Improving by Statistics

 

After a 4-month hiatus, Replay Spotlights return!

In Replay Spotlight, we take a look at replays based on viewer recommendations. Each episode has a different theme.

In this two-part “Improve by Statistics” series, we’ll be taking a look at how you can use Sc2ReplayStats to improve your play and take a look at some fun replays at the same time.

It’s easier to improve your play if you focus on specific weakness, practicing until muscle memory takes over and you can use your conscious focus on more important things.

We can use the Training Center, an Elite Membership feature of SC2ReplayStats, to see what we should be focusing on for this game.

In this case, I haven’t played ranked 1v1 in a while, so I’m a bit rusty and the Training Center suggests that we work on reducing Idle Production time, Floated Resources, and Supply Block time.

There are some other ways you can gather pre-game statistics to help you as well.  When I get into a game, I like to search for my opponent on the Ladder Rankings during the loading screen and look up some of my opponents replays for the match-up we are about to play.  Doing this, I was recently able to find out that my Zerg opponent likes to use Mutalisks into Corruptor Broodlord in the TvZ match-up. Sure enough that’s what he did, and I was more prepared because of my research.

 

We got a TvT, and in this case our opponent didn’t have any TvT replays so we weren’t able to get an idea of how he’d play during the loading screen.

 

Since we want to focus on basic macro, I decided to go for a strategy that wasn’t high micro so I could focus on production and avoiding Supply Blocks.

Since we were playing a TvT, this meant playing defensive Mech into Sky-Terran. Luckily for us, this plays well into the current meta. To begin with, our defensive strategy meant we were often looking at our base so we were able to react quickly to our opponents Auto Turret harass.

Another popular strategy in the current TvT meta is large aggressive “Doom Drops” but our early missile Sensor Tower accompanied by Missile Turrets and a Viking discouraged that.

Unfortunately, TvT can be a difficult match-up to focus purely on your macro. You can use your macro to build a far larger army, but it all goes to waste if you walk it into Tank fire or your own Siege Tanks are out of position. Luckily for me, my strategy was more forgiving than some: with air control I could often brute force my way out of a bad situation.

Regardless, it wasn’t long before the enemy found a way through my defenses, and I found my macro slipping as I tried to use micro to fight my way out of a disadvantage.

By the time I stabilized from his constant attacks, I was maxed out and Macro wasn’t as much of a factor. Playing defensive, my supply rarely dipped down so keeping my Production Facilities busy and preventing supply blocks were no longer a factor.

Eventually my defensive style paid off. But did I statistically improve?

The Replay

It would seem I didn’t improve much overall, but my focus on avoiding Supply Blocks paid off!

But of course, we can’t expect to improve very much in just one game using any method. The Sc2ReplayStats Training Center recommends we play 30 games a week to improve.

Join us next time after I’ve played those 30 games and we’ll see how much we’ve improved and what goals the training center recommends for us next!

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- Sc2replaystats.com staff

 Post written by Justin “TheSkunk” Purdy