[H][L] I want to get better at SC2

That said, if you are in silver (really, if you are anything but masters), then your macro is probably atrocious (as in, you should just GG by the 8 minute mark because you are that far behind if you were playing anyone else, even if nothing happens and both players making zero units).

I feel that because you are so adamant that your 'fundamentals' and macro is okay, you don't look at it, when it's your biggest problem. People who say "oh, my macro is fine", tend to actually have really bad macro. Then, they get frustrated, and completely confused as to why they lost a certain game, or how does the opponent afford that much shit when he got that much tech, et cetera, but truth is, they 99% of the games of the time, they because they didn't macro.

By the way, team games mean little. It's not hard at all for bronze to get masters+ in team games if they coordinate a build order with their partner, or one of the teammates is decent. They aren't balanced at all, and aren't taken seriously as competitive (the only possible exception, is maybe very high #1 masters teams, but I think most would argue even then that doesnt constitute skill). Even the skill or strategy used in team games, is based more on certain coordinations and builds - not macro. 1v1 games are always 100% about macro and timings, whereas in team games, it's not about timings or macro at all (ie you open stargate to deny third, then you get ahead in econ, he goes hydras to 'counter' stargate and apply pressure before they can get colossi because he opened stargate and won't have them in time, etc). A lot of bronze-silver players will post saying they are masters team or something, but it really has little bearing on your skill.

Not trying to rag on team games, but I think the community as a whole rejects the idea of them being competitive. Regardless if they are or not, the skills involved (and most people will tell you that there is no skill involved) are totally different from 1v1 and don't regard macro or map control, the two most important factors in 1v1.

As a mid-masters players, I can tell you my macro is complete garbage. But I always felt, being the kind of player who always drones or expands instead of techs or makes units, and just NEVER made units ever, and every single game I won is always 30+ minutes long (still holds true, actually), that my macro was my strong suit, I just lost due to bad scouting or mistakes in move commanding my army through marines or just toss is bullshit. But it actually turned out my macro was really, really bad. Yet, even as a masters player, I can guarantee my macro is better than any diamond player, and from watching lots of replays, my macro is almost always better than the opponent. But I never realized my macro was complete garbage, that I constantly had idle larva for 5-10 seconds, and was making overlords slightly too early (i never got supply blocked, your macro can be shit even if you never get supply blocked, supply block is just like autolose bad sometimes), until others looked at my replays.

First thing you need to do, is realize you have no idea what you are doing. Then, you need to take a more critical look at your game, your macro. Every game should feel like running a marathon last stretch, that you are just pressing your macro to be tighter and tighter, that you look back to your base quicker to throw down necessary buildings, et cetera. Secondly, you need to watch pro games and try to emulate it. Third, you need to start setting benchmarks, comparing how your units, tech, buildings, et cetera, compares to pro players. Finally, you just need to play more. Playing team games is just horrible in terms of trying to learn the game. You just need to really paly a lot more.



1. Macro based decision making, like knowing how to identify when they are safe to macro up, and when they aren't. Also, to take a more critical look at their macro and understand the implications of their shitty macro. Because unless you are high masters, your macro is total shit. Yes, myself included, but I am more aware of it, and improve a lot more now (even then, I still learn how shitty my macro is every day. I didn't realize I just missed injects way too often too early in the game until I posted a rep here recently, and now I play against easy comp a lot to make sure I know how to inject better).

2. The more the better. Personally, i work over 70+ hours a week, and I rarely get back from work before 4:30AM in the morning. I graduated from college too, so I know the whole school+work thing, as I worked full time while being a full time student to pay for shit.

I noticed I kept slumping, because I wouldn't play for a week, and then maybe have a few hours in a day to log some games in. But then, I realized, I was just wasting too much time - I would come home from work, tired, but still enough in me to be up for 2 hours or so. I would eat a meal, browse TL, watch day9, the GSL, et cetera. But then I realized, that's 2 hours I could have played.

If you REALLY want to get better while having a full-time schedule, I strongly recommend you stop watching tournaments, you stop watching streams, you stop watching games, you stop browsing TL, and worst of all, reddit. Just never open your browser if that's what it takes. If you just try to follow along with the GSL alone, while being a full time working committment, then you will NEVER be able to log enough games to improve. At best, you'll just be stagnant at where you are at.

At your level, yea, you should watch some of the newbie day9 stuff. But if you really want to improve as a player, I strongly recommend you stop watching all tournaments, GSLs, MLGs, et cetera. You just don't have the time to do so, especially if you are a student. You will notice that pro players almost NEVER post in TL or starcraft2.com, because they are too busy playing the game. You don't get to high masters by following the GSL - it will never happen. You hear on SOTG all the game, some pro will say "yea i didnt watch the finals of that most anticipated tournament of the year" or "i heard about it" or "i skimmed it". It's because they don't have time to.

You have to catch yourself too. If you find yourself watching GSL, stop. Just play. You won't see high masters players posting or watching tournaments, because they know they in order to get good, they need to log games. It doesn't mean you have to play 40+ hours a week. It just means while all the bronze and silver players are watching the GSL, they are playing SC2 to get better.

It's helped me a lot personally. I'd love to watch tournaments, but I don't have time to. I barely have time to do anything with my schedule, so with the few rare times I have spare time, i will play. I still have a bad habit of posting too much, I just can't grind out 10 games in a row. But high masters players, they learn to be able to grind 10+ games in a row. When you watch destiny or catz or whomever stream, they just hit "Find Match", Find match, find match, immediately, over and over. I know your time is limited, but whenever you are at the computer, don't go to TL. Don't go to reddit. Log on.

3. Never, ever stop making workers. You can always sac them if you make too many. It's a lot better having a 100 supply army that's very well upgraded and tech heavy, that you can replace instantly and trade with the opponent, than having a 125 supply army that has less upgrades and can't remax as fast.

Don't do any harassment. Far, far, farrrrr more often than not in, about gold and below, a player will lose more by dropping, or whatever, than gain by killing 20 workers, because they weren't macro'ing the background.

Great pro players are always great macro players first (defensive ones at that), micro second. If your drop kills 10 workers, but you banked 1200 minerals during the drop, you hurt yourself more than you hurt the opponent. Just warp int he DT and move command it to where you want it. Just hit "D" through fog of war to drop at a certain place and a-move the marines. Macro, sooo much more important.

And at silver, as long as you don't get supply blocked a single time in the first 10 minutes, and don't make 1 pylons/overlords/depots at the same time to overcompensate for a block, you will get promoted overnight. It's really important. And always make workers.

Also, watch every replay you play, win or lose. Just 8x if you think you understood hwat happened. Look at your worker production and if you got supply blocked, on chronos and injets and calldowns.