5 Mistakes keeping you in Bronze League

For some of us Bronze League is a distant unpleasant memory, for others it's an ongoing struggle. I've compiled a list of the 5 most common mistakes that can hold back even very capable players. All these pitfalls are easily rectified, but like with all things, practice and patience result in the correct methods becoming second nature. But to get you started, here's a breakdown of what to do, and more importantly, what not to do :

1. Idle Workers

One thing that plagued me during my bronze league play was forgetting workers once they had completed buildings. Whilst this doesn't sound like too calamitous a problem, the lost minerals stack up and slow down your entire strategy. It's like losing some of your workers to early game harass, but without your opponent having to do anything. SCVs are keen to remind you that "It's your dime", perhaps a reminder that you should make them work for their keep.

Time is money, friend.

A single worker mines 39 to 45 minerals a minute for you, depending on their position in the mineral field. That's almost enough to make another worker, so the minerals you spend continuing worker production are being taken away from elsewhere for each idle worker you have. An easy trick to combat this is using shift-click to queue a command for your worker to return to mining after the building it is constructing is completed, or as soon as it begins to warp in a building.

 

2. Lack of Scouting

Scouting is so important, so important there is no suitable phrase for how important it is. Without scouting you are playing blind, rushing head on into a scary land of Spires you didn't think of and Barracks just off your ramp. A huge proportion of lower league games will see players using "cheese" tactics, tactics designed to not be scouted and countered, and resulting in a high success rate.

Scout all around your natural, to catch hidden pylons to fend off cannon rushes, which require you to only pull 4 workers to kill the pylon if caught enough, not all of them. Scouting is so low cost, pulling only 1 worker to do it, and the payoff is huge. Catching an early proxy barracks or seeing that your opponent has opted for a greedy 2nd base opening can often be the catalyst for you to react properly and take the win.

Meanwhile, in your natural...

Don't only scout at the beginning, knowing when and where your opponent is expanding is a huge tactical advantage, being aware of when and where to strike with the highest success is a perk you can't throw away. Early units such as Zerglings, Marines and Zealots can all scout easily, don't forget about your base though, with practice it'll become easy to keep production up, and gain visibility using a scout.

 

3. Lack of Adaptability

So, you've had a look at some build orders, and you've mastered the good old 3 barracks, marine and medivac build. Excellent, unfortunately for you, your protoss opponent has collossus on field and that build just isn't going to cut it anymore. I recently taught a friend of mine the basics of Starcraft then set him on his journey onto the ladder. He refuses to change his build, ever. This rigidity will get you an amount of success as practice makes perfect, but perfecting one build will not see you through.

Developing a fluid, reactionary style of play is difficult, and will take a lot of time and patience but it is worth it. Don't stick to your guns and lose matches that if you had the confidence to take a couple more gas; throw down a couple of starports, and get some Vikings to send those Colossi packing, you'd have won.

The direct counter to a unit is the Marine, usually.

This relies on scouting, of course, but it isn't enough to just scout and think "oh, he's going robo" and not react. You have to be willing to try builds that perhaps you're less comfortable using, as with time they'll become familiar and easily employed.

 

4. Tunnel Vision

You're expanding, excellent. Starting worker production on your natural and building an Extractor. Unfortunately, your main is doing absolutely nothing.

Or you're attacking, watching your units march unto glory and fantasising of the spoils of war, those fantastic 26 ladder points your bonus pool will get you. Unfortunately, your opponent was more heavily fortified that you imagined and you lost the majority of your army, sweat begins to trickle down your forehead and your heart pounds as you realise you'd giving everyone working at home in your Barracks and Factories vacation days as you moved the troops out. Your opponent starts runnings for your base and your single bunker can not withstand the onslaught no matter how many SCV's repair it.

The moral of all this is what we like to call Macro. Macro is the most wonderful thing in the world as it means while you're doing your pillaging and denying bases like a boss, there's a nice flow of reinforcements, upgrades, and worker production going on back at home. The secret to all this is hotkeying. You'll find what works best for you but I hotkey my production buildings (Hatcheries, Spire, Evo Chamber etc) to keys 4-7, so I can quickly select them and queue commands without diverting my attention from my camera's field of view.

Meanwhile in your main...

The impact of doing this correctly is invaluable, games from the depths of Bronze League to the mythical spires of the GSL are won and lost on the basis of macro.

 

5. Tilting

Tilting is the trap card of the ladder. Again, games from all tiers of Starcraft 2 are lost because of it.

Tilting is the term used to describe losing your head. Starcraft is such a competitive, intense game it's sometimes all too easy to forget it is infact a game, and the purpose is to have fun. We're all guilty of losing a game, becoming angry and going into another game and making bad decisions, and it's a slippery slope. Even professional players do this, it's a human reaction to become angry and reckless when things aren't going your way.

Nerd tears of the highest calibre

There's no real counter or strategy to avoid this, just bear in mind you're playing a game, and also remember how the ladder system works. You're matched against players of similar skill, and you are not supposed to win 100% of your games. You learn more by losing than you do by utterly crushing an opponent. Watch the replays of your games, look at where you went wrong, and learn, safe in the knowledge that next time, you'll be able to do the right thing and beat the opposition.

Sure, no one likes losing, but it is an essential part of improving your play. To quote the legendary player WhiteRa - "More gg, more skill".