StarCraft/Counters

There is no perfect unit. While combinations of units may be powerful and hard to counter, there is still no perfect unit. This chapter explains how to counter each unit if used alone, but you will never do that if you can help it, right?

Protoss

Probe

This will almost never be used for military, but sometimes as early harrassment.

• Zerg: Drones (then lings)
• Terran: SCVs (marines)
• Protoss: Probes!

Zealot

The zealot is the greatest unit of its age, but it cannot attack air units.

• Zerg: Of course, in the beginning, there will be few zeals. Swarm with Zerglings. There will probably be as many hydras as zeals, and a zeal beats hydra 1 on 1, if the hydra doesn't or can't dance.
• Terran: Firebats and medics, for marines are too weak and fragile. The firebat breaks through the shield in 4 hits. Marines when in walled in bunkers work too. Siege tanks and vultures and spider mines work later, but speedlots can chase a mine to the tank.
• Protoss: Zeals of course! Also, both templar-dts if no detection, and high with storm. Reavers work well but ONLY if there is a shuttle. The Zealot is suprisingly tough, and it can stand two scarabs! (and spider mines for that matter)
• ALL AIR UNITS

Dragoon

The dragoon is a very specialized unit, and it sees almost no use against Zerg.

• Zerg: MUTAS+LINGS especially. The dragoon deals only 10 damage to them! And dragoons WILL be outnumbered. Hydras can work in numbers. If a guardian is placed right, it can kill a dragoon without taking a hit.
• Terran: TANKS. They can mow through a dragoons shields VERY quickly. Marines work suprisingly well too. So can firebats, but once the shield is broken through the firebat only deals 2 damage to the dragoon, counting its 1 base armor and the deduction from concussion damage.
• Protoss: Zeals-They beat a dragoon one on one if the goon doesn't dance. Reavers have greater range and can blow through its shields in one scarab. Carriers are expensive, but a single one can wipe out legions of dragoons if microed properly.

High Templar

The high templar is a spellcaster, and therefore has no attack. It walks very slowly as well.

• Zerg: Use zerglings. They can catch a templar unaware, and if used on multiple fronts, even more effective. The templar can only cast another storm when the first is done, so if the lings reach the templar, its dead, for to kill the lings, it must kill itself. The zerglings can also be used to outrun the high templar, and strike again and again.
• Terran: There is no good counter for templar for terran, but the science vessel works. EMP will drain its energy, so it cannot cast storm. It will kill its shields.
• Protoss: Reavers- Range and power of a scarab. Speedlots work too. So does feedback.
• Getting a unit next to a high templar always works. Attack if you know it has no energy.

Dark Templar

Despite doing 40 damage, the dark templar is suprisingly fragile.

• Zerg: Dark Templar should never be used vs. zerg for one reason-Overlords are plentiful. They should be used as zergling exterminaters- they kill even cracklings in one hit. However, mutalisk, guardians, and dancing hydras can kill dts.
• Terran: The dark templar is generally used to counter m&ms or siege tanks. The key to defeating these for terran is to have AT LEAST one armor upgrade (assuming they have no weapons upgrade), and to hotkey a comsat station. The dark templar's key to survival is its cloaking, for 40 shields and 80 hp is not too much.
• Protoss: Zealot!s! can defeat dark templar- dt's take 5 hits to kill a zeal, and dt's have signifigant cooldown.
• Any air unit + detection

Archon

The Archon has a tremendous shield, great when used with shield batteries, but they only have 10 hp and two range.

• Zerg: The Archon is not a building killer, so sunken colonies can kill Archons without taking many hits. Guardians are effective because of the Archon's small range. Hydras can kill Archons quickly.
• Terran: Obviously, the Scienve Vessel. EMP drains the shields, so even an SCV could kill it! (Although marines would be better). However, firebats and M&Ms then tanks should be used early on.
• Protoss: Shields are suprisingly fragile, which makes the reaver the best counter. 3 upgraded scarabs can kill it.
• Archons are suprisingly easy to swarm with melee units, and Archons will fall quickly like that, for they can attack only one at a time.

Dark Archon

The Dark Archon has arguably the most powerful ability in the game, but it comes at a price.

