Day[9], or Sean Plott,as he is sometimes known, has played Starcraft for over 11 years and has been rated as an A+/A player in ICCUP/PGT on multiple accounts over multiple seasons. He also placed first or second at the World Cyber Games (USA) over four consecutive years from 2004 to 2007. Day[9] is noted by many to be the ambassador for eSports in the Western world. Ever since the Starcraft 2 beta Day[9] has presented an instructional video (the Day[9]Daily) which, as he states is:
“Where we learn to be a better gamer” – Sean Plott aka Day[9]
His commentaries are often aimed at higher-level players but there are a few that stand out as particularly helpful for the beginner player, although I highly recommend watching them all. Warning: Make sure you have around 40 minutes to 1 hour to view and fully appreciate the Daily, I recommend watching it whilst eating dinner!
Day[9] now has an official website! – day9.tv
Recommended
Day[9] Daily #132 “Back To Basics” – Highly Recommended
Day[9] discusses the “Mental Checklist”, A virtual to do list that is designed to help make sure that you are always doing something. He then goes on to discuss good keyboard and mouse habits.
Day[9] Daily #208 “Live Coaching With DJWheat”
In this Daily Day[9] coaches DjWheat as he plays an actual match live online. Many players find this Daily particularly helpful as it shows what you should be doing and how you should be making decisions in real time.
Day[9] Daily #168 “Protoss v Terran – Protoss Macro Style”
I found this Daily particularly helpful for playing as Protoss. He discusses builds geared towards economy for Protoss. He then goes on to discuss using your replays to focus on broad sections of your play.
Day[9] Daily #309 “The Right and the Wrong Way to Learn”
In this episode Sean looks at some of the traps that players fall into when trying to improve at SC2. An excellent episode for anyone struggling with ‘mindset’ issues.
The “Newbie Tuesdays”
“Newbie Tuesday is where we take a step back from all the pros and we say – What does it mean to learn all the fundamentals of RTS gameplay” – Sean Plott, Day[9] Daily #289
Day[9] Daily #269 “Newbie Tuesday – How To Get Into SC2!” – Highly Recommended
In this Newbie Tuesday Sean discusses some of the issues newer players have with getting into and enjoying the game. As it’s very much in the theme of this site, I recommend that all new players watch it!
Day[9] Daily #285 “Newbie Tuesday – Stealing a Build” – Highly Recommended
In this Newbie Tuesday Day[9] explains the process of copying another players build and making it your own. I recommend this video for SC2 player.
Day[9] Daily #312 “Newbie Tuesday – How to Learn and Improve”
In this daily Day[9] analyses the attempts of a player to make adjustment to his play over a series of games. This daily is based on Daily #309 “The Right and the Wrong Way to Learn”.
Day[9] Daily #289 “Newbie Tuesday – Refining a Stolen Build”
Continuing on from the previous Newbie Tuesday, Day[9] goes through the process taken by one of his viewers in stealing and refining a build. This one shows how close a Bronze level player can get to the copied players build.
Day[9] Daily #184 “Newbie Tuesday #1” – Highly Recommended
Day[9]’s first episode of his very helpful “Newbie Tuesday” series. In this one Day[9] examines the common mistakes that players from Bronze to Platinum make. He discusses what to focus on and what to not really worry about until you are a top Diamond player.
Day[9] Daily #189 “Newbie Tuesday #2 – Losing to Early Pressure”
In this Newbie Tuesday Day[9] discusses how to avoid losing to early aggression in a variety of match ups. Early aggression can be a problem for many new players, myself included and this Daily is well worth watching.
Day[9] Daily #252 “Newbie Tuesday – Secrets of Hotkeys, APM and Mouse Movement” – Highly Recommended
In a different sort of Daily Day[9] discusses and, more importantly, shows us how to best control the game, where to look and how to play quickly and accurately. This Daily is highly recommended for any player regardless of their level.
Day[9] Daily #257 “Newbie Tuesday – Refining Mechanics” – Highly Recommended
As a follow-up to Daily #252 Day[9] announces that he will do two Newbie Tuesday episodes on refining mechanics. in this episode Day[9] comments on some community submitted replays.
Day[9] Daily #261 “Newbie Tuesday – Refining Mechanics #2” – Highly Recommended
In the second Newbie Tuesday in this series Day[9] comments on community submitted first-person videos. He focuses on the little things you can do that will greatly improve your play.
Are there any Day[9] Dailies that have really helped you but aren’t in this list? If so, contact me and let me know!