Grand Masters in a Week!!!! or maybe a Month....

00Zarathustra

Bolivia419 Posts

September 10 2011 17:28 GMT

Hi guys.

This is an update to this blog: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=261255
For the ones too lazy to read I bougth the game on August 31 and I was participating in a ESWC Bolivian Qualys on Sept 7, to win I had to beat a "Gran Masters" player with only 1 week into the

I was planning to update this a few days into the project but then I got the news that this was postponed for September 30. The motivation was lost and I didn't play 12 hours a day as I was planning to and I lost 2 days playing the campaign. Anyway I still played 6 to 8 hours the other days so I think I'm not that far behind on my schedule.

So let me tell you how this days have been rolling:

Day 1: I played 80 custom games to get a feel of the game mechanics. I'm so slow in this game I just can't believe it. I guess this will get better when I get comfortable with the game and develop muscle memory. I won 44 games but only took 5 or 6 games from master players.

Day 2: I watched replays and vods about builds and game specific tactics and tips. Then I started to play more custom games but I got the news about the tournament been postponed. So I stopped playing and was getting on my friends games as obs.

Day 3: Motivation lost. I decided to play placement matches. Lost the first game to baneling bust and won the other 4. Platinum!!! It's fine I guess. I played some more games and then watched BW OSL semifinals. BW is awesome!!!!

Day 4: After some games I'm #1 on my Div. I'm still hanging around my friends and play some friendly games.

Days 5 and 6: Liberty campaign on brutal. Cool story bro.

Day 7: I did it!!! I beat the "GM"!!!!! NOT!!!
Actually I did beat the guy 2-0 but after some investigations it turns out he was never GM or he was LA server GM (Was there GM league on LA??? I have my doubts) anyway GM on LA =/= to GM on NA so I don't think it counts. Anyway I played these games on my friends account so I don't have the replays. But they were 30 minutes TvT vs some Bolivian (Top 50 Masters only) so I don't thinks you want to see those.

Anyway I also played against another 3 Bolivian Masters and won 2-1 vs 2 of them (TvP and TvZ) and the other one beat me 2-0 (TVZ) I think I have improved a lot in just one week and maybe I would already be masters if I had played 12 hours a day.

I Have to admit it though.... there is no way I could even take a game from a GM rigth now. I don't think I could even take a game from a GM if I would had played 12 hours a day.
GM level is waaaaaaaay ahead of regular Masters.

The good news is there are no GM in Bolivia and I can totally win the Bolivian ESWC on september 30. YAY!!!! France there are go!!!

My best achievement so far is eliminating a top 8 master from a tournament:
http://www.z33k.com/starcraft2/tournaments/2953/matches/102477 :D

It was BO1 and I made a 1-1-1 all-in but I still think this is a good thing. xD
There are some other reps on that tournament if you wanna see my level. D:

So I got my motivation back and started mass gaming yesterday, I joined that tournament got eliminated by a T playing like shit. Got promoted to Diamond and before I went to sleep I 5 on my div. I hope I can get to masters this week.

Some thoughts about the game:

1.- This game is SO fast. Everything happens in a blink of an eye. Ironically this makes me play slower than I played BW. I had 240 APM on BW and I have 90 APM on SC2!!!! And its not only the APM, I really feel slow like if I need to give all of my attention to everything I'm doing. I can't switch screens as fast as I used to do in BW. I think this is because the game is still new to me and I'm not able to collect enough information about what's happening on the screen yet. This will get better with practice.

2.- Micro wins battles!!!! Yeah micro wins battle in BW too but it was not as strong as it is on this game. Good micro and spellcasting can make you win a battle with 100 more supply left than the loser. Spells counter each other too hard IMO. In BW spells could HELP you win an advantage in a battle. In SC2 spells WIN the battle. Smartcasting makes this even worse. I have to micro 10 times harder to avoid fungal than the guy using it. Also a good P has to micro 10 times harder to avoid my EMPs, I just have to make 4 clicks to use EMP and if I get 3 of them right I have a HUGE lead on the battle.

3.- You don't need to watch your main!!!! Like reall, the less your screen is on your main the better. You have to focus on your units and the minimap all the time. This is hard for a low level BW player like me.

