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Random musing about TvZ

Blogs > Caller
Post a Reply
Caller
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Poland8075 Posts
February 06 2009 16:58 GMT
#1
I've always wondered why Terrans don't keep a half squad or so of mnm off to the side away from their ball. Because lurkers are hideously vulnerable to being flanked by mnm, especially when their ling support is gone. So recently I've tried to keep a squad or so of mnm away from the rest of my ball, at the very least to force zerg to waste time to burrow and try to kill them off while I set up my main force into a better reception for a welcoming committee. I find that my optimal size for an mnm group is 12 marine + 4 medic, which can do absolutely ludicrous amounts of damage to a zerg force, especially because mnm is so mobile and can run away (until ultras). Not to mention that you can also use them to stop expo attempts and defend ramps from lurkers being burrowed on top indefinitely, snipe overlords, cut off zerg defiler reinforcements, etc.

I would show screenshots but my scx appears to be broken T_T

Note: this will not work well at all against ultralisks.

**
Watch me fail at Paradox: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=397564
Durak
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
Canada3685 Posts
February 06 2009 17:05 GMT
#2
I think it's because it would take a lot of skill to pull off. A group of 12 rines and 4 medics can pretty much kill any small-medium zerg force if micro'd properly and not flanked. The problem is that you'd need to micro a lot of groups carefully. The other thing is that you'd need to split up your vessels and with a lot of small forces, your vessels would be vulnerable. My opinion anyway.
Caller
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Poland8075 Posts
February 06 2009 17:13 GMT
#3
On February 07 2009 02:05 Durak wrote:
I think it's because it would take a lot of skill to pull off. A group of 12 rines and 4 medics can pretty much kill any small-medium zerg force if micro'd properly and not flanked. The problem is that you'd need to micro a lot of groups carefully. The other thing is that you'd need to split up your vessels and with a lot of small forces, your vessels would be vulnerable. My opinion anyway.


wait why would you spread vessels from your ball

scan ftw it's not like u'll be trying to bust a large formation of lurkers. One or two lurkers, maybe 3 depending on their positioning, is all the squad will face at a time... which shouldn't require more than one scan.
Watch me fail at Paradox: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=397564
Saracen
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
United States5139 Posts
February 06 2009 17:27 GMT
#4
because it's hard to flank a flank?
seriously i think it could a good idea though
Artosis *
Profile Blog Joined June 2004
United States2140 Posts
February 06 2009 17:30 GMT
#5
theres no situation this would be good for in a standard high level tvz.

if you have a group off to one side, they only need to attack this group instead of your main group, and it will die so fast u will wonder why in the hell you didn't have it with ur army. also theres lots of pressuring back and forth with marine medic vs lurker armies, and it would be impossible to keep the other group in a good location relative to where everything else is.

in addition to this, if you go for a marine medic style play vs zerg, you are not on the defense. you are attacking. they will meet you at expansions or when you get out of position.
Commentatorhttp://twitter.com/Artosis
Caller
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Poland8075 Posts
February 06 2009 17:51 GMT
#6
On February 07 2009 02:30 Artosis wrote:
theres no situation this would be good for in a standard high level tvz.

if you have a group off to one side, they only need to attack this group instead of your main group, and it will die so fast u will wonder why in the hell you didn't have it with ur army. also theres lots of pressuring back and forth with marine medic vs lurker armies, and it would be impossible to keep the other group in a good location relative to where everything else is.

in addition to this, if you go for a marine medic style play vs zerg, you are not on the defense. you are attacking. they will meet you at expansions or when you get out of position.


The terran ball itself is not very mobile, as tanks are pretty slow and marines have to be at he same speed in order to avoid splitting up the ball. A group of mnm is fast and can run away pretty easily. If they do chase the small group, then your main ball can go ahead and attack without fear of an army flanking them as you now know the position of an enemy force (chasing your small ball). A group of well managed mnm (12 marine 4 medic) can shred most small-medium zerg groups with impunity, so it would have to be quite a large force chasing the marines. If they give up chasing and head to flank your ball, you know exactly where they're coming from and now the small group can go flank the flankers.

