EPTRecently, I was fascinated upon reading Sun Tzu's Art of War, especially chapter 11, Nine Terrains, which I could really relate to with SC2. I was intrigued on how two thousand year old text was able to show the reason for terran's imba, and I believe that if we delve deep into the text, we are able to isolate the several key points that make TvZ so OP because of the particular the way that the Terran mechanic uses terrain.
(Btw, this is NOT a QQ thread but rather an objective view on terran imbalance with regard to Sun Tzu's military principles, hopefully upon reading the rest of this you will be able to see the bigger picture, that it's not just about terran's unit X being imba against zerg build Y and nerf it bla bla bla)
Firstly, what is terrain?
Terrain is not simply Terran with an "I" in it, and it is not just the "lie of the land". Terrain encompasses a much bigger picture than that, and can be broken down into 9 different types of terrain, which we will be discussing today.
(Note: With each type of terrain mentioned in Art of war, the definition is given in the first quote box, while the second is Sun Tzu's strategy on how to deal with that particular type of terrain. Anything in a quote box is from the book I have, everything else is me talking.)
1.
When the feudal lords fight in their own territory, it is 'dispersive terrain'
In SC2 terms, the dispersive terrain is one's own base, or any other area that is manipulated by YOU to give YOU the advantage in ATTACKING.
For terran, it is their turtle; for zerg, it is MEANT to be their creep.
Sun Tzu's strat:
On dispersive terrain do not engage the enemy
This is quite obvious especially against terran: you would never want to throw your forces against a turtle or wall. However the same cannot be said for Zerg. Although their dispersive terrain mechanism is meant to be creep, it gives no other obvious benefit (e.g. regen) apart from speed. This causes Terran to have clear advantage in dispersive terrain more than Zerg.
Note also that Terran creates dispersive terrain wherever they deploy tanks/bunkers, while Zerg has to spread their creep from a central location, which is much slower and less mobile.
In BW, Zerg could create dispersive terrain by using Dark Swarm, but since it was removed, another arm of the Zerg's limited arsenal has been cut off.
2.
When they enter someone else's territory, but not deeply, it is 'light terrain'.
Light terrain can be defined as one's expo, ramp or static D range, i.e. not deep in the enemy's main.
Sun Tzu's strat:
On light terrain do not stop.
This is all very well for Terran, as all they have to do is walk pass the Zerg's choke, while it is virtually impossible for Zerg to move past Terran's light terrain because of the wallin.
In terms of units, Terran has several early game units that can quite easily waltz pass the Zerg's light terrain area, while lings just fail against walls & bunks.
3.
If when we occupy it, it will be advantageous to us while if they occupy it, it will be advantageous to them, it is 'contentious terrain'
This is defined as areas which can give either player profit or benefit, e.g. gold expos & Xel'Naga Watchtowers.
Sun Tzu's strat:
On contentious terrain do not attack.
As mentioned before, Terrans can manipulate terrain to their advantage, especially by deploying tanks in those central contentious areas near watchtowers. However, the current map pool has these contentious terrains set as easily accessible areas, or travesible terrain (see point 4).
4.
When we can go and they can also come, it is 'traversable terrain'
Continuing from before, traversable terrain is any area that is open and easily accessible. Traversable terrain is Zerg's bread and butter, as they need nice big spaces to perform good surrounds etc. However, as mentioned earlier Blizzard seems to have combined contentious terrain and traversable terrain in current ladder maps to create Xel'Naga Watchtowers and gold expos (notice how both are usually easily accessible?). This means death for any Zerg who attacks contentious terrain held by Terrans, despite the need for Zerg to attack in traversable terrain.
Sun Tzu strat:
On traversable terrain do not allow your forces to become isolated
Terran manages to break this principle by allowing their forces to just chill near watchtowers/center of map and still come out on top because of the range of Terran units (i.e. siege tanks 13 range, vikings 9 range, massive sight given by watchtowers)
5. Focal terrain (not applicable in SC2, as it deals with alliances)
6.
