What is your favorite race from Starcraft?

[Cardinian]

Mostly a nice discussion this thread has generated.

I am actually in half a mind to change my original vote from Protoss to Terran... I've recently discovered how much fun a Reaper rush can be... Supply Depot on 8, Barracks and refinery on 9, followed straight up by a Tech Lab and another Barracks with Tech Lab - mass your 4 Reapers asap, and rush them at your enemies base making sure to time it just right so that your Speed upgrade lands for your Reapers...

The number of times (albeit, against an AI), that 4 Reapers can completely wipe out a Protoss base... Fun fun fun! 4 Reapers knock out a Probe in one hit, a Zealot in 2 to 3, a Pylon in about 4... And, with the aforementioned speed upgrade, they are damn fast!

So, for this one reason alone, I am going to say steady yes to Terran as my favorite.

As for people debating about Protoss' lack of diversity... Sentries & Forcefield, Stalkers & Blink, High Templars & Psionic Shockwave... These skills all invariably require good micro and technical ability to pull off... Plus, they do haev some of the most powerful units in the game - combine that aspect with Chrono Boost, and they are probably still one of the most powerful...

Someone mentioned earlier "I have yet to discover what Thor's are for". Or something along those lines. May I point your attention here:
Gosu Coaching: QXC vs Sheth Part 1 - Thor's & Medivacs are lethal. The player didn't use them as effectively as one could, but it is a nice example - I think it happens around part 2, but watch the 1st part to get the build up .

A lot of people seem to be saying that they can't get the Zerg build timing right. I for one, can't. I used to love a Zergling rush in sC1, but I find it extremely hard to pull off now in SC2. Spawning Pools & Queens both cost a lot of minerals... And, in that early stage of the game, if I don't invest minerals into my economy I feel wierd and fuzzy inside .

 

[PurplePoot]

That's a terrible strategy.

10 barracks
10 refinery
Tech Lab @ 100% Barracks (you will have the gas by then if your timing is right)
Orbital Command @ 100% Barracks
Reaper @ 100% Tech Lab
MULE @ 100% Orbital Command
11 supply
Start making SCVs again once the supply depot finishes and transition into pretty much any build from here.

Rally the reaper to their base. Maybe add a second one but it isn't necessary.

(7rax proxy is obviously faster, but this one isn't all-in and recovers very quickly. You'll be slightly behind if you don't manage to snipe more than one or two probes, but very ahead otherwise)

--

Thors are for AA in mech play mostly. They are also pretty good against units like Stalkers and Hydralisks, and for Thor drop harassment as mentioned.

 

[Cardinian]

Yeah admittedly I'm a bit shit at SC2 melee ...

So you're saying just attack with 1 reaper?

I like using 4, because (especially against Protoss), they can chew through slow-moving Zealots, knock out Pylons (which disrupts unit-training and upgrades), and the 1 hit probe-kill is a nice addition. Catch a player totally unaware or strike with 4-6 at the right time (provided he has no Photons next to his Nexus), you can take out his Nexus and force a GG right there and then.

 

[PurplePoot]

You can kite zealots just fine anyways (the goal is not to kill them, simply to not be killed by them), and you don't want to aim for pylons. The goal is to kill as many probes as possible as soon as possible.

The thing is that your day is ruined when a single stalker is out, so you need to hit them fast and hard (10rax reaper puts out a reaper well before a stalker comes out. In fact, you're probably entering their base around when their cybernetics core finishes).

--

The biggest flaws with your BO is the early supply depot (why make one? You don't need one that early since you will be cutting SCVs anyways) and that 10 isn't much slower and is way better economy-wise (not to mention that you want to be attacking as soon as possible and not massing reapers).

 

[Cardinian]

I guess you're right .

I usually send my 4 strong reaper squad out with 2nd refinery just being built, a factory adding on its tech lab, and a starport about to start. So it's more mid to late - But I block and bunker up to stop any sort of early opposition aggression.

And with my Orbital set up to waypoint the further two SCV's to the 2nd refinery, I can keep my reapers alive and harassing for quite a time. So that when they finally suicide - after knocking out all probes in sight - to take out a pylon (usually supplying a Forge or Gateway or two). I return to my base to find a nice stock of gas & minerals, then I start massing Battlecruisers - guess it works sometimes... cant wait for second beta phase or game release to test it out against others.. You're first Poot, so practice your toss!

 

[PurplePoot]

I actually don't play Protoss, but I guess I could make an exception. Seeing both happen might help you understand why the one I listed is better.

