Intro and First Blogged Games

Hello there,

I am Copycat. I know that is not my name on here, but on SC2 it is Copycat (400). I am a silver level random player, though I started out as a Zerg. I am not very good, but to be fair this blog is more for me and keeping a log of my games more than it is for you.

Not that I don't appreciate readers, I actually love comments and discussion, but really this is to help me see where I am and what I need to do to improve.

Now then, I have one big issue when it comes to me playing SC2.

That issue is the thing I am typing on currently.

You see I play on a 5 year old Compaq Laptop (eww....) It barely runs SC2 even on the lowest of the lowest settings. I literally lag all the time in game. However despite this I still manage to play decently well, even if I can't make more than 4 banelings at a time.

I am working on getting a new computer, and will hopefully have one by the end of February. I'll go more into that as that gets closer though.

For now let's stick with the basics.

I play random due to the fact that I really like all the races of the game. I don't find anything to be too far imbalanced but then again that might be because I'm bad. The way I figure it, if it can be used against me, I can use it against others. One of the perks of being Random I suppose though.

However I am done playing 'true Random' and am switching over to 'Day9 Random.' For those that are unaware this means that rather than selecting 'Random' and then queuing up I will instead roll a die and based on the roll will select my race for the day.

This is more because I feel a lot of games are ruined by the fact that my opponent cheeses me or forces him to play safe because I am random. I don't like that, and I want to really work on improving rather than taking wins because of a lack of information.

Now then, probably will have more about me later on, but for now let's look at some games.

Game 1 - Tal'Darim Altar
Copycat - T (Random) 5 o'clock
tyler - P (Random) - 11 o'clock

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Now I won't lie, T is far and away my worst race. I am winless in TvZ since going random, and my TvT and TvP aren't much better (3-5 TvT, 6-5 TvP). And with him spawning random I have to be wary of anything. As a rule of thumb I scout after depot/pylon/overlord though just to be safe due to the amount of games I get cheesed.

This game though shows just why I am switching to Day 9 Random. Granted it isn't the best example, but I have to wonder if my opponent would have placed his pylon where he did if I showed that i was T rather than Random.

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You see his first pylon is exposed at the top of his ramp to his natural, rather than in his base. Now I will spoil this here. The guy is bad. Like... really bad. And so it doesn't make that big of a difference, but I just have to ask that.

Since we spawn cross positions I scout him second and immediately see him opening up with a two gate. Seeing the positioning I assume he's going to pressure early, and then make an expansion, but again he is bad and hasn't even scouted me.

Seeing this I put my SCV on patrol at his natural to see when he expands and decide to go for a 3 rax play into expo.

Now I admit my macro is bad at best, and this game is no different. So as I go for this 3 rax play I get supply blocked at food and don't make a second gas until after the expo is already getting saturated. Two huge mistakes that would have cost me if my opponent wasn't terrible, and one of the reasons that my T is so bad.

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Right there I have my 3 rax up, my expo being built and am at 26/27 food with no supply depots on the way. At this point I needed to take my gas and tech up, but I am also bad and forget to do any of this. Instead I try to focus on spending minerals and miss my supply depots, instead building an engineering bay.

With me floating so many minerals though it leaves me room to scan and at the 8:00 mark I make a small push as I float my newly made orbital to my natural.

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As I expand and start making SCVs I scan his ramp to see what he has so far and see this.

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Now I am under the assumption this guy isn't terrible, so seeing the 4 warp gates and his pylon placement I pull back. I didn't notice till after the game, but he didn't have a nexus. If I would have confirmed there was no nexus I would have attacked sooner, but it didn't come back to hurt me.

Pulling back and assuming that there is pressure coming I build two bunkers and load them up, while finally getting my gas and teching up to medivacs. I saw 4 gates and I didn't see colossi so I don't think he has them, meaning that I don't need ghosts (which honestly since my computer lags hard, are difficult at best to use anyways).

As an aside my opponent finally builds his second nexus at the 11:20 mark. And when it finally completes at the 13 minute mark he takes all of his probes and moves them to the new nexus.... I can't make this up....

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I scan again and see that he only has 4 gates in front and still a very small army. Confused I start to scan other places with my extra energy (as I'm floating almost 2 k in minerals now) and discover he doesn't have much. I push out as my 2/1 finishes and after I am 2/2 I attack. He has built 13 cannons and has a very small army (but has a dark shrine on the way!!!) and so I roll over him no problem.

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Sorry for making this one so long, but being that this was my T game I needed to analyze it and really get me to break it down.

Pros -
Good Expo timing
Got Upgrades
Moved out with units

Cons -
Supply blocked multiple times
Floated minerals
Should have had 3rd
Forgot gas

Overall better, but still a lot of room to improve

Game 2 - Shakuras Plateau
Copycat - Z (Random)
pwnermax - P

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Usually my Z isn't bad, however this game I was all sorts of off. I scouted early seeing the FFE and should have just taken a third immediately. Instead though I make a roach warren and hold guys on gas. I do a good overlord scout and see his tech path, and immediately make a spire upon seeing the robo. Instead of going colossus though he goes stalker immortal and with me only having pure roach walks over me, made easier by the fact that I walked my initial roaches right into his stalker immortal ball. Poor play by me, nothing really to analyze except maybe rather than send my army to the third I send just one zergling or roach.

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Game 3 - Tal'Darim Altar
Copycat - P (Random)
Lou - T

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This game isn't anything special. I go for a 3 gate expand that is stalker heavy. He doesn't expand and tries a bit of mid game harass with reapers and a drop (neither do anything as I have my stalkers spread out. Eventually as I get my 3rd running I add on 2 more gates and go for colossi (should have made it a 6 gate with robo and blink, but forgot upgrades entirely). I pretty much just A-move him as he has 3 tanks and only marines to combat my stalker colossus army. I do lose a colossus to a turret though as I move to protect my stalkers right into the turret;s range. Also I didn't notice his hidden expo, but I killed him before it even had a chance to do anything.

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Game 4 - Arid Plateau
Copycat - Z (Random)
MattUriel - P

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This game is really not worth anything either. He tries to 3 gate cheese me with a lot of zealots, but I scout the early gates, make 3 spines and follow with roaches. I barely hold his attack, but I eventually rebuild and a move with a healthy number of roaches and a following of slow lings. I do note to scout well though and check everywhere for proxys before scouting him.

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There was a 5th game, but there the opponent just didn't do anything and just let me kill him. Obviously trying to kill his MMR, but I don't get it, I mean at least worker rush if you're going to do that.

Anyways those 4 wins gave me 100 as a random player and now I am content. Not a bad day of laddering. I was actually agressive and moved out more often than not (something I don't do a lot in my TvZ hence why I lose so often). I still need a lot of work, but these were good steps. Now just to sure up my macro and I'll be better.

Sorry for the rambling and thank you for reading (if you did),
Copycat

Intro and First Blogged Games - 1/5/13

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