[Bloodmyst]

Going random is fine. Just reveal what race they are once the loading screen comes up.

I think it's really lame to pick the random race, speaking for the majority here... not all of them. I can't remember the last time I played a random who didn't try to cheese me or 1 base me tbh.

Still yet to come accross a random player who wants to go into "macro mode."

[nard]

Opponent: what race?
Me: random
Opponent: asshole

[PiG]

I hate playing them but love playing as them because exactly what Iaguz said, when you play random you just don't care about losing.

[Mayo]

To be honest, if they play random it's 'their fault'.

It's frustrating not knowing their race.

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Mayo, are you angry at all of us players?

Hehe, it's fun when they ask what race you're playing.

The trick with playing against a Random is to scout early and then counter. And remember, if they're playing Random, their timings are generally gonna be not as crisp as a dedicated , or . You know the ins and outs of your race, the player doesn't.

[TAEdgE]

Playing random of course has it's annoying mental advantages that the other player will be affected by.

If you are a random player, technically the only advantage you have gameplay wise is the fact that for 3-5 minutes of the game, the opponent won't know what race you are and will have to do builds that are either:

A - Bad versus 1 or 2 races, good versus 1 or 2 races
or
B - Average vs every race

Now, how does this work for each race?

Well, the race that is best off vs random is my own race, zerg. Zerg has 2 builds that are effective - speedling expand and hatch first. The latter is obviously likely to be LESS effective because a random player is more likely to open 6 pool, 2 rax or cannon rush/proxy 2 gate, and it is not worth the risk to try it. I however have tried hatch first every game vs random i've had for the last 10 games, and i've won all 10. Hatch first can beat 6 pool, and it can beat a 2 rax (which by the way came only once each..)

The race that is ok is Terran. Terran is very flexible, the marine is ever-strong, and the add-on mechanic allows terran to adjust as needed. However, the opening is dictated a lot by building positioning since terran survives so much with so little (repair, wall in) and a player may only wall-off against zerg, but not against terran or protoss, and may be prone to things they aren't used to dealing with (3gate void ray - likely from a random; 1 base stupid tank push - likely from a random player) and sometimes in games this is enough to throw someone off. I think terran is much better now though, since 2 rax is not as common vs zerg, so terran can ALWAYS open rax/gas first. The thing is terrans may do gas less expands, but are forced into unorthodox builds or even just 1/1/1, which they may find a bit gimmicky vs an already gimmicky player (random players prone to this of course.)

Then finally, protoss is the race that is FUCKED versus random. It's horrible for protoss to deal with random. Protoss NEED to wall in versus zerg, and even then, they would rather forge expand on a lot of maps rather than 1 or 3 gate expand. So protoss has to weigh up whether to wall in or not, so playing on a map like taldarim is absolute hell. PvP is already hard, but when you don't know there race, your chrono usage is already affecting you in PvP. Hard cheese builds also always catch protoss off guard. Protoss has ways to deal with each races cheese - proxy 2 gate, add your own gate or be HuK. 6 pool - wall of, delay for cannon in some way, add 2nd gate etc etc. 2 rax - use fast chrono'd stalkers to kite marines. When a player is random, a protoss cannot optimize his build do deal with all 3 possibilies, AND also the possibility of a macro game.


So, what mental advantages are there for both sides?

Random players have:
- The element of surprised (extra few minutes to prepare)
- The expectation to cheese (making the other player do a build or add defence he's not comfortable with)
- The element of not caring (most random players play because they just like to have fun and play all races, meaning they probably don't use cookie cutter build orders, so you can't use defensive timings you normally would)


Non random players however, have some mental advantages

Non-Random:
- Random players expect you to be scared, and may simply play a more standard opening since they may be ahead anyway, so you could pull a greedy hatch first as zerg for example. If you speedling expand as zerg vs random, you are fine vs protoss, you are fine vs zerg (if you know baneling timings), and the only race that it isn't optimal is terran, but 14/14 deals with the one main cheese threat - 2 rax - extremely well. If the terran opens reactor hellion - you have speed, and you have more experience in the actual matchup, so any tiny advantages he gets can be nullified by your superior macro player. Reactor hellion into cheeses though is difficult)
- Experience. Experience (which i touched on above) is invaluable. You will understand the matchup more than them, and will have the understanding of how to respond to what you see. Sure, what he has may be unorthodox, but you can give up that extra bit of economy to account for any seemingly stupid possibility.
- Peace of mind. Random players are barely ever amazing players, so you can know that if you make the right decisions, you can win. This however affects terran and zerg more, i believe random vs protoss on a lot of maps is pretty damn imbalanced.