 

[mrzwach]

Yes but give a zealot cahrge and use sentries forcefield correctly and you have a much more solid force. also the stalker-marauder comparison was being made by me because while stalkers are given +4 dmg to armored marauders get +10, which i find a small compensation by getting faster movement and blink. especially since blink is so expensive to get while conussive missiles are 100 minerals and gas cheaper and negate the stalkers speed bonus.

Stalkers can shoot air. Last time I checked, Marauders had a hard time teleporting to chase down fleeing aircraft.

Stalkers are also significantly more mobile with Blink, which is not negated by concussive shells (lol). Additionally, you generally don't want to go head to head with marauders using exclusively stalkers.

 

[Cardinian]

Marauders eat through Stalkers.
Zealots eat through Marauders.
Siege Tanks eat through Zealots
Immortals eat through Siege Tanks
Marines eat through Immortals (kinda)
Colossi eat through Marines...

It is balanced. They just went too much for a 'hard-counter' approach. Hope it doesnt turn out to be an extremely futuristic rock-paper-scissors.

 

[PurplePoot]

Starcraft is the same but I don't see people complaining about it. In fact, it's the most popular professionally played game... ever?

 

[HINDYhat]

I usually send my 4 strong reaper squad out with 2nd refinery just being built, a factory adding on its tech lab, and a starport about to start. So it's more mid to late - But I block and bunker up to stop any sort of early opposition aggression

And with my Orbital set up to waypoint the further two SCV's to the 2nd refinery, I can keep my reapers alive and harassing for quite a time. So that when they finally suicide - after knocking out all probes in sight - to take out a pylon (usually supplying a Forge or Gateway or two). I return to my base to find a nice stock of gas & minerals, then I start massing Battlecruisers - guess it works sometimes... cant wait for second beta phase or game release to test it out against others.. You're first Poot, so practice your toss!

Sending reapers out to harass in the mid-game should be a joke to any protoss player, since they should have warp gate technology by then. Even if they don't have any stalkers (which would be surprising), it's just a matter of warping a few in, and positioning them at the cliffs to their base.

Also, the transition into battlecruisers seems a bit far fetched, likely a bad idea, and a ridiculously long tech route. All the time you're teching to cruisers, protoss should have easy access to technology which makes your wall-in useless, e.g. warp/phase prisms, stalker blink, etc.

 

[doombringer]

when I first played starcraft 2 I loved the new mechanics and shiny look of the Protoss but after about 100 1v1 games as protoss I started playing around with the Zerg alot and love taking advantage of alot of the powerful but underused Zerg stratagies such and Nydus Worms and constants Overseer harrasment while building up a swarm of units. so now I play the zerg nearly like I played protss but using creep and nydus worms rather than warpgates.

 

[mrzwach]

It is balanced. They just went too much for a 'hard-counter' approach. Hope it doesnt turn out to be an extremely futuristic rock-paper-scissors.

The very core mechanics of rock-paper-scissors should form the base of any good competitive multiplayer game. Every strategy can be countered by other strategies, units are countered by other units.

 

[Dark Hunter1357]

Add random. I play as each race and i'm relatively equal good in all of them.
Every strategy has at least two counters.

 

[PurplePoot]

Random isn't a race.

 

[MGCǂSpectre]

And I never understand those random boys, more specifically the good players. Random means you know all races but the time it takes to learn 1 race you use it to learn 3 i.e. less skill but for 3 races. Even TLO plays random and is quite good but, well Im not fan of him for that reason. They go a little different strats compared to 'pure Terrans' that I prefer to watch.

 

[PurplePoot]

The level of skill of high level players in SC2 is not to the point where random is a poor choice. I suspect that once we start seeing a progaming scene nobody will be playing random any more, similar to how there are no progamers playing random in SC.

The worst SC progamers could almost certainly demolish the best of the SC/2 high level players.

 

[Dark Hunter1357]

I can't decide which is the best race by strategy and units. But by lore i like zerg the most. They are just... awesome.

I play random, because if i don't(edit, added the "don't"...) play another race i get bored after a few games. And i rarely lose with protoss.

 

[BlackArmsShadow]

'Toss because your worker is freed up to build more structures without being consumed or needing to work on one structure at a time. Same reason that I liked Undead in WC3. And the overshields... Yes, I'm a Halo nerd. So what.

 

[PurplePoot]

Overshields? What? Starcraft was made before Halo and the Protoss had shields in it. For that matter, shields are one of the oldest concepts in semi-modern sci-fi.

Probes being lazy is certainly a nice feature, although the multitude of abilities that Terran buildings get as compensation are good enough for me.

 

[Rui]

[...]
Someone mentioned earlier "I have yet to discover what Thor's are for". Or something along those lines. May I point your attention here:
Gosu Coaching: QXC vs Sheth Part 1 - Thor's & Medivacs are lethal. The player didn't use them as effectively as one could, but it is a nice example - I think it happens around part 2, but watch the 1st part to get the build up .

