EPTI've been playing StarCraft since 2005, I was never very good at Brood War but I played a ton with friends in real life. I attended a few dozen lan parties and over all had an excellent time with my friends. When StarCraft 2 was announced I did backflips. I got into the Beta in April of last year, it's been about a year with SC2 in my life. I started in the Beta as a Silver League player (the equivalent of what it is now Gold league, since it was before diamond existed.)
About 6 days ago, I did the impossible, I reached Master League. I couldn't believe it, I jumped for joy. However, my group of friends is very competitive, particularly one person in our group who has serious problems with people being better than him, like he cannot stand to get beat by anyone and he'll hound them for weeks to play 1v1s until he wins, and of course if he can win one game he's suddenly better. That flew in BW because we had no objective ladder ranking like we do now. In a group of Diamonds and plats, I am the only Master League player.
The thing is, I played my first two games in Masters, and something didn't feel right both games (in addition to them being PvP, my worst match up) I felt an enormous amount of pressure to play well. I've since stopped laddering because my nerves have overcome me and I cannot seem to play well at all. I've been laddering on a smurf account (cleverly named Smurfcursus) and I've been getting throttled by Gold league players and the like. Albeit cheese some of the time, but still. I'm stressed that I have to stay in Master League. If I fall it will be humiliating. I want to play but the stress (which should not even be there for a game) is keeping me from trying and ruining my play.
I've stuck to team games for now, and just playing with my sister (yes my sister plays SC, she's a platinum Protoss, and no you cannot have her name or number).
But basically, I want to know how to overcome this stress to do well, I REALLY want to climb high in Master, and if I keep progressing like I am now, I want to make Grand Master someday (I can dream) while I've got motivation, I cannot overcome the fear of being a laughing stock. The guy who got to Master league and got knocked right back out into diamond.
TL;DR New Born Masters player seeks solution for nerves.
