Then database get wiped out few times. I was placed copper again. Last steady period without clearing the base I was floating around #20 in my division with 60/90 ratio. maybe i get worse, maybe my opponents improve, or there was changes to ranking system. Cant say.
Last large wipe out would probably get me to copper again, but i am silver :) As we know copper doesn't exist, and somehow I skipped bronze. That doesn't reflect my skills as I won two of five by my opponent being dropped, I was dropped once, and regularly win one and loose one.
Currently i have 4/7 ratio and I am no #50. I don't play much ladder, but I was interested in custom games, and was try to practice some of the builds (in games against peaceful AI). Don't get me wrong, it is not the point to win over AI. I was just try to build my best and check for the timing of that build. I analyzed the points where I should wait for something, when and why my mineral/gas ratio was unbalanced etc. AI was smart enough not to harass me at all, so i can do my tests.
Anyhow, my overall game experience was growing like this.
Phase 1 - Wondering around: I lost many games, as I didn't even know all the buildings and what is produced/researched where.
Phase 2 - Starcrafter - I lost even more games as I don't know how to use units and I have no any build order that would make sense. But I was playing, and getting rushed.
Phase 3 - Enlightment - Discovered power of replays. Analyzing my bad games I was watching what my opponent did. It was period of discovering. I was Reaper rushed, watched the replay, copied that in next game, but I was something-else rushed. After all that, i finally managed to make my build order steady, and I find myself very sticked to Banshee rush. It starts to winning my games. Yes, in copper league. All the time I was watching tons of commentaries on YouTube.
Phase 4 - Noob king - My Banshee rush success empowered my efforts, I tried some other rushes, and figured out that there are too many combinations to remember. You cannot do the same things again. There was 9 maps at the moment and you can get one of the 3 races as opponent. It was 27 cases where you cant play the same game. In addition, starting position are not quite the same on every map. You cannot rotate barracks to get better choke, your base entrance is right next to mini map, or on the other side etc.
Phase 5 - Yep that's it - I was thinking that I reached my limit. I wasn't use hot keying, scouting and other goodies, so I was just rush different ways. If my opponent was greater noob then me, I won. If he was more experienced, I was doomed. Once my Banshees were burned out because enemy placed some missile turrets around mineral line. I stopped, as I didn't know what to do next. I didn't have any perspective of the game. Transitions? Get out of here! Too complicated.
Phase 6 - New enlightment - You cannot always rush! I started to practice some other things, "sim-city", "turtling", "massing", "progressive expanding", "base race". I usually lost. I figured out that all this tactics should work together or in combinations. And the most important thing is to understand what, why, when and where. I finally understand those principles but my execution was slow, clumsy, not on time, or completely out of requirements and current battle situation.
Phase 7 - Real noob - I guess this is current phase. I can see some progress here. I don't doubt my knowledge. Only I should practice is put that knowledge to work.
Yesterday, after thousands of games, for the first time I won the game that was lost at some point. I can say that it was the first time that I start thinking about the situation, and react accordingly.
I was Terran, he was Protoss, Steppes of War. I started with choke, early gas, factory, few marines, double starport, swapping starports for factory tech labs, two Banshees and cloaking.
Rushing - I tried Banshee rush, kill 4 drones and get killed by Void Ray and Stalker with observer support.
Transition - Ok, back to the good old drawing board. I pulled out some conclusions. He knows that I have air. What will he do. Observers and Void Rays and Stalkers at this point, possibly. It was combination that he already have. What should I do? So I build Engineering bay, and plant few turrets arround. Not against Voids but for observers. After that two more starports with reactor, for Vikings. I am not sure that Vikings can counter mass Void Rays, maybe they can, but my macro is awful. I was thinking about Thors but I figured that they are expensive. Anyhow managed to build one. At this point I could probably loose if my opponent get in.
Sim City - Then I heard the sound. One observer paid high price for putting his nose in my base. So my enemy can't see what I am doing. Good. I was having about 12 Marines, few Marauders and a Sieged Tank at the choke, 6 Vikings, 3 Banshees and Thor. Funny combination. I was still afraid of Void Rays, and I have feeling that I am too weak. Fortunately, my opponent wasn't sure about me too, so he was not pushing.
