Starcraft 2 hit the market much to the delight and anti[censored] tion of its loyal followers and gamers. As a result, just as is the case with any new release game, you have to learn all the new tips and tricks on how to successfully play online. Many gamers will find useful ways of delaying their opponent through stealing their gas.
When you successfully achieve a gas steal, you are essentially blocking your opponents Vespene Geyser. You can accomplish this by planting one of your own extraction buildings over the geyser. It is best to perform this tactic early in the game.
This helps to deny your opponent their second gas extractor building. If you can achieve this feat sooner rather than later, it could potentially delay your opponent's tech at a very early stage. It will lead to interrupting the order of their builds.
If your enemy still has to create combat units, then workers are sometimes called to destroy the gas stealing building. This ultimately will lead to lost income they could get from mineral and gas supply production. Many consider Protoss to be the best at gas stealing. This is because a Probe can continue moving even after it begins to warp in an Assimilator.
However, Terrans will be at risk due to the fact that an SCV has to remain behind in order perform the construction work. This is risky because they can be killed while performing this task. As a Zerg, stealing gas is typically a much easier feat to accomplish as their Drone morphs into an Extractor.
Many Zerg players realize that their Drone is highly probable to be destro[censored] , so once the scout has taken place you may as well go ahead and attempt a gas steal. Some Zerg players will continue to rebuild and cancel their extractor. This is so they can delay the time that gas is harvested. This then forces their enemy to devote more units to halt the gas steal.
Typically there are two benefits of stealing an enemy's gas supply. It will force them to move units away from their positions in order to kill the building. This creates a lack of defense in the front. This can then be both exploited if you intend to plan an early attack, or enable you to move another scout in their base.
This tactic will also delay their tech. While this could appear like a good strategy, be aware that the production of your own tech or units will also be slowed down since the minerals you use will be spent on the Assimilator, Extractor or Refinery.
Prior to stealing your enemy's gas, you should think about the following issues. Consider the build you plan to do and the potential weaknesses or risks it may be exposed to. Also, the beginning locations need to be considered. This is in order to determine if your build will be able to be carried out as effectively as possible.