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Erratic level of play?
 

Hi guys so I just read a blog on TL where this guy basically had a giant QQ about how he's in plat but will go on streaks beating masters regularly, and then down to losing to silvers and golds regularly. He has no idea why etc etc: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/view...ic_id=331845#4

I started replying and realised that the advice I gave could be helpful to anyone so I'd post it as a blog here too.

With erratic play from players where their play can be 3-4 leagues higher one day then the next there's a host of issues that could be the cause. Often I will say make sure you take breaks, you eat healthy and exercise, don't play when tired and your life outside the game is going well and you aren't ignoring real life for a game. However sometimes the player is completely adamant that they already do all this and yet still their ladder play suffers. And so I thought about how our ego ties into competitive play:


When you start beating higher level players than yourself you're telling yourself you're a ******* amazing player and its easy cos you're so damned good. I used to think the same. These days however you know what I think when I win a game?

"Hmmm... I slipped up my macro really badly when I was getting broods, I need to remember more macro hatches and keep up injects in future. My micro in the first 2 engages wasn't the best, I need to work on that. I also got lucky he didn't do a blink timing because I think that could have killed me, I should find ways to make sure I know he isn't doing that next time so I'm not relying on luck".

Now this isn't just me saying you should look for ways to improve. It's about the entire freakin mindset of improving and DOING YOUR BEST. If you're not playing your best then there's often 1 key reason. As I stated above you might just think you're freakin amazing and stop trying as a result. If this is the problem then it's because rather then wanting to play the game, you just want to beat your opponent. Your ego seems to be implicitly tied in with winning to the point where you get on an ego-high and start ignoring aspects of the game. Now if this is the case then it isn't until you hit rock bottom, after 20 or so losses that you finally are so upset and disenchanted with the game and your performance that your ego is crushed. With no inflated ego to focus on you have to actually start focusing really tightly on how you perform and actually go back to playing the game to your actual ability.

Of course 17 wins and 3 losses later you think you're king-shit again and start losing because all you're thinking about is crushing your opponent into the ground without even trying and how awesome you are, and so the cycle begins again.

I believe these thoughts on the ego of players in Starcraft II applies to most players to one degree or another. I hope that you realise that winning at this game, while making you feel like a baller, in no way makes you better than anyone else. There's always someone out there faster, better or smarter than you. All you can do as a competitor is gain what you would from any competitive sport or activity, the satisfaction of self-improvement, effort and trying bloody hard.

All ego does is stand in the way of real satisfaction.

Also a note from my good friend Kaveh:

"improvement itself is going to be executed in an erratic way if there is no focused internalization of techniques / ideas, which is why you should practice specific things rather than ladder in a general way and think that all play will improve specific aspects"

Please comment, leave any thoughts or disagreements below

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

So basically, if I lose to pig its because my ego is too big rather than being a crappy player?

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

It happens to me too, and its something i really fear of. I think its more the idea of risky play being rewarded a lot in SC2. my first lan i got cannon rushed by a bronze league player.

Even on ladder i can tell the talented players from the bad players at my level of play, and when i lose to the shit ones i just hang my head in shame because i know i should have won, its just the fact that i played to their level of play instead of playing at what i usually play.

Same thing goes for other sports, if our hockey team plays vs a super gosu team then we play better, if we play a shit team and just expect to win then we will play shit and probably lose.

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

whole heartedly agree! ^_^

i recently got promoted to but was still playing s. I used to think it was cause I was a crappy player but my clanmates all said that its just my opponents MMR was pretty high and that I shouldn't be discouraged.

At which I decided, 'Ok! ^_^' and I just played sc2 like i usually do, Mechanics based. Now, I'm happy where I am and I know I'm a decent player ^_^ when I lose, I get a lil upset at first then I just watch the replay over and over to look out for what I could have done better. I even do that when I win to see why did I win (especially when it seems my opponent had the advantage T_T)

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

Good points indeed.
I always suffer from erratic play cause I keep playing when i'm on a losing streak, when i'm sleep deprived or getting lots of stress from real life and it always ends badly.
Wish that some masters and GM's here would read and understand the final points

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

Really good advice. I always find when I just let my body take over and play, I beat people I would consider better than me but when im just listening to some inner monologue of how gosu I am I usually get my ass handed to me

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

Entered this thread expecting another erotic blog by rogue, my bad.

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

Nice post. Had a quick read of the TL.net post and I honestly can't fathom that. Unless he is doing random all-ins all day long the gap in mechanics between gold and low-masters you'd have to be drunk to able to compete with the latter one day and then not the next.

I think another reason behind supposedly erratic play, is that often you aren't correctly identifying why you are/aren't winning games.

A few seasons ago my strong (for mid masters) TvZ suddenly turned to crap. I literally could not buy a win against zerg and my MMR was taking a hammering as a result. I'd been a predominantly mech based TvZer and in frustration decided that it "wasn't viable" anymore. As far as I could tell, zergs had just gotten too good at handling it.

I switched to more bio oriented play, and while I had a marginal improvement in my win/loss ratio it was still nowhere near where it had been. Particularly when I started going with fast expand builds, my win rate started to climb again, but my TvZ was still pretty disastrous.

The point is, I had identified my unit composition as the problem, when really it was only making a minor difference.

It took me a long while to realise that my problem had been I was focussing too much on hurting the zerg early game, usually through heavy hellion harass, banshees or some sort of rush, and that zergs in general had gotten way too good at fending off such aggression.

Once I changed my focus to pressuring the zerg by either denying their third for as long as possible, or taking a very fast third myself, my win rate skyrocketed. And I could mech/bio at my leisure without it making a massive impact.

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

this is me 100% i have just been demoted to diamond for a third time after i got top 20 masters in SEA oh well ty sosos much

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

That happens to me sometimes, I dont sleep what a normal person would (I sleep like 5-7 hours per day) and im really tierd to actually focus on the game.

Re: Erratic level of play?
 

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