Starcraft II and Unit Composition – pt. 1

One of the more interesting things about Starcraft 2 is the new unit composition, and how the new unit concepts have altered game play and tactics. This will be addressed in more detail, but I’d like to start things off with a brief first impression of each unit from the replays and casts that I have viewed thus far. I’ll begin with Terran – seemingly unpopular in the sequel thus far, despite resounding popularity in Starcraft professional play.

Marine

In general, the “staple” basic units are unchanged. The marine is no exception, from what I can tell. This is still your run-of-the-mill, all-purpose, cheap, running and gunning infantry. That said, I get the impression that tech advances slightly more quickly in SC2. I’ve yet to see this unit play as critical of a role as it did in SC1. It seems like batches of marines were required for any given strategy in SC1 – medic/marine, dropship harassment, even map control with tanks, vultures, and turrets. Only the occasional mech build was an exception. In SC2, I’m seeing less of any particular unit being required, and more units coming into play as strategy dictates.

Reaper

I’ve heard a few mixed things on this guy, and I’ve certainly seen mixed results. I’ve seen these most effective when it comes to worker harassment. This should be expected, as their ability to scale cliffs makes them ideal for reaching the worker line early in the game, when it is likely to be unprotected. This is very unique to SC2. In order to harass a worker line in such a way in SC1, you would need to orchestrate an early drop or sneak past the chokepoint into your opponent’s base. That said, these guys are brittle. The attack is quick to fail as soon as defending units can address the situation. Personally, I’ve yet to see these used effectively outside of worker harassment, but I think some creativity will see that change. I expect to see some interesting things come out of their depth charges, in particular.

Marauder

This is an interesting concept for the Terran. I tend to think of these guys as the Terran version of hydralisks, minus an air attack. From the games I’ve seen thus far, these are easily one of the more popular Terran units. They are a solid unit – good damage, sturdy, and have the effect of slowing down enemy units they fire upon. These units definitely favor intelligent decisions. I’ve seen them turn the tide of many battles, but I see them wasted very often at the hands of only one or two air units or immortals, which form great counters to this sturdy unit.

Medivac

I like how they handled this unit. It is very similar to the medic from Starcraft in one instrumental way – it can expand the durability of an attack force by multiple times the resources invested in the medivacs themselves. Of course, being a flying unit, they have much more utility than our familiar medics. I love the laser that fires out from the front – it’s like a beam of sunshine, wiping away all pain from the tortured terran units. This unit seems absolutely crucial, and I expect it will become a mainstay of mid-late game forces. As with the reaper, I think this unit has a lot of room for creative strategy.

Tank

Originally, I felt like nothing would change with the single most critical Terran unit. I assumed the siege tank would remain extremely powerful, and would provide the basis for the entire Terran gameplay experience. I now believe I was wrong. While the tank is still very powerful – it packs quite a punch, and plays much the same way – it just doesn’t seem as useful as it once was. I believe Blizzard made a decided effort to avoid races relying on one unit too heavily. These definitely seem to have more utility purpose these days. They can fall easily, and care must be taken to protect them and ensure that they will get their shots off in the most efficient ways possible. I see less tank massing so far, and more tanks being used like reavers were previously – useful additions to an attack force, with the additional possibility of harassment tactics.