EPTTo start, let me introduce myself. My name is Andrew Dunne, I go by 'Kibbelz' on the interwebs though. Although this account is new, this is not my first post on teamliquid, i formerly went by KibbelzNbits. Now, for the story...
....
It was a rainy day as I recall...
I brought home my brand-new painted cardboard box. Within it held the treasure I had been awaiting for longer than a man could possibly recall. A small disc. A Starcraft 2 Disc. I popped it in, went through the prompts, played my first few games, and placed into the "Gold League". Awesome! I just got it and I'm already gold! However my glee quickly faded as weeks turned into months of the Gold League. I found myself unable to improve at the game in any substantial way! I was trapped... in gold... Never to be promoted... until...
One day, I discovered a build order. It was a silly thing, something used in 4v4 by one of my opponents; but OH the EFFICIENCY! Every single mineral was always spent. Gas never pooled, minerals never accrued, not until after the 7:20 mark when the attack hit its timing, where my foes often fell! In three days I was Platinum. Six days later? Diamond. In case you don't believe me, here is a screenshot of my rank and a link to my sc2ranks profile: Sc2Ranks
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/U11Wq.jpg)
[My skyrocketing rank October 4-12th, Eight days...)
Since that series of days back in early October 2010, I have ever since been fascinated by the Build Order. Not in an obsessive "I want to make the most efficient BO ever known to man" kind of way, but in a reverent, "respecting of its power" kind of form.
Today I am ranked #4 Master's. I've come a long way since 2010, coming to love eSports and pursuing everything in Starcraft from music videos, to joining a team to be a pro-player, to my current status of being a Caster for Playhem and MLG. Today however, I bring to you a proposition. This is something I have done in the past in some detail, but now seek to possibly pursue at great length. I wanted to write this post because I've been toying with the idea of construction a compendium of Pro-player build orders.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/RZEZr.jpg)
[The Dream]
Nine months ago I began watching replays from MLG Raleigh and MLG Orlando. I wasn't finding much success in commentary, but had gotten much better at the game with all of my practice. I felt that if I studied lots of pro build orders, I could increase my knowledge of not only the game in general, but also gain a vast knowledge of timings to keep an eye out for in my play. It was a way to improve, as, at that time, I was approaching GM and meeting some names on the ladder. I wanted any edge I could get.
Now, six months down the road, opportunities in commentary have risen abundantly. As such, I find myself wanting to have an extremely intricate understanding of the game once again.
That's where the compendium comes in. The meta-game has shifted a lot over the last six months; even still, I want to know it all. I want to know every in and every possible out of Starcraft 2.
I've begun writing a build order database, where not only myself, but any fan of Starcraft 2 can visit and find a list of build orders organized by race, and player, so that they can learn to execute top level builds.The compendium (simply called Kibbelz Pro Build Order Compendium for now), is located on Google Docs here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtCOlN-fmKT7dDBNLWU1a1d3QTU4a3FMXzB5UE5taFE]Kibbelz' Build Order Compendium (Google Doc)
The compendium is NOT what you see in the image at the start of the article! That is what I would like it to eventually reach; but countless hours of studying and recording replays will be required to transform it into something truly great.
Nine months back, I created all my builds in Excel spreadsheets. I don't think I will port all of the builds over, but some I will. I wasn't as meticulous when I recorded them, ignoring supply and harvesters and instead focusing on TIMES, because I was scouting for these builds as a Zerg.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/liYOx.jpg)
[A build order from last year, note the lack of population info. I did about 50 of these, they are faster and easier than full BO's]
Getting the compendium to a point where it includes a comprehensive list of timings/builds is going to be tough, especially with pop counts. Many top-level games go for a very long time before either player is truly dealt damage. As such, many builds have timings that wrap up near 80-110 supply. They can take 30-60 minutes to transcribe into excel.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/GPo3i.jpg)
[This Macro-ish 1-1-1 style timing from MKP vs MC for instance, hits at ~10:30.]
I think it would be so cool to give all the knowledge in these replays to the community. There are many players, such as my best friend 'HEYron', that are stuck in lower leagues always struggling to improve. Mastering even a single build order is a HUGE step in the right direction.
What is important here is that performing an efficient build order gives you the understanding of what efficiency in Starcraft should FEEL like. For insance, I'm proud to let you know, that after I stopped relying on my build order for ladder games, I maintained my rank in diamond (albeit after a short dip back into platinum for a week or so). Furthermore, for players already top level, having many efficient build orders allows you to transition between similar builds and adapt what you want to do quickly.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yYzCI.jpg)
[8 days this took me.. how long would it take you with the right tools?]
If we don't see eye-to-eye, just allow this: What if a silver league player were to practice, and then execute a build order exactly like DRG? Yes, the control will be lacking, but the units and tech will still all be there. This is not a build order from some random 4v4 guy, this is world-champion DongRaeGu. Yes, the build is likely going to be harder to learn; so to combat that, I included a build order 'Summary' (props to Hammer38) to make the build easier for people to memorize and execute; Imagine a silver-league Zerg player performing this build that allowed DRG to defeat DeMusliM at MLG:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/85HU0.jpg)
[DRG's Roach-Bane "all-in" build from MLG Winter Championships]
Okay, so to stop being all hopeful and get real with you all... There are a million reasons I feel a comprehensive build order database could benefit the community. What I want to know is, do you feel the same way? I've posted to here and to Reddit asking this, and also giving a small plea for help. After recieving some feedback I'm actually not too sure that people feel the same way I do. I think polling you all at TeamLiquid would give me a good idea if I should put the time into this or not.
Please don't hesitate to let me know if you feel I'm wrong. I appreciate any feedback you guys have as well.
Oh and also if anyone else loves the idea, hit me up! KibbelzStarcraft@gmail.com, twitter.com/kibbelz, facebook.com/kibblypuff.
Thanks guys!
-Andrew "Kibbelz" Dunne
