Terran Build Order – TvP (can work with variations for TvT and TvZ)
I do not have the beta—hence I’m taking the time to write this build order in hopes of perfecting it. So..I don’t have exact unit count but have watched enough replays to understand what is capable.
This build order is going to be your standard Terran play style with a couple of variations depending on scouting. Terran are very weak early game giving up map control and need to dictate the flow of the game as soon as possible.
This build order takes into affect that you have a general understanding… i.e. using Mule on energy etc.
STAGE 1
Start out with your standard build -
supply depot
rax (Wall yourself in correctly with a tech lab add-on)
refinery
orbital command
supply
*Start producing Reapers (4)
Objective and Mindset:
This is a crucial time in the game. You need to be very effective with the Reapers. Do not engage in any unit combat outside of scv/drone/probe. Your job with the 4 reapers are to slow down there production and disorient your opponent to effect their timing. Once you have done the best job with your 4 reapers… place them strategically around the map. (i.e. scouting their natural expansion and at watch towers.) KEEP THEM ALIVE! --Don’t go back up a cliff to the same spot you did 15-20 seconds ago and think that the enemy is stupid enough not to leave a unit there. You want them to invest units in defense--you have accomplished the objective.
Conclusion:
Hopefully with your Reaper harass you were able change your enemies mindset of the game and get them to slow down their tech to produce more units to defend and combat your reapers. With the Reaper harass you have now taken back control of the map. You have a clear vision of what is happening and have paranoid your opponent to possibly take precautions to eliminate your harass.
Continued Build Order –
Supply Depot(s)
Refinery
Factory (tech lab add-on)
Starport, swap with factory tech lab. Build tech lab on Factory.
*Produce (1 )Siege Tank and research siege, be sure to place it far enough away from ranged attacks at your main entrance.
*Produce a handful of (5) Marines and (5) Marauders
Starport, Start producing immediately once you swap to tech lab-- 4 Banshees and prepare for enemy push, you might not get them all out in time to defend. If you were able to delay the enemy with your harass-- Ideally you want to have an army of this size.
4 reapers, 1 siege tank, 4-5 marines, 4-5 marauders, and 4 banshees.
Mindset:
Most likely with the Reaper harass, Protoss has over compensated early units like stalker, sentry and zealot. Your Superior air units will dominate the mid game push with some well timed micro. You must stop this mid game push by focus firing the anti-air units first. Many times terran players die to mid-game Protoss pushes because they lose those initial reapers. Having the reaper scouts gives you enough time to position yourself for the push. I believe that Terran is at a disadvantage at this stage of the game unless your reapers put a hurt on your opponent. But you are not overly committing those units so unless your opponent is terrible. Don’t count on an advantage on your opponent. Your advantage comes after you survive your opponent’s mid-game push. Once you have all 4 banshee out you are now in control of the game. You can go harass the enemy with your air units giving you time to expand to your natural and start pumping marines and marauders.
STAGE 2
Expanding is the top priority here. And at this point you go into macro mode.
Build 2 more rax, one with tech lab and one with reactor,
Upgrade stim and marine hp bonus.
Build Engineering Bay and start to upgrade.
Swap the starport for the rax with the reactor and start double producing medivacs.
With your new found army thanks to your boost to your economy from your natural expansion. It’s time to play a little game of cat-and-mouse. Push with your marauders/marine/banshee army to the middle of the map taking map control. Scan your enemy to examine base defense and tech. Most likely your opponent has either expanded or counter teching your banshees. Your intentions are not to push into protoss’s main or even there expansion. You basically are just pushing the protoss force back into their base and again having them make more inferior units with them anticipating an attack. These are the subtle movements that are key to success. Terran isn’t about overpowering your opponent it is about wearing them down.
After taking map control of the middle of the map,
Retreat and start up your second expansion with refineries.
Your army is not quite ready to finish off the enemy. But we’re not going to play chicken all game. So pack up your marines/marauders in your medivacs and drop on their main mineral line. Most likely they still have a few units back there waiting for those pesky reapers to reappear. Make sure you got 3-4 Medivacs full of marines and marauders and take out the existing units and do as much damage as you can to their production. Once you see their army come close to you pack up and go home.
***There are a couple scenarios that could happen there because they might have scouted your second expo and move there force so the drop could really do some serious damage. Hopefully your cat-and-mouse act pushed them off enough to leave your second base unnoticed. If they take out your expo and head to your main be sure to get back asap.
After the drop, expand again.
By this time you have 3 expansions and are mass producing and upgrading your existing units.
Depending on how much air your enemy has you might want to add another Starport and a few Vikings to focus fire.
Build 2 more Factories and start to control the ground game with siege tanks.
Continue to upgrade and mass marines and marauders.
Make a Ghost Academy and Produce a couple Ghost for EMP.
Build a couple Nighthawks.
At this stage of the game, you have harassed the enemy a couple different times and have made a successful drop on their main while defending against their mid game push. You are now at an advantage and should start to contain your opponent from expanding.
When engaging in battles --be sure to use the medivacs to take the high ground for some of your marines spreading out your army. Use the marauders to slow your opponent down while your siege tanks plug away demolishing your opponent. Be sure to get a well timed EMP on the enemy’s main force and pop stim.
So to recap what the keys to this build/strat are:
1. Reaper harass not over committing and securing the map.
2. Out tech your opponent Mid game with Banshees delaying or foiling there timing and map control.
3. Cat and Mouse push your opponent off your natural expo and gain time and map control.
4. M/M drop Enemy main hurting economy and buying more time. Again not over committing your units.
5. Expand more than your opponent to ensure economical advantage.
6. Strategically use your units and terrain to win positional battles.
I do not have the beta—hence I’m taking the time to write this build order in hopes of perfecting it. So..I don’t have exact unit count but have watched enough replays to understand what is capable.
