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Daily Ladder-age #11 : Failing Drop Denial!

Blogs > Sir.Phalanx
Post a Reply
Sir.Phalanx
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Japan195 Posts
May 19 2013 12:18 GMT
#1
Hey there! You, reader, are looking good today. Go get yourself something good to eat after this read.

And here I am again, with a daily ladder game analysis/writeup/battlereport/thing! Must say that this game really brought to my attention some skills that have deteriorated due to not playing as much as I'd want. Namely map awareness. I used to have a huge problem with map awareness, and practiced for a while until I could spot medivacs coming in and feedback/warpin in time, but today I sure had a hard time catching those drops coming. Granted, medivacs are a lot faster than the medivacs I remember catching in WoL, but my map awareness was still quite slacking.

replay : http://drop.sc/335696

The Game

Early/Mid Game
+ Show Spoiler +

Starting up, the map is Neo Planet, the match up is PvT. Our cuddly little terran buddy opens up with a reaper first! Oh, the horror!

[image loading]
I'm so badass I can't even handle myself.

And so that badass reaper must have really wreaked havoc! Er, nope. My usual opener of getting out a fast stalker shuts down that reaper easy peasy, with only 1 probe falling at his diabolical hands.

[image loading]
Hahaha, I killed a probe! I killed a pro-

Scouting out the terran's natural with my probe, I notice his first bunker is not yet down... and I decide to try for some early pressure. I move out my first stalker and MSC, hoping to deny the bunker, and even throw down 3 more gateways.

[image loading]

My decision to try to get 3 gates fast wasn't very good, since I didn't fully commit to the pressure after losing my stalker. Had I put up a pylon in his face, then used Emily the MSC to draw some fire, I might have done better. For how it ended up, I was left with a late expo and unused gateways.

[image loading]
Damnit Emily you can't just fly away and watch me die every time.

Now the game gets to the point where both of us just sit back and macro for a while. I take 2 forges for quick 1/1 upgrades, trying to squeeze out a colossus asap as well. During his first small push (in which no medivacs were present), I managed to fuck up my micro on the colossus and lose it as well. Playing on low graphics, I couldn't tell that I was microing my stalker back instead of my colossus... and so it just sat there and died.

[image loading]
Stalker > Colossus

The terran decides it'd be fun to screw around with my lack of map awareness and begins to medivac drop. God do I hate medivac drops, with such a passion. It didn't help that I delayed my stargate a little bit this game either, so my main anti-drop utility was unavailable. A problem that I also had repeatedly was that I keep my army on 1 control group; when I move to attack a small attack, I end up sending all of my units. I realize how stupid this is and that I need to fix this problem, but in the heat of the moment it's often hard for me to think correctly and split as is needed.

[image loading]
This drop took out my +2 attack!

The same drop ship comes in again after my stupid unit control makes most of my units move in the general direction away from the drop.

[image loading]
ALL UNITS MOBILIZE 2 MARINES AT THE FRONT also there's a drop of 2 full medivacs.

The drops already are both psychologically and physically damaging me badly, with every drop taking out a good chunk of probes as well as my confidence.

[image loading]
Sprinkle in some drop here, some drop there...

At this point I began really feeling bad about the game... I was low in numbers on phoenixes (at least from where I'd like to be, 6), and my economy was extremely slowed. The terran's economy, on the other hand, was booming, and his supply quickly begins to overtake mine.

[image loading]
Just a fun, out of sequence picture. I really liked how those 2 deaths looked.


End Game
+ Show Spoiler +

Although I'm sure a straight up battle could have been won by the terran anyways, the crushing blow came at the hands of indecision and terrible micro. A drop by 2 loaded medivacs drew my attention as his forces rolled out to my natural base.

[image loading]
The beginning of the end.

His frontal assult was quite strong in its self, and quickly smashed my nat away.

[image loading]
We're here to help! Oh damn, the other base is gone.