You seem to have misunderstood «discover what Thor's are for» for «discover what Thors are for». I was talking about his high-damage ability, which, most of the time, is not worth it; it gets the Thor damaged more than he would have been if he had simply attacked.
Also, I didn't know Medivacs could heal non-biological units.

The first time I played Terran I saw the Thor as a tank unit. So I thought: hmm, Thors in front of stimpacked Marines might work well. So I researched Infantry Weapons and Vehicle Armor. Turned out Thors' range is far bigger than that of Marines. Trying to always put the Thors in front of the Marines in an unexpected attack will get the Marines stuck and half of the army dead before they're in the right positions.

 

[PurplePoot]

Medivacs can't heal Thors, it's just that Thor drops are really strong. Anyhow, Thors are AA and are good against midrange units like Hydralisks and Stalkers. Their ability is pretty much only any good against Ultralisks or other Thors.

 

[Hunter9G]

Or leveling buldings.

 

[PurplePoot]

I'd rather just attack buildings.

 

[mrzwach]

I use the ability as an energy dump. Feedback can be painful.

EDIT: also, it works okay vs Immortals, significantly more effective than their normal attack, though still not ideal.

 

[elfian]

Imperial Guard. 'Cause they didn't get to rip that off. Anyways, on the topic: none. None of the three races appeal to men

 

[PurplePoot]

Imperial Guard. 'Cause they didn't get to rip that off.

What in the world are you talking about (I know Imperial Guard is WH40k, just the rest of the sentence).

 

[elfian]

What in the world are you talking about (I know Imperial Guard is WH40k, just the rest of the sentence).

Doesn't matter. I just said I can't pick a favourite race, cause I don't like any of the three.

 

[MGCǂSpectre]

Your main race, your weakest&strongest MU

It's here!

My won prize - SC2! Watch out boys, cause this will make me #1. CraftCup(Server: Europe & NA) and Zotac(Server: Europe) are already open for those interested. Sorry, 2 RL people and 4 serious teammate players are on my list for guest passes, so dont ask me about them. You get them with hard copies.

Also there is an Unofficial non-Blizzard ladder rankings seemingly showing the current state and rankings. Perfect! Soo known EU names are already topping the rankings! Lucifron (war3 top orc), Dimaga (sc1/2), BratOK (sc1/2), Satinii(war3 good elf), Madfrog?(war3 ex top-ud), TLO (sc1/2), Morrow, Jinro, Strelok, (sc1/2), Naama, Kas (pro orc and hu in war3), etc. The number of known war3er just gives me a reason to play the game like I did with war3 and much more.

http://sc2ranks.com/

I actually now start from the very beginning and already with some skill thx to war3 and SC2 beta, unlike war3 where I started seriously 2-3 years later, while those who started from the beginning got much better than me :/

Just wanted to add all in 1 thread, now this is a what's your race and strongest&weakest match-up thread:

Race: Terran

Stronges MU: vs Zerg

Weakest MU: vs Protoss

 

[PurplePoot]

Terran. Strongest is TvT, weakest is TvZ, but only because I almost never get paired up against them (I play against like 90% Protoss these days, I swear).

 

[Devious_Machine]

I play mainly zerg now but i do play all the races. I can easily rush a toss player and take hit out if he does not wall. In the category of weakest to i would says 33/33/33 all depends what tactics they bring to the battle.

 

[tagg1080]

Protoss.

I am actually a little better with zerg, but I don't like playing them.

PvT - Right now strongest, because I have spent a LOT of my time working on it.
PvP - Pretty decent, I feel the PvP tech decisions are limited though.
PvZ - Still working on this one, Roaches generally eat me up pretty good, still working on diff BO's.

 

[StormWarriors2]

mainly terran.
I do walling. And build siegetanks.

 

[mrzwach]

I am still going with random, not much need to pick a race until the global ladder for Bnet comes.

But anyways, probably going to go with either Terran or Protoss, as both are fun to play. Zerg is fun, don't get me wrong, but I like the macro mechanics of toss and terran (ie, addons, chronoboost, cool shit).

 

[MGCǂSpectre]

Terran. Strongest is TvT, weakest is TvZ, but only because I almost never get paired up against them (I play against like 90% Protoss these days, I swear).

I should rethink my best/worst that I decided from beta's results, lost from a diamond zerg on crafctup on blistering and it is my strongest map vs zerg. But he already had 250 games all 1v1, so that's what I call serious training. I also lost from another zerg that wasnt so good but that's what happens when you make late expand and his is early. This was my 2nd game since long ago, so I just wasnt following everything.

