• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 21:23
CEST 03:23
KST 10:23
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
BGE Stara Zagora 2025: Info & Preview27Code S RO12 Preview: GuMiho, Bunny, SHIN, ByuN3The Memories We Share - Facing the Final(?) GSL46Code S RO12 Preview: Cure, Zoun, Solar, Creator4[ASL19] Finals Preview: Daunting Task30
Community News
Weekly Cups (June 2-8): herO doubles down0[BSL20] ProLeague: Bracket Stage & Dates9GSL Ro4 and Finals moved to Sunday June 15th12Weekly Cups (May 27-June 1): ByuN goes back-to-back0EWC 2025 Regional Qualifier Results26
StarCraft 2
General
The SCII GOAT: A statistical Evaluation Weekly Cups (June 2-8): herO doubles down BGE Stara Zagora 2025: Info & Preview Magnus Carlsen and Fabi review Clem's chess game. Jim claims he and Firefly were involved in match-fixing
Tourneys
Bellum Gens Elite: Stara Zagora 2025 Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament SOOPer7s Showmatches 2025 Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo)
Strategy
[G] Darkgrid Layout Simple Questions Simple Answers [G] PvT Cheese: 13 Gate Proxy Robo
Custom Maps
[UMS] Zillion Zerglings
External Content
Mutation # 477 Slow and Steady Mutation # 476 Charnel House Mutation # 475 Hard Target Mutation # 474 Futile Resistance
Brood War
General
Will foreigners ever be able to challenge Koreans? BGH auto balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Mihu vs Korea Players Statistics BW General Discussion [BSL20] ProLeague: Bracket Stage & Dates
Tourneys
[ASL19] Grand Finals NA Team League 6/8/2025 [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL20] ProLeague Bracket Stage - Day 2
Strategy
I am doing this better than progamers do. [G] How to get started on ladder as a new Z player
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Armies of Exigo - YesYes? Nintendo Switch Thread What do you want from future RTS games? Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
LiquidLegends to reintegrate into TL.net
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0 Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Vape Nation Thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
Maru Fan Club Serral Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Korean Music Discussion [Manga] One Piece
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Cleaning My Mechanical Keyboard
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Cognitive styles x game perf…
TrAiDoS
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Heero Yuy & the Tax…
KrillinFromwales
I was completely wrong ab…
jameswatts
Need Your Help/Advice
Glider
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Poker
Nebuchad
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 22120 users

Death to the Deathball

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 HotS
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
AzraelArchontas
Profile Joined September 2012
United States78 Posts
October 04 2012 14:37 GMT
#1
I would like to hear your opinions on how to stop the deathball

Example:

Terran: Allow more ways to punish mech immobility and benefit spreading army out make mech positioning even better(more important) give mech a new "core unit" (I wouldn't mind an AA or mech but i think they should retain a weakness to air)

Zerg: add more a new mid tear "core" unit so that they don't just press straight to hive and a new fast counter attack unit

Protoss: A new Gateway unit that is tear 2-2.5 if done right it would punish early 4 gate also reavers(while keeping colossus) and a "real" harass unit

I think that more options/core(midgame units) would reduce the deathball by increasing midgame length and punishing immobile or clumped armies

-This is about balance design and concept
-I want better funner games where we have a midgame more aggression, less all-ins , and No more deathballs
Qikz
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
United Kingdom12022 Posts
October 04 2012 15:42 GMT
#2
Not that I disagree with your ideas, but is.

Terran: Allow more ways to punish mech immobility


Really necessary? Everything in the game already punishes mech immobility. :p
FanTaSy's #1 Fan | STPL Caster/Organiser | SKT BEST KT | https://twitch.tv/stpl
rpgalon
Profile Joined April 2011
Brazil1069 Posts
October 04 2012 15:47 GMT
#3
give more AoE options to the races.
badog
MateShade
Profile Joined July 2011
Australia736 Posts
October 04 2012 15:57 GMT
#4
Is this thread a joke?
Tppz!
Profile Joined October 2010
Germany1449 Posts
October 04 2012 15:59 GMT
#5
There is no Terran Deathball.
And we have enough ways to punih Mech right now.

Zerg: Thats why you have the Swarm Host. But you also need some interaction/disadvantage from going to broodlords. Infestors are too good an stilize you for going to fast Hive etc. In my opinioni we need a way to punish going greedy into Hightech. Right now there is only a way in PvZ with the Immortal sentry allin. In TvZ almost never can kill the Zerg. You have to get a huge advantage and press this constantly.

