I just completed the most insane journey...

This is in the top 10 of the most rewarding experiences in my life.

I went from rank Rookie 1 to Master.

And it was HARD

I'm a one-trick, Chun-Li is all I've ever known. The experience taking her from being a know-nothing beginner to moderately competent in such an intense fighting game was a rollercoaster.

The early ranks were frustrating, I was being game-ended by the scrubbiest of things, falling for every mind game in the book, and riding on the worst execution. I persisted.

Gold was when the game started to feel natural and I finally got some combos. They were inconsistent and messy, but ultimately got me through. I was very much carried by the win-streaks down there, I feel I wasn't really ready for Gold until I was around platinum 3 rank.

Platinum was a ride. Don't clown me, but I actually have a hole in my wall from the rage that got me there. It's poetic, really, the same day I broke my wall, I also tore down a wall in my progression and made it into platinum. I was really proud of myself.

I don't really get that way anymore, but rest assured I have a punching bag now :)

Plat took a very long time. I was being left in the dust by aggressive play and my defense wasn't good enough, and I didn't have the game knowledge I needed to handle it. One of my biggest problems was that I didn't have pressure, no block strings, and constantly used unsafe enders. I was a glutton for punishment. It took a long time to get that important part ingrained, to be brave and close the gap. Once I got pressure under my belt, I finally moved. I found that players couldn't take what they dealt out and would guess wrong a lot. My block strings only got longer and more exhausting for my opponents. I was winning, but the comfort didn't last for long.

Enter Platinum 4.

I was having struggles with Chun's execution barrier, I couldn't move my stick fast enough, and it felt like a massive portion of her stance arsenal was out of my reach. No amount of practice seemed to get me there. Then I bought an all-button controller.

WOW

There was a whole level to her pressure and combo potential that was so freakishly hard to get to because of stick travel time. After the adjustment to all-button, I found myself able to replicate the pros I was watching

(in my dreams)

I could cancel into stance fast enough, and use it in the oppressive and gapless manner it was meant for. I could execute the tougher combos, even in an actual match. I got out of platinum real fast after I switched controllers.

Diamond wasn't as slow, but I had one HUGE obstacle to overcome. Spacing. Poor spacing got me killed. Good as Chun's normals are, they're USELESS if not used properly. You have to be careful. I had a hard time learning to judge my spacing, really utilize my movement, and convert off of hits. I have terrible reaction time, so learning to watch my opponent so intently was the hardest step. I learned what I could get off of a well timed and spaced 4/6MP, and the value of 5HP when you see your opponent wish-punishing. It was a game changer when they buffed that move. The all-button controller gave me the ability to anti-air with tensho kicks, but that wasn't enough. I had to stay moving and make sure I was in-range at all times to catch a jump-in. That was hard, and I'm still not good enough at it. Oh and the jab. I learned to use the jab. It is still, in fact, a war crime.

I gained a lot of great practice with movement by challenging master players in custom room. I would almost always lose, but I left with something every single time.

Once I got halfway into Diamond 3, all of that grinding, raging, and hard, hard work paid off. I started tearing through. I got to diamond 5 so quickly from there. I've felt like I could really get good ever since, like I've finally made it to a point where I have the capacity to really perform with more time and practice.

My final fight before hitting Master was a Ken. A master level Ken. I downloaded him. Truly downloaded him. I still felt sloppy, but I knew what he was gonna do and capitalized on it. I beat him 2-0, it shot up my LP. After collecting a disappointing L from a JP, I faced that same Ken again. Easy 2-0. He handed me a free first-class flight to Master rank. I still feel like I earned it though.

I learned a lot from this experience, about the game of course, but also about myself. I've been a musician for a long time. I knew I was capable of dedication, but having a dangerous bout with mental health that's lasted for a few years now, I haven't been able to see this side of myself in a long time. I stayed on top of it and got there, and I won't forget that I could do it.

For those of you who read all the way through, thank you. Maybe it wasn't the most insightful or educational story about this journey you've read, but it means a lot to me and I appreciate that you cared to listen.

Bird / Kick