This build order is going to be your standard Terran play style with a couple of variations depending on scouting. Terran are very weak early game giving up map control and need to dictate the flow of the game as soon as possible.
This build order takes into affect that you have a general understanding… i.e. using Mule on energy etc.
STAGE 1
Start out with your standard build -
supply depot
rax (Wall yourself in correctly with a tech lab add-on)
refinery
orbital command
supply
*Start producing Reapers (4)
Objective and Mindset:
This is a crucial time in the game. You need to be very effective with the Reapers. Do not engage in any unit combat outside of scv/drone/probe. Your job with the 4 reapers are to slow down there production and disorient your opponent to effect their timing. Once you have done the best job with your 4 reapers… place them strategically around the map. (i.e. scouting their natural expansion and at watch towers.) KEEP THEM ALIVE! --Don’t go back up a cliff to the same spot you did 15-20 seconds ago and think that the enemy is stupid enough not to leave a unit there. You want them to invest units in defense--you have accomplished the objective.
Conclusion:
Hopefully with your Reaper harass you were able change your enemies mindset of the game and get them to slow down their tech to produce more units to defend and combat your reapers. With the Reaper harass you have now taken back control of the map. You have a clear vision of what is happening and have paranoid your opponent to possibly take precautions to eliminate your harass.
Continued Build Order –
Supply Depot(s)
Refinery
Factory (tech lab add-on)
Starport, swap with factory tech lab. Build tech lab on Factory.
*Produce (1 )Siege Tank and research siege, be sure to place it far enough away from ranged attacks at your main entrance.
*Produce a handful of (5) Marines and (5) Marauders
Starport, Start producing immediately once you swap to tech lab-- 4 Banshees and prepare for enemy push, you might not get them all out in time to defend. If you were able to delay the enemy with your harass-- Ideally you want to have an army of this size.
4 reapers, 1 siege tank, 4-5 marines, 4-5 marauders, and 4 banshees.
Mindset:
Most likely with the Reaper harass, Protoss has over compensated early units like stalker, sentry and zealot. Your Superior air units will dominate the mid game push with some well timed micro. You must stop this mid game push by focus firing the anti-air units first. Many times terran players die to mid-game Protoss pushes because they lose those initial reapers. Having the reaper scouts gives you enough time to position yourself for the push. I believe that Terran is at a disadvantage at this stage of the game unless your reapers put a hurt on your opponent. But you are not overly committing those units so unless your opponent is terrible. Don’t count on an advantage on your opponent. Your advantage comes after you survive your opponent’s mid-game push. Once you have all 4 banshee out you are now in control of the game. You can go harass the enemy with your air units giving you time to expand to your natural and start pumping marines and marauders.
STAGE 2
Expanding is the top priority here. And at this point you go into macro mode.
Build 2 more rax, one with tech lab and one with reactor,
Upgrade stim and marine hp bonus.
Build Engineering Bay and start to upgrade.
Swap the starport for the rax with the reactor and start double producing medivacs.
With your new found army thanks to your boost to your economy from your natural expansion. It’s time to play a little game of cat-and-mouse. Push with your marauders/marine/banshee army to the middle of the map taking map control. Scan your enemy to examine base defense and tech. Most likely your opponent has either expanded or counter teching your banshees. Your intentions are not to push into protoss’s main or even there expansion. You basically are just pushing the protoss force back into their base and again having them make more inferior units with them anticipating an attack. These are the subtle movements that are key to success. Terran isn’t about overpowering your opponent it is about wearing them down.
After taking map control of the middle of the map,
Retreat and start up your second expansion with refineries.
Your army is not quite ready to finish off the enemy. But we’re not going to play chicken all game. So pack up your marines/marauders in your medivacs and drop on their main mineral line. Most likely they still have a few units back there waiting for those pesky reapers to reappear. Make sure you got 3-4 Medivacs full of marines and marauders and take out the existing units and do as much damage as you can to their production. Once you see their army come close to you pack up and go home.
***There are a couple scenarios that could happen there because they might have scouted your second expo and move there force so the drop could really do some serious damage. Hopefully your cat-and-mouse act pushed them off enough to leave your second base unnoticed. If they take out your expo and head to your main be sure to get back asap.
After the drop, expand again.
By this time you have 3 expansions and are mass producing and upgrading your existing units.
Depending on how much air your enemy has you might want to add another Starport and a few Vikings to focus fire.
Build 2 more Factories and start to control the ground game with siege tanks.
Continue to upgrade and mass marines and marauders.
Make a Ghost Academy and Produce a couple Ghost for EMP.
Build a couple Nighthawks.
At this stage of the game, you have harassed the enemy a couple different times and have made a successful drop on their main while defending against their mid game push. You are now at an advantage and should start to contain your opponent from expanding.
When engaging in battles --be sure to use the medivacs to take the high ground for some of your marines spreading out your army. Use the marauders to slow your opponent down while your siege tanks plug away demolishing your opponent. Be sure to get a well timed EMP on the enemy’s main force and pop stim.
So to recap what the keys to this build/strat are:
1. Reaper harass not over committing and securing the map.
2. Out tech your opponent Mid game with Banshees delaying or foiling there timing and map control.
3. Cat and Mouse push your opponent off your natural expo and gain time and map control.
4. M/M drop Enemy main hurting economy and buying more time. Again not over committing your units.
5. Expand more than your opponent to ensure economical advantage.
6. Strategically use your units and terrain to win positional battles.
