The New Patch Killed Mech! - Page 3

ejozl

Denmark3441 Posts

October 21 2025 13:44 GMT

#41

I don't know why you'd need sweeping changes, it was semi viable last patch, the style also don't have to be as good as bio, but it's great to have, not only because bio is very taxing, but also for variety or strategic options.

But I'll be honest, speaking as a toss, what makes me want to try terran off race has been turtling with seeker missiles, or powerful ghosts, Bunkering up and using planetaries and missile turrets, this is the terran feel that's somewhat missing in current sc2. Bio is only rly a thing because of medics and that buys into this idea of the scrappy race trying to eek out every little bit extra from otherwise weaker troops.

NinjaDuckBob

179 Posts

October 23 2025 15:50 GMT

#42

On October 21 2025 22:44 ejozl wrote:
I don't know why you'd need sweeping changes, it was semi viable last patch, the style also don't have to be as good as bio, but it's great to have, not only because bio is very taxing, but also for variety or strategic options.

Semi-viable is not the same as viable. If the game is balanced with bio in mind, then a strategy that is meaningfully worse than bio will underperform except as a surprise strategy or as one players don't know how to play against. Mech has to be at least above a certain threshold of "good" in comparison to bio at any particular level of play in order to see consistent results with it at that level respectively. So if we want to see generally consistent pro results with mech, we need mech as a composition to be at least close to as good as bio at the pro level. Otherwise, it largely doesn't contribute to that benefit of a variety of strategic options.

GoSuNamhciR

125 Posts

October 23 2025 21:32 GMT

#43

Tbh I don't think every strategy/style needs to be viable as they are not good for the health of the game. We need to have some mech units need to be very good and viable all game, and we have that in the siege tank and viking/liberator. I would say this patch made mech better (pure mech probably worse with cyclone bugfix), not worse due to tank not being abductable and viking cost reduction. Going pure turtle mech should never be the best strategy and should be unviable at top pro scene as its terrible to watch. Turtle terran itself is still viable vs zerg, but it requires using ghosts and other bio units to properly pull off.

I will say that watching oracles spam stasis last patch, or carriers winning at every level that isnt vs Serral is horrible for esports and I'm glad theyve both been nerfed over the years. I don't want to see a return of turtle mech or swarmhosts (like in hots) being viable at pro play or anything coming close to it.

Mech is still very much viable outside of pro play and you can get pretty high on ladder with it... I am pretty old myself (nearing 40 with a nerve issue in my keyboard hand) so I lean very hard on mech due to APM constraints and can still pull off top 50 GM going pure mech on this patch (even before the hotfix nerf). So to say mech has been killed is laughable, it's fine it just isn't going to win you any world championships. You can also spam carriers or roaches to very high ratings with the other races too, every race has their easy mode if you want to actually utilize it that falls apart once you start approaching pro levels. Let's just be happy blizzard is actively balancing the game, re-opening dead servers, and possibly providing further support down the road.

JimmyJRaynor

Canada16880 Posts

October 23 2025 22:29 GMT

#44

Mech is a limited subset of a single faction's units. it should not be viable all the time. In particular, if your opponent knows ahead time you have a big tendency to just build 5 factories as fast as possible you should be at a big disadvantage.

Lexender

Mexico2654 Posts

October 24 2025 02:19 GMT

#45

On October 19 2025 16:45 WombaT wrote:

Show nested quote +

On October 19 2025 13:14 Lexender wrote:

On October 14 2025 19:44 MJG wrote:
I remembered something that I read (almost a decade ago) about this same subject:

On December 08 2015 04:33 NonY wrote:
Can you explain how wanting mech to be competitive isn't "stupid" (irrational) at its core? You've just picked some production buildings and units that follow a non-combat theme (they're mechanical) and ask Blizzard to change the rules of the game so this theme of units you like building is viable to play on every map and against every race. There's no other group of SC2 players like the mech players. I think it's totally cool to have a composition that you like to play but it goes too far when discussing possibly changing of the rules of the game to make your little pet composition better. It all started with mech being viable in a different game and wanting an equivalent in SC2, which is not at all unlike comparing terran mech to protoss mech. The races aren't supposed to be the same and neither are the games. The completely arbitrary picking of certain terran units, the "mechanical" ones built from factories and starports, is so absurd as a basis for this whole movement that you don't even think about it anymore. Every time the mech petitioners go too far with how much they want the whole game to change to suit them, people have to come remind you how ridiculous it all is.

I couldn't put it better if I tried.

EDIT:

Also this:

On December 12 2013 01:31 NonY wrote:
The thing is that bio play is so resilient and good for all stages of the game, because that's what has been balanced and has been the focus of competitive play since 2010, that you can't just make mech have all the same strengths as bio and tell terran "we've actually designed two perfectly viable ways for you to play from top to bottom. pick one and have fun". At least one of them must be situational and have some glaring weaknesses along with some unique strengths.

What I've gathered from mech players is that they want mech to be as solid and dependable as it was in BW. As long as bio is filling that role, then what's the point? I don't get it from a game design perspective. They don't just want more variety because they don't want the increased risks inherent to that. They already hate how often protoss is currently rewarded for risky play. They are basically saying "these are the units I like. this is the style of play I like. make it viable." If bio was so unreliable and so boring, then I could understand it. But it can take on anything, it is mechanically challenging and tactically challenging, and it makes for a lot of action and cool moves. It is everything we could want in a StarCraft matchup and their response is "but I like tankssssss". Well, my favorite unit was the reaver, but I play SC2 now.

This quote made some (SOME) sense back on their time when Blizzard was still wishy-washy about mech but its completely stupid by todays standard. Not only has been making mech a viable choice in all three MU an important design goal by Blizzard but several changes have already been made towards that (including new upgrades like Banshee speed, a whole unit in the cyclone and even total design overhauls like what happened to the tank).

Mech isn't something a few crazy players ask for like in 2015 anymore and trying to dismiss its importance in the game is incredibly disingenuous.

What is mech? I mean really? Earnest question

A different composition really, having different units with diferent upgrades and their strenghts be the core of your main army, much how a zerg can go roach or ling bane and then transition, mech isnt JUST mech units, mech in TvZ has had ghost as part of it since LotV.

I mean how often do you see blueflame? Banshee speed? Servos? Half of the terran upgrades could may as well not exist at all if only bio was the way to play. Same thing with cyclones and hellbats, wich you see less than 6 made in a game, if they are made at all.

For the record I don't think we need sweeping changes, mech strenght has always been tied to the map pool and I think thats a good think that adds a nice dept of strategy because complaining about stuff like this:

On October 24 2025 07:29 JimmyJRaynor wrote:
Mech is a limited subset of a single faction's units. it should not be viable all the time. In particular, if your opponent knows ahead time you have a big tendency to just build 5 factories as fast as possible you should be at a big disadvantage.

Like that isnt exactly what happens with bio but its somehow ok for you enemy to know you build 5 barracks but not 5 factories.

Having the option to mech once in a while adds nice variety and it really doesnt need big changes (mech TvP was viable in some maps a few patches ago and that was a nice change even if it wasnt good as a main strat).

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