Starcraft 2 Cheese Builds
In the video game Starcraft 2, cheese refers to unorthodox builds which aim to take the enemy player by surprise for an easy win. In this article, you will find out exactly what is and is not cheese, and some examples of cheese builds you can try out.
While Starcraft 2 cheese builds are really risky, they can be a lot of fun, particularly to mess around with in the 2v2 and 3v3 brackets where players do not take things as serious.
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Many players confuse unconventional or unorthodox builds with cheese. This is not always the case; people come up with new strategies and techniques all the time as the game is still developing. If someone does something you’ve never seen before, there is a chance they are just smart and not necessarily a cheesed.
Cheese really not only has to be unconventional, but has to be unconventional due to a high level of risk rather than a flaw in the strategy.
For example, if a Zerg player opens with a 14 Hatch on a small, 2 player map, and their Protoss opponent decides to counter with a 2-Gate Zealot rush, this is not cheese but rather is smart and simply taking advantage of these Starcraft 2 tips. Opening up with an expansion without scouting your opponent on a small map is cheesier in my opinion!
However, if the Protoss player randomly throws up a 2-Gate proxy Gateway at an unusual spot outside the opponent’s base without a clue what is going on inside, that is cheese.
To continue with the PvZ analogy, pushing out on 2-3 Gate and feigning aggression while secretly building up for an air rush is not cheese. Even if the air rush fails to win the game outright, it gives the Protoss player map control, and allows him to expand and forces the Zerg player to invest a lot of time and effort into defending the air attack.
However, if you apply Gateway pressure and are building 3 Proxy Stargates outside the opponent’s base, that is cheese. If the air rush fails to win outright, the Zerg player can easily take out the Protoss Stargates, regain map control, and put the Protoss player in a position where they do not really have a chance to win.
When Starcraft 2 Cheese Shines
In essence, cheese is akin to gambling; you are taking a build which you know xx% of the time will win a game, and you take a risk. If scouted properly it is easy to defend and usually results in a loss for the cheeser. It is generally looked down upon because it allows lesser-skilled players to “steal” wins from “better” players.
However, there is one instance when cheese really shines, and that is when you are playing a series of games against the same player, such as in arranged games or in tournaments, or when you just keep happening to run into the same opponent on ladder.
On ladder, cheese does not work nearly as good because most players expect it. However, if you have the same player to go against in a series of games, cheese starts working a lot better and really can be smart to use.
If you are a Zerg player who likes to go for a macro game, you might find that your opponent has become accustomed to this and has started taking very aggressive expansions.
You can often “steal” a win in a series by going for an outright Roach/bling bust or some other aggressive early-game strategy. This also keeps the opponent honest, so they do not try to be overly efficient if you like to macro, or vice versa (going very macro-oriented if the opponent turtles up).
Standard Cheese Builds
There are so many cheese builds because they are not necessarily meant to be the smartest things to do, but just to take the opponent by surprise.
Protoss and Terran Cheese:
Protoss and Terran can build buildings wherever they like, so the standard cheese involves proxy-anything. A proxy is when you build a building outside (or inside) your opponent’s base instead of in your own base.
For Protoss players, this often involves building 2 Gateways at around a supply count of 11-13 outside your opponent’s base, saving up Chrono Boost, then boosting out Zealots, and moving in with about 3 Zealots.
Protoss players can also do the infamous Cannon rush; building a Pylon and a Forge outside the opponent’s base, then dropping cannons just out of range. Once they are up, you can push in with more cannons. Works especially well in 2v2, as players do not often scout at this level of play.
For Terran players, this may involve a proxy Barracks or just a Proxy bunker. Depending on how cheesy you are feeling, you can build 2 Barracks outside your opponent’s base at a supply count of about 11, or inside your own base and then send an SCV out.
If you proxy outside of your opponent’s base, you can lift off those Barracks and land them inside their base and start pumping out Marines. This works best versus Terran and Protoss opponents (Zerg usually spot this).
Another thing you can do is build the Marines at your own base, and move out with a SCV and drop a Bunker at the opponent’s natural. Use your Marines to protect your SCV, and once the Bunker is done you can wall the Zerg player off and practically win the game outright.
Zerg Cheese Builds
Zerg have the simplest cheese: the good old 6 Pool. Start the game off by just having your Drones harvest and build a Spawning Pool when you have 200 minerals. Train no units.
Once the Spawning Pool is done, start training 8 Zerglings and send them out on the offensive. This is an easy win in low-level leagues, especially if your micro is good.
You can up the ante by making about 2 Drones at the start of the match and going for an 8 pool. You can then go all-in with 8 Zerglings and all but 2 Drones; using your Drones to build Spine Crawlers on the opponent’s creep. This is effective even in the highest-level leagues and is quite hard to defend if not scouted.
Starcraft 2 Cheese Builds Conclusion
You now have a good idea of what exactly Starcraft 2 cheese and you also now have a nice list of SC2 cheese builds that you can start trying out. Just remember that while these are not great in ladder, they are good to use if you are playing the same opponent on a regular basis to help keep them from getting too comfortable with your playstyle.
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