Starcraft 2 Mutalisk Unit Counter

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Making large quantities of Mutalisks is a common and effective strategy for use against all races and at all level of play in Starcraft 2. Since Mutalisks are very fast, heal quickly, and are well-rounded, they can cause significant devastation if they avoid enemy strong points and focus on the weak points of the enemy's army and structures.

Mass Mutalisk remains a common strategy even at the top level. As players get better ranked, the skill of their micro and the amount of damage they cause with Mutalisks increases.

As a result, many players are looking for a good way to counter Mutalisks. Below, we have put together a list of the best Mutalisk counters in Starcraft 2 no matter what race you play. There is also a video guide demonstrating these counters in action.

Protoss Mutalisk Unit Counter

Protoss players have an easy time countering the Mutalisk with units. A large number of Protoss units are strong against the Mutalisk.

• Phoenix: The Phoenix not only does bonus damage against the Mutalisk, but it can also kite the Mutalisk. Phoenix do not have to stop to shoot, so they can take out any number of Mutalisks without taking damage. Zerg players try to mix in Corruptors to help defeat the Phoenix. Stay on top of the Zerg's upgrades and add in Void Rays to deal with Corruptors and the Phoenix will still shine. Anion Pulse-Crystals makes the Phoenix even better.

• Blink Stalker: Stalkers perform okay against Mutalisks, but Mutalisks often try to avoid them. Get Blink to chase down enemy Mutalisks and to prevent the Zerg from just running away without taking any damage during hit and run attacks Your Stalkers should always have an upgrades advantage until the very late game as well, giving them an edge in battle.

• Archon: Archons are an extremely strong counter to the Mutalisk. Good Zerg players will try to avoid Archons, but if you attack the Zerg player's base, the Zerg cannot help but try to defend (or go for a base trade). Mutalisks do not do well in base trades due to their low DPS.

• High Templar: Psionic Storm is very strong against Mutalisks, as Mutalisks tend to clump up and have a relatively low HP pool. A single storm will significantly soften up a Mutalisk pack, at which point Blink Stalkers or Phoenix can easily take them out.

• Tempest: Tempest's high armor renders them virtually immune to the Mutalisk. Tempests are very slow, so Mutalisks will avoid them. However, the long range means a Tempest can sit over vulnerable areas and chase Mutalisks away. It is hard for a Mutalisk pack to hit and run when Tempests are in the area.

• Carrier: Mutalisks are weak against Carriers. Again, enemy Zerg players will try to avoid the Carrier and attack where it is not. The Zerg does not have this luxury though when you are on offense.

• Sentry: The Sentry itself is not strong with the Mutalisk, but it mixes well with all other unit types for its Guardian Shield ability. Guardian Shield significantly reduces the Mutalisk's damage. Make sure you add on at least a few Sentries, as if there is only 1 or 2, a good Zerg will focus-fire them down to get rid of Guardian Shield.

Mutalisks inflict most of their damage against Protoss players by taking advantage of Protoss mobility. Mutalisks do not attack Protoss armies head on but rather fly into the mineral line, take out the Probes and maybe a tech structure, then fly out to safety.

Protoss ground units are often too slow to stop this from happening. If you are being picked apart by Mutalisks, add on Photon Cannons and a High Templar or Archon in each mineral line. Use Psionic Storm to soften up the Mutalisks, at which point a couple Photon Cannons can take down multiple Mutalisks very quickly.

Terran Mutalisk Unit Counter

Terran players also have an easy time with the Mutalisk when they can engage it with the units below:

• Marine: Marines shred Mutalisks, plain and simple. Even when the Mutalisks outnumber the Marines, Marines are still good. The reason is even if the Terran loses 8 Marines and only kills two Mutalisks, the 8 Marines only cost minerals whereas the Zerg loses 200 gas for losing 2 Mutalisks. With an upgrades advantage, Stimpack, Combat Shield, and Medivac support, Mutalisks do not stand a chance.

• Thor: Thors are a strong counter to Mutalisk, but only when the numbers increase to certain levels. You need 3+ Thors in normal mode to counter Mutalisks. Small numbers of Mutalisks can easily "magic box" a single Thor or two. It becomes harder once the Thor count increases significantly. Vehicle Weapon and Armor upgrades help make the Thor stronger against the Mutalisk.

• Widow Mine: Widow Mines will destroy the targeted Mutalisk and cause the rest nearby to take damage. While Widow Mines alone will not take out every single Mutalisk, a direct hit will take out 1 Mutalisk, which is enough to make the Widow Mine worth it. Any additional damage can allow these other counters to take down the enemy's Mutalisks more easily.

• Battlecruiser: Battlecruisers have a lot of armor and a lot of HP. They have no problem with Mutalisks as long as upgrades are equal. Vikings on the other hand will actually get beat by Mutalisks, so the Battlecruiser is the air superiority unit here.

Mutalisks will try to avoid these units and instead pick off lone Siege Tanks and Medivacs. Strategically placed Missile Turrets can help shore up these weaknesses. The +building range and +building armor upgrades from the Engineering Bay can be beneficial in the late game versus mass Mutalisk as they significantly improve the strength of the Missile Turret.

Zerg Mutalisk Unit Counter

Zerg players have the hardest time countering Mutalisks. Even after the Spore Crawler buff, which causes Mutalisks to take a lot of extra damage, mass Mutalisks remains popular in ZvZ.

• Hydralisk: Hydralisks can handle Mutalisks, but it is not a landslide victory. They need +1 range to be effective against Mutalisks. It also helps if Hydralisk upgrades exceed Mutalisk upgrades, which is not difficult considering it is easier to upgrade missile weapons and ground carapace than it is to research air upgrades.

• Infestor: Infestors do not counter Mutalisks directly, but if they hit a pack of Mutalisks with Fungal Growth, Fungal Growth can be chain casted 5 times in a row to take out a pack. If Mutalisks can be hit with Fungal Growth when there are Spore Crawlers, Hydralisks, or Queens in the area, even better. 

• Queen: While you are never going to make enough Queens to take down a pack of 20+ Mutalisks, having an extra Queen at each Hatchery along with the Spore Crawlers already in range is very beneficial. It makes it more difficult for the Zerg to fly in with Mutalisks and snipe off the typical lone Queen at each expansion, especially if you have a few Spore Crawlers.

• Roach: Roaches actually cannot hit air units, so why are they listed as a counter? Since Roaches are so cheap and have a lot of HP, they can just ignore Mutalisks and attack the Zerg's base. Mutalisks will take forever to destroy Roaches of equal cost, at which point the Roaches can take down Queens, Drones, tech structures, and even Hatcheries.

While these unit counters work, you will want to add on a few Spore Crawlers at each base to help counter a Zerg opponent who is massing Mutalisks.

Mutalisk Unit Counter Video Guide

The video guide below demonstrates all these counters in action:

Some micro is required to maximize the effectiveness of these counters, so watching the video is very beneficial.

Conclusion

While there are a lot of units that are very strong against the Mutalisk, Mutalisks rarely attack the enemy's army in head to head battles. If you are struggling to deal with Mutalisks, add on automated defense to help protect your bases from backstab attacks with Mutalisks. This will minimize the effectiveness of Mutalisk harass, which is the real strength of the Mutalisk.