sc2sea.com - Starcraft 2 SEA & ANZ Community Site

**nirvAnA** · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 6:16 AM

The Grandmaster Manual has now been launched!!

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The Grandmaster Manual is a comprehensive Starcraft 2 guide specifically aimed to help lower league players improve their game and get easily into diamond and then eventually into masters or grandmasters.

- [Our Authors & Coaches Latest 2011 Starcraft 2 Achievements] -

If you ever experienced the following this Starcraft 2 Guide will be useful to you:

Love Starcraft 2 and want to be good at it but just don't have the time to "put in the hours".
Curious to know all the tricks & secrets the top players have used to get to where they are.
Experienced but not satisfied with your current skill level and want to get better .
Seemed to have reached a skill ceiling and don't feel they're progressing anymore and can't get promoted from their current league.
Constantly lose to cheese or the same "imba" strategies repeatedly and still do not know how to beat them.
"Forever Bronze!".
Have ever been tempted to resort to using cheats or win games by constantly cheesing. Become naturally good the ethical way which will demand true respect from your peers.
Dream of one day playing with the big boys, winning competitions and getting casted in VODs.

The Grandmaster Manual written by

nirvAnA,

mOOnGLade,

PiG &

OxygeN will help you:

Learn the knowledge and secrets from the top players in SEA and the step by step strategies they used to get to where they are.
Fully understand the mistakes that have kept you from progressing with detailed exercises and checklists on how to improve your micro, macro and mechanics.
Learn all the correct ways to counter cheese and "imba" strategies, explained in detail with replays and illustrations.
A walkthrough build and a variety of advanced build orders with replays, pictures and explanations for every single matchup.
Cut the "hours needed to be put in" in half thanks to all the knowledge and secrets shared in this guide.
Use this newfound knowledge to blast your way through the leagues, reaching your goals quickly and easily.
Lastly, further increase your knowledge with our bundled coaching plans at highly discounted rates. (Optional)

Table of Contents:

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A sneak peak into the guide:

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Testimonials from subscribers:

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Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

Hi Azron here. At first I was hesitant in purchasing this, but I'm glad I did as if you hit that plateau in skill, this is what you really need to elevate yourself to the next level, as it gives you a studied and detailed insight of the game. I was longing for a SEA community so when I saw this was by SEA players I was definitely on board. If your in diamond just like myself - this really helps change your mind set in terms of gaming, which was one of the major factors holding me back. Shout out to nirvAnA for being so helpful - hopefully to 'SEA' you guys soon, hilarious aren't I!

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Aron 'Azron' Canao

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

It has something big to deliver for ALL races and most player styles. With everything from small tips and hotkey tricks, down to the mindset of the player, this is just an amazing manual. As a diamond player I found the Anti cheese section extremely helpful (as you could imagine), and after reading sections like this, the annoyances of bad players just cheesing you and keeping you from being promoted started to turn around into a more "hey I got this guy now, big mistake buddy". This manual is so good, even for those who don't like reading so much content. Every little thing you read in here will help you just that little bit more, and you can just keep coming back and reading little sections your are really having trouble with. which is what I did XD Eventually I did read the whole thing because reading into the races that I DIDN'T play still meant I could get a little more of an idea of how the other races worked, and even how to counter their counter haha. I would definitely Recommend this to anyone who is looking to improve their skills in SC2, as it will NOT disappoint. Definite bang for your buck, and if not for this guide I would never have got into masters, and absolutely not in this period of time. Still staying subscribed to keep getting more to come and of course coz I'm not yet in GM! Thanks to everyone who helped to create this guide, Great work.

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Sam "Fourby" Tham

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

Amazing! The Grandmaster Manual takes you on a step-by-step learning process where you can pace yourself, regardless of whether you are a beginner or trying to get into Grandmaster League. Before reading TGM, I was stuck in Diamond league, and was feeling like I couldn't improve. Since reading it I feel like my mechanics and strategical/psychological mindset have improved drastically, which have allowed me to advance into masters within just a few days.

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Jaryd "FrOst" Moran

Content: 8/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 9/10

This is an excellent guide. Unlike most of the threads you can read on TL (and even here) it goes beyond just telling you things you should do, and helps you understand why you should do them, and what they mean in the context of the game.

Since reading this guide, in the last week I've already gone from Gold to Platinum, and am getting evenly matched against Diamond players now.

