EPTAt that point I'd only played 3 games since season 3 started. It's so easy to decide to do it later, like a chore you're hoping to go away. The truth is I love SC2, I spend most of my time doing everything SC2 related that isn't laddering. The stupid thing about it is, I know I'll enjoy it if I do ladder, and I know I'm good enough to not get demoted if I do play. So I load up the game...and then check my emails instead, code a little and then watch Destiny play a bit.
Some time passed, I got bored of Destiny's stream and I reloaded my SC2.....and decided to watch some of the single player cinematics (Yeah, really). Realising how stupid this was I said to myself, screw it and clicked find match...and the game crashed. I wish I was exagerating for effect, but it resulted in a tie appearing in my match history. So I got back in and dived back in to the Gold League, ZvZ pops up.
ZvZ is my strongest match up so I was feeling fairly confident about this as a game to get back in to laddering, and my opponent expanded faster and teched faster than I did. The only advantage I had was my natural and third were up faster and my overlords were everywhere and I saw the bases as they went up. 5 base to 3 base, I took out the 4th with a group of lings without any problem and the 3rd started droning up as I hit that with the same group of lings, but as my opponents army moved in to crush it, I realised I had the numbers advantage, despite his 9 or so infestors to my 0 (1 on the way). I pushed the offence and eventually took the game. Fairly good first game back, though I could have done better.
Second game turns out to be a ZvZ as well. My GL HF is greeted with silence, and if spending time in the Bronze league teaches you anything it's that silence means cheese. Well in Bronze, find game means cheese, but still, it's a lesson that stuck with me. I decided to drop my usual ZvZ opener for a slightly faster 13 gas 13 pool, reasoning that if I was wrong I could still put some strong pressure on while expanding. Sure enough, I catch site of a drone moving on to my creep and morphing in to a Spine Crawler with 6 lings coming up the ramp, just as my 6 lings hatch in to the fight and with the assistance of a few drones the attack was easily held, and from then I was so far ahead there wasn't much my opponent could do about it.
Game 3, ZvT. That's my worst match up by far, and I chose a risky 15 hatch, 15 pool build for some unknown reason. Maybe the lst two wins were messing with my confidence. At any rate I knew I'd need to beware of a bunker push, so I rallied my 3rd overlord over the spot I'd be expecting it and as it arrives...the bunker finshes. That was faster than I expected, but no problem, my Spine is already morphing, I have 2 queens morphing and about 8 lings. The bunker though turns out to be in range of my hatch and my Spine turns out to be 1 square short of being in range of the bunker. Easy loss.
Game 4. I scout the "unbeatable Destiny build" roach openner with Spine Crawler defense, and so I built up 2 Spine's of my own and got out 3-4 Roaches and put everything else in to Lings and was able to hold the push and find myself one base up. I overly compensate with a few too many units due to lack of scouting but remembering the advice I've been given in the past used the to push the front of my opponents base and was able to force a cancel on his natural. I've used that time to drone up and now have two ssaturated based and I'm feeling fairly confident, but an Overseer in to my opponents main shows a flock of Muta's, for which my only defense is two Queens. Realising I'm about screwed I put down a Hydra den and send all of my Roaches to die knowing if he doesn't want to base race he'll have to defend with the Muta's, which he does and I manage to get enough Hydra's to be safe.
As the game goes on though, my opponents Muta ball grows and I end up stuck on two bases desperately needing gas for a workable army composition. I need a 3rd or I need to end it, but my opponents muta prodding is unending and there's no way I could hold against the now 20+ Mutalisks. By this point I've had to recall all of my Overlords to a ball protected over my natural and I've been working on upgrades and Infestors with Roaches and Hydra's. What followed could only be described as the best Muta control I've ever faced eventually culminating in a final direction swap taking out almost every Overlord I had for maybe 3 Muta's. At this point I realise I have to make my decision right now so I push with what I have and my Hydra's and Infestor's prove enough and I manage to take the win. My opponent says "Well played" before leaving and I feel fairly awesome.
And then I get promoted to Platinum.
My goal this season was to reach top 8 Platinum and now I find myself rank 8 Platinum, admitedly in a new league but there it was. Now I'm about where I've felt I *should* be if I play enough to maintain my skill level, after just 7 games this season.
And now I know I will be risking demotion.
And now I'm scared of laddering again.
And now I'm watching Destiny.
Damn.
