This is the May 2020 entry of Metagame Build Orders. 

All three builds are taken from recent GSL matches.

Vs. Protoss

14 – Supply Depot
16 – Barracks
16 – Refinery
17 – Refinery
18 – Supply Depot (don’t have to complete it)
@100% Barracks – Reaper, Orbital Command, and complete the second Supply Depot
@100 gas – Factory
@100% Reaper – Reactor
@150 mineral – Barracks
@100% Factory – Starport and Tech Lab; Supply Depot
@100% Reactor – Marines (constant production)
@100% Tech Lab – Siege Tank
@100% Barracks – Marine (constant production)
Stop worker production at 24 workers.
@100% Siege Tank – Siege Tank
@100% Starport – Medivac
@100% Medivac – Load both Siege Tanks into it and commence attack with everything
@100% Siege Tank – Siege Tank

This is a one base all-in. The key is to wall off your main ramp early to prevent Probe scout. The opponent does not know what you have in the main base, and s/he may be guessing if you have another proxy Barracks. You can read this article about the wall off strategy. This build is one of the many variations.

Vs. Terran

14 – Supply Depot
16 – Barracks
16 – Refinery
17 – Refinery
@100% Barracks – Reaper, Orbital Command, Supply Depot
@100 gas – Factory
@100% Reaper – Reaper
@400 mineral – Command Centre (@100% – Orbital Command)
@100% Factory – Hellion
@100% Reaper – Tech Lab, Supply Depot
Build Supply Depot accordingly hereafter
@100% Tech Lab – Land Factory on Tech Lab; Cyclone and Mag-Field Accelerator; Refinery
@150 mineral – Factory
@100% Cyclone – Cyclone; Tech Lab on Barracks
@100% Factory – Land Factory on Tech Lab for Cyclone
@150 mineral – Starport; Reactor on Barracks
@400 mineral – Command Centre

We rarely see new builds in TvT, as the match up is about selecting of the mainstream openings and then adapting accordingly. This build here diverges from the common ones.

16 Barracks, 16 gas, 17 gas opening is rare. It is usually used for proxy (or fake proxy builds). There are two Reapers and a Hellion in the early game, so the units you’ve are comparable to the popular double Refinery expand opening. The early Cyclone production with Mag-Field Accelerator is interesting. The Mag-Field Accelerator research is not rare for mech, but it is usually researched later.

The second Factory to mass produce Cyclone is the defining feature of this build. Usually, you make Hellions and Cyclones for a mobile mech force, but Hellions are only useful against Reapers and Hellions (i.e., early skirmish) and Marines (i.e., mid-late game) in TvT. Thus, mass Cyclones are better than Hellions and Cyclones in the early-mid stage.

INnoVation used this build against Cure just now in GSL on Eternal Empire. It is arguably the best mech map in the current map pool, and the map will remain in the next season. If you are playing against mech, you can continue to make Cyclones. It then becomes a battle for the map control with Cyclones. However, if you are playing against bio, you should make Siege Tanks after a certain number of Cyclones. Cyclones alone are vulnerable to Stim timing.

Vs. Zerg

14 – Supply Depot
16 – Barracks
16 – Refinery
@100% Barracks – Reaper and Orbital Command
@400 mineral – Command Centre (@100% – Orbital Command)
@100 mineral – Supply Depot
@100% Reaper – Marine
@100 gas – Factory
@100% Marine – Reactor
@150 mineral – Barracks
@400 mineral – Command Centre (@100% – Orbital Command)
@100% Reactor – Swap Factory onto Reactor for 2x Hellion, Tech Lab
@100% Barracks – Reactor, Refinery
@100% 2x Hellion – 2x Hellion, Supply Depot
Constant Marine production, build Supply Depot accordingly hereafter.
@100% Tech Lab – Stim
@100% 2x Hellion – Lift Factory* and build a Starport on the Reactor
@100% Starport – 2x Medivac and 2x Refinery
@100 gas – Armory
@100% Stim – Combat Shield
@100% 2x Medivac – Swap Factory onto the Reactor of Starport for Hellions

This is a 3CC 2-1-1 build with Hellbat. I had previously written about 3CC 2-1-1 here. The main idea of the build is to go for a fast 3CC with Reactor Hellions on one gas. Then, instead of adding a Starport or two more Barracks, you go for a 2-1-1. This allows you to hit a Stim timing with two Medivacs at a timing that is later than the classic 2-1-1 but earlier than the 3CC variation.

This specific build adds an Armory, which then allows you to transform your Hellions to Hellbats for the timing. There are only four Hellions at the start, so it doesn’t seem worthy to commit to an Armory just for the few Hellbats. The resource could have gone into Engineering Bays and bio upgrade instead. To address this, this build swap the Reactor on the Factory once the Medivacs are out, so you can rally more Hellions for the push. Moreover, as demonstrated in the vod below, this is all part of the plan to transition into a mech composition. This build can transition into either bio or mech.

Shout out to Wolf (Bonjwa patron), Jensiii, and 绝迹 (Code-S patron) and for their support.

This article is translated and posted on scboy.com by 绝迹.

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