EPT![[image loading]](http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii129/neoalbert/Cheese.jpg)
Guide to Cheese
Undoubtedly the general populace's most hated aspect of Starcraft, cheese is a glorious artform passed down from generation to generation. Existing from the very roots of Starcraft itself, it has slowly evolved into less and less commonly used strategies, yet, when performed well by the pros of today, it is splendid to behold. Even though the glory days of cheese are over in Brood War, it is beginning anew with Starcraft II. Sadly, it is not recognized as an art by the likes of many higher level players. Especially he who must not be named. I'm sure you know him. He is the bane of all who consider them cheesers. Our mortal enemy. If you encounter him, show him no mercy, for he shall show you none. And always remember, if he says something to you, reply with one word.
"Cheese."
If he continues talking to you, repeat.
"Cheese."
Continue until he is a jiggling blob of jello.
At any rate, if you are reading this guide, then it is acknowledgement that you wish to learn the art of cheese. Student, if you wish to learn, then you must say to yourself, "Cheese is my life. Cheese is my Starcraft. I am cheese incarnate." Repeat that to incantation every day before breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you will slowly come to an understanding of how we work .To put it simply, you are reading this guide because YOU WANT (TO LEARN) CHEESE.
Now, step back for a moment, and ponder why cheese is good. If you never cheese, then the standard play would become 12 nex in PvT Brood War. It forces your opponent to be wary of certain strategies. Steers them away from economically greedy builds and instead sends them to standard play. This means you should not cheese every game, but learn to use it. It is a good skill toi have, especially in a BoX series. Having a reputation for cheese (as I myself do within sc2gg circles) nudges players ever closer to a less economically oriented style of play against you. Of course, that does little good in a quick match on b.net. Unless you are in a losing streak in which case, you can cheese and just get a quick win to get you back on track.
![[image loading]](http://www.uploads.gaming-resources.com/files/494_kswg3/Mouse.jpg)
This is you
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Basic Cheeses
To start off, you must first learn a simple cheese for each race. Liquipedia is a great source for finding one you like. Once you have one, practice it, and then put it within your arsenal. Here are some examples.
Cauthonluck Cheese
An interesting strategy I first saw while watching a Day[9] daily, it is a Terran vs Zerg strategy where you can get extremely early Banshees while sacrificing early defence and economy. Banshees can defeat queens 1on1 so are quite effective at harass if the Zerg player is not prepared. Because banshees are so effective against ground, as long as you deal a decent amount of damage, the strategy is simple to transition out of. Also, Banshees are kickass.
- 10 - Refinery
- 11 - Barracks at Choke Point
- 11 - Factory at Choke Point
- 11 - Orbital Command
- 11 - @Factory 100% Starport
- 11 - Tech Lab on Barracks (switch with Starport when complete)
- 11 - Supply Depot
Have a few marines to defend any early zerglings poke ins and to chase away the scouting overlord. You can find more information on Liquipedia here. Definitely give it a try as Terran.
Cannon Rush
The classic protoss cheese that has been passed down from brood war down to Starcraft 2. My favourite iteration would be the Korhal Cannon rush from pimpest plays. Here's a picture.
![[image loading]](http://sclegacy.com/features/pp/pp04/images/pp04_cannonrush.jpg)
The beauty of the strategy is that even if a pylon is destroyed, you can immediately rebuild it with the probe, preventing units from entering once again. This was magnificent cheese. I do recall that you can do it on a more recent map, but the name of which exact map escapes me for the moment. Also, laughing at the enemy probes or SCVs as they break down a pylon only to have another pylon warped in in the exact same place is very entertaining.
The more recent version of the cannon rush takes place in Starcraft 2. Viable against all races, it is a staple build of any man who calls himself a cheeser. It is described in great detail in this thread by rathe in his amazing guide. In short, you make a forge within your main and a pylon in your opponent's main base. If possible, hide your probe and proxy pylon. Then, cannon to your heart's content (you should limit yourself to four cannons max though). It works quite similarly to its Brood War ancestor, and is a relatively simple cheese to pull off.
6 pool
The classic Zerg Rush. The descendant of the 4 pool build from Brood war, the "build no drones, make spawning pool, spam lings" build remains unchanged except the supply at what you make it at. The simplest and some would say the greatest cheese build of all, it is the easiest of all strategies to pull off, and yet you can defeat pros with it. Here, I'll list the build order.
- 6 pool
- 5 drone
- Spam zerglings
An interesting alternative is the SC2 5 pool. The key to the build is killing off one of your initial drones ASAP. Afterwards, proceed with mining. The build is almost unstoppable as the lack of workers will boost your confidence if you think of it in reverse of what it actually is. The more workers you kill off, the stronger the build would be. The ultimate, 0 pool, has yet to be achieved by any mortal.
Expanding your repetoire
Using one build repeatedly can become boring. Obviously, you want to mix in some standard play into the mix every now and then. Additionally, learning more chees builds is excellent if you wish to play Starcraft to its fullest extent. These three builds listed are only part of a huge collection of cheeses. Never be afraid to experiment in-game. You want to try a speedling runby build? Try it. Like it? Perfect it. Once you have a handle on many different cheeses, you will be nigh unstoppable.
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Make your own
The eventual finale that all cheesers build to is making your own cheese. To name a beautiful strategic build after yourself. Cauthonluck has already done such. You could be next
Creating a cheese is not as difficult as it sounds. Simply choose an unusual unit or upgrade, and use it in the way the opponent least expects. For example, in Brood War, there was a period in TvP where the Terran assumed that the Protoss would have around a dozen dragoons. Hence, they would expand with four or so tanks and a vulture or two. The cheese I devised against this is the 3 gate speedlot rush. If hidden properly, the rush can be devastating to your opponent and has an almost 100% chance of working. Even better, if you can manipulate your opponent's scout, you can make it seem like you are going for a Dark Templar rush.
You can make your own cheese by a similar method. Perhaps you want to take advantage of a Protoss's lack of high tech units after a 2gate. Once he has a forge up and cannons, maybe you can produce hydralisks fast enough to break through and win like in the classic hydra bust build of Brood War? Obviously, it's not likely as the hydralisk den has been moved to the Lair, but thinking of the possibilities and testing of these techniques can lead to the most brilliant strategies.
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Conclusion
Fellow cheesemakers, you may find yourself in times of hardship, when every all-in you try ends up repelled and defeated. It is during these times where you must never give up. Ask your opponent, "Who the hell do you think I am?" Shout your self-confidence. Say that you're going for a 6 pool to your opponent, and go for a bunker rush.
If you wish, you may perform wordplay while performing your cheese. "You think your 1000+ 1on1 league points can do anything? I HAVE CHEESE! YOU DON'T!" Something along those lines will rattle your foe. If they respond with their own words, laugh at how they try to downplay the greatness of your "strategic play". If you are not good at such things, simply imagine their words as, "Oh my god, you're so cool! Astounding is your spectacularity!" and such.
Never lose faith my fellow cheesers. Remember, it is an art form to perfect and master. Go beyond the impossible and kick standard play to the curb. Believe in you, who believes in yourself. Face forward proudly, for you have the ability to defeat the best players in the world (1/100 times).
P.S. Ironically, I never cheese in my quick match games.
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