Should a Mengsk player rush Witness first or fast expand asap nowadays?
For now, I only follow the fast expand only on contested maps which require 2 bunkers.
More often than not, I am seeing Mengsk players rush expo and massing troopers to push objectives while teching to witness. Though these players have really high APM, the slower players seem to go witness first and casually work on their expo.
Fast expand for sure. Mengsk can expand and saturate mineral lines so quickly, it’s a no brainer. Going witness first is a huge blow to your economy for not really any gain – you won’t even have enough troopers to benefit from the mandate gain.
Even if you’re a forgetful Mengsk player, he’s very forgiving as you can just have 8 workers fast-build your barracks/factory/starport and pop out your two Witnesses in no time.
Witness would only really give you comparable gains if it weren’t a T3 unit. I’d definitely focus on fast expanding first.
I just expand with my second bunker drop. You can tech up to witnesses in the mean time no problem. Usually my expansion is up and fully saturated at the time I have 2 witnesses coming out. I’m also building 5-8 medivacs with upgrades and a third witness and spamming troopers so I’m ready to push out. Royal guard to follow very soon after. Always works well for me.
I think the only real times I don’t drop the first bunker in my base is on SoA and ME, where I double bunker expand.
I actually go witness first, since it allows me to have an easier time defending the first attack wave. Not saying I don’t want to rely on my Ally to help with it… But…
Let’s just say even CO’s that have early options to deal with the wave seem to be completely out of position for it.
Depends upon the map, really. If the expansion is hard to get to or contested (Scythe, Cradle, Chain, etc.) it’s better to go Witness first.
On open expansions, it’s better to take expansion first. Drop your first bunker ASAP on the expansion, then grab 4 laborers and turn them into troopers to help. Your choice if you want to keep producing laborers or save for EC.
I always take witness first as my go to, I think the extra bunker drops will net you more troopers than the faster CC, but I would have to do the math and experiment. I seem to recall finding on paper that witness first did in fact result in more troopers, but that’s just off memory.
The 2 bunker expand is not the same as it used to be when you can drop 2 at 0min. So I mean… make what you will with that, especially when you read guides.
With the original you actually wanted to drop one bunker at your main and one at the rocks, because otherwise you couldn’t afford the CC until long after the rocks died anyways. Mengsk’s fast start was out of control then.
I always rush Witness first regardless of the map.
Second bunker to clear the rocks or save up mandate for the Zerg for objectives, depending on the map.
For defense, it’s typically first bunker, Barracks, Factory, Starport and Fusion Core in a circular formation; this wall helps protect laborers repairing the bunker. I rarely use the Zerg for defense.
I fast expand on maps with rocks on expo and rush Witness before expanding on maps with enemies on expo.
Fast expan while tech-ing to Witness.
While also spamming trooper and bunker.
Getting everything fast means you get nothing fast.
I generally go for witnesses first. The extra bunkers anywhere i need them are generally more useful to me than a bit of extra mineral income that i would otherwise still be spending on bunkers and troopers.
I prefer fast-expo on rocks and rush witness only on maps that demands more than 1 bunker to clear, or well, Dead on Night for obvious reason.
But I definitelly reccomend rushing witness on contested maps overall, so you get used to his workers, then go try for fast-expo as you play some matches with him.