EPTI am a zerg player around 2400ish so I feel in order to do my best I have to be my best. Unforunately this did not get off to a good start and I ended up going sick with my head all foggy.
So it comes the day of the lan and I am very excited. I hear lans are great fun and I was very happy to join one. I got there an hour before it started so at 12 noon.
Which meant that I had a hour to warm up get use to my new set up. I had all my things ready (keyboard, mouse, and mousepad). It turns out I was actually the first one there for the lan.
The good thing was I dragged along my nerdiest best friend and we were able to talk and he helped me not get to nervous. As people walked it I felt as though people were giving me weird looks and such.
Almost as if they had a double take because there I was younger then anyone else there and playing starcraft. There was a small amount of spectators there not including people waiting in between games.
While I was warming up I was rethinking all my match ups and one in particular. The day prior to the lan I figured out my clanmate new the guy to be seeded number 1 in the lan.
So he helped me practice against his style the entire night before. Now the tournament started at 1 and I ended up finding out I would only play against this zerg player if it was in the finals.
But, regardless I was seeded number 4 and therefore had a bye first round. I was very nervous waiting and my only comfort was that it was double elimination so I would have a second chance. So by the time the brackets were out and people were setting up I counted up around 12ish players.
This was not to bad some could not ladder and still be good but I had no idea until my match. Finally the match before mine was done and I would play the winner.
So nervous as ever with my Monster energy drink next to my set up I got up to go shake hands with the guy and exchange character codes. His name was Slayer and he was zerg.
Game 1: (Meta) We said our glhfs and off it went. He had a slightly early pool that I viewed as banelings and decided to make a wall off and get roaches just in time. Oh man was I wrong... He saw my late pool and just sent lings to my base. I could not defend. GG I had lost so early on. Thoughts rushed through my head and I my heart began to sink.
Game 2: (Forgot what map) Exact same openings happened this game as from game 1. The only difference was that I knew it was coming. I had about 6 lings and a queen as compared to his 10ish lings. Luckily for me I had the positioning advantage of being at a choke. He backed off and I had defended it. We both transitioned into roaches and I did a +1 timing with roach speed. I pushed in controlled my roaches well enough and I won GG.
Game 3: (Shakuras) This time we were both nervous not wanting to get knocked out. I had caught on to this early pool play he did so being suspicious I sent out a 7 drone to be safe. Sure enough it was a 6pool!!(Later to actually be a 7pool). I didn't know how this would I saved up and threw down a 10 pool. I was forced to pull drones but I held. Now we were both in the dark about our transitions. Since it worked last time I went for same roach timing. I scouted and found out I had gotten roaches earlier then him. I pushed for it. Heart pounding I watched as my roaches charged in. In the end... I had won.
I did it. I won my first game at a lan ever. After the game we both shook hands and started talking about the games. My friend I brought on the computer next to be congratulated me and I awaited my next match.
My next match was against a Terran player named Jobless. I was not sure what to expect at all. He had a bonus pool which told me I couldn't get any generalization of his skill level. Or even if he had a custom made style.
So we both met and he was a very nice guy and we said our ggs. At this point I felt like I was making heads turn because I was the youngest (Although this might have been the Monster drink taking effect). I had a few spectators behind me watching and it made me a little more nervous.
Regardless I got into focus and off to game 1 we went.
Game 1: (Meta) He opened up with very fast banshee play and even though I stole his gas it did not seem to make a dent in this play at all. Banshees did so much damage that it became like a cat playing with a mouse. Only when the mouse was too easy to play with would the cat strike. That was that gg.
Game 2: (Xel Naga) Thanks to my first series against Slayer I had learned to catch on to my opponent fast. This game I decided to go heavier on mutas to be able to deal with harrass better. It worked to some degree ,but then game the aggression. I barely had any time to breathe and keep up. He denied my third countless times. I held out for so long but he finally out macroed me. GG. Lost 0-2 and now down to loser's bracket.
After that I went over and talked to Jobless about what I could have done better and it was not until he mentioned it that i realized how crucial it actually was. I had won every single battle fought in the middle of the map. But when he pushed my base I had held barely with losses.
Thanks to him I have now learned better for next time and in the future. Now I was waiting in the loser's bracket for the winner of the match. They were long matches I had about 10 minutes to rest before game 1 ended (It went to a game 3). So I decided to take this time to go eat which in long term I think threw off my play a bit.
Also at this point my sickness was taking its effect on me and making me feel awful and very very tired. Finally it was my match again against another Z named Gurl. He was one of the players that did not ladder so I had no idea what to expect.
Game 1: (Meta) Cross positions and me slowing fading to my sickness and tiredness. He went ling/bane. There was no competition gg I lost.
Game2: (Lost Temple) Trying hard to make it through my sickness and fatigue. I managed to pull this into mid late game. After the initial aggression he backed off and got muta. I scouted this and pushed with roaches while getting up hydras and expoing. I managed to kill a bunch of lings and snipe the spire. My expo was bit later but I would be ahead in upgrades. He was now transitioning to roach hydra like I was already going. I pushed with 1-1 he already had 1-1 and overwhelmed my army. I thought all hope was lost as I macroed up another army as best I could. I held. I don't know how but I held. By this time my expo was kicking in and I was getting 2-2 and infestors. I saw he was taking the gold so I pushed then ran after forcing the cancel. In broodwar fashion I expoed after attacking taking the gold slightly earlier. When my 2-2 finished I pushed. Had about 5 fungals at my disposal for when I attacked. he still had a higher number army. so our armies danced. Because of my fungals I was able to pick off much of the army and then the upgrades did the rest. GG. Series tied 1-1.
Game 3: (Jungle Basin) Being scared of another 7pool I did a 7 scout. And what do you know a 6pool. I prepared for this and held it. The only problem was that I over committed. He has started droning before I did and therefore had the advantage all game long. He did decent damage with his banes then proceeded to out number me in roaches. GG. I was out of the tournament.
The game ended and I was sweating after how close that series was. I turned around and found out I had about 5 people watching me. One being Slayer who told me I did a good job. I went over to shake the players hand and say my good byes as I packed my things.
I had finished 5th in my very first lan and not to mention how sick I was as well. Taking that placing was good enough for me. In the end I had an absolute blast. I had met people who were very nice. People were surprised at me being a kid (At least this is what my mind told me). The coolest part was that people had actually chose to watch me instead of the other guy.
All in all going to this lan will be one of the greatest memories of my starcraft history and I hope to go and play more, meet more people, and talk to people I already know. And after the end of this ladder feels like nothing compared the the adrenaline I had at the lan.
For my info about Green Forest Cafe Weekly Tournament #3 please check out this thread and hopefully pictured get put up soon.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=176986
That sucked hahaha. Awesome job finishing 5th :D How old are you?
it's so fun especially the first couple times. First LANs are really exciting because you're nervous but you finally get to meet people, then later on you begin to really make friends with people. It's awesome.