And so my last mining bases and most of my probes are taken out... sigh. My last units are taken away to go in our final attempt at a counter attack.

[image loading]
For Aiur!!!!

I actually felt victorious for a second after roasting away a great deal of his ground forces. Then i realized that his vikings were the only things left, and I had no anti air. So yeah, so much for that last ditch attack.

[image loading]
Bye bye tease of a victory!

And so the terran lived happily ever after. After crushing my face in with simple drops, that is.

Looking back at replays like this really help me reinforce what I need to work on. Today more than anything I was reminded of how I need to work on splitting my army up to deal with drops and multi pronged attacks. I also re-learned once again that I really shouldn't make gateways if I'm not going to be actually pressuring early.

Amidst the failure, however, there was one spotlight for a special someone.
The zealot, who bravely walked into the terran's 3rd base as my final attack commenced.

[image loading]
I am proud, to be an Americaaaaaan~... wait a second.

13 kills. Huzzah!


Another day, another loss, another badly thought out conclusion. Make sure to eat your fruits and vegetables! Cya tomorrow, with EVEN MORE!? Ladder game analysis, by yours truely Phalanx!

P.S.
I feel like my P.S. falls on blind ears! Or deaf eyes!
https://www.facebook.com/DarkOnyxFTW

P.S.S.
Puppy Corgies!

****
Go to school - Laddder - Sleep - repeat. Who needs a social life anyways.
Salivanth
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Australia1071 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-05-19 14:09:16
May 19 2013 14:08 GMT
#2
The best way to split your army against that kind of drop, AFAIK, is to have half a dozen Stalkers (Exactly six, six is enough to two-shot a Medivac) in your main, and the rest of your army at the natural. Still, it's hard to cover everything, since the Terran can either try and boost into your mineral line, or land their forces at the edge of your base. Two unloaded medivacs annihilate six stalkers.

Having pylons placed in such a way that your entire main is in vision, and having two Obs near your base (One at the drop path, one at the front where his army will hang out) helps a lot for positioning. Minimap awareness is important to make use of that though. If you have an obs on top of their army, you can bring your (seperately hotkeyed) 6 Stalkers down to help defend as well, assuming they're posturing to attack with their whole army and not loading up Medivacs. All your gateway units, Colossi, and Photon Overcharge makes your front completely safe against his attacks, and the 6 Stalkers can always retreat when he loads up Medivacs.

Since this is overwhelming to process all at once, here are the steps in approximate order of importance:

1) 6 Stalkers hotkeyed separately to the rest of your army, in the main.
2) Observers
3) Pylons covering your main.

Even with all this, you'll find yourself making errors vs. drops, and that's okay. Drops vs. defending drops is a key tension in the matchup, and frequently pros can be out-multitasked in this fashion.
<@Wikt> so you are one of those nega-fans <@Wikt> that hates the company that makes a game and everything they stand for <@Wikt> but still plays the game <@Wikt> (like roughly 30% of blizzard's player base, maybe much more...)
v0rtex
Profile Joined November 2011
123 Posts
May 19 2013 14:19 GMT
#3
I am starting to look forward to these as they are somewhat humerous. Don't worry about losing, its impossible to think you would win all the time. Losing is good as you can learn from it but not good if you get angry and do not learn (not implying that you did that, just saying). GLHF!
JD, Snute, TLO, Soulkey, $o$, HerO, Suppy, Hendralisk, MKP, Maru
ETisME
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
12351 Posts
May 19 2013 15:34 GMT
#4
Love your blogs, especially the ones where you lose.
Though I don't play Protoss any longer since I am having more fun as zerg but reading your blog certainly reminds me of my own play from time to time (such as 1 group ball drop defense lol)
no idea why but I always just move in a ball when I play Toss, doesn't happen to me when I play zerg where I can split my army into like 3 parts for flanks, counter attack etc.
其疾如风,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不动如山,难知如阴,动如雷震。
Sir.Phalanx
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Japan195 Posts
May 19 2013 21:45 GMT
#5
Thanks for all the advices! I'll try to keep those in mind in the future, especially keeping abouit 6 stalkers positioned separately.

