Terran: A Raven's Reason

So you've seen the Raven unit in your Starport but you have no idea what its for and why you should build it.

Sure you've played the campaign and picked the raven over the Science Vessel so you can have that really cool Seeker Missle and Auto Turret over Irradiate and Defense Matrix.

But do you know the real reason of why the Raven is better than the Science Vessel? Or why it replaced it?

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THEORY

Looks a bit like a star ship

So what makes the Raven a good unit? Ok it detects stealth but I have missile turrets and Scan for that.

Hmm how bout that auto turret, Ok it adds DPS and that Seeker missile helps me deal with massed Zerglings.

This can also be all up in your base killing your SCVs

But the real merit lies in the Point Defense Drone that the Raven is equipped with.

Ever heard of the phrase from old Broodwar players saying that Blizzard gave Dark Swarm to the Terrans?

This but Terran =/

Well yeah they did, in the form of the Point Defense Drone. For a selected area the Point Defense Drone absorbs range fire that isn't considered splash.

That means it absorbs Hydra Spines, Stalker Lasers, etc...

Its a ShamWow Version 5000

Woah isn't that imba incase? Well no your broodlords and banelings and pretty much melee units can still deal damage. So can your sentries and High Templars. (But hey we all know what a mass of Marines can do)

That's a lot of Marines o.o

The other perk? Detection? It might cost a lot to build a raven so you might not think its worth it. But its also the most useful detector unit in the whole game.

It gives you a Point defense drone to let you run from Hydras and also a whole bunch of other weapons which other detectors don't have.

Basically Raven > Overseers and Observers.

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EXAMPLES

Here are some youtube examples of how Ravens have been used.

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Build Orders

There's actually not much you can do in terms of Build Orders if you want to get out that early raven which might not help much early game but it does well mid-game and late game.

But here's a Build Order I found in some little corner of an EU site.
9 Supply 10 Barracks 10 Refinery 12 Refinery 12 Factory 13 Orbital Command 14 Bunker 15 Tech-Lab 16 Starport 17 Supply Depot 18 Switch your barracks with the Tech-lab over with your Starport 18 Raven 20 Research Raven Energy

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Things to note.

Despite Ravens having offensive capabilities, remember that they are still mainly spell-casters if anything.

That means that they aren't meant to be a main attack force or anything close to that manner. They are pretty much made of paper and can be destroyed and their usefulness as an attack unit ends when its energy runs out.

That's probably the most hardcore thing on this site.
Too bad that's not a Raven.

I mean if you really want to have a nice harass and a quick game to finish you'd probably get Banshee and Cloak for them and try to get them to clear out the enemy economy as fast as possible while you defend your little Terran Turtle.

Here's a mental checklist for you.
1. SCV's
2. Mule
3. Gas
4. Tech lab at Barracks!
5. Lift off to change to Starport
6. Get that Raven if you suspect your opponent of using cloaked or burrowed units.
7. If you're getting that Raven get Auto-Turret.

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I know its not a lot but this post definitely tells you about the uses of Ravens and shows videos of how Ravens have been used.

Most people who use Ravens usually only do in the late game or when their trying some weird auto-turret Harass build.

Raven has many weird uses, especially when you're dealing with Zerg players since the Seeker missiles could help turn the tide of the battle when you spam them against Hydras who are off creep.

I hope this tutorial can actually help instill the use of Ravens in your gameplay.

This is Fireport writing another article for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off!

Protoss: Going into the Void

Void Rays....

I hate them... I seriously do.... As a Zerg player they are my bane and I hate them because the protoss players can get them out so darn fast.

But that's provided I decide to go macro and not Roaches.

Well anyways despite my dislike for the Void Ray, this is a tutorial on how to get that early void ray and how to use them to end your enemies.

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THEORY

Looks cool? Wait till it charges

So whats up with the Voidray?

Its an air unit with a laser which hurts like hell. Sure it might look small and takes time to charge into its awesomeness.

I don't want to face that

When charged its DPS is insane.

