Anybody have any interesting or unique game strategies, particularly with underused units, that they’ve won games with? You all should share them here for critique and discussion, and tell us your success stories too. I’ll kick it off with something that my friend showed me:
A strategy that I like to use in covenant vs. covenant 1v1s is jackals and locusts. The first base goes with a hall, as jackals are the priority, and getting a second base between 5 and 10 minutes is for making locusts (about 3-5). This strategy is more for the mid-game, but if you play on a map with reactors, it’s possible to turn this into an all-out attack with a full army at only around 10 minutes. It’s usually not necessary to upgrade locusts, but jackals should be upgraded to beam rifle at the most (you won’t usually find yourself with the money or time for 3 tech with this build). This strategy seems to work the best for me as a counter-rush, and what makes it so effective is the range that jackals and locusts have. Locusts can shoot away at a base while Jackals can snipe anything that gets close. You get jackals early on to hold off the initial rush, and as the late game develops, you can build locusts. This really punishes those who spend too much time focusing on their leader and upgrades, and is really effective after bouncing back from a rush. I’ve actually won upsets against generals (I’m a colonel) who leader rush me by using this strategy, since they find themselves helpless after losing their precious leader to a mob of jackals and locusts sniping their temple. The only really effective counters to this in CvC, I’ve found, are mass wraiths and banshees.
I can elaborate more if needed, but share your strategies as well!
Im not sure if this strategy im about to say would ever work in high level play…but at one point i made up my own strategy for use with arbiter.
I dont remember how i did it exactly but basically you have to survive any early game rushes and get 1 other base, your gonna need lots of supply pads and a 2 factories, you have to tech your arbiter all the way up so he can go invisible and tech locusts all the way up while at the same time making an army of locusts, then you get your invisible arbiter behind the enemy base and have all your locusts teleport to him, of course first make sure his army isnt at the base your teleporting too though, now after all the locusts are with you, overdrive his base and if you have enough locusts you can kill the base before your opponent has time to react and stop you, i dont think this would work in higher level play though because if the enemy tries to counter attack your base, an army of locusts wont stop them because they’re so squishy, its an interesting strategy though
Brute on tundra/release vs unsc. Instead of t1/2 brute rush you go;
Temple third back turret, upgrade two pads, citadel. Chieftain stays on defense till a wraith is out.
Factory, pad. Single pump wraiths, brutes and upgrade vortex, etc. Attack ~3:30-5:00 when they try to depo. They should have an expo cleared, and depo/expo or gauss coming up. Wraiths and brutes can drop the expo, andthey should only have a few hogs if they got gauss.
You can kill a few tanks if you are late to attack. Wraiths, brutes and vortex can kill a few. You don’t need cross turrets as a wraith can fight a few gren, gunner is ineffective, forces the unsc to barracks.
You can t2, scorch, then switch to hunter/banshees + brutes while remaining on offense.
Brute on blood gulch / river vs unsc;
Hall 4th/5th, factory 6/7th. Get your elevator, then straight to the unsc main. Don’t bless pads. Spam t1 jackals and 1 or 2 locusts on 0 bless pads, and a supply elevator. If your jackals are spread, they can’t cryo jack, and you should attack before they depo. Brutes / hunters / vortex to counter hogs, locust /jackals/vortex to counter flamer/spartans.
Recycle depo for 2nd hall/summits.
none of these will work in high level play but:
Brute chieftain/Arby + 50 engineers, will troll most lower level players, especially if they go pure infantry which most low level cutters will do.
This next one takes a bit of setting up, you will need 3 bases with at least 4 heavy pads on each (Or you’ll run out of money), build 3 elephants put Spartans in them (Fully upgrade) now spam ODST’s to ungodly hell the ODST’s only need to live long enough to fire a rocket at something. the only thing that’s going to stop you is a full pop of jackals to deal with this you should have 4x mac and use your 10x pop drop ODST to put them at point blank range with the jackals so their shot guns can do their job.
Forge Hornet Rush. This only works if your opponent is caught off-guard. If they scout you and see your air pad, it’s best to ditch it and revert back to a vehicle depot.
Start off with SP, SP, SP. Make sure your hog is continuously gathering supplies.
