StarCraft II – Terran Strategy: Bio and Mech [Guide]

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• Pure Bio
• Pure Mech
• Bio-Mech

When it comes to playing Terran, there is no avoiding the topic of bio and mech. The distinctions have been there since the days of Brood War, when various builds for various matchups with Terran have been showcased in big tournaments. Whether it’s a contain with Siege Tanks and Bunkers or Marines dropping down from the sky, knowing how to do it all is kind of the Swiss knife principle in Terran gameplay.

Terran players should understand the difference between bio and mech beyond what is already obvious. The basic difference is that bio is more mobile and with more DPS, while mech is less mobile but has way more damage potential. There are many ways you can use each, and you can even use them together if you know how. Strategies can differ in each matchup and map, so you must familiarize yourself with these combinations.

There has been much debate with the viability of each, even to the point of pitch battles in between verbal arguments between the numerous Terran players all over the world. The Starcraft II community has been shaken and stirred up by figureheads and players who advocate either or both. This guide seeks not to clear up the debate, but merely give Terran players a better understanding about both unit types in order to use the best one for the situation.

Pure Bio

Going bio is basically making use of mostly Barracks units, which are relatively cheap. You can provide support with Medivacs and other air units if necessary to counter various things that your opponent may dish out, like Protoss Colossi and such. Typically, bio play tends to be more aggressive with lots of trading and multi-pronged attacks through drops and other harassment play. You will be counting on both numbers, aggression, and the various upgrades that can turn your little soldiers into harbingers of death.

In TvZ, expect your opponent to run circles around you, so perhaps multi-pronged attacks won’t be as effective. They can still work, but only when timed just right. Otherwise, you may want to have a bio ball of death to kill off as much as you can with stimpaks and Medivacs abound. Marauders should be in the mix too so you can deal with those pesky Roaches that can turn your Marines to green goo. You won’t be able to trade less since Zerg can replenish lost units very quickly, especially when allowed to expand more. Terran tends to fall behind in base count against Zerg, and Mutalisks are quite hard to stop once in critical numbers.

As for TvP, units like Sentries, Zealots, High Templar, and Colossi are called for when dealing with bio armies. When up against the dreaded Protoss Deathball, the combination of Zealots taking damage, Sentries putting down Force Fields, and Colossi burning your army into ashes spells an almost automatic GG for the Terran. Such a full-on engagement with only pure bio requires insane micro and usually favors the Protoss, so you may want to split your army up into different squads, attacking left and right. Drops and elevator play can be especially effective against an unprepared Protoss opponent. Just splitting up and attacking vulnerable spots can be especially effective in larger maps, where it’s harder for Protoss to maintain map control.

A common tactic employed by Terrans who go pure bio is to use their Factory as a scout. They would just lift them up and fly it towards the enemy base like how a Zerg would with Overlords. In a sense, it can also be used to draw enemies out in what the progamer Destiny likes to call a “retard magnet” (pardon the expression). In a lot of cases, it proves to be quite useful against those who don’t know any better. As long as you can keep the rest of your production facilities secure, it should be alright. Take note though that if your only Factory does get destroyed, you cannot build another Starport until you build another Factory, even if you already have a Starport right there.

In such cases where trades are inevitable, Terran will lose out to the macro of Zerg and the warp-ins of Protoss. In such cases, you will have to transition to more mech, like Siege Tanks to gain more map control. You can also use air units to counter certain units that may be giving you trouble, like Vikings for Protoss Colossi or Zerg Brood Lords. You can then split up and attack from different points to overwhelm your opponent.

Pure Mech

Playing mech means that you’re using mostly Factory units, sacrificing mobility for beefy health and great damage output. In this case, you’ll be going for positional play that emphasizes more on holding key areas in the map and containing your opponent to restrict his mobility. Once you have an opening or two, you can then brute force your opponent into submission. This is quite effective against Zerg as Siege Tanks and Thors can counter a lot of what they may have. Mech play is usually proceeded by Marines in the early game.

Terrans who go mech tend to win or lose with their very first push against Zerg since the game would usually go with the former massing up a huge mech army while the latter takes expansions and macros up. That’s why it’s called a “Doom Push” by commentators. It usually takes place when the Terran has secured two Refineries and fully saturated the mineral line. This push is not some hasty attack that seeks to trade material, but a slow and methodical push into the enemy base with superior positioning and making sure that the enemy doesn’t get to push back hard enough.

Take note that Mutalisks can take out your Tanks, so transition to Thors when the Zerg starts to make them en mass. Roaches and Banelings are the Zerg’s tools to remove Thors, so always seek better positioning and have lots of support to kill them off. Once Brood Lords come about, get Vikings as soon as you can since they’re very good against Factory units. However, it is best to commence your Doom Push way before your opponent starts to tech up to Hive and Greater Spire.

While there are certain people who think that pure mech can definitely work against Protoss, it’s not commonly used. Some say it’s too hard, but would be great against Protoss Robotics units, its viability in TvP is currently in question. While late game mech is good in this matchup, as it should, critical mass of tanks must be achieved, in combination with Ghosts to cast EMPs on the Protoss Deathball to make them half as effective.

Bio-Mech

Using a combination of bio and mech is applicable to many situations, putting together both mobility and power into a balanced package. These combinations have proven to be helpful in all three matchups for Terran, so what’s left is to figure out which one should be used in the current situation.

Marine-Tank

While Tanks are sieged up at the perimeter, Marines can storm in and both provide sight and kill anything that may be a threat. Put Medivacs in the mix and you can stim up to kill expansions and do major harassment. This unit composition is very good in a lot of situations, especially in the midgame. This has got to be the most versatile composition in biomech since it can then be augmented with other units later on to make them more powerful, yet the basic principle still persists to make things simple enough for those who want to practice it.

Marauder-Hellion

This is tailored for early game harassment to put the opponent behind in economy and force him to make units that you can counter later. Typically, you get to Reactor Hellions in order to kill of enemy workers at the mineral line, then follow up with Marauders for support once you have the gas. Meanwhile, you should be teching up to mount the advantage while you maintain the aggression at your opponent’s base. Make sure that you keep your units alive as long as possible in order to maximize their cost effectiveness.

Sky Terran

Another unit composition is Banshee-Viking at the start off the Starport, which can do pretty well. There have been games where there would be nothing but air units in TvT during the late game, with Vikings and Battlecruisers doing the proverbial “blocking out the sun” all over the map, waiting for whoever makes the first move. Battlecruisers and even Thors are common in the late game for this composition. But in the early to mid game, the focus is getting to Cloak Banshees to deliver as much damage to the opponent’s economy as possible.

Other than that, Sky Terran is merely a compliment to other unit compositions as air units are great when used in combination with ground forces. In fact, Vikings are crucial in a lot of situations to take out problematic enemy units such as Protoss Colossi and Zerg Brood Lords.