Here's a piece from liquidpedia.
The Prismatic Beam consists of 3 stages: The first two do not differ in terms of damage and only slightly in graphic effects. The third, however, doubles the base damage and comes with a bonus against armored units on top of that. This third stage is visually indicated by the central ray becoming brighter and thicker. The approximate DPS of the Void Ray is as follows:

• Against non-armored targets
  • Stage 1: 5(+1) dmg / 0.6sec = 8.33 dps (+1.67 per upgrade)
  • Stage 2: 5(+1) dmg / 0.6sec = 8.33 dps (+1.67 per upgrade)
  • Stage 3: 10(+1) dmg / 0.6sec = 16.67 dps (+1.67 per upgrade)
• Against armored targets
  • Stage 1: 5(+1) dmg / 0.6sec = 8.33 dps (+1.67 per upgrade)
  • Stage 2: 5(+1) dmg / 0.6sec = 8.33 dps (+1.67 per upgrade)
  • Stage 3: 25(+3) dmg / 0.6sec = 41.67 dps (+5.00 per upgrade)

After one initial attack, it takes an additional 6 consecutive attacks to reach the next stage: The Void Ray is therefore fully charged after its 13th consecutive attack (7.2 sec)
It remains on its current stage for another 5 seconds after having ceased fire. (Briefly) attacking anything, friendly units or structures included, within that time frame will reset the timer.

Source: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Void_Ray

So as you can see. The liquidpedia entry pretty much tells you that the voidray is pretty much one of the best Air Siege units they have in the game.

Also since they attack both air and ground and fly fast with good range you can use them to take out Marauders.

They do well against Thors too!

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EXAMPLES

Here are a few video examples on how to fast-tech to Voidrays and also transitioning.

This is a Video by UEN.tv


And another video by corranhorn666


I know the first one isn't much of an example but its pretty much the situation you'll see if you're gonna use the void ray rush.

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Build Orders

Since both of them don't have Build Orders here's the one which I use.

9 pylon
10 Gate
10 Gas
12 Core(When your first gas finishes here send all your probes to the core)
14 Gas (the 2 food here is zealot)
16 Stargate
16 Pylon


And this is what I use when I transition. Since its a transition and its mid-game, I'll probably have double gas by then.

38 X2 Stargate
38 X2 Pylon

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Things to Take Note Of

In a sense to do a Void ray rush is really so much of an all-in build but to transition to Void Rays is not as difficult as you think.

Since you pretty much need only 1 Stargate but if you're going for mass Void Rays you have to remember to build a second Stargate if you need to.

I think it works just like this one

Its always good to hotkey your Stargate at an easy to reach number like 5 or 6.

Hotkeys are really essential in this game. Most times people would go for 1 to be the main army, 2 as the flank, 3 for Spellcasters and 4 for any additional army/Nexus.

That Chick should be on Group 3!

So if you have 4 as your nexus and 5 as your stargate. Hit 5 twice and then press V then hit 4 and chronoboost that Stargate so you can get your void ray out as fast as you can.

Since if you're rushing for a Stargate at the start of the game you'll need to have that early core keeping your drone count to 16 till you get your first void ray out is pretty much advisable.

Not so important yet.

Remember since you don't have a defense yet you could probably fit in a forge into your Build Order. Most people do since its pretty much the only defense you can afford if you're rushing out Void Rays.

The Main thing about a Void Ray Rush is the element of surprise. Don't let the enemy scout you. If you need to go watch the match of IdrA vs Lotze.Prime on the recent GomTV Starcraft League Tournament.

You'll see on the second match how Lotze.Prime kept his star gate at the far end of the map instead of in his base.

Proxy bases do work on occasion. Just don't do it often.

And again this build only works if your opponent doesn't have a lot of anti-air so it doesn't work well against Terrans but good against most Protoss and Zerg players since AA for them requires a bit of teching up.

Now here's a mental checklist to help you keep a note on things if you're rushing.
1. Build Pylon yet?
2. Early Gate?
3. First Gas?
4. Early Core?
5. Second gas up?
6. PROBES!
7. Stargate?
8. CHRONOBOOST!
9. Pylon?

