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This guide has no fancy units, no fancy tactics, no "holy shit wow" element. It's more of an optimization/timing guide focusing on strong fundamentals. Many of its essential elements are adapted from FlaSh's BW TvZ build. This is hands down THE most economical and safe FE build, beaten only by Naked 15 CC. I use it almost exclusively in my Masters TvZ games. This build prepares you for the age-old BW TvZ adage:
TvZ is a war of attrition - the side that trades units most cost-effectively in the long run wins the game.
To accomplish this goal, the play-style utilizes the following:
1. Fast infantry upgrades, with 3/3 before 18-19 minutes, 2/2 by around 16 minutes.
2. Constant aggression starting at the 9:30 mark, starting with a very strong Marine Marauder stim/combat shield/+1 timing that hits right before the standardmutas, burrowed banelings, and infestor timings. The latter two is what ruined 4OC - as they make zerg units extremely cost effective.
3. Similar economy strength to that of 3OC, but with only 2OCs!
4. Transition into Marine Marauder Medivac Tank while taking a 3rd.
5. Unlike BW - You cannot stop Marine Marauder with 2/3Hatch muta. If Z makes fast mutas - he will die miserably to the first push.
Requirements:
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1. Solid marine/marauder splitting skills, your first 1-2 pushes will be heavy bio focused. Practice Marine Split Challenge and Marine Tank Challenge. You need to be able to pull back your marines and letting your marauders tank the damage.
2. Strong macro - being able to manage 5+ rax, 2+ fact, and 1 port production consistently.
3. Game sense & scouting - knowing when to hit the zerg's 3rd, when you are ahead, when you need to push, when you sit back and turtle.
For these reasons this build is recommended for Masters level and higher.
Early Game (0-9 minutes):
Build
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10 Depot (bottom ramp)
12 Rax[1] (bottom ramp, do not make marines until 18 supply)
16 CC
17 Depot
19 OC (your starting CC)
20 Gas
21 Rax[2]
23 OC (your second CC)
24 Rax[3]
26 Tech Lab on Rax[2]
@100 Gas - Stim
31 Depot
34 Tech Lab on Rax[3]
@100 Gas - Combat Shield
35+ Bunker@Nat / Lift OC and land at Nat (no later than 7:30).
Choice:
Ebay then Rax[4] (Faster ups)
or
Rax[4] then Ebay (More marines during your first push)
Early Game Goals:
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0. Do not die to 2 base baneling busts
1. Scout and determine Zerg's path - is he cheesing? is he droning hard? is he taking a fast third?
2. Fight over xel'naga towers intelligently.
3. Deny overlord scouting by patrolling marine around edges
4. Have ~22 marines and ~5 marauders for your first 9:30 push
5. At around ~8 Min - Start your factory.
6. Take all 4 gases during your initial push
Mid Game Goals (9-16 minutes):
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0. Determine is zerg is going infestors or mutas.
1. Tech to tanks and medivacs (~7-8 tanks by 15-16 minutes).
2. Prevent mutalisk harass by building turrets to create mutalisk traps.
3. Double ebays to start/finish 2/2 infantry and 1/0 vehicle
4. Secure your 3rd during your 13-14 minute push.
5. Deny creep spread and creep spread
7. Make up to 9 Rax and 2 Facts and 1 Reactored Starport.
Late Game Goals (16+ minutes)
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0. Start 3/3 infantry upgrades.
1. Abuse your 2/2 upgrades and drop the zerg relentlessly.
2. Deny expansions
Adaptations to Zerg Builds:
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1. Zerg takes a fast, ~7:00min, 3rd
In reality, this is very unlikely to happen - because the zerg does NOT know if you are going 1 rax FE or 3 rax all-in. But if it does happen, you need to 4 Rax ASAP and push right as the 3rd finishes. You don't need to wait for stim/combat shields.
2. 2 Base Baneling Bust,
Very likely scenario. You need to keep a scouting SCV should to do a drone count at around the 6:30 minute mark. If you want to play safe and blind against this, make 2 marauders with your tech labbed raxes first.
3. 1 Base All-in. 7RR/1 Base Baneling Bust/5RR/3RR
Double Bunker
4. Fast Infestors,
Medivac Marauder drop the infestors (ie. load 4 marauders into medivac), drop one at a time to snipe the infestors. Much more cost effective than using ghosts. Use money saved on turrets for more marines/marauders.