4.- Taping (Is it tapping or taping?) helps A LOT more in SC2. With MBS taping between 2 or 3 numbers can improve your macro very much. Even if your screen shouldn't focus on your main base, your main focus shouldn't be your main screen. You must be looking at the minimap and your groups screen all the time while taping.

5.- TvT is the match up that resembles BW the most. Once I started doing mech I rose my TvT level in no time. There are no spells or death-ball here. It's all about positioning and macroing hard. Micro consist of lager armys fighting for positions and guerrilla armys harassing. Lots of fun.

I think i already overextended so I will finish with the thing I have to improve.

1.- Cheese!!! Many ppl cheeses on this levels specially P. most of my loses are to cheese. I like this because once I master my builds and learn to defend them I will have a solid game for tourneys.

2.- Speed!!! I still feel really slow when playing, My brain doesn't get all the info it needs with just a glimpse at the screen. I will mass game till it does.

3.- Builds and timings. I get distracted a lot during a battle and most of the time I miss a depot or a build timing. I will analyze my reps and set some "macro and build triggers" as Day9 calls them. That way I will respond automatically when its time to build.

Ok This time I will mass games and update with blogs of my new goal:

Beat a GM in a month.

GL n HF

EDIT: BONUS: Pictures of La Paz qualys:
+ Show Spoiler +

Also a Video of Cochabamba qualys:

+ Show Spoiler +

SilentCrono

United States1420 Posts

September 10 2011 17:35 GMT

glad to see your still watching brood war, man. good luck on your journey

Dalguno

United States2446 Posts

September 10 2011 17:36 GMT

GM in LA isn't too great. I've seen some plats that we GM there last year. That said, there are some LA GMs that are actually pretty good, so it just depends on who you played.

00Zarathustra

Bolivia419 Posts

September 10 2011 17:57 GMT

As I said he is just top 50 Masters in his Div.

Edit: Also I won't stop watching BW. The pro scene is just to awesome. That is something sc2 doesn't have yet. they may have the money but not the awesomeness. Just my opinion.

Lumire

United States607 Posts

September 10 2011 19:25 GMT

On September 11 2011 02:28 00Zarathustra wrote:

1.- This game is SO fast. Everything happens in a blink of an eye. Ironically this makes me play slower than I played BW. I had 240 APM on BW and I have 90 APM on SC2!!!! And its not only the APM, I really feel slow like if I need to give all of my attention to everything I'm doing. I can't switch screens as fast as I used to do in BW. I think this is because the game is still new to me and I'm not able to collect enough information about what's happening on the screen yet. This will get better with practice.

2.- Micro wins battles!!!! Yeah micro wins battle in BW too but it was not as strong as it is on this game. Good micro and spellcasting can make you win a battle with 100 more supply left than the loser. Spells counter each other too hard IMO. In BW spells could HELP you win an advantage in a battle. In SC2 spells WIN the battle. Smartcasting makes this even worse. I have to micro 10 times harder to avoid fungal than the guy using it. Also a good P has to micro 10 times harder to avoid my EMPs, I just have to make 4 clicks to use EMP and if I get 3 of them right I have a HUGE lead on the battle.

Sigh, they got you too. I give it 2-3 weeks tops untill you're back where you belong

WightyCity

Canada887 Posts

September 10 2011 19:40 GMT

i wish i could play as much as you. good story though

ReketSomething

United States6012 Posts

September 10 2011 20:07 GMT

BW skills are pro. I knew you could get this far in a week ez.

I like your writing style...sounds so enthusiastic...

00Zarathustra

Bolivia419 Posts

September 10 2011 20:19 GMT

Also about my writing style, I think I use to much "I"s when I write. could anybody give me an advice?

And Lumire, I'm still playing BW. I'm managing a new team on iccup actually:

http://www.iccup.com/teams/30043.html

00Zarathustra

Bolivia419 Posts

September 10 2011 20:32 GMT

Uploaded pictures and a video

Artifice

United States523 Posts

September 10 2011 20:50 GMT

#10

Keep in my sc2 apm is more like "actions per 40ish seconds", so you haven't slowed down as much as you think

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