[TACeeSerps]

Looks like Season 5 lockout begins next Tuesday the 7th of February with Season scheduled to end the following week on Tuesday the 14th.

Here's the link the battle.net blog, it's mentioned in the second paragraph.

http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/438...1_31_2012#blog

"One way to almost guarantee a promotion by next season is to earn the number of division ladder points given in the corresponding table entry below by February 7, in anticipation of a February 14 Season roll. (*Date subject to change.)"

Also helpful blog for those that are unsure how close they are to being promoted this season.

[EDIT] Update

http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/21...2_10_2012#blog

Season 6 Map pool changes:

Maps being removed:

(2) Xel’naga Caverns
Players have been enjoying Xel’naga Caverns since the StarCraft II beta. However, as this map is no longer preferred in a tournament setting, we’ve opted to pull it from the pool for this season.

(2) Arid Plateau
In the spirit of making every ladder map tournament viable, we added two new maps last season that would be true to that goal. We pushed some new features on Arid Plateau such as unusual natural expansions, and a lot of open areas around the map. Arid Plateau wasn’t as widely accepted as a tournament friendly map, so we’ve decided to retire it from the rotation for Season 6.

Maps being added:

(2) Cloud Kingdom

+ Show +

(2) Korhal Compound

+ Show +

Personally, I have no idea what my Veto's will be this season. I guess that's a good thing.

Quick Comments

	TCPKiaSu:	deserve a rep for explaining this to people
	Zanderax:
	Loach:

[VB_Blake]

isn't that table in relation to US?

[TACeeSerps]

It's on the US site, but they have an identical blog, with identical figures on the SEA.Battle.net.
See here:

http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/21...-2_1_2012#blog

[breadfan]

oh wow they werent kidding then they said it would be a short season.

Quick Comments

AxSGRiM:

same as last season

[TACeeSerps]

Yea 6 weeks to be exact. I guess they are seeing the same thing as last season, where interest fades after the first month of a season.

[VB_Blake]

I only started playing a week or so ago so I haven't experienced a league rollover yet - Do you replay your placements or what?

[TACeeSerps]

During lockout, there are no promotions or demotions, but your MMR still changes with each match. Once the new season starts, you play one placement match. Based on your MMR after that match, you are then placed.

[breadfan]

Bandit, you play one placement match instead of 5. It's more of a decider in case your MMR is borderline. Many times, it won't even matter.

[wTlzq]

Nooooooooo

[VB_Blake]

Originally Posted by TheCSerps

During lockout, there are no promotions or demotions, but your MMR still changes with each match. Once the new season starts, you play one placement match. Based on your MMR after that match, you are then placed.

Originally Posted by breadfan

Bandit, you play one placement match instead of 5. It's more of a decider in case your MMR is borderline. Many times, it won't even matter.

Ok sweet, goin' for that sweet gold

What is the point of locking the leagues a week before reset anyway?

[Daboo]

...I havent even played my placement match this season... so sad. I blame work,skyrim and brood war for it.

[breadfan]

I am only guessing, but I'd say it's just to make sure there are no anomalies after reset with points/MMR. When you get promoted, your points are adjusted.

Say you're bronze and go up to 500 points before you get promoted to silver, as soon as your promoted you will have only say 150 points.

Basically, it just means that Blizz can be sure all the data is right before they make changes.

Not to worry though, it gives you a chance to use up any accumulated bonus pool!

(In my experience, I've found the point targets are quite high, so rather than focus on getting promoted that way I just try to get some games in and promotions generally follow soon after the next season starts)

[SayfT]

ooooo, lets hope i finally break into diamond on KR next season lol :<

[TCPLemminks]

Sigh time to hardcore ladder and get back in

[asdfSchnitzel]

I should ladder and GET into diamond lol

[ROOTPetraeus]

Looks like I won't be getting this season. Maybe a lucky placement match :3

[FaDeBadger]

628 points on NA with 59 bonus pool atm. I think I can make 800

[SquidBean]

uh uh that is so soon!! man there is no way im going to make 800 points this season! but next!! how does the bonus pool actually work? I mean lets say you have 43 points in it, do they just double your points won when winning until you run out or ?

[Meatex]

good (gsl) maps in next season k thx bye

also no one in my division is even close to points needed for masters TT

[breadfan]

Bonus pool doubles points gained up to a max of either +13 or +15 I think. So you cant get like a ton of points after playing no ladder and then crank your MMR up and exploit it by getting super fast points from a string of favored opponent matches

[mGGDrGooSe]

I believe the original reason behind the week long lock out was to encourage people to play heaps without worrying about how it will effect their ladder rank. So to encourage a last spurt from people who suffer from rank syndrome - which is probably most of us at some stage.
Also, I never got anywhere near those points before being promoted. I'm pretty sure the MMR must be based on things like APM and graphs (mining rates, army value rates, etc.) as well. Cos I floundered in silver NA for a while and then got promoted after about 5 straight wins after taking a break.

