EPT
Ladder Summary:
My matches, in order:
WLWLLLLLLWLWLW
Total: 5 Wins, 9 Losses.
I didn't notice that I lost so many in a row until after I was done laddering for the day and someone was like "whoa dude, big losing streak" and I was like "huh?" and it's not because I don't normally notice these things... I just didn't feel bad for losing 6 games in a row.
I improved my strategic understanding of Sc2 in every one of my losses, except for two games, both of which were one of the 6 in a row that I lost.
Granted, both of those were losses in every meaning of the sense that talks about ladder points. In the first game, I disconnected. In the second, I killed my own stuff, and really that's just my fault. But it's not the kind of loss that should demoralize a guy, and they didn't demoralize me. Those losses were moral victories <3
Onwards into the Darkness
And so I play on undeterred. After every loss, as the streak gets longer, and the cuts burn deeper. I will not falter, I will not turn away from the truth. After every loss, I review the replay. I have much to learn.
That bullshit DT drop? That wasn't bullshit. That's what I get for not scattering supply depots around my base. Next game, I won't repeat that mistake. That imba 4gate? Imba 4gate loses to imbunkers. I should have seen it coming as soon as I shut down his nexus-first attempt. Salvaging my bunker was an unforced error. I won't make the same mistake next game. Losing all my SCVs to Hellions? My fault. I had the units there to respond but was too slow. Next time, I'll patrol my viking in my airspace, stay more alert: I knew had had blue flame and starport tech.
With every loss I press on deeper into the abyss, where the night grows ever darker, and hope is but a memory of an illusion, a crutch that supports the shattered legs of the ladderer's morale. I am in loss, and I've gone so far that, should I play no more, to turn back now would be as tedious as going deeper.
Eventually, I come out the other side and have some wins, but those aren't important. You don't learn from wins, so there's no need to detail them here.
more gg more skill
The "Bullshit" Losses >:|
Loss #4: Banshee vs Internet
+ Show Spoiler +
The screen loads up and I recognize the name of my opponent because 1) this guy and I have spoken in a strategy forum thread somewhere on TL. 2) we just played each other last game. He 6rax allinned, but I can't criticize him for cheese since in that game I as proxy thor rushing ._.
Since this was the 2nd game between us, we both opted for different builds. As it were, we both opted for gas-first 1-base cloak banshee rush... As you can see we are both honorable macro players. We also both scanned each other and saw the cloak banshee building and the cloak researching at the same time.
Ah, TvT.
Our banshees pass each other. This game is awesome. His is in my base a little before mine is in his because of the orientation of the map. However, his banshee control was weak, and his turret wasn't up. I picked off his marines, and many scvs, and he can't get his engi bay finished, and i have a lot of cloak, so when the inevitable viking comes I'll be able to force a scan to weaken his economy or continue molesting his scvs and I've fended off his banshee in my base and then my god-damned roommate turns on the microwave.
Somehow, and I don't really know why / if this is true, it could be a coincidence-- whenever someone turns on the microwave my wireless internet goes down. So here I am, on the cusp of GREAT VICTORY (bear in mind I've lost 3 games in a row at this point, one of them against this guy), and all I need to do is reach out and grasp it, and battle.net is like "WAITING FOR SERVER. UMADBRO?" and I'm like "No, please, I'm not mad, just let me get my win. PLEASE." and battle.net is like "NAH BRO SOUNDS LIKE UMAD. GOTTA TROLL YOU" and I'm like "please... no...." and battle.net is "AND IF UR NOT MAD I MAK U MAD"*
>
But I'm not mad. I won that game.
Granted, I didn't get ladder points for it, and it shows up as a loss, but it's not a game whose replay I will review. When I lose a game, I review the replay to see what went wrong.
I didn't lose that game. U_U well, not in spirit...,
Since this was the 2nd game between us, we both opted for different builds. As it were, we both opted for gas-first 1-base cloak banshee rush... As you can see we are both honorable macro players. We also both scanned each other and saw the cloak banshee building and the cloak researching at the same time.
Ah, TvT.
