Stars of Tomorrow
In this article we will take the chance to look at some of the "up and coming" talent in the Australian and New Zealand SC2 scenes. While "up and coming" can be an ambiguous term, I will try to keep it consistently defined as players who are not atop the ladder, without well known names or presences in any tournaments or leagues but who have a lot of potential and dedication to be at the top. Each article should include a short interview and a small bio about the player so you can get to know them before they hit the big time, to keep up with how they progress!
The first player I'd like to introduce is Edge, another ex-SC1 player who started out performing reasonably well with a SC1 style but who has now developed into more of a legitimate SC2 player. One of the few gamers from Adelaide, he was known in BW for his very strong ZvZ matchup - a matchup he still enjoys now in the newer game. With solid mechanics and a good StarCraft mind, Edge - preferring to be called by his name "Cam" - is sure to pop up in tournaments and ladders in the near future.
Name: Cameron "EdgE" Murrin
Country: Australia
Race: Zerg
AKAs: EdgE, Camlito, CoNtroL, MC Babyface
History: Played BW since september 2006, switched from protoss to zerg in mid 2008, achieved b- rank in the winter of 2010
SC2: 1250 points, 63.5% win rate
Where do you see yourself in competitive SC2? Will you be someone who is just a solid ladder player, a dark horse for tournaments, a tournament favourite, or maybe someone who comes up with new strategies?
I think a mix of the first two. I don't really like being in the limelight or known, so being a dark horse suits me. I think a solid ladder player is what I might be, but I custom game more than I ladder, so I don't really know. I'll just go into every tournament more confident than the last.
When you decided on Zerg, you had a very SC1-like Zerg style. Can you explain what this was and how your style has changed since then?
My style was very similar to brood war, in that I used the same drone timings and tried to win at similar times with similar units (roaches for hydras), but I found all of this difficult to pull off. Void rays could just beat roaches if you didn't scout properly, 4 gate would eventually overpower, even standard expansion style they'd just macro'd so much better. It took some Korean replays and some sense to figure out new timings. The key to Zerg, at least the non mirror, is to get your larva/drone management right. Even though in SC2 there are more larva, you still need to get the right eco to support it. My style is more macro based with some form of harass that I rely on, compared to brood war where I would change from all out offense to all out defence in a second (which was stupid at times).
For players without an RTS background, or with a gaming background that does not prepare them for SC2, what do you think are the main things that separate them from the RTS players and how should they fix it?
Well for me if I didn't have my multitask/speed that I rely on, I'd be even worse than I am now. In brood war, I always practiced looking at the minimap, seeing everything I could see, trying to use every unit to an effect, and in SC2 all the same principles apply. If you come from say, an FPS background, getting used to the flow of the game and importance of above will take a long time. Understanding what you are doing and why is the key to becoming a better player, and people who have played previous RTS's know how to go through the learning curve.
How did you find the switch from SC1 to SC2? What things were you already prepared for and which things did you need to do a lot of work on?
I was prepared for the style of the game. I did of course briefly play beta as Terran. There are a lot of differences, but the game is still very similar. Expanding is key, harassment is key, there isn't 1 or 2 specific styles, so you have to be ready for anything etc. I wasn't ready for the commitment actually. In BW I never played nearly as much as I could have, and my learning curve was slower, but I did a lot of research on builds, guides etc and just put a mindmap in my head of what to do. In SC2 nothing is really mapped out yet. Things are still being discovered, skill is ever increasing, patches are coming out, so you have to use your own know-how to improve in most cases. I like the challenge ahead.
Do you have practice routines or practice partners, or do you prefer to just mass ladder game? Do you use ladder for finding out new techniques or do you prefer to just refine the ones you know to work?
I don't really have practice routines. I prefer playing custom games, because I can be an anxious person, so if I ladder I dread losing even more. Custom games also leave room for discussion. I generally play the matchup I'm having trouble with, or offrace to see the other side, and that's sort of my routine vs different strategies. I use ladder to put what I learn to the test against a style or person I'm not familiar with, and also try to climb my way up the ladder. I don't really look for techniques, but I do like to refine what I want to work on, and adding on tactics and understanding of what can happen and why it will. My style is nearly set in stone, but I'm still moulding it into a sculpture.
