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AIIDE 2023 - what Dragon learned

Once the opening build is over, Dragon adapts to the opponent’s unit mix and many of its games start to look similar. Nevertheless, the opening makes a big difference in how the game comes out.

The “dirty worker rush” is a late rush with a lot of SCVs. You have to be ready for it, but if you are, it’s easy to beat.


#1 bananabrain

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe415%2271
2rax bio270%5260
2rax mech464%0279
bio454%1282
dirty worker rush260%3203
mass vulture547%6281
siege expand4812%4286
7 openings2876%

#2 stardust

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe6010%6271
2rax bio287%3272
2rax mech7813%0288
bio457%2266
dirty worker rush250%5268
mass vulture274%4253
siege expand260%1276
7 openings2898%

It’s surprising that adding a second barracks was best against Stardust. I imagine the extra firepower was good against the first protoss attack.


#3 purplewave

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe825%5268
2rax bio50%1201
2rax mech50%0136
bio20256%9287
dirty worker rush50%8263
mass vulture5853%2205
siege expand50%3204
7 openings28851%

#4 steamhammer

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe80%1282
2rax bio1010%0149
2rax mech2516%2227
bio4025%5278
dirty worker rush17144%4287
mass vulture2421%6209
siege expand1010%3132
7 openings28834%

That SCV rush! Reading through Dragon’s game history file, you can practically see the two learning systems dueling. Dragon loses a string of games - it finds that the SCV rush works - before long Steamhammer switches builds to beat it - Dragon notices and searches for an opening to exploit weaknesses in Steamhammer’s answer - and so on. Steamhammer knows about fast worker rushes, but doesn’t have a special reaction to late worker rushes. It underestimates the danger of the SCVs. Dragon and WillyT are the only opponents that take advantage.


#5 mcrave

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe90%7279
2rax bio6954%5262
2rax mech11840%10288
bio2326%6178
dirty worker rush2114%2265
mass vulture2421%1169
siege expand2516%0276
7 openings28935%

McRave copes with the SCV rush, so Dragon settles on mainstream builds.


#6 microwave

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe1030%1280
2rax bio1828%10161
2rax mech812%15249
bio60%0272
dirty worker rush1547%8285
mass vulture22450%6281
siege expand50%7106
7 openings28644%

Microwave would likely have done much better if it coped with the vultures better.


#8 ualbertabot

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe4386%85289
2rax bio10%00
2rax mech650%71137
bio7684%386
dirty worker rush6988%58286
mass vulture6986%88287
siege expand2665%1219
7 openings29083%

#9 infestedartosis

openinggameswinsfirstlast
1rax fe20%109225
2rax bio1250%2228
2rax mech540%80223
bio650%108288
dirty worker rush2568%0224
mass vulture22685%6289
siege expand1457%112209
7 openings29078%

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