Revamped/updated/expanded on the "Q. What are the standard recommended strategies per match-up?" in the OP. Feel free to point out any mistakes in links.
Old:
Q. What are the standard recommended strategies per match-up?
+ Show Spoiler [Answer] +TvT- Gas 15 Marine Marine reactor CC fact port with Reactor Hellions + Viking(s) or Medivac before a bio or mech transition. Bogus/Innovation vs Flash, Neo Planet S, MLG.
If you see any reference about the "LG-IM build order," it's about the core of this build.
- Some kind of Reaper expand into 1-1-1 with the same possibilities as above. Dream vs Mvp, Akilon Wastes, IEM [starts at 0:05:12].
The Reaper(s) give(s) you extra scouting possibilities. The old gasless 1 rax expand is possible too with some precautionary measures (see "Is gasless 1 rax expand still viable? in the TvT section below).
- Some kind of Reaper expand into 3 rax Medivacs with EB before Factory (bio/biomech). Taeja vs FanTaSy, Star Station, Code S; Apocalypse vs Dream, Star Station, ATC.
Same as above.
- Reactor Hellion expand with an early Armory and a Starport (mech, drop Hellbats). ForGG vs LucifroN, Star Station, ATC Karont3 vs Millenium.
- 1-1-1 expand. Mvp vs YoDa, Antiga, IEM [starts at 0:28:25].
Can be played defensively or offensively depending on what your opponent is doing.
Both Marines/Tanks and mech are viable midgame. Against mech, both pure bio → air and bio/Tanks are feasible. Pure bio is not viable against Marines/Tanks.TvZ- Proxy 11/11 (or 11/12, or 12/12) with at least 3 SCVs pulled. Flash vs Life, Newkirk City, MLG; Last vs Stephano, Cloud Kingdom, MLG.
- Proxy Reapers (11r 11g or 12r 12g) into fact CC CC or CC fact CC. Mvp vs Stephano, Akilon Wastes, IEM [starts at 0:19:36]; Last vs Life, Akilon Wastes, MLG.
- CC rax gas fact reactor CC with a bio transition behind 6 Hellions and 2 Mines. Flash vs Ret, Cloud Kingdom, MLG.
- Some kind of Reaper expand, with or without Bunker pressure, into fact reactor CC with a bio transition behind 6 Hellions and 2 Mines. Flash vs bly, Neo Planet S, MLG.
Gasless 1 rax FE and 1 rax gas 15 expand are also possible.
- Agressive Hellions/Banshees (particularly for mech). Sting vs Ret, Ohana, IEM [starts at 0:52:57] for a mech transition; Flash vs Soulkey, Newkirk Precinct, SPL Special match for a 4M transition. Other Starport-based harass are possible, generally with an early Armory for Hellbats drops if you want to mech: LucifroN vs HyuN, Newkirk Precinct, ATC.
4M (Marines/Marauders/Medivacs/Mines), Marines/Tanks and mech are viable midgame.TvP- Gas 15 Marine Marine reactor CC fact port making two Mines and a Medivac with a bio transition (ideally rax rax lab lab EB reactor). YoDa vs First, IEM (except the Entombed Valley game); Bogus vs MC, MLG; Flash vs PartinG, Neo Planet S and Akilon Wastes, MLG.
Can be played defensively or offensively depending on what Protoss is doing and whether he expanded or not. Offensive possibilities include poking his natural with some Marines + 2 Mines and the Medivac, dropping 1-2 Mine(s) + Marines or only Marines, or even just flying over the Protoss base with the Medivac to scout what he's doing. You also have the option to get Vikings and extra Mines against agressive Stargate play.
- Some kind of Reaper expand into 1-1-1 (or at least Factory) with a bio transition. Polt vs Creator, Daybreak, IPL FC 48; Polt vs Creator, Akilon Wastes, IPL FC 48; Bogus vs Rain, Whirlwind, MLG.
A commonly used build order is rax 12 gas 12 reaper reactor CC bunk (if needed) fact port.
