Checklist: do this
- Open one factory and expand behind a sieged tank; the siege expand is the whole matchup in miniature.
- Vulture speed and spider mines early; mines decide where Protoss can walk.
- Two, then three factories with machine shops on two bases; a fourth on three.
- Armory by 7:00: vehicle weapons, then plating; upgrades are what make tanks two-shot dragoons.
- Third command center behind the tank line around 9:00; mines and a few turrets guard it.
- Scout for the Protoss tech: dark templar, arbiters or carriers each change one thing in your build.
- Move the tank line forward one siege range at a time; never chase across open ground.
- 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.
The build
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Supply9
Time1:05
Supply Depot
The first depot opens the wall at the ramp.
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Supply11
Time1:35
Barracks
One marine, then the barracks lifts to complete the wall.
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Supply12
Time1:55
Refinery
The factory needs gas by 2:45.
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Supply16
Time2:45
Factory with Machine Shop
Siege mode research starts the moment the shop finishes.
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Supply20
Time3:40
Command Center at the natural
Expand behind the first tank; siege it on the high ground.
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Supply22
Time4:00
Supply Depot and Vulture
Vultures scout and mine while tanks hold.
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Supply26
Time4:40
Second Factory
Two factories keep two bases spending.
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Supply30
Time5:20
Refinery 2 and Armory
Vehicle weapons +1 by 7:30.
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Supply36
Time6:00
Third Factory with Machine Shop
Three factories is the two-base standard for mech.
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Supply44
Time7:00
Engineering Bay and turrets at the natural
Detection against dark templar; a scan alone is not enough.
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Supply54
Time8:00
Starport
Vessels for EMP and detection later; dropships if the map rewards them.
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Supply60
Time9:00
Third Command Center behind the tank line
The third base is taken by sieging tanks in front of it, not by moving the army.
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Supply70
Time10:30
Fourth and fifth Factory, Science Facility
Three bases feed five factories; the facility unlocks vessels and +2 vehicle.
Research, in this order
Siege Mode at the Machine ShopThe matchup does not exist without it. Start it as soon as the shop finishes.
Spider Mines at the Machine ShopMines are the cheapest way to kill dragoons and zealots ever devised.
Ion Thrusters at the Machine ShopVulture speed makes them scouts, miners and harassers.
Vehicle Weapons +1 at the ArmoryTanks two-shot dragoons a step sooner; vultures one-shot zealots faster.
Vehicle Plating +1 at the ArmoryDragoon and zealot damage drops by a step across the whole army.
Charon Boosters at the Machine ShopGoliath range against carriers; research it the moment you see a fleet beacon.
EMP Shockwave at the Science FacilityStrips arbiter energy and templar storms before the fight.
Vehicle +2/+2 at the ArmoryNeeds the science facility. A second armory keeps both going.
The army, stage by stage
- Opening
Marine
Siege TankOne marine at the wall, one tank sieged at the natural.
- Two bases
Vulture
Siege TankTwo vultures per tank early; mines everywhere Protoss must walk.
- Mid game
Vulture
Siege Tank
GoliathGoliaths against shuttles, carriers and arbiters; tanks stay the core.
- Late game
Siege Tank
Goliath
Vulture
Science VesselVessels for EMP; +2/+2 or better; the tank count decides fights.
If you scout…
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
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
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
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
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 have | You answer with |
|---|---|
| Vultures with mines, tanks behind a wall Zealots cannot reach vultures and die to mines and siege splash. | |
| Sieged tanks with vehicle weapons, mines Dragoons must walk into siege range to fight; upgraded tanks two-shot them. | |
| Turrets, comsat, science vessels Detection makes them a slow, fragile melee unit. | |
| Goliaths near the tanks, spread tanks A reaver drop on stacked tanks is a disaster; goliaths shoot the shuttle. | |
| Goliaths with Charon boosters, turrets Ranged goliaths outtrade carriers; tanks cannot shoot up. | |
| EMP 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.