EPTAs of right now, you opened this, and probably have never seen or heard of me. I have a knack for video games, and in the next 4 months, you will have heard of me outside of this thread, winning something big. I will show that I have what it takes to become a pro gamer.
As of writing this right now, I am a rank 1000 diamond Zerg player on the US ladder. To most "pros" they will look at that and laugh, thinking I'm just another of the "decent" players, but nothing special. They are wrong, however. This is not a statement that defies modesty. This is what I know. This is what my passion tells me. This is the pro gamer to be.
A little about myself. When I was 2 years old, my dad would take me to the arcade to play over-head airplane shooters on his lap. When I was 4, my dad let me play Doom on his DOS computer after pre-school (I kid you not, and yes I am a bit mentally screwed up
). I never stopped PC gaming, and eventually wound up playing competitive UT99. After dominating some minor league stuff, I tried for something bigger league, but got caught in a "scandal" being a 14 year old caught in a "16+ league". Shortly after I switched to Q3 where I did some minor competing, and following that Team Fortress 2. A year and a half ago, a good friend of mine that I went to LANS with, Mike Lamond (you may have heard of him, maybe Husky rings a better bell?) introduced me to SC1. The following 6 months were spent getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter in countless ZvP games. I then proceeded to try my hand at ICCUP, and managed to get C in 2 months (this was around December of last year). I also had a major edge that was becoming more prominent; in that short amount of time, I had developed an apm of around 300 (BWReplay apm). My friends were all dumbfounded with my quick development of such a high apm, as well as how quickly I picked up the game with little experience.And now we arrive at Starcraft 2, the game you will soon be hearing my name around. I started at day 1 of beta. I used a mass hydra build, that got me games from the likes of PsyonicReaver, InContRoL, Louder, and LZGamer. After that was nerfed/countered I switched to a Nydus heavy build, that surprised everyone, because they never expected such a fast nydus with 30 zerglings pouring out. From there I decided to develop a macro game, and have been consequently working on that until this day. My SC2 apm is ~160 lategame, and every game it seems to climb a bit more. I inject every 25 seconds. I am beginning to spread tumors at every chance. I am spreading overlords and creating creep highways. I can defend a 1500 T reaper harass. I am becoming a good Zerg. Soon to be a pro one.
The reason I am making this blog, is because I want to encourage every TL member who doesn't think they can do it, every "amateur" player that doesn't quite have that last bit of drive they need to go for it, that they can in fact become a pro Starcraft 2 player.
I will be practicing a minimum of 60 hours a week starting 9/18/10. This will consist of Ladder play until I can prove myself worthy to practice with the best. This blog also serves as another way to get myself out there, so I can find the right people, and make the best connections possible. I will be trying to post my progress - the lessons I learn, my updated ladder rank, etc - as much as possible.
The point is that you are reading about a "nobody" right now, but this won't be the case in 4 months time.
I am Wicked, and I will be a Pro Starcraft 2 player.
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And so it begins:
Today begins day 1. As predicted, there are a lot of doubters, and even more skeptics. This includes looking up my ICCUP account,
*edit* You are right huameng, for some reason this was a mixup on my part. I tried to make ForgottenOne, which was taken. IIRC they post your rank by the end of the season, and I was reminded that in fact I just barely made it to C (something like 20 and 6), and not C+. After that point I lost a bunch of games trying to play real games. I was never *amazing* at Starcraft 1. This is still not the point of my post, and was not intentional deception on my part. Apologies.
This also includes the classic "Pros don't say they're going to go pro!", which for some of the quiet ones, this is true. However, for someone like me, who to really set his mind and accomplish something, I get it out, so that I have no excuse to fail. I can't let people down.
