EPTSo I use to 1v1 a lot, last season, and to be more specific, before I was beating grandmasters. This season, I was bumped to Diamond, and I didn't think much of it, so I started laddering, and I destroyed everyone I played or at least played a close game. The only times I lose was when it was a zvz, a risky all in from protoss, or a really unusual timing attack from Terran. I'm currently ranked 40 in my diamond league, but I hope to get to masters and hopefully put into grandmasters by next season.
I have decided to start laddering again, as I have recently been smacked in the face my SEA server pride. Being that we are a small community, I feel I need to embrace what I have at my disposal... and that is, a much higher skilled community to practice against.
So, I made a friend, who is a really high ranked Terran player in the diamond league that I am in. I played him for the first time today, and I'm not going to lie.. It was the first time, where I had been outplayed. But not just outplayed, destroyed, tremendously destroyed. At the time (an hour ago) I used the excuse that I was rusty from not playing for a while, and that I was using a build I had never used before. Granted that they were true, it still doesn't shy away from the fact that I was so badly outplayed. The worst thing was, it was using solid macro and sneaky drop harassment that got me. Something I had prided my self on being able to withstand.
Here's the replay:
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-210645.jpg)
Granted after watching the replay it is obvious that I was not playing my usual self, I made many mistakes in which I usually wouldn't have, my macro and timing was off, my multi tasking and reactions were abysmal. However, thanks to my new friend and the bashing he gave me, I have found the motivation I need to practice and play more. It was also key to note, that my opponent, plays HEAPS, more than the average player. I looked through his match history, and I noticed something, loss after loss after loss. It really stunned me, that even though he had been defeated time and time again, he still possessed the motivation and positive attitude required to play the game he loved, and even after defeat, enjoy it.
After further analysing my play, I feel my skill set, as it stands, Is more than enough to defeat my rival I will play him again tomorrow and hopefully prevail. Maybe it's just the fact that I've never been beaten so bad. Perhaps it was my ego, as in tournaments I have been defeating grandmaster players in convincing fashion. Whatever it was that game was really eye opening for me, and will only lead to me becoming a better player.
As for the rest of my shenanigans, I have just been working on my programming assignments, while watching (listening) to the GSL in the background. I'm looking forward for the A semester exams to be finished in 2 weeks time, so I can focus on my friends and starcraft, who I have neglected these past 10 weeks due to university and a lack of both social, and 'starcraft' motivation xD My closest friend, attends Otago University (right at the bottom of New Zealand) and I attend Waikato University (not the top, but very far away), and he is returning to the north for the University holidays. I'm really excited to put the bullshit assignments behind me, and get fucking wasted with all my mates, then when I've got the time, relax with some starcraft 2 have fun, and improve.
My opponent gave me a valuable quote also. When I asked "How can you play so much even when you lose so much? Don't you get angry and frustrated?" He simply replies:
"It's Just a game, what's to get angry about?"
Even though that has been said 100 different times on TL and various other places, that was the first time it really sunk in and meant something to me.
Ah well, xD
TLDR; got rolled, made a friend, learnt a valuble lesson, expressed plans for university holidays. Epiphany.
Ty, Cya!
