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| Jazzman88 Canada. May 29 2012 02:29. Posts 251 | Profile # |
Bomber's 1-rax FE with 1 gas
At the recently concluded Red Bull Battlegrounds, Startale Bomber displayed some magnificently structured and aggressive TvP play, which has a bunch of Terrans salivating at the mouth, and consequently some Protoss players quaking in their boots. + Show Spoiler +Even though he had an eventual 4-2 loss to MC in the Grand Finals
I have a framework guide here for you, as well as an invitation to search out and submit more replays of this sort of thing in action, so we can more accurately compare its benefits and shortcomings.
Note: the timings below should be taken as a small range of ideal windows to hit. If harassment, frontal attacks, or other disruptions occur, please disregard the listed timestamps and focus on getting the buildings out in the correct order when affordable.
Edit as of June 8, 2012:
Upon watching more games and hearing others talk about the style, I've made some adjustments to the build.
Edit as of June 9, 2012:
Note about timestamps and delays.
Edit as of September 24, 2012:
Note about timing of scouting and impact on economy.
Changelog
+ Show Spoiler +June 8, 2012
- Refined the timings of Barracks 4 and 5.
- Refined timing of Refinery 2.
- Optional timing of 2 Refineries simultaneously
- Described the timing of the 3rd CC a bit more accurately.
- Added a 'References' section
- Added the Day9 Daily on this style, a discussion on fast thirds, and a Protoss help topic to the References section.
June 9, 2012
- Added a cautionary note about the timestamps.
June 25, 2012
- Under 'Some Conditions', added notes about a DT build
September 24, 2012
- small but important detail added to build order about scouting timing and your economy; specifically, scouting on 15 after the Barracks finishes can actually delay everything by 15 seconds; alternatives are suggested now
The Build Order
+ Show Spoiler +10 Depot (~0:55-1:00) 12 Rax (~1:40) * if you are very afraid of all-ins like a 4-gate, scout when this is done * HOWEVER, scouting now delays the fastest, smoothest possible execution; if you DO NOT scout, you can drop Barracks 2 on ~4:00 right after the Bunker, and Barracks 3 on ~4:15, followed by gas on ~4:30; if you DO scout, these timings are delayed 10-15 seconds * the third option is to scout NOW, BUT go for an OC on 17 (counting the Marine you build as soon as the Barracks is done); rally your 16th worker to the natural and build the natural CC then: in THIS instance, the proper timings are only delayed 1-5 seconds * so: 15 OC, Marine, and scout is safe but delayed everything else; 17 OC + scout is safe and relatively on time; 15 OC, Marine, and NO scout is the greediest, fastest possible execution with minimal scouting initially * constant Marines * optional depot wall-in 16/17 CC (see the note above about scouting and the economy timing) * get a very quick Depot so you don’t lose production (if 1-depot expand) * conditional Bunker @~3:50-4:00... if you CC the low-ground, Bunker before Rax 21-24 Barracks, Barracks (delay by 1-2 food if you went for low-ground Bunker) 25-26 Refinery (note: the 2 Barracks and Refinery [in that order] come up at ~4:00-4:30 assuming optimal execution with minimal scouting; with ultra-safe early scouting it is delayed to ~4:15-4:45) * at any time after this, you may scout Protoss 3 to 6 or 8 Gate pressure incoming. If that is the case, you must drop additional Bunkers (at least 1, 2 in the case of the 8 gate attack). Dropping an additional Bunker to make a total of 2 is an extremely safe play if you decide to do it blindly and does not hamper the build. * Tech Lab on 3rd Barracks * checking for proxy pylons @6:00-6:30 ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/del9a.jpg) Refinery (as TL completes/Stim starts, ~6:00-6:20) * still constant Marines Factory + Engineering Bay @100 gas (~7:00-7:15) Refinery @ E-bay complete (~7:30-7:40) * OPTIONAL: drop your 3rd and 4th gas simultaneously as Starport nearing completion if you're wanting to have security Bunkers at this stage * +1 Weapons Starport + Reactor (Factory) @Factory completion (~8:15-8:30) Barracks add-ons (Tech Lab, Reactor; ~8:20-8:30) * begin Marauder production Barracks, Barracks (~8:30) * get 1 more Tech Lab, 1 Reactor as Barracks 4 and 5 finish Refinery (as Starport swaps; ~9:15-9:20) * crank out double Medivacs * push with bio + Medivacs @ about 10:15 3rd CC (~9:30-11:30) * this has some leeway * as another consideration, you may choose to drop the 3rd CC in place of Barracks 4 and 5 -> in that case, Barracks 4 and 5 will take place at about 9:30 or so -> CC before additional Barracks is highly long-term focused, and permits more upgrades, but less continuous aggression in the IMMEDIATE future (you will have the same rinse/repeat hammering ability as soon as the additional Barracks with add-ons come online, it's just about a minute later) ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QVHA1.jpg)
Continuations
+ Show Spoiler +From this point (~10:00-10:30), you have several options. Option 1 + Show Spoiler +Drop your 3rd CC as you're getting ready to be moving out (probably between 9:30-11:30). This is a longer-focused play, and one that (if scouted) telegraphs that you're not committed to winning with your 5-rax aggro RIGHT NOW. One thing that you should look out for here is that because 2 Reactors are now up, plus 3 Tech Labs, AND a Reactored Starport, your minerals may be tight, and there may be a gap in the Marine production in order to go this route.
However, this is still VERY safe, and because of your heavy Barracks aggression, there's not a lot the Protoss can do to prevent it if you're attacking him properly. Because of this, you should probably build this as a low-ground CC, unless it's a map that's very vulnerable to warp-in counters. Option 2 + Show Spoiler +As you move out, get an Armory and a 2nd E-bay. While again being a long-term focus that says "I might not win RIGHT NOW", this is a very aggressive move, attempting to get and keep an upgrade advantage over Protoss so that no matter what their reaction to your heavy aggression, they are obligated to be in a defensive position even longer as their tech tries to catch up. This is a very quick option, and naturally transitions almost immediately to option 1 or 3 without a hitch in the flow, being mostly an 'ordering' choice. Option 3 + Show Spoiler +Get your next stage of unit tech as you are beginning the pressure. You can delay for a short while as you scan/Factory scout/engage the initial Protoss force to see what the choice is. All you're doing is deciding whether to start Starport 2 or the Ghost Academy first, according to what you see.
If it's an all-Gateway force OR you see High Templar, you want the Ghost Academy. It's VERY hard for him to have Storm right now (and frankly, if he does, he's probably too low on units to survive a 5-rax continued assault; batter him into submission), so you'll manage to have the Ghosts in time to keep the pressure on and not die to the counter-swing.
If you see either of only a couple Immortals OR 1+ Colossi, it's time to get the second Starport. Because you don't have Vikings yet, he has to be building those Colossi to not die; it's such a huge investment that he can't afford to immediately tech switch. If you can take out a third base or even just get rid of all the Sentries and Colossi with your attack without losing the Medivacs, you should be fine. Back home, your 5 Barracks should have been pumping, and if he's low on Sentry/Colossi, he's obligated to keep making at least another couple Colossi to survive for the next couple of minutes. If you keep making Vikings, pre-emptively start that Ghost Academy so that when he inevitably tech switches to nullify the Vikings, you can be ready for it.