A quick little additive to this status update, since I am just now beginning, is that last year I lost 90 lbs in 6 months. For anyone that has ever tried to lose weight, you should know this is no easy feat. I had been trying to lose weight (sitting at 265 before that) for a long time. But everytime I tried, I gave up because it was "too hard". Finally, I told everyone I knew, that I was going to start a diet and exercise program. I was going to wake up before 9 every morning, and eat 2 eggs for breakfast with green tea pills. Following that I would use a "protein shake" and "chicken salad" approach along with a minimum of an hour at the gym EVERY day. I was going for it. And because I told everyone I knew, and even people I didn't know, I kept myself in check. 6 months later, and still today, I sit at 175 lbs.
Now here I am, with my next goal, and again, I am telling everyone. I am going to go pro. I have the quick learning potential, and I have the drive. So if your time is best spent trying to bring me down, go fo itr, it's just going to encourage me more. However, if you'd like to be productive, in the "making of a pro", I will appreciate all help and encouragement.
Today I will be playing 12 hours straight. You will find me laddering from 14:30 - 02:30 PST, and yes, the "913 pts" guy that lost quite a few games in a row recently is me. But today begins my intensive training. Today begins the making of a pro.
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Update 2 (9/11/2010):
I hit 1100 today! When I started this blog, I was at ~920, and through some practice, as well as studying games, I managed to win all but 1 of my ZvP games, as well as kicked ass in a lot of ZvZ and ZvT. Reaper rushes are still giving me some trouble, but I'm getting pretty solid. It's not the reapers that give me trouble, it's figuring out the best transition. From what I've been learning, the less roaches you can defend with the better, because you want a lot of lings, and gas for mutas asap against the maurader force!
I do appreciate the positive wishes of goodluck, and to all of you "haters", I'm a skeptic to most claims too, so I understand. I can see the interpretations of "lies" on my part, but I assure you, I was a bit excited when I wrote this post, and wasn't trying to deceive. TL is a tough crowd, but hopefully, in the coming months I can prove my worth. So far so good, and I shall keep up the practice! I have been lucky enough to befriend some 1500+ practice partners. Shoutouts to Stalife and Ryze especially!
Good luck to all, and I hope to hit 1150 tonight, and 1200 by tomorrow!
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Update 3 (9/15/2010):
1200 BAYBAY!
Although I still don't have my "pro schedule", thanks to my work change not happening until the 27th, I'm getting a lot of practice in! My reapers are almost a worry of the past for me, as I'm really figuring out a lot of neat tricks to allow my micro to not have to be so intensive, as well as not need to go so overboard on roaches and almost force a counter attack to have any chance of winning. In the beginning, to be honest, I made this thread as an encouragement to myself, but it's becoming more and more of a reality. I joined an awesome clan that's helping me out, (Eternal Sphere Gaming, a WC3 -> SC2 clan), and I'm having a blast. Everyone keeps telling me I can hit top 200 by the end of this month, and I think so too. So wish me luck, because if all goes well, you'll see me in the top 200 pretty soon!
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Update 4 (9/17/2010):
If you're following the pattern, you'll probably guess it... 1300!
1300 Points, and 5th in my division. It's pretty sweet, because I'm just powering through now, with a loss here and there from stupid shit. I'm mass gaming, but not on the ladder. I'm practicing with clan-mates, and other high levels to get my confidence up, and get my mechanics down (in the good way
). When I finally feel confident, I go to the ladder and play a couple to a few games. For the most part I'm winning my ladder games, with a loss here and there (surprisingly none to T from 1200-1300 O.o). I've been practicing my ZvT and ZvP so much, that I'm finding I'm losing ZvZs more than anything. I'm going to be working on that for the next few days, as well as a vT and vP here and there. It hasn't even been 2 weeks, and I'm already improving quick, and I know as much as ever that I can and will go pro! Wish me luck!_________________________________________________________________________________
Update 5 (9/24/2010)
Wait for it.... wait for it.... 1400!!! WOOOOH!!!
