[G] Hyper-Aggressive TvZ: Improving Mechanics

I played a quick custom game against a platinum level player - not the best example but it's a rough outline of the build and the execution. I will get a stream episode up early next week!
http://drop.sc/64812

Planning is key in SC2 and if you want to learn a style, you need a well-refined a build order. Before you focus too intently on what to do with your units, you need to learn how to get your units – in the most efficient way possible. You need to practice the timings of the build vigorously, committing the steps to memory before trying to execute harassment and timing attacks. This way, when you make a macro mistake or you slip while microing, you quickly know how to get your build back on track.

In other words, when a build is practiced it becomes almost second nature, thus more of your time and focus is allotted to unit control.

Build Order: Hyper-Aggressive 1/1/1



10Supply Depot

11th SCV – Scout (Delay hatch-first with SCV by 2:15, scout gas/pool timings)

12Barracks

Light Pressure (Recommended vs Hatch First) Try to build a bunker by his minerals at his expansion and rally your first marine. This is more or less “Feigning” pressure, as you don’t intend to commit to the attack and will likely even cancel or salvage the bunker and return the scv/marine to your base.

13Gas

15Orbital/Marine – Constant production on Marines until you have 5

16Supply Depot (Walled in by 3minutes, this SCV builds factory too)

18 Factory (With first 100 gas)

20 2nd Gas

23 Supply Depot

When factory finishes – 1 Hellion 1 Starport

5Minute Mark: First Push (5 Marine 1 Hellion)



Reactor on Barracks after 5th marine, tech lab on Factory after hellion.

Keep constant production marines SCVs, depots, Marines, and Tanks steadily. Delay siege tech until you push out – you’ll notice you need that gas to keep constant unit production.

6:30 Open starport production with 1 viking to go overlord hunting then get a tech lab and start making banshees out of your starport (No cloak).

8:00 Start Siege Tech, start an expansion, and move out with your army

8Minute Mark: Second Push (3 Tank, 1-2 Banshee, 0-1 Viking, ~15 Marines)



If the push is doing well, constantly produce off your 1/1/1. If you don’t think you’re going to win, add on structures and/or transition as you push. There is a ton of room for variation here, but you’ll want to do another push by 13 minutes. I typically recommend adding an engineering bay and swapping your first barracks and starport (allowing you to produce medivacs and upgrade stim). Then add on 2 barracks and move into +1/Stim marines with tanks and medivacs off 4 gas geysers /2 fully saturated mineral fields.

13:00 Take a 3rd Base

13Minute Mark: Third Push (7 Tank, 5 Medivac, 34 Marines)

When you scout and how you use the information can make a huge difference. Try to have set times every game where you scout, and make sure you know what you’re looking for and what you’re going to do when you find what you’re looking for.

First SCV Scout (2:00): Determine if he’s going hatch first and whether he went gas before or after pool. If he went gas before pool, don’t overreact but already be suspicious of 1-2 base baneling or roach all-in.

Second SCV Scout (5:15): Absolutely crucial to scout hatch first here to look for a roach warren or baneling nest. They won’t have speed done, so you can usually get in the main and see tech structures and how much gas has been mined.

Hellion/Marine Pressure/Scout (5:30/5:45): This little push gives you exactly the information you need. He’s either:

Going to push – Minimal spine crawlers, more unit heavy with big ling speedling count or roaches. roaches come out or big ling. More than 4 roaches = VERY likely he’s going to roach/ling. You’ll need to keep your hellion alive to actively scout if he moves out and prepare by bunkering. You will counter-attack when you feel safe, probably later than the usual 8 minutes. Another indication of incoming roach/ling timing attack: zerglings he has roaches AND zergling speed.
Going to macro – Queens and spines are well-positioned, perhaps an evo chamber is helping narrow the travel paths in expansion. You won’t need to build a bunker and you’ll punish him with a big 8minute push.