Some Conditions
+ Show Spoiler +As stated above, you have the option to drop 1 or 2 extra Bunkers earlier in the build (before you get the Factory and Engineering Bay) if you scout a heavy pressure play incoming. Because you delayed your second gas, this doesn't actually hurt you much in the long run. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EoNDb.jpg) When the 10:00-10:15 push-out timing comes, you can have 2 Medivacs with another 2 on the way, 26-30 Marines, and 2-5 Marauders, depending on minor tweaks and production choices. The production capability right now should be 2 Medivacs, 2 Marauders, and 2 Marines at time, with the ability to ramp up to 2 Medivacs, 3 Marauders, and 4 Marines at a time as soon as add-ons 4 and 5 come online. If Protoss has been putting on pressure, you can delay for 4 Medivacs or +1 and Combat Shields to increase your chances against a lot of Gateway units without worrying too much about getting overrun: you'll just have so many Marines and Marauders that it's very hard to outright die to an attack right now. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LxEVb.jpg) If the Protoss is turtling and doing a very fast 3-Nexus play a la Parting, there's no need to panic. You MUST remain aggressive while his Gateway unit count is still a little lower and his higher tech hasn't kicked in yet. Drill the Protoss as hard as possible, and once your reinforcement waves start kicking in, you may be able to do something like drop two expansions at once WHILE hitting the front, which is very hard for your typical Gateway-based army to handle. Occasionally in this matchup, the Protoss will go for a 1-gate FE and then gun for DTs, trying to pin you back while getting a scary mid and lategame army to foil any Medivac pressure. If you scout double gas early and you don't see a swell of Sentries, it is VERY feasible to drop your Engineering bay much earlier in the build order. For example, between 5:30 and 6:30 there is a window of time that as long as you aren't overbuilding Depots and queuing up units, 125 minerals for the E-bay is perfectly fine. Then, you can drop a security Turret next to your natural OC to cover your Bunkers, and if you see any DTs, they can be repelled QUITE easily. After you deflect the harass, save some Scans and go kill him with your midgame pressure, since DTs suck when they don't do any economic damage.
Logic
+ Show Spoiler +Terran's early game is primarily mineral-focused. Players are starting to realize that as soon as Medivacs hit the field, Marines do very well, even against pure Blinkstalker, due to their high rate of fire and fantastic longevity with Medivac support. What Bomber's build is designed to do is cut just a little bit of gas in the early game so that he has the minerals to get two things out:
- conditional added Bunkers to hold off any Protoss all-in (see the game on Ohana versus Squirtle below)
- a much earlier 4th and 5th Barracks at almost no penalty to himself so that he can remain aggressive for a very extended timeframe in the midgame
In addition, his Barracks add-ons are delayed to permit the proper Medivac timings, which means he's running on a mainly Marine force. Against most standard Protoss play, this doesn't leave many holes to exploit.
The benefit to having these earlier 5 Barracks is that even if the Protoss has gone for a quick 3 Nexus build, your potential for aggression will be massive; the Protoss player must place perfect Forcefields and not get caught out of position, because inside a minute, you will have the ability to drop 16 Marines into an expansion while hitting with another 20 Marines, 6-8 Marauders, and 2 Medivacs at the front: a VERY tough attack to handle.
Replays
+ Show Spoiler +The first four replays are four of Bomber's Championship Bracket games from Sunday's Red Bull Battlegrounds, against different Protoss builds. http://server1.redbulllan.com/production/dynamic/starcraft/replays/CloudKingdomLE21.SC2Replay - This is against MC. After an inconclusive midgame tentative push which doesn't result in anything, the two armies bypass each other in the middle of the map, and a pseudo-base trade occurs. Unfortunately for MC, his Blinkstalker/Zealot/Archon force gets stuck ravaging Bomber's main, while Bomber rebuilds his Barracks in the corner. After destroying both the natural and third of MC, Bomber returns, traps the reduced force in his main, and crushes MC. Worthy of note: the 5 Barracks of Bomber's main helped slow down Warp Prism harass and the main army of MC so that Bomber could return to trap it. http://server1.redbulllan.com/production/dynamic/starcraft/replays/GSLEntombedValley_5.SC2Replay - Another Bomber/MC game. MC goes for a VERY fast triple Nexus, and Bomber just rolls the lower count of Gateway units by using his Factory for high ground vision and splitting his forces to give the Protoss army trouble in responding to all threats. http://server1.redbulllan.com/production/dynamic/starcraft/replays/OhanaLE_4.SC2Replay - Versus Startale Squirtle. Squirtle does a big 2-base Colossus all-in, but Bomber builds enough Bunkers to pin the Protoss army in place and then outright crushes it with a beautiful sandwich from behind with Medivacs. http://server1.redbulllan.com/production/dynamic/starcraft/replays/CloudKingdomLE_4.SC2Replay - Again versus Squirtle. Bomber gets pinned back to his natural while Squirtle manages to establish a third base. Bomber then does a beautiful fake to the natural ramp and immediately cuts back to the third when Squirtle tries to respond, and crushes the third, and the game shortly thereafter. http://drop.sc/187566 - This is a quick test game that I played against a Green Tea AI. It's a fairly crappy Protoss play, but I just wanted to show the timings as done by someone who's examined the build for a couple of hours in depth to show how easy it can be to make this small adjustment.