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Brendan "Erasmus" Cook

Content: 8/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 9/10

The manual says its there with the potential to guide low level players to masters, and it gives everything that you'd need to achieve that goal. I especially love moonglade's section, it is SO to the point and under-complicated that I'd definitely recommend it for any zerg struggling with concepts.

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Charlie "Zergtastic" Potter

"The race sections are the best part! You're given the best economic opener for your race & then detailed descriptions of what happens in the early/mid/late games, what you should be aiming for & the reasons behind them. The explanations make its so much more useful than hard numbers or simplistic BOs you normally read about - that end up meaning nothing past 5 minutes into the game due to harass or scouting. This guide teaches you the game the right way, by increase your understanding and not simply regurgitating BOs!"

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Peter "Avelestar" Hatcliffe

"2 words for those thinking about purchasing the subscription: STOP THINKING!
Get it now. 2 thumbs up for the great pictures, content and tips throughout the guide. No other guide matches this one. "

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Lance "FlashLance" Toh

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

"To be honest, i was very skeptical to get this guide at first because 90% of online guides are just rip offs. However ... i really wanted to get out of this freaking Silver League! The depression and despair threw all sense of caution overboard and made me get it in the end! I really have to say that i am impressed about the information found inside this manual. Of course alot of stuff is common sense and some parts you already know if you played SC2 for some time but there are always some little details that you probably have never heard of even if you are a higher league player. I am actually only done with the Basics Section and flew a bit over the protoss race explanation. I did not go into the real detail yet and can already see a really big improvent on my gameplay. I actually get expensions at the right times, crush most types of cheese, win almost every macro game and even let zerg shiver from my forcefield skills.

Since words can say alot i will also add my screenshots from the day i got the guide and 2 days later to proove that it actually works.

Before: http://www.sepix.at/before.PNG
After: http://www.sepix.at/after.PNG"

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Thomas "Sepix" Pichler

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

"Seriously the best guide out there!! I'm not the strongest player out there, and I was struggling with beating bronze players LOL, but just 1 week after getting the guide, I am now able to win against gold players 50/50. It is really in depth, the coaches have put a lot of effort and time into this and it has paid off. Definitely worth every penny!"

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Josh "Welshy" Welsh

Content: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall score: 8/10

"This guide is:
Well structured/ organised/ easy to follow

Professionally presented and visually interesting

Robust informative content that is kept current

Has longevity (you can keep coming back to it after trying something out)

Good replay examples

"

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Vincenzo "Delraich" Cascioli

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

"Everything you could ever need to help your SC2 play. When you think you've found everything, look again, this guide just keeps going. If you want to help your play - Start Here."

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David "ToRZanderax" James

Content: 8/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 9/10

"Thanks for writing such a great guide, has helped me immensely. I have gone from top diamond to about top 15 masters at the moment. It helped so much with the basics, which I thought I knew but didn't really.

An hour of coaching from YoonYJ was great too, can't believe such an awesome player #1 on SEA gave me an hour of coaching just for buying the guide. I think I understand the game a lot better now, but I'm sure there is still a massive amount to learn and I am still learning new things here every day."

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Bloodbank

Content: 9/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

"Hello my fellow members of SEA, Dumbledore here, purchased a subscription of 6 months for TGM. I'm a protoss player so have been looking through the toss chapters, everything is very detailed with replays included. I'm currently diamond hoping to get into masters soon. Thanks Nirvana, I love you, I want to have behbehs with you. On EU Server my name is: TSPMetacry US: Dumbledore TW: Uniden

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Alex "Uniden" Noble

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall score: 10/10

"I had tried other guides before and wasn't really finding any information I couldn't get for free anywhere else, so I wasn't all that sure about what I was buying into. The choice to buy was mainly to support the community. I was amazed at the resources available, the exercises, the dedication to continuing to improve it over time, and the way that the information was presented. With multiple contributors (legitimate progamers among them, not some low league player who watches a lot of Day9) I feel it has directly influenced my improvement. You hear a lot about "this is how to get promoted" from a lot of places, and it never seems to be so simple. One of the biggest things I noticed about TGM is that what it says is very clearly correct, there are no grey areas. It is thorough, complete, and I'm glad I have the sub."