• Zerg: Maelstrom is always a threat, stunning ALL biological units in a certain area for 10 seconds, and it goes very well with storm. Spread out your units to avoid the worst. Maelstrom does not work on air units, so mutalisk and guardians.
• Terran: Tanks-their range is 3 greater than that of mind control. Using many MECHANICAL units works. Yamato gun destroys one in one hit.
• Protoss- Reavers- range and power. Your own dark archons with feedback can work well.
• Tempt the dark archon to mind control a unit, draining all its shields. Therefore, with 25 hp, the dark archon is as good as dead. Make sure, for t and z, don't let them near your base. If they go the tech tree to all three species at once, they are at a tremendous advantage.

Scout

Scouts can attack air and ground, and is considered the best fighter craft, but missiles are explosive and lasers deal 8.

• Zerg: MUTAS. There are two reasons this will work: Scoust WILL be out numbered, and missiles deal only 14 damage to mutalisk. Hydras w/ or w/o dark swarm can also be particularily effective, but multipe hydralisk are needed for facing scouts.
• Terran: Goliaths can destroy scouts well. Two or three goliaths (preferably with the range upgrade) can outmatch a scout. The air is a different story. The scout outnumbers and beats battlecruisers and one scout may even beat two wraiths. However, one yamato hit or cloaking the wraiths will overpower the scout.
• Protoss: Scouts are easily countered by dragoons, and maybe templar with storm. To confront a scout in the air, outnumer with corsairs, or use at least two or three carriers.
• Most ground to air units will work when used in numbers. But, multiple scouts CAN overpower static defenses and some ground units.

Corsair

The corsair is a light fast-attacking air to air unit. But, only air to air, not air to ground.

• Zerg: Corsairs are very different from scouts. They deal splash damage, so mutas don't work too well. The key is the devourer. They slow down the cooldown by 1 cycle (1/15 of a second), and with three, the cooldown is 1 2/15 seconds. Now mutalisk work.
• Terran: Terran wraiths are outmatched by corsairs, but not if they cloak. The Battlecruiser works: it is heavy armor. The corsair deals bits of small damage, not small amounts of huge damage. Neither unupgraded, the corsair deals 2 damage.
• Protoss: Corsairs. Corsairs outnumber and destroy scouts, not the other way around. Carriers are heavy armor, but corsairs deal a pathetic 1 dmg to carriers.
• Any ground to air unit, but stay out of disruption webs.

Carrier

The Carrier is known for its 4 base armor, and its ability to run and attack at the same time.

• Zerg: SCOURGE SCOURGE SCOURGE! 110 damage, and the carrier can barely fight back before its destroyed. Also, DEVOURERS. They weaken its armor, and stand well against interceptors.
• Terran: Yamato gun if you have it, but cloaked wraiths if they don't have detection work the best. Ghost lockdown is also very effective.
• Protoss: Scouts can work, but scouts are generally not recomended. Lots of dragoons, and even better, high templar with psionic storm. It deals a massive 112 damage, and the carrier is slow, taking much of the damage.
• Heavy armor- Intereptors only do 6 damage each.

Arbiter

The Arbiter cloaks every friendly unit around it, but cannot cloak itself. Also, 10 damage explosive is not a lot. Zerg: Probably any anti-air unit, particularily scourge. Just keep in mind, large groups of anything can be stasised, and large numbers of friendly units can be summoned for an offensive recall.

Zerg

Drone

The Drone is the worker for Zerg.

• Zerg: Mutalisks make great worker harrassment because they can run pretty fast if they are discovered and do damage to more than one worker.
• Terran: You probably won't need to kill a scouting drone...overlords do that. In late game, Irradiate is good for taking out worker lines. Stacked cloaked Wraiths kill drones very quickly with their lasers.
• Protoss: Psionic storm is the ticket. Workers will constantly walk through the storm to mine, and by the time the Cerebrate responds, the workers are mostly dead. Reavers also make great worker killers because of their splash and damage.

Overlord(Ovie)

The overlord is most encountered in a "suicide run" through the base to check on the enemies' tech. It is slow moving, and has no attack.

• Zerg: Mutalisks and hydras are the best tools for chasing scouting overlords away, as they are the best anti-air units in the Zerg arsenal.
• Terran: Wraiths, Goliaths, Valkyres, and Marines are all good tools for killing/warding away scouting overlords because of the damage they can do to air units.
• Protoss: Corsairs and Dragoons are used the most to kill overlords, corsairs of their firing rate, and Dragoons for their 20 damage.