"Slings..in that pic of you in WLJ's BR, it looked as if you had a life, is that true?"
-SCV~007
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| Todays Subliminal Thought Is: | | | Author: | | | IP: | user-33qXXXX | | Date: | 07/19/01 04:07 | | Game Type: | Starcraft | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 3, Max: 9, Min: 8
Lifetime Rating for LuckyNewbie:P: 8.4737 |   |
Welcome to another LuckyNewbie report, my first in about 7 months. This time I've made it almost entirely (25 out of 27 pics) in .jpgs, so this weights in at about half a megabite. Aren't I such a great guy?
Lost Temple Terran vs Zerg... some say its the most balanced matchup in the entire game (Protoss vs Protoss is way unfair). Usually I stand a fair chance as terran, except when my zerg opponent takes an early expansion, and with it the gas to fuel an army of mutalisks and lurkers. Even the best ways people recommend taking out that zerg expansion such as an early turbo newbie or massive marine rush, are hard to hide and easy to counter when seen. Even if you let the zerg take their expansion (a big no-no) and expand yourself, an early combo of mutalisk and lurker is hard to defend against, much less attack back. After many losses and failed strategies, I bring to you my only real battlereport staring me...
This game is a Terran vs Zerg matchup between me and Inkmeister. Inkmeister has so far defeated me in all the games we've played. We had just finished a zvp where he cannoned up, took the islands and just built up and crushed me, which happens to be gayer than just going carriers (zerg has an entire arsenal against carriers). Anyways, after that he asks me if I want to help him practice his Zerg vs Terran. Because he is a Terran user and I saw him play pretty bad zvt earlier today, I accepted. The map we would play, of course, is The Lost Temple.
The Old Book
"Canucks cant micro"
- Cap'nVegetable
As I said before, many of the old (and now staple) strategies for taking out a zerg's early expansion just dont seem to work. Strategies include massive marine and medic rushing, early turbo newbie and drop attacks, containment, and expanding yourself. Some of these may work for you fine, but my terran has a hard time pulling them off.
 First on the chopping block is a marine and medic rush. This may be a great strategy, if only your zerg opponent doesn't know it's coming and doesn't anticipate it. The first concern on a zergs mind after getting an expansion is to hold that expansion, and 2-3 sunkens with troops to support will make short work of any marine force. Even worse, a zerg can make 3-5 creep colonys outside the natural, which can quickly morph into sunkens should the need arise. A good force of 12-24 marines is needed to bring down this type of defence, and by the time the army is made to get this sort of manpower, you'll have lurkers on your hands too.
 The next and most common strategy is the dropship rush, a great way to get tanks on your opponents cliff (Lost Temple Only). This, too, is another thing your zerg should be expecting, and should have an easy counter. I recommend bringing an scv and 3 marines instead of a pair of tanks, just to make it harder to take out. The zerg has two main counters for this. The first is to get mutalisks, the second to get early drops, and both have the same effect. If he chooses mutalisks, you're in a world of sh*t, because now you'll have to spend money and men to protect your scv line(s), and guardians are all but a guarenteed opponent should you survive long enough.
Another thing I must discuss here is containment, because we've all tried it before. Containment works great, if your opponent hasn't already expanded. However, against a Zerg with two mining spots, you have a disadvantage and unless you can quickly move in and kill the expansion without trouble from lurkers, your in for it. The thing is, all your troops are rallied on killing your opponent, and your main is wide open for a drop, muta raid, or even a charge by troops scattered around the map. Even if they dont hit your main right away and you can't kill their expansion, you'll be out-spent easily. Good Game.
Finally, the old book says that a last resort to countering an expansion is to expand yourself. The big problem about this is that you expanded long after your opponent (you had to have seen his expansion first, usually failing to take it out), and the mineral gap is still there. This is made up by the fact that your expansion is made operational quicker (just maynard scvs), but your opponent still has an advantage. By the time your expansion is completed, lurkers, drops and/or mutalisks should have completed as well. Dang. A final reason, and my personal reason for not expanding as well, is that the longer the game drags on and the more I have to macromanage (one of my weaknesses), my opponent gets the upper hand as usually he/she is better than me in that particular area.
A new chapter?
"If the soup Nazi was really a Nazi, wouldn't he say 'no soup for Jew'?"
