Yeo TL.
sup?
Me? Oh, nothing, other than getting really frustrated at the ladder for not seeing any progress. *sigh*
I have been stuck in gold league for the past 2 seasons and each season I finish in top 8. I can't seem to break into plat but I know that I have been getting better. I therefore, need some advice
a) How do properly deal with this frustration? I am currently on a 1 week break from sc2. In fact, I left the country to go on vacation and I haven't watched a tournament in weeks. I think that taking short breaks really helps as it get your mind of the strats but it also lets what you learnt sink. What do you guys think?
b) What can I do to get even better/see more progress? I usually analyze replays right after I play them to see where I went wrong. The adjustment is then made in the following game but I don't know if it is the right adjustment. I also play alot of customs. Max out as fast as you can etc etc. Stealing builds however, is what I love most. I haven't seen anything that inspires me recently. There is Naniwa's game against DRG in GSL where he goes 1 gate expand. There is also Naniwa's game against Keen in DH:Summer (Refer to prev blog). Neither of those replays are out. I think it is partly my fault as I haven't seen a tournament in such a long time. My last one was Homestory cup. I use the day9 method to learn builds btw.
c) Are there any other methods/tools to help me with my game? What do you guys use?
I use SALT, and some Micro UMS.Dargelains or something.
d) How do you guys deal with not seeing progress?
 
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A)Whenever I get frusterdated I take a break too and play a differnt game for awhile, still watch as many VODs as I can until I see something inspriring!
B)Get someone differnt(maybe better if you can) to look over replays with you and point things out. What I recently started doing is getting on skype with a few friends and we KOTH and watch eachother's games, this has been SUPER helpful.
C)Go try SC2 gears, this is what got me from plat to diamond, the APM alert is awesome to make sure you dont get too caught up, and it also tells you your MU win ratios.
D)"There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. "-Bruce Lee
Keep practicing and having fun buddy 
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Hey man, I know exactly how this feels, if you can believe it I've been in plat for about... 4 months now. I've sorta hit a plateau so I know how you feel.
A). There are a couple ways, but taking a break is usually the most effective for me. Another thing I do is listen to music during games, and just tell myself, "enjoy the game for what it is, not the number of wins or achievements, not the league or the apm, but being a commander of this army and doing your best with it!" However it's not always easy, and short breaks allow your mind to even-out so to speak, it gets those serotonin levels back in balance.
B). You're definitely on the right track watching replays. I watch about one replay every ten games, and that's what got me from silver to platinum. The thing I owe mostly to my progress is practicing basic mechanics, which for me as Terran meant going onto the ladder and playing as standard as could be in each match-up and simply doing the basics: constant workers, using mules, constantly producing units, and progressing tech. I didn't even bother scouting with some of my gold league games, Destiny put it best by saying, "mastery of the basic mechanics of the game can get you to masters league. No build order can compensate for poor mechanics or bad game-sense." Long story short: practice, but you sir seem to have the level head to practice well (any Day[9] viewer has it in them if they're willing to play 5 games a day I believe).
C). I don't use many alternative programs/tools to practice, but that's just me and there may very well be more experienced players out there that can give you better insight on this question.
D). When I notice that I plateau I too find myself a bit depressed. Every now and again I'll beat a few diamond players in a row, feel great, but never find that promotion. There are two ways I deal with not seeing progress, either of which may help you:
i). Go at it like Artosis. He claims that doing poorly on the ladder, "motivates me, I think to myself, 'Hey. I'm better than this guy, I should beat him.' So when I do poorly it just motivates me to do better and continue laddering until I see results." This is my favorite one in theory... but the problem mostly stems from not seeing those results, or at least a stunted rate of progress, so this is sort of difficult. On a good day however I'll be on a losing streak and say, "Dammit man, you were in iCCup, and maybe you didn't get up to C rank but you're better than that last game, so get to it!" and I'll manage to power on for about 20 games.
ii). Aside from taking breaks, forcing myself to play at least five games a day, five days a week (somewhat like a workout regiment, where I have "off-days"), which has actually given me some decent results. I'm not in diamond league, but last season I was rank 46 in plat, and this season I'm already rank 10, which feels good if nothing else. Consistency is key, remember that MMR and the ladder system in general rewards players who play often (bonus pool is nice, but if you seek promotion chances are you're going to get it when you don't have any bonus pool).
I hope that helps man, good luck to you on the ladder!
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EPT
