Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide Review
Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide really blew me away. You could tell within a matter of seconds that this stuff was some of the best Starcraft 2 tactics I had ever seen and was written by a guy who has a very intimate knowledge of the game. Lots of products on the market today rehash existing tactics and strategies and call them unique but there were some strategies here that I’ve never seen before. And Shokz explains everything in great detail. I think Shokz guide is definitely a good investment for anyone who really wants to improve their Starcraft 2 tactics and strategies.
For starters, this isn’t some ebook that you buy and then you’re done. Shokz has created a full blown members only website that is constantly updated. Every day I’ve logged on to look at the content for review, there’s been new Starcraft 2 tactics posted. In addition, Shokz has given you the ability to vote for what strategies, tactics and features you want to see added to the site. I will continue to monitor the site over the next few weeks to see how responsive he is to these requests but just to have a site like this where the author is willing to listen to his customers’ input is truly impressive.
The site/guide is broken down into the obvious groupings by race (Terran, Protoss and Zerg) and has a lot of different strategies and tactics for each race. For example, here were just some of the Starcraft 2 tactics available at the time I wrote this review:
| Terran Tactics | Protoss Tactics | Zerg Tactics |
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Even though some of these Starcraft 2 tactics may be available elsewhere, I found Shokz presentation of the material to be easier to understand. And he includes screen shots and videos of the tactics in action.
Finally, Shokz also includes a list of all the units available for each race and what they are effective (and weak) against which is good for building your own Starcraft 2 tactics (or combating a new strategy you’ve not seen before).
Overall, I was quite pleased with the site and think that Shokz is definitely on the right track by having this information available in a very dynamic and fluid environment. I have spoken with him and understand that he’s always on the lookout for the latest and greatest Starcraft 2 tactics used by the top Diamond level players. Plus, some of the things he has planned for the future of his guide are definitely going to make this site the most valuable Starcraft 2 resource I have in my arsenal.
Starcraft 2 Tactics: Zerg units: Banelings
Today we’re going to look at the the most suicidal unit in the Zerg armory: Banelings. This is a basic introduction to Banelings and how top level Starcraft 2 gamers use this kamakazi unit to its maximum potential.
Introduction to Baneling
Requires: Baneling Nest
Producer: Zergling
Cost: 25 mineral 25 gas 0.5 food 20 seconds
Type: Light – Biological
Speed: 2.5
Class: Ground
Hitpoints: 30
Armor: 0
Energy: 0
Weapon: Volatile Burst
Range: Melee
Damage: 20
Attack speed: -
Bonus: +15 vs light
Effect: Splash Ability
Attack Structure ( Baneling explode on a building causing a 80 damage splash to buildings in the target area)
Explode (Command Baneling to explode dealing damage at the current location)
Burrow
Upgrades
Centrifugal Hooks ( Increase speed to 2.95 a 18% increase)
Ground Carapace ( Increase armor by 1)
Melee Attacks ( Increase Damage by 2)
From this information you should see that Banelings do great against most tier 1 unit because of their bonus against light units and they also do well against buildings because of their Attack Structure ability.
So what are Banelings good against?
Most successful Zerg Starcraft 2 tactics involve using Banelings against light units. All basic units are weak against the Banelings meaning Zerglings, Marines and Zealots. However do not use Banelings to attack armored unit or they will be just like running into a wall and explode without much value done. They are also good against building so you can use a bunch of them to kill a expansion very quickly.
How do we use these Banelings like a pro?
Some simple Starcraft 2 tactics involve using them to:
Bust Walls Down
Terrain and Protoss like to wall themselves in when vs Zerg so using the advantage of the ability of the Baneling Attack Structure, Zerg player can bust down the enemy walls by running a bunch of Banelings to attack the structures destroying them and send the rest of the units in. This Starcraft 2 tip can also be called the Baneling Bust.