- Some kind of Reaper expand into 3 rax with an early EB if needed and possibly a quick Stim. Polt vs HerO, Cloud Kingdom, MLG Showdowns; Polt vs HerO, Entombed Valley, MLG Showdowns; and Bomber vs Creator, GSL (all games except the Whirlwind one from the first series); Flash vs jangbi, Akilon Wastes, 2013 Korea AIMAG.
The EB can be built at a standard WoL timing if you can rule out Oracle play with your scouting, or you can build that quick EB anyway to get fast upgrades.
- Some kind of rax fact or 1-1-1 expand with an early Armory (mech). Taeja vs SaSe, Neo Planet S, MLG.
You can also play bio after such openings, without the Armory of course.
- CC first or gasless 1 rax expand at your own risk (see "Are gasless expands still viable?" in the TvP section below) and with an early EB against Protoss going dual gas. Ryung vs MC, Star Station, GSTL.
Bio is still standard. Mech is vaguely playable but considerably inferior.
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Q. What are the standard recommended strategies per match-up? [Updated as of 26/11/2013.]
+ Show Spoiler [Answer] +TvT- Gas 15 expand (Marine Marine reactor CC fact port).
Bogus vs ForGG, Yeonsu, ATC; TaeJa vs Bogus, Star Station and Akilon Wastes, Season 2 Finals; Flash vs Maru, Akilon Wastes, Code S RO16; Maru vs MMA, Akilon Wastes, Season 3 Finals; Flash vs MMA, Neo Planet S, Dreamhack Bucharest; ForGG vs Ryung, Derelict Watcher, ATC.
This is the safe standard fast expand build in TvT. You can transition into Marines/Tanks, or Hellions + whatever Starport units are needed, and head for bio or mech from there, with third before specialized tech or not, single or double upgrades, Cloak Banshee and/or Raven, etc. The world is yours, the possibilities are endless, though naturally you do have to take into account what your opponent is doing.
Note that the Hellion transition is not compatible with a triple Turret (main, natural, production) defence against Cloak Banshee openings, or a Marines/Tanks push will simply kill you afterwards (Maru vs Bogus, Newkirk Precinct, OSL RO4). You either play a Hellions + Viking/Raven defence (as ForGG often does), with delayed Turrets if necessary, or a Marines/Mine(s)/Viking + triple Turret defence into Marines/Tanks.
- 1-1-1 expand.
- Cloak Banshee expand, often played with a Raven as second Starport unit.
You build a Raven so you have detection should your opponent open Cloak Banshee expand as well; the Raven should appear shortly after his Banshee hits your base. Getting a Mine is common.You can delay the expand in favor of a Marines/Tanks push, particularly against bio openings; see for instance jjakji vs Maru, Frost, Code S RO8. Different transitions can be played after the expand; see for instance Dayshi vs Bogus, Whirlwind, ATC.
- Raven expand. Bogus vs ForGG, Polar Night, Dailymotion Cup.
The defensive variant; you have a Raven and your Viking ready by the time any Cloak Banshee arrives.
- Marines/Hellions/Medivac elevator. Happy vs TaeJa, Bel'shir Vestige, ATC.
This opening can also delay the expand in favor of a Marines/Tanks push (e. g. ForGG vs Bogus, Star Station, Dailymotion Cup). Proxying the Starport is a more agressive option (and all-innish if you get a second Medivac), e. g. Maru vs Flash, Polar Night, Code S RO16 or Maru vs Bogus, Bel'shir Vestige, OSL RO4.
- Some kind of Reaper expand into 1-1-1 with the same possibilities as gas 15 expand.
Ryung vs MMA, Newkirk Precinct, SC2L Playoffs [starts at 1'01'00]; SuperNova vs Bogus, Frost, GSTL Finals.
The Reaper(s) give(s) you extra scouting possibilities.
- Some kind of Reaper expand (e. g. 2 rax reapers) into 3 rax Medivacs with EB before Factory (bio/biomech).
You can also transition to triple OC against fast expands, e. g. Kas vs TaeJa, Frost, ATC.
