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This is a long overdue follow up blog to my original post...

http://www.sc2sea.com/blogs/showentry.php?e=702

It is early September 2012. The season lock for Season 3 2012 is in effect, so no more bonus pool for anyone. I am sat at rank 9 Gold on SEA. I want the Top 8 record and achievement to add to my impressive (to me) list and great pictures.

I only started SC2 two or three months before this point and finished my first season, 2012 Season 2 as rank 4 Bronze. I was very proud. I did want Top 8 Silver as well, but got promoted quickly to Gold this season so my aim in the last 2 days of the season is to hit Top 8 Gold. Let the assault commence...

Day 1, Game 1, Ohana

Loading screen...Terran...easy

I wall off...halt construction of second depot and send scv to scout.

Double gas. Easy.

I continue my only build, 1 rax FE.

Command Centre. Check.

Depot. Check.

Bunker at natural expansion. Check.

Scout back to natural. Nothing. Easy.

Check ramp. Bunker at top. Banshees. Easy. "Engineering bay before factory ZooS, then Turrets"

Two more barracks. Check.

Double gas. Check.

2nd CC up...convert to Orbital...Check.

Tech Lab on barracks. Check.

Double Reactor. Check.

Factory. Check.

Drop mules - need them for reactored marines in a minute. Check.

Build a couple of turrets. Check. Erm....no check....hotkey not working. I look at the keyboard and press the keys very slowly. Look back at the screen. Nothing. No green outline of a turret to be positioned perfectly. I look back at the keyboard. Yep my fingers are there, they are moving, nothing wrong there. I click another scv, press 'build' and look at the command card - can't build a turret.

That's OK - Engineering bay mustn't have finished yet.

Drop another mule.

Where is the E-bay? No, not behind my mineral line where it normally is. No not at the natural expansion either. I even check my non-existent third base in case I've proxied it!

Oh god.

That's OK...save mules. Oh god, I've just used them all.

I stare at a shimmering image moving into my main base. Looks like it is flying...

Oh god.

I wonder what is the maximum number of scvs that can mine off a single base as all of mine are now frantically working at the natural. Well all of them bar the one building the E-bay at my main. No that's wrong. It is now all of them..it is dead now.

OK. E-bay at expansion then.

My opponent concentrates on my main Orbital. Is he more of a fool than I am?

I've almost got a scan ready.

OK. All marines hotkeyed, half scvs ready to go in first/back to mining at my main.

Yes, this guy is an idiot as a 2nd banshee zooms into the main, next to the first one.

Go Go Go. Stim. Attack Move.

Both banshees dead.

Turrets up. The rest of the game is easy. Double drop and actually take down his Orbital and can keep going taking down supply depots. Eventually my opponent comes back and stops drop with seige tanks just as my other army comes in his natural front door and takes that out as well.

He quits. No GG. Fair enough.

Rank 7. My heart races. Made it.

Day 1, Game 2, Daybreak

Loading screen...Zerg...easy

My thoughts turn to adjusting my build. I chuckle to myself. No, what adjustments? I do the same thing every game and do it well.

Scout half done hatch first, spawning pool half done. Easy.

Take first watchtower with three marines and spot an overlord moving on open ground. What a fool.

I take it down and back to the watchtower as 2 more overlords are spotted and 4 lings. I splutter-step (my own made up word for bad stutter-step micro) the lings and take down the other overlords.

I leave 1 marine at the tower and back to my natural.

2nd bunker up as I know his reaction to this insult to his skill.

30 lings take out Private Lucky at the tower.

3rd bunker up. Marines split well behind.

I am ready.

I don't even bother to micro as the 6 banelings come in first. Fool.

I lose nothing. Not a thing as the poor lings come through the gaps two by two. It's not Noah's ark and this time the flood lost.

I laugh as my scv at his third sees a third hatch going up. Fool.

Two double drops - one at the main and one at the just saturated third and the game is over.

Rank 5.

I worked late and it is 11pm, I call it a night and head to bed.

Day 2, Game 3, Cloud Kingdom

Last day of the season. I'm safe.