It only took a week. There is a huge positive though, which is that out of the 40 or so games I've played in the last few days, I've lost to Terran twice (out of probably about 15 games). My biggest weakness is still ZvZ, and it's really hurting me. My strength is my macro, but my micro still needs a lot of work, and in ZvZ that really comes out. ZvP seems to be about 50-50 for me. When I scout properly all-game, I can usually pull through, but some games, I just get caught off guard. I remember one game I got tester pylon walled, and won with ease with a quick nydus/roach rush; the next game I tried the same, but he was one basing afterwards, and went heavy stalkers. That's another stubborn trait I need to work on, is realizing when a lesson is game-specific, and when I can carry it through further games (and also, just always scout, assume as little as possible).
In regards to ZvT, I'm having A LOT of success with a 14 hatch -> 15 (or 16) pool opening. I drone to 18, then ovie, followed by double queen into roach warren/gas. From there I get just enough roaches to fend off the attack (reapers or hellions), and my ovie/roach placement is getting awesome, I'm quite proud of myself. Afterwards, I drone hard, gas up, and lair up as quickly as possible, followed by an overseer. This serves to scout exactly what he's doing, as well as keep me safe for a cloaked banshee rush. I throw down a spire against most things, and if I don't see much maurader, I go for a HUGE roach push (20+). I often end it right there, (it's amazing how many T get thrown off) and if not, my macro tends to take me into late game nicely.
I have a couple high level ZvZ practice partners, but I'm still grasping to have a "plan". Mutas seem to only go so far (two infestors and you're toast), and spine crawlers seem to be the bane of my existance. The safest thing I've found tbh, is to go 11 pool -> banes and hope my micro is better. If any high level Zs have revelations they can share with me, I'd appreciate it.
Finally, ZvP has this weird feel to me. Every 4-gate seems to be different, and one build seems to work against a 4-gate, and then completely fail against the next. So far, the most successful build I've come across is a gas before pool, 19 expand, speed->lair fast hydra build. However, some P are just SOOOO good with force fields, that I just want to throw my keyboard at some times. Other times, they'll do an attack just as my den is finishing, and I'm screwed. A lot of this is map dependant. It seems everytime I play a toss, it's on Xel' Naga, and spining for defense is really tough to pull off on that map. Again, any tips would be appreciated.
I think I'm really going to focus on my micro over the next couple of days, and I should be well into the 1400s in no time. Wish me luck guys!
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Update 6 (9/25/2010):
So, I've decided I'm going to do daily updates now. Hopefully this will add more of an "intimate" feel to the blog. I've also decided my goal, now that I have started my heavy practice schedule, is to get 50 points a day. In the spirit of this, I am now 1450!
The most recent feedback I've gotten is to post my "regional rank" instead of my points, as everyone gains points. I will try to do this when I can, but I have to wait for SC2ranks to update, and points are known in real-time.
I've been winning a lot more now that I'm on a regular exercise schedule, as well as taking regular breaks. However... my ZvZ is still TERRIBLE. My ZvP seems to be improving, as I'm starting to read the builds a lot better, as well as constantly scout, and spread my ovies. I've also made a regular habit of getting a 3rd queen JUST to spread creep tumors. It's amazingly effective, I recommend every Zerg tries it.
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Update 7 (10/1/2010):
So I promised to do daily updates, and the day after I hit some relationship issues. As such, my will to game in the last few days hasn't been too high. I would play a game here and there, and unsurprisingly, I lost every time.
Today things are getting a lot better though, so I played a bunch more. I evened myself out with the bonus pool, lost to some stupid things, merely because I need to get back into gear, and my mind still isn't fully clear. The road is still paved though, so I'm not letting this be a wall, only a hurdle. I will try to make daily updates again, minus Sun/mon as something important is happening those days. Wish me luck guys!\
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Update 8 (10/2/2010):
Today was a pretty productive day in the world of Starcraft 2, for me. I played A LOT of games, and learned some pretty cool tricks. I hit 1550, as well as beat a Z that was higher ranked than me (a first, as my ZvZ is still utter shit, and is the sole reason I'm hesitant to join tournaments). However, beginning next friday, I will be signing up for as many tournaments as I can, so look forward to hearing results of those, and while I probably won't be winning any, hopefully it'll get me used to a tournament style, and teach me some useful lessons.
