TY's Fake Proxy into Mass Cyclone and Widow Mines (TvP Timing Attack)

Description

This build comes from TY vs Neeb on Blueshift in the WCS Global Finals Group Stage.

Proxy is considered the standard strategy in TvP now (read this article for an in depth discussion). While the TvP proxy strategy is labelled by Blizzard as too varied for Protoss to handle, it requires players to be very knowledgeable in many aspects of the game and are able to make decisions on the fly. Hence, while proxy appears to be a "standard" strategy in the pro scene, it is not too appealing for an average Terran player on ladder. Nevertheless, we can utilize the metagame knowledge that Protoss expect Terran to proxy. The build uses a fake proxy opening, which places the production buildings near Terran's base but they are hidden from Protoss at the same time. Then, it shapes up to a Cyclone timing attack with Widow Mine support.

This build is take from the October entry of the Metagame Build Order series from TerranCraft.

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Analysis

The opening is very similar to the double Refinery expand in TvT, whereby you take two early gas for Factory tech then pull Scvs off gas to expand. This build is also comparable to the mass Cyclone build in TvT.

The twist to this build in TvP is the reinforcement of Widow Mines, whose effectiveness is best illustrated by thinking from Protoss' perspective. Protoss' answer to a Cyclone attack is to use Shield Battery to sustain Immortals and Stalkers in a face-to-face battle to take out one Cyclone at a time. Depending on micro and positioning, the support of Shield Batteries is usually sufficient to help Protoss to out last Terran's firepower. Bypassing Shield Battery's healing is where Widow Mine shines. Widow Mine instantly kills a Gateway unit and it renders Shield Batteries useless.

Why not reinforce with more Cyclones? Many should be aware that Widow Mine has a shorter production time than Cyclone. However, Cyclone also has a slightly faster movement speed. While all these factors contribute to the choices, the key reason is the diminishing benefit of having additional Cyclones. It is difficult to have seven Cyclones attacking effectively because of the choke at the natural. When you try to ensure those at the back are attacking too, those at the front usually get too close to the opponent. All-in-all, Widow Mine is a good choice in this scenario.

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Details

• Created by: Maxilicious  
• Published on: Oct 30, 2018
• Patch: 4.0.0

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