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Nic "BlitZKrieg" Dixon

"Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

I have only had time to briefly read part of the zerg section, and already I can see results. I found myself reaching my limit of skill sitting around top 10 platinum and losing consistently to protoss, and struggling with zerg openings. Since reading the protoss section, and watching only a few of the many replays given, I have won 7 games in a row, including 4 against protoss.Knowing what to build and when has helped me profoundly. I now understand the match up and what I should actually be doing

I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to improve. The guide is extremely detailed, so dont expect to not have to put any effort in to getting better. Id gladly respond to any PM's about my experiences with the guide.

Thanks to everyone that has contributed to the guide

-

Doug "Sats" Ineson

"

A Personal Thanks

"I would personally like to thank all the people who wrote TGM guide. i was stuck in platinum for a while and when i thought hard about it i didnt truly understand the game mechanics properly. after subscribing to TGM my understanding of the game has got alot better. i now scout correctly and adjust my games accordingly and this has helped me reach diamond!

so thanks alot. now...... on to Masters!"
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JaimeDesmond

"Congrats on the promotion. I, too, would like to thank the guys for putting together TGM. I've looked at other guides and have been disappointed because all they seem to do is focus on the campaign or point out information that can be found in the help menu of SC2. This is the first guide I've seen that has a legitimate recipe for success that anyone can follow. I'm only in silver, but I'm already seeing my gameplay improve. I'm hoping a promotion will be right around the corner for me, too. Congrats again JaimeDesmond!"

- Response to Jamie/ Testimonial from

Mattigans

A(nother) Personal Thanks

Testimonial from our SEASL #2 Sponsor Soulja!

Content: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall score: 10/10

"Hit Master's the other day. This testimonial is overdue. The combination of this manual and some good ole' hard experience and practice made me the SC player I am today. I am the 2%! Can't thank you enough!

I was stuck in Platinum for months.

Diamond league came first, then I was promoted to Master's the other day. I had a SC marathon pulling an all nighter dedicated to 1v1 (NA) winning 95% of my games. I know my MMR was already at Master's/Top Master's because that's all I was playing. After looking at a very successful (and green) Match History I was about to call it a night until I told myself one more game. It was against a Top Master Zerg player on a small map. I executed a perfect proxy 2Rax() Satisfied with the win I waited for the score screen to appear, and around 3AM that's when I received the Rank 11 Master promotion.

I just wanted to echo the original post and thank all those who wrote and contributed to the manual. If you need a practice partner in NA, feel free: [FIVESTARSIX.950] Thx again."

-

Joshua "Soulja" Loya

Comparison With the other guides out there

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Is there anything else included besides the manual?

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Coaching Information:

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Yes, in our best value for money package, this guide is also bundled with one free hour of coaching with a sc2sea coach of your choice! If you have not tried coaching before but were always curious, now would be the best time to start. Without our package, some coaches charge up to $30/hour at their own rates, but with the special rate you effectively pay just $10 more for 1 hour of coaching!

Zerg Coaches

aLtPiG.464

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A relatively unknown player till recently, PiG spent time honing his skills in NA andy made a name for himself after taking #3 in a NA ESL Go4Sc2 Monthly Invitational. He soon followed that with strong lan performances including winning a City Hunter Charity Tournament in Sydney. He has also done well in online SEA competitions, finishing high in community opens and all killing teams in the KOF.

Apart from SC2, PiG is an avid writer who's studying humanities at university and he likes spending time with his Asian girlfriend!

Server Access: SEA, NA and KR
Hourly fee: $20/hour AUD

Package Offer:
I offer several extra services to my new students for the first lesson, and for all lessons if they book four lessons in advance:

1) 10-15 minute prep-sessions where we have a quick chat about problems you're facing and I give you some basic builds to practice if the ones you are using aren't optimal.
2) Replay Analysis: After lessons you send me replays with questions or simply for pointers and I will email you back points to improve upon.
3) Extra lesson time, usually running between 10-15 minutes extra. This allows us to spend extra time practicing the really essential foundations aswell as a more laidback timeframe so we can comfortable with each other.