[TABottles]

My Starcraft 2 career tab is looking increasingly shithouse

1v1 Career

Season 1:

Season 2:

Season 3:

Season 4:

Season 5:

Weak.

Quick Comments

TCPKiaSu:

lol

[FaDeBadger]

MMR is based solely on wins and losses. Nothing else.

[sRFullstop]

I genuinely hope they will take out Arid and Entombed and include Daybreak/Belshir etc etc.

[TACeeSerps]

Not trying to show off, but my career tab looks like this:

Season 1:

Season 2:

Season 3:

Season 4:

Season 5:

so look out for this:
Season 6?:

Quick Comments

TABottles:

You are trying show off!

[Asrathiel]

Season 4:

Season 5:

Yeeeeeeeeah

Quick Comments

TACeeSerps:

Bronze league is super stacked this season

[Bash]

If they add Daybreak to the ladder, i might start laddering again, if so expect .

[FaDeBadger]

If they add Belshir I'm switching from Protoss.

[breadfan]

Season 4:
Season 5:
Hoping I can hit plat next season, diamond by season 8 (so sometime around April-May), and masters by the end of the year. Quit my job and go pro in Jan 2013, win GSL Code S October 2013 at BlizzCon.

[shoodyo]

Time to throw down my social life and start laddering !!!! xD Really hope for some gsl maps too.

[inFeZa]

im only at about 700... i wish i played more this season to get GM... maybe next season. T_T

[ROOTPetraeus]

Season 1:
Season 2:
Season 3:
Season 4:
Season 5:

Quick Comments

	Nemo:	wp !
	Asrathiel:	You win ^_^
	Lucien:	Hey look, same as me ;)

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Season 1:
Season 2:
Season 3:
Season 4:
Season 5:
Season 6: (?)

Quick Comments

	ROOTPetraeus:	LOL bugs <3
	Daboo:	Awww bugs, Season 6:GM ...BELIEVE! <3

[cruxBsK]

Masters next season or bust...been diamond for 4 seasons now

[TABottles]

Oh, look at me starting trends

[Peleus]

Hmm, my career

Season 1:
Season 2:
Season 3:
Season 4:
Season 5:

[mGGDrGooSe]

Originally Posted by FaDeBadger

MMR is based solely on wins and losses. Nothing else.

Source?
10char

[Maynarde]

Originally Posted by Drgoose

Source?
10char

This post by Blizzard implies that win rate is what you need to be promoted. It's not solid though, just implies.

http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/21...-2_1_2012#blog

Basically, to get the amount of points they're talking about for your league you need around %60 win rate and to be pretty active.

[lolwut]

ooh we having a carreer thread then are we?

Season 1: ->
Season 2:
Season 3:
Season 4:
Season 5:

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Originally Posted by Drgoose

Source?
10char

Blizzard have stated this multiple times. It's similar to an ELO rating. I can't find the specific posts because I am at work, but it is basically Wins versus Losses, but it takes your opponents rating in to consideration when determining how much your rating moves up or down.

This article has some information on how it works and why it is only Wins/Losses. Sauce. There are two updates at the bottom pointing out that Sirlin didn't know your MMR is different from your displayed rank, but the basics of it are correct. There is also a link in the second update to a TL thread about it.

Originally Posted by Maynarde

This post by Blizzard implies that win rate is what you need to be promoted. It's not solid though, just implies.

http://sea.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/21...-2_1_2012#blog

Basically, to get the amount of points they're talking about for your league you need around %60 win rate and to be pretty active.

Your MMR determines who you are matched against. If you have a high winrate, >60%, then you are beating people at your ranking so they system will start matching you against harder opponents. When it levels out again, if you're playing against people in the division above you you will be promoted.

[Peleus]

MMR is only based off winning and losing, promotion is only based of MMR. Some of the actions you do will correlate with an increasing MMR, or having a particular MMR, that do not effect promotion.

I.e. win rates. As you win more, your MMR will increase, it stands to reason however that by the nature of increasing MMR through wins people associate win streaks / win ratios or even points as a factor of being promoted, when in fact it's simply a trait of increasing your MMR.

Also - win rates vs the league above. You don't need to achieve an xx% win rate against the league above you to get promoted. You do however have to have a higher MMR than the cutoff for the league (plus a confidence interval). Therefore having a positive win ratio against people with a MMR above the cut off (I.e. the league above) will allow you to increase your MMR and get promoted. Again people associate this winning against higher leagues as a 'requirement' when it's simply your MMR is around the cut off abd you're more likely to be matched against people with a similar MMR.