A lot of you may be wondering - why marauders? Simple reason, coupled with marines, they are amazing against speedlings, banelings, and infestors provided you have good unit control. Once you hit 3/3, marauders roflstomp through hatcheries.
PS: I will be off to compsci grad school in HK for a few years - I will have very little time left to play SC2. This will be essentially be my last guide for a while.
Replay Pack of 5 (Masters)
http://www.mediafire.com/?t59zz3glvn45vjo
Didn't realize sc2replayed has parsing problems - so zipped them all
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This guide is really fantastic but I really want to see replays of this love your planning throughout the game and that you start out with bio then go to biomech.
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Can the 9:30 aggro kill off a z going for infestors or at least prevent a z from getting infestors? I can see a lot of problems coming from a good number of infestors. You even said not to get ghosts in the adaptations section, so it better be some good aggro.
Even with 2/2 upgrade abuse, a z on 2 bases might be able to hide some tech while still making a bunch of units to hold off drops.
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On June 28 2011 05:30 Frequencyy wrote:
This guide is really fantastic but I really want to see replays of this love your planning throughout the game and that you start out with bio then god to biomech.
On June 28 2011 05:25 Griffith` wrote:
Replays
(compiling)
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sry - didnt realize sc2replayed went fubar - zipped and uploaded
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The thing is about the guides/reps from synsytr and griffith is they're no where near refined or high level builds or guides. I don't get it... /rant/
Low wall ramp is suicide vs a 10 pool or 11 overpool with nothing but late marines btw. You can only have 2-4 scvs MAX repairing your lower bunker, and then he's just streaming them in your base. Roach rush? You lose a supply and have to lift the rax. He doesn't have to hit at all.
I hate to theorycraft, but 1 ling outside your base hitting your depot will be able to see it's just a marine or how many etc if you show you cards, keep that in mind. A lot of zergs are learning solid OL poking and placement which demolishes any 'hidden' expo/tech builds the higher up we go in ladder.
Medivac Marauder drop the infestors (ie. load 4 marauders into medivac), drop one at a time to snipe the infestors. Much more cost effective than using ghosts. Use money saved on turrets for more marines/marauders.
Will not work. 1-infestors aren't alone. 2- they will FG the medics to keep you there, and slings are always with them. If you relift, FG + IT'errans and there goes 500/200 investment for most times no damage.
1. Zerg takes a fast, ~7:00min, 3rd
In reality, this is very unlikely to happen - because the zerg does NOT know if you are going 1 rax FE or 3 rax all-in. But if it does happen, you need to 4 Rax ASAP and push right as the 3rd finishes. You don't need to wait for stim/combat shields.
2. 2 Base Baneling Bust,
Very likely scenario. You need to keep a scouting SCV should to do a drone count at around the 6:30 minute mark. If you want to play safe and blind against this, make 2 marauders with your tech labbed raxes first.
How will you scout. Other than scan, you have no scout. What if it's a 2 base, 14 hatch 13 pool build that goes immediately into roaches upon seeing low ground wall, and just roach + sling bane 2 bases you? You can't scan everywhere. What if you scan the wrong base? Wasting scans on 3rd obviously at 7 minutes, so there's 1 wasted scan sometimes for naught.
4. Have ~22 marines and ~5 marauders for your first 9:30 push
Good luck beating ANY zerg army at 9:30 with just 22 marines and 5 marauders... Any losria style quick 3rd all tier1 roach sling bling bust once you drop that expo with no tanks is game over. You cannot stop it. To be honest, any 2 base sling only will walk all over this push with just a flank and good timing on creep.
2. Prevent mutalisk harass by building turrets to create mutalisk traps.
Another joke. You make no mention on how to do this. Because there is practically no way. Muta controllers just skirt the edges anyways feeling the waters. They're not stupid (most times) to walk into, what I imagine you're say, a gauntlet of turrets.
I can say well written, but just poor poor advice and build. You'll get ran over by any roach sling bling pressure, or any 2-3 base bust. Any roach pressure into fast mutas off two bases. Any sling bling eco bust off two bases. Any muta sling bling with half decent muta control and constant pressure to keep tank count low. No tanks? Banes will ass rape you. No tanks? Infestors will dominate you.
Edit -- two things. One -- sc2 is not broodwar. BW strats to not carry over for the facts of the new units and the way units ball up and high amounts of AoE.
Two -- I used to do marine mara medic blue flame pushes off 1 base that hit at 9 min before mutas pop, and it would get destroyed by roach sling bling. No way this softer version would contend as I have blue flames and a larger army with medics. However, it was a one base strategy, just saying.