References
+ Show Spoiler +
Further Discussion
I welcome feedback on this! Is there a way to further tweak the build to optimize number of units? Is this actually better against certain builds or will it be deconstructed by Protoss players and make you fall behind assuming perfect play? Chip in (but constructively, please)!Last edit: 2012-09-25 09:55:34 |
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| Plague1503 Croatia. May 29 2012 03:00. Posts 432 | Profile # |
| Thanks, this is a very nicely optimized variation of the standard 1rax FE>3rax tech and it allows for some cool aggressive shenanigans ^^ |
| | "Good luck." "I don't need luck. I have ammo." |
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| gillon Sweden. May 29 2012 03:06. Posts 1420 | Profile Blog # |
| I'd put 2nd refinery at about 6:00-6:15. I've gone through almost all of the TvPs and that seems to be more along the lines of the timing. Other than that our notes correspond pretty well. |
| | www.teamproperty.net | "You should hate losing, but you should never fear defeat." - 이윤열 |
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| KirA_TheGreaT France. May 29 2012 03:23. Posts 163 | Profile # |
I noticed this even before redbull battlegrounds, but was not really sure what was the point of his build.
Thanks for enlighting the bomber style  |
| | kira high master terran http://www.twitch.tv/reconkira All hail to Prime :) |
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| Jazzman88 Canada. May 29 2012 03:32. Posts 251 | Profile # |
On May 29 2012 03:06 gillon wrote:
I'd put 2nd refinery at about 6:00-6:15. I've gone through almost all of the TvPs and that seems to be more along the lines of the timing. Other than that our notes correspond pretty well.
I'm undecided on that pesky 2nd Refinery. It seems to sync up nicely in the build with Stim, but the timing varies amongst the replays I looked at. It's possible that Bomber just drops it when he sees it's 6:00 or later, but I think you should be okay for timings as long as it's dropping either just as you're about to start Stim or as the tech lab is finishing up. |
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| bmoneyAK May 29 2012 05:06. Posts 79 | Profile # |
I was hoping someone would post this! I think I saw Day9 talk about a similar build on his stream previous to this LAN.
Jazzman, can you summarize the differences between this build and the more conventional double gas earlier tech lab and reactor build? I am most curious about attack timings and what units you will have. My understanding is that the attack comes about a minute sooner with slightly less stuff and maybe no combat shield and that the protoss is likely to haveless AoE units. What's the reality like?
Thanks! |
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| Jazzman88 Canada. May 29 2012 05:18. Posts 251 | Profile # |
@bmoneyAK
The attack timing is very similar. In general, you start your push whenever the double Medivacs pop out, which is JUST after 10:00. In testing, I've found that you can have up to 26-28 Marines and 2-6 Marauders when you do this, depending on how good your macro is. This is VERY close to the amount of units you get from a more typical double gas after 3-rax.
The big differences are the follow-ups. In a conventional double gas after 3-rax, you often go heavy lategame after the initial push, grabbing a third and whatever tech you need to stay ahead. In this build, you're sacrificing just the tiniest bit of earlier gas in exchange for getting 5 Barracks up before you drop a third CC. As a result, you are committed to doing a MORE aggressive midgame, because your third is delayed. You have a LOT of firepower for a more extended duration in the midgame. That 32-38 unit initial attack is probably going to be a relatively constant wave size when you're producing out of 5 Barracks, and if you can keep the Medivacs alive even when your pushes are dying, you have a very scary sustained period of pressure.
