EPTHello, again, fellow Starcraft [2] players! I apologize for the delayed follow-up, but that will generally be the case for me. The details for why can be found in my previous post.
I'm finally off from work today and my girlfriend decided to sleep in a few more hour than me, so I had ample time to get some games in. I decided to warm-up with an idea that flashed briefly in my mind yesterday -- 3 Warpgates and a forge, +1 weapon upgrades while teching to High Templar. I tried this against a computer first.
I botched it so badly I didn't even bother retrying. Missed pylons was my problem and that continued to be the theme of the morning. On to laddering!
As I stood in front of the ladder to glory, I noticed something was off. It was shorter. Apparently, I'm so good that I climbed 10 positions on the ladder without playing a single match! Ok, so no. I had to play if I wanted to get out of the top ten 0-point players.
I definitely improved as I progressed today. My old mouse continued to function properly and I was only cold up through the first half of my third game. After that, the jitters disappeared and I brought my game face (my game face still still isn't great at constructing additional pylons...). My game face look likes this: >:{ }
It's not as loud as it looks. In fact, the mouth is only open because I keep coughing. Stupid summer cold.
Shall we begin?
PvZ - Metalopolis (Loss) (Click for Replay)
My first game against a Zerg today. Before I started playing today, I had the following strategies I wanted to practice in the various match-ups. In PvT, I would stargate with 4-5 Phoenix into Void Rays and Gateway units. In PvP, I would stargate with 4-5 Pheonix into Void Rays and Gateway units. In PvZ, I would absolutely not stargate with 4-5 Phoenix into Void Rays and Gateway units.
Apparently, I didn't drill this into my head well enough. The Robotics Facility I wanted to use in PvZ might have saved me here.
Anyways, after scouting my opponent and seeing no expansion, I built a pylon in his natural and forgot to cancel it. Oh well. I saw few zerglings and expected no Fast Expand, so my natural conclusion was Roaches. Unfortunately, I forgot how fast they can come out! My Phoenix were nearly useless (of course). I should have started Void Rays against a one-basing zerg if I was going to use a Stargate at all.
Not much to be said here. I missed pylons, used a very poor build order and made poor decisions even though I scouted and correctly predicted my opponents tactics.
What I did well: Scouting and prediction. I knew a one-base Roach all-in was coming.
What I could have done better: Different build order, or at least better units from what I did have. A couple of Photon Cannons with a bit of a wall-in may have made the difference.
PvP - Metalopolis (Loss) (Click for Replay)
Ok, PvP. I read that cannon rushing in PvP is a bit more prevalent after 1.1, so I've opted to scout in this matchup on 9, after the pylon goes down. I got my probe chased around a bit and left. I came back later and saw too many zealots. With missed pylons and too few production buildings, I knew I didn't stand a chance.
When the zealots came, I mistimed a force field, blocking all of his zealots...only delaying the inevitable. Cutting off 1-2 may have bought me some breathing room. My opponents response: All-out rush because I built a cybernetics core. Well, duh, I built one. That's no excuse for having so few units against his zealots. Nevertheless, I took his words to heart...
What I did well: Nothing, really. I lost to another zealot rush.
What I could have done better: Construct additional pylons and zealots. The game didn't go far enough to draw further conclusions.
PvP - Xel'naga Caverns (Win) (Click for Replay)
Ah, another PvP. Continuing with my desire to use a stargate build in this matchup, I've implemented a tweak. I've opted to build a second Gateway before I build a Cybernetics Core and get myself 3-5 zealots with which to apply some early pressure and/or defend against said pressure.
Starting off, I scouted again on 9, after my first pylon, and looked for any proxy tactics. I haven't watched the replay, but I recall macroing this game much better and succeeding in some Phoenix harassment. After 4 or 5 Phoenix, I began building Void Rays. When my expansion went up, I moved my army out to defend it and found a small army (and a proxy pylon) behind the grass just to the left of my natural. I didn't realize that was there, but I quickly dispatched the force and moved up to a watchtower, expecting I had the advantage.
