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Currently Laddering

On time this week, proud of myself especially seeming that I have procrastinated all day to post this blog. I suppose though looking back though, it gave me a chance to practice a bit more and ladder some more. This week this blog will seem a lot longer but it is only because I took some advice to heart and addved images to make this look much nicer.

Awesome things have happened this week, another BSG attempt on Saturday, a very funny and (to me) cute attempt at cheesing that would have worked haven't I had seen it happen before, a new build order that has made my terran match up a lot better and plenty of fail games. Also I guess some good news for this week is that I have been going against quite a few league players lately, I can feel my promotion to silver coming soon hopefully.

Notable Matches this Week

Game 1: Cute Cheese - The Diceyface Match up: P v T
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=810

My first replay I wanted to show was a cute cheese a terran decided to throw apon me that would have probably worked if I hadn't have seen it being used before on LAGTV on youtube, a channel I particularity love to watch. As some of you may know I started this week just 4 gating all my non zerg opponents, it is the reason why I reached the top 8 in bronze in such a short time.

I started off my match with a polite 'glhf', which my opponent didn't respond to. I get this many times, not everyone wishes me a good game so I didn't react too bad to it...I am just used to it. I knew my opponent was terran so decided not to muck around and start off a 4 gate rush against him. I started my build getting the timings not quite there but pretty close, I end up warping in my first round of units at 6.15. As it was a terran I make it a small habit to wait for another warp in to come off cooldown.

When I pushed into my opponents base this is what I found:




For exactly 2 seconds I was confused as I was destroying all that he had in his base and eventually waiting for the match to be over but it never came. Then I remember a really funny match on LAGTV here that I remembered because it amused me so much and remember that what I saw in that match was happening in mine, my opponent mined just enough to make a new command centre in a proxy position and flew his new CC into empty space; making it look like he disconnected or was afk.


Lol, cheeky bugger...

I rushed for some voidrays and spread all my units around the map so he couldn't land. I eventually found his wayward CC and destroyed it, winning the match. I then proceeded to, after the match send a msg to him asking "LAGTV?", I then got a hearty yes; I chuckled and listed myself for another match.

Game 2: A New Build - 2 Gate-Robo-Expand w/ Terran Match up: P v T
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=989

In this match I decided earlier on to try out new builds that would better my macro game and stretch out games a bit. I found on youtube a 2 Gate - Robo - Expo build that was safe in regards to early pressure and was a great stepping stone into a macro intensive game. After a few practice games to get the basic build down I decided to try it out on an unsuspecting terran player.

Looking back on the game it was pretty poor macro and timing wise, I floated quite a lot of minerals and didn't use all my production to it's fullest, my robo (which was an important part of the build) was not used to it's full potential and required a lot more work. Also my expand times were way off and need to remind myself to expand a lot more.


A whole 10 seconds wait between my robo finishing and me starting my first unit out of it


On the plus side I have to admit I had some very nice forcefields at times, especially the first set I did to cut my opponents forces in two.


Sick forcefield, they all cleaned up

In the end I had learnt a valuable lesson, that a nice death ball of gate way units with immortal and colossi will melt almost all bio units a terran will throw at you.


Melt them my pretties


Match 3 & 4: My Arch Nemesis - The Zerg 6 Pool Match up: P v Z
Replays: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=990

AND

http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=991

This week I have discovered and highlighted probably my most major weakness in my play at this moment, my reaction to the dreaded zerg cheese: the 6 Pool. The first game I win (surprisingly) although the second I just leave. I don't know what it is, if it is something like a cannon rush I am usually pretty good at my reaction but it something about the 6 pool that makes me want to scream IMBA.

In the first game my plan is to FFE which I was about to find is damn difficult to do as a newbie player, you have to get the building just right and any gaps in you're wall WILL be exploited by a 6 pooling zerg. My first main problem was my reaction timing to seeing that there was a 6 pool coming to the time that I actually attempted my wall off.


OMG...its a 6Pool, better react

You are doing it wrong

Well, my wall off is complete, safe at last...

Balls!!!

Surprisingly this opponent quit after a while, I guess he got so frustrated that he decided to leave. The next game though didn't turn out so well, after deciding to do a 3 gate expand with a few sentries and a couple of zealots to back up when a FFE was quite possible on this map. I first scouted my close air position and then my cross position, by the time I found the zergs base I found this unpleasant sight.


Dear lord...this is not going to end well

That should hold til the cannons warp in

*Sigh* gg....

I think I need to work on my 6 pool reaction, maybe have a main strategy or build that will protect me from a 6 pool situation. Any advice would be appreciated of course.

Match 5 and 6: BSG Open Match up: P v T and P v P
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=992

AND

http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=993

In my first match I decided to use my 2 Gate Robo Expo build, I decided that because at first I considered a 4 gate but then thought a 4 gate would be scouted easily and dealt with pretty quickly especially with my shaky timings. There were hiccups of course, as with my first match with this build I didn't use my production to its fullest and expanded really late although to justify for that screw up I did that because I thought a first push was imminent.

In the end I managed to beat my opponent with my gateway units and immortals (although in hindsight I should have teched to colossi because of all those bio units my opponent had), although it was a very close game, came to a base trade in the end.


My very late 3rd expo

Gate units and immortals but no colossi sadly

I just want to thank Nailz for the match, he was a good sport and I look forward to playing him again in the future. This was a momentous occasion for me though, it was the first time I ever won a tournament match in SC2, which will certainly be with me for the rest of my SC2 career.

In the next game I have submitted I was against a league protoss, because I really didn't have anything for this particular match up I had to rely on my shaky 4 gate to win this round. Unfortunately it didn't go well as I planned, my opponent already saw what was coming and not only did a (better) 4 gate but also a composition that just shredded through my start up units.