Protoss Deathball is fine right now. Zerg have ways to deal with it and Terrans should be able to mech against it in the expansion.
AzraelArchontas
Profile Joined September 2012
United States78 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-10-04 16:19:10
October 04 2012 16:17 GMT
#6
When I say more ways to punish mech immobility I just mean more options.
With protoss i just hate seeing cheese rush or turtle till deathball every game,
and zerg just seem to take 3 bases fast rush hive and go broodlord infestor

When I play I would like a longer early-midgame with more options counter attacks and conflicts
I want the players to be clashing not oh they have map control so you turtle I want engagements
to be necessary greedy and over aggressive play to be punished
I want to see more builds and options that strengthen the idea that you don't have to hit T3 to
compete I would like to see more anti-siege units and counter attack/raiding units
I want to have more units that play off of each other so that when one unit is massed it has no chance

Also if you disagree tell me your solutions or ideas and what you would like to see
Tppz!
Profile Joined October 2010
Germany1449 Posts
October 04 2012 16:21 GMT
#7
All these things are adressed right now in HotS by different units. Do you play the beta?

And there are more than enough ways to punish mech immobility. Mech is already way weaker than Bio. Why would you "nerf" it even more?
AzraelArchontas
Profile Joined September 2012
United States78 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-10-04 16:45:09
October 04 2012 16:39 GMT
#8
Not a nerf to mech just other options
As well I would like to see (since the warhound was removed) a new core unit for mech
I feel that mech once people start to figure it out more will out preform bio and I am looking for
less deathballs more spread out milti-pronged attacks and I feel bio dose that well I would like
to see mech gain options so that it can "spread out" more and not be to thin to function the
only thing I would like to see are options against deathballs and turtling till T3 NR20 just dosnt
exciting or fun to me same thing with NR10 so I would like units abilities or changes that would
hinder/destroy the deathball

I like the way Hots is going but it doesn't seem to be doing much against the deathball with the
new changes to the MsC I like the concept of the tempest and SH being siege units that operate
far from the rest of your forces but WM don't do this for mech

Though I would focus my changes on Protoss and Zerg because I believe they are the root of the
deathball problem Protoss because of early defense and the strength of its T3 and zerg because
it lacks a proficient midgame and again the strength of its T3

Just to make sure I am not being unclear I know that a lot of these problems are being addressed
But most are still a problem from what I have seen in Hots
So I would like to know your solutions and what problems you see.
Grendel
Profile Joined November 2010
Belgium126 Posts
October 04 2012 17:12 GMT
#9
Well, one way to NOT counter it, is by introducing Swarm Hosts. The opponent needs a deathball to beat the locusts, abd Zerg needs a deathball to protect the Swarm Hosts.

While yes, the Swarm host is quite fine, it only encourages death ball play.
stard1n
Profile Joined September 2012
50 Posts
October 04 2012 18:00 GMT
#10
There is no Terran Deathball.


Are we playing the same game?
Kambing
Profile Joined May 2010
United States1176 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-10-04 18:30:50
October 04 2012 18:04 GMT
#11
On October 05 2012 02:12 Grendel wrote:
Well, one way to NOT counter it, is by introducing Swarm Hosts. The opponent needs a deathball to beat the locusts, abd Zerg needs a deathball to protect the Swarm Hosts.

While yes, the Swarm host is quite fine, it only encourages death ball play.


If zerg overcommits to making hosts, you counter it by going around the hosts with your mobile units, e.g., drops, prism play, blink stalkers. Zerg on the other hand does need an army to protect hosts, but since they are easy to parry given a critical mass of AE damage, that army needs to be mobile enough to exploit the opponent when they are zoned out by the hosts, e.g., speed hydras.

If you have two players that aren't comfortable with multitasking, then yes, hosts encourages deathball play. But you get deathball play in that scenario, regardless.
MyFirstProbe
Profile Joined April 2011
Netherlands294 Posts
October 04 2012 18:12 GMT
#12
On October 05 2012 00:59 Tppz! wrote:
There is no Terran Deathball.
And we have enough ways to punih Mech right now.

Zerg: Thats why you have the Swarm Host. But you also need some interaction/disadvantage from going to broodlords. Infestors are too good an stilize you for going to fast Hive etc. In my opinioni we need a way to punish going greedy into Hightech. Right now there is only a way in PvZ with the Immortal sentry allin. In TvZ almost never can kill the Zerg. You have to get a huge advantage and press this constantly.

Protoss Deathball is fine right now. Zerg have ways to deal with it and Terrans should be able to mech against it in the expansion.


Well yeah, there are ways to deal with the deathballs, but that doesn't make it fun to watch a game where players just don't attack for the first ten minutes and attack when you are at 200/200.
Berceno
Profile Joined May 2012
Spain401 Posts
October 04 2012 18:22 GMT
#13
On October 05 2012 03:00 stard1n wrote:
Show nested quote +
There is no Terran Deathball.


Are we playing the same game?


