TY's Marauder/Hellbat Push (TvZ Timing Attack)

Description

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

Reaper expand into 1-1-1 with Reactor Hellion is the bread and butter of TvZ for a long time. Terran usually do harassment instead of timing with this well known set up early on. Zerg often rely on scouting Terran's move out with well positioned Zerglings and Overlords to prepare for uncommon timing attack such as Hellbat push.

This build does not diverge too much from this core set up. But it mixes in Marauders for a surprise timing attack early on.

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

VOD

Build Order

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Analysis

Currently, Zerg tend to not research Overlord speed for early scouting, and this gives opportunity for Terran to mix in some variations to gain an advantage as the game progress into the mid game. The build order is simple, but its execution is not.

The first part of executing this build is to sell that you are doing a non-threatening standard Reactor Hellion 1-1-1. The Viking has two main goals. The first is to deny scouting, and this is in line with the goal to hide the build from the opponent. The set up of Reactor on Factory, Tech Lab on Barracks, and a naked Starport is very common now, and this usually shapes up to a Liberator and Hellion run-by two pronged attack. This vod is a recent example of how that usually plays out at the top level with Zerg anticipating the Hellion to commit. Interestingly, Viking is a rare choice nowadays after Overlord’s Mutate Ventral Sacs upgrade requirement is moved from the Evolution Chamber to the Lair, and you can read more about the implications in this article. The Viking may now in fact put Zerg on alert for potential curve balls.

The second goal of the Viking is to use one production cycle of the Starport. If the first Starport unit is a Medivac, the preparation for Marauders is not ready by the time the Medivac is out. The Medivac becomes an awkward choice. If you want to attack at the timing of the first Medivac, it is better to just execute a normal Hellbat attack as things line up better. Viking fills that production gap well.

Also, Zerg cannot tell whether the research on Tech Lab is Stim or Concussive Shell, so it is hard to tell there are Marauders unless they see one. TY did a good job hiding that.

The second part of the execution is how to trick Zerg to engage the Hellions with Queens. Queens are the ideal defensive tool against Hellions, and it is instinctive for Zerg to attack Hellions with Queens when they saw the Hellions are on creep. Once the Queens commit to attack the Hellions, the Medivac boost in from the side to unload the Marauders with Concussive Shell. This surprise move can kill off the overextended Queens. The Armory should be ready by then, and Zerglings alone are not the answer against Hellbats. This could be a game ending attack.

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Details

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

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