How build rules are counted
A custom build is a list of rules, and a game matches only when every rule passes. What At least, Exactly, At most and None count, why times are deadlines, and how proxy rules work.
Updated For players
Each rule names one unit, building or upgrade, how many, and a time. A game matches the build only when every rule passes. Each number counts everything of that kind started before the rule's time.
The four kinds of rule
| Rule | Passes when | Listed under |
|---|---|---|
| At least 2 Gateways before 3:00 | 2 or more Gateways were started before 3:00. At least 1 means one is enough. | Must have |
| Exactly 2 Stargates before 5:00 | Exactly 2 were started before 5:00. 1 or 3 fails. | Must have |
| At most 1 Stargate before 6:00 | 0 or 1 was started before 6:00, so games with none pass too. | Limits |
| No Robotics Facility before 4:00 | None was started before 4:00. One at 4:00 or later, or never, is fine. | Must not have |
The editor reads every rule back in a sentence as you change it. Community build pages and your build's page list the rules under Must have, Must not have and Limits, with How rules count as a quick reminder.
Times are deadlines
before 4:20 counts what starts before 4:20 on the game clock: when a building is placed, a unit starts or research begins, not when it finishes. It is a deadline, not the time to build it. A Stargate placed at 3:10 passes At least 1 Stargate before 4:20; one placed at 4:30 doesn't.
A 0 means none
At most 0 and Exactly 0 work the same as None. At most 0 Robotics Facilities before 4:20 passes only when no Robotics Facility was started before 4:20, so build pages list it under Must not have as No Robotics Facility before 4:20, never as something to build.
Rules that only cap or forbid
If every rule is At most or None, a game where none of it was built still matches, so the build can match almost any game. Add at least one At least or Exactly rule for something the build must have.
Proxy rules
Tick Only count proxied on a building rule to count only buildings placed away from your main: more than 50 world units from it (80 for town halls, gas and Spine or Spore Crawlers). Build pages mark these rules with a Proxy badge.
- At least 2 Gateways before 1:45, proxied, matches a proxy 2-Gate. Without the tick, two Gateways in your main pass too.
- No Gateway before 4:00, proxied, rules out a proxy Gateway but still allows Gateways at home.
- Only buildings can be proxied. Units and upgrades have no proxy option.
Several rules for the same thing
Rules for the same unit or building each count from the start of the game. At least 1 Stargate before 3:30 plus At least 2 Stargates before 5:00 means the first Stargate by 3:30 and a second by 5:00. At least 2 Stargates before 5:00 plus At most 2 Stargates before 8:00 means two early and no third before 8:00.
Research
Research starts once per game, so a research rule is either Blink research before 6:00 (At least 1) or No Blink research before 6:00 (None). Asking for 2 or more almost never passes.
Related articles
- Detected builds and your Build libraryEvery game gets a build label from deterministic rules that come with SC2 Tools and compatible shared preset policies. Your Build library keeps your own definitions privately, each with its own record.
- Publish and reuse community buildsShare one of your custom builds on the Community page, or save someone else's to your library as a private copy you can edit.
- Build check-in: count the build you went forSay which build you were going for, at the loading screen or after the game, so each build's record counts the games you planned it. You can also correct the opponent's build.
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