Referring to my knowledge of the game for everyone thats probably going to tell me that they don't care about bronze level ideas, I played Random in Diamond League (near masters) in HOTS and recently regained Diamond as random (though preferring Terran) in LoTV.
The important part is here!
Recently I had an interesting idea to help out the Terran race, regarding both cyclones (which have a problem with usability) and the "Win or Die" situation created by DT's in the PvT matchup, which seems to flow like this from the Terran side:
After the reaper dies (usually when the second adept comes out) your only 'low risk' method of scouting is via scans. With a couple scans, you're already losing the economic game to the passive Chrono Boost ability of toss, used to produce workers faster for faster income.
Assuming there are DTs, your methods of getting vision of them in your base are (1) your limited scans (costing you money - last I heard was 270/mule but that is admittedly old data), or (2) building turrets (100 per mineral line minimum), which also require an Ebay (125). Unless you really want to dedicate to a Raven, which we will disclude as an option because it is definitely not "macro oriented", and I am explicitly referring to a safer streamlined macro to midgame opener.
So now you have covered your bases for a fee of (if 2 base) [ 125 + 100x2= 325 minerals ]. You STILL cannot move out for agression or expansion without scans setting you back MORE, continuing to cost you money. Nothing that you have yet done slows down the protoss at all unless you had a great drop by catching the MSC totally off guard. This seems very unfair as protoss have 2 easy methods to detect via robos or stargates that are BOTH safe effective macro openers Or aggressive openers, they're very hard to punish.
The idea that "scans are free" is not true; there are typically less scans available than Pylon Overcharges, and each one delays you 270 minerals, while a MSC costs you 100/100 for the whole game unless you let it die.
Having thought about all this, and how easily the Terran equivalent stealth harrassment unit (banshees) are build order countered by standard play (observers via robo) I thought that maybe Terran should have a cheaper unit equivalent of the observer.
How about we put in an upgrade ON CYCLONES (each one, individually like Overlord transport evolution) for a fee (ie 50/50 or 25/75 or something) that gives them a form of detection! This would give Terran a streamlined safer build order vs toss (who seem to have PILES of reliable and safe build orders). The form of detection is even up for debate: it could be a medium range passive detection (I don't support a range as long as a missile turret), or a "pulse style" that spreads from the cyclone out and tags invis units like EMPS or the Oracle's Revelation, and is based on CD (please don't make Cyclones easier to kill by giving them energy Blizz!!). This would make cyclones infinitely more useful for Terran defense, giving them a standard unit that can fight either DTs or oracles without massive cost, but still be viable for expanding (unlike turrets!)
There is also the added game play that killing cyclones could (for some protoss builds) become similar to sniping observers when terrans drop marines and mines into the toss base.
There may be some other balances to make to the cyclone if this happens (ie maybe a damage reduction vs armor? The damage could be taken from its regular lock on and added to the tech-lab upgrade!)
I'm trying to find ways to expand Terran build orders to give them a semi Protoss style expansion capability - it's too easy for Terran to die to one build order if you prep for a different one, while protoss can go robo-blink and always take three bases (this has been a large problem since HOTS - the MSC mostly nulled Terran early pressure and now adepts have damaged the ability to expand ( when usedin sync with warp prisms - yet another streamlined build). The addition of oracles and adepts over expansions takes the value from marines as early defense (which isn't entirely unfair as in WoL they were awesome early defense).
-If you prepare for oracles but get adepts you lose your mineral line and die via economy.
-If you prepare for warp prism and they expand you lose via economy (barring big plays)
-If you don't prepare for DTs you die a slow death (unless they do something stupid)
-If you prepare for DTs but they don't come you lose to economy (if they expand) or something like blink or adept all-ins.
-there are many more weird other options available for toss to easily damage terrans with (ie MSC pylon rush still works for damage!?)
Cyclones can deal well with oracles and warp prisms when used correctly, but there is no effective way to deal with DTs without sacrificing your ability to deal with (either) warp prisms - as they just drop units outside range (or you pay 600-1000 minerals to line your bases), or oracles - by making tons of marines to counter them early, only die to adepts, which is an easy build adjustment to make. Making tons of bunkers in the front doesn't even save you because adepts can shade past them into your base.
And if you prep for DTs via the Ebay and all goes well, all that's happened is they now make archons, and are not much punished in tech, because they now have splash and twilight tech available.
The template of scenarios I described is not map specific, but games play out this way on most "easy three base maps" - ie Frost, Dusk Towers, King Sejong, Invader, and ruins of Endion in the current map pool.
This style of play would use a cyclone or 2 as the terran equal to a MSC but will not, on its own stop, 20 supply of army attacking, meaning you still need army(2 drops). Long story short, not a lot of the game changes, and TvZ game play should be basically unaffected.
Please guys let me know what you think! It's a lot of text with weird build references but the principle idea is that giving the Cyclone a form of detect would increase its utility, so you would see it in nearly every PvT! And would also give Terrans a "safer" way to defend (from the countless builds) if they choose to expand early. I'm not talented enough to make a mod to try this, but someone should!!