New to e-sports? The 10 best Starcraft 2 matches to watch now

7. TLO vs Sen

Zerg vs Zerg

Xelnaga Caverns

Cast by: AskJoshy

Zerg on Zerg is usually the least sexy pairing around – but this game isn't just any Zerg on Zerg. Held at last year's Blizzcon invitational, it pitches the incredibly solid Zerg Sen against The Little One , a race-hopping genius that just can't stop coming up with creative ways of destroying opponents.

The core of the game, as in most ZvZs, is the Roach – an ugly, resilient and easily massable infantry unit. But here that familiar play's spiced up with Infestors, Ultralisks and even offensive Spine Crawlers in a cocktail of Fungal Growths and base-sniping. It's not pretty at times, but the action's off the charts.

8. Huk vs Nestea

Protoss vs Zerg

Lost Temple

Cast by: Siraz

We've already met Huk, but who's this Nestea fellow? A Starcraft veteran formerly known as ZergBong (his ID had to be changed thanks to SCII's word filter), this king nerd was the champion of GSL's second season and is a relentless, implacable foe. This one builds to a hell of a climax, with a relentless assault being met by incredible defensive control, tier 3 units running around all over the shop, and nearly every base on the map taken. Lovely.

9. HasHe vs NamhciR

Terran Vs Terran

Typhoon Peaks

Cast by: EonShiKeno

The mirror matchup for Terrans is often derided as little more than tank wars: a buttload of marines, maany many siege tanks and a giant clump of Vikings for both sides, staring each other down for eons before one big ruck ends it all.

And to be fair, that is how a lot of TvTs end up. But it doesn't have to be that way! This game between HasHe and NamhciR (both top players on the NA server) is a battle for the skies over a truly gigantic map – starring Banshees, Ravens, Vikings, and the big daddy of them all, the Battlecruiser. A series of bruising encounters split the map in half, and both players kill about a hundred SCVs each before the dust settles. The eloquent EonShiKeno is the caster: at thirty seven minutes this is the longest game here. But if you've made it this far, you know it's going to be well worth it.

Want more? There's plenty, and PCG's Starcraft II forum is an excellent place to ask for advice. Beware, however: all roads will eventually lead to GOMtv.net , where your wallet shall become lighter.

10. And, finally, this one needs no explanation:

Rich Stanton

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."