2smass | 3smass | ltmayhem | aggresssion

More replays. Instead of spoiling each individual game I’ll just summarize what I’m slowly having to re-learn.

There are pronounced differences in the way 2’s and 3’s are handled. Maybe I never really explored the idea as fully as I should have in the past, but it’s much clearer now. Obviously the smaller size game type the more diverse the individual must be. You can play 3’s and 4’s with a large array of unit types, but it seems like your team will be much more successful if you each explore only 2-3 types of units which best fit your synergy.

Along with this, for War3 in particular, you don’t tend to see 6 barracks like you would in Starcraft. You don’t tend to see more than 2 really unless in extreme situations. I’ve finally realized with the way Krib and I play, our best plan of attack is dual rax, at least for me anyway. Usually I’m broken up over the speed of my teching coupled with how many units I need to make in tier 1. Krib usually prefers to fast tech for his second hero and for demolishers. As orc it might not be so bad since grunts are generally so durable. But when I’m caught teching with a single barracks it’s a painfully slow recovery. When faced with double massing opponents it’s very difficult to overcome unless our level of skill is notably higher. A few of the games I didn’t post highlighted just how well dual rax is for both of us since we tend to skip creeping and focus on keeping tension high on our opponents.

When we raced up the 3’s ladder there was only one strategy that we could not beat. Maybe we beat it once or twice, but in general, our success rate against the strategy was always losing. It was double NE/UD with both NE feeding money to the UD for fast tech while they harass with their heroes. The UD would get fiends and go to wyrms.  Once the UD was fine on tech or they cleared his expansion, the NE would focus full out on huntresses. It’s funny to hear that Starcraft 2 will not allow resource trading. I think in extreme circumstances it should be allowed, but after struggling with that particular stategy, I feel a sort of vindication. Our other partner in 3’s and my 1v1 tactics were just too poor to handle the NE harassment which led to our repeated demise. I never spent a lot of time dwelling on it, but I think if I had, we’d have eventually found a way around it.

When assaulting a base, one really needs to think about the buildings they attack. Krib and I know exactly what hurts the most to lose, however often times when attacks come in on us and we haven’t yet run in or TPed yet, it seems like the enemies more often than not, choose poorly in the buildings they choose to attack. If you suspect an opponent teching, destroy the dependency buildings. Often times it seems like farms are good to go after, but only if you know the opponent is near his population limit OR if you know you can kill enough farms in the time allotted that will actually hurt him. In War3 the shop is a very key building both for tech and for defense when fights occur in your town.

I feel like tonight was either 50% for wins or less. It wasn’t a great night but we also threw some 3’s in the mix with a guildy that isn’t familiar with non-DotA play so he’s going through a vicious crash course in War3. Much of the night I thought about how great Starcraft 2 will be. It’s freeing to think outside of one massive army all the time. War3 feels slow and clunky now. It also looks huge. I want to zoom out a bit more than the game allows. Hopefully in the weeks coming ahead I’ll be crashing my zealots in the field of battle instead of my footmen.