Terran: Counter Attacks? (TvP)

[Eskimo]

Just asking on behalf of noobs out there, such as myself. Can anyone give a good description to what units to counter attack with up against the units your opponent is producing?
e.g. i create a mass of hellions when my protos opponent is producing zealots. Any ideas for other units?

Any extra info would be gold like TvZ, but mainly focusing on TvP.

(sorry if this is in the wrong section)

[RagingPolarBear]

That's a pretty vague topic. You probably should focus on a single race matchup at a time.

Generally though, in SC2, the counters are rather self explanatory, you can see just by looking at a unit's descriptors. A unit that happens to be armored and deals bonus damage against armored, like the maurader is best countered with units that are not armored, and deal bonus damage against armored. Barring that you take the best fit. Hydralisks for instance are not armored and deal generic damage against everything, making them effective against marauders.

Sometimes you'll find a perfect counter. Like the Void ray is armored and deals bonus damage to armored. The Thor is armored and deals bonus damage to light. Thus you've got the perfect damage and soaking balance.

Obviously also if you a given unit can only hit ground targets, then attacking it with air is a good strategy.

[apriores]

Cool exposition. One thing about terrans: thor's 250mm cannon can target only ground units.

[Eskimo]

                                                                                      lol thanks ProzaicMuze.Sorry for the broad topic, im mainly focusing on TvP as i sometimes have trouble beating protoss on Ai cheating edition.  have no problems up against zergs being terrans though, as i build a shit load of siege tanks and placing it on high grounds  (always does the trick) although i am aware that its just an Ai and wont do anything to counter those tanks (which is a shame) whilst playing online the strategy would be much different as i would imagine.

[Rain[sun]]

The thing about online is its pretty dynamic; counters are constantly being countered and so on, then you get random strategies that shouldn't work but do because you dont expect em!

Good outline though, learnt a couple things i didnt even think of (ive never watched a replay )

[noMICRO]

Universal terran build: 4 or 5 rax, spam marines and marauders, tech stim ASAP, build medivacs after your economy can handle it. Go banshees if your opponent has no AA or is lacking defense at his mineral line (or reavers; banshees seem to be more effective tho). Hellions are OK, but m&m's own zealots until the toss techs for legs, but that makes hellions lousy too. A ball of marines and marauders with stim vs. any number of zealots = lots of dead zealots.

With good macro and decent micro, m&m can win against pretty much any build. Unless you're so passive that your opponent can mass colossus or ultralisks.

[noMICRO]

                         

PROTOSS

Pretty much spot on here, but I'd add one thing to PvZ:

Since patch 6 went live, stalkers are definitely a hard counter to mutas. Stalkers + a couple sentries take down mutas really fast. Phoenix is way better against a muta harass, but the stalkers are probably a safer investment if you expect the zerg to tech mostly ground.

[berrykerry789]

when i play terran vs protoss ai since i dont have a key,    i turtle the first wave, send some of my marines to attack the second protoss expansion, then mass ravens, attack with my marines(built with excess minerals)and send my ravens to the protoss base, build like 20 turrets, and ai says: gg  :jig: :jig: :jig:

[Rain[sun]]

I think ravens are funny; yet to see someone use one in a game, people are trying to morph their BW builds into SC2 and ravens never really had much of a place there. Im sure their use will be more prominent soon enough