[ZanC]

Originally Posted by Cabracan

If your build can be "beaten" then you picked a gimicky build which I did not encourage. You will notice that almost every masters players gives the same advice that probes and pylons (or scvs and supply depots) win games. It isn't to be malicious, it's because that is the foundation that every other decision, micro trick and army composition is built on and even when a player hits masters that is still where the majority of their flaws will be. You might think its unfair that people are judging your play without seeing it, but if your mechanics are really up to it you don't need to coach to get to masters. You just need to play more games untill promotion.

Your point is that core mechanics such as your mechanical execution and solid openers is the foundation - this I agree with.

However, while I would fully agree in WoL, there is no HotS build that cannot be beaten on every map. This is why the meta-game is always changing. Blizzard has seen the stagnancy of WoL, and made balance changes that would promote aggression or map control - diversity. They have stated this to be their intention from the beginning. Even top professionals change and prepare builds specifically for certain opponent and their signature builds. So I am unable to agree that mechanics is everything or even most of it. Mechanics can only do as much as your strategy and understanding of the game; vice versa.

[syfCabracan]

Pro players change up their builds because their opponents know them. On ladder your opponents don't know you (except on SEA where you probably know the other 4 players). They see a snapshot, one game, one build, so make that snapshot the best it can possibly be while you are grinding. "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Not the first time I've refferenced this quote and probably not the last.

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by ZanC

However, while I would fully agree in WoL, there is no HotS build that cannot be beaten on every map.

If there was a build that cannot be beaten the game would be boring as ****... Just pick a build without glaringly obvious (common) build order counters, and then work on your mechanics (macro mechanics, but also scouting et al so you can see gimmicks coming and defend appropriately).

When your mechanics are good, you can really just do whatever after you reaper expand and crush people in diamond.

If you just win games vs evenly ranked players by killing them with all your extra supply, and lose games to better players with equal mechanics (and are around diamond looking to improve) then it's possibly worth trying to refine builds past that point.

[Sparrow]

I'm interested in coaching, my prices are a bit high though I think, I'll lower them for the SEA community =], I'd be happy to do some free coaching also we need more Terrans!

[Stallion]

Just saying Cabracan was my orginal coach and everything he has said here gets my +1. best way to improve watch your scvs and supply the whole time in a replay. everytime you arn't making them up to you number of 3 base scvs or are supply blocked do 5 press ups, until you have that down to getting that max number without supply blocking or missing an scv you shouldnt worry about anything else from there make sure you dont overload your command centers with extra scvs before needed, if you are stacking them you are wasting minerals that could be on marines. once you get this step sorted you move onto doing the same with barracks, then factories/starports then engineering bays. in the end your build at low elo doesnt really matter you can simply beat people by out macroing them. hope this helps in some small way