The Storm patch has been updated three times, and it got buffed every single time?! Is the balance team trying to make sure even fewer people play mech in TVP?
The most powerful units in Terran mech are sieged units like Widow Mines, Tanks, and Liberators or Thors. Now, dealing with an army that took ten minutes and a massive amount of resources to build only requires landing one good Storm. With its insane radius and 140 damage, how are these units supposed to dodge it? Even if they don’t die outright, getting them to low health means a couple of warp-ins of Zealots and Stalkers can clean up effortlessly. This is an army the Terran spent immense time and resources building! Do you call that a balanced trade?
Even if you perfectly use EMPs and drain all the HT energy, the Protoss just needs to warp in one new HT and use some free Nexus energy to instantly negate your entire army. I’ve encountered this situation countless times. If the opponent wants to go for Storms, there’s literally no avoiding it.
Don’t tell me to use mobile units like Cyclones or Banshees. Cyclones are okay for some mid-game harassment, but when it comes to the final, decisive engagement, you always have to rely on core units like Tanks, Thors, and Liberators—especially against the Protoss’ main army. In mid to late game, Cyclones simply don’t hold up, let’s be real.
As for the so-called “buffs” to Banshees, they feel as meaningless as getting a $5 coupon when buying a Rolls-Royce. All it takes is a Stargate opener—one Oracle for Revelation and a couple of Phoenixes—to wipe out your expensive, upgraded Banshee fleet in seconds. Just look around—how many people are actually using Banshees now?
For over a decade, Storm—a massive AoE damage spell—has always been adjusted with extreme caution in StarCraft. But recently, the balance team, for some unknown reason, is making such rookie mistakes, severely impacting mech’s win rate. Do you really think Protoss isn’t easy-mode enough? That there aren’t already few enough people playing mech against them?
I’ve long suspected there’s someone influential in the balance team who doesn’t play the game much, is probably around Platinum league, and is a Protoss apologist. Honestly, I saw it back when they changed the Widow Mine. Someone on that team clearly doesn’t look at the minimap and can’t handle multi-pronged attacks. Now, with the Liberator vision nerf, it’s even more obvious—they’ve completely killed its multi-prong harassment role, making it easier for Protoss players to focus on the main fight while freely warping in units all over your base. Interested netizens should try to dox exactly who these carried players are within the balance team. Their understanding of balance for a veteran esports title is so shallow—it’s a total disservice to the global player base and Blizzard’s loyal fans.
Honestly, I can understand the balance team’s original intention to increase Protoss’ chances of winning championships. But after multiple rounds of Protoss buffs, Protoss is now playing a completely different game from Terran and Zerg. Terran and Zerg are playing StarCraft on hell mode, while Protoss is playing the children’s version. Why? Because of a vicious cycle: The balance team thinks Protoss is weak, so they buff Protoss → Protoss players win easily on ladder → the required skill floor for Protoss drops further → Protoss players get complacent → but premier tournament championships will always go to the most talented and hardworking players → a race relying on patches instead of self-improvement will never win → Protoss still doesn’t win championships → the balance team simplistically buffs Protoss again. Logic loop completed.
A Friendly Suggestion:
If the Protoss community ever hopes to produce a generational talent like Serral for Zerg or Clem for Terran, it cannot rely on patch buffs. In the short term, buffing Protoss may seem to help them win more games. However, in the long run, this ultimately harms Protoss professional players. Players may abandon hard work and rigorous practice, instead choosing to loudly complain and lobby for stronger patches. But the highest professional championships will always belong to the most diligent and dedicated players—not those who depend on patch advantages.
Continuously buffing Protoss is like endlessly pampering a spoiled child, then expecting them to defeat their opponents in the most brutally competitive environment and claim a world championship.