He decimated my first zealot and scout so easily and laid siege to my main ramp with an army of zealots. I got a couple of force fields down but with the way I was playing at the time (which was not quite optimal) I didn't stand a chance. I gave my opponent a well deserved gg and wp'ed in the end.


Ready to forcefield my main ramp

Not quite enough to hold him back...gg

I wish to make a shout out to LUCARiO who beat me in the second round of Saturday's BSG, he was a tricky opponent and I would love to play him again sometime. My goal of this week passed was to beat my opponent in the first round which had been illusive to me since I started these tournaments this last couple months.

Match 7: Ladder 2 Gate - Robo - Expo w/ Terran Match up: P v T
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=995

After a couple of days of work and no practicing since Saturday I got the opportunity to practice my build orders earlier this morning. After some ok played 4 Gates against a couple terran opponents I decided to try out my favored macro build against terran, my 2 Gate - Robo - Expo. I saw in this match a bit more improvement with my build, making sure by my push I had at least one or two Colossi. My improvement of this build and (by not supply blocking myself) have AT LEAST 2 immortal and 3 Colossi during my big push when I put my 3rd base down as I move out.


One Colossus in the fray, my main push

I have to note that I still float too much resources in my mid to late game, I find once I get my 2nd base saturated properly I tend to start losing control of my macro. I think I had supply blocked myself a few times during the match and my 2nd and 3rd bases could have gone down so much earlier. Also I tend to forget my upgrades and push with minimum upgrades. Would like to have at least 2/2 on the way and charge nearly done by the time I push out but we will see if that is possible resource wise with having Colossi, Immortal and sentries in the 'death ball'.


My Second base, floating 250 mins

My Third just going down at 14 minutes and floating 800 mins

Match 8: Ladder 2 Gate - Robo - Expo w/ Terran Match up: P v T
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=996

In this match I just got back from a long break away from laddering, I was facing a random player so considering that my opponent could well be either a zerg or a cheeser I did the right thing at the time and walled in the front. Upon scouting though, I discovered to my digress that my opponent was a terran player, unfortunately because of the delay while not so long normally because of my inexperience I wasn't able to react quick enough to my opponents race.


The Moment I realized my Opponent was a terran

Because of this my build order was all over the place and a bit sloppy, by the time that terran marines and marauders were knocking on my doorstep I still didn't have quite the unit count to counter my opponents push. Also upon looking back on my match, I was supposed to put down a second gate before my robo which I did out of panic having seen my opponents push coming.


Not having quite the unit count to counter this Push

I was quite upset about this fail game until I looking at my opponents profile. My opponent was top 8 league and clearly out matched me especially after getting so flustered after trying to play a random (which I at times have problems with reacting to which race). After this match though all my remaining opponents were in the league, which brought up my spirits a bit knowing that somehow even after getting so trashed like that, that I would be good enough to play leaguers.

Match 9: Ladder FFE w/ Zerg Match up: P v Z
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=997

I this match I am playing against a league zerg player, as I have said before I have a certain amount of problems dealing with zerg specially when they swarm in with a cloud full of zerglings.

Right away I saw in this match I was too defensive, having that 2nd gas taken while only minor affected my play. I tried not to supply block myself as much as I could but my main problem in this match was the amount of resources I was floating but yet didn't sink enough into any fighting units. This obviously hurt me when my opponent eventually decided to push. Looking back I didn't even realize I had a changeling in my main, had I not have been as flustered as I was I probably would have taken more notice.

Also I had fallen into the trap of not using all of my production facilities as they were available, not to mention my air capabilities and yet not using them. Looking back at this replay makes me realise just how much work needs to be done with this match up, because it is my worst macth up I usually try to readily avoid all zerg opponents.


Robo just going down, too late

Unknown Changeling in my Natural, my opponent now knows my Army Composition

Army I have

Too many units in this push in relation to my army count

Match 10 : Ladder 2 Gate - Robo - Expand w/ Terran (Random) Match up: P v T(R)
Replay: http://www.sc2sea.com/replays.php?do=viewreplay&id=998

In this last match up I was facing another random player, upon scouting I realised that this player had rolled a terran which as you know by now is my favourite match up. Once I confirmed the opponent was terran I proceeded to transition into 2G+R+Expo.

I believe I did fairly well this game macro wise, of course after my 2nd or 3rd base went down I started to float some resources which could be considered wasteful. I decided at first to use my gateway units with a few immortals and a couple colossi in my first big engagement which I realised eventually that it wasn't going to be affected. Once I saw the large army of Thors I quickly realised I would need to not rely too much on gateway units and invest in some charge-lots, Archons and immortals to not only bust his front but also to reduce his army count.


So many Thors melt my Gateway units

Mech play countered with Charge lot, Immortal and Colossi

Some things I could change about this game would be scouting more often (even though in late game I did a fair bit), having control of the zel'naga towers thereby ensuring a little more map control and expand more as I ended up on only 3 bases after 24 minutes. I would also have cut out the warp prism, as it wasn't used and was only destroyed in the end.


Worthless Warp Prism

In Conclusion

Need to work on a number of things for next week, most importantly I need to straighten out my zerg match up. I also need to work on little bits and pieces, making sure my money is lower in the mid and late games and using my production and units all effectively.

I am happy so far with my progress, I am now starting to face better and harder opponents and hopefully within the next week or two if all goes well I may even get promoted to ...we can only hope. I hope this blog has entertained you all, it has taken forever to write this up and make it look better.

I am happy to get any advice about my plays, at the time I am finishing writing this it is 3am and haven't slept in over 24 hrs, so portions of blog may change once I'm fully rested and may add something in my replays I haven't noticed yet.

Thank you SC2SEA.
Currently Rank 6 from Rank 25

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