StarCraft Master

StarCraft Master is a series of 30 single-player micromanagement challenges, found in the featured section of the custom games interface.

Players have the option to ‘warp’ from challenge to challenge, and tapping "F12" will allow a player to view hints.

StarCraft Master offers seven new achievements and a new portrait as well.

StarCraft Master went live March 2nd, 2012.

Challenges

Round 01: Marine Double Team

• Objective: Destroy the enemy units

This is a straightforward round—the player has control of two marines and must use them to defeat a lone zealot. The best course of action is to have one marine distract the zealot through evasion, while the other continuously opens fire. The larger the marine's radius of movement, the harder it will be for the zealot to strike him.

Round 02: Stalkers vs. Zealots

• Objective: Destroy the enemy units

The player has control of 2 stalkers and faces 3 zealots. Simply fire, retreat, and repeat with the stalkers until the zealots are downed (a dance) tactic). Try to focus your fire on one zealot at a time so that their shields don't have time to recharge.

Round 03: Zealot Choke

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player has control of 6 zealots and is engaged by a swarm of zerglings. When the match starts, retreat backwards and use the narrow path to your advantage. This is a choke point, and will prevent the zerglings from using their weight of numbers to their advantage.

Round 04: Focus Fire

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player has control of 4 hydralisks, opposing 5 zealots. This is a focus fire exercise, the hydralisks having to focus on 1 zealot at a time to ensure victory. Another good tactic is to move wounded hydralisks back from the front, ensuring that they can keep up their fire and not have it diminished through their deaths.

Round 05: Retarget

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed

The player has two stalkers facing down a spine crawler. It must be destroyed in 30 seconds. Keep firing, and when one stalker nears destruction, move it back so that the crawler concentrates on the other. Repeat as necessary.

Round 06: Burrow Ambush

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (90 seconds)

The player has control of a number of zerglings capable of burrowing. A group of marines moves back and forth in a patrol motion nearby. Move the zerglings so that the marines don't engage them, burrow, and wait for the marines to pass over. Unburrow as they do so to ensure maximum surface area of attack, and let the battle unfold.

Round 07: Colossus Smash

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player controls a single colossus standing on a ledge. Below it are numerous zerglings that will move up two ramps to engage it. Move the colossus up and down the ledge so that the zerglings always have to move up/down the ramps to engage it. Repeat until they are all defeated.

Round 08: Safe Zone

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (60 seconds)

The player has 2 stalkers facing a pair of siege tanks, both of which are in siege mode. To do this, blink one stalker next to each tank, ensuring that when each tank fires, the splash damage will also harm the other tank. Combined with the stalkers' firepower, the tanks will be destroyed.

Round 09: Whack-a-Roach

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (70 seconds)

The player has 3 roaches facing down a bunker with 4 marines in it. Attack the bunker and burrow a roach when its health gets too low, unborrowing it when enough has been regained. Repeat as necessary.

Round 10: Ramp Control

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player has 1 sentry and 4 zealots racing down 6 roaches, divided into 2 packs of 3. Let one pack climb the ramp, then cut off the second using the sentry's force field ability. Deal with the first pack. The sentry is effectively expendable after using this ability, but micro the zealots as necessary.

Round 11: Storm 'n' Run

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player controls a high templar facing down a horde of marines. Use the psionic storm technique, retreat, and repeat. Remember to set the storm to occur just in front of the marines in order to maximize damage (they walk into it).

Round 12: Friendly Fire

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (50 seconds)

The player controls an infestor facing down 2 groups of 6 marines and a siege tank, divided equally. Begin by spawning infested terrans, one at a time, and let the siege tanks do damage to the marines through their splash damage attacks. Once the marines have been cleared out, do the same for the siege tanks.

Round 13: Hold Position

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: At least 4 workers must survive

Numerous probes are present, along with a number of other protoss structures. However, zerglings are in the base at the start of the mission, and with the lack of combat units, there isn't enough time to do any production. The player's only recourse is a single photon cannon. To allow it to survive, cluster the probes around it so that the zerglings can't attack the cannon. This should ensure that the cannon and enough probes survive.

Round 14: Force Field Surround

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

Sentries, stalkers and zealots are in the center of a small space platform, with three groups of zerglings set to bear down on them. Hold position at the start, then spam force fields around the group. The result is chaotic, but should basically ensure that the zerglings can't use their weight of numbers, yet there are small openings that can be exploited. The zealots can therefore meet the zerglings on relatively equal terms, and the sentries and stalkers have the advantage of ranged attacks. This should ensure a protoss victory.

Round 15: Force Field Smash

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player starts with zealots and 2 high templars, facing an opponent with stalkers and sentries. Immediately at the start of the round, the AI opponent will use the sentries' force field ability, allowing their stalkers to fire at will. Use the high templars' feedback ability against the sentries, then merge them into an archon. The archon ball can be 'pushed' by the zealots, effectively breaking down the force fields. The stalkers can then be engaged and defeated.

Round 16: Fungal Death

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player starts with 2 infestors facing down 9 zealots. Use a combination of fungal growth and infested terrans, the former keeping the zealots in place, the latter attacking at range.