Read the guide on TL for more in depth info.

[breadfan]

Originally Posted by Bugalugs McScruffin

Blizzard have stated this multiple times. It's similar to an ELO rating. I can't find the specific posts because I am at work, but it is basically Wins versus Losses, but it takes your opponents rating in to consideration when determining how much your rating moves up or down.

This article has some information on how it works and why it is only Wins/Losses. Sauce. There are two updates at the bottom pointing out that Sirlin didn't know your MMR is different from your displayed rank, but the basics of it are correct. There is also a link in the second update to a TL thread about it.



Your MMR determines who you are matched against. If you have a high winrate, >60%, then you are beating people at your ranking so they system will start matching you against harder opponents. When it levels out again, if you're playing against people in the division above you you will be promoted.

Blizzard do this in their other games too, so we can be fairly confident in understanding it pretty well based on those (though it'd be wrong to assume it's identical)

Not sure why they hide your actual MMR and instead give you the ladder points, but I guess because MMR can fluctuate so much it might get depressing for people to have a string of losses.

[Meatex]

MMR also has alot of math involved beyond just a certain set number I believe
There is an uncertainty factor to your MMR to offset bad days and good days

[FaDeBadger]

All your MMR questions can be answered here, here and here.

Warning, you are in for a lengthy read if you want to read all of them.

[AxSGRiM]

Time to use that 300 bonus pool and try get gm mmr

[Champi]

blizzard has already stated a while ago that all seasons will last for only 2 months each

[Champi]

crap i have 3 days to get back to GM from my little trip to the bottom of the SEA ladder... :/

or at least masters if GM is full at the time..

challenge accepted!

[Akilos]

Originally Posted by Daboo

...I havent even played my placement match this season... so sad. I blame work,skyrim and brood war for it.

I feel you on the skyrim part man. I have this urge to uninstall it to play SC2 but my hands won't let me :C

[inFeZa]

no way im going to get 1400 points T_T

[SLCN.Kez]

No way SEA needs 1400 points to get gm, i watch the sc2rank points of people pretty regularly to see my competition and most people i see get promoted around 950-1000 points or so ^_^

[TACeeSerps]

The 1400 total is a 99% guarantee that after placement next season you will be promoted. You can be promoted before you reach the 1400 points needed during the season by meeting the other requirements (ie. Top 200 MMR, Good win/loss ratio, spots available in GM)

[rezyn8]

StarCraft 2 Season 5 Lock now in effect! No more promotions until Season 6 starting Feb 14.

http://t.co/Zqo2Z5WM

[cruxBsK]

damn just missed top8 diamond. will try for masters next season.

[iMSystem]

Originally Posted by cruxBsK

damn just missed top8 diamond. will try for masters next season.

I'm pretty sure you can still climb your division ranking...

[FaDeBadger]

Originally Posted by System

I'm pretty sure you can still climb your division ranking...

You definitely can. Just can't get promoted and your bonus pool doesn't grow.

[rezyn8]

Yep you can still rank up in your division, you just can't get promoted to a new league.

[EveTigey]

season 1:
season 2:
season 3:
season 4:
season 5:

[xxGunslingerxx]

Ahh damn, ah wellz, Fresh start in only 6 days!!

[cruxBsK]

season 1:
season 2:
season 3:
season 4:
season 5:

Quick Comments

|Erasmus|:

consistency, bro!

[breadfan]

Well I came close to a promotion, but on the final day I dropped 5 straight games and called it quits for the day. Now to work on bumping up my MMR so I get promoted early in Season 6!

[rezyn8]

I got my promotion to Silver last Saturday - I shed a tear... of joy

Quick Comments

	breadfan:	congratulations! That one is quite a feeling, I remember it well
	Delraich:	grats!! well done.. I hope to not be far behind
	Asrathiel:	Yay! Hope to join you soon too ^_^
	AsylumofSouls:	You'll race up to gold now!
	mGGNemesis:	me too! :D

[ricecake]

I'm several hundred points away from the target to get promoted :|. Somehow I doubt I can make that deficit up in less than a week, with no bonus pool especially!

[breadfan]

Originally Posted by ricecake

I'm several hundred points away from the target to get promoted :|. Somehow I doubt I can make that deficit up in less than a week, with no bonus pool especially!

It's harder to hit that target than to just be promoted during the season, so give it your best shot, and if you don't hit the mark, don't stress - a promotion will probably follow soon after next season

[ricecake]

I certainly hope so!

It's frustrating -- I was diamond, but then took a two month break from playing and when I came back I had lost a lot of my skill. I also was very anxious about laddering because I knew I would get demoted after a few games. Eventually though I came to terms with it, and figured if I didn't hit find match soon, I'd be gold league material before long D:.

I want that back though, and after that, I want to get my !