CC first into 3 rax Medivacs is still possible, mostly on 4p maps, e. g. Bogus vs SuperNova, Whirlwind, GSTL Finals.
Both Marines/Tanks and mech are viable midgame. Against mech, both pure bio → air (e. g. jjakji vs Happy, Frost, HSC VIII [link points to the start of the match, Frost was the second map]) and bio/Tanks are feasible. Pure bio is not viable against Marines/Tanks.TvZ- Proxy 2 rax (11/11, 11/12, or 12/12) with at least 3 SCVs pulled.
Bogus vs Soulkey, Star Station, Code S Season 1 Finals; Reality vs Symbol, Akilon Wastes, Code S RO32; Bogus vs HyuN, Star Station, ATC; MMA vs Nerchio, Polar Night, WCS Europe Season 3 RO8 [starts at ~24'10]; Bomber vs Jaedong, Neo Planet S, Season 2 Finals (12/14).
- Proxy Reapers (8-8-8, 11 rax 11 gas or 12 rax 12 gas).
jjakji vs Zenio, Yeonsu, HSC VIII; Bomber vs Scarlett, Cloud Kingdom, Red Bull Battlegrounds.
You can transition into an expand, then a Factory for Hellions, or the reverse if Zerg answers with pool/gas before hatch.
- CC rax gas fact reactor CC with a 4M transition behind 6 Hellions.
Flash vs CoCa, Bel'shir Vestige, Code A RO24.
Timings (+2 rax instead of a third CC) are possible but inferior. See Maru vs soO, Derelict Watcher, Season 3 Finals.
- (Dual) Reaper expand with the same transition as above.
MMA vs Check, Derelict Watcher, ATC.
Against Zerg gas openings, you need to stay a bit in your natural with your first Hellions until your wall is complete; otherwise, you take risks against a possible speedlings raid while you're out on the map.
- Hellions/Banshees.
Flash vs Soulkey, Newkirk Precinct, SPL Special; Flash vs DRG, Derelict Watcher, IEM; Bogus vs hyvaa, Whirlwind, Code A RO24; TaeJa vs HyuN, Whirlwind, HSC VIII.
This is the safest TvZ build. It can be played out of CC first or Reaper expand (there is a slightly stronger synergy with the Reapers because they can soak damage against Queens, then retreat and heal), or more rarely 1 rax FE. The numbers of Hellions/Banshees you get varies depending on the amount of pressure you want to put: the most macro-oriented variants get 6/1 or 6/2, while the most agressive ones can go up to 12/3. Naturally, the more Hellions and Banshees you make, the more your third, dual ups and specialized tech will be delayed, and the more you will have to get out of your units in order not to fall behind. Getting Cloak is always useful with the decreased cost.
Hellions/Banshees into third + dual Armory is the best opening if you want to play mech.
4M (Marines/Marauders/Medivacs/Mines) is the standard midgame composition; read Vaderseven's guide (note: sadly probably a bit outdated already). Building Marauders by midgame is optional. Thors are generally added as well (e. g. FanTaSy vs Sleep, Derelict Watcher, Code A).
Bio/Tanks is viable against Roach-centric strategies, but you should transition into 4M as soon as you scout a muta transition. Marines/Tanks is not viable against lings/banes/mutas unless you have some kind of advantage from the opening. Mech is fragile and requires some kind of early economic damage to work, e. g. Flash vs LosirA, Akilon Wastes, Code S RO16 and Flash vs DRG, Derelict Watcher, IEM New York.TvP- Reaper Reactor expand into 1-1-1 with a bio transition.
Bogus vs Venus, Akilon Wastes, ATC; Bogus vs Trap, Frost, GSTL; Maru vs Rain, Akilon Wastes, OSL Finals; FanTaSy vs Rain, Akilon Wastes, OSL.