Go Reactor, Reactor, upgrade base. Wait for the second reactor to finish building, then immediate build an Air Pad and another SP.
Keep fishing for supplies with your hog. If you can’t find any more, scout your opponent.
As soon as the Air Pad finishes building, start pumping out Hornets.
When you have 3 hornets, attack a rebel base to start your second base. Keep amassing hornets.
Once you have about 10 hornets, at the 6 minute mark or so, send 'em in to attack your opponent. If they don’t quit outright and have answers for your hornets, micro them to keep harassing them while you build your second base. Your second base should have two vehicle depots and start double-pumping tanks or, if you deem necessary, answers to your opponent’s units.
> Forge Hornet Rush. This only works if your opponent is caught off-guard. If they scout you and see your air pad, it’s best to ditch it and revert back to a vehicle depot.
>
> Start off with SP, SP, SP. Make sure your hog is continuously gathering supplies.
>
> Go Reactor, Reactor, upgrade base. Wait for the second reactor to finish building, then immediate build an Air Pad and another SP.
>
> Keep fishing for supplies with your hog. If you can’t find any more, scout your opponent.
>
> As soon as the Air Pad finishes building, start pumping out Hornets.
>
> When you have 3 hornets, attack a rebel base to start your second base. Keep amassing hornets.
>
> Once you have about 10 hornets, at the 6 minute mark or so, send 'em in to attack your opponent. If they don’t quit outright and have answers for your hornets, micro them to keep harassing them while you build your second base. Your second base should have two vehicle depots and start double-pumping tanks or, if you deem necessary, answers to your opponent’s units.
Won’t work against most good UNSC, Gauss hogs > hornets.
In 2v2 play as forge and click your friend into an oblivion XD
3v3, use Cutter/Cutter/Arbiter
Have the arbiter go temple first and send his ghost straight the the enemy unsc (non-cutter). Both cutters go reactor first.
Double mac the base before the second building comes up, and if you hit it in the right spot, it should die instantly, but hopefully you can finish with the ghost if it barely lives.
Then, the temple first arbiter rapes/walks over to stop them from rebuilding it, or suicide grunt the new base.
Continue with the 2v3
> 3v3, use Cutter/Cutter/Arbiter
>
> Have the arbiter go temple first and send his ghost straight the the enemy unsc (non-cutter). Both cutters go reactor first.
>
> Double mac the base before the second building comes up, and if you hit it in the right spot, it should die instantly, but hopefully you can finish with the ghost if it barely lives.
>
> Then, the temple first arbiter rapes/walks over to stop them from rebuilding it, or suicide grunt the new base.
>
> Continue with the 2v3
only problem with that is the cutters now only have the resources they can get from the map for a little while.
And i thought Mac’s were made weaker?
When facing a Prophet, try a ghost spam.
> When facing a Prophet, try a ghost spam.
Wow… I used to think ghosts were completely useless until now. Lol
> > 3v3, use Cutter/Cutter/Arbiter
> >
> > Have the arbiter go temple first and send his ghost straight the the enemy unsc (non-cutter). Both cutters go reactor first.
> >
> > Double mac the base before the second building comes up, and if you hit it in the right spot, it should die instantly, but hopefully you can finish with the ghost if it barely lives.
> >
> > Then, the temple first arbiter rapes/walks over to stop them from rebuilding it, or suicide grunt the new base.
> >
> > Continue with the 2v3
>
> only problem with that is the cutters now only have the resources they can get from the map for a little while.
>
> And i thought Mac’s were made weaker?
After you mac, you delete your reactor for a supply pad, so yes, both unscs will have no income for at least the first minute. If you take out their unsc, you will be ahead though.
Ander vs forge
Build three gremlins and three spartans, aquire adrenaline then send them over to the enemies base stun forges tanks with the gremlins and take them for your own with the spartans. You can also use a cryo to help you if needed.
> When facing a Prophet, try a ghost spam.
Ghosts FTW. Ghost spam can work against Hogs too, (IF you do it right) 4+ factories with all upgrades on the ghosts will annoy the crap out of a Gauss hogs user , Ghosts dodge like hell and you can build faster than they can.