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So if you don't know, the ghost is my favorite unit in this game.

I try to use them for something at least every game however I have trouble with the early and mid game plans to just stay alive.

TvZ
I've been trying to do some sort of Rax Factory Rax Rax builds for the early and mid game for rine tank while slowly transitioning into ghosts around the time my 2nd is fully saturated but they cost so much that it cuts my tank count down and then I get overrun.

TvP
I've been trying some 2 rax RineRauderGhost builds for the early and mid game however, dem collosus just wreck if I don't have vikings out around the time they start getting massed. I'm able to hold off early pushes well due to the EMPs, but I get wrecked when the collosus come out.

TvT
Was trying out some Ghost first nuke rush builds.... Idk why... just for fun. But my eventual goal in this match up is to get a bunch of rauders and ghosts and nuke their tank lines to unseige, stim and run in and kill them... I have not figured out an optimal way to do this yet.

Anyone have some good ghost builds/transitions?

Ghosts aren't very good with openings anymore. They used to be when players didn't really know how to defend properly.

In TvP they're essential mid-late game for mass EMP. Getting 10+ ghosts at the least will prove very helpful. I've seen some 1rax FE into 4-5 rax ghost pushes...but with good forcefields and solid play they can be held off fairly easily. However on maps with hard to forcefield naturals those kinds of pushes can be fairly deadly if done correctly.

In TvZ you get them late game vs infestor brood for EMP's on infestors and snipes for anything else.

I don't know about ghosts in TvT besides some late game nukes. Mostly late game TvT is Sky Terran now with some tanks etc.

I feel like ghosts are only effective in 3+ base situations when you have 6 gases available.

For TvT maybe 5+ bases since nukes are more of a luxury used to tax your opponents apm.

TvP theres some 2 base timing pushes with 4 ghosts like gemini was saying, those work great unless your opponent has collosus. Scouting a lot of sentries and a delayed gas can give you time to prepare for one of these pushes where collosus cant be there.

TvZ ghosts are only effective against infestors, broodlords, ultralisk, and to some degree mutas. If your opponent goes for one of these gas heavy units you can go ghosts but must micro them effectively. Typically people start ghost academy when zerg's hive is started so theyll have 1-2 rounds of ghosts for when hive units show up.

Thats just my 2 cents from watching high level terran use ghosts, since i dont personally use them

In TvP ghosts are a unit that you basically have to have in the mid-late game especially against templar and archons. You can do things like ghost rushes but those can be difficult to pull off so you don't see them too often. You can try nukes too in this matchup but generally, they aren't going to be worth it.

TvZ ghosts are great lategame against pretty much everything, especially broods and infestors. You really should, however, only get ghosts when you're on 3 bases or more. Ghosts can be a wonderful lategame unit since they're good against just about everything. Nukes are also surprisingly effective against a zerg player in the lategame.

TvT ghosts aren't used too much for a reason. Ghosts in TvT are either a rush unit, which I don't recommend, or a unit that you use to nuke tank lines and force your opponent out of a strong position.

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In TvT the standard in gold-plat is probably viking+tank or marine+tank. There is really no point in getting ghosts onless your opponent is massing cloaked banshees which is only done in bronze or multiple nukes at once. In long, macro tvzs when the ultras and broodlords come out you can get ghosts for snipe or nuke a bunch of bases at once. In tvp the ghost is good starting in the early midgame for EMPs (make sure to land the HTs and archons). So using them in tvt is kinda useless onless it is a 1 hour long game, tvz is good in the late game, and tvp is good sometime in the midgame.

I have to agree with GreenMachine; going a late-game tech switch into Ghost is a much better than getting Ghosts' early on. The idea, in TvZ is to get Ghosts around the time Zerg go Infestor/Broodlord. EMP Infestors and Snipe Broodlords. Make sure to spread your Ghost's too, so an Infestor won't FG or NP (then EMP) your Ghosts.

TvP, can go in strange directions. If they have High Templar, you will want a sizable force of Ghosts to EMP and Snipe them, including EMPing Archons. Other than that, you only need 1 or 2 Ghosts to EMP their army. Maybe even sneak some Ghosts' in their main base to nuke pylons which will deactivate production temporarily in the late game.

TvT, I can literally not think of any useful situations of getting Ghosts.

all you need is marines bro

on 2/2/12Quote by stebo88

TvT, I can literally not think of any useful situations of getting Ghosts.

You sometimes see early ghost play in TvT, though it hasn't been looked into very much.

Lategame, you can actually use nukes to force an opponent to unsiege a tank line, you can use nukes like powerful, extremely expensive tanks if a TvT goes on late enough.

on 2/2/12Quote by Spartan929

on 2/2/12Quote by stebo88

TvT, I can literally not think of any useful situations of getting Ghosts.

You sometimes see early ghost play in TvT, though it hasn't been looked into very much.

Lategame, you can actually use nukes to force an opponent to unsiege a tank line, you can use nukes like powerful, extremely expensive tanks if a TvT goes on late enough.

I have a friend, Tbeezy, who uses a lot of nukes mid-late game TvT for straight up harassment and map control let alone causing tank lines to move. He's REALLY solid and fun to watch in TvT.

on 2/2/12Quote by WIZARD

all you need is marines bro

uh...when you mass marine you get screwed by collosi, fungles, and mech (tanks). Ghosts are really good in the lower leuges since your opponent sends his entire army to deal with one nuke (or float away cc, which is stupid) then you either delay mining or you can move your siege line without risk of being attacked while your unseiged.

on 2/2/12Quote by myname3000

on 2/2/12Quote by WIZARD

all you need is marines bro

uh...when you mass marine you get screwed by collosi, fungles, and mech (tanks). Ghosts are really good in the lower leuges since your opponent sends his entire army to deal with one nuke (or float away cc, which is stupid) then you either delay mining or you can move your siege line without risk of being attacked while your unseiged.

Hook, line and sinker.

One strategy I've seen work against Protoss (which I failed to mention in my previous post) if fast cloaked Ghost. This usualy works if the Protoss is doing a fast expand. Get 1 or 2 cloaked ghost in their mineral line and target fire workers. If the Protoss is completely unprepared /w no detection, they could lose a lot of workers.

on 3/2/12Quote by stebo88

One strategy I've seen work against Protoss (which I failed to mention in my previous post) if fast cloaked Ghost. This usualy works if the Protoss is doing a fast expand. Get 1 or 2 cloaked ghost in their mineral line and target fire workers. If the Protoss is completely unprepared /w no detection, they could lose a lot of workers.

But does it ever do enough to constitute the extreme cost of cloak ghosts... like, even more effective than cloak banshee?

on 3/2/12Quote by Insomnia125

on 3/2/12Quote by stebo88

One strategy I've seen work against Protoss (which I failed to mention in my previous post) if fast cloaked Ghost. This usualy works if the Protoss is doing a fast expand. Get 1 or 2 cloaked ghost in their mineral line and target fire workers. If the Protoss is completely unprepared /w no detection, they could lose a lot of workers.

But does it ever do enough to constitute the extreme cost of cloak ghosts... like, even more effective than cloak banshee?

If you think about it, it just has to be AS effective as cloak banshee, cuz it transitions much better into marine marauder ghost which is super common vs protoss.

Your cloak and ghost tech are already paid for when cloak banshee might not be used in the rest of the game.