The Terran vs Terran matchup is one of the most dreaded games for many Terran players. This is because most Terran vs Terran games end up being huge Viking battles with a few tanks. So in an effort to win the air war the players will get 4 Starports with reactors and just endlessly pump Vikings until they're out of resources. These games get very boring and quite tedious so they aren't exciting at all.

I've been looking for new Terran vs Terran strategies to play in this matchup in an attempt to end the monotony. One strategy that I really enjoy is the early Thor against other Terran players. Thors are extremely powerful early in the game because of their high hp and damage.

A single Thor will one-shot Marines, SCV's and can kill Tanks and Marauders in just 3 shots. What makes them even better is the fact that they can be repaired by SCV's while they're in battle or after a quick retreat. So when you move out with your first Thor, be sure to send 6-8 SCV's or so to keep it alive efficiently.

The strength in the Terran Thor rush is the speed that you get it out onto the battlefield. If you are quick enough, your opponent will simply not have enough forces to push it back and/or kill it. Plus while you're keeping him busy with your first Thor you should be building another to finish him off. Just rally your Factory to your opponent's base and as soon as your second Thor is done he will charge directly into battle to help secure the win.

Starcraft 2 Terran Thor Rush Build Order

Start off with your standard Starcraft 2 Terran build order, getting supply depot at 10, Barracks at 12, and Refinery at 13 supply. While you wait for your gas to hit 100 to build a Factory, make marines and keep pumping SCV's and of course get your Orbital Command to boost your economy.

There's no reason to get a tech lab on your Barracks so just pop marines out 1 at a time for early defense. Grab that second refinery while your factory is building and make an armory as soon as you can. While your Armory is going up you should be getting a tech lab on your Factory.

Pro Tip: Build your armory in a corner where your opponent isn't likely to scan. The longer you can hide your tech the better this strategy will be.

The Armory takes quite a bit longer to build than your tech lab, so it's a good idea to create a hellion while you wait for it to finish to help hold off any early aggression. As soon as your Armory is done start your first Thor and rally it right over to your opponents base. When it's done move out with all your troops and follow your Thor with 6-8 SCV's, don't forget to put them on auto-repair! (right-click the repair button)

Pro Tip: Right when your Armory pops out start the +1 vehicle weapon upgrade. This will allow your Thor to kill enemy Marauders in just 2 shots. Note that it takes almost 2 full minutes longer than a Thor to build, but it may finish just in time to help you secure the win.

What To Do After The Thor Rush

If your Terran Thor rush strategy fails then you will need to transition fast into a very macro heavy style of play. With the early pressure that you put on your opponent and the strong defense of the Thors you can usually get an expansion out early to get your economy back up.

To refine your macro skills be sure to check out my Starcraft 2 Macro Guide.

Here's a great game from the King of the Beta tournament showing an effective Terran Thor Rush build:

To see the rest of the games of this tournament, check out Day 9's video archives.

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