- Doom-
Another workable strategy, unbeknowest to me until a few hours ago, exists out there. Take a guess? Give up? Okay then. I would like to thank the replay-guru ~!FrEaK!~, for having the memory to remember me from 6 months earlier, and for giving me advice on how to beat a zerg in this situation, and for helping me to beat ink (as of yet, the only time I beat him). So, hang back, grab some nachos, and if you already know what the secret is here, I hope I can entertain you all the same!!
Let the games begin!
"I have to keep telling everyone... I'm not him!"
CattleBruiser to ~CattleBruiser~
The Lost Temple
(Also known as "Hunters II")
I start as Red Terran at the 12 o'clock.
InkMeister [uSa).WiNo] starts as Teal Zerg at the 6 o'clock.
Knowing it was a Terran versus Zerg, we both started out on appropriate builds. I got a supply and double barracks, my intent was to build up some marines and make him think I would charge in with them. Ink, being on the six, took his natural on 12, followed by a pool and extractor, it was obvious he was going for early ling speed or early lair when my scv arrived.
Knowing he had an early expansion, I build a refinery and assign it 4 scvs quickly. Because I want ink to see my double rax, I float my two barracks into a wall-in position on my choke, putting down a factory as soon as I get 100 gas.
An interesting thing here is Ink's defensive set-up. He has one sunken colony (to defend against a scouting scv?) between two unmorphed creep colonies, as well as a zergling outside my base. Its pretty obvious that if and when I attack with my marines, the zergling will sound the alarm and more sunkens can be put down.
 I get around 6 marines when I place my Starport and academy. By now, ink's lair should be morphing already and his tech path should be chosen. Due to the power of replays, I now know he was going lurkers, and had 4 drones on both gas geysers, obviously going for some hardcore ownage. However, Ink still didn't know what I was doing because he couldn't sneak a zergling in. What would you do? A no brainer, you would use the zergs famous "100 dollar comsat" in to investigate (an overlord you fool), and this is exactly what Ink does. I thought it was a diversion to distract my marines off of my choke, but it was getting dangerously close to my starport, so I order all 8 to attack it before it gets closer. Did ink see my starport!? In the picture you can see my comsat being built, and when its completed i scan his main and see a spire. Damn!
My control tower is now complete and I order a dropship. By now I have 8 marines, 2 medics and a tank. Siege mode finishes researching and I order stim-packs. Now is the time to attack, before he gets lurkers and an upper hand. I order all my troops outside the zerg base, so of course it takes 8 tries before all of them are out. Before long, my army runs into Ink's scouting zergling, and he knows of my attack. Damn!
At home, I put down an engineering bay, knowing lurkers will appear soon, and a second starport. Guessed what the secret is now? Ink's base is busy with activity too. All the larva are morphed into hydralisks, creeps are morphed into sunkens, and more are layed down. I order my dropship to pick up my tanks, and head it on over to ink's cliff. The game could be decided at this point. Can a combination of two old tactics bring down a zerg and its lousy expansion?... Probably. But with me at the controls? Showtime!
My siege tanks arrive just as the spire completes. Because tank AI isn't the greatest thing in the world, one tank decided to go up into hydra range to get a good shot and walks into hydra range before i have to order it back.
 I do manage to knock out his drones for the time being, and hydralisks without range are just prey for cliffed, sieged tanks. However, apparently I didn't siege the second tank far enough, and it is an easy snack for hydralisks. Thinking he only had one sunken colony left and another morphing, I attack with my marines now. Big mistake. You see, my friend, I had forgotten something very important. It seems that when I ordered the stim packs, I must have ordered them at the factory or something because they didn't research! This is a big no-no, because now my medics dont follow and heal my marines, and without medics or stim, marines are toast.
Five mutalisks completed after my marines were turned into Cream-of-Terran youth. My surviving tank had managed to rack up 8 kills and kill 2 sunken colonies before dying, and it also allowed my dropship to escape. My attack however, had failed miserably once again, and it was mostly due to the fact that my skills at this sort of thing are on par with say, a monkey kazoo band. However, that is the reason for this battlereport, to find an easy way to kill the notorious zerg. It would have to be unconventional (a bad idea), controversial (laughable), and most of all, it would have to work.
That, my friend, is what the two port wraith rush is all about. I had been amassing wraith with cloak during my attack, and when my dropship came back for repairs, I loaded up 6 marines and a medic and sent them it the zerg main with 6 wraith in escort. Before this, 5 mutalisk had dared try attack my main, but a few marines and two well placed turrets (they looked like they were out of range but they weren't) drove them off to the Northwest isle.
