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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, June 22, 2013

TvZ: Hellbat/Marauder Opening

If you've played any TvZ at all recently, you'll know and be irritated by the current meta where Zerg just makes a lot of units early and tries to kill you; and when you're going 3CC double Ebay, you'll probably die to it a lot, especially the well-executed ones - even if you scout it because you just won't have the infrastructure or unit count to stop it. Recently the Korean pro Terrans like Flash and Ryung have been opening with a sick new comp that looks really solid against heavy Zerg pressure.

You open like you would open with 3CC, BUT instead of getting the 3rd CC and early double Ebays, you throw down an earlier 2nd gas (around when the factory starts) and an extra 2 rax. When the factory finishes you start an Armory and port. You still get out 2-4 Hellions (for scouting/harass) before you start Hellbat production for drops.

10 supply
14 CC
15 rax
16 gas
18 Marine (SCVs cut for a few seconds to avoid supply cap)
19 2x OC
20 Bunker and 2nd Marine
@150 gas, fac and reactor on rax

Your mid-game infrastructure will end up being:
1 rax reac
2 rax tlab (it can vary here, you can also go 2rax reac/1rax tlab)
1 fac reac
1 port reac
1 ebay (after port)

Because you delay the 3rd CC and upgrades, this build allows you to push out more units, and what better to help hold all-ins than an early Hellbat/Marauder combo (let's face it, even with bunkers Marines and Hellions still don't cut it sometimes) into MMM/H which then lets you pressure/kill even if they didn't all-in because the push hits so much faster than normal that they'll be forced to make a lot of units to hold it, and because they'll still be on low-tech assuming they took a 3rd, there really is no unit combination (as long as you micro against the banes) that will be cost-efficient in stopping it.

* This build can still transition into a normal bio-mine composition, it is just not as greedy as 3CC
* Finish your natural wall around 6:00, this is when ling speed normally finishes

Replay: http://www.gamereplays.org/starcraft2/replays.php?game=33&show=details&id=284204
This game was a wash, it was my first attempt at that Hellbat/Marauder opening before I could find the actual BO, so I did it wrong. I would've probably held with the normal 3CC as well. I haven't had much time to ladder, I'll get better replays later.

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