Heart of the Swarm :

Been playing since 1 year ago perhaps, and it has been an exhilarating journey. since it’s competitive, you feel sweat trickle down your arms, you feel like it’s the end of the world. Last year, when i played it, i was silver in the ladder 1v1. 2v2 was gold. I feel scared, because I dont know how to handle any situation at all. I didnt know how to play proactive. Scouting – knowing what the opponents are doing. And then building the correct army composition to fight it. Expanding at the right moment.

So i watched lots of lowkotv, cynical brit, husky starcraft on youtube, listened to them talk about strategy etc.

Here’s what i learnt so far :

• scout enemy base, scout expansions
• always build safety cannon at home
• mid game : I need 12 gates, 2 robo at least, 2 stargates at least. 2-3 forges. 3 base mining, pylons in 4 different corners of the map
• I watch the replay whenever i lose. I learn things about them, and this is what i learnt from replays :
  • i never scout enemy expansion. sometimes the enemy has ninja base somewhere.
  • i move out at the wrong time.
  • i move my WHOLE army to one base to defend against muta, and they come my front. I’ve won using this strategy as well.
  • First oracle can be out in 5 minutes mark
• Upgrade upgrade upgrade.
  • I’ve played a few games where I have fewer army, but the quality is there, and i KO a much bigger army.
• After a few days of playing, i’ve removed about 75% of the anxiety in this ladder game. I just treat it like the norm. No more playing against AI, unless i wanna try something new ( FINALLY i understood what ppl mean when they say this )
• I’ve not fought back from the brink of death before, but i’ve fought some who have. So it’s really really a long game, and I cannot be impatient about it.

So this year, after the new ladder system was announced, i summoned all courage to get back to 1v1 ladder. I got into Gold, and jumped to platinum after a few games.

Here’s why i’m winning :

• enemy sucked.
  • they build static defence
  • they run on one base
  • they dont get out of their base
  • they dont scout
  • they dont poke at all
  • i am ahead in upgrades
  • Because of the above, I am free to do whatever i like. Expand infinitely, get tempests -_- i feel it’s not a good indication of how good I am.
• And then i started losing when i’m so close at moving from platinum rank 3.
  • I got overwhelmed by enemy who
    • scout and know that i’m coming; and they just build static stuff and defend successfully, and then i’m somehow behind in terms of minerals; cos i committed so much to gateways and army. They just expand, and then come back with a bigger army.
    • keep poking
    • drop and delay my minerals
    • reapers who destroyed my probes, followed up by MMM and 3 tanks.
  • i tech to a big variety : stargate, robo, templars. Then no money for units.
  • Zerg :
    • Mutalisks are so cheap for them to build. While i need templar, or high archon, phoenixes to fight them successfully.
    • Once they control the map, with overlords, they can expand anywhere they like, and then i’m just fighting a poor man’s fight.
    • I’ve also lost to zergling rushes. Once i see he has lings, i made the mistake of building more gateways. No – i should build static defences.
    • Roaches : i’ve lost because the guy has so many roaches + mutalisks, while i have stalkers, 3-4 immortals, sentry, mothership core. and i still die, oh because he was on 3 base, i was on 1.
    • I’ve not seen anyone use infestor or banelings nicely yet. They just overwhelm me with muta/roach/zerglings.
  • Terran :
    • i’ve lost a few games cos they come at me with 20 marines early game. And of course i dont have colosus or storm or zealot charge yet. so i fight and fight with micro-ing stalkers. and then i die, because i dun have enough gates to fight. So my theory is that, once i see he’s massing marines, i should build 3-4 cannons to defend.
      • Also, i’ve died because of my ONE pylon powering 5 buildings. THAT’s why they build pylons in a row, redundantly powering stuffs up.
    • I’ve cannon rushed, and lost. once he knows i am cannon rushing, he flies off, build up army, and come to my base to destroy me. LOL.
  • Protoss :
    • I can’t defend 5 gate. they come at me, i go at them, somehow, i lost faster than him. So i read that it’s 4 gate, and NOT 5 gate LOL.

The struggle :