Edit 2- and of the maps you can't low wall? Slag (I think) TDA scrap?
Edit 3- this is just, personally, a worse version of a reaper expand. The reaper expand gets early stim. Gets 4 rax. Gets expo dropped early. Techs to medics earlier. Sure, the CC starts later, but not by much. And the units aren't cut or not made early. Plus, the reaper actually gives you scouting information post scv dying.
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How will you scout. Other than scan, you have no scout. What if it's a 2 base, 14 hatch 13 pool build that goes immediately into roaches upon seeing low ground wall, and just roach + sling bane 2 bases you? You can't scan everywhere. What if you scan the wrong base? Wasting scans on 3rd obviously at 7 minutes, so there's 1 wasted scan sometimes for naught.
You hide your initial poking SCV and use it to poke back again @ the nat at ~6:30. Otherwise I just double bunker regardless at nat for safety.
Good luck beating ANY zerg army at 9:30 with just 22 marines and 5 marauders... Any losria style quick 3rd all tier1 roach sling bling bust once you drop that expo with no tanks is game over. You cannot stop it. To be honest, any 2 base sling only will walk all over this push with just a flank and good timing on creep. Marauders drop hatcheries so quickly its almost stupid silly.
22 marines/marauder w/ stim, shield, +1 is a hell of a lot more menacing than you might think. Admittedly - there arent many that do losira style on NA ladder - so I will find someone to test it against later today.
Another joke. You make no mention on how to do this. Because there is practically no way. Muta controllers just skirt the edges anyways feeling the waters. They're not stupid (most times) to walk into, what I imagine you're say, a gauntlet of turrets.
It's not a joke. There are many lessons to be carried over from BW on how to simcity turrets. You fuck up one turret placement in BW and your whole base gets run over by mutas. Ask any BW C or higher player and they'll tell you what a joke SC2 mutas are. You deal with mutas by by placing turrets on the outskirts first - so if mutas do decide to go in they have no out. It's how FlaSh/Fantasy and all the pros do it.
BFH suck against roach/bling - stimmed MM doesn't. I don't know how big your BFH/MM/Medivac 1 base army is. The difference is that mine is 2 base - you replenish your army in about 90 seconds.
Edit 2- and of the maps you can't low wall? Slag (I think) TDA scrap?
You put up an extra depot before your CC to complete your walloff. Admittedly, you delay your CC slightly on these maps. I don't use this build for scrap station (obv).
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A stim timing push seems to be a popular way to follow a 1 rax fe. I've played against this a few times and I think it's pretty strong, because it does hit before any of zerg's expensive tech investments can kick in. However, I think it's shut down hard by a low-tech quick 3rd as long as z gets baneling speed asap. You typically have your raxes at the front and won't be able to hide that you are making marauders, this can be read as a stim timing, and the way I deal with it is staying on 2 gas while taking 3rd (without saturating it), get baneling speed and deal with your push with 3 hatch lings and banelings. Once I hold that off you have to deal with 6gas mutas and I don't like your position.
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On June 28 2011 05:45 iAmJeffReY wrote:The thing is about the guides/reps from synsytr and griffith is they're no where near refined or high level builds or guides. I don't get it... /rant/ Low wall ramp is suicide vs a 10 pool or 11 overpool with nothing but late marines btw. You can only have 2-4 scvs MAX repairing your lower bunker, and then he's just streaming them in your base. Roach rush? You lose a supply and have to lift the rax. He doesn't have to hit at all. I hate to theorycraft, but 1 ling outside your base hitting your depot will be able to see it's just a marine or how many etc if you show you cards, keep that in mind. A lot of zergs are learning solid OL poking and placement which demolishes any 'hidden' expo/tech builds the higher up we go in ladder. Show nested quote +Medivac Marauder drop the infestors (ie. load 4 marauders into medivac), drop one at a time to snipe the infestors. Much more cost effective than using ghosts. Use money saved on turrets for more marines/marauders. Will not work. 1-infestors aren't alone. 2- they will FG the medics to keep you there, and slings are always with them. If you relift, FG + IT'errans and there goes 500/200 investment for most times no damage. Show nested quote +
1. Zerg takes a fast, ~7:00min, 3rd
In reality, this is very unlikely to happen - because the zerg does NOT know if you are going 1 rax FE or 3 rax all-in. But if it does happen, you need to 4 Rax ASAP and push right as the 3rd finishes. You don't need to wait for stim/combat shields.
