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Can You Beat Grandmasters With Just a Single Terran Unit Type?

uThermal・159 minutes read

Player successfully completes challenges of using Marines, Reapers, Ghosts, Thor units, Liberators, Battle Cruisers, Vikings, and Banshees only against Grand Master opponents, utilizing strategic gameplay and unique unit compositions to secure victories. Additionally, player introduces creative strategies with Hellions, Marauders, and Widow Mines to surprise and defeat opponents effectively, showcasing adaptability and persistence in diverse gameplay scenarios.

Insights

Challenge involves beating Grand Masters using a single unit type, starting with Marines and progressing to Reapers, Ghosts, Thor units, Liberators, Battle Cruisers, Vikings, Banshees, Marauders, Hellions, and Widow Mines.
Player employs specific strategies for each unit type, such as Marine-only focusing on early game survival, Reaper micro, Ghost nukes, Thor mind games, Liberator range advantage, Battle Cruiser gas management, Viking sniping, Banshee harassment, Marauder battery overcharge, Hellion proxying, and Widow Mine invisibility.
Opponents range in MMR from 50276 to 5493, showcasing the player's adaptability and skill across various skill levels.
Strategic emphasis on economic management, unit positioning, upgrades, and multitasking to gain advantages in battles and maintain map control.
Player's successful execution of each unit challenge against Grand Master opponents highlights their tactical prowess and adaptability in diverse scenarios.
Each unit challenge requires unique tactics, including baiting, surprise attacks, mind games, and strategic expansions, showcasing the player's versatility and ingenuity in StarCraft II gameplay.

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Recent questions

How does the player execute the Marine-only challenge against a Grand Master opponent?
By focusing on combat Shields over stim and surviving the early game with Marines only.

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Summary

00:00

Marine-only strategy conquers Grand Master opponent

The challenge is to beat Grand Masters using only a single unit type, starting with Marines.
The challenge is divided into three categories: pure, tech, and cheese, with specific units allowed in each.
The first unit challenge is Marines, with a strategy focused on combat Shields over stim.
The player faces a Grand Master opponent with 5246 MMR, aiming to survive the early game with Marines only.
The player explains the criteria for counting opponents as Grand Masters in StarCraft II.
The player's Marine-only strategy includes an economic focus and early game survival tactics.
The player successfully executes the Marine-only challenge against the Grand Master opponent.
The second challenge is Reapers only, with a focus on micro and execution against a 50276 MMR Grand Master opponent.
The player employs a three-rax Reaper opening strategy against the Zerg opponent.
The player showcases effective Reaper micro and strategy, including utilizing grenade throws and map positioning for success.

12:00

"Player dominates with mass Reaper strategy"

The player almost committed suicide with their Reapers but managed to kill the opponent's Reaper with a grenade, leading to a good trade.
Zerg players focus on either massing drones or units, with the opponent choosing the latter approach.
The player carefully maneuvers their Reapers, noting the lack of drones at the opponent's base, indicating a potential attack.
The player has around 35 SCVs, more than the opponent, putting them in a favorable worker position.
Waiting for the +1 upgrade to finish in 25 seconds, the player plans to use it to make Zerglings die quickly to Reapers.
The player baits the opponent into thinking they caught the Reapers, but more Reapers join the fight from the high ground, resulting in a successful engagement.
The player opts for a planetary at their third base, despite having map control, to defend against potential attacks.
The planetary is effective against most units except Banelings, requiring a significant amount of gas for upgrades.
The player continues pressuring the opponent with Reapers, utilizing their micro skills to thin down the Zergling count.
Despite facing a confident opponent with more units, the player's Reaper micro and upgrades allow them to dominate the game, leading to a successful mass Reaper strategy against Zerg.

23:06

"Ghost strategy: Lingbane trade, surprise attacks"

Lingbane trades well against ghosts late game units
Opponent is strongest yet, MMR 5493, Grand Master rank 83
Weakness of ghost-only play is early game vulnerability
Strategy involves combining turtle game with sneaky attack
Bunker necessary to defend against early ling flood
Mind game strategy against Zerg involves surprise attacks
Legendary Five Command Center setup for long-term safety
Lack of medivacs poses challenge in positioning and defense
Triple nuke strategy to keep opponent in check
Random nukes used for psychological impact and control of opponent

34:35

Strategic Ghost Nuking Dominates Terran Match

The player is evenly trading in the game, focusing on expanding bases and using random nukes to buy time.
Bases are evenly matched, with a count of six against six, potentially increasing to eight bases for a favorable scenario.
The player strategically drops random nukes to control the map and scare the opponent, leading to a split map advantage.
The player emphasizes the importance of armor upgrades for ghosts, unsure about the necessity of attack upgrades.
Mass ghosts are used to control the map, build sensor towers, and drop nukes strategically.
The player focuses on nuking opponent bases, successfully splitting the map and gaining a significant advantage.
The player showcases efficient ghost usage, sniping high-value targets like banelings and maintaining a high supply count.
The player strategically uses planetaries to defend against banelings and secure bases, maintaining map control.
Despite a mistake of losing ghosts in a fight, the player continues to dominate with mass ghosts and nukes.
Transitioning to a tech challenge, the player experiments with using Thor units in a Grand Master Terran match, focusing on mind games and scouting to intimidate opponents.