If you're transitioning you won't need much of a checklist. Its more of remember to build pylons instead of probes and remembering to get gas and stuff. Unless you're going for a mass zealot build which I hope none of you are doing since its the easiest thing to counter, you'll probably already have double gas.

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Well I hope that tutorial would be able to help you.

I really had to scour all over the net just to put that one together man. Most people do the Void rush weirdly and stuff. Its quite common in the lower tiers already for protoss players.

Just most of them do it wrongly and I hope this tutorial actually helps them do it right.

They tend to miss out on the defense part when they rush and thus they start to fail.

But I hope they actually can improve instead of just rushing void rays all the time.

This was another article by Fireport written for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off

Terran: To Tank or not to Tank

Ah Tanks, the most annoying thing in the Terran army. Even in Terran vs Terran you'll see lots of tanks around.

I can't even remember a single match where I never had to face the siege tanks of my Terran enemy.

As a zerg player, they annoy the hell out of me as they clear out my roaches,zerglings,ultralisks and hydralisks like they were paper and the tanks were some form of acid.

It just hurts.

But hey here's a nice way to transit into the ever loving , ever hated Siege Tank

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THEORY

The Terran Answer to Most ground Enemies.

Well lets get started on the theory of the Siege Tank and why you'd like to use it.

First of all your tank has splash damage. What that means is that if you attack 1 unit, all units around it for a limited distance gets hit.

Your Opponents army after a few Siege Rounds

With the upcoming 1.1 Patch you'll notice that tank damage will be nerfed and that will affect a lot of high level play. However it doesn't really affect anyone from silver and below. After all most of the time in Gold and below the match comes down to who has a better macro and who's a better cheese defender.

Probably what you're gonna need to do after the patch.

Ah also the merit of the Siege Tank lies not only in its splash damage but the long range of its siege attack. By sieging on a hill or high ground you'll be able to hold off majority of your enemies ground forces.

With the exception of a Colossus walking up your cliff and deciding to BBQ you, you pretty much have nothing to worry about until the Mutalisks or Voidrays show up.

Pretty much the only ground unit you need to be afraid of

Just to be clear your siege tank is able to shoot anything it sees. So if your opponent is hiding on a hill and you're tank range is in range, just fly an air unit up there and your enemy is toast.

Most times when you need the extra sight, its accompanied by a banshee or a viking depending on your preference to defend your tank from Air attacks or decimate your enemy's army of soon to be ketchup splatter.

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Examples

And again here are some examples of Siege tanks either in play or how to get to the siege tank.

UEN.tv has a video on how to use Siege Tanks defensively and also shows you how to defend your tanks from other units since Siege Tanks in Siege mode can't attack close.



Here's ForceSC2 on how to use deal with Fast Expand using Hellions and Tanks


Here's A Psystarcraft video explaining Tank Damage and how it works.


Remember these are prior to the 1.1 Patch. The techniques may be the same but the damage may be lowered.

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BUILD ORDER

Somehow there is no build order for this Mid-Game Transition.

ForceSC2 Used a Standard opening which would be.
10 supply 12 barracks 12 Refinery.
And basically just go on from there depending on what you need.

Usually people would go for 2 more Barracks and getting a factory as fast as possible.

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Things to Take Note Of
Remember Siege tanks can only attack ground units and thus if you know your enemy is going for air units the best advise will probably not to go for a siege tank defense or go for a mass siege tank army.

Your tank after an air raid.

Of course then again you could also have marines there to defend your tank. Which is pretty much the basic of any tank use. You'll need a nice bio-ball to defend your siege tank.

Sometimes mixing in Medivacs with your bio-ball is a good idea since they heal your buffer wall that defends your tanks.

Tanks are dual use units in this game. They can be your big gun that takes a while to fire, or they can be the nice wall that makes your enemy unable to take you down.

Kinda like this but better

Then again you could also be an ass and tank drop into your enemies base.


So now here's a mental checklist for you to take note of if you decide to go tank.
1. Do I have my Gas?
2. SCVs!
3. Is my opponent going air?
4. Do I have enough units to defend my tanks?
5. Did I research Siege Tech?
6. Get the high ground.
7. Air units, do I have a defense against them?

