Size: 128x128

Terrain: Winter/Ice

Type of Map: Land Map

Vital Choke Points: 1 major/per each

Fair Map? Yes

Rating: 8.1

Key Strategy: Accessing Central Land Mass Quickest.

Best Race for This Map? - Generally, Zerg.

Map Profile-

Ice Mountain is a 128x128 Winter map that has some very interesting possibilities to it. The first and most noticable feature on this map, is the large central to southeastern land mass which holds all of the explansion minerals. That is why this is the key strategy. You may be thinking that this strategy is pretty close to the Double Jeopardy Strategy, but I'll be sure to keep you entertained with new information here. Each of the three players starts on a small island with adequate minerals/gas to get you started. Each player is located in a different region of the map, one towards the Northwest, another to the Southwest, and the final one in the Northeast. Also on this map, you have ice flowing around the outside of the main land mass. If you can access that Central land mass your in good shape. This strategy will detail how to access it quickly, without the usage of Build Orders!! =)

Race Specific Strategies for Ice Mountain:

Terran-  A terran player dominating a central land mass. It doesn't usually happen, does it? Well, if you think about what you have learned(if you read the Double Jeopardy strategy), you could attempt to do several things. First of all, you could attempt a Pre-Expansion Rush(a tactic that places a solid defense at an expansion you will want to purchase), which will allow you to control a good sized chunk of the area. The larger your radius of expansion determines how much land you control. For a terran player you will want to place your Bunkers in areas around a large chunk of land, and defend the inside of it.(Sounds like the tactics in medievil time.) In reality it is. You can also dominate the central land mass by dropping in and expanding like mad. It will work, but it will also leave you much less defended. The logic: Would you like 6 towers to defend yourself the king of England, or 1-2 castles? Think about it logically, and you will come up with the proper answer. =) However, if you enjoy the opportunity to live on the edge, you might as well try expanding everywhere. With terrans, that is a pretty easy tactic. Defending them however, is an EASIER tactic. There ya go.

Protoss- For a protoss player, you need a proper game plan to dominating a land mass. Things are extremely effective for a protoss player. However, another thing a Protoss player to think about, is the proper way to dispose of a Terran Defense. Let's take a look at the below diagram:

B   B   B     B
          S  M   B         <--------ZZZZZZZZZZ
             S   B            <-------ZZZZZZZZZZ
B   B   B  B    
(Key)
B=Bunker
S=Seige Tank
M=Missle Turret
Z=Zealot

Now this is a very interesting diagram because it looks like the Protoss Player will be able to easily kill them with approximatly 24 zealots right? Not usually but in this case you easily could, it also involves the usage of the Reaver. If you can use your Zealots has suicide dummies, you can easily destroy this force. You will want to aim at their SEIGE Tanks, and if you can kill them, one reaver will be able to very easily destroy the Terran Defense, by either nailing the Missle Turret first and allowing corsairs to disrupt everything with disruption web, or you could kill the Bunkers one by one. Now, let's take a look at another possiblity for a defense.

B
S              <-------------------RR
B                            
S             <--------------------RR
B
(NEW)
R=Reaver
This is a farily new probabilty for a Protoss player, and it happens to be one of the most simple things you could counteract. Try using a Corsair and disruption the Bunkers, and then have your 2 Reavers counter one Seige Tank, and have the other two reavers counter the other one. You have no more defense there.

These tactics you will probably end up seeing in games, not in necessarily the above diagrams, since everyone has their own system. Now, let's take a look at a defense that you could almost call brilliant. Almost! There's always a counter right? RIGHT.

BBaSB
CCBBaSB
BBaSB

Complicated Key
B=Bunker
Ba=Barracks
CC=Command Center
S=Seige Tank

How would you defeat this type of army? Well.... you guys tell me! Email me at spacedominator@scmillenium.com if you have a POSSIBILITY, to how to fix it. Really, a Protoss player could attempt any type of techinque to dominate the center and it makes for the destruction of Defenses, a key to winning on this map. Understand the above two? You'll see A Ton more, along the way(including practice problems..) HEHE. They are all for your own good!! =) The point is: You need to think about every possibility strategically to destroy your opponents defense's in the ways that you want to. Successfully!

Zerg- All right, the race that I have been waiting to write all about. =) This will be an interesting difference from the other strategy based on this type of strategical basis. A zerg player has several new possibilties for dominating a central region, and I would like to detail each of these strategies based in their own strategical subplots.

The Overlord Delay: The overlord delay will allow you to dominate a Central Region? Not necessarily. Here's the thought of the Overlord delay, and you can determine for yourself whether it would be an effective possibility to run. The overlord delay is a bluffing technique that you can use, to possible sway a person from NOT expanding to this central land mass. To successfully run it, you will need approximatly 6-8 overlords(with X number of Z) and move them to locations around the whole central land mass, that you are defending. If, a player comes to try to destroy the overlord drop your X number of Z, and let their units have it. You will then be preventing them from entering the central land mass, to allow you to have great amounts of success on this map. Interesting possibility.

The Burrowed: "A burrowed zerg is an expansionist's best friend" A statement that most zerg players agree with. If you place burrowed Hydralisks around as much of the central land mass as you can, it will make your life much easier and will allow you to locate locations that they are expanding to. This will allow you to diminish their feeble attempts, very quickly and easily. The burrowed can be a lurker, a hydralisk, or a defiler. It all depends on whichever unit you wish to have located in that region, and whichever one you think would be most effective in the situation you have seen from analyzation of your opponents strategy.

Strategical Domination: This strategy is a fairly simple one, but a complicated one at the same time. Why, do I think this? Well, the game of Starcraft is a game that is based on Strategical domination and it is a challenge to master and/or successfully complete on a large scale. However, you can do this on smaller scales with greater success. This is the purpose of Strategical Domination. You will look for a spot on your large land mass, that you will control. Then take a drone and build a hatchery in this area.(Trust me, you'll need it). Since you can't Pre-Explorational Rush, you must do this the old fashioned way and expand w/support. Once this hatchery is constructed build up defenses to help get you through the long regions. This is your Strategical Dominiance base point. Then build up a small army. This is your Strategical Dominiance Army(Wow, Cool name!) =) Then what you will want to do is take this small army, and explore several regions of the map by slowly dividing them up and sending them to each of the possible expansion points. This will allow you to have the strategical advantage. These units will be used in the form of suicide. This will allow you to begin the analyzation of what your opponent has decided to do, when it takes those expansions. Very useful techinque, I must add.

The Hordes, The Hordes: If you attempt to horde the central land mass, you are in very good shape as well. The reason, you will have a HORDE of troops dominating a central region, which gives you the best strategical balance. YEAH RIGHT! A horde is a TON of one unit. So, if you horded with a TON of zerglings you'll have a good force if they came with you by the land. However, if you have 25 Ultralisks scourring the area, you've done something right! =) Ain't that a nice spot for someone to be in? YUP! If you have a whole area expanded you have completed a HORDE of units, which is a fairly important thing, when you think about it. So, that's it about Hordes.

The Choking Experience: With the choking experience to dominate a central land mass, you will be strategically controlling some very important points on the central land bridge. If you see a choke point on the large central land mass on this map with Zerg. Why not, trying to choke it up with lurkers? Or burrowed hydralisks? You'll notice that your game will go up, in dominating this region and you'll have in general much more success.

In conclusion for the zerg, the Zerg have outstanding opportunities to dominate on this map, and it is a great proposition for them.

In Conclusion:

"Dominating the Center? Bah. Why Not Dominate the map?"- SpaceDominator