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A (belated) introduction.
 

Hi everyone,

So I know quite a few people here, but I've never really introduced myself at all, so I figured I would do so now... Belated I know, I've been posting here for months, but here's to make up for it.

So, I'm a 17 year old Highschool student, and I've been playing Starcraft 2 since December '11. Anyone who is a low league player, fear not, I was placed straight into bronze after going 2-3 in my placements (1 was a leaver and the other had literally 7 APM). I played mostly with my friends, and we used to do 2v1s, even though there was 4 of us because we only had 3 accounts. My friend had played a bit, he'd been told what to do by my friend who was then platinum, and so he was a pretty high bronze zerg (I picked Zerg as well because they reminded me of the Fallen from Armies of Exigo), while me and my other noob friend had no idea what we were doing. So we used to usually lose those 2v1s, for a while. Then time went past, we started winning, and eventually to balance it out my noob friend and I had to play random (so I learned 2rax and proxy 2G!). My Zerg friend wasn't very happy, and soon enough he said that I should play 1v2, and for a while I lost. But then I started to get a feel for it and began to understand what corners to cut and how to get a lead and how to push my advantage, and soon enough they couldn't beat me any more.

After one month in bronze I was promoted to silver, once you learn to scout and defend 2port banshee, DT, and 6 pool it gets a lot easier to get out of bronze I didn't know where I really stood, even though I was silver, I didn't know if I belonged there. Up to then, I'd only played NA so I decided to do my SEA placements, and I went 4-1 and was put into gold. Oh happy day! So I laddered hard on my NA account and was placed into gold about a week later. My friend from earlier was still in silver and envied me for my gold ladder placement We'd still practice heaps and trash talk, its surprising how helpful that was in motivating me to become better, I really have a lot to thank him.

So I got stuck in gold and then stopped playing SC2 as what I consider my "full-time game", and played some fun little games instead that didn't rally satisfy me intellectually. I eventually got back into it after my friend got me playing games vs him again. At the time of the NZ cup was announced, I said I'd play in it (about this time I also joined North American clan Impulse Gaming). I was placed into a group with a silver Protoss, a masters Terran and a grandmaster Zerg, I remember thinking "oh shit no chance" and I remember a friend of mine laughing at me actually practicing for it, because he was sure I couldn't beat any of them, except the silver Protoss. Funnily enough I came into my group and actually went 0-3, to my shame and embarassment. But I learned something, very shortly afterwards, that the kindness of people is an amazing thing. I talked to the GM Zerg, who is of course none other than IrisCrimson, and jokingly asked him to give me some coaching on how to be über gosu like him, to which he agreed!!! So I was very happy at that point.

Keep in mind this is around February this year I think? So I was still in gold at this point. Crimson (Ben) gave me some great advice and i could really feel my play lifting up, and I kept passing on what Ben said to my friend, and he'd improve too, and soon enough he was gold as well!! Come the end of the season, I'm beating plats and am now top 8 gold, and my friend is right behind me. Placements for next season, my friend is off school sick for the first day of the season and I get a text saying he was placed into platinum! Well, I can't concentrate for the rest of the day and I have to fidget until that last school bell rings so I can go home and play my placement match. After what seems like days I get home and play my match (winning I might add) as finally up comes that shiny eagle laden badge. I was platinum. Here we go, no more BSG for me, I'm in "the big leagues".

Ben is still coaching me through, and remains incredibly helpful and supportive. I'm improving quickly due to the amount of free time I have and also his guidance, and I see my friend beginning to lag behind as he struggles with school and extra-curricular activities eating up time I spend playing. Soon enough I win 80% of my games vs him. Come the end of the season, I finish rank 1 plat, and he is barely top 25. I'm promoted into diamond, and he's still stuck in platinum.

This season I try harder but Impulse Gaming disbands around here, I lose a lot of practice partners and tournament exposure, and I too have time taken away, mostly due to sickness and I was struggling a lot with depression, I kept feeling like I was putting in a lot and not getting anything out. When it came to the end of the season, I was losing games vs platinums again. I just couldn't win.

The placement match for this season, I was placed into diamond. The fact that I wasn't demoted made me happy, and it gave me hope. I pushed, harder and harder but couldn't hit top 8. I approached Team Night and asked them if they would like me on their roster as a diamond Zerg, and their clan leader Anubis was very friendly and invited me to join their channel. I played for them in a clan war as their ace player that weekend and lost, however the support and the comments I received from the players of TN rekindled my flame and put passion in my eyes again. I was so happy that they valued me, and it felt good to be praised, even in defeat.

That day I logged onto Skype and saw Ben had been contacting me. Well, I took a look and he said something about how it might be bad timing. Then he invites me to join a new sort of academy/clan type thing that would see me gaining a lot more practice and a lot more guidance from players who are KR masters. It's something that I can't pass up, can I? I think about TN and I'm torn. I want to be the best I can be, and that's with Iris, but I don't want to let TN down again.

There's only one thing I can do, and I realize this. I owe my Starcraft 2 experience to Ben, and I know I can go further. I want to represent my country. I want to show the world New Zealand can compete with the world at the game of Starcraft. I want to play and I want to make people know who I am when I beat players who consider themselves "pro-gamers",

I tell Anubis that I've received an offer to join a team for my home country and I'll see better personal growth there, and I'm feeling really down and guilty about breaking that news to him. But he's seriously the coolest guy ever, and he actually encourages me. So, this spurs me on.

"I'm in".

2 weeks later, after some practice with the team (including the Terran I versed in NZ cup at the beginning of the year, shout out to Cabracan) I get promoted to Masters! I'm looking at the game a whole new way, and my team is a group of great people that I'm really happy to be with. I'm grateful for the guidnace and help that they've given me an I hope one day I can repay it with wins in a team league.


Thanks for reading my account of this last year! Shoutouts to Navi and the Iris crew, and a special shoutout to TNAnubis, FExDuRza, and IrisCrimson! Thank you all to much!!!

Iris fighting! New Zealand fighting! E-Sports fighting!

EDIT: Also mad props to KAShadowz for the Highschool starcraft league! And also my team, Logan Park High School! Fighting!

Re: A (belated) introduction.
 

Isn't team night a clan? If it is then you can represent both.

Re: A (belated) introduction.
 

Nah not exactly, the way that it's all set up doesn't really allow for that >.<

Re: A (belated) introduction.
 

Glad I am at least of some help! Keep at it and you'll go a long way .