After a random twitter conversation with LiquidJinro, he brought up something that is not talked about enough, but is awesome and true.

Basically what Jinro brought up was the fact that the Prime Terrans learned the game in phases. If you look back at MarineKing, Polt, and to a lesser extent, Maru, they started out extremely cheesy. NesTea didn’t even get to make a Mutalisk in the season 2 finals against MKP, because he forced the issue before then. Polt used the first 1-1-1 ever seen on GOM, during Open Season 1. Both, after being “1 base wonders”, became known for their unit control and aggression. They still are, but both can finally play huge macro games. Neither player really has a big hole in any time period in the game.

They learned the game in phases. This CAN BE (but isn’t always) a great way to learn the game.

Pros of starting out cheesy:

- You learn early unit interactions very thoroughly.

When you are only using small amounts of units, you will quickly learn what they are capable of, which brings us to our next pro…

- Your micro management improves greatly.

When you have so little to do other than use the units you have to kill your opponent, you figure out exactly how to use them.

- You get more games in.

Your games on average will be shorter, and for that reason, you will play more games on average than other players.

- You learn what is actually possible.

When you start to play longer games, you already know what rushes can and cannot kill, saving you time with worthless strategies.

Cons of starting out cheesy:

- It’s easy.

Con?!?!?! But isn’t that a good thing?!?! No. Your base mechanics won’t grow as quickly as someone trying to do more difficulty economy/macro builds. You will also pick up a lot of wins. Much more easily than other styles. This is what happens to most players who start out cheesy. When they try to switch styles and level up, wins come less often, which many times leads them to believe its better to stay cheesy. Sorry folks, you will fade away if you do that!

It is a great way to learn, but isn’t for everyone. Infact, when the beta came out, much to many people’s surprise, I did 1 base rushes every game for about 2-3 weeks or so. (I was known in sc1, and now again in sc2, as a player who only practices macro styles.) It’s an amazing way to get a firm foundation of the early game and build upon it. Be careful though, I’m not even really being cheeky about the “cons” part of this article. You have to expand upon it.

Btw, follow Jinro on twitter. Http://www.twitter.com/LiquidJinro – he gave me the inspiration to write this!