LuckyNewbie:P Strikes again!
"I get off on peon masturbation."
- )A(SuMTaNg (Testosterone)
![Overlords die in two volleys vs my wraiths :]](users/LuckyNewbie/04/13.jpg) To defend against my drop, ink had 3 lurkers morphing and 4 in-the-yellow mutalisks, having just used all of his larva to morph more drones. I dropped right above his lair, and two overlords were dead after a few volleys from my 5 escorting wraith. Ink nonetheless kept his cool and ran his drones down the ramp and his lurkers up. My wraith had seen this coming and brought one down to 23 hit points. I simply loaded my marines into the dropship as the lurkers burrowed, bringing them back down on the other side of his base to fire on his spire and hydra den. As soon as the lurkers unburrowed they were shot at again. One, however, managed to burrow and take out 3 marines and my only medic before dying to the mighty wraith blasters. Without any troops to help it, the spire collapses, and the hydralisk den is next on the list. Ink's overlord limit has so far denied him from making any reinforcements (aah, the wonders of wraith missiles ;]).
The spire gone and the main crumbling, i go check out the natural and find 5 mutalisks. With some clever hit-and-run my (now seven) wraiths come out victorious, and begin to attack the overlords above ink's natural. Ink had been building them to finally make some troops, and before I got the spire, 6 scourge were in the making. Ink clones them brilliantly, and with the help of some new hydras seven wraith are made three.
 Meanwhile, the 3 marine pimp squad is still tearing down buildings one by one, and the hydralisk falls down to the mighty six damage. The three wraith retreat back to my main to meet up with more marines and medics. However, I see Ink is expanding to his mineral only, and order my troops to attack that immediately. In hindsight I should have rushed into his natural when he was weak, but hindsight is 20/20, and in hindsight you dont have to macro more troops and scvs, expand and check the map for enemy plans. My marines run into trouble as hydralisks chase after them, but they unexpectedly turn into eggs. With no chance of e-vac and without a medic to help them win, they bravely fire into the spawning pool as their final mission, only to be snuffed out by hydralisk spines.
By now my force has assembled itself outside of ink's base, forcing him to finally cancel the hatchery at his mineral only that was stalling me. My mighty wraith cloak and kill hydralisks and overlords, and the marines are ordered to stim and run. In the heat of the moment, however, I forget that I didn't hotkey them, as I order them to attack on a lurker. In one of ink's bs strokes of luck, this was the only lurker he ordered backward to his natural. This is a very bad thing for me because the marines charge at it, running right over other lurkers and dieing spectacularly because I couldn't select them. If I played my cards right, I could have used my wraiths to kill the lurkers one by one with comsat, but from this point on the match turns out to be "just one of those games" where nothing seems to go right.
The fall of Ink?
"It's lagging, turn off some stuff (computer)"
- T-Mac
My wraiths, however, survive to finish off the expansion (Lurkers, sadly, aren't the best thing versus wraith, even in numbers). I bring up more marines, medics and a tank this time and push up to the main. Ink brings out his mega weapon of death this time: a spore colony. Using his remaining gas to morph more lurkers to bring his count to 6, we face off. I make the mistake of running my tank onto the creep and sieging as the lurkers come out. They burrow right under my forces and spikes shoot out everywhere. I launch a comsat. My wraiths were in the back and couldn't provide air support on their own. I manage to take out a single lurker before I lose all my ground troops. The mighty wraiths fly in (*bugle call*), but the comsat has worn out. I scan again, but my wraiths fly right above the lurkers in spore range. I cant target the lurkers underneath, and I cant hit hold position or they'll charge the spore colony. Gritting my teeth I order them back.
However, it was a good thing I did, because a retreating soldier lives to fight another day, and I come back a minute later with 8 wraith, 1 tank, 14 marines, 4 medics, and this time 5 scvs. This time hes going down!! I say to myself.
This time, the main does go down. I build bunkers and turrets to accompany my troops, and slowly inch forward. For most of you, this would be the victory hour, good game, rematch? However, once again, I am at the controls and my opponent is InkMeister, the dude who just doesn't know how to die. The two port wraith strategy, in effect, won this game, and it should be over now for you. No need to scroll down...
InkMeister strikes back!
"missionaries are so stupid..."
"believe in jesus"
"no"
"please?"
"no"
"we'll build you a house!"
"okay!"
