• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 08:05
CEST 14:05
KST 21:05
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Serral wins HomeStory Cup 2915Serral wins Maestros of the Game 243ByuL, and the Limitations of Standard Play3Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners7Code S Season 2 (2026): RO4 and Finals Preview12
Community News
GSTL Returns in 2026!17Weekly Cups (Aug 3-9): Protoss get shut out7RSL goes to London! 2026 Offline Finals Nov 21-2212Weekly Cups (July 27-Aug 2): SHIN's big week0SC4ALL II: Brood War - $2500 - Dec 5-611
StarCraft 2
General
GSTL Returns in 2026! SC4ALL: II Talent Announcement! Balance hotfix patch 5.0.16b (July 16) Protoss AoE skill expression Weekly Cups (Aug 3-9): Protoss get shut out
Tourneys
PIG STY FESTIVAL 8.0! (13 - 23 August) 2026 KungFu Cup Announcement Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament RSL goes to London! 2026 Offline Finals Nov 21-22 RSL Revival: Season 6 - Qualifiers and Main Event
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
Nexus Wars 2021 GUIDE [M] (2) Industrial Park
External Content
Mutation # 538 Media Blackout The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 537 Hostile Territory Mutation # 536 Railroad Switch
Brood War
General
Best Games Kespa era BW General Discussion StarCraft 64 is coming to Philly at SC4ALL II ASL22 General Discussion [Personal Project Share] Terran Defense v0.60
Tourneys
Escore Tournament - Season 3 Small VOD Thread 2.0 [Megathread] Daily Proleagues SC4ALL II: Brood War - $2500 - Dec 5-6
Strategy
Odyssey Mineral Stack Saturation Fighting Spirit mining rates Any training maps people recommend? Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Anyone here play Quakeworld back in the day? Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread EVE Corporation General RTS Discussion Thread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
[TL LoL EUW IHs] Teemo shall perish TSM pausing esports and CLG Dead
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Power Rank TL Mafia Community Thread NeO.D_StephenKing vs This Guy From 1 Million Dance
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread Artificial Intelligence Thread The Letting Off Steam Thread
Fan Clubs
MarineLorD Fan Club The ShoWTimE Fan Club The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread Series you have seen recently... [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books
Sports
Football (Soccer) Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion Formula 1 Discussion MLB/Baseball 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Simple Questions Simple Answers FPS when play League Of Legend on laptop
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Northern Ireland Global Starcraft
Blogs
Chinese Gen Z: Between Dream…
TrAiDoS
Cathedral Of CS And NY pizza a…
FuDDx
Please support my new stand…
Peanutsc
Hello guys!
LIN1s
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 5928 users

Getting demoted is hard

Blogs > visual77
Post a Reply
kingcoyote
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States546 Posts
October 05 2010 05:16 GMT
#1
To summarize my situation: I want to find what race is good for me, but am stuck in Platinum and am waiting on a demotion.

To explain a bit further, I've played Protoss since vanilla StarCraft and only in the past few months have I really considered that maybe Protoss isn't right for me. I got SC on launch, and picked Protoss because I liked the look of them. I was just a kid and had no concept of the strengths and weaknesses, and my fear of multiplayer didn't help much.

Fast forward 12 years and I get into SC2 beta, where I am forced to either grow a pair or play against the moronic Very Easy AI that is simply not fun. I chose the former and wish I had done it 12 years ago, because once that fear is gone I have a lot of fun in multiplayer.

Now, I'm looking at my race selection and wondering if Protoss really fits me. I chose it because it looks cool, and stuck with it because of familiarity. I manage to fight my way up to Platinum league before deciding to take a good look at Zerg and Terran, and now I expect to be demoted soon, but I'm still not.

In my last 30 or so games, I've had a pretty poor win rate and have increasingly found myself against Gold and even Silver league players. After every game that I lose (which is most, since I'm not used to Zerg or Terran at all), I expect to see the demotion, but I'm just not getting it.