Expanding - I transported few SCVsStimpacks, and another weapon upgrade, and build two Barracks with reactor. That was pretty nice looking. I sent another Medivac to diagonal protected spot and get another expansion. Both those expansions may be considered stupid, as they were far away, I was unable to defend them, but somewhere back in my mind I was thinking about this as an deception. If he do any kind of scouting at my main he may thing that i didn't expand at all, and that I am weak. But he didn't scout well, and this is mistake that cost him a game at the end. One of the important moments was when I was flying to take third expansion I spotted that he already took high yield expansion there. It was undefended, and for some reason he didn't notice my fly over. But that golden expansion rings my bells.
Massing - I decided to go for marine ball, with golden expansion he may have tons of Rays by now, and my marines were already at 2-2 with stims. I just need more of them. I clicked on my so called reactor-Barracks, and finally figured out that they are actually reactor-Factories!!! Don't ask how I managed to do that, because I don't recall. What to do? I simply lifted them away for some observing and put Barracks on the reactors. My income was good and I started to pump out marines, Vikings.
Action - Sim city period was actually over. My opponent was having idea to expand to top left corner, right beside his gold expansion. Attack notification, and I saw bunch of interceptors doing damage. And one Carrier was visible. O momentarily thought that I have all wrong. Sent 8 Vikings, upgraded 2-1, to kill that Carrier. Getting there - surprise! Mothership, and bunch of something cloaked under it. I focused on Mothership hoping to do something, but I didn't succeed. At that time I thought that I lost this game. His air supremacy was obvious, and I have... hey, I have about 60 marines upgraded 3-2, shielded, stimmed. Ok, will not surrender, that is large firepower.
Counter attack - I started to prepare for battle. Since I lost my expansion up there, I expand to different spot on the left side, to get more resources. I actually moved my main base there ass it was depleted. Build Forgery and started Battlecruisers. I was thinking that this may be good move considering air upgrades I already have. Produced few Medivacs to support marines, and move them out of base, to my natural expansion. My opponent was not detailed and he leave one of my SCVs on my ex-expansion, and he put his expansion there. I advanced with four Battlecruisers and managed to kill Mothership and few Carriers. There were also mass Phoenixes. It doesn't look good at all. Continued to mass marines and cruisers.
Defense - He managed to get another Mothership and she pushes left side of my base. Yep, that's it, I thought, and send everything there, including Marines. My Battlecruisers and Vikings kills Mothership again, along with few Phoenixes and the sky was covered with all kind of his flying objects. It really looks that I am doomed, so I wanted to lose with dignity, fighting. At my greatest surprise (and I guess his too) my Marine ball gets there, I stimmed them and his remaining army of 6 Carriers, 3 Void rays, and 16 Phoenixes, was zero after about 30 seconds. I was amazed. Looking at the replay, 55 stimmed 2-3 marines can kill Cruiser 1-0-2 in TWO shoots. This gives me more confidence as I barely loose about 10 marines. My opponent was very bad in micro, he doesn't focus fire, so it makes my job easier. In this particular battle he lost 5200/3650 over my 4100/2425.
Final - I went out with the marines, determined to destroy his two expansions in upper left corner. He has heavy losses, so now is the chance. Again, Marines were at full power, both expansions undefended, so I easily took them out of game. In the meantime, few Dark templars destroyed my middle expansion, and combination of Dark Templars, Zealots and Immortals took my natural. When i return with the marines, I easyily destroy them. Overconfident in my victorious crusade, I wasnt carefull and i figured out that I am out of income and that I dont have any base. Only one SCV left and fortunately, enough minerals to put another CC at my natural.
It would be easy to go for base race, but the main problem was Dark Templars that I saw on the field. I didn't have orbital command, and i didn't have any Raven. If I lost minerals, and SCVs it would be hard to attack against DT-s. Defending was not problem as I have turrets in my main. But I cant wait. So I build new OC and Raven to support marines on the field. I plant some Turrets around OC, and few marines to deal with eventual harassment. It was nice to watch the ending, marine ball went out, supported with Raven and Medivacs, killing everything Prottoss on the way. 40 zealots squadron couldn't get even close, and that was GG.
This wasn't exciting game, comparing to pro gaming. My opponent was not the best but he was in rank. He make so many mistakes, and he misses so many opportunities. We were both able to win. But this time I made less mistakes. I like to think that some of his mistakes was forced by me, and because of my actions. Someones actions, forces other side to make decisions, right or wrong.
For the amount of pure action this game lasts too long. I will not put a replay anywhere. Anyhow, on my noobish level I feel that I make right decisions in game very similar to many that I lost.
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