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.

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

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