+1, the bio ball is basicly a deathball
protoss living in da ghetto
CrtBalorda
Profile Joined December 2011
Slovenia704 Posts
October 04 2012 18:32 GMT
#14
Remove unit synergy, unit counters, unit clumping, infinate unit selection and give the licence to the starcraft series to another company (preferably Valve).
4th August 2012...Never forget.....
TheLunatic
Profile Joined February 2011
309 Posts
October 04 2012 18:35 GMT
#15
Terran death ball, lol funny
Phoenix2003
Profile Joined August 2012
126 Posts
October 04 2012 18:49 GMT
#16
On October 05 2012 03:22 Berceno wrote:
Show nested quote +
On October 05 2012 03:00 stard1n wrote:
There is no Terran Deathball.


Are we playing the same game?


+1, the bio ball is basicly a deathball


Terran players are just in denial.
TheManInBlack
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
Nigeria266 Posts
October 04 2012 19:21 GMT
#17
How is the Terran bioball a deathball when it doesn't trade nearly as efficiently as Z and P? You also need drops to augment it.
link0
Profile Joined March 2010
United States1071 Posts
October 04 2012 19:48 GMT
#18
Protoss has the army that benefits most from deathballs, mainly because their units have a greater cost/size ratio so they stack better.

The game would need major redesigns to discourage deathballs. There needs to be units that deal massive AOE damage (to prevent enemy army from deathballing), but the AOE damage must not stack (to discourage yourself from deathballing) OR are HIGHLY immobile.

IMO, tanks should have their seige mode damage buffed in exchange for even slower transformation times.
http://www.justin.tv/link0 - Gosu.Linko - http://www.facebook.com/link0
RaZorwire
Profile Joined April 2012
Sweden718 Posts
October 04 2012 20:50 GMT
#19
On October 05 2012 03:22 Berceno wrote:
+1, the bio ball is basicly a deathball


Though the early game and parts of the midgame, yes, but as soon as the other races get enough AoE, a Terran is screwed if he doesn't split up his bioball properly. If you clump up your bio and A-move death ball style into a Zerg or Protoss army, you will ge fungaled and die, or stormed and die.
MasterCynical
Profile Joined September 2012
505 Posts
October 04 2012 20:56 GMT
#20
There seems to be a huge amount of confusion regarding the term 'mech'.

we have the first group of people who have watched pro korean BW and know 'mech' to be just positional leap frogging tank play with vulture harass and map control.

we have the second group who just consider 'mech' as factory units.

please state whether your refering to positional play or just making units from the factory, as it has created much confusion, even for the people at the blizzard. We all know how well this has turned out especially with blizzard comming up with the warhound to help 'mech'

Currently WOL mech is not positional mech play, its just another death ball. you just max out and march your army to the enemy base and kill him.
1 2 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 9h 37m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
NeuroSwarm 223
Livibee 131
RuFF_SC2 116
StarCraft: Brood War
Artosis 1026
Icarus 11
Dota 2
LuMiX1
League of Legends
tarik_tv7681
JimRising 736
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K1412
PGG 32
Super Smash Bros
C9.Mang07833
Mew2King151
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor157
Other Games
summit1g8341
FrodaN3540
shahzam1177
ViBE258
Maynarde164
Models1
Organizations
Dota 2
PGL Dota 2 - Secondary Stream8920
Other Games
gamesdonequick743
BasetradeTV137
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 19 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH303
• Hupsaiya 67
• davetesta25
• gosughost_ 7
• Mapu4
• Kozan
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• sooper7s
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki25
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• Ler97
League of Legends
• Doublelift5719
• Shiphtur741
Upcoming Events
Wardi Open
9h 37m
Replay Cast
22h 37m
Replay Cast
1d 8h
WardiTV Invitational
1d 9h
WardiTV Invitational
1d 9h
GSL Code S
2 days
Rogue vs GuMiho
Maru vs Solar
Online Event
2 days
Replay Cast
3 days
GSL Code S
3 days
herO vs Zoun
Classic vs Bunny
The PondCast
3 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
3 days
WardiTV Invitational
4 days
Korean StarCraft League
5 days
CranKy Ducklings
5 days
WardiTV Invitational
5 days
Cheesadelphia
5 days
GSL Code S
6 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL Season 17: Qualifier 2
BGE Stara Zagora 2025
Heroes 10 EU

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL 2v2 Season 3
BSL Season 20
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
NPSL S3
Rose Open S1
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
2025 GSL S2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
ECL Season 49: Europe
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters
CCT Season 2 Global Finals
IEM Melbourne 2025
YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025
PGL Bucharest 2025
BLAST Open Spring 2025

Upcoming

Copa Latinoamericana 4
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
K-Championship
SEL Season 2 Championship
Esports World Cup 2025
HSC XXVII
Championship of Russia 2025
Murky Cup #2
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.