I poked with my Void Ray and Phoenix, stopped an expansion from going up and built a forward pylon near his natural. Then I had my pylon and probe killed, my army decimated and my expansion killed. Oops, my macro had gone to hell again due to a lack of production buildings and pylons.
In the end, my Void Rays built up and my ground army surpassed his own and that was that.
What I did well: Better overall play in the beginning. I gained an advantage and moved out to hold it with the right idea in mind. Ok, but noncontinuous, harassment.
What I could have done better: I didn't scout very well this match. I suspected a standard BO from what I did see, but couldn't confirm it until I sent in the Phoenix. My micro suffered a lot here...I even forgot about a Void Ray that ended up getting sniped. My forward pylon should have been in a better position to start, I need more production buildings with my expansion and I needed to reinforce my army. More harassment would probably have helped, too.
PvZ - Steppes of War (Win) (Click for Replay)
A chance to redeem myself in the war against the wretched Zerg! My train of thought in this match was this: scout and harass with an early zealot, build a wall with a 1-unit opening and 2-4 cannons to support home defense.
Here's my reasoning: Should my opponent choose one base Roach play, few Zerglings will be present and I may manage some real damage with that first zealot. If Muta-Ling, or any other BO, is being used then I will likely see a FE with more zerglings.
I had one point where I felt very vulnerable early on. I missed a crucial pylon that prevented me from building more than three combat units. Fortunately, I had already begun construction on two photon cannons. On the other hand, I suspected muta-ling, so aside from an Observer, I felt my Robotics Facility was a waste of resources. Had a gotten to a point where I would have expanded, I would have teched to Collosus.
What I did well: My macro improved greatly in this match. Aside from that one early pylon I missed, I kept production up very well. Lots of zealots for zerglings was also a great idea. My observer almost died at one point, but I did suspect a hidden expansion that I later found with it. +2 Attack Upgrades. Hell yeah.
What I could have done better: That pylon was crucial. I really need to stop missing them. I researched Blink before Zealots Legs for better home defense, but I'm beginning to question that choice. 6-7 Stalkers, especially with the Photon Cannons I had, could have fought off an impressive number of Mutalisks, especially with the upgrades I had. What I found, however, was that simply attack moving into his base with my main army pretty much wins once that mass of Mutalisks hits me. I even let him kill most of my probes (nothing to brag about...that's something I could have done better lol). The point is researching Zealot Legs would have allowed me to safely move out sooner.
Well, I have two more games...one more ladder match that I won and a rematch with Egoist from my previous post (Terran player that went Marine tank against my Phoenix and gateway). He beat me this time, but I'm not going in-depth on either game. Just a short synopsis because my girlfriend is awake and I must retreat from the world of Starcraft lol
PvP - Lost Temple (Win) (Click for Replay)
Edit: The replay file says PvT, but it's actually PvP.
One of my best games yet. Big macro fest on my side, and I was completely unable to keep up with the incoming resources. My opponent didn't realize it, but his first push with the Collosus probably would have won him the game if he hadn't pulled out. After that, I dropped more production buildings and made a quick come back in army size. Phoenix, Void Ray, Gateway vs Gateway, Collosus, transitioned into mass Zealot/Stalker vs mass Stalker.
PvT Custom Match, Agria Valley (Loss) (Click for Replay)
We both used the same build order. Stargate Phoenix against Marine Tank. Whereas I had wonderful micro in our previous match that outright won the game for me. My performance was poor here. Even with knowledge of his army's movement, I had poor positioning during his assault. Simply pulling back my army once I cut it into two pieces might have saved me. More harassment should have taken place, too. Oh, the biggest problem is probably that I spread myself too thin. +1/+0 air AND ground. Zealot Legs, etc. I needed more units before I thought about upgrades. Also, I didn't need the air ones.
Enjoy! I hope to be back with improved games and higher quality writing in a future post!
