Welcome



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.
Showing posts with label all-in. Show all posts
Showing posts with label all-in. Show all posts

Saturday, June 8, 2013

TvT: Proxy Starport Semi All-In

This is a build I've been doing a lot recently, mainly to counter the current meta of 2rax Reaper openings and Hellbat drops. It does great, at best; and okay, at worst, against other openers as well. It does require that you hit your timings cleanly and get everything out as fast as possible with moderate multitask as well, but it's been feeling really solid overall. It is a semi all-in meaning you have to do some damage or at least slow the other T down or you will be behind.

10 supply
12 rax
13 refinery
15 Reaper
17 OC
* 17 supply
@50 gas, pull out SCVs
18 factory
** 19 refinery
21 supply
23 port
@100% port, tech lab immediately

* After this depot is done, I normally send this SCV to the proxy location, and unless the map is huge like Whirlwind, it should get there in time. If it's a map like Bel'Shir Vestige, you may want to send a different SCV earlier around the long way so it doesn't get scouted.

** When this is done, take one SCV from the other gas so you have a 2/2 split on gasses.


EXECUTION: I like to put my first two marines at the most obvious Reaper spot, but that might mean you don't cover the ramp - personal preference. Around the time the second rine pops is when a 12/12 Reaper will hit your base, it's important you micro against it and keep your rines together. If they are doing mass Reaper, once you start getting picked off, there is this snowball effect where you can just straight up die to it, but I guarantee you this build should not die to it (non-proxied) if you are hitting your production correctly because the 1st Hellion will pop in time.

If they are going mass Reaper, you can sit at home with your ground army and let the proxy Banshee do the work OR you can split your army, leaving a few units at home + production reinforcements to defend Reapers (you can always pull some SCVs) OR you can send your entire army towards his base if you've killed some Reapers and/or you're confident he went home with them. If there hasn't been more than one Reaper, I move out at 3-4 rines and rally the factory that will maintain constant Hellion production to them.

I suggest always poking into the natural because if he's expo'd you might get some free rines, if there isn't anything at the natural you can risk poking up the ramp to see what he has and possibly attack or wait for the first Banshee. Just make sure your Banshee is rallied near his mineral line. The idea of the ground army is primarly to thin out his Marine forces and only secondarily to draw his attention, you don't need to attack at the same time as the Banshee hits; I generally attack a bit before the Banshee finishes because for Terrans doing Hellbat drops, this is usually their weak time depending on how greedy they've been. Say they have two Hellions out and some rines (which will clearly win), just pull back and concave at their ramp for now waiting for reinforcements, instead of losing your ground army. When the Banshee hits the worker line, work on any advancing Marines before the workers because killing army is good too.

IMPORTANT: If you scout Hellbats, continue the Banshee attacks, don't ever ever send them home. If they manage to get a turret up, scoot around it and pick things off. It's only ever acceptable when they get a Viking out or you can do no more damage. Make a bunker near your mineral line and send back whatever remaining ground forces you have left. Makes marines and a tank. The Hellbats will come before you have time for an Ebay and turret. The bunker buys you time to get a turret up and a standing army that won't melt to Hellbats. Turtle up until you can safely take your natural and play on.

IN GENERAL: This isn't meant to kill the other guy, but it can - it is a technical rush. In any case, I always throw down an eventual expansion, then get a tech lab on the rax (then Stim ASAP) and factory since I like to transition into bio tank when I feel they've held off the ground attack. I also make one Medivac before sending my port back home; however it'll take forever to get back and might get sniped, so I usually start another at home after my core production facilities are done. The build came about as my personal hard counter to mass Reapers when every Terran was doing it. Turned out to be good against Hellbats too and all-around pretty decent.

Replay: http://www.gamereplays.org/starcraft2/replays.php?game=33&show=details&id=283586

Friday, March 9, 2012

TvT: 1-1-1 3reaper 1hellion Cloak Banshee

Although it has been around for a while, it was when I saw  oGs_Supernova do it at the IEM Season VI World Championship at Hannover when I really got interested enough to try it. This is still a relatively new build that I've been doing, but I have been having great success with it, especially against fast expand builds. It is insanely aggressive and very micro-intensive, you have to be so careful to continue macroing properly while executing this build.

10 supply
11 gas
13 rax
16 tech lab
16 OC
16 Reaper
17 fac
18 gas (2nd)
20 Reaper
22 supply
22 Hellion
24 port
+ swap port with rax ASAP and begin Banshee/Cloak

Immediately at the end of this build order you will have around 400 minerals and no gas (this may vary a bit), I usually drop the Command Center at this time, however there is always the option to go ahead and one-base all-in or build a bunker and some Marines to be safe and get a later Command Center.

EXECUTION: This is a very very micro-intensive build that is optimal on Reaper-friendly maps such as Tal'Darim or Shattered Temple and can not be afforded sloppy control. The are many ways to execute your attacks from this build, I like to pop up with with first Reaper to scout, see what I can do, then get it out alive. Once your Hellion pops you can opt to attack, even up the ramp if they don't have a bunker or simply use the Hellion on lower ground to cover Reapers up on higher ground - you can be really creative with this, the idea is do kill as many Marines as possible for the Cloak Banshee follow-up that can do massive economic damage. IMPORTANT: Killing an SCV building something is great because it slows down the other Terran's tech/production.


IN GENERAL: This build can transition into anything: bio, mech, sky Terran, as it ends with the infrastructure for any; however, you are very light on units early on since you tech up so quickly and go gas first. This shouldn't be too much of a problem since your Reapers/Hellion should control the map early on and your Cloak Banshees that follow (build at least 2). Although this is a very aggressive build that usually causes a player to be overly passive, you should always play a reactionary game and be mindful of counter attacks. Also, a well-executed proxy 2rax can outright kill any gas first opening, especially this one since you skip the first marine for the faster tech lab.