This time with something else :o

Playhem
This time there won't be long analysis of my Playhem, because I've won only one game. No, I'm not going to cry how bad I feel since I don't really feel bad about it. In tournaments there are always winners and losers, this time I was on the second team. It feels like "aww, I took 3rd last time I played in playhem", but now I have motivation to improve even more, since I can't say "look at me, I'm awesome"

Round of 64 - TvP on GSL Antiga Shipyard vs smileraskk
This game was really irritating, because it was really slow paced, everything led to tie, so we had to contact admins what to do in our situation.

No show, indeed.

Round of 32 - TvP on TalDarim Altar LE vs Komics
What's about all those Protosses in Playhem BronzeSilver? Even on ladder I see mainly Protosses. A-move race?

What can I say about my TvP, 1rax gasless, as always. I saw him with both gasses, but it didn't really made any difference, I was just a bit more cautious. I saw his stalkers get control of XelNaga Watchtower so I pulled my SCVs to bunkers instantly, but surprise, surprise!

3gate blink! :O First time I ever faced it, but what could be special about it (at least on silver level)? I just had to move my army to another spot, 5 steps from bunker line.

When I had medivacs I was sure I am safe, but I scanned his main to see what's up. Templar Archives, what I was thinking, lol. It was so obvious after getting Twilight Council, but it's just me

Storm landed on my army in natural, but I didn't care to be honest. I was more afraid of what else he has in his arsenal, since he had whole map for this entire time. He was able to expand everywhere.
In the middle of the map half of my army died of storms, but I had number advantage. Ghosts joined the army and I was able to a-move to his rocks at 3rd base.
Next step was to run into his nat, but I was one step ahead of myself! :D Ghosts in the front and BOOM EMP landed on 64 and 63 energy HTs and rest of his army (yup, one EMP for his whole army...).

I don't like to be rude for my opponents, but saying "bg" is not good. Especially if it wasn't like I've lost my all SCVs and he was so ahead. He was just worse player and I was the better one. I can accept it on the ladder, because ladder is full of strange people who play to win and not to improve, but in tournament I would really think people are better, according to macro/micro and social skills.

Round of 16 - TvP on NASL TPW Artifice vs Asterism
I've checked this map before playing today, I didn't liked it. I don't know what's about this map, but I just don't like it. Probably the same thing as with Darkness Falls - it's sad looking map, that's all.

Anyways, Asterism starts with asking which playhem is it for me, I said it's my 3rd (since it was) and he responded that he won some of playhems. I said "cool", because I don't care about this kind of mind games. Gasless expand for the win.

Or not, he killed me with 3gate. Probably I should just scout more for proxy and build 2nd bunker at natural. I felt destroyed, because I was literally destroyed.

Yep, that's the end of Valentine Playhem Daily for Bronze and Silver

Aggression
Let's go to something I really want to improve in my play: I wanna be aggressive.
No, I don't wanna be BM aggressive, it's not my style

I want to drop all over the map CONSTANTLY. If I drop in main and I lose this drop, let's drop in 3rd and natural at the same time. If I lose one of this drops, just attack my opponents front so he has to react and panic. Next step? Pull back and drop again.
But it's not only about drops, I would really like to have map control, because I always fear about moving out just to stand in the middle of the map. I would rather have my army in my base in case of drops, nydus and all that stuff.

For example in my game on TalDarim my map was for 95% of the game like that

I was able to see my base and some Stalkers near my natural. NOTHING MORE. I wasn't even dropping because I may need these one medivac. I don't have balls to move out of the base and say "GO AWAY DUDE, ITS MY HALF OF THE MAP" and I don't like losing dropships which with my APMs are dying nearly every time I do drop.

In TvZ I don't have this problem that much since I always try to siege near creep and slowly move forward. I could still drop more, but at least I'm on the map. I can't say much about TvT because my all TvTs ends with one side winning EZPZ. No close games, always someone rapes someone.

I try to fight for Watchtowers, but it's not what I really care about at the moment. Sending 1-3 marines to tower isn't hard to do. Forcing myself into dropping more is harder. Moving out and sprinting from my opponents natural to his 3rd back and forth? Splitting my army to attack 2 bases + drop main at the same time? That's what I would like to do.

Any ideas on how I could improve this aspect of my play? I can provide some replays, but You, dear reader, can download replay packs from my previous Playhems

Also short sum-up of my S5: 2 days before S6 I got my Medivac avatar and started to face Gold players! I feel I've improved, but I just haven't played enough. I have only about 26 wins in S5. Not that I was losing every game, I just played this small amount of games.
Hoping for promotion in S6!

