Starcraft 2 Battlecruiser Unit Counter

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Battlecruisers are a very powerful and very expensive Terran air unit with few unit counters no matter what race the Battlecruiser is up against. Its decent range, moderate DPS, and huge armor and health pools make it a force to be reckoned with. Yamato Cannon helps quickly take out units that normally might be strong against massive air flyers.

Fortunately, Battlecruisers are so expensive that Terran players are only able to get them in large quantities late in the game. For the rare game where the opponent is able to mass up Battlecruisers, we have put together unit counters for all three races plus a video guide demonstrating how to use these counters.

Protoss Battlecruiser Counter

Without question, the Protoss player will have the easiest time against the Battlecruiser thanks to the new Tempest unit.

• Tempest: Tempests roll over Battlecruisers. Make sure you focus-fire down the Battlecruisers for best results. Tempests really excel against Battlecruisers due to the fact that they have so much health that they can survive a Yamato Cannon. It takes two Yamato Cannons to take down a Tempest.

• High Templar: Add on a few High Templar into your army to Feedback Battlecruisers. They will take some damage from Feedback and the loss of energy means no Yamato Cannon.

• Void Ray & High Templar Combo: Void Rays are normally strong against Battlecruisers, but end up getting countered by Yamato Cannon. Use Feedback to prevent Yamato Cannon and then you can use Void Rays to take down Battlecruisers. This is a useful counter if you get surprised by a handful of BCs and do not have time to work up to Tempests.

Without the Tempest, Battlecruisers are very strong against practically every other Protoss unit. The High Templar and Void Ray combo can work in a pinch, but the Tempest is the preferred Battlecruiser counter for Protoss.

Terran Battlecruiser Counter

Battlecruisers are very difficult for Terran players to stop. Missile Turrets can significantly improve your ability to deal with Battlecruisers, but these unit counters can help too:

• Vikings: Vikings are the only true counter to the Battlecruiser. However, you have to kite the Battlecruisers to use the Viking efficiently. If you do not kite, even the Viking cannot stop the Battlecruiser.

• Ravens: Battlecruisers are too slow to escape from Seeker Missile. Cast it on Battlecruisers and enemy Vikings alike. While the units scatter to avoid splash damage, use your own Vikings to blast away at the fleeing enemy units.

• Ghosts: Ghosts themselves do not counter Battlecruisers, but casting EMP can be helpful since it drains energy. This can stop Battlecruisers from using Yamato Cannon.

• Battlecruisers: Naturally, if you can get together more Battlecruisers than your opponent or at least get together the same number with better upgrades, you can effectively fight fire with fire. Add on Vikings and Ravens for best results.

Terran cannot fight Battlecruisers with ground units. Marines and Thors get decimated by Battlecruisers. You must get out Vikings or Battlecruisers (preferably both) to deal with Terran Battlecruisers.

Zerg Battlecruiser Counter

The Battlecruiser is quite strong against the Zerg. Very few Zerg units perform well against the Battlecruiser. The Hydralisk, the basic Zerg ground-based anti-air unit, actually gets destroyed by the Battlecruiser. Instead, you have to use one of these counters:

• Corruptor: Corruptors perform okay against Battlecruisers, but it is not a landslide victory. Corruptors have to avoid Ravens though, as the Point Defense Drone neutralizes the Corruptor's attacks. It is best to run away after Ravens spend all their energy and try to outrange the Point Defense Drones and avoid the Seeker missiles.

• Viper: The Viper provides the Zerg with the only satisfactory "counter" to mass Battlecruisers. Battlecruisers are very slow, whereas Zerg air units are much faster. The Viper can Abduct a single Battlecruiser from a Terran fleet, use a pack of Corruptors to burst it down instantly, then run away and get distance again. This process can be repeated until the Battlecruiser fleet thins out. Battlecruisers are very expensive, so each one lost in this manner really hurts the Terran player.

Even if you mass Corruptors and take out the enemy's Battlecruiser fleet, you then become very vulnerable to a tech switch. Corruptors cannot hit ground units! Most Zerg players like to use a lot of automated defense in the center of the map against late game SkyTerran forces to help counter any sort of tech switch.

Battlecruiser Unit Counter Video Guide

The video guide below demonstrates these Battlecruiser counters in action:

Without the video, the counters do not make sense, so be sure to watch the video to learn how to micro against mass BCs.

Conclusion

Battlecruisers are difficult to deal with, there is no question about that. Perhaps the best Battlecruiser counter is to prevent the Terran opponent from getting the amount of resources they need to build a huge Battlecruiser army. Terrans can only afford such an army on 4+ bases, so if you lose to a mass BC army, odds are you messed up earlier in the game to allow such a situation to unfold.