The Players:
E-Minor (me) - Terran
Big Threat - Protoss

Let's get this party started!

I decided that I was going to try a quick 6 marine rush. I was hoping that perhaps he would go straight for goons and I might catch him napping early. I built a depot on 8 and a rax on 10 and 11. I built my buildings in a line forming a blockade of sorts. I had just started my second rax when Bigthreat's scouting probe meandered into my base. The probe headed straght for my vespian gas node and I groaned as I knew what was coming. Sure enough, the static sound of a protoss building being warped in greeted my ears and soon, a brand new protoss assimilator sat on my vespian geyser.

I decided to not let this deter me from my original plan. In fact, I refused to even kill the assimilator. I don't know why, I had 4 marines just standing around while I waited for my last two to be trained. I guess I just didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

When my 6th marine finished his training, I headed out across the map to see what kind of havok I could wreak. I continued to train marines at home and these marines were given the task of destroying the assimilator. I built a bunker behind my 2 barracks and started a refinery as soon as the assimilator was destroyed. I also started an academy.

About this time, my 6 marines reached the protoss main base. I snuck the marines right in behind the protoss mineral patches meeting no resistance. I began firing on probes, but alas, after the first probe popped, three zealots came into range and my marines started firing on them. Needless to say, the zealots made short work of my marines.

I was a little bit disappointed that my attack had been so unsuccessful and I realized that I could be in trouble since I was so far behind in gas. My attack had provided a little bit of valuable reconaissance though. I saw that he had 2 gates and a cy core. I decided to prepare for a dt rush and built an engineering bay and a comsat station. When the engineering bay was finished, I built a turret next to my bunker.

An eye for an eye

My infantry consisted of 9 marines and 9 firebats. I decided that if I sent my infantry to his base right at that moment, more than likely, his reaver would be at my base when my infantry reached his.

Sure enough, just as I was grouping up my infantry outside of his base for their assault, the reaver landed in my base accompanied by 2 zealots. I sent all my scvs running for their lives and then decided to concentrate my focus completely on the assault on his base.

I stimmed up my marines and firebats and charged. My first target was a cannon that stood on the outskirts of his base. The cannon quickly exploded. I then moved my infantry into his peon line. Probes started exploding, but so were my men. I realized that two more cannons were firing on me. I quickly attacked and by the time I killed the other two cannons, I had 4 firebats and 1 marine left. I made quick work of the remaining probes and used the last of my stim to destroy his nexus.

Just as his nexus exploded into a white cloud of dust, the reaver that had been assaulting my main returned and finished off my infantry. I realized that my base was no longer under attack and started mining operations again. By destroying his nexus, I felt like I had the game completely under control. However, a scan showed me that he had a fully operational expansion at his natural. I realized that our mineral intake was about even and I still had only infantry to combat his reavers.

I had just started work on a factory at my main when the one reaver returned to my base. He dropped right next to my factory and killed the scv working on it. I cancelled the factory. I had 8 marines at my disposal and one by one, I stimmed them and sent them to their death until finally, the 6^th marine was able to destroy the reaver.

The Race is on...

The question now was, could I get my tanks before he returned with more reavers? He decided to wait for 2 reavers to build out of 1 robotics facility and this gave me the time I needed.

I had just seiged up my first tank and started work on my second when his 2 reavers arrived. However, because my tank was seiged up next to my bunker, it got off three shots before the reavers were able to destroy it. One reaver was killed and the other one was badly damaged. The damaged reaver was able to get off a potshot at my scv line before my second tank finished construction and was able to finish him.

With the reaver threat destroyed and more tanks on the way, I finally felt my confidence starting to return. I scanned his main and his natural. He had not rebuilt the nexus at his main and was still only mining out of his natural. He had a stargate building at his natural.

My Turn

A scan of his natural however revealed where his resources were going now. He had two stargates and a fleet beacon. One stargate was blinking.

Back at home, I expanded to my natural and started work on 2 starports. Then I decided that it was time for an assault. I had a total of 20 marines and 2 tanks that had just finished working over his main. I moved these forces across the bridge and into his natural. His natural was defended by a reaver, a dragoon, 2 zealots, and a carrier. Unfortunately for me, I didn't see the reaver until I had already focused the fire of my 20 marines on his carrier. 10 marines exploded. Then, he picked up the reaver in his shuttle and landed it next to my tanks. My remaining infantry finished off the carrier and moved into his peon line. Probes started popping. After finishing the tanks, the reaver finished my infantry, but not before most of his probes were destroyed.

Back at home I had 6 wraiths and 12 marines. I decided that this force would be sufficient to finish the game. I had to contend with one more carrier, but when my wraiths attacked it, it had only one operating interceptor. The wraiths blew up the nasty blimp and then my marines and wraiths finished off his remaining buildings with relative ease.

Final Thoughts