Have you run in to any players on the ladder you thought were particularly good – perhaps giving you an epic game? Are there any players you have developed a rivalry with, and how?
On ladder I haven't vsed too many strong players actually. I've had some hard challenges with various protosses such as Renson, Fenneth, or any protoss who 4 gates on blistering,, terrans such as Pringles () or terrans who are very good at harassing but most of my epic games and rivalries are from custom games. Plexa and Voices are my biggest rivals, Plexa i've known for a long time, and if we played eachothers respective race, we would play probably exactly the same. Voices I've known from BW, and we were always near eachother in skill, but he always got the wins alot of the time. We use the same races in SC2 so the rivalry switched over. My most epic games are a few with them, and 1 with deth (another 'rival', but he moreso helps me alot and i respect him heaps). The replay involved Mech, Neural Parasite, Broodlords, Ultras, BC's, Mass Hydra ZVT. Was a treat to play, but i lost the replay.
Finally, soon the SEA players will have access to the US server – what are your personal thoughts on this and how will it change the competitive SEA landscape of SC2?
I'm not actually too hyped about it as i should be, as I'm happy on the SEA ladder, but lag becomes a huge problem, and the skill, or depth of skill on NA is huge, so I'm looking forward to laddering and customing with alot of them. It may make SEA a bit more of a ghost town, but it will increase skill overall for the better.
The second player is Jimdiddy, a 19 year old Brisbanite without too much of an experience in competitive gaming, but showing strong results on the SC2 ladder as a rare Zerg player. A self-confessed macro player, Jimdiddy seeks to emulate the fear a strong macro Zerg like IdrA puts in his opponents - slowly crushing the life out of them.
Name: Brady "Jimdiddy" Bowcock
Country: Australia
Race: Zerg
AKAs: N/A
History: None competitively.
SC2: 1326 points, 59% win rate.
Where do you see yourself in competitive SC2? Will you be someone who is just a solid ladder player, a dark horse for tournaments, a tournament favourite, or maybe someone who comes up with new strategies?
I don't know really. I've just been playing sc2 for fun tam and haven't really been able to devote that much time to it because on unit. I try some new strategies but I prefer to stick to one main one and try to perfect it against whatever they bring. I guess for the time being I'll just be a fairly solid ladder player but uni holidays are coming up.
You're relatively unknown in the tournament scene but have been doing well on ladder. Do you know many top players that you can practice with or are you just going it on your own for now? Do you use ladder for finding out new techniques or do you prefer to just refine the ones you know to work?
I don't really have that many top players to practice against but when I have a good game on ladder i usually add them and have a few practice games with them. I haven't really entered any tournaments yet, first one was the psi storm and I got demolished because of my lacking ZvZ skills. I find laddering best for refining techniques that work. Practice partners are for new strategies.
Being from Queensland there are a lot of top players from your area, such as KJH, Legionnaire and of course GLaDe. Do you think there is a reason for this that you can see, such as a different attitude towards eSports, better netcafés or a stronger Asian culture influence?
Haha, I seriously have no idea. I just play sc2 from my house and really don't have much idea of the sc2/gaming community here.
As a player without an RTS background, or with a gaming background that does not prepare you for SC2, what were the difficulties that you had to overcome to be counted among some of the better players? What were the hardest parts for you and how did you overcome them?
Ahh I guess the hardest part starting off was my APM. I wanted to do heaps but just couldn't do it all because I was quite slow, but I just watched heaps of my own replays, found what I did wrong and fixed it.
Without a competitive RTS or even gaming background, what is it like on the outside looking in on the game so far with regards to where it is headed in eSports? How does your view differ, do you think, to those with a SC:BW or WC3 background?
Well I think it's headed in the right direction because I think it's great haha, also some good replays can be amazing to watch. However I think a little bit of balancing is needed, mainly just with tanks in mid to late game, but Blizzard is already on top of that.
Finally, soon the SEA players will have access to the US server – what are your personal thoughts on this and how will it change the competitive SEA landscape of SC2?
Well I'm a bit unsure on this. I think I would prefer it to stay as a solid SEA server but they would need to update the servers a bit to reduce the lag. Overall I think access to the US server will be a good thing as it will widen the competition.