@mrzwach the link I posted about the ladders is quite useful to serve as a temp ladder page, Btw is there going to be global region ladder? I want it but I never heard of it.

 

[StormWarriors2]

i only face terran protoss. omg no one places zerg. -.-

 

[PurplePoot]

I should rethink my best/worst that I decided from beta's results, lost from a diamond zerg on crafctup on blistering and it is my strongest map vs zerg. But he already had 250 games all 1v1, so that's what I call serious training. I also lost from another zerg that wasnt so good but that's what happens when you make late expand and his is early. This was my 2nd game since long ago, so I just wasnt following everything.

@mrzwach the link I posted about the ladders is quite useful to serve as a temp ladder page, Btw is there going to be global region ladder? I want it but I never heard of it.

No, expanding late against a Zerg FE is actually pretty normal.

How are you in diamond again?

 

[MGCǂSpectre]

The one from whom I lost on blistering on craftcup is diamond, I'm not. Today is my 1st day after the release as I said in my 1st post. Mabe I'm not diamond skill but that doesnt mean I havent made equal games vs some diamonds. In beta I didnt have time to try diamond, I got platinum but now I'll aim for diamond.

 

[TheDanish]

I'm in Diamond, Terran player. Strongest matchup is vs. Protoss (I mean, come on, EMP makes it a cakewalk), weakest is vs. Zerg. Good Zerg scare me.

 

[MGCǂSpectre]

Terran power! Everywhere I look around it's Terran players, nice. Ok in war3 I failed to become any good because i started 2-3 years later that was 2004 and others had already started with RoC in 2001. While i was just starting to learn, some already got better and better. I couldnt even show myself as good among my own team... Yes for the less skilled I was pro but for the good ones, and pros I was a noob.

I started SC2 with the idea to correct this... now starting with some skill. And still, such losses make me think I'm once again in the same condition as I was in war3...

 

[PurplePoot]

(I mean, come on, EMP makes it a cakewalk)

No it doesn't, unless you are playing against Protoss that like going Stalker/Immortal as a counter to Ghosts or something.

 

[Dr Super Good]

EMP is useful if you are going bio and the protoss throughs in high templars to kill your bio. You can still use the infantry upgrade techs to boost the ghost while the EMP gernade and its mana burning effects can hamper the opponets ability to psyconic storm you. Worse still, if he clusters his high templars, you can kill 4 or more psyconic storms worth which is saving you 1000s of damage worth with just 1 gernade.

Doubt it will work against pros though as firstly, their high templars will be safe behind detectors before the battle so ghosts can not get near and secondly in battle the psyconic storms are use so fast that by the time you EMP the high templar cluster, they will already be running low on mana and your army will be gone to a better place. Also they could spread the templars out to stop EMP hitting more than 1 if they are micro freaks. Further more, they could just eedback your ghosts (cause you will only make a few) so they are totally usless.

However, the snipe of ghosts could probably 1 - 2 hit high templars (especially if EMPed), which is not something a protoss player will enjoy seeing as each is a prety considerable cost. However if you are so entrenched in only bio and for some reason holding off his high templars from ripping you appart, I am sure the protoss will just pump out a few colossus units (fully upgraded) then bulldoze you.

Aditionally ghosts are usless against aircraft like carriers or void rays. So you may find yourself having to go vikings rather cause they are more effective counters. Or if high templars are a problem, you could try siege tanking them if they move in to psyconic storm you.

 

[mrzwach]

"if he clusters his high templars"

that indicates that he is a noob. :|

 

[StormWarriors2]

alrighty i had a successful day. I defeated a rusher and a masser. And a noob. I attacked their bases from the sides and i pwned their ass. I love siegetanks and vikings. And Banshees work wonders against armies.

 

[PurplePoot]

Ghosts are great against some Protoss units, but they do not make the matchup easy by any means.

 

[Dr Super Good]

It is very hard not to cluster high templars since the game lacks a loose formation. Meaning you eithor must like htting the keybaord a lot or else they will usually merge to some cluster eventually.

 

[PurplePoot]

Or just not put all your army in the same control group.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Well I guess if you have a few control groups you could asign a couple to different templar groups. But that still needs you choosing the right one (nearest to target) and then casting and changing etc which is pretty micro intensive to do well.

 

[Gilles]

I would usually have my ability using units (HT, Infes, Raven) in a separate group, but that still means they bunch up generally. You could do as DSG said, but then it's a real pain to use abilities.

 

[MySpaceBarBroke]

Terran. Strongest is TvT, weakest is TvZ, but only because I almost never get paired up against them (I play against like 90% Protoss these days, I swear).

Everyone wants to 4gate these days...

 

[TheHunterKiller]

I play Protoss, strongest is PvZ, weakest PvT.