Macro? What Macro?

So if you are a Starcraft fan and haven't heard what was put into the Legacy of the Void patch notes last week you obviously have been living under a rock and are also in for a big shock. These are the 3 major macro changes being implemented into Legacy of the Void.

• Chrono boost is being removed
• MULEs are a thing of the past
• Spawn Lava is able to be auto casted and 2 larva instead of 4

So I know what you are thinking this is a complete removal of things that separate the good players from the bad. Are you using your chrono boost effectively? Are you wasting energy by not calling down MULEs? Are you on top of your injects? If you are asking these things you would be right. SO why are they removing them? Well I have two thoughts on why they are doing so.

1) RTS games learning curve is way too high above MOBAs

It is pretty simple. Getting into an RTS and learning how to play with all of the mechanics is 100x more difficult than picking up a MOBA. Not only are you controlling way more units, but you also have to take care of your base, and with those 3 things also manage your races specific macro centred abilities. This is a daunting task for new players and from what I have seen myself turns people away from the game and they go and play MOBAs. Now many of you who know how to play will say this lowers the skill cap and will make the pro scene much less entertaining and competitive in favour of allowing newer players a chance to actually play at a higher level. While I agree this takes away something from the pro scene as anything requiring more skill removed does this does lead into my second point.

2)Game is going to be more Micro focused

If you look at all the new units which have been added they focus on being well micro'd, Micro is something which as the player is more and more skilled becomes more and more important. Blizzard is taking the risk that people enjoy micro battles much more than they do macro ones and if you were asking me I would agree with them. Micro games while stressful for the player are much more exciting to watch then someone who can spend and allocate their minerals correctly. While Macro is still important in this type of situation micro is key and will be winning games.

If this is Blizzards thinking I applaud them for it. If they just want to get more players playing and are not thinking of the entertainment value of the game then I would be a sad panda. I do though have confidence they are doing the right thing for the long run of the game. Sure it will be a change, but you forget all of these things existed this way in Brood War.