Overcoming 1vs1 Fear on the Starcraft 2 Ladder

As someone who just started playing Starcraft 2 for the first time, normally it’s hard to quickly jump into an 1 verse 1 ladder game, since you might not know how to handle yourself correctly or have any secret builds that you believe is very solid up your sleeves. But you might have a gasp of how to play from all those GSL or major Starcraft 2 tournament streams or vods you might have watched over the years. Jumping from team ladder games to 1 vs. 1 ladder game is quite a huge leap to starting players.

Those who just got into RTS for the first time might feel like their leaving their comfort zone and about to jump into the big leagues with the professionals. That might be the case, but it shouldn’t really stop you from dipping your toe into the water. From personal experience, It took me quite some time, before I jumped into playing 1vs.1 in Starcraft 2.

I was always a team player, where I helped my allies and also have the protection from them in return. Consider team leagues the zone for you and you’re friends to have a good time in a few games, but 1 vs.1 is the major! You’re going to have to take care of yourself and no one watching your back. Quite a scary scene, but if you’re ready to take this next step, be proud of yourself, because you’re taking a huge step in becoming better in starcraft2 player.

The First Step in Starting Your Journey

Things to Expect in 1 vs. 1 Ladder Matches

1. Expect losses to be a regular thing - Unless you’re confident and your opponent is also just took of their training wheels that same week. Expect that you’re going to have a lot of losses on your journey up the ladder ranking. You might have a few rounds that go in your favor and you’re able to overcome you’re opponent. That might be a nice confidence boost, but the next moment you might be losing many games in a row. So expect losses to be a regular thing. Try not to let the losses discourage you from trying, everyone has their off and on days, playing on the ladder. Just be sure you learn from the mistakes that you done and try better next game.

2. Expect Bad Manner People – Not many people might be in the right state of mind, when you’re playing against them. Might it be that they been on a huge losing streak or that there is certain situation that causes them to act in such a manner. Be sure to prepare yourself for people who might call you certain names or even discourage you from playing the game. It’s best to ignore those negative comments and pay attention to your own game. But If you’re feeling that you’re about to reach that point in your games, where you feel that you’re sodium levels are rising and rage is about to burst out of you, it’s best to take a break and relax and do something else. Nobody likes to play with a poor sport player, so do yourself a favor and your opponent, take a break and relax and do something else. Once you feel that you’re calm and ready to play again, jump back into the game with a smile on your face.

3. Expect the Unexpected Play – This is a game, where everyone has the urge to win. So people will use unexpected methods to gain that type of victory under their belt. Might it be an early 6 pool rush from Zerg or even proxy gateway and cannon rush from Protoss or an all in bunker rush from Terran. You can’t always expect everyone to play clean on their end of the side. If you do end up getting defeated by unexpected means, try not to be too mad and just accept the fact that, it’s a strategy that players will use to grab that victory. Don’t ever let these unexpected plays be the method of turning you away from the game. It’s part of learning and knowing how to protect you from this type of plays next game will improve the odds of these unexpected plays working again.

4. Expect to Make New Friends – It’s always nice to grab a victory over your opponent in the end of the game, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be enemies forever. Friendships can be formed from having an exciting game with one another. Never expect that you might come out the game with nothing in the end. You might have just made a new friend that can help you improve your game plan next time. So don’t ever be shocked that someone is complimenting you’re game play or throwing tips in the chat after the game. The game of Starcraft can be a social place between many players who want to improve themselves and make friends.

My First 1 vs. 1 Match

It takes a lot of time and effort to transition from team games to 1vs.1 ladder games. But overall it’s quite a huge experience that needs to be lived. I remember losing my first 1vs.1 match to a “girl”, made me lose all hope in my skills as a Starcraft player. Somehow I wanted to give-up on myself and the game, but taking the tiny step into transitioning from the team games that I was so comfort and known too was a long and hard journey. It took me many games to finally find that comfort in 1vs.1 ladder games that I had felt for team games. Winning wasn’t always the prize in the end, what was awarding was the experience and matches I played with many different players help me improve myself and my game in the end. Having a nice outlook upon losing helps you to become a better player in the end. A very nice quote that White-Ra once said

“I very disappointing and very sad after my lose. If you want to make one goal to win. You must lose. You can’t win all games. We are people, you make mistake. You’re not computer. And if you understand your mistake when you lose. you just can make analysis game and continue to play and try to fix it and it’s no problem. More, more gg… more skill.” – White-Ra

We all make mistakes in our game, so we should make it our goal to improve ourselves as player to become better next time. That’s what I think playing 1 vs. 1 ladder games can help you understand the taste of victory and defeat in the mind of a player. So I hope these tips can help motivate people to try out 1 vs.1 ladder games and not be scared by the things that come from it. What matters most by the end of the day is that you’re able to have fun and come out as a different person each time.