8

My colleague (bronze league) asked me a moment ago what he should have done as protoss against the marines and marauders supported by tanks that attacked him yesterday.

I recommended sentries to reduce the marine damage, zealots to hurt the marines (with speed upgrade if possible) and 2-3 phoenixes to lift the tanks up so your zealots actually reach the enemy. Then blink in with stalkers to kill the (remaining) tanks as quickly as possible while the zealots divert the marauder fire.

It seems to be an overly complex solution that requires good micro he might not have, but was the first solution that came to my mind. What would you recommend?

A solution for all races would be good since others playing other races might find this question.

Improve this question

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
9

For protoss you have to make excellent use of Sentries to delay your enemy. If possible, try to split his army in two with Force Field(s) and take on that half by itself with your zealots, sentries, and stalkers. You won't be able to take him in a head-on fight as Marines/Marauders dominate your T1 units.

Use this delaying tactic to get a few Immortals as soon as possible and transition into Colossus with the range upgrade. The splash damage is very effective against the tightly clumped Bio Ball, while Immortals can take many hits from Siege Tanks. Use Blink Stalkers to get close to the tanks and focus them down. Note that once you have a few Colossi, your opponent will usually get a few vikings to counter them, but focus them down quickly with your stalkers.

Honestly, it is a very difficult thing to beat as Protoss if your opponent is of better or equal skill, especially since you have to tech to very expensive units just to counter his (mostly) T1 army. You'll just have to delay and outplay them and not make any mistakes, and make sure you are very proficient with your Force Field and Guardian Shield usage.

Another option is to go High Templars with Psionic Storm and Feedback on the Medivacs, but I rarely go this route as it is too gas-intensive and higher level Terran players will just use Ghosts which nullify High Templars with their EMP ability (Removes all energy and 100 shield points). Not to mention if your clump of High Templars goes within range of a Siege Tank you're dead meat.

Improve this answer
1
  • As a primarily Terran player, I can attest that Colossi make short work of infantry, and there's nothing worse for my tanks than a good Stalker blinker.
    – Wikwocket
    Commented Sep 13, 2010 at 18:36
4

At lower leauge levels such as bronze, it's not so much about having the right counter units; people generally know what counters what.

What's most important is knowing your fundamentals and doing it fast (building probes, not getting supply blocked, and macroing).

Having said that, I would recommend finding a good solid and stable build order. Memorize it, practice it, and be able to execute it flawlessly.

If you are still concerned about MMT, a standard 3 gateway and Robo build will do just fine in most cases as Immortals are a good counter to both Tanks and Marauders. Following up with Colossi works well too.

Taken from Liquipedia, this build is intended for Zerg, but with minor tweaks (maybe get a stalker earlier) it will adapt just fine for most Terran builds and strategies at bronze levels.

9 Pylon

10 Chrono Boost Nexus after Pylon finishes

12 Gateway #1, send scouting Probe

13 Chrono Boost Nexus

14 Assimilator #1, 3 on gas when finishes

15 Pylon

16 Zealot

18 Cybernetics Core

21 Zealot

23 Sentry

24 Warpgate research

24 Zealot

25 Pylon

25 Assimilator #2

27 Robotics Facility

28 Gateway #2

32 Observer

33 Pylon

35 Immortal

39 Gateway #3

Improve this answer
3

Coming as a zerg player, MMT is usually in a big fat ball so splash damage really is the best choice. Banelings can practically one shot a ball like that, if burrowed and timed correctly.

On the toss side my first guess would be a good mix of zealots and stalkers (with blink).

Improve this answer
2
  • 5
    There is a lot of discussion of Biomech (the correct term for this strategy) is actually imbalanced vs Zerg. You'll see a number of the top Zerg players suggest this (including Idra who is often considered the best Zerg in NA). There is enough evidence that there must be some issue with the Zerg race, and this is usually what's pointed to as the problem. I'd be very hesitant to give advice in Zerg vs Mech or Biomech.
    – tzenes
    Commented Aug 19, 2010 at 15:10
  • tzenes - agreed 100%. I'm assuming lower league play here where you could effectively get banelings into the thick of it to hit the ball. In me head, splash damage on a big biomech ball makes the most sense as a 'counter' hence the banelings. It is as least something before you can get brood lords ;)
    – Robb
    Commented Aug 19, 2010 at 15:38
3

Many of these answers are highly focused on unit choice, which is meh. StarCraft is not about getting the magical mix of units that will pwn the other guy's units. The standard armies of each race will do fine. The important thing is of course macro. To beat his army you should simply have more stuff.

That being said, basic micro is important as well. You need to have your units attack together, not in a limbo line, you need to have good surface area, make a decent arc, and engage in favorable terrain, make sure your zealots are not stuck behind your stalkers.

I'm dubious of bronze level player's abilities to use sentry and phoenix well, and so I would advise leaving them out. vs MM tank good positioning is vastly more important.

Colossus and High Templar both counter bio though, but remember that they're support units. It's still much more important to have good positioning with your army.

Improve this answer
2

A good counter unit composition would be zealots and immortals. Immortals are a hard counter to mauraders and tanks. Zealots to defend the immortals from marines.

A psi storm or two will work wonders on a big bio-ball.

Improve this answer
0

Charge lots and a few Phoenix work wonders. as you send you Lots to them , have the Phoenix pick up the tanks. Even if the marines focus fire you your Phoenix down your Lots will be in troops and out of tanks range

Improve this answer
1
  • The zealots being in the marines line doesn't mean they are out of range of the tanks. The tanks will still fire at the zealots, however, the splash damage will hit both players. An individual siege tank cannot attack in its own close proximity, not that of other friendly units.
    – Mark
    Commented Aug 23, 2010 at 20:50

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.