How does terran beat this?

https://sc2replaystats.com/replay/18000827

Here’s my diagnosis:

  1. There is a lack of scouting. - 7:00 there were 3 Tanks when the 1st Tempest popped out. After which, the T continued to build till 11 Tanks and 8 Marau (before building any anti-air) while the P enjoyed 5 Tempests 4 Templars.
  2. There is a lack of harass. - There is barely any engagement for the first 13:30 mins of the game. This will favour the P since their unit value to supply will outweigh that of the T in the later stages of the game.
  3. Use of wrong counter unit. - After losing 42 Rines, you massed up on 37 Rines again. This is usually fine, except for the fact that the Tempests are covered by the Templars. So unless you can bait and dodge storms really well, then they are pretty much useless (since they need to run in really close to the Tempests to snipe them).
  4. Disadvantaged engagement. - At 20:30, that engagement with only 2 Thors + 15 Vikings is unlikely to win against 17 Tempests 12 Templars. Let’s not forget that the upgrades are 2 Air 1 Armor vs 3 3. That’s 3 levels worth of difference.

After which, it was downhill for the T all the way until GG.

What I’d suggest:

  • Scout on a regular basis. - I can’t emphasise this enough. SC2 is a game of scissors-paper-stone. It is about getting the right unit composition so that you can counter what the opponent has. There is no 1 size fits all situation unit. Those few times where that 1 unit seem to win all is what we call a hard counter (aka inefficient counter).
  • Harass early. - Prior to the 1st Tempest coming out, the P had 1 Stalker + 2 cannons defending. This is compared to the T who had 12 Rines + 3 Tanks already. The Tanks could’ve been 2 Medivacs and that drop would probably have either ended the game, or cause irreversible damage to the P. This harassment (even if you end up backing out and being unsuccessful) means money is spent into immediate defence for the P, plus let’s not forget the free scout again.
  • Hit the 3rd P base. - P has a bit of an opening when they are getting their 3rd base set up. That’s the sweet spot between being stuck on 2 bases with T2 tech, or having sufficient resources to support T3 tech. In all pro level game plays, this is one of the timing in which Ts are forced to do (and all Ps fear).
  • Use Ghost to EMP / snipe Templars. - If the Storms are an issue, you MUST use Ghost to EMP / snipe (if you are playing bio / mass Vikings). There is no workaround for this. Otherwise, you need to play BCs / Thors instead (stuff that are bulky and can tank through the Storms).
  • Use bio effectively. - If you have too much bio left, using them for multiple drops will work wonders. P has slow mobility (plus they only have 1 Gate). It will be impossible for the Tempests to be everywhere. Even if they managed to split, the aspd of Tempests are way too slow to clean up fast enough. I will also buy you the time needed to transition into another tech.
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