Take everybody's standard map, Python, for example. If you are pressuring a base, the middle of a map would be a good place for the group to hide. If they are attacked, they can run pretty much everywhere. It is also hard to flank them, as they are in the middle and it would require quite a commitment to flank this force. So while your ball is attacking, rather than saving up for a new ball you grab the next two production cycles of marines and tell them to keep slightly behind the ball from expected avenues of flanking. On a map like blue storm, a good place for this group would be that staircase above/below the raised platform, depending on where you are. That way, if your force gets attacked, that group can rush in and flank an enemy group, splitting the lurker fire and basically raping the enemy force. i.e.
flankers
enemy ball enemy flankers

Even if you lose the flanking group, a head on fight between zerg and terran midgame armies almost always results in a terran victory.
Watch me fail at Paradox: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=397564
Cloud
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Sexico5880 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-02-06 20:54:15
February 06 2009 20:52 GMT
#7
This can work as long as youre 100% sure theyre only going to face the flank and not the main army (so spliiting them is a split second decision when the zergs attack is about to hit you), however, keeping your main army a bit spread is enough, having a big distance between groups will make them really vulnerable, maybe will fuck up with what a newbies expectations but any other will just see that group as a gift.

This "they can run everywhere" argument only happens against zergs with shitty micro or a bad unit composition, especially when facing much bigger armies.

A group of unhotkeyed mnm will not shred through anything special against a hotkeyed zerg army.

Not to mention, now you have 1 more place to pay attention to, that makes you more vulnerable to spells.
BlueLaguna on West, msg for game.
Durak
Profile Blog Joined January 2008
Canada3685 Posts
February 07 2009 02:20 GMT
#8
On February 07 2009 02:13 Caller wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 07 2009 02:05 Durak wrote:
I think it's because it would take a lot of skill to pull off. A group of 12 rines and 4 medics can pretty much kill any small-medium zerg force if micro'd properly and not flanked. The problem is that you'd need to micro a lot of groups carefully. The other thing is that you'd need to split up your vessels and with a lot of small forces, your vessels would be vulnerable. My opinion anyway.


wait why would you spread vessels from your ball

scan ftw it's not like u'll be trying to bust a large formation of lurkers. One or two lurkers, maybe 3 depending on their positioning, is all the squad will face at a time... which shouldn't require more than one scan.


I somehow took your "split a small force off from ball" as splitting your entire army up into small groups. If you do that then you'd probably want a vessel with each group and you'd be more likely to lose them.
Caller
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Poland8075 Posts
February 07 2009 04:10 GMT
#9
On February 07 2009 11:20 Durak wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 07 2009 02:13 Caller wrote:
On February 07 2009 02:05 Durak wrote:
I think it's because it would take a lot of skill to pull off. A group of 12 rines and 4 medics can pretty much kill any small-medium zerg force if micro'd properly and not flanked. The problem is that you'd need to micro a lot of groups carefully. The other thing is that you'd need to split up your vessels and with a lot of small forces, your vessels would be vulnerable. My opinion anyway.


wait why would you spread vessels from your ball

scan ftw it's not like u'll be trying to bust a large formation of lurkers. One or two lurkers, maybe 3 depending on their positioning, is all the squad will face at a time... which shouldn't require more than one scan.


I somehow took your "split a small force off from ball" as splitting your entire army up into small groups. If you do that then you'd probably want a vessel with each group and you'd be more likely to lose them.

you don't need a vessel with each group. It's not a seperate task force, its just there as a defensive precaution.
Watch me fail at Paradox: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=397564
FakeSteve[TPR]
Profile Blog Joined July 2003
Valhalla18444 Posts
February 07 2009 12:04 GMT
#10
people don't do this because zerg is dangerous

you can't claim too much real estate with your army or you will meet savage resistance

marines are much stronger when theyre all together, that's why people run from lurkers or spread during an attack. having a little group off to the side is practically asking to lose one of those two groups to a skilled zerg player

of course, you're not always going to lose them. sometimes it'll work out nicely, but the threat to your survival is very real so people tend to do what's safer out in the field
Moderatormy tatsu loops r fuckin nice
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