E-mail: jkrensel@hotmail.com
Skype: jared.krensel

- [Accomplishments:] -

PiG v Spanishiwa (May 16th 2011:

You Tube

I often stream coaching (www.twitch.tv/altpig) as long as the student is comfortable with it, and save the VODs so they can rewatch:

Intro Mechanics lesson on hotkeys, injecting, macro and info on holding 2-rax (Ends around 1:15:00): http://www.twitch.tv/altpig/b/291669769
ZvZ Platinum Roach-infestor positioning micro and +1 timing attack (starts at 5:00): http://www.twitch.tv/altpig/b/291606886

ZvP Master level roachstyle coaching: http://www.twitch.tv/altpig/b/291546292

- [Coaching outline over 1 hour:] -

- [Testimonials:] -

Jack 'Audacity.764' McClatchey – Platinum to Diamond

"Jared 'altPig' is the most amazing starcraft player and manly man you will ever meet. After a mere 3.6 seconds of tutoring I was #2 grandmasters (second only to the man himself) while Idra, Sen and Nestea pestered me for builds and practise. Shortly after my lesson's conclusion, I looked down to discover I had grown a full beard. The only thing I would criticize was the breaks in which aLtPig would plug in a new keyboard, having set fire to the previous one with his furious apm."

Lolz aside, he wrote a serious one as well:

"Jared “aLtPiG” is a great teacher, far better than I expected. He is very easy to work with and provides great overall help on any part of play that you might have trouble on. Information that helps in the long run such as the analysis of replays is also covered. If you are thinking about having lessons with aLtPiG I would greatly recommend it, I believe he was the main factor in my promotion to the diamond league."

Josh 'Volition' Davenport – Gold to Platinum

"I joined PiG as a lowly gold zerg, having played terran previously. Before we started, PiG took the time to ask the way I wanted to play, what I believed were my strengths and weaknesses and the parts of the game with which I personally struggle. With this information, in conjunction with my replays, PiG was able to teach me builds that fit with my mid and late game styles. However, the lesson did not just involve the memorisation of builds - it also involved information, lots and lots of information. PiG isn't one of these coaches that will try to change your playstyle so that it is exactly like the way he plays - and the training is better for it as the solutions/builds he presents are possible for you to execute. The lessons are structured with lots of notes, mostly typed by PiG. Make sure you save them to your pc - I still refer to mine when I am struggling with a matchup.

One of the things i have noticed during my time being taught by PiG is that he is very specific, whether that be in instructions, timings or playstyle. Everything he does and teaches seems to be done for a reason, and those reasons are explained thoroughly. I come away from each lesson feeling like I have gained a greater understanding of the zerg race, and with a greater knowledge of the game in general. With greater knowledge and understanding, the game becomes more and more interesting as you start to see things you would have previously overlooked.

While there is no guarantee lessons with PiG will get you promoted or rank 1 in your division. I have, however, been promoted since starting my lessons (to a lowly plat player). However, becomming a better player is only part of the benefit of obtaining coaching from PiG - I find I want to play more and understand why I am winning or losing. Add to this that he is always online to answer questions, it is extremely good value for the hourly fee.

I have no problems in recommending coaching from PiG, and I have lined up more lessons in the future. If you have any questions and are too shy to approach the man himself (dont be, he is nice), do not hesitate to shoot me your questions."

Frank 'Sangyerians' Li - Masters to winning a laptop!
sangyerians.287

"When you get training from PiG, you definitely get value for money. PiG played practice games with a friend of mine before a big LAN tournament and helped him win first place (Kayz winner of Cityhunter Anniversary Festival Silver division, won a laptop!). If that’s not a direct correlation between PiG’s coaching and success, I don’t know what is.

Not only is PiG a great coach, strategist and general SC2 connoisseur, but the reason I chose him above others is because he is an all round good person. What sets PiG apart other coaches is that not only is he a fantastic player, but I realised that he is a great guy from the posts and contributions he makes to UNSW/USYD StarSoc (shameless plug) amongst other mutual forums we frequented.

I had the pleasure of meeting with PiG in person and chatting with him and you could not meet a nicer person if you tried. No really, don’t even bother. His mentality and focus on helping the student become better and to, above all, have fun embodies his love for the game and ability to convey his vast knowledge of the game to any level of player. Patient with those who need it and efficient with those who prefer it, you can try and find a zerg coach who not only has value for money (not that that’s important, PiG is worth every penny) and is friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, skilled and above all, humble in his teachings, as PiG is. A+++ would buy again."

Steve 'FaDeEveTs' Hunt - Master to Grandmaster
fadeevets.153

About 4 weeks ago i was a mid-high masters player and had my first lesson with pig.