In terms of upgrades, you will have Stim and +1 Weapons for certain when your initial push hits. Depending on the size of the map (read: walk distance), Combat Shields and even Concussive MAY have finished (but it would be VERY tight).
The crucial difference is not the outright effectiveness of each build, but the philosophy. I myself am a VERY committed 3-rax double gas player, and I play it well. However, when I play that build, I almost never think to myself that "I should win right now if I just keep swarming him". I always have a lategame transition planned out. With this build, even though there are many excellent late-game options here for you, you will occasionally run into builds where you say: "Man, I know I'm starting my third, but if I don't make a mistake, I can just crush this right here or the next wave". 5 Barracks (2 Reactor, 3 Tech Lab) lacks the swarm power of the CC-first 6-rax, but it is a very safe build, able to chuck out 7 Marines/cycle or 4 Marines/3 Marauders as fits the enemy composition. I think similarly to the 6-rax, your goal should be to keep him low on gas units and AoE. Remember that stimmed bio eats Gateway for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you'll probably have an upgrade edge to keep it that way for a while. |
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| HeroMystic United States. May 29 2012 05:23. Posts 894 | Profile # |
| Was waiting for this to pop up. I'm pretty sure this'll become the standard BO on the ladder. I don't see how the current standard (double-gas, 1-tech lab, 2-reactor) is better than this in any situation outside of a slightly quicker timing push. |
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| Wrathsc2 United States. May 29 2012 05:25. Posts 1858 | Profile # |
i don't really like it. Delays stim and add ons for far too long and you float minerals till you can actually put down the 4/5 barracks. Its good for adding bunkers at anytime but either way that should never be a problem.
Its just a different version of the 3 rax 2 gas. Its good like the rest, but i don't like it.Last edit: 2012-05-29 05:25:37 |
| | A marine walks into a bar and asks, "Wheres the counter?" |
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| Jazzman88 Canada. May 29 2012 05:59. Posts 251 | Profile # |
On May 29 2012 05:23 HeroMystic wrote:
I'm pretty sure this'll become the standard BO on the ladder. I don't see how the current standard (double-gas, 1-tech lab, 2-reactor) is better than this in any situation outside of a slightly quicker timing push.
Yeah, if you're just looking for a build that will crush any Protoss who makes a mistake with the midgame pressure, this is it. However, if the Protoss holds or does enough damage to you earlier (look at Game 6 of the Bomber-MC series where DTs wreck him), the fact that you delay the third puts you in a tough position. I think that the 3-rax double gas is a safer long-term play, but this has potential to brutalize someone who's not careful enough.