Ambush the Opponent units using Baneling mines
Since in Starcraft 2 Baneling still can use their Explode ability when they are burrowed allowing them to be like mines. It is somewhat like Dota Remote mines. Once enemy units step over burrowed Baneling select them and press Explode and you will see them explode immediately causing terrible damage to the units above. Using this Starcraft 2 tactics, you can burrow Banelings around the map where your opponents are most likely to walk by.
Raining Banelings
The Starcraft 2 tactics used by higher-level players who are better at micro will never just select their units and press “A” and press over your units to engage in a battle. When they know you have Banelings most of the time they will put their light units behind. Wait for your Banelings to explode on armored units infront before sending their light units into the battle. So the Starcraft 2 tactics I use involve using your Overlords to carry the Banelings and drop them right on top of the light units that are weak against Banelings allowing Banelings to maximize their worth in the battle.
Busting down Terran Walls with Banelings: Zerg v. Terran Strategy
The most typical of all Starcraft 2 tactics in a Terran v. Zerg match is that the Terran player is going to start off walling up their base to protect against Zerg speedling rushes. This can be very frustrating for the Zerg player (especially if the Terran player is using SCVs to repair their Supply Depots — and you know they will). So what is the frustrated Zerg commander to do? Enter the baneling!
Baneling Build order
9 – Overlord
12 – Extractor
12 – Spawning Pool
When executing the Baneling Wall Buster strategy, you’ll want to do a normal build with a spawning pool at around 10 or 12 but you want to include an extractor in the mix. The goal is to have the extractor online slightly before the spawning pool. You’re going to need a lot of gas for this strategy so put 3 drones to work on it as soon as the extractor is complete and then start construction of a queen as soon as the spawning pool is complete.
Once the queen is up, use Spawn Larva on your hatchery to get your zergling speed upgrade and banelings nest. While the zergling upgrade is working and the nest is under construction, crank out as many zerglings as you can so that as soon as the upgrade finishes, you can start your attack.
Breaking down the wall
As soon as you have your zergling upgrade and baneling nest completed, move the speedlings out close to the enemy base but not so close as he can see you. Then morph 4-5 zerglings into banelings.
Move all your speedlings to 1 control group and your banelings to another control group. Move your speedlings up to the wall so you can see the layout and then bring them back down. As soon as they are back in position, switch to your banelings and run them up the ramp and begin tearing down the wall.
As soon as the wall is down, quickly switch over to your speedlings and rush the base to take out his units but concentrate mostly on the workers. If any banelings survived the wall assault, move them to the Terran marine and marauder units to take them out while the speedlings are causing havoc with the rest of the base.
NOTE: All the while you should be continuing to produce zerglings while you are attacking with the rally point set to the Terran base. This will provide much needed reinforcements as the battle goes on.
Here’s a sample video that shows the technique.
The Best Starcraft 2 Tactics Guides – Reviewed
Are you searching for the best Starcraft 2 Tactics? There are many strategy guides out there that declare to be the best, but frankly there are only two Starcraft 2 strategy guides you should consider, the Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide and Joana’s Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide. These are the best guides available today, but is one superior to the other? Starcraft 2 is a very competitive and robust game. Both Starcraft 2 Strategy Guides illustrate in detail nearly every strategy you can use to dominate Starcraft 2. They explain to you the strengths and weaknesses of all 3 races (the Zerg, Terran and Protoss) and the tactics that are required to be successful with each.
The Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide does a remarkable job educating you about the top Starcraft 2 tactics used by the best Terran players. The knowledge that the Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide offers you on Terran build orders is essential to playing as Terran. The guide also shows you specific strategies such as the Reaper Rush and Marine Rush. Joana’s guide contains most of the same content, however Joana’s guide gets right into the strategy of the game, without going into a lot of detail about the species and their motivations.
