarCraft to poker?
After his StarCraft career ended around 2005, Beast, like the French Terran ElKy, turned to poker. The discipline, analysis, routine and emotional control he built in Brood War carried over to the poker table.
Full summary
Episode 9 is a special about Terran and the history of the Bulgarian esports scene. The guest is Christian Drechsler (Beast), the most successful Bulgarian StarCraft player ever and bronze medallist at the World Cyber Games 2004 in San Francisco. It is for players of every level who want to learn about competitive mindset, tournament preparation and Terran strategy.
The episode opens with a demonstration of Boxer's legendary microMicroControlling individual units in a fight: focus fire, pulling back hurt units, spreading out. with five Marines against Zerg. Grast and Beast then go through Beast's key games from WCG 2003 and 2004: his win over the French star ElKy with proxy Factories, and his game against the Bulgarian Terran Enjoy, a former junior chess champion. The island map Valhalla gets special attention, with Beast's own three-Factory build using Dropships and Wraiths to control both the air and the ground.
In the second half Beast shares memories of his career, the parallels between StarCraft and chess, his move to professional poker, and the mental resilience it takes to win at world level.