He went over some macro mechanics, taught me the exact amount of drones to make and how to tell, and also provided me with a new and more solid hotkey setup (previously i was using the backspace method, which is easy for laziness and makes you feel pro, but trust me when you get used to pig's method it's much better). Jared really cleaned up my macro and polished some edges in my play, including army positioning and use, i went off to ladder and practice for a few weeks. After feeling more confident in TvZ which is the matchup we covered, i came back to pig and went over a solid roach playstyle for ZvP, mere days after the session i was consistantly beating protosses such as pRoRenson on ladder (

)

So yep, now that GM has been unlocked i've slid right into GM and am currently around the 70th mark, which is much higher than i would've achieved without pigs help. Considering pig is also considerably cheap for the level of play that he is at, i would honestly recommend him to any zergs who want some help in any aspects of their play. GLHF!

Check out my schedule here:

PM PiG

FlashRevz.870

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Although probably the youngest coach, Revenant is no stranger to the RTS scene. Formerly a two time Warcraft 3 national WCG champion, he started the game late but still managed to dominate the Singapore Warcraft 3 scene. His work ethic is regarded as one of the best and success soon followed in Starcraft 2 where he managed to take down competition after competition. Regarded as one of Singapore best players, Revenant is the player with the most local titles under his belt and is looking to add more trophies to his cabinet.

Revenant is currently studying in Poly and he enjoys outings and hanging out with his friends.
Server: SEA (also plays on KR and NA)
Hourly fee: $25 / hour
Package fee: $90 / 4 hours (can be used separately)
E-mail: sacredboy_1992@Hotmail.com
Skype: sk.rev

- [Accomplishments] -

- [Coaching Outline] -

- [testimonial by AZKGreenTea] -

PM Rev

Terran Coaches

iM'YoonYJ

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Protoss Coaches

inFiRoz.330

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Roz has been an extremely consistent player, having held positions at the top spots in the ladder from the beginning till now. Also the clan leader of inFi, Roz is a dedicated team leader who has led his team to many victories, most recently the PSTL championship over nGen. The undisputed #1 player in Hong Kong, Roz probably also has the most experience with students, helping them level up (lol!) their accounts as well as coaching alot of them.

Aside from gaming, the american accented Hong Kong player is one of the nicest and chillest person you'll meet.

Server: SEA (also plays on KR and NA)
Hourly fee: $25 / hour
Package fee: $90 / 4 hours (can be used separately)
Contact freddy_chi@hotmail.com

- [Accomplishments:] -

- [Coaching outline over 1 hour:] -

PM Roz

TAyang

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FAQ:

- [General] -

Q: Who wrote this guide? Can the authors actually play Starcraft?
A: Yes they can!! And unlike other guide authors, this was written not by just random diamond players, but by the very top players on the SEA server. In fact in the previous biggest regional tournament, the "WD PSI finals" which had a prize pool of USD $5,000 - the authors of this guide finished in #1, #2 and #3!!

nirvAnA did the bulk of the writing in the General and

Protoss section with mOOnGLaDe and OxygeN writing the

Zerg &

Terran sections respectively.
Update: nirvAnA just won the WCG Singapore Starcraft 2 National Finals in September 2011 and will be representing Singapore in the WCG Finals in Korea. GLaDe just won the WCG Australia Starcraft 2 National Finals in October 2011 and will be representing Australia in the WCG Finals in Korea.

- [Authors VOD highlights] -

Q: I cant access the payment page, it says I don't have permission, help!
A: Your sc2sea account has not being created, or if it has it has not been validated yet. To validate your account make sure click on the link in he confirmation "welcome to sc2sea" email sent to you. It sometimes appears in your spam/junk folder depending on your browser so check there first. If you still have troubles validating it send me a message and I will manually activate if for you.

Q: Why did you write this guide?
A: I originally wrote a small article helping identify the mistakes that lower level players were making them prevented them from going to diamond. I then realised that there was so much more to share that i had to include. I also realised that although there were many guides around, there wasn't a well written one written by actual grandmasters or well known players in the scene which players could truly benefit and learn from. Lastly, because it took over 200 hours of time to write we felt it was only fair to charge a small fee.

Q: Why not just release it for free?
Generally there is always a correlation between price and quality/performance which can be seen in all walks of life from salary end of year bonuses, customer tips, job promotions, commissions, etc. Simply put, alot of the time the more you pay for a product the better it is. Having a dedicated paid team work on a project will definitely wnot only let it become sustainable and continually updated with high quality material, but also ensure a higher quality product if done by the same people "for free".

While some of the information might be found elsewhere maybe even for free, what is the cost of your time to find a series of high quality articles streamlined and catered to you and how much would you have to go through to find what is actually useful and not wrong information which will hurt your game? This was catered to these players who wanted to improve quickly but were too busy with their jobs or other commitments and did not have the time or disliked spending time searching how to. You will not find a guide of this quality and with everything so carefully put together to get BSG players all the way into masters league anywhere else.