Viking (6:30/7:00): This viking is mainly used to pick off overlords, but it’s a good idea to fly it over the zerg main in the process – you need to see his lair timing and if he’s going some sort of roach/ling/baneling style or if he’s just teching lair and adding gas (muta or infestor). Also watch for 2 evo chambers and nothing else – this is a sign of a mass-ling style. Also fly over his 3rd location at the 8-8:30 minute mark. Do not execute the push against a player who doesn’t take a 3rd and has BOTH a roach warren and a baneling nest – be defensive against that style with bunkers and tanks.

Marine/Tank/Banshee (8:00) You know if he has a 3rd base, and that dictates how you proceed…

If he has a 3rd then go directly for his natural, don’t slow push – he’s spent a lot of money on a 3rd hatch and you can get right into a close location at the edge of his creep before sieging up. Continue to reinforce.

If he doesn’t have a 3rd, you can still pressure but you need to push slower and consider transitioning earlier because he may be teching to fast mutas and when they’re out, you need stim and turrets.
Keep in mind you have the option to send your SCVs with this push to serve as an all-in, which isn't a terrible decision if the player doesn't have a baneling nest or multiple spine-crawlers.

I usually recommend transitioning into the marine/tank/medivac from here on out because you can do another push at the 13 minute mark with 7+ tanks and tons of +1 stim marines and medivacs – and take your 3rd in the meantime. You can also do a drop before the push or use “elevator” tactics to make the push stronger. (Siege up on low-ground then drop some units on high ground and siege there).

Remember that the most important thing to do while executing these pushes is to keep up with your MACRO by multitasking. Do things like build additional depots before you engage, because you can keep your screen looking at your army when building units, but depots require you to go back to your base. For learning purposes, it’s more effective to run your 5minute push into 6 spine crawlers and keep consistent timings and macro than it is to kill a queen but lose production time by getting supply blocked.

5Minute Push: As soon as your 5 marines are out, it’s time to move out. (Keep in mind, since you scout at 5:15 with your SCV, you can opt NOT to move out with your marines if you suspect a large early attack from Zerg.) When your hellion comes out, use it to clear the xel naga and then bring it to your marines. This push is PRIMARILY to scout – but you will be surprised some games you can kill an overlord, some lings, a constructing spine crawler, a few drones, and if you’re really luck, a queen!

8Minute Push: When the first banshee comes out, it’s time to push. Lead with the banshee to get vision for your army, and start lightly pressuring the zerg main or natural with the banshee while your tanks/marines get in position. Basically, you want to get the tank sieged up at the edge of the creep and start “leap-frogging” closer and keeping the marines spread out in front of the tanks to minimize the effectiveness of ling/baneling and tank friendly fire. If he runs in with banelings, you can run marines behind the tanks. Use your air units to get vision for maximum tank range and abuse your banshee’s high dps against queens, spines, and units.

13Minute Push: At this stage in the game, mutas, baneling speed, infestors, etc. are all possible so it’s more important than ever not to get caught with tanks unsieged. Use your air units to get you vision of your army path or (even better) use a drop to re-position his units while you advance your marine/tank army. Again, elevator tactics, marine splitting, and leap frogging are all at your disposal. If he attacks you with a lot of banelings, stim your marines and run behind the tanks to absorb the banelings.

One of the greatest aspects of this build is its versatility - you can really do anything after you start your expansion because you have access to all of terran's tech. I usually recommend standard marine/tank/medivac, but there are many other transitions:
St_Rainbow Mech Style - Rainbow puts an interesting spin on the 1/1/1 to provide maximum pressure while keeping ahead in macro and tech. He skips his 2nd gas and tanks, and instead rallies marines/banshees/hellions to the zerg front and constantly pressures with the 1/1/1. By skipping gas and tanks he's able to start his expansion at 6:30 instead of 8:00. After his expansion, he puts down 2 factories and an armory and starts massing hellions for a while, and eventually swaps buildings around, uses his starport to make a reactor, and transitions into MASS hellion/thor. Eventually, he adds a 3rd base and gets to a total of 5 factors producing tanks/thors/hellions until maxed. He keeps constant upgrades on his armory to reach 2-2 by the time of his push, at which point he basically A-moves a giant mech army.
Here is an example of the Rainbow opening/transition http://drop.sc/68978 (Thanks RamonMcGrady for finding this replay)