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人族 vs 神族 · Mech

Terran vs Protoss

Vultures, siege tanks and goliaths on a wall of mines

人族 神族

Checklist: do this

  1. Open one factory and expand behind a sieged tank; the siege expand is the whole matchup in miniature.
  2. Vulture speed and spider mines early; mines decide where Protoss can walk.
  3. Two, then three factories with machine shops on two bases; a fourth on three.
  4. Armory by 7:00: vehicle weapons, then plating; upgrades are what make tanks two-shot dragoons.
  5. Third command center behind the tank line around 9:00; mines and a few turrets guard it.
  6. Scout for the Protoss tech: dark templar, arbiters or carriers each change one thing in your build.
  7. Move the tank line forward one siege range at a time; never chase across open ground.
  8. Science vessels late for EMP against arbiters and high templar; goliaths the moment you see a fleet beacon.

Why it works

Protoss units are few and expensive, which is exactly what siege tanks and spider mines punish: a sieged tank line kills dragoons before they close, and mines make every step across the map cost gateways' worth of units. So Terran plays a positional game — expand behind tanks, mine the ground, and only advance when the next tank line can be sieged in range of the last.

If you remember one sentenceSiege-expand, mine the map, keep vultures and tanks streaming from three factories, and take fights only where your tanks are already sieged.

The build

  1. Supply9 Time1:05 Supply Depot Supply Depot The first depot opens the wall at the ramp.
  2. Supply11 Time1:35 Barracks Barracks One marine, then the barracks lifts to complete the wall.
  3. Supply12 Time1:55 Refinery Refinery The factory needs gas by 2:45.
  4. Supply16 Time2:45 Factory with Machine Shop Factory with Machine Shop Siege mode research starts the moment the shop finishes.
  5. Supply20 Time3:40 Command Center at the natural Command Center at the natural Expand behind the first tank; siege it on the high ground.
  6. Supply22 Time4:00 Supply Depot and Vulture Supply Depot and Vulture Vultures scout and mine while tanks hold.
  7. Supply26 Time4:40 Second Factory Second Factory Two factories keep two bases spending.
  8. Supply30 Time5:20 Refinery 2 and Armory Refinery 2 and Armory Vehicle weapons +1 by 7:30.
  9. Supply36 Time6:00 Third Factory with Machine Shop Third Factory with Machine Shop Three factories is the two-base standard for mech.
  10. Supply44 Time7:00 Engineering Bay and turrets at the natural Engineering Bay and turrets at the natural Detection against dark templar; a scan alone is not enough.
  11. Supply54 Time8:00 Starport Starport Vessels for EMP and detection later; dropships if the map rewards them.
  12. Supply60 Time9:00 Third Command Center behind the tank line Third Command Center behind the tank line The third base is taken by sieging tanks in front of it, not by moving the army.
  13. Supply70 Time10:30 Fourth and fifth Factory, Science Facility Fourth and fifth Factory, Science Facility Three bases feed five factories; the facility unlocks vessels and +2 vehicle.

Research, in this order

  1. Siege Mode
    Siege Mode at the Machine Shop

    The matchup does not exist without it. Start it as soon as the shop finishes.

  2. Spider Mines
    Spider Mines at the Machine Shop

    Mines are the cheapest way to kill dragoons and zealots ever devised.

  3. Ion Thrusters
    Ion Thrusters at the Machine Shop

    Vulture speed makes them scouts, miners and harassers.

  4. Vehicle Weapons +1
    Vehicle Weapons +1 at the Armory

    Tanks two-shot dragoons a step sooner; vultures one-shot zealots faster.

  5. Vehicle Plating +1
    Vehicle Plating +1 at the Armory

    Dragoon and zealot damage drops by a step across the whole army.

  6. Charon Boosters
    Charon Boosters at the Machine Shop

    Goliath range against carriers; research it the moment you see a fleet beacon.

  7. EMP Shockwave
    EMP Shockwave at the Science Facility

    Strips arbiter energy and templar storms before the fight.

  8. Vehicle +2/+2
    Vehicle +2/+2 at the Armory

    Needs the science facility. A second armory keeps both going.

The army, stage by stage

  1. Opening

    MarineMarineSiege TankSiege Tank

    One marine at the wall, one tank sieged at the natural.

