I’d like to remind everyone that all I’m saying is that I think vikings are a better option than thors in response to a spire. If you back up your vikings with a standard MMM army and MT’s like any decent player should be doing then vikings are the better choice. Let me list my reasons for why I believe this:
-If you went MMM then you should already have starports with reactors so cutting medivac production for a bit to produce vikings doesn’t require any additional tech.
-T can reach vikings before Z can reach mutas.
-Thors have a hard time chasing mutas around while vikings don’t.
-Vikings do better against the other units available from a spire (corruptor, BL) than a thor.
-Once mutas are no longer a threat vikings can be set on patrol through expansions to scout while at the same time killing stray overlords, thors on the other hand are left to soaking up damage until they inevitably die.
-Vikings cost 150/75 while mutas cost 100/100, so the price is comparable depending on how you weigh minerals vs gas.
-No micro is needed because after they engage neither unit is capable of weaving in and out of attack range.
-Vikings will beat mutas in even numbers until they get too large (e.g. numbers that you really won’t see in a typical game), and with +1 armor on the vikings they will win every time. A viking takes 6 shots to kill a muta and with +1 weapons it only takes 5 shot. A muta takes 14 shots to kill a viking but with +1 armor it takes 16 shots, and it also renders the damage from the bounce insignificant doing 2/0 damage, that’s why I go with armor over weapons. I’ve even thought of preemptively getting an armory and researching ship armor +1 after scouting a lair and not getting vikings until I scout a spire. Even if my opponent doesn’t go mutas I would have needed the armory anyways to unlock further upgrades out of my ebay for my bio army, and my medivacs can still benefit from it. If he does go mutas then I’m well prepared. It’s better to get the upgrade for the unit you ‘might’ need then the unit you ‘might’ need (BW logic). I’ve tried adding in some focus fire but it didn’t really matter since the time wasted for the back units to move forward instead of actually attacking wasted too much DPS.
Just a reminder, I’m not saying vikings counter mutas, I’m saying that they’re a better alternative to thors.