PiG Daily Articles

Welcome to the PiG Daily strategy article! The PiG Daily is a show by Jared "PiG" Krensel that focuses on StarCraft 2 strategy and becoming a better player. We've joined forces to create an article series that summarizes his dailies into short, digestible articles that provide insight on builds, tactics and game sense. By combining with Spawning Tool, this series will bring you the most comprehensive learning experience for build orders and strategies.

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We highly recommend using Spawning Tool in order to follow the basics of these builds. The PiG Daily and our strategy articles will serve as supplementary guides to understand the subtleties behind each decision.

Mech is sometimes treated as the 'fourth race' or StarCraft, albeit a rare one. However, even beginners can begin experimenting with Mech, and this guide is for the basics of the composition.

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Beginner Terran Mech Opening

There are a lot of nuances to Mech that can be difficult to grasp for beginners. This guide isn't about all of the small things that make mech powerful and strong. Instead, this is a short guide meant to offer terran bio players an alternative opening that they can experiment with and learn from.

The Early Game

One of the common misconceptions about Mech is that it has to be turtle-y and boring. That isn't true at all. One of the fastest units in the game, the hellion, is an integral part of Mech. It is also one of the first units you'll build in any Mech build, and they give you the freedom to roam and the comfort than you can get back home in time to defend.

However, you need to remember never to sacrifice your hellions unless you are absolutely certain they'll pay it back. That means roasting a dozen or so workers. They are you're only form of scouting and defense, so preserve them as much as you can! Speaking of defense, learning your ebay+turret timings is important. As we discussed in the beginner's terran guide, 4:30 is usually a safe time to have your turrets. However, Mech can be vulnerable to earlier forms of harassment, which might require adjustments. Still, if you just get surprised in 1/10 games or less then don’t bother too much before the 4:30 mark. Mech always has some small vulnerabilities and you don’t want to start playing overly safe.

Another early game habit you should develop is controlling your depots. Wall offs are incredibly important as mech, since early game defender's advantage relies on keeping a closed shop. Early rushes can be deadly especially since mech units are weak in small numbers. It can get tedious, but we've seen pro players lose championships because of a failure to raise depots. Whenever you have units filing in and out of your base, open and close your depots if you have the extra APM.



Lastly, make sure to always know how much gas you have, and develop a sense for what you can afford. Unlike bio, where you can just drop a mule when the purse strings get tight, Mech depends on a healthy gas income. Try to remember how much gas per minute you earn with 1, 2, 4, and 6 refineries. It'll help you budget your production down the line.

Mid Game and Beyond

This really depends on the matchup and the situation at hand. In TvT, air control is important so you'll be spending a lot on vikings and ravens. Against zerg, AOE and siege damage is of utmost importance, so mines, tanks and liberators will enter the picture. Against protoss, well, the element of surprise is key.

As a beginner, experimenting with the units and getting comfortable with spending your money with factory and starport units (because gas becomes more of a bottleneck) should be your priority. Once you've grown accustomed to the macro of mech and handling the early game, you can transition to more defined mech builds, such as GuMiho's Hyperflight Mech TvZ.