- ~St.Spork~ & Roncy
Well folks, I thought it was the end of the game here. Then something hit me. I had a scout on the 9, and I dont see him anymore. I'll order an scv to investigate. Hey wait a minute, I've got some wraith, I'll just look with them.
Right then, my wraith flew over an entirely fully functional main, complete with spire, a protective spore colony and morphing lair. I also see something strange on my mini map. Four overlords, coming right at my base, passing over my mineral-only natural and onto my main.
LuckyNewbie:P: oh god no
What follows next gives a whole new meaning to the word "multitasking". Lurkers burrow near my forces on the 6 main, I launch a comsat and check the expansion. A spire! Damn! I order the wraiths to attack. On my main, about 6 hydralisks and 8 zerglings tear through buildings. Sh*t! I order 4 marines and a medic up from my natural to deal with it. A tank completes, and sieges right where came out. Eat this you dirty bas-- what? Damn, their loading right back up. Damn Breeze's teach yourself battlereport for giving ink ideas! The spire falls, and my wraith auto target the spore. Scourge hatch out right below them and down go more wraiths. The remaining 2 wraith I order off the spore (turns out it had 36 hit points) to intercept the overlords, which now fly over my mineral only and drop on its now completed command center. Right now im flying back and forth between my main and the 6 o'clock main, frantically giving orders and letting the comsats fly. I was so busy giving orders, that I missed this even on the first replay. My gosu scv scout sees my wraith getting hit by a spore colony, and summoning up all of his scv bravado, and my little space construction vehicle suddenly turns into a supersonic combat vehicle [- Hoss]. The spore colony, already low on life, dies to the mighty fusion cutter, which I must have taken 6 screenshots of.
InkMeister's drop has been a success, and he has managed to kill my mineral-only expansion. When my marines show up, its the same story as zerglings and hydralisks hop back into their carriers and flee. I have just completed another command center below my ramp and float it to the 3 o'clock main. When I bring 8 scvs in a dropship there, I see those four overlords flying towards the cliff above my natural. Seeing my command center, however, ruined called for a chance of plans. This command center dies as well.
By now Ink's main is finally succumbing to the mighty arclite cannons (who get a total of 25 kills). Before the lair falls, Ink loads up his remaining 5 drones into waiting carrier overlords. A two marine and medic recon squad was sent into the 9's natural where they take out a sunken colony and hatchery before being shooed by ink's army of 5 lurkers and less than a dozen hydralisks/zerglings. I try to turbo newbie him with a single tank, but hey, he has drop ability, and it wasn't too successful. The main thing that was keeping me from attacking now is the four overlord raiding party. Should they take out my natural, it could end the game (it was my only working expansion). I put down a bunker and just as it completes the overlords decide to attack. My army was waiting just below my ramp, and needless to say, he got raped.
With his raiding party destroyed, now is the best time for me to strike. Just to be annoying and not wanting to die, ink expands to the 3 o'clock natural. My army meets five unburrowed lurkers running the other way from his base at the 9. Unfortunately for him, he loses all five while giving me barely any casualties (the lurkers auto-targeted the tanks). Moving on to his base, I decide to end it deciviely. With a sacrafice of cloaked wraith to drive off the hydralisks and give my tanks and marines the time to set up properly, Ink still doesn't give up. It isn't until two more reinforcing tanks (from the six) and finally a science vessel show up that he concedes
Lessons Learned:
- 1) Early zerg expansions can be defeated, even if you suck like me.
- 2) Ink is a hairy bastard and just wont die ;]
- 3) Any strategy works best if your opponent doesn't know its coming. Deny any recon by them and get some yourself.
- 4) Replays make battlereporting easier
Game Over
 Thank you for reading or at least skimming over the pictures. I hope you enjoyed my report, and feel free to leave a comment or two (no, not you ground). Just on the side, when Ink's overlord flew over my base, he barely saw the corner of my starport, got a spire, and dragged the game on for a while, you can barely see this if you squint on the picture on the right. I guess this reinforces lesson #3. Thank you everyone for giving me quotes, I tried to get the best, and most of all, thank you InkMeister for letting me report this game. Sorry to nate and testosterone, I'll complete the report soon, I just ran into technical difficulties with the tables. Those stupid table tags just give me a huge headache, sorta like when someone tries to explain the concept of "second cousins" to me.
Hope you enjoyed the read, and as always,
Wanna get something off your chest about how unoriginal this is and how much this sucks, or you just wanna hack my computer? Feel free to mail me at LuckyNewbie@earthlink.net.
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