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So there you have it. The Siege Tank Tutorial that will probably help most Terran players beat everyone else in a epic Siege battle since the only Siege unit in the Zerg army is the absolute last unit in the back of our minds and the only way to counter the Siege tank army would probably be a whole bunch of Dark Templars and Colossi.

You probably don't want any of these near your tank

Well then till next time everyone!

This is Fireport here with another article for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off!

Zerg: The Hydra Approach

I know I've been through the mutalisks and basically now its time to look at the other mid-game transition. The Hydralisks.

I don't wanna be near that set of teeth!

Ok lets look at the perks of a Hydralisk, it has a long range for a ground unit and works really well on hills and on creep.

Now lets start on the Tutorial

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THEORY

So what's the point of going Hydras instead of Mutas? Well for one they have a much longer range than the 3 Range Mutalisks. They have 5 normally and 6 when the upgrade is done. And trust me that +1 Range upgrade is really really really useful.

Its like giving your Hydralisks one of these!

The Role of a Hydralisks with its low health and armor yet insanely high DPS when massed would be as the main attack force which requires a lot of units in front of it to tank the damage.

What your Hydralisks army will look like without units to tank for it!

So since the Hydralisks is pretty much a glass cannon, you'll definitely need either a lot of Zerglings or have a nice line of Roaches by mid-game to support your Hydralisks.

What your Hydralisks Probably look like to your enemy.

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Examples

Here are a few youtube examples of Hydra builds and how to use Hydras.

ForceSC2


Well I could only find 1 Video example for you.

But looking into games. As long as you go to SC2Replayed.com, you'll probably find more examples of how to get to the Hydras.

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BUILD ORDER

Here is ForceSC2's BO
(14) Extractor
(14) Spawning Pool
(16) Queen
(18) Metabolic Boost
(20) Hatchery
(20) Queen
(23) Spine Crawler
(34) Lair
(38) Hydralisk Den

Now I don't usually do this but I'm going to get into this build order and analyze it a bit for you.

You notice that he goes for a 14 Gas 14 Pool and a 16 Queen?

Wish it was this Queen!

That would be the standard Zerg Macro Opener which you can use for things such as Muta Rushes or Early Expansions and other such things.

The Early gas allows you to have speed lings and a faster lair than lets say a 9 pool build or the horrible horrible 6 pool.

You'll probably need like 10 of these.

The aim for this build is to get your Den out as fast as you can while massing Zerglings, and for that you need a strong economy.

So remember 14gas 14pool is a standard ZERG MACRO OPENER.

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THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Always remember that when you're going for tech rushes or transitioning into a mid-game build your economy has to be strong.

See that rising line? That's your drone count.

Here's a few things ForceSC2 states.
- Make Zerglings early on to scout your opponents ramp, as well as handle any early Reapers you may see

- When you do expand make sure you have a Spine Crawler or two, this will be what saves you from an early push

- Hydralisks dominate terran ground if there are no siege tanks on the board, take advantage of that

NOTE: Build orders should never stay static and are subject to change based on what your opponent is doing! Remember this is an RTS: use your brain, be adaptable, profit.

I'd listen to what he says about the fact that Build Orders should never stay static.

Make sure you adapt to your enemy no matter what.

Here's a mental checklist for you.
1. Drone Count Good?
2. Get Gas yet?
3. Is your queen out?
4. Supply capped?
5. Zergling Speed!
6. Drone Count!
7. Hydra Range!
8. Supply capped?

As long as you keep asking yourself these few questions you'll be fine.

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I hope this Hydralisks tutorial will help you guys in due time. Till Next time People!


This is Fireport with another article for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off!

Protoss: The 4 Gate

So you've played Starcraft 2 for a month and you've heard of the Protoss 4 Gate.

So what is this 4 gate that they are talking about?

People in the lower tiers usually go for the 2 Gate Proxy which is basically a rush and a form of cheese.

Well ok nothing weird about 4 Gate. Its nothing special after all. Its just 4 Warpgates right? OR IS IT!!! DUN DUN DUNNNNN!

