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Here at the Internet Gaming Zone we see it every night on the ladder: two players of equal skill, and the one who knew what was coming wins going away. In StarCraft, information is a resource just like minerals and vespene gas. If you play blind, you are gambling. Scout, and you get to plan.
When To Send The First Worker
Do not wait. Peel one worker off the mineral line early - a Terran SCV, a Zerg Drone, or a Protoss Probe - and walk it toward the enemy while you build your first units. On four-player maps like Lost Temple or Blood Bath you may have to check two or three start locations, so leave a little sooner. The few minerals you lose are nothing next to knowing whether a rush is inbound.
Reading The Enemy
Get inside the base and count buildings. The tells are usually clear:
- Terran: two or more Barracks and a Bunker means Marines are coming. An early Refinery points to tech - Wraiths or Siege Tanks.
- Zerg: an early Spawning Pool means Zerglings, and fast. An Extractor plus a Spire means Mutalisks. Sunken Colonies mean he wants to sit and macro.
- Protoss: two Gateways pumping Zealots is a rush. An early Assimilator and Cybernetics Core means Dragoons; a Forge with Photon Cannons means he is turtling.
And always check the natural expansion. A second Command Center, Hatchery, or Nexus already down means he is going greedy.
Rush Or Expand?
- If you smell a rush, stop teching. Wall in, add a Bunker, Sunken, or Cannons, and hold your workers ready to fight. Survive the timing and you are ahead.
- If he is expanding, you have a choice: expand yourself to keep pace, or hit that soft second base before it pays off. Punished greed wins games.
Never Stop Looking
One scout at the start is not enough. Keep tabs with Overlords, a Comsat scan, or an Observer, and watch that minimap. In Brood War the player who keeps his eyes open in the Koprulu sector is the one still standing. See you on the Zone.
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