Hey hey, the Q&A is back! It's been pretty busy around here, I finally got my Starcraft 2 Campaign guide released…which you should definitely check out if you're struggling to beat the Campaign on Brutal and/or get the achievements. It's available for a short time at a low introductory price, so get it before the price increase!

Other than that I'm working on another project that I think I'll be selling if I can get it completed and finalized, it's going to be all about Map strategies…what tactics you can use to your advantage depending on the map you're playing on.

So I've been busy! But I want to keep this Q&A going, so let's move on to today's question!

It's from King_Bob

QUESTION:

"First of all thank you for all of the great tips, they have helped a lot… seocondly I have a few problems actualy that i can not overcome.

1) I recently tried making the transition from terran to protos but got totally destroyed. I can not counter basic rushed and strategies with the same ease that i could do with terran, maybe its becaue i go for higher tier units too early? But never mind that.

2) The most annoying thing I have to say is that the last few games I have been getting MMM rushes. I can sometimes stop them but quite often they overrun me. I relly dislike early rushes because feel that if they do not work then your macro will be behind for the rest of the game. So i never really try them. I like to put out 2 siege tanks to defend the choke point then i go for a reasnably early push with a few banshees. But by the time I get my 1st banshee out he already has a army that is to large to counter effectively. I want to know how to counter an MMM rush without giving up my own banshee push. The generic strategies on the net are not really wotking for me. PLZ help! THANX A LOT"

ANSWER:

This is somewhat of a 2 part question, but King_Bob said to never mind the first part, so I'll just answer it briefly.

PART 1:

Judging by what you said in your question, it sounds like you are trying to tech too high too fast. As Protoss, if you tech directly to Colossi you're going to sacrifice too much in the beginning to stay alive under early pressure. Plus playing a different race is a HUGE change if you've been getting used to one already. Things change quite a bit from race to race, and surviving different rushes will take some getting used to. So don't get discouraged if you lose a few games right out of the gate if you switch.

That said, I would encourage you to play one race and stick with it! Switching races all the time makes it very hard to learn the game unless you can play ALOT of games everyday.

PART 2:

Now onto the Terran part of your question, how to survive a MMM rush and still use Banshees.

First off is you need to take a look at some of your replays and see how your food count is compared to your opponent when they attack. If you are way behind then you may not want to go for higher tech units until you've expanded and have more of an income. Or maybe you need to create more Marines to use up the extra minerals you have.

Assuming that your macro is on par with your opponents and you're spending your resources fairly well, maybe the order that you're creating units is the main problem. If you build 2 Tanks for defense then start to get Banshees, you're way behind on your Banshee production. Instead, try teching straight to a Banshee and moving it into their base to harass and slow them down.

Then while that is happening get your defense up to defend the push that's coming.

Also keep in mind that Tanks are really good when you get enough of them. For example, if you only have 2 Tanks it only takes a small force of Marines & Marauders to kill them. But if you have 12 Tanks, it will take an enormous force to take them out and is much less cost-effective for the attacker. So having those 2 Tanks in the beginning really isn't going to help a ton because there's just not enough time to get that critical mass of Tanks out where they are super-effective.

So instead of getting those 2 Tanks out first, tech straight to Banshees, get one out and harass with it. Scout him out while you're over there and see what he's up to. If he's going MMM then put up a couple Bunkers and station some Tanks safely behind those. Then expand.

That way you'll be set up for the mid game with an expansion and his only choice will be to try to push through your heavy defense to win the game quickly. Bring some SCVs up to repair the Bunkers so they die a little slower, and bring your Banshees back to help kill the infantry off.

Then once you have 2 bases running (4 gas instead of just 2) you can ramp up your Banshee production and push out with Banshees, Tanks and Marines.

If you have some more questions about details or comments let us know in the comments below!