Our banshees pass each other. This game is awesome. His is in my base a little before mine is in his because of the orientation of the map. However, his banshee control was weak, and his turret wasn't up. I picked off his marines, and many scvs, and he can't get his engi bay finished, and i have a lot of cloak, so when the inevitable viking comes I'll be able to force a scan to weaken his economy or continue molesting his scvs and I've fended off his banshee in my base and then my god-damned roommate turns on the microwave.
Somehow, and I don't really know why / if this is true, it could be a coincidence-- whenever someone turns on the microwave my wireless internet goes down. So here I am, on the cusp of GREAT VICTORY (bear in mind I've lost 3 games in a row at this point, one of them against this guy), and all I need to do is reach out and grasp it, and battle.net is like "WAITING FOR SERVER. UMADBRO?" and I'm like "No, please, I'm not mad, just let me get my win. PLEASE." and battle.net is like "NAH BRO SOUNDS LIKE UMAD. GOTTA TROLL YOU" and I'm like "please... no...." and battle.net is "AND IF UR NOT MAD I MAK U MAD"*
>
But I'm not mad. I won that game.
Granted, I didn't get ladder points for it, and it shows up as a loss, but it's not a game whose replay I will review. When I lose a game, I review the replay to see what went wrong.
I didn't lose that game. U_U well, not in spirit...,
Lesson: Don't... erm... well I guess don't get disconnected involuntarily when playing a game ._.
Loss #6: The Thor Allin
+ Show Spoiler +
This game, I was up against a particularly canny zerg player with good scouting and solid micro. It was certainly going to be a tough game, but at this point I was like like "fuck it" so I thor allinn him with 3 thors.**
Now, I'm not sure my push would have worked or not, but the thor allin is a scary push, especially with the "magic number" of 3 thors which 1-shots clumps of mutas. And he DID have a clump of mutas. I walk into the front of his main, and as the fight starts, one of my thors instantly evaporates. He just has so many banelings. I have never ever seen that many banelings before. AND he has mutalisks. It's unbelievable! This guy's macro is so good that he had like 20 more banelings than any other player I'd encountered.
Time to watch the replay...
So I walk into his main, and... wait there's only like 2 banelings here. What's going on-- oh.
Oh.
I attack-moved onto one of my thors. And by that I mean I killed it. With my other thors and my marines.
As the fight started. My crucial first volley of fire, the one that gets off before he closes to melee, the one that can pick off banelings and the like, instead targeted my front thor. If I had killed my own thor before going in, that would have been one thing-- but this also surrended the range advantage, wasting my first volley.
Heh. Oops. I'm not actually sure the allin was gonna win (since he had plenty of stuff anyways), and it would probably come down to micro, but man. seriously. oops.
Now, I'm not sure my push would have worked or not, but the thor allin is a scary push, especially with the "magic number" of 3 thors which 1-shots clumps of mutas. And he DID have a clump of mutas. I walk into the front of his main, and as the fight starts, one of my thors instantly evaporates. He just has so many banelings. I have never ever seen that many banelings before. AND he has mutalisks. It's unbelievable! This guy's macro is so good that he had like 20 more banelings than any other player I'd encountered.
Time to watch the replay...
So I walk into his main, and... wait there's only like 2 banelings here. What's going on-- oh.
Oh.
I attack-moved onto one of my thors. And by that I mean I killed it. With my other thors and my marines.
As the fight started. My crucial first volley of fire, the one that gets off before he closes to melee, the one that can pick off banelings and the like, instead targeted my front thor. If I had killed my own thor before going in, that would have been one thing-- but this also surrended the range advantage, wasting my first volley.
Heh. Oops. I'm not actually sure the allin was gonna win (since he had plenty of stuff anyways), and it would probably come down to micro, but man. seriously. oops.
Lesson: Don't herp the derp and pick off your own thor. I should take lessons from MMA </3
*: As you can see, I've depicted battle.net 2.0 as a disgusting troll who types in ALLCAPS. Given things like no character name changes after the first one, lack of chatrooms for like 6 months after launch, inability of streamers to stop trolls from trolling them, clan tags, cross-server integration, etc, I think I've depicted battle.net 2.0's character appropriately.
**: I don't always allin, but when I do, I allin with thors.
