• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 13:08
CET 19:08
KST 03:08
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
ByuL: The Forgotten Master of ZvT28Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book19Clem wins HomeStory Cup 289HomeStory Cup 28 - Info & Preview13Rongyi Cup S3 - Preview & Info8
Community News
Weekly Cups (Feb 16-22): MaxPax doubles0Weekly Cups (Feb 9-15): herO doubles up2ACS replaced by "ASL Season Open" - Starts 21/0247LiuLi Cup: 2025 Grand Finals (Feb 10-16)46Weekly Cups (Feb 2-8): Classic, Solar, MaxPax win2
StarCraft 2
General
Nexon's StarCraft game could be FPS, led by UMS maker ByuL: The Forgotten Master of ZvT How do you think the 5.0.15 balance patch (Oct 2025) for StarCraft II has affected the game? Oliveira Would Have Returned If EWC Continued Behind the Blue - Team Liquid History Book
Tourneys
SEL Doubles (SC Evo Bimonthly) WardiTV Team League Season 10 PIG STY FESTIVAL 7.0! (19 Feb - 1 Mar) RSL Season 4 announced for March-April The Dave Testa Open #11
Strategy
Custom Maps
Publishing has been re-enabled! [Feb 24th 2026] Map Editor closed ?
External Content
Mutation # 514 Ulnar New Year The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 513 Attrition Warfare Mutation # 512 Overclocked
Brood War
General
Soma Explains: JD's Unrelenting Aggro vs FlaSh CasterMuse Youtube ACS replaced by "ASL Season Open" - Starts 21/02 BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ TvZ is the most complete match up
Tourneys
Small VOD Thread 2.0 Escore Tournament StarCraft Season 1 [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [LIVE] [S:21] ASL Season Open Day 1
Strategy
Fighting Spirit mining rates Simple Questions, Simple Answers Zealot bombing is no longer popular?
Other Games
General Games
Battle Aces/David Kim RTS Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread Beyond All Reason New broswer game : STG-World
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Mexico's Drug War Canadian Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Ask and answer stupid questions here!
Fan Clubs
The IdrA Fan Club The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
[Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books [Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion TL MMA Pick'em Pool 2013
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Laptop capable of using Photoshop Lightroom?
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
YOUTUBE VIDEO
XenOsky
Unintentional protectionism…
Uldridge
ASL S21 English Commentary…
namkraft
Inside the Communication of …
TrAiDoS
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1880 users

What Does It Take?

Blogs > naventus
Post a Reply
naventus
Profile Blog Joined February 2004
United States1337 Posts
June 21 2008 00:15 GMT
#1
I've given some serious thought to playing B+ level (my understanding is that B+/A- is a pretty solid player).

Right now, I'm just another C- Terran scrub, maybe with the current training routine could get up to C/C+. What has been your experience on what it takes to get to B+? Is it really a ton of time (4h a day?) or is it possible with discipline and just 1h a day? Since I would guess it varies person to person, I'd like to read some of your experiences.

I have read that Aether, one of old school top WC3 players, used to play only 1 hour a day. I'm not sure that's true though - thoughts?



hmm.
ahole-surprise
Profile Joined August 2007
United States813 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-06-21 00:38:09
June 21 2008 00:35 GMT
#2
I found it funny that you've been giving "serious thought to playing B+ level" like it's just a decision that you make and when you do you're B+. I know that's not what you meant by that's how it came off.

Obviously it varies from person to person, but generally the jump from lowest levels (and I consider D-, D, D+ and C- to be in that tier) to highest levels (B+, A-) takes at least a year or two of constant play.

And there's no guarantee, many players just plateau at some point and never get better.
Personally, it took me 2 years of on and off play to get from D level to C+.
Pulp can move, baby!
skyglow1
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
New Zealand3962 Posts
June 21 2008 00:45 GMT
#3
Improving in the D- to C- is nowhere near as difficult as going from C- to B+. You'll often here people who have hit a skill ceiling at around the C/C- level, even if getting to that point was not much trouble.

I think the reason for this is that up to C level, improving your mechanics has a large impact on your play. Having better macro, micro, scouting etc goes a long way in getting you up the ranks. The problem with advancing beyond C is that you HAVE to play smarter, not just with better mechanics, if you want to improve significantly. For some people this is very difficult as it requires alot of thought about what you are doing wrong in a strategical and tactical sense. It's much easier to point out obvious flaws in say your macro and fix them, than to identify that your timing was off in a game and what you should've done instead.