• Against Zerg:
  • I’ve always wanted to drop and kill the queens.
  • I’ve know some point, they will definitely create mutalisks. So what – everytime i just create phoenixes? ( and go air??? ) or should just go templar everytime against Zerg
  • Yes i know Immortals handle roaches well. I feel pressured to create 2 robo, to ‘pump out’ immortals, only to realise i dont have money for it after 2 robos are done LOL. So i dunno WHEN to build an additional ROBO. Yes i know, when i have “lots” of money. But there must be tipping point.
  • When zerg get to 3 base, I have a temptation to go 3 base, and then i die due to lack of army. So i must be disciplined to go to 2 base. A few times, i lost because when he’s on 2 base, and just come overwhelm me with damn mutalisks.
• Against Terran:
  • read somewhere i need 2-3 phoenixes to take care of the medivacs. So, also Air??
  • against marines, I need charge, or blink. Does that mean i only research one, and then at a future appropriate time, i research the other?
  • Colo everytime? They ALWAYS have tonnes of marines.
• Against Protoss:
  • I’ve won games against protoss, because he’s too passive etc. But those wins are useless. It gives me points, and that’s all. I dont feel good about it. Basically it’s bullying, that’s what it is. Most of the time, if they know what they’re doing, they usually KO me.
• General:
  • when opponent expand, do i expand also, or do i quickly army up, and KO them. I’ve failed to do this maybe half the time.
  • is it worth it to go stargate, oracle out to disturb the base, and die.
  • how do i transition or fake the army compo, i mean, at this level, i dont think ppl are actually building to counter my army. most of the time, they are just doing what they always do, and KO me with more army. -_-
  • It’s tough to win when, they know what i know, i know what they know. At times, i feel i’m stuck, i dunno what to do. Need more experience.
  • When i tech up, i always do what i like, instead of responding to enemy army composition.
  • I am still wobbly about unit counters. I am still googling “Zergling counter, roach counter”…
  • I know how to place the pylons early game, but reaching mid game, I feel that my buildings positioning is weak. for example, one pylons powering up a few buildings, cannons included. They come to the edge, and easily take the pylons out. I need to learn about redundancy.
  • Not sure when to build the duplicate of the cybernatics core, or forge ( or 3 forges ). Is it AFTER i saturate the 2nd base?
  • I’m not sensitive enough in the following :
    • what map use what strategy
    • what enemy race, use what strategy.

Instead of doing 5gate + forge ( +1 upgrade) + 1 defensive cannon push, i feel like doing this http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Forge_Fast_Expansion_(vs._Zerg) and play the longer game.

Notable Games diary ( Updated as we move ) :

Win Against Zerg plat2 : i wall off, cannons, and kept scouting for extra base, sniping overlords. From 2 base, i went 2 more bases, he didnt scout it with his overlords. By the time he found my 4th base, i had so much money, closing max, and defended it.
His army compo : roaches, few infestors, lings, hydra, infestors.
Mine : stalkers, chargelots, 2 phoenixes which sniped off about 10 overlords ( that’s 1k mineral ), sentry, archons ( i cast fields, and successfully cut his roaches arch nicely, and his attack from the front failed. plus wall off )
I warped chargelots, but didnt manage to take out his 2nd base. Just removed the queen.
i danced a little etc. Seems like I fair better when i FE.

Lost Against Protoss Gold3 : lost due to lack of scouting. He got a ninja gold base. he just massed voids -_- while i was mining off 3 base. when i decided to drop him, he already has 7 voids. I had nothing. My cannons didnt manage to defend against 7 ( 3 stargates production )
Lesson : Scout to see what he’s doing with hallucination and probe around the map to see if he’s taken more bases.

Lost Against Zerg plat2 : wall off, cannons. dropped him kill one queen, but he came back very strong with Zerglings, hydra and roaches. When i dropped, he pulled back everything to defend. 2base vs 2 base ( his third base starting ), i should have upper hand.

 

 

ZvZ learnings:

1. Always scout what he’s doing. Suddenly he can show up with lings and 2 drones, and then cos my pool is late, i can’t defend. Then he just build the crawlers at my base. LOL. really noob mistake.
2. how to fight mutas? hydras?

TvZ learnings:

1. Always scout. suddenly he can knock at your front door with banelings, and if you’re teching up factory, or medivacs, then you’re basically dead. Always build higher HP production buildings in front if he’s doing banelings.
2. Always use Force fields. Block ramps, slice army into half. One of the key thing i would like to improve on, is Force fields ( 24 july 2016 ). If one of the races masses on tier one units, what you have to do is get a few of tier 2 units, and use them wisely. Either you micro, or use the abilities. For instance, using forcefields, guardian shields to break lings or rines’ concave shape. I think i need to understand more of the metagame. to play more, to get used to playing the abilities. Protoss only has limited abilities actually : Force fields, guardian shields, Time Warp, storm, blink, and the Prismatic Alignment.. ok actually a few. but i think to fully able to fight, i must learn these capibilities.

PvT learnings:

1. If i’m doing 5 gate, always scout. if not, before i can warp, terran can knock on my front door with 3-4 rines ALREADY. then it’s GG.
2. When i am ready to warp with 5 gate, he has a dropship, with 4 marines, and a mine. GG.

PVP learnings:

1. I’ve won because of forcefields.
2. If i FE, how can i defend? I mean, i’ve lost so many games because of this. Must i ninja base, or really, there’s no way to FE, without opponent come knocking at 6 minute mark, and i have a few cannons, and 2 fully saturated base lol.
3. Need to be more mindful of upgrades. Twilight council is is only 150/100. But that also means i will definitely upgrade, which is another 150/150 or 200/200. With 300/250, that’s another 2.5 stalkers. If i plan to twilight council, i better be harassing him instead of defending. Put opponent in distress, and you can do whatever you like.
4. I’ve lost because i was doing 5 gate, and when i went in with 8 stalkers, he came with 2 or 3 dark templars.

Holding the thought ; Tier 1 army units : Z has Zerglings; T has marines, reapers; P has zealots. will continue another day.

4 Aug 2016 : Platinum Rank 2