45:50

Player's Thor Strategy Shines in Battle

The player had a challenging game against Thor's in a High Grandmaster progress.
The player plans to showcase more games in a potential part two video.
The player's game plan involved getting four gases and building Thor units.
The player faced a Mech player, leading to a funny moment in the game.
The player strategically used Thor units to create distractions and deal with enemy forces.
The player strategically positioned Thor units to buy time and create chaos in the opponent's base.
The player faced challenges with tank units but managed to economically damage the opponent.
The player focused on upgrades for Thor units, debating the necessity of attack and armor upgrades.
The player strategically spread Thor units across the map for vision and defense.
The player engaged in battles with the opponent's tanks and Vikings, showcasing strategic gameplay.

57:49

Strategic tank maneuvers in intense gameplay

Keeping tanks on Siege is a strategic move to anticipate enemy movements and maintain map control.
The player notes the importance of being cautious against tanks and appreciates the strength of Thor units.
Despite being 17 minutes into the game, there is no clear end in sight, emphasizing the ongoing intensity.
The player strategically expands bases to gain an economic advantage over the opponent.
A trade involving tanks on Siege is considered favorable, even if not entirely efficient.
Accidentally making two extra Thor units is seen as a setback, impacting the player's strategy.
A successful surround maneuver against a tank army showcases the player's tactical prowess.
Repairing Thor units is highlighted as crucial for maintaining a strong army.
The player's multitasking abilities with slow units like Thor are commended for their effectiveness.
The player's focus on harassing the opponent's economy and maintaining map control is emphasized for strategic advantage.

01:09:15

Strategic Thor and Liberator gameplay in Starcraft

The player notices a hole in the opponent's armor with only one tank defending, allowing for potential damage.
The player's Thor units are performing well, but a scary moment arises when the opponent could have attacked from a high ground position.
To prevent the opponent from reaching the player's production facilities, the player strategically places factories on the top left side.
Despite losing some units, the player notes the importance of the opponent losing many tanks, leading to a better economy for the player.
The player plans a counter-attack with Thor units and a few SCVs to absorb damage.
The opponent's army consists of about 16 Siege Tanks, while the player has 12 Thor units, making the armies relatively even.
The player strategically waits for scans to determine the opponent's Siege Tank positions before engaging in combat.
The player risks a risky move by attacking the opponent's heavily fortified position with many tanks but manages to eliminate a significant number of them.
With the opponent's economy in shambles, the player gains confidence in their position and plans to continue pressuring the opponent.
The player successfully eliminates the opponent's last remaining mining base, securing victory after a 33-minute battle.
The player transitions to discussing a new challenge involving the unit Liberator in Starcraft, highlighting the unit's uncommon use in mass quantities.
The player explains the strategy of using Liberators to counter air units like Corrupters or Mutalisks effectively.
The player notes the humorous strategy of countering Liberators with fast-moving Spore Crawlers, emphasizing the need for proper positioning.
The player embarks on a challenge involving mass Liberators, focusing on a fast double Starport setup and the importance of defensive structures like Planetary Fortresses.
The player showcases the range advantage of Liberators in a game, demonstrating their effectiveness in harassing the opponent's economy.
Despite facing a Zergling attack due to a lack of defense in the main base, the player continues to produce Liberators and inflict economic damage on the opponent.
The player discusses the inefficiency of Liberators against fast units like Zerglings but highlights their potential with proper micro and numbers.
The player faces a challenging situation with a Zergling attack on their economy, showcasing the vulnerability of a low ground wall setup.
Despite the setback, the player continues to utilize Liberators to pressure the opponent's economy and maintain a strategic advantage.

01:20:44

"Liberator Dominance: CC-First Battle Cruiser Rush"

Opponent missing gases in main, natural, and third base, limiting tech options like Spire or Infestation Pit.
Player has 10 Liberators on the map, allowing for significant damage potential.
Player has more Command Centers than usual, leading to faster SUV reproduction.
Liberators are effective against Mutalisks but weak against Corrupters unless clumped.
Liberators cause significant economic damage, evening out the economy with the opponent.
Opponent attempts a drop strategy, but player defends well, losing only the Armory.
Player's Liberators clear out opponent's ground army, maintaining a strong supply.
Player continues to focus on Liberators, aiming to maximize damage against opponent's Corrupters.
Player transitions to Battle Cruisers, opting for a CC-first strategy against a Grandmaster Zerg opponent.
Player executes a double Starport Battle Cruiser rush, emphasizing gas management and faking out opponent with fake unit production.