I get this from personal experience, so I don't know how well it applies to other people. What I found after getting to about C is that my mechanics were getting to pretty much as good as they'd ever be, but to go any further up the ranks I'd have to put much more thought into how I play the game.
ahole-surprise
Profile Joined August 2007
United States813 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-06-21 00:51:23
June 21 2008 00:50 GMT
#4
I agree with the above, essentially I'm a C player but I can get the points for a C+. I also think the rate of improvement may vary significantly by race and even matchup.

Personally, I found ZvP one of the hardest matchups to start from a D level because it requires so much strategical and tactical understanding, whereas ZvZ and ZvT were relatively easy starting off. But once ZvP clicked, it started getting fun, although I've run into B- level Protosses with perfect macro and it's getting annoying.

I also think TvP requires a really good strategical and tactical understanding, more than TvZ. TvT is just unique and I honestly cannot assess my own abilities in that matchup.
Pulp can move, baby!
naventus
Profile Blog Joined February 2004
United States1337 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-06-21 01:00:11
June 21 2008 00:59 GMT
#5
I wanted to figure out if it made sense for me to keep on playing - if it were even possible to improve at that rate (and it might not be) and get to a solid game.

It also may be the case that the only way I can find out is if I try it.
hmm.
Wizard
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Poland5055 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-06-21 01:06:52
June 21 2008 01:06 GMT
#6
Just to note, to get to a certain level you will need to invest lots of time but once your at that level, it takes a lot less time to maintain your skill.
sAviOr[gm] ~ want to watch good replays? read my blog: http://www.teamliquid.net/blog/wizard
skyglow1
Profile Blog Joined April 2005
New Zealand3962 Posts
June 21 2008 01:16 GMT
#7
On June 21 2008 09:59 naventus wrote:
I wanted to figure out if it made sense for me to keep on playing - if it were even possible to improve at that rate (and it might not be) and get to a solid game.

It also may be the case that the only way I can find out is if I try it.


When you say you're C-, do you mean when you play ICCup you level at out C- when you play alot of games? If you're C- with bad stats, it'll take you quite a long to get to B+. I'm just making big approximations but I'd say if you spent 4 hours a day for a year you might be able to do it. You'd have to put in like 100% all the time, and concentrating as hard as you can while not being put off by any losses etc. Whether or not that's worth it is up to you.
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 5h 52m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
ProTech141
UpATreeSC 139
mouzHeroMarine 76
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 20663
Calm 3452
Sea 1890
Rain 1438
firebathero 327
Larva 178
EffOrt 130
Dewaltoss 121
hero 112
BRAT_OK 79
[ Show more ]
sorry 44
Aegong 35
Hm[arnc] 28
IntoTheRainbow 23
Rock 20
Terrorterran 17
Dota 2
Gorgc4749
qojqva1215
Counter-Strike
Fnx 1856
fl0m1161
Heroes of the Storm
MindelVK5
Other Games
tarik_tv4248
singsing1944
Beastyqt532
ArmadaUGS131
QueenE98
C9.Mang092
KnowMe79
Trikslyr78
Mew2King76
Organizations
Counter-Strike
PGL435
Other Games
BasetradeTV119
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 18 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Adnapsc2 1
• Kozan
• sooper7s
• Migwel
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• IndyKCrew
• intothetv
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki3
• ZZZeroYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• BSLYoutube
League of Legends
• Nemesis3762
• Scarra1082
• TFBlade945
• Shiphtur314
Other Games
• imaqtpie491
• WagamamaTV302
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
5h 52m
Korean StarCraft League
1d 8h
CranKy Ducklings
1d 15h
OSC
1d 16h
SC Evo Complete
1d 19h
DaveTesta Events
2 days
AI Arena Tournament
2 days
Replay Cast
2 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
2 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
3 days
Wardi Open
3 days
Monday Night Weeklies
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
The PondCast
6 days
KCM Race Survival
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-02-22
LiuLi Cup: 2025 Grand Finals
Underdog Cup #3

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 1
Acropolis #4 - TS5
Jeongseon Sooper Cup
Spring Cup 2026
WardiTV Winter 2026
PiG Sty Festival 7.0
Nations Cup 2026
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual
eXTREMESLAND 2025
SL Budapest Major 2025

Upcoming

[S:21] ASL SEASON OPEN 2nd Round
[S:21] ASL SEASON OPEN 2nd Round Qualifier
ASL Season 21: Qualifier #1
ASL Season 21: Qualifier #2
ASL Season 21
Acropolis #4 - TS6
Acropolis #4
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
RSL Revival: Season 4
NationLESS Cup
IEM Atlanta 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
CCT Season 3 Global Finals
FISSURE Playground #3
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League S23 Finals
ESL Pro League S23 Stage 1&2
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.