When one penetrates deeply into enemy territory, bypassing numerous cities, it is 'heavy terrain'
In SC2 terms, it is pushing/attacking deep into enemy base, bypassing many expos. Because of Zerg's lack of wallins, nearly any push from Terran can easily progress from light to heavy terrain. Besides that, Terran has a plethora of options to chose from when doing drops/pushes into the enemy base (e.g. MMM drop, ghost drop, thor drop, hellion drop, mass ravens etc.). Zerg, however, has only really 3 options: Doom drop, muta harass and Nydus, while all other pushes are not easy because of terran turtle. Muta and nydus is easily countered by terran, while doom drops, although sometimes successful, but failure in a doom drop will put the zerg behind in supply and larvae.
Sun Tzu's strat:
On heavy terrain plunder for provisions.
Sun Tzu says this because ofter, when an army is deep in enemy territory, there will be no/little supply from the outside. Terran again breaks this principle with medivacs and SCVs, which heal and repair and army to full health extremely quickly. Zerg, however, have no such liberty, and can't even use queen transfusion properly because of their lack of ms outside of creep.
7.
Where there are mountains and forests, ravines and defiles, wetlands and marshes, wherever the road is difficult to negotiate, it is 'entrapping terrain'.
Anywhere that slows an army down. For Zerg, it is evident especially for hydra roach armies that anywhere without creep is, relatively speaking, entrapping terrain. For hydras, off creep speed is so slow even with the upgrade that it is hard to get good surrounds with mass hydra.
Also, terran have the benefit of stimming that levels the playing field even on creep.
Sun Tzu's strat:
On entrapping terrain, move through quickly.
Zerg's fungal growth ability is meant to create entrapping terrain for terran balls, but because every terran unit is ranged, they do not even have to move through quickly to continue attacking.
Besides that, marauders' concussive shells create entrapping terrain by slowing targets, another sign that terran are masters at terrain manipulation.
8.
Where the entrance is constricted, the return is circuitous, and with a small number they can strike our masses, it is 'encircled terrain'.
The Terran turtle/wall literally SCREAMS encircled terrain. Wallin the ramp, put down some bunkers and turrets, deploy some tanks (which are the units implied in "small number they can strike our masses" with siege splash) and suddenly the terran's main becomes a virtual fortress of encircled terrain.
Sun Tzu's strat:
On encircled terrain use strategy.
Zerg chokes are unable to create half-decent encircled terrain situations, and thus Terrans can scrap this advice of using strategy and simply 1a2a3a to victory. For Zerg, they really have to exert all their tactics and strategy just to break a choke with bling bombs, hydra/roach spread to reduce tank splash, muta sniping tanks/ghosts, infestor micro etc, while at the same time having to be the macro intensive race that Zerg is, or else Zerg will fall behind on eco.
9.
Where if one fights with intensity he will survive but if he does not fight with intensity he will perish, it is 'fatal terrain'
Immediately my thoughts went to stim. What better way is there to "fight with intensity to survive" than stim?
Sun Tzu's strat:
On fatal terrain engage the enemy.
For Terran this is logical: stim --> a-click.
For Zerg, they do not have any skills or abilities that swing DPS in their favour in the heat of battle, only mediocre ups. Even Protoss has guardian shield that lowers enemy DPS, increasing their own effective DPS.
Conclusion
Hopefully you are still alive after this lengthy, lengthy wall of text, but hopefully this has quite definitely CONFIRMED TvZ imbalance, that it is just not a matter of stronger units but the ability of Terran to manipulate the terrain to give them the advantage. Of course there are other issues with rushes, scouting and timings, but the main thing here is that Terran has the upper hand in any army clash as Zerg are unable to manipulate terrain anymore with the removal of Dark Swarm and the REAL Queen, as well as the current map pool which disfavors Zerg.