Both Joana’s Starcraft 2 Strategy guide and the Shokz Starcraft 2 Tactics Guide do a fantastic job of showing you the best strategies to use with the Zerg as well. The Zerg are great at quickly generating armies. This makes them extremely versatile. Every hatchery has the ability to create every available Zerg unit. The Zerg have a variety of attacks in their arsenal, from utilizing the quick Zerglings or the powerful UltraliskIt, both guides explain in crystal clear detail, how to combat almost every build in the game. The skill to micro and macro separates the mediocre player from the diamond player and Joana’s guide and the Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide each explain to you how to elevate your micro and macro game to the next level.
The Protoss possess a huge variety of psionic and plasma based weapons and attacks, but knowing what unit to utilize in combat is crucial. Mastering how to accurately Micro and Macro is critical when playing as the Protoss. Again, Joana’s Guide and The Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide both do a magnificent job illustrating how to defeat nearly any opponent you may face. If you want to master Protoss strategies such as the Dark Templar Rush, both guides are supremely capable of teaching you all protoss tactics and strategies.
The Shokz Starcraft 2 Tactics Guide and Joana’s Guide also contain a full single player campaign walkthrough of all 36 missions. The screenshots and videos are definitely helpful and intuitive. Although I do have to give the Shokz Starcraft 2 strategy guide a small advantage in this regard. I found his videos to be slightly more helpful. The guides also give specific walkthroughs for both expansion packs, the Heart of the Swarm and the Legacy of the Void. Both expansion campaigns are explained in full detail. If you’re into collecting achievements, both guides will teach you how to collect every single achievement available.
The Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide and Joana’s Strategy Guide both give a 60 day money back guarantee and free updates. Once you purchase either guide, you have access to all the new Starcraft 2 tactics that are available in the member’s area. Starcraft 2 is constantly changing so the fact that they constantly revise their strategies is a nice bonus. Both Starcraft 2 Strategy Guides are just about equal. In fact it’s challenging to choose one over the other. If you’re a newbie the Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide could be the best guide for you since it does give you slightly more information about the distinct species of Starcraft 2. If you’re a starcraft vet and don’t really care about the background info of the species of Starcraft, then Joana’s guide might be the best guide for you since he jumps right into the strategy of Starcraft 2. The bottom line is no matter which guide you select you won’t be disappointed.
The Ultimate Starcraft 2 Guide – Learn To Be The Next Starcraft 2 Winner
The Ultimate Starcraft 2 Guide – Learn To Be The Next Starcraft 2 Winner
The Shokz Guide is the best Starcraft 2 Tactics Guide. Shokz Guide is an in-depth guide teaching you how to master the Terran, Protoss, and Zerg. Learn the top strategies and play styles of all three races to earn your way to #1 rank Diamond.
Shokz Guide teaches you every aspect of the game giving you the advantage against any opponent. The Guide has the top Starcraft 2 tactics used by the pros so you can learn how to micro and macro like a diamond player and take over your diamond division.
Along with covering all three races and battle.net strategies Shokz Guide has a complete campaign walkthrough guide. Our campaign walkthrough guide takes you through all missions with step-by-step instructions while preparing you for battle.net gameplay.
Shokz Guide has an in depth walkthrough of the single player campaign. The guide provides step-by-step instructions for all 26 missions, with screenshots and videos as we guide you through the first of three epic campaigns of Starcraft 2.
The Shokz Starcraft 2 Campaign guide has commentated video walkthroughs for each mission under Brutal difficulty, helping players achieve the elite status of beating the campaign under Brutal. Each mission under Brutal is laid out with detailed maps and videos explaining the best way to beat each mission and gain all the achievements.
Free Updates for both Expansions
Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void are the upcoming expansions for Starcraft 2, each will introduce a new campaign where you play as Zerg and Protoss. All Shokz Guide members will receive access to FREE updates for each expansion and the new campaigns as well as updates to any Starcraft 2 tactics that involve using the new units that will be coming with the expansions.