As a Protoss, I might still be Platinum, but even then I think my skill has slid enough to not warrant that league. As Zerg, I'm probably high Silver. I'm still just working the fundamentals and trying to keep my money low, my supply uncapped and my spawn larva flowing.

I hope I get the demotion soon. Even though I don't care about my win/loss record, I would like to be matched against people that are at my current skill, not my skill a month ago in another race.

***
Reborn8u
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States1761 Posts
October 05 2010 05:48 GMT
#2
I play toss, im diamond. I played vanilla and never got into starcraft like I am now.

I suggest you learn 1 solid standard opener for each matchup and get them as tight as you can, and learn how to adapt to a wide variety of situations from them.

Then learn a few strategies that can work in every matchup. There are cheeses, like cannon rush, dts, or voids. More standard style like 4 gate or 3 gate robo. That way you can master the opener for them sooner.

Play 10 games as zerg/terran vs ai and just learn theyre tech tree/timings/strengts and weaknesses. Learn what to look for when you scout.

WATCH EVERY DAY9 DAILY sun through thursday at 10 pm eastern us
http://www.ustream.tv/day9tv
I'm pm'ing you my sc2 info, friend me and I'll help as best as I can
:)
FC.Strike
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States621 Posts
October 05 2010 05:51 GMT
#3
Join -> F10 > N
Repeat x5

Play a few games. If you win then keep playing. If you get stomped every time, repeat the above steps.

Your win/loss ratio needs to stabilize before you get demoted. I had to lose over 40 games in a row before I got demoted directly from diamond to bronze (was testing something)
--------------------------> My Smiley Face Disagrees, Your Argument is Invalid -------------------------->
Scarecrow
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
Korea (South)9175 Posts
October 05 2010 06:35 GMT
#4
You're still being matched against people at roughly your current skill level. League is irrelevant.
Yhamm is the god of predictions
shannn
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Netherlands2891 Posts
October 05 2010 07:14 GMT
#5
On October 05 2010 15:35 Scarecrow wrote:
You're still being matched against people at roughly your current skill level. League is irrelevant.

This.
The division you are in and the rating u have does not say anything about your skill.
Your hidden MMR however does. It matches against opponents with the same MMR regardless of division and rating.
That's why you see people from silver division playing gold/platinum sometimes or even diamonds.
The more you lose the lower your MMR becomes and will get you matched with even worse players than you are currently facing.

And besides. The best way to learn a game is to get crushed heartlessly by a way better opponent.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=6321864 Epic post.
CooDu
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Australia899 Posts
October 05 2010 07:20 GMT
#6
I do agree with the above comment regarding your league being irrelevant. I've found struggling against a harder opponent to not only be rewarding win or lose, but a good learning experience.

I used to find it really hard to lose, and get pretty riled up about it - but it just opens your mind to smarter, better play. I swear when I first got smashed by my opponent I watched the replay in a dream, lol.
Just a simple guy, going wherever this journey takes me.
shannn
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Netherlands2891 Posts
October 05 2010 07:54 GMT
#7
Most beginners don't like to play vs better opponents which they'll 99% of the times will lose from.
They hate losing which is understandable. However you learn more when you lose thus if you play an opponent that is pro you will improve much faster and will be faster to indicate where the weak points of strong players are which you would also get by playing vs equal or lesser skilled but on a slower pace.

That's why it's always better to play against better players than yourself since those players will punish every mistake you do unlike equal/lesser skilled players.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=6321864 Epic post.
kingcoyote
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States546 Posts
October 05 2010 16:20 GMT
#8
On October 05 2010 15:35 Scarecrow wrote:
You're still being matched against people at roughly your current skill level. League is irrelevant.


True, my league is irrelevant, but I'm pretty sure I'm still not being matched at my current skill level. Using completely arbitrary numbers, let's say I worked my way up to a rating of 800 as Protoss, and then switched to Zerg. My rating will immediately start to slip, but my actual skill isn't slipping, it plummeted.

