2 Fact Vults (vs. Terran)
2Fac Vult/Mines
The goal of the Vult/Mine is to surprise your Terran opponent with a strong timing attack, particularly after they do One Factory Expansion. It exploits the build time of the Vultures and lack of gas to attack at a time when the Terran has few Tanks or offensive units to defend. Vulture attack is used to kill enemy Vultures/SCVs/Marines, while mines are used to kill Tanks or Goliaths.
As a timing attack, it therefore depends a great deal on hiding the build and the rush distance. In addition, the layout of the map plays a role as well. Maps with wide chokes that Terrans tend to expand early on and which lend themselves to contains suit this build well.
It should be noted, that while this build is aggressive, it is not all-in. The goal is to transition into the mid game as the aggressor with a contain if at all possible.
Build Order[edit]
2 Fact Vults 
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Build Order Clarification[edit]
Number of Marines[edit]
Depending on risk/scouting you can make up to four Marines, although the more Marines you build, the weaker your attack will be and the more delayed. One marine is ideal in most cases, since it will block and deny the scout and your first Vulture will arrive in time to hold off any early attack short of proxy BBS.
Barracks/Refinery Timing[edit]
The barracks can be placed whenever you have 150 minerals available, which is usually going to be at around 11/18 or 12/18 pop. The refinery, however, must be placed before or right on the 1:45 mark, which is basically 2 seconds right after your 12th SCV pops, assuming you didn't cut anything. These are the ideal timings for getting the fastest factory with the best economy.
Speed/Mines[edit]
Speed should be started first (on your 16 Factory), as it takes longer to complete. In this way, both mines and Speed will finish at about the same time (when you have six to eight Vultures). As this is a blitz style attack that relies on overwhelming your opponent with threats, slow Vultures will significantly hinder you.
Since this is a 2 Factory timing attack, only having one machine shop does not make sense against the vast majority of builds. If you wish to delay one of the upgrades for more Vultures, then 3 Factory Vultures is a better build (generally off of one Factory expand). If you wish to play defensively, then once again 1 Factory expand (or even 14 Command Center) is a better opening. If you commit to a 2 factory build such as this one, you must be able to do damage against any build that is more greedy. Since 2 Factory Vultures with only speed can't break a siege expand (they can't kill tanks without mines) and 2 Factory Vultures with only mines can't consistently break a siege expand either (the two extra vultures gained by the loss of a Machine Shop is far less helpful than speed), performing this build with only one upgrade is an inefficient build and should be avoided.
Vulture Micro[edit]
This attack requires you to micro well and lay mines. If the opponent has not yet expanded, lay mines to prevent a Command Center from easily going down, and set up a contain, with the goal to prevent the Terran from clearing the Minefield and/or relaying the Minefield whenever possible. In many cases your opponent will be forced to tech to Comsat to expand, or sacrifice units. Because of this, you should keep your Vultures close enough that they can snipe Marines before they can defuse, prevent SCVs from building Turrets and in general being as annoying as hell.
If the Terran did expand, and didn't wall, you are in for some fun. Siege tanks are your first priority, and you must lay multiple mines around them to get your kills (two mines will kill a tank). Goliaths can be beaten in the same way. Vultures must be focus fired, and all your Vultures should lay all of their mines throughout the base - specifically near Factories, chokes and mineral patches.
In TvT, mine laying is a little different than TvP mine laying. Because of the faster rate of fire that mech units have, the ideal way to lay mines is in such a way so that multiple mines are triggered when something walks by it. A technique that helps a lot is attacking when your opponent is trying to defuse mines. Vultures are auto-targeted instead of the mines; when a mine pops out, the vulture is hit and the mine will do it's damage. This is also a very useful tactic in TvP.
Transition to Mid Game[edit]
This build provides you with a very flexible, fluid build with you as the strong aggressor. Based on what you saw when you attacked, and how much damage you did (as well as the nature of the map), you can diverge your build accordingly. Because of the surplus of gas from not producing gas heavy units like Tanks or Goliaths, you will find that massing factories is extremely easy and very profitable. The map control provided by laying mines will protect a third expansion until a stronger force is available. It is generally not advisable to continue producing Vultures into the mid game, as Comsat and larger army sizes will allow your opponent to defuse mines and defend from harassment.
Transition[edit]
Wraith/Dropship defense[edit]
If the opponent did not expand, it is recommended to build an Engineering Bay or Armory as early as 28 supply to defend against Wraiths or drops. Some hints that he might be going Wraiths. - He has fewer ground units than he should have - He went 14cc (the most common follow up after 14cc is 2port Wraiths) - He is turtling and shows no intention of taking his expansion - He walled
Wraith Follow-up[edit]
Another option is to build one or two Starports, and abuse your stockpile of gas and force your enemy to defend a fast attack from both the ground and the air.
Siege Contain[edit]
In general, players switch to two Factory Siege Tanks with Siege, and take their natural soon after attacking. You will rely on setting up an aggressive contain outside his natural with either Turrets or Goliaths for anti-air. The natural expansion can be taken before siege tanks are started if the player feels comfortable.
Counter To[edit]
Soft Counters:
- 1 Factory Expansion
Hard Counters:
- 13/14 CC with no wall
Countered By[edit]
Soft Counters:
- One Port Wraith
- Two Port Wraith
- Two Factory
Hard Counters:
- Three Factory Vults, wall-in at natural or main
Notable Maps[edit]
Strong[edit]
Weak[edit]
- Lost Temple
- Katrina
- Tau Cross
- Andromeda
- Maps with backyard expansions or easily defensible natural expansions
Mentality[edit]
Take map control with Spider Mines and Vultures. Force him to turtle or else face heavy SCV losses. Make sure you get your Command Center up and working before he does. Scout and prepare for any harassment from him. Proceed to mid-game by securing map control and taking your third expansion.