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| oOOoOphidian United States. May 29 2012 06:09. Posts 1235 | Profile # |
| Thanks for posting the build. I'll have to try this variation out soon, I like being able to delay the add-ons as it helps with holding some all-ins by having the constant marine production. |
| | http://www.twitch.tv/ooooophidian |
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| Im_hell United States. May 29 2012 07:38. Posts 16 | Profile # |
| Thank you so much, I was so amused by this build and wanted to steal it. :D:D u rock!!! |
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 Sergio1992 Italy. May 29 2012 08:01. Posts 521 | Profile Blog # |
| thanks for this topic, didn't wish to dissect step by step bomber's build even if I founded it really interesting. Last edit: 2012-05-29 08:02:26 |
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| Jazzman88 Canada. May 29 2012 14:03. Posts 251 | Profile # |
| Actually, upon further tests against the computer, your third isn't even as delayed as I thought if you REALLY want to go for it. You just have to time it right. You can drop the third as your add-ons to Barracks 4 and 5 are building, and it should fit okay in there. You just have to make sure you don't throw away your first push then by running into absurdly fast Colossi without splits. However, if you are careful, it should be pretty easy to take a third and do a darn good job at making any Protoss third uncomfortable or outright impossible. Then you can immediately add on your next stage of tech and/or another 2-3 Barracks as well as level 2 ups. I think Armory and E-bay is a MUST after this, just because there's no reason to let some cheeky double-Forge bastard just barely hold and then kill on on the counter with 3-3 Chargelots while your 2-1 isn't done. |
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| Depravity May 29 2012 14:22. Posts 67 | Profile # |
| Wow thank you for this post! This works great in ladder- At least in my gold league ! |
| | Treat others like how you want to be treated |
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| NoisyNinja United States. May 29 2012 15:29. Posts 982 | Profile # |
| My friend was telling me about this build while he was there. Thanks for writing it up so quickly after the tournament. |
| | The world can go fuck itself. I'm not taking out my headphones. |
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| phiinix United States. May 29 2012 15:55. Posts 1124 | Profile Blog # |
| I think it's ok, but it was pretty crazy how well MC picked apart that build and really abused it's weak points. He really makes protoss feel like they have a flexible play style, which isn't conventionally thought of that way. Anyway, the build itself doesn't look that strong to me, but it seemed to do really well for him throughout the tournament. Think I'll have to play around with it a bit and see how it fairs next to the MKP double reactor 1 tech variation. |
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| Targe United Kingdom. May 29 2012 16:28. Posts 1733 | Profile Blog # |
On May 29 2012 05:18 Jazzman88 wrote:
@bmoneyAK
The attack timing is very similar. In general, you start your push whenever the double Medivacs pop out, which is JUST after 10:00. In testing, I've found that you can have up to 26-28 Marines and 2-6 Marauders when you do this, depending on how good your macro is. This is VERY close to the amount of units you get from a more typical double gas after 3-rax.
The big differences are the follow-ups. In a conventional double gas after 3-rax, you often go heavy lategame after the initial push, grabbing a third and whatever tech you need to stay ahead. In this build, you're sacrificing just the tiniest bit of earlier gas in exchange for getting 5 Barracks up before you drop a third CC. As a result, you are committed to doing a MORE aggressive midgame, because your third is delayed. You have a LOT of firepower for a more extended duration in the midgame. That 32-38 unit initial attack is probably going to be a relatively constant wave size when you're producing out of 5 Barracks, and if you can keep the Medivacs alive even when your pushes are dying, you have a very scary sustained period of pressure.
In terms of upgrades, you will have Stim and +1 Weapons for certain when your initial push hits. Depending on the size of the map (read: walk distance), Combat Shields and even Concussive MAY have finished (but it would be VERY tight).
The crucial difference is not the outright effectiveness of each build, but the philosophy. I myself am a VERY committed 3-rax double gas player, and I play it well. However, when I play that build, I almost never think to myself that "I should win right now if I just keep swarming him". I always have a lategame transition planned out. With this build, even though there are many excellent late-game options here for you, you will occasionally run into builds where you say: "Man, I know I'm starting my third, but if I don't make a mistake, I can just crush this right here or the next wave". 5 Barracks (2 Reactor, 3 Tech Lab) lacks the swarm power of the CC-first 6-rax, but it is a very safe build, able to chuck out 7 Marines/cycle or 4 Marines/3 Marauders as fits the enemy composition. I think similarly to the 6-rax, your goal should be to keep him low on gas units and AoE. Remember that stimmed bio eats Gateway for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you'll probably have an upgrade edge to keep it that way for a while.
Thanks for this. Was unsure of the reasoning and consequences of using the build.
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| thezanursic Slovenia. May 29 2012 16:43. Posts 2811 | Profile Blog # | |
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| Trickster- Austria. May 29 2012 20:15. Posts 1 | Profile # |
sup
Regardless of how effective this Build is I wanna thank the Jazzman for this effort. Great post =)
Just tried this in plat and i worked way better than my usual 1rax expo. |
| | What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better |
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