This is the safest TvP build, except against the fastest proxy Stargates (in which case you should deviate towards EB + extra rax). It can be played defensively or offensively depending on what Protoss is doing and whether he expanded or not. Offensive possibilities include Marines/Mines or Marines/Hellions attacks (dual-pronged or elevator). Defensive possibilities include Tanks against Blink Stalkers or Sentry-based busts, or extra Mines and/or Vikings against Stargate all-ins. The standard bio transition, after the Medivac is out, is to add 2 rax, 2 gas, one EB, build 2 labs with the Factory and the Starport, then lift them and get a Reactor on the Factory to swap them. Getting a third before this is also possible, especially against passive macro play from the Protoss.
Similarly, you can transition to mech from this opening.
- Reaper Reactor expand into 2 or 3 rax Medivacs, with or without a quick EB.
TaeJa vs Try, Bel'shir Vestige, ATC; Bogus vs ToD, Yeonsu, Dailymotion Cup; Bogus vs San, Akilon Wastes, ATC; Flash vs PartinG, Derelict Watcher, Code S RO16.
This is the modern 1 rax FE. If you confirm passive macro play from Protoss (e. g. MSC expand into robo forge), you can move out with your Marines and a Marauder to force a Photon Overcharge.
You need a quick EB (4'10) against proxy Stargates (before expand).
- Gas 15 Marine Marine reactor CC fact port
making two Mines and a Medivac with a bio transition (ideally rax rax lab lab EB reactor).
TaeJa vs Venus, Yeonsu, ATC; TaeJa vs sOs, Akilon Wastes, Dreamhack Bucharest [starts at 24'10].
This is the oldschool variant of the 1-1-1 defense/pressure after expand. It has been replaced by the modern Reaper Reactor expand due to the superior scouting provided, but it's still playable (you have to concede an early scan to know what tech building he gets after the MSC expand), and even safer against some openings like gate 10, proxy gates or the fastest proxy Oracles. You also get 2 extra Marines for your 1-1-1 attack. You can use the same transitions as the Reaper Reactor expand variant.
- CC first or gasless 1 rax expand.
Bogus vs ToD, Whirlwind, Dailymotion Cup; Bogus vs duckdeok, Bel'shir Vestige, Blizzcon [starts at ~29'00].
Read Jazzman88's guide about CC first. You have to confirm an expand if you want to go CC rax rax CC; see TaeJa vs sOs, Whirlwind, Dreamhack Bucharest; Maru vs Rain, Newkirk Precinct and Whirlwind, OSL Finals; Polt vs Jim, Newkirk Precinct, WCS America RO16 Season 2.
You need a quick EB against proxy Oracles.
- 1-1-1 pressure expand (Marines/Mines, Marines/Hellions or a mix of one Mine + 2 Hellions) into 3 rax Medivacs.
TaeJa vs duckdeok, Whirlwind, Season 2 Finals [starts at ~09'10]; Flash vs Harstem, Whirlwind, Dreamhack Bucharest.
Against Protoss fast expands, this opening needs to do lots of damage to justify itself (at least ~10 Probes). Double expanding before adding extra rax is another option, possibly with 1 defensive Tank in case Protoss tries counter-pressure.
Bio is still standard. Mech is vaguely playable but considerably inferior.
On November 26 2013 23:17 Jazzman88 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 26 2013 23:01 TheDwf wrote:On November 26 2013 00:42 cptjibberjabber wrote:
guys I need a proper build order for TvP and TvZ. in TvP I open 12 gas reaper expand, then 3 rax, but after that I don't know what to spend my money on. Sometimes I get a quick factory, sometimes I get stim, but it doesn't all line up the way it should.
Those builds in the opening post seem to be outdated. They're from february 2013, on maps like daybreak and ohana, using widow mine drops that still have the old damage... Most of them are not. The Mine drops still work. I will try to update this part with more recent examples soon. TheDwf, how prevalent are the 1-1-1 Mine drop after expand openers in the metagame? I've had some success with the gas-first variant where you harass AS you expand because you get the Factory/Starport so much quicker, but I haven't seen many pro Terrans use the old school 15 gas Reactor expand into Mine drop lately. Is this an actual optimization (i.e. gas-first is much better and if not you might as well expand and go straight bio) or just a quirk of the metagame?
Interesting questions, I'll answer later.
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