01:32:19

"Player Executes Unique Strategies for Victory"

The player discusses a strategy involving a proxy Thor and proxy battle cruiser, highlighting the challenge of executing it due to the time-consuming nature of building these units.
The player emphasizes the importance of countering the opponent's potential corrupters with a mass battlecruiser strategy, focusing on targeting the opponent's spire to disrupt their production.
The player strategically scans for the opponent's spire while engaging in battles to ensure the destruction of critical structures like the spire and sport crawlers.
The player successfully executes a double battlecruiser rush, leading to victory by eliminating the opponent's key structures and units.
In a subsequent game, the player faces a stream-sniping opponent who attempts to counter the player's strategy by blind-countering the challenge, showcasing the difficulty of predicting the player's unit composition.
The player employs a Viking-only strategy, emphasizing the strength of upgraded Vikings and the challenge of reading and countering random opponents' strategies.
The player successfully defends against a ravager all-in with landed Vikings, showcasing the unconventional but effective strategy.
The player transitions to a mass Viking strategy, focusing on sniping the opponent's overlords to limit their production capabilities and secure an advantage.
The player outmaneuvers the opponent with a Viking concave, leading to a decisive victory and forcing the opponent to acknowledge defeat.
In the final game, the player attempts a banshee-only strategy against a high-ranking opponent, highlighting the difficulty of executing banshee-focused strategies against various Protoss compositions.

01:43:54

"Banshee Strategy: Harass, Persist, Adapt, Win"

Strategy involves starting with two bandages and a cloak simultaneously
Plan is to create groups of two banshees to target probes, even under batteries
Continuously produce banshees to surprise opponents and maintain pressure
Banshee speed upgrade is crucial for faster movement and effectiveness
Utilize banshees to harass opponent's economy and disrupt mineral lines
Flying factory and barracks to distract opponent and keep banshees safe
Transition to a planetary fortress for defense and economic advantage
Focus on killing probes to weaken opponent's economy and force a response
Despite opponent's counters, continue banshee production and harass
Successfully defeat opponent with banshee strategy, showcasing persistence and adaptability

01:55:18

Strategic gameplay with Widow Mines in StarCraft

The speaker discusses the concept of losing in games and how some losses can be beneficial and entertaining.
The speaker shares their experience of playing a game with three Marauders and strategizing against an opponent without a Nexus.
Details of the gameplay include targeting specific units, the impact of a battery overcharge, and the strategic use of Marauders.
The speaker transitions to a different strategy involving Hellions only against a high-level opponent, explaining the build order and rationale behind the strategy.
The gameplay involves proxying buildings, producing Hellions, and engaging with the opponent's units, showcasing the effectiveness of the Hellion-only strategy.
The speaker then introduces a Widow Mines-only strategy against a Grandmaster Protoss player, detailing the proxying of factories and the use of invisible Widow Mines.
The gameplay involves surprising the opponent with Widow Mines, dealing significant damage, and facing challenges such as detection from the opponent's Oracles.
Despite the opponent's defenses and detection, the speaker manages to disrupt the opponent's economy and engage in battles using only Widow Mines.
The speaker highlights the difficulty of winning with a pure cheese strategy but acknowledges the economic damage inflicted on the opponent.
The gameplay concludes with the speaker strategizing to split Widow Mines effectively, continue harassing the opponent, and maintain pressure despite the opponent's defenses.

02:06:40

"Strategic Widow Mines defeat Grand Master opponent"

Player has a fully saturated mineral line and considers looking for a hidden expansion.
Opponent proxy Stargate and loses significant units, making a hidden base unlikely.
Player plans to create two reactors for more Widow Mines on the map.
Player strategically places Widow Mines to catch enemy units like Oracles.
Opponent has limited units, including one Phoenix and a few ground units.
Player successfully eliminates opponent's units, focusing on Stalkers and Sentries.
Player corners opponent's units with Widow Mines, significantly reducing their army.
Player continues to box in opponent's probes, further crippling their economy.
Player defeats a Grand Master opponent using only Widow Mines, showcasing strategic gameplay.
Player plans a cheese strategy with Siege Tanks, aiming to surprise the opponent.
Opponent is a Grand Master player ranked around 122, potentially unaware of the current meta.
Player waits for four Siege Tanks to push, emphasizing the importance of having three or more tanks.
Player pulls seven SCVs to support the Siege Tanks without sacrificing economy.
Player surprises opponent with four Siege Tanks in their natural at four minutes, overwhelming them.
Opponent responds with Blink Stalkers and Immortals, but the Tanks prove effective against them.
Player successfully destroys opponent's units and structures, securing victory with Siege Tanks alone.

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