Thank You for reading

LucidityDark

United Kingdom139 Posts

February 15 2012 09:54 GMT

Are you going to update as you play more tournaments? I always find these kinds of blogs interesting

Ariion

Poland50 Posts

February 15 2012 10:02 GMT

Yes, if You check my previous blog entries, You will see I covered every Playhem I've played in

I have schedule to play on Fridays and Tuesdays in those tournaments and on the next day I post analysis of my games. If I will find another tournament I might add one day for it. I know, I could play them everyday, but I'm also part of guild in WoW and clan in BF3 and I play those games with my girlfriend so spending time with her is my priority

TuElite

Canada2123 Posts

February 15 2012 14:42 GMT

On February 15 2012 18:34 Ariion wrote:
He was just worse player and I was the better one. I can accept it on the ladder, because ladder is full of strange people who play to win and not to improve, but in tournament I would really think people are better, according to macro/micro and social skills.

Why would you expect people playing in a Silver(?) level tournament to be better than...Silver players on ladder...?

I haven't followed your previous blogs so I don't really know why you are playing these Silver tournaments but in my opinion, if you seek to improve as fast as possible, these tournaments are A HUGE waste of your time. All that time you spend playing these low-leagues tournaments, you should spend it on ladder, leveling up, and then, once you reach High Masters, then you play tournaments and face people that are on average better than the average Master level ladder player.

Just my 2c

Yaro

Poland20 Posts

February 16 2012 16:48 GMT

Maybe he is playing those Silver tournaments because he is... Silver? Sorry to say that but you just talk bullshits TuElite. He is playing his best, at tournaments on his skill lvl and you are saying something like 'ladder till high master then play with top pros'. He is ladddering, and playhem is just few hours per WEEK. Not to mention that playing tournaments is also practice, so he is not wasting his time.

Kohonski

United States150 Posts

February 16 2012 17:11 GMT

TuElite, I don't agree. I've been Silver/Gold playing in low level tournaments and it's pretty fun. I'd say it's okay because:

-SC2 is a very grindy game. Massing ladder games just to "improve" will get discouraging at some point for a low league player(especially as you are never done improving, at any level). I agreee that massing ladder games will get you a couple more games over the span of a couple hours but tournament play is a nice break from grinding away.

I hated laddering and there isn't a lot of motivation for it. I don't have ladder fear. I just find grinding pure ladder gets old. In a tournament, odds are, you actually face people trying to improve. This has given me several new SC2 friends that are: 1. On my skill level, 2. Want to improve. It makes the game much more enjoyable. I play in the SCVRush tournament every monday night. Just one night a week but it gives me a goal to work towards and I get to do it with several new friends. It's nice to look foward to something.

I know I've rambled on but basically I'm trying to say: SC2 is very grindy and improvement driven. You will never be "good enough" in this game(So even if I somehow got mid masters by grinding, I'll never be "done"). Laddering in itself isn't as much of a reward at the low levels. That's my experience. So participating in tournaments lets you have some fun once a week, and you'll also find several people that you can play with in practice. It just makes everything more refreshing and gives you another motive to play and improve.

starplayer35

United States40 Posts

February 16 2012 21:57 GMT

are you going to update these tounamens?

Ariion

Poland50 Posts

February 16 2012 23:31 GMT

I'm playing in them on fridays and tuesdays so I will do my best to cover every tournament I play for the day after it.

Also, I would like to write something about TuElites post, but I don't have to write anything since Yaro and Kohonski wrote what should be written

Another news: I'm playing with golds and sometimes plats on ladder so I smell promotion :D

Yaro

Poland20 Posts

February 17 2012 02:33 GMT

I am waiting for your promotion, so we could fight eachother in same playhem tournament

TuElite

Canada2123 Posts

February 18 2012 14:48 GMT

#10

On February 17 2012 02:11 Kohonski wrote:
This has given me several new SC2 friends that are: 1. On my skill level, 2. Want to improve. It makes the game much more enjoyable. I play in the SCVRush tournament every monday night. Just one night a week but it gives me a goal to work towards and I get to do it with several new friends. It's nice to look foward to something.

Good point.

I didn't want to come across BM or anything just that in my opinion it's not optimal practice. When I play SC2 I only play to "practice", focus and get better, I don't really ever play just for "fun" I guess... so I didn't think about that aspect. I guess tournaments are more fun than ladder.

Ariion

Poland50 Posts

February 18 2012 14:59 GMT

#11

Everyone has rights for his opinion and expressing it so no worries :D For me those tournaments are just another way of practicing and competing, because competing on ladder is LOL. Here I can meet same people everyday and compare how much I've improved.

Also I think people who spent their time on getting into tournament also spent more time on their startegies in oppose to random people from ladder.

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