Hi friends, thanks for tuning in! You’re probably seeing this on your Reddit feed or were sent this directly, most likely by me, accompanied by a cheeky caption like “one foot in front of the other” or something. Any way you’ve found this, I would kindly ask that you pass this along to someone who you think might (also) be interested.
Day 1 « » Days 3-4
I’ve been studying more than I thought I would.
Before I started playing yesterday, I spent a few hours watching and dissecting a coaching session of a low-ranked Widowmaker player by Spilo on YouTube. Over the years. the platform has provided me both a wellspring of knowledge and wisdom from a diverse group of people and an endless mind-numbing time sink that sucks away my drive and motivation to do anything else (like this), but it’s proved quite useful in this particular use case. Much of the theory behind playing Widowmaker seems to have crystallized years ago, transforming in few big ways as new heroes and maps are slotted into efficient archetypes and disseminated accordingly, but I’ve been able to find engaging, updated perspectives that give old insights a modern look in the wake of perks and map reworks.
This isn’t the first time I annotated a video along this journey either. A week before this challenge began, I watched Raz0r13’s beginner’s guide from early last year and was pleasantly surprised by how comprehensive it was. Other material I’ve gone through was too brief to get in-depth like I wanted and took a lot of prior knowledge for granted, but this one divulged a healthy amount of basic and advanced strategy while still friendly to otherwise experienced players. I recommend giving it a look if you’re interested in the character as I’ve been.
As for applying that knowledge, I’ve still got some way to go.
I went 4-11 yesterday, a marked improvement over the previous day but a record that still illustrates the kind of floor that I’m trying to climb up from. I warmed up with a few Widow Headshot games, starting and stopping a couple of times as I tried to find space for a longer session. Queuing alone for half of my games wasn’t going well for the first four: getting a POTG in a loss on Antarctic Peninsula did little to blunt the pain of a slow steamroll on Colosseo that shook me enough to question how many games I had left in me. But a nail-biter win on Suravasa right after was a much needed refresher, helping my team win tough fights with a couple key picks on their supports. Two more steamrolls (one on each side) and a cruise-control Nepal win with a POTG on Shrine took me to another break, coming back to queue with the same friend from before.
After losing our first three, I was confronted with a new obstacle: my teammate picking Widowmaker first. I sat stunned on the character select screen, not sure what to do except politely ask for the switch. My friend tried to leverage this challenge for me but, with no response, I picked Ashe at the last second and got stuck with her all game. I did very well with a great team, assauging my fears that the skills I’m learning here wouldn’t transfer, but it’s a wrench in my strict “only play Widowmaker” gameplan that I’m ashamed to admit I wasn’t prepared for. We only won one game in our last four, each picking up a POTG in losses along the way, closing out on an easy win attacking Blizzard World with a pitch-perfect Doomfist.
Although I had finished playing late at night, I stayed up with a couple of guests well into the wee hours of morning.
Does staying up that long jeopardize my performance in my next games? Yes.
Was it worth it so I could binge season 2 of Smiling Friends? Also yes.
Until next time, I’ll be aim training. Au revoir.
Today’s Record: 4-11
Total Record: 6-23
Total Playtime: 04:17:59