I would start by playing in and winning small online tournaments, to get a feel for the skill level of top players in a tournament setting. Then move on to slightly larger online tournaments like the TL Open and GosuCoaching open tournemnts. If you can win those, you are definitely pro level, and I'd try going to an MLG.

REM.ca

Canada354 Posts

December 10 2010 13:46 GMT

#142

Performance research has shown that to become an expert at something, you have to work at it 40 hours a week, every week, for 5 years. So the main ingredient to becoming pro is dedication.

Good luck on your quest to top 200. Only 3600 ranks to climb!

Mukester

United States27 Posts

December 10 2010 13:52 GMT

#143

Learn to speak Korean. Even if you don't make it pro at least you know a second language =) + can chill in the Korean sc2 community

brentsen

1252 Posts

December 10 2010 13:52 GMT

#144

I'd say the most important thing for starters is that you need to switch from just playing the game to actually practising the game i.e. work on your mechanics, learn builds etc.

PrimalFear

Greece17 Posts

December 10 2010 14:04 GMT

#145

Come on guys don't you remember yourselves in highschool? The kid will probably get a girlfriend the next week and start dreaming of being a football player. And then consider becoming a lawyer or some shit...

Cephei

United Kingdom79 Posts

December 10 2010 14:10 GMT

#146

Remember there is no guarantee you'll even make it, the pros who make a lot of money have been playing for SC FOR 12 years, not since beta so don't get your hopes up. Not saying it can't be done but be realistic.

Mephs

139 Posts

December 10 2010 14:38 GMT

#147

On December 10 2010 18:56 ste0731 wrote:
I started 4 weeks after the game came out, coming from a FPS scene and started in bronze with 2 wins and 33 losses after my first 35 games. I know stand at 2k diamond with 60%+ win ratio (including my initial 30 losses) what you've achieved is in all honesty nothing, and this is the scary thing about bonus pool. 6weeks back, OMG huk hit 2k points, he is so fucking pro. 6weeks later, inflation occurs, holy shit im at 2k. me > huk.

However, Enter every online tourny, TLopen,ESL series, every lan etc. CONSISTENT (thats the important word here - many people can pull off a one-off fluke win @ X tournament) get into the top 8/4/final etc etc. Then you'll be spotted.

Bonus pool is fine because it inflates EVERYONE's points at the same rate. Sure 2k back a few months ago was top of the league, but now its 3k, you basically go by that and your world ranking rather than just your points alone.

I started out in gold or so, who knows what rank, now top 2000 so I'd say I came a long way overall, but I wouldn't think I'm anywhere near ready to go pro because of it lol.

ilmman

364 Posts

December 10 2010 14:56 GMT

#148

You might as well start practicing very hard while you are in school. Also don't forget to do your studies at the same time (or do as much as you can at school that you'll have minimal homework time and spend the rest of the day at home).. Assuming you got like 3 years to decide (mid way thru middle school.. got no idea how ur school system works) you should have plenty of time (1-3 years) of grinding, refining ur macro and working on your mindset. And if it doesnt work out in the end and you don't want to pursue that career. You could always fall back onto your education...

just my advice,,, it gives u more options i guess...

n3m0

Portugal247 Posts

December 10 2010 15:09 GMT

#149

You become a pro as soon as you become able to pay for your own expenses with the money that you earn playing.

That's the true meaning of being a pro. It's not a title that you get from winning some tournament in Korea (as it was in bw).

Belial88

United States5217 Posts

December 10 2010 15:16 GMT

#150

You can ask Blizzard to transfer you to the Korean servers, that would be the first step.

scDeluX

Canada1341 Posts

December 10 2010 15:36 GMT

#151

The first thing you need to do is to win some online tourney so you get picked up by a serious team. No real chance of making any money just by sitting at the top of the ladder.

Tenks

United States3104 Posts

December 10 2010 15:41 GMT

#152

The first and obvious is become better at the game. I'm sorry but if you have any dreams of even competing in recognizable tournaments you'll probably need a good 1000 more points than you currently have on the ladder. So you should probably hunker down and improve your mechanics and game before trying to take the "next step."

Then, follow the path similar to TLO. Be a phenomenal player, win open tournaments with consistent play and become a name in the community. This isn't KeSPA anymore, you don't need to apply to become a progamer it just happens these days.

kataa

United Kingdom384 Posts

December 10 2010 15:43 GMT

#153

As far as I understand it;

#1 Ladder an insane amount and work your way to top 20 on your ladder (Blizzard rankings) on the way you'll have to take games off top pros.

#2 Win some tournies like the TLOpen, Craftcup ect.

#3 Get picked up by a decent team

#4 Keep performing well and eventually get sent to teams Korean house

At the moment is true for Liquid and soon EG members, and I think it will become the trend for Western SC2.

therockmanxx

Peru1174 Posts

December 10 2010 15:49 GMT

#154

Live in korea for a couples of years, that should be enough.......

ste0731

United Kingdom435 Posts

December 10 2010 15:51 GMT

#155

On December 10 2010 23:38 Mephs wrote:

Show nested quote +

It is fine, but now when people see themselves at 2k they think omg im awesome when quite clearly they're actually really crap.

Achilles

Canada385 Posts

December 10 2010 16:04 GMT

#156

be a bigger geek than the other geeks you want to be like

Idra QED

IN OTHER WORDS: play nonstop so that you need a timer to remind you that you need to eat, sleep, piss+shit.

universalwill

United States654 Posts

December 10 2010 16:06 GMT

#157

yeah, just get to high diamond and move to south korea. it really is that easy.

KiLL_ORdeR

United States1518 Posts

December 10 2010 16:11 GMT

#158

There is a thread about this at least once a week. Can we get somebody to make a Liquipedia thread about this?

Also, there isn't a secret to becoming pro. You just play a shitload and win tournaments. If you're good enough, you get noticed. If not, you're wasting a shitload of time.

StarStruck

25339 Posts

December 10 2010 16:12 GMT

#159

Enter every tournament; place well and the teams/guilds/clans will come to you. Lots of people throw around the word "pro" a lot. Even Artosis and Tasteless do it. They were never professional Starcraft players, ok? They are Amateurs. However; they are as close as we get to professional casters, but they still treat it like a hobby. Now, that I got that aside across. You aren't a professional unless you can make a living off of it and in many circumstances live in a pro gaming house (not all professionals make their bread and butter off it, but they get accommodations and food -- all the bare necessities).

You have a long way to go. So my advice to you is to enter lots of tournaments and do well in them. That way managers start hearing your name more and perhaps they might give you a tryout or come to you. Usually it doesn't work the other way around, but you can still try to get a hold of them either way. You need results though.

vileChAnCe

Canada525 Posts

December 10 2010 16:17 GMT

#160

I just hit top 200 this week with no RTS experience whatsoever, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. You don't know shit yet... the amount these pros have garnered in "mechanics" and "strategy" is stupid hard. What your doing at this point is executing a certain build against people who are executing their certain build worse then you.

I was doing fine playing ladder all day executing my build and beating people and then I joined a clan with ICCUP folk, this is when i started learning what the fuck mechanics actually meant. It's not just how quickly you execute your build but the timings and why you execute your build in that certain situation. If you truly truly want to learn your gonna have to eat sleep and breathe starcraft 2 to catch up, your at such a disadvantage just because you don't comprehend the sheer difficulty of the task.

Basically at this point you went on a summer hike and half way through you aspired to climb Everest and then proceeded to talk to people who've done amateur climbing.

That being said do what you want just please do your best, once you've hit that level of understanding and still want to tackle your Everest fuck everyone else and do it.