[rezyn8]

Well that is the aim > Season 6 = Gold+ (currently in top 15 of silver)

[FSBenAD]

I am really hoping Blizzard changes the map pool a bit, there are some great maps out there and I am getting a little bored of others that we have had on ladder for a while now.

Especially since seasons are only two months long, having a two month break from Xelnaga, shattered and metal, wont be that bad!

[rezyn8]

I hope they keep Arid Plateau - love that map - 80% win rate in all match ups!

Mind you XNC dropped to 7% win rate - I hate that map.

[Volition]

Originally Posted by rezyn8

I hope they keep Arid Plateau - love that map - 80% win rate in all match ups!

Mind you XNC dropped to 7% win rate - I hate that map.

How the hell are you 80% on Arid then 7% on XNC? the maps are essentially the same - 2 spawn map with multiple entries into your natural, rocks at the gold which leaves your nat and main open to counterattacks through other routes?

i go onto NA and forget i dont have XNC and Arid vetod and have to play on them all the time. apparently my win rate on XNC is good according to sc2gears, but i still avoid it like the plague

as for me, i would really like to hit plat during placement in s6. i can get my points up enough that i think i will have a 50/50 chance of sneaking into the very bottom of plat. wish me luck

EDIT: thinking about the map pool, given the shortness of the seasons, there is absolutely no reason to not introduce an entirely new map pool. Didnt blizzard say that people play more at the end and beginning of seasons, hence that was the reason to keep the seasons short? if pulling power is the reason to keep seasons short, changing maps and letting people go through them will surely be a reason to keep playing during the season, esp if the map may no longer be in next season. I know every single terran went and tried that bunker rush with the marine protected on entombed valley - cause finding tricks on new maps is exciting (and will get nerfed eventually, eg lost temple)

Although they are trying to keep it balanced, why not commpletely shake things up with a new map pool - and if somethign is very powerful, it gives blizz information to use. WHereas if they keep brining it in 2 maps at a time, which are usually vetod (who still had arid and entombed vetod?), what do they actually learn about the matchups?

there are some really exciting maps out there - look at like Calm before the storm. have we had a map in the pool with a completely safe backdoor natural? how can bliz know this isnt a good thing unless it is actually included in the pool, if only for 1 season. then they will have stats to go with.

[FSBenAD]

Good luck volition

I'll be trying to do the same

[ricecake]

I would really welcome new maps. Even though I am a Terran, I can't help but feel like that map is imbalanced once T puts a planetary at the gold.

Also, I'm getting a little bored of Lost Temple and Metalopolis. Why not mix things up by putting in some of the GSL maps? I'm sure GOM would be willing to work something out, and I'd love to play on Bel'Shir or Cloud Kingdom .

[VB_Blake]

Damn i've been on 1st in silver for ages and have 750 points but I missed out on my gold promotion

[rezyn8]

Re the win rates on virtually similar maps - I am not sure what the problem is, its really weird, but I have gone 1-13 on XNC! Here is my S5 map stats.

	W	L
W/L Ratio	66	61	51.97%
Antiga Shipyard	8	4	66.67%
Arid Plateau	18	4	81.82%
Entombed Valley	6	6	50.00%
Metalopolis	9	5	64.29%
Shakuras Plateau	11	10	52.38%
Tal'darim Altar LE	9	13	40.91%
The Shattered Temple	4	6	40.00%
Xel'Naga Caverns	1	13	7.14%

[Asrathiel]

Originally Posted by rezyn8

I hope they keep Arid Plateau - love that map - 80% win rate in all match ups!

I HAAAAAAAAATE that map with a passion

[Kepler]

Shame it locked before I could get back into diamond. Hopefully I'm out of my slump and can get back in, feeling way more confident

[rezyn8]

Looking good for Season 6 Map Pool with Tournament style maps looking to make an impact: Cloud Kingdom!

[Daboo]

rezyn so fast! Was going to post the same thing.


Here are the two maps from the images:
1) Cloud Kingdom

+ Show +

2)Korhal Compound:

+ Show +

Quick Comments

rezyn8:

Korhal looks fkn huuuuge!

[TACeeSerps]

They mentioned that Korhal Compound LE is now available as a Blizzard Map in Custom Games, so I'm guessing that will be one of the ladder maps. ESV Cloud Kingdom should be interesting to see at all levels of play if they are including it. Anything would be better than Arid Plateau though.

[TACeeSerps]

OP updated with Season 6 Map pool

[Reddevils]

Cant wait for the new maps! its awesome how blizzard are using community maps now as requested bye the community, im gonna try and get to diamond this season, was demoted in season 4 and really want to get back up there !

[Stokez]

maps loook good!

[Batesy]

Looks as if protoss can FFE on both new maps