Semi-Finals: Savage War needs your vote to determine the best RTS unit of all time

We have lost many heroes so far.

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We are now in the second half of the most brutal war to ever grace the pages of this esteemed website - a war that will determine, through democracy and science, which RTS unit is the best of them all.

Two weeks ago, the conflict started with 16 units. Last week, the eight survivors beat it in the quarterfinals. Blood was spilled and four more units were thrown into the void. It was tough - with two battles where the winner got just 10% more votes. My two beloveds, the noble dolphin and the humble peon, were killed. I shed tears for these fallen heroes.

But there is no time for sentimentality. Another battle is about to begin. Clean up the blood and get ready for the semi-finals. It's time to choose which two units will face off in the final glorious battle.

I made a prediction in the quarter finals. One that I had full confidence in, but was I right?

I was so close, actually! The only one I got wrong was Peon which honestly shocked me. In the first round, my cute green boy completely dominated the glass dragon and has been getting a lot of love in the comments. I didn't expect to see it hit by a tank. Only one tank! Well, it's probably unfair to call the untamable Mammoth tank "just a tank," but the Peon was stolen.

Obviously we have some tank fans, but even more Star Destroyer fans. The Mirage's water tank, another favorite of mine, was destroyed by Darth Vader's Executive Superstar Destroyer. Pretending to be a tree does you no good when there are tons of Turbulizers blasting at you.

Spaceships are clearly doing well. The Pride of Hiigara was up against a group of horsemen, and surprisingly one of the most iconic video game ships around won over a bunch of gym-loving kids.

I knew it was coming, but it still hurts to see the brave and noble dolphin taken out by the priest - a thief and a trickster who can't fight his own battles. In the war between nature (because what's more natural than a weaponized aquatic mammal that can destroy ships with sonic blasts?) and organized religion, organized religion won. a tragedy

By the way! This is all in the past. We're down to four fighters, and your vote will determine who goes to the finals. You have until the end of Tuesday (BST) to make your selections, but otherwise there are no rules. Isn't this a case of "who would win a fight"? Unless you want to. Maybe you just think the priest looks cool in those outfits, or you're a Sith fan in general and need to show the Star Destroyer some love. Right, let's fight!

Mammoth Tank (Command and Conquer: Red Alert)

God bless these great, writhing beasts—unbearable Soviet power built in steel and pig iron

Mammoth tanks are unimaginably expensive and painfully slow, but whatever. I'm convinced that only one of them could possibly win the entire Soviet RA1 campaign alone. Ah Dana -Joshua Woolens, news writer

While the other ships shoot out missiles and other small projectiles, the Homeworld mothership shoots out capital ships. It's both a unit and your base – an impossibly mobile factory that can carry your entire fleet inside. Its direct offensive capabilities are very limited, but as I said: it can spit out capital ships.

I've chosen the Kushan/Higaran version specifically because of its iconic design, which for me is right up there with the Enterprise D and Star Destroyers. While it's largely static in the original Homeworld (at least in the campaign), it's fully animated in Homeworld 2, giving it an extra dose of practicality. - Fraser Brown, Online Editor

Executor Super Star Destroyer (Star Wars: Empire at War)

For some reason my colleagues have preferred to prioritize things like "funny voice lines" and "subtext" when suggesting their favorite RTS units. Sorry, gang: you're about to get crushed by 19km of steel and a turbolaser.

This massive death triangle is the wish-fulfillment vessel in Empire at War, one of my favorite Star Wars games. It's not a high-end RTS, but it's a top-notch Star Wars fantasy game that lets you move around a bunch of little toy ships and play what-ifs, pitting ace Rogue Squadron pilots against a Star Destroyer. They have a real chance in that fight, but not against the enforcer, Darth Vader's personal ride.

This damn thing is practically the size of Manhattan and you can really feel that scale in the game. It makes regular Star Destroys look like Doritos in comparison. It swims so hard with turbulizer batteries that it can single-handedly harass an entire Rebel fleet. Don't even try that A-Wing trick against it - that kind of crap only works in the movies. -Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor

"Wollow." I'm a winner -Judy McGregor, Weekend Editor

Fraser is the UK's online editor and has actually met the internet firsthand. With more than a decade of experience, he has been in the field several times and has served as a prolific freelancer, news editor, and reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year obsession, from small RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down a chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He is also known for launching the latest MMO games and likes to end with a deep and systemic endless RPG. These days, when she's not editing, she can usually be found writing 1,000-plus-word features or talking about her dog.

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