The next 2 days, I will be tending to private matters, and then it'll be back to the grind for me. If anyone is a "top diamond" player on either the US or EU server, and would like to get some games in, feel free to add Wicked.169(US) or Wicked.180(EU).
Thanks for my continued supporters, and those that check back to see how I'm doing! Science Bless!
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Update 9 (10/9/2010):
It has been a week, even though I said it would take 2 days to take care of my private matters (being a close family member's death). Unfortunately my mother really wasn't doing well, so I stayed longer than expected. I actually managed to get a couple games in, since I was able to install SC2 on her computer, but it's not the greatest, and I could only stand it for so long. So now I am finally back!
And after much reflection, and getting back into it... ZvZ is all of a sudden my best matchup O.o I decided to try something new, and wow, it works AMAZINGLY. I used to be a very aggressive ZvZ player, trying to take out drones, and get hits here and there, but I've found it's surprisingly hard to do enough damage to make it worth it if the player is good. So instead, I've taken a defensive "reactive" approach, and holy shit does it work like a charm! I've been winning ZvZs left and right, and it's amazing. Logically, it makes a lot of sense. Zerg in SC2 is designed to be the reactive race to an extent. In ZvZ, the macro edge is key, and when you're reacting, you're ALWAYS going to be ahead in drones (if you're doing it right), and that gives you a huge advantage. I also like going early double upgrades for range/armor. I time attacks at 2/2 and almost always overwhelm them with roach/hydra/infestor. It's beautiful, and I love it!
I'm starting to learn and embrace the reactive style over-all, and I'm finding a huge amount of success. You scout a lot more with just the mindset of reacting defensively, which gives you a huge edge. You also deny a lot of scouting on their part, where-as when you're too aggressive, often times they'll go around and sneak some in. I even get an overseer for my base to pick off observers :D I hit 1600, and my goal by the end of next week is 1800. I'm also going to sign up for a few tournaments, so I can be nice and ready to pwn some noobs at Blizzcon!
This time I'm going to TRY and do daily updates again... I SWEAR! So, back to grinding I go! GL HF GUYS!
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Update 10 (10/10/10):
^^^ I like that a lot, rofl.
For those of you knit-pickers, yes, I am writing this on the following day. The reason for this being yesterday was probably the most frustrating day of SC2 ever. I lost SOOOOOOO many games. The only upside was that I started my day with reformatting my computer, which sped it up quite a bit, and allowed me to start being able to Livestream again. I did ~25 practice PvZ games with a friend whose quite a good player, and usually I can take a few games off of him. However, yesterday I couldn't. I took one game on Scrap Station, and that was it. He was even beating me with dumb cheese that normally gives me no problems what-so-ever. Despite this, I kept playing, and playing, eventually turning my livestream off because it was so embarassing, but I just couldn't do it. I made up for it with an instant win this morning though, and now I feel much better. I guess it was just one of those days.
Do any of you guys ever have those days?
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Update 11: (10/19/10)
My ban is up! LOLOLOLOL
For those of you that don't want to go searching for it, I got temp banned for making a silly comment, and that's all I'm going to say.
During that time I couldn't update my stream status, which was sad, but also gave me time to practice "less interesting" things. I actually took a little side break to practice my timing/mechanics. By this, I mean I've been using the computer and unit tester to get everything down pat. Something that I want to be able to do is have the creep spread WHILE macroing of Idra, which is quite a feat. Remembering to spread creep WHILE doing everything else is surprisingly difficult to master. However, I've been getting a lot better. I've also been fine tuning my builds, and doing a lot of theorycraft. After Blizzcon I'll go back to hardcore laddering, but this has been quite a fun and enlightening "break" from mass gaming.
