[Tom]

I am extremely grateful to Darraxxi, Blizzard community manager, for recently providing the following insight into the Blizzard's ladder data.

Let's cover a situation that's started up quite recently that we're keeping an eye on:

While global numbers at all league levels are extremely good, (hovering at, or around, 50%) there's some fluctuation in the PvT match-up in the NA and KR Master's leagues. In those leagues terran are doing unusually well against protoss; they're sitting around that 60:40 ratio that was mentioned in the blog (note that this is not reflected in the EU Master's league, nor in the NA Master's league for PvZ or TvZ where all the numbers are also hovering around 50%).

In this case, the evidence suggests that this fluctuation may have its origin in the metagame because a new terran opener has become popular which has proven very effective against the most common protoss opener in those regions, and at that league level. Of course, many times in the past we've seen the metagame cause temporary fluctuations which swing in favor of one race or another to varying degrees.

Nevertheless, we take every event seriously, and we're paying very close attention to how the situation unfolds from here.

(Source: http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/t...5619?page=2#26)

So far as I know, this is the first we have heard in a long time in relation to the ladder data maintained by Blizzard. You read it here first on sc2sea.

You would have to have been living under a rock to have missed the outpouring of grief in relation to the Terran 1-1-1 build in recent times. This recent data backs up what we are already hearing almost universally, that is, a sudden and fairly dramatic shift in the PvT metagame in favour of Terran. Obviously, as Darraxxi says, the question now is how will this play out over time? I for one am glad that Blizzard are aware and monitoring the problem.

I note in passing that there have been signs of the PTR springing back to life (see for example http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=257041). A whisper of a new balance patch is in the air...

[EveJeonSa]

YES! Finally haha. I've been losing too many games because of that

[SkyBreaker]

It'll be interesting to see how things pan out. It's always good to be reassured that Blizzard are closely monitoring the trends between races across the regions.

Look forward to seeing what/if they choose to do anything from here.

[Nemo]

What is curious is that this trend is not present in EU. I would be curious to know how but I suppose we can only make vague suppositions about it.

Side note, TvZ seems balanced curently, according to those figures. A lot of Terrans were waiting a nerf for the infestor, I suppose it is not coming anytime soon. Tarson will be sorry.

Edit: So I was wrong. ^^

[Snod]

It seems like they will just monitor if the difference increases, or if Protoss work out how to fight it. If they think it's too imbalanced I'm sure we will see a small fix to try and smooth it.

[Dox]

There have been so many "unstoppable" or "broken" builds that have popped up over the last 18 months and whilst people stomp up and down demanding a new patch, some revolutionary steps forward and figures out how to beat it. Then by the time the patch comes out, everyone is shrugging their shoulders and wondering why Blizzard chose to nerf something that wasn't even relevant anymore.

5 Rax reaper is a prime example of this.

[Snod]

Originally Posted by Dox

There have been so many "unstoppable" or "broken" builds that have popped up over the last 18 months and whilst people stomp up and down demanding a new patch, some revolutionary steps forward and figures out how to beat it. Then by the time the patch comes out, everyone is shrugging their shoulders and wondering why Blizzard chose to nerf something that wasn't even relevant anymore.

5 Rax reaper is a prime example of this.

This is the problem that there will always be though, the amount of time that goes into identifying the problem, finding a solution, testing it enough to be fairly sure that there wont be any unforseen problems.

By the time all of this has happened, we are so used to the build that was a problem, and have found ways to stomp it, or at least not get destroyed by it anymore.

[trickNP]

um, the blog has been there for a year

Quick Comments

TAEdarus:

Page two, 6 days ago, Daxx advises the CURRENT situation.

[DemisodaSPR]

Who figured out 5 rax reaper? That was before I bought the game lol

[TAriiChard]

Originally Posted by DemisodaSPR

Who figured out 5 rax reaper? That was before I bought the game lol

Mr MorroW did

[TAEdarus]

@TrickNP
http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/forum/t...6095619?page=2

08/23/2011 06:25 PM
Posted by Tom
Daxxarri, are you able to tell us whether any match ups are currently outside this acceptable +/- 5% range? I am particularly interested to know whether there are there any match ups in Masters/GM League on the servers that are outside this range, say over the previous 1-2 months?



08/24/2011 02:40 AM
Posted by Daxxarri
Let's cover a situation that's started up quite recently that we're keeping an eye on:

While global numbers at all league levels are extremely good, (hovering at, or around, 50%) there's some fluctuation in the PvT match-up in the NA and KR Master's leagues. In those leagues terran are doing unusually well against protoss; they're sitting around that 60:40 ratio that was mentioned in the blog (note that this is not reflected in the EU Master's league, nor in the NA Master's league for PvZ or TvZ where all the numbers are also hovering around 50%).

In this case, the evidence suggests that this fluctuation may have its origin in the metagame because a new terran opener has become popular which has proven very effective against the most common protoss opener in those regions, and at that league level. Of course, many times in the past we've seen the metagame cause temporary fluctuations which swing in favor of one race or another to varying degrees.

Nevertheless, we take every event seriously, and we're paying very close attention to how the situation unfolds from here.


Matey, its recent.

[Celldweller]

oh no what build shuld i do now!

[MazEi]

Never bothered to learn how to do that 1-1-1 build, so ain't going to affect my meta game too much I guess. But its interesting to see how Blizzard has managed to keep everything quite well balanced and props to them for being able to do it. I wonder how balance will fare once HotS comes out =/