Reaper FE - Tank Drop - Defend Roach Ravager allin (TvZ Timing Attack)
Description
This is from /u/Osiris1316 on /r/AllThingsTerran
The original post on /r/AllThingsTerran is here: LotV BOTW 6 [TvZ] Reaper FE / CC 1st - Tank Drop - Defending the 4:30 Ravager All in or Transitioning into Mid Game
This is just the Reaper FE variant of the build. The CC first version will be posted in a seperate build, so any time you see that referenced in the analysis, you can go look at the other build. Having two openings to lead to the same strategy is very good because it can be used to throw an opponent off. The Reaper FE is also a bit safer and can be used on smaller maps, while CC first can be extremely rewarding with the fast two base economy.
VOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi75khZD4VQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1100Replay - FanTaSy v Solar: Game 3 - Ulrena
Build Order
Why is there no SALT encoding or Overwolf build?
| 14 | | ||
| 15 | | ||
| 16 | | ||
| 19 | | ||
| 19 | | ||
| 20 | 1:43 | | |
| 21 | | ||
| 21 | | ||
| 23 | 2:28 | | |
| 24 | | ||
| 26 | | #2 | |
| 24 | | 2x Marine Production | |
| 30 | 3:02 | | on natural |
| | @100 gas | ||
| 30 | 3:12 | | @100% tech lab |
| | @100% starport | ||
| 42 | | delaying the 3rd command center (in game 3 of FanTaSy vs Solar) |
Analysis
In this game, it did not last past the roach ravager all-in that solar executed. The transition should be relatively similar to the transition done in game 4, in this build
Here is the original analysis by /u/Osiris1316
Hi everyone, There have been a lot of questions about how one can survive the Roach Ravager All In that hits around 4:30. This series showed us a build that can deal with it as well as two ways to get there.
In Game 1, Solar crushes Fantasy with the two base Roach Ravager All In. In Game 3 Fantasy goes for a Reaper Fast Expand into Tank and Medivac play which holds off the same attack. In Game 4 Fantasy goes for a Command Centre First into Tank and Medivac play and transitions into a macro game.
First I’d like to say a couple of things about the two base Roach Ravager All In. The reason this build is hard to stop is because the Zerg has to stay on 26 Drones; this allows them to pump everything into 40 Army supply by 4:00.
If you look at both Game 1 and Game 3 of the series you will see that Solar is on 26 Drones. This can be scouted after 3:45 when if you see more than 4 Drones at the Natural you know an All In is coming. If you can hold, the Zerg is going to be significantly behind unless they kill a lot of workers. In Game 3 Solar leaves as soon as he realizes he won’t be able to break Fantasy’s Natural base.
Is this attack strong? Absolutely. Is it impossible to hold? No. Is it unbalanced? That I don’t know. I’m not sure if blindly going for the Tank play puts Terran significantly behind a greedy Zerg since the 3rd Command Centre won’t start until after 4:00. Terran also skips the hellion force that should threaten creep spread.
Now, to talk a little about the build orders. u/mrmaxilicious talks a lot about building blocks in his blog post about the topic (Understanding Build Orders in Blocks).
This is an incredibly important concept to understand because once you start seeing the connections between building blocks, you can learn building blocks rather than builds and gain the flexibility of switching between them without losing build order efficiency.
Because this concept is excellently showcased by Game 3 and 4 I decided to include both openings and show how they transition into the same Tank Medivac Play. We can see that the openings are completely different but that both “converge” when you build Tech Lab 1 on Factory 1 and begin your Starport.
Game 4 also shows us where Fantasy was likely heading in Game 3 if he hadn’t seen that Solar had no 3rd base.
You can use SALT to learn both opening blocks as well as the transition into Tank Play and the transition into the mid game. This will allow you to make smart decisions based upon things like what map you’re playing on. (Spawning Tool has a built in feature that creates a SALT code, which you can copy and use to help learn the build order).
On Ulrena, Fantasy went for a Reaper Expand. On Prion Terraces he went Command Centre First. I can’t say exactly why he chose to do this, but I will note that on Prion Terraces, the Natural base is protected by a narrow ramp, while on Ulrena, the Natural base has no ramp and there is a lot of open ground. Why is this important? On Ulrena, an even faster Zergling based All In would crush a Command Centre First on the low ground while on Prion Terraces you can use the narrow ramp to do an emergency wall off. I won’t claim that this is 100% correct, but you can see how the map itself will make some openings and transitions better than others.
Learning building blocks and seeing when they transition from one to another will allow you the flexibility to play the map as well as the match up. This is a huge edge assuming your macro is strong.
I will also suggest that when you watch games, you always keep an eye out for convergence points. If you see them, rewatch the game and see how the Terran got there and where they went from there. These insights will develop your understanding of the meta, and what is possible.