Rank 7.

What? But I was Rank 5 when I went to bed! My stunned brain can't figure out why other players would do this to me. It is not fair. They should be banned from playing during season lock. Especially when I'm trying to hit Top 8.

I have to get back up there before other people rise up above me, pushing me down through inactivity.

Alright. Game on.

Protoss. Easy.

Oh that's interesting...my opponent's name is Zeus. This is my name, but he's obviously not as clever as I am without the pun in the name AND the capital S.

This is it. Destiny. My personal time of glory.

Single gateway. Cyber core. Zealot going straight for my bunker. Doesn't get killed. Unusual...he must have been watching it.

Oh well...carry on.

Scv at third doesn't see a third at 8mins...head to natural. Some units, but not a lot. Stalkers, zealots and one sentry. Scv dies.

Hmmm.

He's going fast colossus. I don't scan, I know this - 2/4 medivacs then another starport and pump vikings. Easy.

Marines board the medivacs...off they go, it's not far and stim almost done.

2 more medivacs ready. 2nd starport down. 4th gas taken. Easy.

I forget to track my medivacs in. But click quickly enough when the game lets me know they're in trouble.

Oh god.

Why is it always 3? Every time 3.

3 Stalkers. Right there. Right in my flight path. I must have telegraphed not only the price of the flight, but also the route, departure time, departure gate, arrival time as well as the in flight movies and even the menu to this guy.

One medivac is gonna do jack and I barely watch as he warps in 4 zealots to clean the marines up as the stalkers snipe the medivac.

Right. No worries, carry on, I've got 2 medivacs left and am building vikings.

His third goes up. Mine is not even thought about.

OK, he's weak. Go now.

I scan his natural as I get close. No colossus. Odd.

Go go go. Stim and in.

No micro. Don't need it against sentry's and stalkers. Hmm a zealot warp in. Should kite them when they arrive.

Then the sound of rushing water. Noah is back and big swirling and swooshing circles envelop my marine ball.

Oh god.

The high templar were there all along. I never noticed.

I land the 6 vikings, and they're the last to go down.

I'm dead. I know I am, but I can't quite believe it.

I stop making units so I can afford a third base. My opponent knows this as his observer moves around like it is laughing.

My death is proved 3 minutes later with a chargelot / archon mix which easily crushes my natural.

I carry on anyway for a bit. All scvs now gone. Can mules attack? No.

I GG and quit. Disappointed not angry.

Zeus was the real god today, not ZooS.

Rank 8 Gold

Day 2, Game 4, Ohana

Protoss. Not that easy anymore.

Scout. I must scout.

1 gate. Cyber core. Fine. Scan later.

His natural goes up.

My scv dies.

A marine goes to watchtower. Dies to stalker. Of course it does. Why did I do that?

Another marine goes to his third, nothing there yet. It's fine I'll hide it.

Scan the main at 6.30. Don't spot anything odd. Must have hidden his robo somewhere.

Factory down. Everything OK.

Bang. Being attacked. Repair the bunker quick.

"Schwoop" "Schwoop" "Schwoop"

Forcefields behind the bunker.

Oh god. It's a 4 gate. Again. My nemesis.

F
F
S

I'm doomed.

I can even see a pylon being built in my vision.

I'm dead.

GG.

Rank 10 Gold.

I watch the replay. He waited for me to come back to scout and then put down the natural expansion, killed my scv with units held slightly back and then cancelled the expansion and proceeded with the 4 gate. The clever b@stard.

Two more games, two more losses. Nothing is flowing.

Rank 15 Gold.

I realise that I am not getting up to Top 8 Gold and I'm devastated.

I further realise that I have to stop playing or I risk finishing out of the Top 25! That would be even worse!

Computer gets turned off and when I check back the following night I have finished Rank 17 Gold.

I feel I've really messed up and am disappointed.

I don't play SC2 for a few days in the new season, a time that should be looked on for fresh beginnings, a new start.

Not for me, not yet - I've started my descent.

Can I ever climb back?....(to be continued)