Q: Is this much more comprehensive then the other guides out there?
A: Yes it is! It has over 60 sections so its very detailed and basically impossible to be read in one session. There's alot of material from basic stuff to advanced concepts as we wanted to have something for everyone. However, lower league players will benefit most from this as after mastering the basics they can master the advanced stuff as well. As for the guide's quality - well it was written by the very best players on the server!

Q: If i don't understand something about the guide, can i ask the authors?
A: Yes you can! That is the other big reason why we did it on the forums, we want to maximise user interaction. If you have any question at any point during a section you are welcome to add a reply to comment or ask our authors/coaches, as well as see what others have to say!

Q: Does this cover team games or FFA?
A: Unfortunately no, as it focuses on specific matchups in the 1v1 format. However, we believe the fundamentals and strategies taught are transferable to other game formats and thus will allow you to become very good quickly in them as well.

Q: How much will it cost?
A: Tthe cheapest version will cost just $19.90 and gives you access for a month, more then enough time to absorb most of the material. The best valued package is for 6 months and costs $39.90. If you pay slightly more you can bundle it with a free hour of coaching with the coach of your choice and the 6 month subscription $49.90.

To get the best value out of this coaching, it is recommended you understand the guide first, practise the lessons taught and then request for your coaching. Depending on demand, prices may be subjected to increase in the future if coaches are overloaded and the guide is found to be too cheap.

Q: Is there other legal ways to get this guide without paying?
A: Yes, there is one one way you can get access without paying at the moment.

Free membership for a period for every staff or donator depending on how they have contributed to sc2sea.

- [Coaching and Subscription] -

Q: Ok, i've subscribed! How do i access the content?
A: After subscribing, a navigational "members" menu will automatically be displayed in the navigational bar as shown below. These links can only be seen and are only accessible to subscribers.

Q: How does coaching work?
A: After subscribing, if you have signed up under one of the coaching plans you will be able to see the "coach request" link as above where you will be taken to an area to fill up a form to choose your coach. In this form you can also specify your trouble spots are areas you would like your coach to spend more time covering, and the times you will be available for coaching. All this is so the coach will have the best information to help you. The session is not confirmed until the coach PMs you and confirms the time.

Q: Who are the coaches?
A: Please refer to this.

Q: Will this be constantly updated?
A: Yes it will be! That is one of the big reasons why we choose to go with the subscription model instead of the static ebook version. As the game gets patched fresh replays will be uploaded and strategies will be edited to reflect current trends.

Q: How does subscription work? Can I get access instantly?
A: After your payment has been successfully received, you will be given instant access to The Grandmaster Manual forums. This process is automated and there is no delay time. A "members" link will then appear on the top navigation bar. You will also be able to see the latest grandmaster news in the main sc2sea homepage, and request coaching and see the respective coaching forums.

Q: Can i copy this elsewhere?
Starcraft 2 images and replays are trademark of Blizzard Entertainment and we do not claim any ownership over them. However, the content of this guide is intellectual property and protected by international copyright laws and all content in this guide is copyright of sc2sea.com. In the event that copyrighted content is found or law breached, the necessary actions will be taken against the guilty parties.

Q: Can i share this with a friend?
You cannot share your account with your friend, and we have IP address checks in place to prevent this. However, if you like to tell your friend about how much you liked this guide, then yes you are highly encouraged to show them our site! We also have a refer a friend program where if your friend subscribes because of you, your membership gets extended.

Questions? Feedback? Post them here! For support please PM me and i will attend to them as soon as possible.

Subscribe Now!

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Likes:

	PantlessPete:	<3
	SatuSPR:	Epic idea.
	Aean(::
	\|Erasmus\|:
	yongming:
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	intrepidity:
	Saturn:	Why not, what a great guide!
	PhoenixA:
	Statix:	the talent list is impressive

Aean(: · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 10:01 AM

This looks so amazing @____@

**TAhackdZ** · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 11:47 AM

Wow this looks awesome. Can't wait to see some more.

SiZeMaTTeRs · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 11:48 AM

Very nice, sc2sea is moving up in the world

**SatuSPR** · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 12:18 PM

I heard of this, excited to see how fast its progressing. Although, I'd like a different colour than white for the title, so it doesnt blend into the background so much.