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THEORY

Again with the theory. Isn't there enough theory to go around!!!

And the answer is No.

We always need theory and the theory behind this opener/mid-game build would be Macro.

Why is it Macro intensive! ITS PROTOSS!

Well that's why its macro intensive. Because you have 4 gates and you need to keep pumping out troops for this to work.

This works better than the 3 Barracks push which the Terran has and definitely causes Zerg players a lot of misery if they don't know how to deal with a 4 gate.(I'll come up with the counter in a bit)

The 4 gate allows you to create a good strong mixed army in he early game and with additional gates you'll probably have a nearly unbeatable army by the time mid-game ends and you're about to reach like tier 3.5 tech or something.

The whole theory behind it in a nutshell would be to get units out as fast as possible and as efficient as possible.

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Examples

Well after looking around the net for a bit I've found that HuskyStarcraft has made a youtube video on how to do the 4 Gate.



And again here's another video by ForceSC2


And this is Day9's Video

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Build Order

So this is Husky's Build Order

9 Pylon
10 Chrono boost 2 workers
12 Gateway
12 Chrono boost 2 workers
13/14 Assimilator
16 Pylon
18 Cybernetics Core
18ish Assimilator (asap)

And this is Force SC2's

(9) Pylon
(11) Gateway
(13) Assimulator
(15) Cybernetics Core
(21) Warp Gate Research
(25) Gateway
(25) Gateway
(26) Gateway

If you can't really tell the Husky's build is slightly slower compared to Force's due to an early double gas drop instead of reaching for Gateways first.

It helps in macro in the long term however.

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Things to take note of

From Husky

Put 3 probes on gas ASAP. You should have 100 gas for Warpgate/Stalker as soon as the cybernetics core finishes.

You should push out after your first wave of units spawns from your warpgates. Continue pressure for 2-3 waves of units. If you cant end the game then, back up and start to macro up! Remember, you are not behind if you do this build correctly as long as you save some units from your original attack.

From Force

- Use your scouting probe to drop proxy pylons near your opponents base, drop in multiple locations for support if one pylon gets destroyed

- If you see a fast expansion in conjunction with high tech (Lair / Hydra Den) push out as soon as Warp Gate is finished researching, giving them too much time will put them at a huge tech and economic advantage

- Hydralisks are very dangerous to your gateway units especially on creep, be careful and micro properly

NOTE: Build orders should never stay static and are subject to change based on what your opponent is doing Remember this is an RTS: use your brain, be adaptable, profit.

In General the basics apply. You have to scout and you have to make sure that your build can push through in the first push before you force it through.

If you like because of your warp tech you can actually add a proxy pylon near your opponents base and you can reinforce your enemy really really really fast.

Here's A Mental Checklist:

1. Have I Scouted?
2. Have I been scouted?
3. Do I have my gate?
4. Is my Gas out?
5. Have I gotten my Core for Warp?
6. Is he getting a 4 gate counter?

Counters that are known for the 4 Gate.

Zerg - Mass Hydralisks with Roaches on Creep.
Protoss - Watch for 4 gates as a counter. Also if they go for high Templars start teching for Air
Terran - Marauders and Siege-tanks. Look out for the Dusty Cloud Fist!

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I've compiled this from fighting 4 gate players and also from seeing many different replays and basically running around the net for the easiest ways to learn the 4 gate.

I hope it has been useful for all you Protoss players out there for this is equivalent to the ultimate fall-back tactics of the other races like the 3 Barracks Push or the Early Hatch Mass Lings/Mutas.

This is Fireport here with another article for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off

Protoss: Dark Templars

Ah the magic of Zeratul and his brethren who are permanently cloaked.

The Dark Templar are a bunch of guys who cut away from the Khala and thus cut away from the light.

Well at least they still need a little to actually see.

But yeah the Dark Templar despite being Expensive and easy to kill are, in the right hands, the most effective way to deal with your opponents.

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THEORY

Since you're in lower tiers and many of your opponents are probably massing units and 1 basing, having Dark Templars are a good method of dealing with many of your opponents. They are especially effective against Zerg players who tend not to have any overseers to help detect units.

