Starcraft 2 – Why High-Level Players Flick Through Control Groups?

Select Quickly

First thing to do is remember how to change what you have selected quickly, so that you don't spend any extra time trying to get a box around just the right guys to set to your group. You might already know all of these but:

• Ctrl-Click = Select all units of the same type
• Double-Click = Select all units of the same type
• Shift-Box = Add all boxed units to the current group
• Shift-Click = Add or remove the clicked unit from the current group
• Shift-Num = Adds selected unit to control group dictated by num

Shift-Click and Ctrl-Click work on portraits too. And these work together: "Remove all units of that type from my group" is Shift-Ctrl-Portrait Click.

Group By Role

You will always want to group by units that you will be giving the same orders to, so you don't have to alter the group any after you select it. I find my groups work out like this:

• Attack that way
• Kill that scary ground unit
• Kill that scary air unit
• Detectors

I sometimes group by move speed as well, because sometimes you just need any troops here right now!

Almost is good enough

Finally, remember that its ok to miss a couple guys because new guys were built, just go pick them up immediately after. (I find Shift-Box to be the most useful for adding the new guys to the group.) All the guys in a group won't arrive at the same time anyway, and having MOST of the group start moving toward where they are needed is better than none. Just update your groups before you move away from your base, or whenever you give them new orders, but AFTER the order.

The benefit of this fancy micro is to 'run and gun'. Marines have a set attack speed, meaning if they are standing still they will shoot, stand still, then shoot again.

So by moving between shots you can constantly be moving away from melee attackers you can kite them (prevent them from hitting you therefore taking far less damage) while still doing the maximum amount of damage (because you shoot every time its off cool down). This becomes even more effective when you mix in mauraders with their concussive (slowing) shells.

To answer your question, this can be extended to ANY ranged unit in the game. It is very common with hellions, thors, marines, and mauraders with Terran

To do this micro, right click away from the enemy unit (ordering a moving command), press the A (attack move command) and left click (this will cause your marines to shoot anything within range) then order another move command; repeat.

Hope this helps!