SC2 Widow Mine, Hellion, and Marine 1-Base Rush

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Timing attacks off of just 1 base in Terran vs Protoss in Starcraft 2 can be just as effective (if not more so) than builds that focus on macro.

In particular, when spawns are adjacent on a 4 player map (i.e. you are directly to the right, left, top, or bottom of your opponent), a 1 base timing attack by air can be extremely effective.

Why 4 player maps with adjacent spawns? The large map causes players tend to let their guard down a bit (thinking they will not be rushed) and as a result are often vulnerable to early attacks. Adjacent spawns significantly decreases the amount of time a Medivac needs to travel to reach the Protoss opponent, increasing the effectiveness of the rush.

In this particular guide, we are going to go over how to use an early timing attack with Marines and Widow Mines to destroy Protoss players. While this build can work on any map, it does excel at the 4 player maps with adjacent spawns. Below, we will go over the build order as well as the relevant strategies for executing the build.

Widow Mine, Hellion, and Marine Drop Build Order

10/11: Supply Depot
12/19: Refinery (saturate with 3/3 workers immediately)
13/19: Barracks
16/19: Orbital Command
16/19: Factory
17/19: Marine
17/19: Supply Depot
18/19: Marine
20/27: Marine
21/27: Starport
23/27: Widow Mine
24/27: Supply Depot
25/27: Marine
27/27: Marine
30/35: Hellion
30/35: Supply Depot
32/35: Medivac
34/35: Marine
38/43: Hellion
***Move out with your attack**
38/43: Command Center
38/43: Reactor (on Factory)

Continue to train SCVs the whole time during the attack.

Strategies for Executing the Build

As soon as the Medivac pops out, you should load it up and be ready to go. You want to load the 6 Marines and Widow Mine in the Medivac and drop in a hidden portion of the enemy's base. Your Hellions will attack from the front rather than with the drop. Move them just outside the natural expansion for now.

While your units are moving into position, start a Command Center at the natural expansion as well as add on a Reactor onto the Factory. This will give us something to fall back to after our drop completes. Generally this drop is not going to win the game. After all, Marines and Hellions do not do much DPS to buildings and Widow Mines cannot hit buildings at all.

While occasionally you might catch a Protoss player completely unprepared and win the game outright, this is not going to happen very frequently, particularly as you increase in rank. Rather than destroy the enemy player with the attack, the goal is to delay mining at the opponent's natural expansion and kill as many workers as possible.

If you continue to train SCVs throughout your attack and manage to kill about 10 workers, right as your attack is being cleaned up by the opponent, you will have your natural expansion established with higher tech (Starport) and a 5 worker lead. If you kill more than 10 Probes, you will have all of these advantages plus an even larger worker lead.

Consider about 10 Probe kills to be the barometer of success with this early attack. If you can rack up more than 10 Probe kills, you will be in an excellent position going into the mid game. If you kill between 6-10 Probes, odds are you broke even with this early attack. If you kill 5 or less Probes, consider yourself to be behind in the game as while you might have a tech advantage you are almost certainly behind in economy.

The Actual Attack

Now that we have the build order and overall strategy in mind, we will discuss how the actual attack is to be made. The Medivac will unload in a corner of the Protoss base. Hopefully, you can find an area where the Protoss player does not have vision so you can fully unload without being spotted. Meanwhile, your two Hellions will sit just outside the Protoss base from the front and wait for future orders.

As soon as you unload, run in with your Widow Mine and try to burrow it in the main mineral line of the Protoss player (assuming no Photon Cannon). Burrow the mine as soon as you can. Once the mine is burrowed, it will likely rack up several rounds of Probe kills (or delay mining if Probes are pulled) since it will be awhile before the Protoss player has detection.

Additionally, run in with your Marines and start killing as many Probes as you can. Eventually, the Protoss player will pull their units back. If you outnumber the opponent, you can engage a lone Stalker or Zealot directly (micro back injured Marines). If you are outnumbered, just focus on Probe kills and burning down as many Probes as you can.

Eventually, the opponent will run their Probes away from your Marines (or lose them all) and simultaneously pull back units from their front door to defend your drop. This is where the Hellions make their move. The front door should not be walled or have any units at it. Meanwhile, Probes should be pulled and clustered down towards the front door. The two Hellions can run in and start roasting clustered Probes. You can rack up 20+ Probe kills during this two-pronged attack if everything goes your way.

The biggest obstacle here is Photon Overcharge. If you can, try to pick off the Mothership Core with Marines before Photon Overcharge has been cast. If Photon Overcharge does go off, you should scoop up your units in the Medivac and find another target to attack. It could be the natural expansion, it could be a tech structure, it could even be a Pylon. Just find something to do damage to while Photon Overcharge runs its course.

Even if Photon Overcharge is cast, your Widow Mine should be burrowed in the Protoss main. This will at least get some Probe kills and delay mining. If the Protoss player sends Probes to their natural expansion, you can pick these off with your Hellions as well as Marines.

While waiting for Photon Overcharge to wear off, reinforce your attack with an extra Medivac, a pair of Hellions, and however many Marines you can make out of your Barracks. You can ferry these units quickly to your current forces and make a strong ground attack after Photon Overcharge wears off.

Another problem unit is the Oracle. If you scout potential Oracle play, train a Viking after your Medivac comes out and use it to patrol your borders. A couple of Marines and a Viking at home will shut down an Oracle very quickly. Widow Mines normally work, but at this time a Reactor will be being added to the Factory.

If you inflicted devastating damage with your attack and think you can finish off the opponent with just a little more effort, you can reinforce your attack with Hellions, Marines, and another Medivac. Hellions can be pumped very easily from the Factory its new Reactor and reinforce very quickly.

As a follow-up, you can also add on a tech lab onto the Starport and start making Banshees. Protoss players often go Robotics Facility in response to Widow Mines (to get an Observer) and as a result end up with very little anti-air. A surprise Banshee or two can take down a couple Stalkers and then go to work on enemy Probes.

Most of the time, you will kill a lot of Probes but not enough to win the game. You can use this advantage to add on a macro CC, start pumping SCVs, and focus on getting out production facilities and structures. Stimpack, Combat Shield, and 1/1 Infantry Upgrades are a priority. You can then move in with a large Marine, Marauder, Medivac, and Viking army long before the Protoss player gets out Colossi.