**cure** · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 4:49 PM

Looks awesome ! Making it a prize for monthly BSG winner, HMMM.. time to catch more smurfs! :P

xGKingPoker · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 4:57 PM

lol how do you get the data for the mechanics/strategic/psychological level of each league?

Aside from that, I'm looking forward to this guide.

FaNaTic · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 5:12 PM

Great upcoming guide

**Paroxysm** · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 8:57 PM

Looks amazing! Can't wait to see it. Whats the estimated time on this?

**nirvAnA** · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 9:17 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAParoxysm

Looks amazing! Can't wait to see it. Whats the estimated time on this?

Tentatively under 1 week to release, definetly under 2 weeks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokerface

how do you get the data for the mechanics/strategic/psychological level of each league?

i came to that conclusion after watching many replays at the various levels and after some discussion with other top players. basically we identified the main problem that kept players at their current levels and what would be best for them to work on to get promoted. of course it may not be entirely accurate for every player but its a good indicator for the general population.

for instance in BSG it was macro that was lacking most, diamond to masters it was subtle strategy variations and timing windows and for masters to grandmasters it was knowing when to squeeze out small advantages by cutting corners and also understanding metagame dynanamics. I felt by highlighting this it would let e.g BSG players focus on the key problem areas first which would take them to the next level, without having to worry about things like metagame or fancy build orders yet.

MrSandman · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 10:28 PM

Holy $%^& that looks like a lot of work

FaNaTic · Sat, 30th-Apr-2011, 11:31 PM

Is the guide more geared towards BSG players ?

**nirvAnA** · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaNaTic

Is the guide more geared towards BSG players ?

yeap that was the original idea and the early chapters are especially geared towards them. after completing it however, i realised the quality was really high as mOOnGLaDe

and OxygeN

guest wrote the other specific matchups chapters, i mean with this quality material u could probably even get ur offrace to diamond easily. so i also added an "Advanced" section for people to read once they got pass diamond with some advanced concepts for diamonds and masters to learn as well.

this guide was also the reason why i started laddering again where i held the top spot in gm for about a week then became inactive again lol! wanted to make sure what i was saying was credible and all the strats etc were current and updated and the replays/screenshots done.

sgLancelot · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 2:16 AM

Impressed at the effort and hardwork put into this.

Keep it up!

**Paroxysm** · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 10:01 AM

Will this guide be updated constantly?

**nirvAnA** · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAParoxysm

Will this guide be updated constantly?

Yeap it will

Thats one of the benefits of putting it in a restricted access forum instead of in a static ebook pdf never to be touched again lol.

The guide will be updated with the new patches and as the gameplay changes and of course new replays by the authors every now and then.
Also its still forum based so theres lots of room for interaction/discussion and people can leave comments and ask questions on parts they arent sure of at any point in the guide.

FaNaTic · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 11:41 AM

This guide might be the point i start learning zerg .. lol. Seems like a lot of fun.
I definitely think this has the potential to be the best guide out there.

Well the official starcraft 2 guide book was good but kind of too general and probably now already outdated. I bought it just for the multiplayer guide.haha.

Looking forward to this one but what are the plans for people like me to get access to the guide since i'm not BSG players nor am i staff or donator :S

Gerlan.au · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 3:59 PM

Don't like the fact that you have to either win a bsg/be a substantial contributor (calrify this please, is it just strategy/quality posts or monetary contributions?).

This should be open to everyone to view as it looks like you have put alot of work into it, i assume sc2sea.com is trying to be the teamliquid of sea, tl does not charge for any of it's strategy forums or whatnot.

Letting this information be viewable by anyone will help to grow the average skill level of lower league players on sea (and other servers) and it will allow higher tier players to also contribute with their knowledge (or fixing mistakes if any are found in the guide)

PantlessPete · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 5:46 PM

Wow, just wow. And you say it will be updated? As a diamond leaguer (on NA anyway, got lucky with my placement, but still plat on SEA), the BSG is out as one option, but donating is fine by me. You mention "substantial" afterwards, but I'd be looking to pay $10-20 for such a guide, is that fair?

Also: how will we be receiving updates? Being alerted via PM when a new one is available for download? Or sent directly to an email of our choice?

**Eddie** · Sun, 1st-May-2011, 8:13 PM

This is awesome! Can tell a lot of effort has been put into it. Look forward to more.