2. 2 Base Baneling Bust,
Very likely scenario. You need to keep a scouting SCV should to do a drone count at around the 6:30 minute mark. If you want to play safe and blind against this, make 2 marauders with your tech labbed raxes first.
How will you scout. Other than scan, you have no scout. What if it's a 2 base, 14 hatch 13 pool build that goes immediately into roaches upon seeing low ground wall, and just roach + sling bane 2 bases you? You can't scan everywhere. What if you scan the wrong base? Wasting scans on 3rd obviously at 7 minutes, so there's 1 wasted scan sometimes for naught. Good luck beating ANY zerg army at 9:30 with just 22 marines and 5 marauders... Any losria style quick 3rd all tier1 roach sling bling bust once you drop that expo with no tanks is game over. You cannot stop it. To be honest, any 2 base sling only will walk all over this push with just a flank and good timing on creep. Another joke. You make no mention on how to do this. Because there is practically no way. Muta controllers just skirt the edges anyways feeling the waters. They're not stupid (most times) to walk into, what I imagine you're say, a gauntlet of turrets. I can say well written, but just poor poor advice and build. You'll get ran over by any roach sling bling pressure, or any 2-3 base bust. Any roach pressure into fast mutas off two bases. Any sling bling eco bust off two bases. Any muta sling bling with half decent muta control and constant pressure to keep tank count low. No tanks? Banes will ass rape you. No tanks? Infestors will dominate you. Edit -- two things. One -- sc2 is not broodwar. BW strats to not carry over for the facts of the new units and the way units ball up and high amounts of AoE. Two -- I used to do marine mara medic blue flame pushes off 1 base that hit at 9 min before mutas pop, and it would get destroyed by roach sling bling. No way this softer version would contend as I have blue flames and a larger army with medics. However, it was a one base strategy, just saying. Edit 2- and of the maps you can't low wall? Slag (I think) TDA scrap? Edit 3- this is just, personally, a worse version of a reaper expand. The reaper expand gets early stim. Gets 4 rax. Gets expo dropped early. Techs to medics earlier. Sure, the CC starts later, but not by much. And the units aren't cut or not made early. Plus, the reaper actually gives you scouting information post scv dying.
You make a lot of valid points, however I see this working very well vs Losira style as your starting with Rauders anyway which are key to beating roach/bling armies. If you push at 9:30 see the mass roach ling/blng just back out, wait for some tanks/medivac and then hit his third super hard.
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Wow, this guide is fantastic ( sorry I read the first post  )
I like how you specifically address how to adapt to common responses by Zerg in a very crisp, concise manner.
Thanks!
Also, are you sure that 16 CC and 19 OC are better than the 15 OC and 16 CC that people do? (economically in the long run)
Edit:
Just realized this is Griffith, and he is going to be inactive now?!?!
nuuuu
Thanks for your contributions!
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Also, are you sure that 16 CC and 19 OC are better than the 15 OC and 16 CC that people do? (economically in the long run)
For 15OC/16CC build, 16CC is really not "16 CC", its built at the same time as around an 18 CC of the 16CC/19OC build (as during the time your OC is morphing in, you're not actually building any SCVs, and OC takes ~2 SCV build time + 1 Marine). The main crux is that the MULE doesn't pay off itself until about ~2 minutes after you start the construction of your OC.
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Can I ask, somewhat off topic, where your replays are coming from? Ladder. Or just random custom games on the same map. I downloaded the reps, but I gotta find a new unzip program.,
But, look at your profile, you have what.. 9 solo ladder games played? I feel something like this should be widely tested on ladder, and not just random custom games. Ladder is a lot more random, and better to flesh out problems of a build, as opposed to saying 'scout for a banebust'
Because, checking your history, a guy did a 2 base bane bust on you and apparently won the game with just that bust on xel naga.
You make a lot of valid points, however I see this working very well vs Losira style as your starting with Rauders anyway which are key to beating roach/bling armies. If you push at 9:30 see the mass roach ling/blng just back out, wait for some tanks/medivac and then hit his third super hard.
If you have an army on two base and pull back, the zerg already saw your cards and can set up a sling bling roach flank. Yes, mara is good against roach. But as his push states... he has 5. 5. Who's to say those 5 are in any kind of position. Zerg reaching lair tech, and staying up on upgrades (read fast melee and armor ups) would have +1/+1 or +2/+1 by the time you pulled back and hit. Then it's all in, as he's on 3 if not 4 bases compared to your 2 base mara marine tank medic push. And if he opens losria style, doesnt mean they have to stay on roaches. Many that I face go right into muta sling bling and muta harass my tank count down + keep me in base to take an early 4th, get IPit, and tech to lair.