Round 17: SCV to Go

• Objective: Escape to the beacon

A simple round, it involves a SCV outrunning some probes. Loop around the nexus and then double back to the beacon.

Round 18: Stim Micro

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

1 marine (the player's) faces down 1 zealot. Use its stimpack, fire, retreat, fire, repeat. Its stimpack should allow him to keep his distance.

Round 19: Prismatic Beam

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (30 seconds)

The player has a void ray and a pylon, opposing a missile turret. Start by attacking the pylon, allowing the void ray's prismatic beam to increase the damage it can deal. After charging it, quickly switch to the missile turret. The increased damage will allow the turret to be destroyed.

Round 20: Blink Train

• Objective 1: Escape to the beacon
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (15 seconds)

A group of stalkers have to get to a beacon. This requires the use of their blink ability to ascend a ledge at the right moment.

Round 21: So Many Banelings

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

A small group of zealots face a horde of banelings. Separate the zealots, then send them to attack the banelings one at a time. Direct their movements so that as many banelings detonate as possible for each zealot. By the end of the round, there will hopefully be at least one zealot left.

Round 22: Bane vs. Bane

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

Two groups of zerg consisting of zerglings and banelings face off against each other. Separate the zerglings and send the banelings in one at a time, ensuring that their detonations don't overlap. In the meantime, micro the zerglings so that they evade the enemy banelings.

Round 23: Cloaked Banshees

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player controls a ghost and some marines, against which are two cloaked Banshees. Use the ghost's EMP ability to reveal them, then use focus fire to take the craft out. Also use the marines stimpacks.

Round 24: Blink of an Eye

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (90 seconds)

The player (controlling stalkers) faces down roaches. It's effectively a simple firing contest. When a stalker nears death, simply blink it back and let another take its place.

Round 25: Micro-Insanity

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (70 seconds)

The player, controlling phoenixes, stalkers and high templar, faces down siege tanks, marauders, Vikings, a Raven and point defense drones. Use the high templars' feedback ability against the drones (merge them into an archon afterwards), use the phoenixes to lift the marauders, and blink the stalkers next to the tanks. Over the course of this first wave, the tanks should be destroyed by the time the marauders fall back to the ground. The archon and stalkers can finish them off. Afterwards, use focus fire on the two Vikings. Whatever it takes, keep the marauders airborne, as the stalkers are very vulnerable to their attacks. At the very least, the archon should be left standing, able to take out the remaining units.

Round 26: Scorched Earth

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player has two siege tanks and numerous SCVs, though no means of detecting the dark templar set to run rampant. The key is to focus the tanks' fire on the SCVs, allowing the splash damage to affect the dark templar. However, the SCVs will fall to the assassin in a single blow, so there is effectively no time to react. Instead, the player has to guess which SCV the templar will go after next, and time their shots accordingly.

Round 27: Moving Shot

Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player controls a single Banshee facing down a group of marines. This requires kiting—fire, retreat, fire. The problem with this however, is that the edge of the map is empty space, so there is no limit of movement a player can rely on in regards to keeping maximum distance. Instead, the Banshee has to skim the edge of the space platform. This requires intense micromangement for the Banshee. Whatever happens, don't lose its acceleration.

Round 28: Dead Eye Ghosts

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

The player controls some ghosts and marines, set upon by zerglings and banelings. The zerglings can be handled by the marines, but the banelings are another matter. To counter this, concentrate on the ghosts, and focus on using their snipe ability to take out the banelings.

Round 29: Let's Dance

• Objective: Defeat the enemy units

3 marines face 2 zealots. Bunch up the marines and employ a dance strategy. Make sure to use focus fire. Once the first zealot is defeated, split the marines (2 is all that's needed) and employ the tactic of making the zealot chase after one marine while the other continuously fires. Make sure the 'dancer' runs in a big arc here.

Round 30: Untouchable

• Objective 1: Defeat the enemy units
• Objective 2: Complete the round in the time allowed (35 seconds)

The player controls a siege tank and medivac dropship facing down 3 stalkers. Order the medivac to hold its position.

The key to success here is 'dodging.' The siege tank will fire at the stalkers, but can't take them all on conventionally. When the stalkers fire, load the tank into the dropship, forcing the projectiles to miss instead. Release the tank from the dropship immediately afterwards, fire, then retreat into cover again. If timed properly, the tank should take no damage. If you drop the tank down quick enough after loading it to duck a volley of shots, the dropship will not be targeted, and can live through the mission.

Achievements

• "StarCraft Novice": complete 10 challenges
• "StarCraft Apprentice": complete 20 challenges
• "StarCraft Expert": complete 25 challenges. Unlocks "StarCraft Master" portrait
• "StarCraft Master": complete all the 30 challenges
• "Safe Zone": complete the challenge losing no stalker
• "Whack-a-Roach": complete the challenge in less than 45 seconds
• 'Blink of an Eye": complete the challenge losing no stalker

References

Challenges v • e
Basic Tactical Command Path of Ascension For the Swarm Advanced Covert Ops Psionic Assault Infestation Expert Harbinger of Death Opening Gambit Rush Defense Custom Games StarCraft Master