EPTAt my level what would you recommend I should be focusing on - mechanics or strategy? By mechanics I mean mass gaming while consciously working on a certain mechanic and strategy watching replays and comparing the higher level play to your own.
[Q] Mechanics or Strategy First?
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Hundredth
United Kingdom142 Posts
At my level what would you recommend I should be focusing on - mechanics or strategy? By mechanics I mean mass gaming while consciously working on a certain mechanic and strategy watching replays and comparing the higher level play to your own. | ||
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JoMal
Trinidad/Tobago1177 Posts
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trickser
Germany139 Posts
So for example for zvp you can play 9overpool speed into 3hatch scourge into 5 hatch hyds, and just practise getting the timing right, not having larva overflow, not missing overloards and microing big amounts of hydras. Since this build is really robust and gives you alot of map control and gets scouting done easily you dont have to worry about strategy too much. Same for zvt and zvz. Choose a very solid buildorder and just practise your micro, macro, timing and multitasking. | ||
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][-][eretic
Canada395 Posts
On July 26 2009 02:10 JoMal wrote: When your mechanics are good, you can execute any strategy. More or less, right. Without the proper mechanics, even a superior tactic will fall to a player who can execute a worse strategy at a much higher level. I believe Day[9] speaks about this in his Podcasts. You can find his Podcast thread in the Strategy forum, I strongly suggest listening to them, as most of it deals with non-race specific details that can benefit anyone regardless of skill. | ||
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Batibot
Philippines348 Posts
Imo, you just have to practice first fighting "standard" with "standard" but, there are so many "standards" that you should know how to react to each of them. Therefore, you should rather practice one build order (that would improve your mechanics and strategy at the same time), you should know how to react to what he does. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that: Strategy first. Know first the ins and outs one "standard" play for one matchup then, you'll be able to map out the game in that MU. You have to know why you're doing it not just because the pros do it. When you know what you're gonna do, you can carry it out short of perfect and that's why you mass games then to perform it like a robot. | ||
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coltrane
Chile988 Posts
I think the best starting point is stick into standard build orders and work in your mechanics. Work hard in your hotkey usage and in your macro. I suggest you to play 12 pool every match with D ppl and look all of your games with the bwchart. Try to get the best timings on the build order, discover and solve it. You will lose to better strategy much, but you will learn. Then start adding build orders and focus always on mechanics | ||
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GreEny K
Germany7312 Posts
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MiniRoman
Canada3953 Posts
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Iaaan
Canada578 Posts
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pangshai
Chinatown5333 Posts
I'm teaching a bunch of my irl friends to play SC, and I tell them that a good build vs protoss as zerg is 3 hatch lair --> spire --> 5 hatch hydra, which was the standard a while back. So reviewing that opening/strategy, spire = scourge = prevent sair harass, then macro up on drones, while adding 2 hatcheries and getting hydra upgrades and lots of hydras to stop the toss 3rd. My friends all have that basic understanding, but every game they try to do it, they end up with 2 groups of hydras 15 minutes into the game with 5K minerals on 3 base. | ||
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x89titan
Philippines1130 Posts
example: strategy: i have to get 3 groups of zealots to attack at one time while storm dropping. solution: group zealots and dropship and templar quickly ctrl + 1, 2, 3, 4, 5....1a2a3a zealots into nat, 4u dropship into mineral line, 5t on workers | ||
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unknown.sam
Philippines2701 Posts
at d level, i believe good mechanics will win you a lot of games | ||
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Gogleion
United States534 Posts
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dhe95
United States1213 Posts
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gjg.instinct
144 Posts
I think a lot of decent-expert level players would remark that mechanics are more important and it's "how the koreans win" etc. etc. I agree in that having solid mechanics is a deeper and higher aspiration in the game. | ||
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Chef
10810 Posts
If there's one specific mechanic that is giving you trouble you can work really hard to fix it and then go back to strategy, but don't just focus on mechanics or you'll become a very bad and boring player. What I mean by a specific mechanic, is something like muta micro, or muta vs scourge, or M&M vs lurkers. If you have trouble with those, you NEED to learn them on your own so that during a game you can be confident when the situation calls for it. But basic things like macro and general unit control should come naturally. EDIT: Let me also just add this: At its very root, StarCraft is a game of risk, greed, and punishment. No amount of mechanics can ever overcome that. At the D levels, many players complain about being cheesed, but that's not what's happening. What's happening is that they're not scouting, and they're being punished for it. They're getting frustrated because although the guy that cheesed them had 100 apm and much worse mechanics, he still won, somehow 'unfairly.' If you don't want to be another one of those fairy boys who whines when they get outwitted, learn strategy over mechanics. Learn to punish players who don't scout, who don't build enough cannons, who don't prepare for what you can do. That doesn't mean 4pool every game... That's not strategy. It means if you see 3 cannons and he doesn't have a scout outside his base, go all in lings and rape his shit. There's no reason to play some 'standard' 3 hatch muta build when you know you will win if you just act now. | ||
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Mortality
United States4790 Posts
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Geo.Rion
7377 Posts
Remember, if you lose it was probably because: 1. You didn't macro well. did not have enough drones or hatches. 2. You screwed up your build 3. Did not react to scouting info properly, or did not scout properly 4. Your opponent is actually 2 ranks higher than you... At least 30% of your losses come from point 4., if you have the stamina to keep playing and you focus on the first 3 points, you will improve. Also practice muta with UMS. It helps. Even if you practice only as warmup befor iccup game. It's good, cuz you use your mtuas in every MU. | ||
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sixghost
United States2096 Posts
On July 26 2009 02:10 JoMal wrote: When your mechanics are good, you can execute any strategy. If only your mechanics are good, you will execute the same strategy you copied from a replay despite what you are scouting, then get run over by noobs who don't play exactly how you are used to. | ||
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Jonoman92
United States9104 Posts
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