Dealing with Terrans are easier with the Dark Templar. You can easily sneak into his base when he opens his gate and clear out his mineral line while his army marches towards your base.

Even if he did scan out your Dark Templar. As long as you've made it into his base and started killing his SCV's. You're probably already at an economic advantage over him.

However against Protoss players you might have some trouble fighting them since Photon cannons themselves are detectors.

So if you scout a cannon early game remember not to go DT. Unless you mass them.

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EXAMPLES


and Part 2


Those 2 videos brought to you by Starcraft Noob Trainer are quite good examples at how you can go for a DT rush and win in the game via macro.

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TACTICS

Well Since you're gonna be using the DT's its always good to remember that micro is very important and start by taking out Queens then drones or in a Terran base take out the mules first before SCV's. That way you stop the super mining before cutting them down for supply incase your enemy is supply capped.

DT's are also permanently cloaked and thus without overseers or Turrets you're probably safe until the Terrans start Scanning around for you.

Another method that you can do is include DT's into your Massed army to deal extra damage without losing more units than needed.

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THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Well for one look out for ravens and overseers moving around and also observers who may be scouting your base. So to do this rush its quite advisable to have cannons around incase they scout your Dark Shrine.

Another point would be to HIDE YOUR DARK SHRINE.

No matter what since the Dark Shrines take forever to build keep them away from easy scouting.

Here's a Mental Checklist

1. Do they have detectors?
2. Whats the build?
3. Did they see my Shrine?
4. Have i boosted my DTs out?
5. Do I have my expansions and have i dealt with his?

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As much as I'm no expert on Protoss I'm pretty sure this tutorial can assist you abit with getting Dark Templars and using them effectively.

This is Fireport here with another Article for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off!

Zerg: Reaching For the Mutas

So early game just ended. What would you do next?

You're zerglings and your roaches have just been destroyed but your enemies are destroyed as well.

Whats the next step?

Should you go for the Mutas Or Hydras?

Well for this tutorial we'll be going Mutas.

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THEORY

Why go Mutas when you can go hydras?

Well the answer would be speed.

Mutas are faster than hydras on creep and are more mobile than hydras since their air units and with them in critical mass you pretty much own the skies.

Yes some will argue that Hydra's and basically most units can kill Mutalisks really easy. But you're forgetting one thing. 30 Mutalisks pretty much can out fly anything and even though the opponents may have Thors and mass marines. As long as you have 15 Mutas you probably could GG the opponent. Just keep pumping mutas.

Mass Mutas are One of the best Zerg attack forces at the present moment.

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Examples
Here's a video of how to achieve fast Mutas courtesy of ForceSC2


Here's a video on Mutas by Love4Starcraft showing ways you can use the mutalisks

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TACTICS

As you can see there are a few ways to use the mutalisks.

And as you can see the Magic Box with Focus Fire is the most effective way to deal with most enemies since your muta's do not bunch up together and get splash damamge.

Mutalisks are also more of a harass unit than an actual air force. But remember the moment you hit 20 mutalisks you're probably at the amount for a proper counter to most small armies.

Mutalisks are really good at harass since 4 of them with proper micro could clear a mineral line before the main army arrives to kill them.

Also if you keep pumping out mutalisks and have expansions, you're probably going to win the battle against any 1 baser or anyone who does a late expansion.

For this tactic to work you'll be required to mass expand and get a lot of gas. A LOT OF GAS

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THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Well just keep a watch for Thors, Mass Marines, Carriers, Missile Turrets, Battle Cruisers, Photon Cannons and Hydras.

Mass Mutas easily deal with Vikings, Void Rays, Phoenixes(when you flank them) and basically any ground unit that can't attack air.

And now for a mental checklist that you should have

1. Do I have my extra Gas?
2. Do I have enough Larvae
3. Is my Expansion up?
4. Am I bunched or in magic box?
5. Does he have things that can clear out my mutas?

Remember to always scout and remember to get your expansion out!

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Well I hope that this Tutorial will help you and get you up and at it

This is Fireport with another article for thebronzeleagueplayer.blogspot.com Signing Off!