EPTLast October I wrote a blog shortly after I made it into Diamond about wanting to finally get into Masters. Starcraft 2 was my first true RTS (I played maybe ten games of BGH in Brood War) so I felt really accomplished with what I've done thus far when I met my goal of Diamond. I had gained this will to play the game after getting smashed by IdrA and Axslav during the ESWC USA Qualifiers when I was just a Gold leaguer. Axslav gave me some great tips to improve my play and I took it to heart.
I told myself during the school year I'd work hard to place into Masters at some point. Sadly, that day never came as I was busy finishing up my senior year of high school, basketball, and track and field through the winter and spring. I consistently stayed in Diamond, only being about to play about 70-90 games each season, which to me, just wasn't enough if I truly wanted to improve at the game.
Well, with the start of Season 8 I was determined to make Masters finally with summer break starting about a week before Season 8 began. I quickly moved back into the Top 8 of my division, but due to some anxiety issues with laddering, I stopped even though the game was matching me up constantly with Mid and Top 8 Masters level players. Season 8 started, and even though I won my first match, unfortunately, I did not get promoted. I was upset by this, and told myself I would finally ladder enough to break into Masters.
I would continue to win a large number of games (13-2 going into today), before dropping 4 in a row.
I was starting to tilt a bit by the end of the 4th game, because I felt, even though EVERY player I was playing against was in Masters, my goal was slipping away. Finally, I matched up PvT on Shakuras, close by air. I opened a 1gate FE into 3gate pressure (A build SaSe beat Polt with at MLG and this build was featured by Day[9] on a recent daily) to try and force my opponent to fall behind economically while I gained a significant advantage. I pushed up with my probe first as I began my warp - ins, saw a bunker at the top of his ramp, yet his CC that he was beginning to float down. He scanned, saw my already completed Nexus and began to move down his ramp and set up his first bunker.
At this point, I knew I had a small window I could do some series damage, so with my zealot/stalker/sentry force, I pushed up his ramped, popped a GS and had some really stellar forcefields which made him lose the majority of his marine/marauder force. He pushed back up his ramp and with his CC, in which I threw down a Robotics and continued to macro up while doing a few more warp in rounds. I figured I couldn't let my opponent win, so I pushed right back up his ramp, killed his bunker, and took the game
As the score screen was coming up, I got this amazing picture.
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![[image loading]](http://i45.tinypic.com/312twsk.jpg)
I felt so happy and accomplished I had finally met this goal. This was the first goal I set for myself when I bought Starcraft II just over a year ago, I had no prior RTS experience and really wanted it, but never felt like I had the skillset to get here. I play on a crappy laptop at the moment, in which I always get the annoying, "Payson's computer is slowing down the game" at around 90-100 food, in which the FPS begins to drop instantly to about 5-10, making the game difficult enough as it is to play. Even with a few drawbacks, I finally managed to hit this goal and am thrilled to have reached it
Also, ROOTpUcK and Axslav are both in my division! He's a few places ahead of me right now, so I hope to catch up to him in our division quickly here!
