[MBO] June 2018

This is the June 2018 entry of  Metagame Build Orders

Vs. Protoss

The build choices have changed quite a bit this month. There are two main paths as usual: tech-oriented vs. bio-oriented. The most popular tech-oriented choices are builds with Banshee. The bio-oriented builds are sort of middle of the road whereby Terran still want the early Cyclone for defence, but they don’t tech to Starport immediately.

The build below is the default Banshee build. You read about the rationale and follow ups in my recent post.

14 – Supply Depot
15 – Refinery
16 – Barracks
@100% Barracks – Reaper and Orbital Command
@400 mineral – Command Centre (@100% – Orbital Command)
@100 gas – Factory
@75 mineral – Refinery
@100% Reaper – Reactor (@100% – Constant Marine production)
@100 mineral – Supply Depot
@100% Factory – Widow Mine (or Hellion) and Starport
@100% Widow Mine – Tech Lab
@100% Starport – Swap it onto the Tech Lab for Cloak and Banshee. Another Tech Lab on Factory
42 – Supply Depot
Build Supply Depot accordingly hereafter 
@100% Tech Lab – Siege Tank
Constant Marine, Siege Tank, and Banshee production
@400 mineral – Command Centre

Push out when there are two Tanks. Stop Tank production at three. Move to the 3-1-1 convergent point by putting down two more Barracks (then two more Refinery). Transition to the standard bio and Medivac composition.

Vs. Terran

There is no notable novel TvT build recently. People ask me about Cyclone builds, so here is one that is pretty good for a macro transition. It uses the double Refinery Reaper expand opening, which in my opinion is the best opening now. You can read more about it here.

14 – Supply Depot
15 – Refinery
16 – Barracks
17 – Refinery
@100% Barracks – Reaper, Orbital Command and Factory
20 – Supply Depot (pull 3 Scvs out of Refinery)
@100% Reaper – Reactor
@100% Factory – Cyclone
@400 mineral – Command Centre (put the Scvs back in to saturate both geysers; @100% – Orbital Command)
@100 mineral – Supply Depot
@100% Cyclone – Swap Factory onto Reactor for 2x Cyclone
@100 gas – Starport and Refinery. Then, build a Tech Lab with the Barracks
@100% 2x Cyclone – 2x Hellion
@100% Starport – Swap Starport onto Tech Lab for Raven

The build is geared for a mech transition. However, the three early Cyclone then follow up with a Starport and Tech Lab can easily transition to bio. You have the bread and butter 1-1-1 set up with this build, and you can just swap the add-ons around to feed what you want to do in a transition. If you are going for bio, you can choose not to get the third Refinery as early as the build notation suggests above.

This build aims to control the early game with the three Cyclones. The opponent has to react accordingly because s/he does not know if you are still producing more Cyclones. I am sure you have lost TvT because you underestimated how many Cyclones the opponent is making in the early game. GuMiho uses this build in the vod below.

Vs. Zerg

2-1-1 has recently become the in-thing again. Maru did a build that has a follow up attack with Siege Tanks and bio upgrades recently against Rogue in GSL. It is a good build, and Osiris had written about on the BOTW in /r/allthingsterran. I am waiting for him to notice my reddit username is /u/mrmaxilicious instead of /u/maxilicious. ;)

14 – Supply Depot
16 – Barracks
16 – Refinery
@100% Barracks – Reaper and Orbital Command
@400 mineral – Command Centre (@100% – Orbital Command)
@150 mineral – Barracks
@100% Reaper – Reactor
@100 mineral – Supply Depot
@75 mineral – Refinery
@100 gas – Factory
@100% Barracks – Tech Lab (@100% – Stim)
@100% Factory – Reactor and Starport
Constant Marine production and build Supply Depot accordingly hereafter
@100% Starport – Swap it onto the Reactor of the Factory and produce 2x Medivac
@250 mineral – 2x Engineering Bay (@100% – +1/+1 Infantry upgrade)

The above is the most common 2-1-1 build. The follow up build order is what makes this build interesting. It moves to a 3-1-1 with the third Barracks, and then you start Tank production. The other notable detail is to swap the third Barracks onto Starport’s Reactor. Along story short, this detail improves the unit composition ratio for the attack.

@200 mineral – Barracks, and Tech Lab on Factory
@150 mineral – 2x Refinery
@100% Stim – Combat Shield
@100% Tech Lab – Siege Tank (@100% – Siege Tank)
@100% Barracks – Swap it onto Starport’s Reactor.
Constant unit production from all buildings for the build.

You do the typical things with the initial two Medivacs of units at 5:00. The next timing is when you have two Siege Tanks. When you move out, you load the two Tanks into the third Medivac. This helps to conceal your intention. Effectively using the terrain to your advantage is crucial.


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13 thoughts on “[MBO] June 2018

  1. Thanks for the article, in regards to the 2/1/1 build though I believe most players will get the second refinery with the next 75 minerals after the second depot instead of after the factory in order to get the medivacs out as fast as possible. You can see this in the vod you posted at 15:50 video time.

    1. Good point. I actually do that when I play too. It must be because I copy and paste the build order from the old 2-1-1. I am going to edit that. Thanks.

  2. Hi,
    A question about the 2-1-1 – Any suggestions on the propper follow up when the zerg defends the push with a lot of ling bane and then goes into hydras ? What I do is go for 3rd and 4th and turtle with tanks bio and ghost which ends in zerg killing me with 2-3 waves of ultras hydras or brood lords. This seems to be the only situation I can’t handle right now – can’t even imagine what I should do :D Posted in the BOTW therad as well – will post here any viable response from there :)

    1. The outcome of the attack should not influence what you plan to do in the mid game, unless something drastic happened. You can do go for a 2-2 attack with tanks, or focus on late game like what you have been doing.

      1. Thanks, will have to improve my late game I guess. but what bothers me the most is that if I turtle zerg can get the better economy and throw army after army till I die :D

        1. There’s this trend that Terran go for an earlier 1-1 push, but don’t go for 2-2. They don’t get a second factory, and just tech straight to late game.

    1. It is definitely an option. If Protoss does not make units and Shield Battery, Terran could just win. The weakness to this build is that Terran need to continue to make some more Cyclones for the time being as Protoss would counter attack after the first battle.

  3. In the TvT build you forgot to sqeeze in a @100 Supply Depot after the @400 CC. The factory will only produce 1 cyclone until the CC is finished otherwise.

What do you think?