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Starcraft 2 Guide - CO - SC2 Strategy - Not Just Another Terran Build - MUST READ

The Iron Curtain Opening

The weakness of most rush strategies lies in the fact that if you don't deal severe damage you are far behind economically going into the midgame. If your opponent scouts early, chooses a more defensive build, or simply knows how to deal with cheese your rush won't only be ineffective, it will in many cases lose you the game.

This is why I prefer the "Iron Curtain." The objective of this build is simple: deny or delay the Zerg's expansion by walling off the bottom of his choke with 2 bunkers.

Initially the Iron Curtain is similar to the standard Terran opening, except you are going to build your barracks at 12 supply instead of the usual 13. Send a scouting SCV out at 12 supply, build a refinery at 13, a marine from your barracks (rallied to your opponents base), and an orbital command.

From here your strategy must adapt to your opponent. Zerg have three "standard" openings: 14 spawning pool, 14 extractor-->14 pool, and 15 hatchery. Learning what these look like is easy but essential to executing the Iron Curtain.

By far the most common Zerg opener is the 14 pool, usually into 15 hatchery. If your opponent went 14 pool your scouting SCV should see a roughly half complete spawning pool when he enters your opponents base. The Iron Curtain works well against 14 pool.

14 extractor is similar to 14 pool, except there will be an extractor up and a slightly later pool. This build allows the Zerg to get banelings almost immediately, and so deals with the Iron Curtain rather well. Fortunately 14 extractor is currently not very popular except at the highest levels of play. At any rate, if you see 14 extractor, you probably should not commit to the Iron Curtain.

15 hatchery. This is the most economic Zerg build, and by far the most vulnerable to any kind of early aggression. If you see 15 hatchery (your SCV scouts... a hatchery) you definitely want to bunker rush.

The Curtain Descends

If you see 14 pool or 15 hatch, have your scouting worker build a bunker at your opponent choke, and build a tech lab on your barracks. When the first bunker finishes build another bunker next to it. Your opponent may see this and try to kill your SCV with drones, but your first marine should be arriving momentarily to fend that off. Build a reaper when your tech lab finishes.

Once the second Bunker begins your contain is set up. Zerglings cannot get around the wall to surround, and won't be able to muscle through it with an SCV repairing from behind. If your opponent went 15 hatchery you should start attacking his expansion. On most maps with a "closed" expansion, your reaper will be able to attack the constructing hatchery from within the bunker. Keep pumping reapers from your barracks, and the hatchery will be denied.

If your opponent went 14 pool your objectives are more complex. You want to prevent him from expanding as long as possible, but you do not want to lose your bunkers without salvaging them. Send your first reaper into his base. This allows you to check for a Roach Warren or a Baneling's Nest, and maybe even get in a little drone harassment. When either Banelings or Roaches hit the field you should salvage both of your bunkers and retreat.

If he went Roaches he is now on 1 base Roach, and you can start building marauders from your tech-lab'd rax immediately to counter. If he went Banelings he does not have the gas for zergling speed, and so your single reaper can kite his slowlings across the map.

In either case this opening both delays your opponents hatchery and forces him to invest in a useless early army. Remember, though, that this is not an all-in rush. If you overly focus on your bunkers and neglect your base you can lose the economic advantage, and with it the game.

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