Those are my thoughts anyway.

Quick Comments

	nirvAnA:
	ToRPandarine:	like a boss
	Nemo:	Excellent insight
	zeffrin:

[simon]

i always ask nicely at the beginning of the game for
their race most reply back with out fibbing

Quick Comments

ToRPandarine:

good manners ftw! :D

[CCJester]

I love playing Random, but not for the possible early advantage, and i very rarely cheese. I do it because I love this game, (as cheesy as that may sound) and i want to experience all that it has to offer. I think rolling up against a random player has its perks and its challenges, just as it will for them, so knowing their race from the start seems kind of pointless.

Opponent - What race are you?
Me - Well i'll give you a hint, i'm either human or alien.
Opp - ...

Quick Comments

	TCPNishy:
	Zealo:	:)

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by simon

i always ask nicely at the beginning of the game for
their race most reply back with out fibbing

I asked a guy for his race once and he said Japanese so I asked again and he said he was Zerg.
I found out he was Protoss and then smashed him into the ground.

feelsgoodman.jpg

[Zealo]

people ask for my race about 1/4 of the time. i tell them korean and they usually get so scared they play bad and lose*

(everything after the word korean may require evidence that does not exist)

[ZergGirl]

Random doesn't bother me, mostly because I play Zerg and just 15 hatch anyway.

Poor Protoss D;

[iVnStinger]

Originally Posted by mOOnGLaDe

i think its fair to not know the random players race because the only advantage they get to playing random is a few minutes of unknown, where as they have to know how to play all races

So true. Heck even Nirvana agreed and he did win WCG with Random.

[aLtNinja]

It is incredibly random! i don't think it's unfair to play against them in almost all situations but when they really abuse the fact that they are random and you don't know them so you almost have to pool first it can be (builds like gas before rax reactor hellion/banshee come to mind).

[Silver Pharaoh]

If toss hates to fight random on Taldarim because they fear they will be fighting zerg and didn't wall off or fighting toss or terran but walled off, then just veto the map.

Quick Comments

iM yang:

don't offer your opinion if you don't have a clue

[TADivinity]

Originally Posted by Silver Pharaoh

If toss hates to fight random on Taldarim because they fear they will be fighting zerg and didn't wall off or fighting toss or terran but walled off, then just veto the map.

Sorry, but they shouldnt have to Veto a map because of a minimal amount of Random players. That is a blatant disadvantage that Protoss suffer against Random which T and Z dont have (Nearly so severely anyway)

[Zealo]

i'd say ZvR(Z) is much more of a disadvantage

P on tal darim can always just 4 gate which is effective vs any race on that map. or they can play a safe macro game. or they can veto the map. or they can play random if they think it's OP and when 80% of GMs are random then blizzard with nerf random

[TASlowHands]

Originally Posted by XanT

I just send out a scout right away and hope I scout them first so I can then decide what build to go quickly

and lets face it, to see what kind of all in you need to D up for

[iM yang]

Originally Posted by Zealo

i'd say ZvR(Z) is much more of a disadvantage

P on tal darim can always just 4 gate which is effective vs any race on that map. or they can play a safe macro game. or they can veto the map. or they can play random if they think it's OP and when 80% of GMs are random then blizzard with nerf random

... the ****

[FaDeBadger]

Why would a P 4 gate against anyone other than another P on that map? It is far from an effective strategy against any competent player.

[TADivinity]

Originally Posted by SQLTt.yang

... the ****

Hahaha, I was waiting for someone Protoss to comment on that