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Hi, I am a casual Starcraft 2 Terran player in top 8 Masters, that watches the GSL, MLG, Dreamhack, IEM, and most big tourneys which feature top-tier Koreans. My Terran openings and builds are highly influenced by Korean players as I love watching their crisp play and sick timings. I believe opening build orders should be well-planned with tight timings for optimal supply. My favorite Terran players are currently KTFlash, ST_Bomber, IMMVP, and MVPKeen. I like to practice a handful of openings for each match-up over and over again so I can refine my play and timings and know the best responses to deal with and adapt to various situations. Here are my favorite Terran build orders. Here are some of my replays.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

TvZ: 1rax FE into Hellions

Everyone knows the Hellion expand, this is a slight spin to it that is a bit more greedy as you go CC after rax, then rush to factory, but more economical. I've always wondered about the true viability of CC after rax in TvZ, but MarineKingPrime showcased it brilliantly at MLG Columbus 2012 easing many of my doubts. Especially with the much bigger maps we've been seeing, you are much less likely to die to any sort of early rush.

10 supply
12 rax
15 Marine
16 OC
16 CC
16 gas
17 gas
17 depot
18 Marine
20 Marine
22 reactor (on the barracks)
23 OC
24 bunker
+ switch fac onto reactor ASAP

* There are slight deviations to this build, for example if they send an early drone scout you might want to trap it in with a second depot before CC or deny the scouting. NOTE: Don't worry too much about the supply numbers and hitting things perfectly, as long as you keep on time with the pace of the game you're fine.

EXECUTION: This is a economic variant to the all-to-standard Hellion opener that you might prefer on bigger maps if you aren't going for some 2 base timing. The first few Marines can hold off any Zergling pressure, you still need to scout for the normal Zerg cheese, if they lay an expo you are pretty much safe to anything assuming you react properly, if they do some one base crap, I would probably just not take my gas at all and drop 2 extra rax and some bunkers. There are still a lot of Zergs that get cocky and try to just overrun your Hellions with lings, so I would recommend at least 6 with this build since it becomes insanely cost-inefficient to try to take them out with just speedlings. After the rax is floated off the reactor I generally like to follow it up with a tech lab, a 'rauder, and stim assuming I'm not meching. Any Hellion opener is just so amazing in TvZ, you will eventually learn to not die to any Zerg all-ins after enough practice and be able to keep the Hellions alive for so long; which is why it's so amazing in TvZ.

IN GENERAL: I'm undecided on which opener I prefer, the Hellion FE is safer and the Hellions come out so much faster; but as I've said before, as the maps get bigger and Zergs get better, you should not expect to get any drone kills, only contain the Zerg/force units long enough for whatever you're doing. I think CC before fac may eventually become the new standard, the first 2 Hellions pop only 20~30 Blizzard seconds slower. In addition because you take both gasses so early, Unless you want a fast starport/ebay for ups, you can pull 4 SCVs off gas after your fac and reactor are building or you will get a huge gas bank; re-apply later.

Replay 1: http://www.gamereplays.org/starcraft2/replays.php?game=33&show=details&id=262195
Replay 2: http://www.gamereplays.org/starcraft2/replays.php?game=33&show=details&id=263299

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