EPTYou can read my first one here: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=73169
Once again I want to thank everyone for the warm reception on it, you've motivated me to make more =D
(some ramblings on myself in the next few paragraphs, feel free to skip down to the battle report!)
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Something I wanted to write about in the first blog but didn't get around to was my SC background. After on-and-off casual playing, I came across some youtube professional SC videos, and decided to start taking my game seriously. In just two weeks I went from a casual UMS player to a semi-competent 100apm player with a working knowledge of build orders and hotkeys. I remember joining PGTour and WGTour (or whatever they were called), and losing literally every game. I finally gave up on Starcraft after going 1-15 or something like that on both ladders.
Fast forward about a year and a half. I'm hanging out with a bunch of Korean friends, and, naturally, the topic of conversation goes to Starcraft. I didn't feel like going through all that again, I had been humiliated already. Eventually a friend of mine showed me some more videos (commentaries in English!) and once again I was back into SC. I was terrible, barely pulling 100apm, and not able to manage a build order past 20 supply.
But damn it I didn't care if I lost, I just wanted to get back into it. Why, you say? Because motherfucking STARCRAFT 2 HAD JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED! I thought to myself, if a game 10 years old can still be fun, imagine the sequel! Of course, I had to get in shape and so I watched more VODs, found more Starcraft sites (including this one) and started playing on iccup.
Last season I was only a few games away from D+, and slowly but surely I was noticing some big improvements in terms of management and whatnot. I learned how to use shift, and how to hotkey areas (the shift+f2/f3/f4 thing). But... the season reset. And now with the competition higher than ever, I find myself in an interesting position. My gameplay is better than it has ever been, but my rank/record is bad. At the time of writing my rank is D- and my record is 5-15. Luckily, there seems a bunch of noob tosses out there that like trying to go 2-base carriers, so I should bounce back quite quickly =)
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Game 1: TvT on Andromeda
Ah, fuck. My most hated match-up. But luckily for me it's on one of my new favorite maps, the sexy Andromeda. Anyways, the game starts out without any serious cheese. We both go depot --> rax --> gas, but I put my rax in the middle of the map just for the hell of it. Fortunately for me, my marines get in, as does a vulture, causing him to lose some mining time.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_ticklefight.jpg)
Semi-cheese ftw, even though I'm usually a very clean player.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_grill.jpg)
For some reason, Blizzard made SCVs African-American...
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_economy.jpg)
The marine cheese was mildly successful, making him lose mining time. My first 3 vultures all got 1 or 2 kills before dying, so the second wave of cheese did a decent job as well. I pump out a tank while putting down TWO command centers(!). He is going 2fact vults as I find out, but I think he's slowed down enough, so it's time to take a macro lead.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_toolittle.jpg)
The tank pops out, with a second one on the way. The measly 3 vultures get a few SCV kills at the natural, but his counter attack has failed and my macro is about to kick in. Three command centers, one factory. Sounds like a sexy fetish website... Oh wait...
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_contained.jpg)
And here we go, I'm at the part of TvT I hate. I didn't move to a forward position (fearing drops or something) and now I'm contained. Now I'm pissed. Pissed enough to make an epic SCV break.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_break.jpg)
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Game 2: TvP on Python
This was the best game I've played all season. Ironically, it's the game that pushed me into the D- rating. It was a pretty intense game and in the end I lose a war of attrition, not able to get a 4th expansion and beyond. My blob of mechnical death, while awesome, can't be everywhere at once.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_fail.jpg)
Remember last blog when I said I was rusty because I've had exams? Well, it truly shows here as I've gone dyslexic and screwed up my wall. Meanwhile, he is going 2-gate ranged goons, and he put a pylon next to where my machine shop would be to delay my tank. The tank gets out, I defend fine, and get my natural up and running.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_zealbomb.jpg)
I continued to macro pretty well. At this point we are both at 3 bases (giving me an edge), and thus he commits to an attack. At the point in the picture, I am only behind by 5 supply, but he wins the battle, killing my min-only third base. The game goes back into macro mode, I rebuild desperately as the base situation temporarily becomes my 2 to his 4.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_third.jpg)
macro macro macro, not much to say here. But look at the minimap and that sexy Terran blob. Placing mines/turrets everywhere ftw. In fact, it will make this next battle pivotal.
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_battle1.jpg)
This is the start of an epic battle. He is maxed, and I am down 50 supply and mining out my bases (currently trying to sneak an expo in bottom right). I don't know how to make a .gif, so in the following pictures you will behold my epic defense:
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_battle2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_battle3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_battle4.jpg)
Holy shit! I hold and I'm up 25 supply! Time to roll out and take revenge on the Protoss scum. Unfortunately, this epic tale is a tragedy, as yours truly - the Terran hero - bows out in a war of attrition. But not before some vengeance!
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_battle5.jpg)
He had over 9000 gateways and got an army back up, but it was no match for my ball of Terran greatness, and thus I kill the top left. But then, as I push to the other bases, and tragedy strikes:
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_dts.jpg)
What a great time to run out of scans. I try and kill his last mining base, but DTs keep coming and my scans don't last. Meanwhile, my 4th and 5th bases have been picked off, leaving no economy:
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_basedead1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s116/II_roflmao_II/sc_basedead2.jpg)
He has one mining base, I have zero, and not even enough for a command center. Nothing to do but "gg".
However, I'm glad that I lost to an actual decent Protoss, not one of those 100apm "1a2a3a4a" types.
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Replay: http://rapidshare.com/files/123463778/TvP_loss_3.rep.html
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Brief gameplay discussion:
The TvP game I used a FlaSh-type build with early upgrades, to 4facts, to a 3rd base. I like moving slowly with my awesome Terran blob. I guess you could say it's a pansy-strategy, but waiting until I'm maxed out and just rolling over everything is awesome. And for an inexperienced player like myself, it's a stable and reliable strategy.
For hotkeys, I use the shift-position hotkeys for my command centers for SCV production. I use quite a few for factories to keep tank production pretty constant. Usually I just hit 4t, 5t, 6v, 7v, then I start double-tapping the last factory to bring up all the others for vulture production. It works decently enough for me, though if you guys have anything better to suggest, by all means go ahead. The first three hotkeys are for units and the last 2 or 3 for scanners.
The main question I have is, how do you go about taking the 4th and 5th bases on Python in TvP (or TvZ for that matter)? Should I go for a main and hold the ramp up with part of my force? And I have no idea how much I should invest in those defenses , unfortunately I don't get to spam cannons to stop harassment =P
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Thanks for taking the time to go through this second entry of mine. I hope it wasn't too long and it was somewhat organized. Tell me what you guys think, I'd love to hear!
- Ryot
(edited - terrible initial formating! sorry!)
. I'm probably close to your level, maybe a little above, you should pm me sometime and we can play a few games :D
