A good Terran player can create some of the most versatile armies in the game!

Here I am again, for the third day in a row to cover our third, and final, race-the Terran-in ZAM's Starcraft 2 race previews! These are really intended for players who have not yet gained beta access or who are struggling to find strategies to utilize in their various leagues. As well, the general strategies that I outline in these race previews are really a small drop in the deep, tactical bucket that is Starcraft 2, and these strategies are merely the ones that I have encountered the most while playing in Diamond League. So without further ado, let's wrap this whole thing up and move on to the Terran!

Be sure to also check out our Protoss Race Preview here, and our Zerg Race Preview here!

Terran

The Terran are an interesting race because they sit in between the two extremes of the Zerg and the Protoss. The Zerg rely almost singularly on generating units en masse while the Protoss opt to create fewer, but more powerful units to dictate the matchup. The Terran rest quite comfortably on the midline between. A good Terran player can create a massive army, comparable to the Zerg, but the Terran can also invest their resources in fewer, more powerful units, and the sign of a true Terran master is one who knows when to get what.

In this way, while the Terran cannot force heavy macro games as well as the Zerg, nor match the mighty Protoss in single-base play, the Terran's real strength lies in the versatility of their units. This doesn't mean that the Terran is as flexible as the Zerg when it comes to producing units and such, rather, a good Terran finds that solid unit mix that launches him or her to victory. Countering enemy Zealots and Stalkers? A few well placed Siege Tanks can handle that. Are they adding Immortals to the mix? Add Ghosts, with their incredible EMP, and that's another threat neutralized! In the end, however, a Terran's real staple unit mix, under most circumstances, is really…

M & M & M: This might have what appears to be a strange name, but the M & M & M strategy is often considered to be one of the few strategies that every good Terran needs to have. In this particular case, M & M & M refers to Marines, Marauders and Medivacs. You see, with the addition of the heavy-hitting (and heavy armor and high health…) Marauder, combined with the powerful Concussive Shells and Stim Pack upgrades researched, many Terran players have discovered that by simply pumping out these three units, they are capable of countering almost any mixed army in Starcraft 2. Granted, there are a few variations to be thrown in if you know your enemy is focusing on a certain unit, but these variations tend to be supplemental in nature, with the real focus still being placed on those Marines, Marauders and Medivacs.

To show the sheer flexibility of this army, against Protoss players who go Immortals, many Terran players simply add a Ghost or two to their unit mix. An Immortal with no shields will no longer be able to reduce all incoming damage to 10, and your Marauders will simply gobble them up. Stalkers and Zealots take heavy damage from the powerful Marauder, and if you see flying units like Void Rays, a few stim-packed Marines can easily handle it.