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Fantasy Build

From Liquipedia StarCraft Brood War Wiki
[e][h]Terranfantasy Build
Mech TvZ starts off with a Refinery
Strategy Information
Creator(s):
Matchups:
TvZ
Type:
Opening
Popularized by:

The Fantasy Build is a variation on the classic Mech TvZ that vastly increases the build's effectiveness. This build was conceived in the SK Telecom T1 house in preparation for Fantasy's 2008 Incruit OSL semifinal match against GGPlay, a match in which he used this build against his opponent to great effect.

Build Order[edit]

Fantasy concocted a brilliant opening which enabled him to Mech on seemingly un-Mechable maps by preventing typical Zerg responses. The (rough) opening is as follows:

  • Wall-in and build a Refinery on 12
  • Build a Factory as soon as resources allow
  • When Factory finishes, build a Machine Shop and begin a Starport
  • When the Machine Shop finishes, begin producing Vultures (up to 4) and upgrading Spider Mines + Vulture speed
  • When you can, get a Command Center at your expansion and start producing a Dropship, get an Armory for +1 armor upgrade, and try to sneak Vultures in the front. Be sure to lay Mines in front of Zerg’s main if you can’t get in. If you scout a Hydralisk Den, it can also be good to place a few Mines in front of your natural expansion. Expansions that are likely to be taken by Zerg should also be mined, as it can slow them down a lot.
  • Add on a 2nd Factory, drop harass with Vultures + Mines, build 1 Valkyrie and start building Goliaths, your expo should be done by now.

You will have the overall look of main + natural + 2 Factories making Goliaths + Starport. Upgrades will be on the way and you’ll be harassing Zerg aggressively. Some brief notes:

Early game advantages:[edit]

  • Negates Ling all-ins (Vultures + Mines + wall-in).
  • Gives the opportunity to harass with initial Vulture.
  • Gets a relatively fast expansion that’s quite safe.
  • Mines prevent scouting Lings and discourage early Hydra pushes.
  • The fast Dropship not only allows for a quick scout, but also quick pressure that discourages Zerg’s 3rd/4th expansion.
  • Against Mutalisks the Valk + Goliath transition easily and holds well. The +1 armor pays off in the long run against continuous Mutas.
  • Against Lurkers the Vult/Mines + Goliaths + harass negate an overly strong early Ling/Lurk push.
  • Against mass ground you have already delayed his expanding and can transition to Tanks + mass army.

The Dropship/Vulture opening is the entire key to the build. The primary Mech counters to Zerg revolve around the ability to expand so much since Mech is so immobile. Vs. M&M, Zerg can be cute and do massive damage with a small amount of units (think how badly a few Lurkers + Swarm can crush a huge M&M + Tank army). However, Mech units are just big, and need to be outmuscled. There’s no cute way to kill Mech. Having a lot of “stuff” is the key to killing a Mech army. Since having a lot of expansions is the key to having a lot of “stuff,” many expansions = lots of Zerg “stuff.”

The fast Dropship prevents the Zerg player from expanding too much in the early midgame, as he’s overly concerned about defending his main. Moreover, the harass slows down Zerg’s tech, Drone count, and messes with his focus. For the most part, Zerg will have a hard time leaving his base until Mutas are out, he kills the Dropship, or he finally has all corners of his base well defended. After that, if you have mined possible expanding-locations, you are possibly delaying them even further.

If you kept your initial Dropship alive, Goliath/Tank drops around the map can be devastating to upcoming expansions and, logically, forces the Zerg to react with a few units, giving you an opportunity to move out. When taking expansions, it is wise to follow the TvP logic and expand on your pushing path towards the Zerg since your mobility is weak. If you keep your macro steady, don't forget to upgrade consistently, don't give up terrain by Mining a lot in the late game, etc. you will have grown big enough to either hold off any possible attack, including mass Ultra with Swarm, or just run him over.

Midgame Strategy[edit]

The key point of this build is usually the midgame timing push. Against the standard 3 Hatchery Mutalisks, the Zerg will either have to build a significant amount of defense in Hydras or Lings and Sunkens to prevent any major damage. If they do not do this, they can easily lose a lot of mining time and drones to the Vulture drop. But by building all that defense, the Zerg cannot power drones as much and therefore will enter the midgame with a weaker economy. Furthermore, the Terran should be doing all they can to delay the Zerg's 3rd gas. The longer this is delayed, the better the chance of victory.

If the early game goes well for the Terran, that is, the Zerg either takes damage from the Vulture drop or is forced to overload on defense, and the Zerg's 3rd gas is delayed, the timing push can easily win the game. The proper timing is just around when the Zerg's 3rd gas is finishing. Too late and they will be able to supplement their armies with the extra production from the expansion. Too early and the Terran army will not have reached a sufficient mass.

Countered By[edit]

Counter To[edit]

Notable Maps[edit]

Strong[edit]

Weak[edit]

VODs[edit]

External Links[edit]