  2. Two bases

    VultureVultureSiege TankSiege Tank

    Two vultures per tank early; mines everywhere Protoss must walk.

  3. Mid game

    VultureVultureSiege TankSiege TankGoliathGoliath

    Goliaths against shuttles, carriers and arbiters; tanks stay the core.

  4. Late game

    Siege TankSiege TankGoliathGoliathVultureVultureScience VesselScience Vessel

    Vessels for EMP; +2/+2 or better; the tank count decides fights.

If you scout…

Two gateways before a cybernetics core, zealots at 2:30

Two gateways before a cybernetics core, zealots at 2:30

When The first SCV scout

Do Complete the wall with the barracks and a depot, marines and SCV repair behind it, the tank sieged inside.

Why Zealots cannot break a repaired wall with a tank behind it; the expansion comes after.

A fast nexus

A fast nexus

When 3:00 to 4:00

Do Expand at the same time and add the third factory sooner; consider a vulture run-by with mines in their mineral line.

Why Equal economies favour the side with more production; Protoss on two bases still has fewer units than three factories make.

A citadel of Adun or templar archives with no robotics facility

A citadel of Adun or templar archives with no robotics facility

When 5:00 to 7:00

Do Turrets at every base and a comsat before 6:30; keep a scan for the first dark templar.

Why Dark templar kill a base without detection; with it they die to a single tank.

A fleet beacon

A fleet beacon

When 9:00 onward

Do Goliaths from every factory, Charon boosters, turrets at the bases, keep tanks for the ground army.

Why Carriers beat tanks; goliaths with range beat carriers.

An arbiter tribunal

An arbiter tribunal

When 10:00 onward

Do Science vessels with EMP, missile turrets to spot recalls, an ebay for turret range; keep goliaths with the tanks.

Why Stasis and recall win fights without fighting; EMP removes both.

Counters

They haveYou answer with
ZealotsZealotsVultures with mines, tanks behind a wall

Zealots cannot reach vultures and die to mines and siege splash.

DragoonsDragoonsSieged tanks with vehicle weapons, mines

Dragoons must walk into siege range to fight; upgraded tanks two-shot them.

Dark TemplarDark TemplarTurrets, comsat, science vessels

Detection makes them a slow, fragile melee unit.

Reavers and shuttlesReavers and shuttlesGoliaths near the tanks, spread tanks

A reaver drop on stacked tanks is a disaster; goliaths shoot the shuttle.

CarriersCarriersGoliaths with Charon boosters, turrets

Ranged goliaths outtrade carriers; tanks cannot shoot up.

ArbitersArbitersEMP from science vessels, goliaths, turrets

An arbiter with energy is a stasis on your tank line; without it, a target.

The mistakes that lose this matchup

  • Moving tanks unsieged

    The sign A tank line dies in the open to dragoons.

    The fix Advance one siege range at a time; siege half while the other half moves.

  • No mines on the map

    The sign Protoss walks wherever it wants.

    The fix Two vultures mining constantly from 5:00; mine paths, not bases.

  • Late upgrades

    The sign Dragoons taking three tank shots at minute 10.

    The fix Armory by 5:30, +1 weapons by 7:30, second armory on three bases.

  • No detection when dark templar arrive

    The sign A base lost to two units.

    The fix Turrets and a comsat by 6:30 every game, whether or not you scouted a templar archives.

  • Chasing

    The sign Your army leaves the tank line to catch a retreat.

    The fix Never. The line is the army; the vultures chase.

By level

Newcomer

Learn the siege expand: factory, one tank, siege mode, expand behind it. Then the cycle: SCVs, vultures and tanks from every factory, depots ahead of the cap, a factory when the bank passes 500. Put mines everywhere. Do not attack until you have three factories and +1 weapons.

Learner

Timings above within thirty seconds; three factories by 6:00 and the armory by 5:30; scout the Protoss tech at 5:00 and 8:00 and answer it from the fork table; take the third base behind sieged tanks at 9:00, not by moving the army.

Competitor

Vulture control and mine placement that kills probes and dragoons all game, tank line leapfrog across the map, vessel EMP timing against arbiters, and the counter to a carrier switch before the third carrier exists.