My first match as Zerg, I might really be only a 200, but I'm going against an 800. The next match I might be 210 against a 780, etc. I still think I have awhile to go before I'm playing people at my level, because the matchmaking is taking my Protoss skill into account, which is fairly irrelevant since I'm playing Zerg now.
SONE
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada839 Posts
October 05 2010 21:37 GMT
#9
On October 05 2010 16:54 shannn wrote:
They hate losing which is understandable. However you learn more when you lose


this only applies if you are smart enough to figure out why you lost, not just because "x" is a better player than "y"
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
PiG Sty Festival
12:00
PiGfest 8.0 Group B
ByuN vs HeRoMaRinE
ShoWTimE vs Zoun
PiGStarcraft403
3DClanTV 10
LiquipediaDiscussion
Escore
10:00
Season 3 Week 7
escodisco1875
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
PiGStarcraft403
Lowko400
Rex 49
mouzHeroMarine 16
BRAT_OK 10
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 48967
Mini 1028
Jaedong 673
Pusan 618
Snow 340
EffOrt 292
actioN 287
Light 157
Hyuk 130
Mong 127
[ Show more ]
Zeus 126
Rush 68
ToSsGirL 52
hero 43
Sharp 29
Barracks 28
HiyA 26
Free 24
soO 21
Sacsri 20
Terrorterran 18
Sexy 18
scan(afreeca) 15
Noble 15
Icarus 14
Dota 2
The International43797
Gorgc13183
KheZu44
Counter-Strike
olofmeister1286
kRYSTAL_86
Other Games
singsing1552
B2W.Neo569
crisheroes311
Hui .145
Liquid`LucifroN114
Mew2King100
hiko54
Livibee10
Organizations
StarCraft 2
IntoTheiNu 451
ComeBackTV 172
StarCraft: Brood War
UltimateBattle 15
[ Show 11 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• C_a_k_e 1933
League of Legends
• Jankos1119
• Stunt489
Upcoming Events
Big Brain Bouts
3h 55m
Nicoract vs Neeb
TriGGeR vs ShoWTimE
CranKy Ducklings
21h 55m
PiG Sty Festival
23h 55m
herO vs Krystianer
Solar vs Cure
IPSL
1d 3h
Sparkling Tuna Cup
1d 21h
PiG Sty Festival
1d 23h
Maru vs Shameless
Reynor vs TriGGeR
IPSL
2 days
OSC
2 days
Afreeca Starleague
2 days
Rush vs Hm
Bisu vs Shuttle
WardiTV Weekly
2 days
[ Show More ]
The Patches Monday
3 days
Afreeca Starleague
3 days
Sharp vs Shinee
Action vs Shine
PiGosaur Cup
4 days
Replay Cast
4 days
Afreeca Starleague
4 days
BeSt vs Paralyze
Jaedong vs Speed
Kung Fu Cup
4 days
The PondCast
5 days
KCM Race Survival
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
PiG Sty Festival
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-08-13
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
Eternal Conflict S2 Finale

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 3
K-JUNGMAN
Acropolis #5
Escore Tournament S3: W7
RSL Revival: Season 6
PiG Sty Festival 8.0
Esports World Cup 2026
Esports World Cup 2026: LCQ
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026

Upcoming

CSLAN 4
ASL Season 22
Escore Tournament S3: W8
Acropolis #5 - TRS
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Acropolis #5 - GSA
Acropolis #5 - GSB
HSC XXX
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Offline Finals
Big Dog Cup 2026 Div 1
META DYMY #4
Stake Ranked Episode 5
PGL Masters Bucharest 2026
Thunderpick World Champ.
ESL Pro League Season 24
Stake Ranked Episode 4
1win Private Club #1
Logitech G Connect 2026
SL StarSeries Fall 2026
FISSURE Playground #5
BLAST Open Fall 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.