So in short, all im asking is
22 marines/marauder w/ stim, shield, +1 is a hell of a lot more menacing than you might think. Admittedly - there arent many that do losira style on NA ladder - so I will find someone to test it against later today.
Are you on a smurf, or just saying there aren't many losria style zergs? A lot that I face are doing a pseduo style, with a macro hatch at the nat before the lair, to do 3 hatch sling bling pressure until muta pops.
I like how you specifically address how to adapt to common responses by Zerg in a very crisp, concise manner.
But he doesn't address many popular zerg openings and stratgies on the ladder. No jecho style roach sling bling bust, no losria style ling heavy roach sling pressure, no spanishwa (which btw I feel would wreck this. That early econ + quick upgrades on slings is all they need to beat back the first push, take a third and coast to a win) No two base bane bust. etc
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GRITTHI!
So happy to see you posting again, all of your guides have been amazing. - this one included.
I'm trying this out, first game so far the results have been good.
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I love you so much for this.
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Yeah, the way you play doesn't work on ladder, unless you enjoy flipping coins.
Right the first replay I open you wander around the map with 10 marines at 7 minutes and 0 defenses at home. Any Zerg can just make ling/bling off 24 drones and kill you since you have 0 information.
10 Marines and an unfinished bunker at 7:00 isn't a viable 2base-defense. You see the pros going Reaper or Reactor Hellion or Banshee, they do that to see what the Zerg is doing and force him to use his units for defense. You can't just wander into your natural hoping that the Zerg is droning.
Custom games with friends unfortunately is not a good way to check the viability of a build 
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I watched a couple of the replays, the key to this working is that you're 2 building walling the bottom of your ramp and denying the zerg any kind of scouting info. This is every zerg's worst nightmare against terran and probably the primary reason that most tournament maps nowadays have neutral structures at the bottom of the ramps.
By the time the zerg realizes what's going on they're going to be behind because they likely tried to play really safe (roach warren, evo chamber, maybe even a third queen) because they had no idea what was going on and there are 3 or 4 things that terran can do that will outright kill them. The two main counters to this (fast 3rd and 2 base ling baneling all-in) both have the potential to be extremely hard countered so the zerg is generally just opting to two base hardcore as they have no info which is ultimately putting them really far behind to this.
I really feel like a ling baneling all-in off of 2 base that's well executed should beat this, but by the time the zerg figures out what's going on it's too late.
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On June 28 2011 06:18 Griffith` wrote:Show nested quote +
Also, are you sure that 16 CC and 19 OC are better than the 15 OC and 16 CC that people do? (economically in the long run)
For 15OC/16CC build, 16CC is really not "16 CC", its built at the same time as around an 18 CC of the 16CC/19OC build (as during the time your OC is morphing in, you're not actually building any SCVs, and OC takes ~2 SCV build time + 1 Marine). The main crux is that the MULE doesn't pay off itself until about ~2 minutes after you start the construction of your OC.
Thanks, didn't know =O
On June 28 2011 07:07 iAmJeffReY wrote:Show nested quote +
I like how you specifically address how to adapt to common responses by Zerg in a very crisp, concise manner.
But he doesn't address many popular zerg openings and stratgies on the ladder. No jecho style roach sling bling bust, no losria style ling heavy roach sling pressure, no spanishwa (which btw I feel would wreck this. That early econ + quick upgrades on slings is all they need to beat back the first push, take a third and coast to a win) No two base bane bust. etc
Thanks for your insightful input 
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On June 28 2011 07:38 proxY_ wrote:
I watched a couple of the replays, the key to this working is that you're 2 building walling the bottom of your ramp and denying the zerg any kind of scouting info. This is every zerg's worst nightmare against terran and probably the primary reason that most tournament maps nowadays have neutral structures at the bottom of the ramps.
The building-blockers are to prevent double-bunker or pylon blocks at the base of ramps.
A 2 building walloff at the bottom of a ramp is countered by roach openings, even after hatch first---- not many zergs are afraid of this type of walloff, since 2 or 3 marines denies most ramp scouting anyway.
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Wow, i use a different style of 1rax expo in tvz. I guess im doing it wrong?
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EPT
