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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zFuRC.jpg) I've literally been "favored" or "slightly favored" in a majority of my games. Which means a typical slump is actually an even worse slump!
That picture is just merely a snippet of my performance in my game these past few days. Why? Because Blizzard decided to make me favored in my matches, causing me to lose more points. Now I'm convinced that I've gotten worse, despite taking entire day breaks to try to break my slump. I'm just not playing as well as I used to. Don't get me wrong, I didn't take a week break prior or anything. I literally just woke up one day, playing at a diamond level, even losing to some diamonds on my smurf account.
Do you guys think it's possible to get worse at this game despite playing at least 10 games a day? I definitely feel that way. My decision making is shit. I literally have 50 energy on my queens by the 9 minute mark. I literally lost a game where a Terran beat me with a tank-marine push on one base. I had three. You'd think once playing at a 1.2k point Master level, you'd remember to scout the Terran natural for their expansion. Apparently not.
Dropping from rank 6 to rank 20 is definitely a big confidence killer. In no way was I playing overly confident--I actually am very hard on myself when it comes to that. I'm never satisfied with my level skill and I try and work every day to climb the ladder, fighting ladder anxiety as best as possible. But those days, the cheese, the bm, and the bad performance really gets to your head, no matter how dedicated you are. You just simply cannot play when your mindset is fucked up.
I'm thinking I need to take a longer break. I have absolutely no clue how players like IdrA can get over such terrible slumps--and these guys play at a professional level! Eight to ten hours a day playing. How the fuck do they get over such shitty slumps?
This ends my rant for today. Let me know your thoughts below.
  
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It happens to everybody. I'm in basically the same boat as you (high master Zerg at times flirting with GM), only right now I'm sort of on the high end of the spectrum. I find that when I'm sinking in performance, it many times is because I simply do shit for the sake of going through the motions. I'll rigidly adhere to a build order, not have a ling outside a person's base, assume that the Terran will be playing a macro game and out of nowhere a mass of marines/marauders/blue flame hellions come storming into my base. So my mechanics and build order will be fluid, but none of that shit matters because I'm not really playing the game, just being mechanical expecting the universe to cater to my complacency.
I'd take a break if I were you... more than a one day break. Sometimes I have to take 4-7 day breaks and take my mind completely off of Starcraft before I even think about loading it back up. I can't speak for you, but motivation and a dynamic mentality is sometimes hard to sustain since I play all by myself and without a team or friends that are on my level, so I have to do these 'brain purges' where I step away from Twitter and TeamLiquid and the entire Starcraft landscape for a period of time and rejuvenate by focusing on other activities in life.
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It is very possible to get worse at anything despite practice by adapting the wrong mindset or a certain strategy that is not well suited to your natural way of thinking. Get some rest, reevaluate your play and try to get a fresh start in a week or so.
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12686 Posts
if that's the case, then it could be your decision making that is just messing you up.
Luckily/unfortunately, it doesn't affect your mechanics and so once you get your good decision making again, you will be fine.
But if it doesn't, it might take a while...
I find playing team games and customs help me keep in shape but not as stressed as laddering
take a break from ladder, maintain your performance through customs :D
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It's not just possible, you will get worse if you are just playing without trying to do something you don't normally do (presumably some improvement on your previous play).
Aim for a specific area of improvement each game. Remember, practice makes permanent.
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Of course it's possible. Whether it is bnet trying to narrow down your confidence interval, random luck, mental condition being bad, actually forgetting (shit happens), or a range of other things, the simple summary is shit happens. Just take a break, and come back to it with a fresh mind. Just don't lose the mental battle and shit gets better.
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It seems like you lost the mental battle. Even though you've been taking long breaks to cool off (which is really good btw), you still seem to be on tilt subconsciously, like forgetting the simple things. Join a custom peepmode game and stomp a bunch of noobs. That will get you feeling much better.
If you can't stand the bm, just mute them immediately after exchanging glhf.
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On June 12 2012 02:31 Heh_ wrote:
It seems like you lost the mental battle. Even though you've been taking long breaks to cool off (which is really good btw), you still seem to be on tilt subconsciously, like forgetting the simple things. Join a custom peepmode game and stomp a bunch of noobs. That will get you feeling much better.
If you can't stand the bm, just mute them immediately after exchanging glhf.
I'm very resilient to BM, making sure never to say anything except "gg" if they beat me. I try to be very manner in my games and "gg" every single time unless I leave immediately due to a double bunker block or a triple-pylon block.
But, as the day goes on, the BM can really affect my gameplay, but I never let it take control of what I say.
There should be an option to mute your opponent in your games without affecting your block list.
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no, the more you practice the better you get.. eventually.
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United States10334 Posts
keep practicing and you'll get better. I've had the experience before. there's nowhere really to go. just stick to your game and all will be well.
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There's a difference between being worse at the game and playing bad/up to your own standards.
If you need a little confidence boost play customs on daybreak; just make sure to never ever check someone's league until after the game.
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I think it helps if you have a friend to practice with. Also, it might help to feel more accomplished about your wins rather than being hard on yourself. Sometimes being too hard on yourself can kill your confidence and your mindset, know when to value things that you've done well!
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What you're not taking into account is that in the long run, you will improve over time. That doesn't mean you aren't going to have huge loss streaks and get discouraged. If you keep practicing, it will happen, just give it time. If you don't give yourself time, you'll expect results too quickly, and will get easily discouraged because you're not advancing in skill within the timeframe you set for yourself. The amount of pressure you put on yourself makes every game a boiler room, and hurts you because you lose your focus and start forgetting fundamental parts of your gameplay.
You need to not beat yourself up. Forgive your mistakes. Forgive yourself. Give yourself room to fail. Also, if you're in Master's League, then you're already doing very well! You're off to a good start, so good work!
Good luck on your coming ladder matches, I hope they go well.
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Ah damn I know that feeling bro. Hang in there.
I think I remember qxc saying something about taking breaks every 3 hours to let his mind soak in new things. I don't know if that would work for you, but maybe you're just pushing yourself too much. Everyone is different, don't hesitate to experiment in that regard.
As for the bming/cheesey players, if you don't have a practice partner who is encouraging you might want to look into getting one. Words from a friend really help in slumps like that.
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Basically, if you lose enough, you will start winning. So just keep going.
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EPT