On a separate note, about when should I get my observers? I feel like if I get them too early they'll delay my colossi production and make me unprepared for the common 10/11 minute 2 medivac push, but then again I never seem to have a solid time where I think "Oh hey, time to get observers!".
Go to school - Laddder - Sleep - repeat. Who needs a social life anyways.
las91
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
United States5080 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-05-19 22:49:49
May 19 2013 22:49 GMT
#6
On May 20 2013 06:45 Sir.Phalanx wrote:
Thanks for all the advices! I'll try to keep those in mind in the future, especially keeping abouit 6 stalkers positioned separately.

On a separate note, about when should I get my observers? I feel like if I get them too early they'll delay my colossi production and make me unprepared for the common 10/11 minute 2 medivac push, but then again I never seem to have a solid time where I think "Oh hey, time to get observers!".


Most people going Colossus builds tend to get 1-2 (depending on gas income) while the bay is building. That way you don't actually lose any Colossus build time while still getting a couple obs out in case of drops/widow mine plays.

EDIT: Really enjoy the blogs, they help give me inspiration to ladder on some days
In Inca we trust
Salivanth
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Australia1071 Posts
May 20 2013 00:36 GMT
#7
You should be making a Robo really quickly, at around 5:00-5:30 at the latest. You want to start your Robo Bay at ~7:15. Since a Robo and a Robo Bay both take about a minute to finish, that gives you a full two minutes in which the Robo can build Obs without cutting into your Colossus count.

These timings may be slightly different for a single-forge Colossus build, I go double forge.

Me, I tend to get four Observers, but then, I am a paranoid, paranoid person.

One at the opponent's base, one at the opponent's front, one to scout for drops, and one at my front. I should probably change this so that I have two observers scouting for drops, and bring one to my front when I see my opponent moving out.

Technically, three observers could achieve everything important (Scout the enemy, see his army moving out, see drops, see his army arriving and where it's going) with good control, but I'm at the point where a lot of Terrans scan their army and snipe the observer, so having a backup observer in these situations is very useful.

Four may be overkill, but I would definitely want at least three.
<@Wikt> so you are one of those nega-fans <@Wikt> that hates the company that makes a game and everything they stand for <@Wikt> but still plays the game <@Wikt> (like roughly 30% of blizzard's player base, maybe much more...)
las91
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
United States5080 Posts
May 20 2013 14:35 GMT
#8
On May 20 2013 09:36 Salivanth wrote:
You should be making a Robo really quickly, at around 5:00-5:30 at the latest. You want to start your Robo Bay at ~7:15. Since a Robo and a Robo Bay both take about a minute to finish, that gives you a full two minutes in which the Robo can build Obs without cutting into your Colossus count.

These timings may be slightly different for a single-forge Colossus build, I go double forge.

Me, I tend to get four Observers, but then, I am a paranoid, paranoid person.

One at the opponent's base, one at the opponent's front, one to scout for drops, and one at my front. I should probably change this so that I have two observers scouting for drops, and bring one to my front when I see my opponent moving out.

Technically, three observers could achieve everything important (Scout the enemy, see his army moving out, see drops, see his army arriving and where it's going) with good control, but I'm at the point where a lot of Terrans scan their army and snipe the observer, so having a backup observer in these situations is very useful.

Four may be overkill, but I would definitely want at least three.


For the early stages in the game you're talking about, there's no reason to have more than 2 or 3. 4 is fine as you transition into templar and your robo has downtime (in my mind the robo shoul dalways be doing something, so I usually end up making a warp prism followed by some obs when I'm transitioning out of Colossus). Once you rule out widow mine play, use one observer for drops into your main and one for drops into your nat/third base and use hallucinated phoenixes to actually scout his base, they're faster and I think a bit more reliable (at least in my experience).
In Inca we trust
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