Gold's not that different from Silver...so far

Of course that may simply be because I was mostly playing versus Gold players before I got promoted.

I don't understand why people don't check the Xel'Naga watch towers.  I kept my initial scouting SCV on the tower between our bases the *entire* game.

So PvZ on Backwater Gulch, I spawned top left and he spawned bottom left.  We scouted each other early and he tried to hide a probe in the trees on the edge of my base but, wary of any cheese, I spotted it and took it out with an SCV.

He built 4 Warpgates and expanded on that.  Now....I'm a big fan of the Gateway heavy Protoss, I am.  But I don't think you can do it by just building a huge economy and waiting until you're maxed.  If you're going to go for max, as protoss, you need a heavy hitter.  Collosi or something.  After his second expansion and a few more Gateways, instead of putting any pressure on me (after defending my pressure just fine) he expanded again to the main at the bottom right and put down 14 more Gateways.

At which point I just went and killed him with my MMM + Siege Tank.  I'd taken the Gold as my third at that point, was about to move my 4th Command Center to a base and had already gotten some of the Battlecruiser tech up and ready to go, so I felt prepared to lose my force and defend until the BC's were produced..but it never happened.  Gateway units without a lot of pressure and probably also without a lot of Sentries just can't deal with MMM that well, IMO.  Maybe with good Templar play, but he was just warping in Templars to make Archons.

+ 22 Points, Gold League Division Rank 26, Remaining Bonus Pool 175

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replay-videos/4410

Lost another PvP

I guess I'm not too broken up about it.  He 4-gated me pretty hard.  He was also Platinum Leagued so hooray for match making setting up that game.  Guess there aren't a lot of Silver Leaguers playing early Sunday evenings?

Anyway I won two other games, including my 25th Terran 1v1 and my 50th Zerg 1v1 so not a totally lost day.

The Zerg was interesting..I scouted his base with some lings and saw he was making a lot of gateway units, so he pushed hard with some Zealots and Sentries and lots of Stalkers.  So I just prepared myself to defend.  He destroyed a lot of my units and kept up the pressure, but I was on two bases to his one (maybe he expanded after pushing out?  I'll have to check the replay) and my production was just better.  Eventually he tried to come in through some of my backdoor rocks.  I burrowed my Roaches there guessing he didn't have an Observer and he ran right over them, so I destroyed his army and he GG'd.

+ 32 Points, Silver League Division Rank 26, Remaining Bonus Pool 313

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replay-videos/1348

YouTube: http://youtu.be/dv3XixT2hLo

TvT Loss

Well I lost that one pretty convincingly.  I knew on my next TvT I wanted to try a straight Marine push.  I remembered to push when my +1 attack landed, I forgot to wait for Stim.  Or maybe it was done and I just failed to notice?  I almost took down his bunker and then failed to retreat timely.

My build order was kinda wacky and my timing was off, but I still think there's a lot of potential.  I need to remember next time to throw up a missile turret so I can be ready for the cloaked Banshee reply.

I should probably not also rally my marines to the front of the line, don't bring reinforcements on an early Marine push..just what I have when I set out.

- 5 Points, Silver League Division Rank 63, Remaining Bonus Pool 262

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/167058-1v1-terran-backwater-gulch

One Base Roach Rush...

Well, I don't ZvZ a lot and it is certainly a bad matchup for me.

Usually I go one-base Roach but today I decided to try something different and go early expand Zergling / Baneling.

Failure.  My opponent went one-base Roach Rush.  WORSE - I scouted it and failed to realize.  My overlord scouted the Roach Warren and I was so distracted by..I don't know, ponies, that I failed to notice the tech structure up.  I knew he was one-basing it and just didn't stop to think.

WTG Me.

Lesson for the day - if you're going to scout, pay attention!

- 11 Points, Silver League Division Rank 8

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/148896-1v1-zerg-backwater-gulch

Forgot to harass? Or anything?

Things I forgot in this game - Harassment & a Plan

Zerg versus Terran.  I went early Hatch and had no plan.  Kinda started going for Roaches with an eye towards maybe transitioning to mass muta...maybe.  Winner.

At the 8 minute mark he rolled (ROLLED) into my base with a few dozen upgraded Marines with their Stim and their Combat Shields and they just wiped me out.

Lesson for the day- Don't forgot everything else you've learned.  Scout better, harass better, be more prepared.  More information is better.  Don't play dumb.

- 11 Points, Silver League Division Rank 8

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/147716-1v1-terran-zerg-backwater-gulch

Dark Templar

Another PvP.  I decided to try to do this one right, I built my Gateways in a better timing fashion, I scouted where the opponent was...I got my warpgates up and forward Pylons and upgrades and started putting pressure on.

And when I got to his base?  He was severly Cannoned in.  WTF?  I didn't get it, but I got suspicious so I went to throw down a robo facility but it was too late, he had a DT in my base ripping me apart.  I tried to get some cannons down but I couldn't, he was destroying all my pylons.  I tried to get in his base and around his cannons, but I couldn't.  I tried to stay away from his DTs but it didn't do any good.  I couldn't win.

This is, for the record, all he does.  Cannons in and builds DTs.  Going through his match history that seems to be the only tactic he uses.  I don't understand how that can be fun.  Obviously it isn't very successful, he's won 382 games out of 753 and is firmly in his Silver League.  But it's successful enough for him to enjoy, I guess.

Lesson of the day - I need an early Observer in my PvP.  I guess.  Also I should be more agressive in my scouting probably, try to get a better sense of what he has.  Sometimes I do, but if I don't really think I care I don't bother.  Clearly this time I should have cared.

- 14 Points, Silver League Division Rank 8

http://sc2replayed.com/replays/146756-1v1-protoss-backwater-gulch