Terran Reaper Rush build order

Terran Reaper Rush with is one of the most effective strategies for new Terran players, this is particularly useful when the opponent is Protoss, altought you can also use it against Terran or Zerg if you're faster than your adversary at microing and basic macro. Mastering this technique will get you to Gold easily.

Win condition

The objetive of this strategy is to win early, in a single hit damaging your opponent's economy so badly that he just surrenders. You have to acomplish 3 Rapers at your adversary's base at min 3:30 and then keep pushing until their economy is too damages to continue.

For those of you who are new to Starcraft 2: Reapers are an excellent scouting unit that can fly over cliffs, deal some damage (not much) and cost 50 minerals and 50 gas.

Basic Build Order

• 8 SCV
• Start building Supply Depot
• Send builder SCV to scout after it finishes
• 11 SCV
• Barracks at 150 minerals
• 12 SCV
• Reginery at 100 minerals
• 14 SCV
• Build 2 Barracks.
• 15 SCV
• Tech Lab on your first Barracks.
• Orbital command upgrade
• Reaper
• Send your first Reaper close to your opponent base, wait for the next 2 Reapers before atacking.
• 16 SCV -> x2 Tech Lab on your Barracks.
• Build a Supply Depot.
• 17 SCV -> Second refinery
• Attack your opponent with your 3 Reapers, try to have good micro while still producing more Reapers.
• 25 Factory + Enginery Bay.

Description

With the eight SCV you build your first Supply Depot, after you finish this send your SCV to explore the opponent's base. Have 11 SCV and then build your first Barracks at 150 minerals. By this point you should have identified your adversary's base and you should planning for their weak points, meaning the sides where they have no vision. Keep following the build order with a Refinery, a Tech Lab and 2 more Barracks. You have to be fast, the longer a rush takes in Starcraft 2 the more it becomes just a weak attack. By min 3:30 you should have 3 Reapers in your opponent's base wrecking their economy while building more Reapers. If you're slower than this, don't worry, practice makes perfect.

Mid Game

Mid Game? With this strategy there should not be a mid game. In the case this happened it means either you failed or your opponent knows how to play against this. If your opponent produced a Tank or Maruders then you should stop producing Reapers, use them only for scouting and checking army movements arround the map. Use hte information your Reapers give you to counter your adversary with the right type of army. You're now on defense and expand economy mode because you failed.

This Strategy is best against/when

Reaper Rush is particularly good against Protoss. Unlike Marine Rush, Reaper Rush is good in long maps because Reapers are fast enough to travel the map swiftly. Against Terrans and Zerg this strategy still can be applied, but they have more tools to defend or attack early.

Pros of Reaper Rush

• Teaches you to build fast and improve your micro.
• Fast games equals climbing the ladder faster. If you intend to get to Gold ASAP then this is your strategy.

Cons of Reaper Rush

• For new players it's recommended learning how to boom (get to max pop) or macro first, as this will get you much further in the ladder.
• Reapers delay your economy and army, if you fail to rush in the first minutes of the games then you probably lost already.
• Confort zone. You won't learn if you spam this.

How to counter Reaper Rush

First you should always SCOUT after you finish your first building, if done well it will allow you to know and prepare before a rush. If you see that your opponent either has a too early Refinery or 2 Barracks with a 1 Tech Lab in their base or no Barracks (proxy Barracks), then prepare. 

Once you identified the threat before it's actually in your base you have to rush units that counter it:

• If you are Terran: Go for Hellions FAST, use some of your SCVs to tank damage while your Marines defend, go Banshee and build Reapers too.
• If you are Protoss: Rush Stalkers and place them close to your Probes. If you have enough units you should be able to counter the Rush. Keep booming while defending your units. Althuoght most players are not capable of pulling this off, you should win by sheer macro.
• If you are Zerg: If your enemy is somewhat good at micro, higher elo, then use your Queen to hold off the Reapers, otherwise use Roaches.