So because that last level is apparently hella hard (I don't know, I did have to do it twice because I made some stupid mistakes the first time), let me give you all some advice. And by some, I mean a lot. And by you all, I probably mean no one. But I'm bored.
The pre-game is actually much more important than you could believe. You should definitely get the automated refinery upgrade, the refinery filter upgrade, and the self-healing metal upgrade (whatever the hell that one was called). If you do this, you shouldn't need to waste any money on SCVs in the final battle. Your two refineries will pump out gas for you at a fantastic rate, and you can have all but one of your SCVs gather minerals while that last one goes around building stuff and repairing critical units.
And yeah, you might lose track of that SCV at some point; while one of the changes I absolutely adore is the fact that there's now an icon you can click to instantly select an idle SCV, the little buggers have a habit of going off and repairing things once they're done doing whatever it is you told them to do. Then they're not technically idle, so there's no icon for them, so you think they're dead. Is it too much to ask to change that criteria from "idle" to "not currently doing something you told them to do, i.e building or gathering materials?" Also, whenever you have then build a bunker right next to a cliff, they always manage to finish the bunker while they're wedged between it and the cliff, so you have to build a Medivac just to get them out. That's one less Banshee you have time to build. Wah. (I guess you could load the SCV into the bunker and then unload it, but in the heat of battle you can't really think beyond "build more dudes and kill their dudes.")
I'd also recommend the tech lab upgrade, plus any upgrades for the Siege Tank and Banshee units. This is because victory is going to depend largely on how many of those things you have. I'd also get the bunker turret, increased bunker capacity, and those maintenance drone things that put out fires on your buildings. The Psi Disruptors will also help tremendously, but I'll understand if you can't resist the urge to mind-control an Ultralisk.
The last important bit of pre-game you have to do is to do the "Shatter the Sky" mission. This is absolutely vital, especially if you've already seen the base layout for your last mission. The thingy you have to defend is near a lake of lava, and on the other side of that is the main enemy base. Incoming air units don't really have a lot of land they need to go over, which means that there's very few Thors/turrets/Goliaths you can station up there. So making sure enemy air attacks are kept to a minimum is a very important goal, and that's precisely what you can do in "Shatter the Sky." Yes, you'll have to deal with an Overlord invasion at one point, but that really shouldn't give you too much of a problem.
Okay, now for the mission itself. There are three paths into your base that you need to defend; there's an entrance at the north that already has a Battlecruiser, a bunker, a small infantry squad and possibly a Siege Tank guarding it.
The other two paths converge on a point that's guarded similarly; these paths come from the west and the northwest. There's a small hill in between these two paths that you might think is ideal for a Siege Tank; don't bother, it's actually surprisingly vulnerable there.
You'll be able to hold off the first wave or so with what you've got, but if you've got the bunker capacity upgrade you're going to need to churn out more infantry to staff them. When the game starts, order up five marines. Send your builder SCV to one of the entrances to build a second bunker and a Psi Disruptor. Build the tech lab for both your factory and your starport; as soon as the five Marines are ready, do the same to your barracks. For the first part of the level, churn out an equal mix of Siege Tanks and Thors from the factory, but focus exclusively on Banshees from your starport. I'll explain why in just a moment.
Meanwhile, send your builder SCV over to the other entrance and build a second bunker and a Psi Disruptor there too. As soon as the tech lab on the barracks is done, start churning out Marines. Your builder SCV is going to spend the rest of the mission building supply depots and rebuilding bunkers; just send him back whenever one gets blown up. If you don't have the bunker upgrades, you may need three at each entrance instead of two.
Siege Tank placement: there should be a Siege Tank behind each bunker (remember, bunkers are cheapter than Siege Tanks), plus at least three more at each entrance: two up on the cliff with the artifact, and one on the cliff opposite (for the north entrance). For the western entrance, your third tank goes to the right of the southern ramp. Stick a Thor next to it. The Siege Tank commands that ramp; the Thor blasts anything that gets through.
You'll eventually have extra tanks behind your bunkers or maybe up on the artifact's cliff; that's fine, you need something to deal with the Nydus Worms that appear from time to time. The tanks, extra marines, and Thors should be able to handle everything that pops up inside your base (remember, if your build queues are empty, you're doing something wrong).
Meanwhile, you're going to want a large squad (at least 8, preferably 12-18) of Banshees. These are the only units you will ever send outside your perimeter; their job is to knock down the Nydus Worms that pop up outside your base. You might be thinking that that's a waste of time, but as far as I can figure it out, the Nydus Worms behave like Zerg spawners; whereas the other rushes do have to play by the normal rules, the Worms will just keep spitting stronger and stronger units out until they overwhelm your defenses. Your Banshees have to fly around the map and kill the Worms. Get the ones closest to your base first; this will usually mean the one in the southwestern Zerg base first, followed by the one in the northeastern Zerg base, followed by at least one in the northwest part of the map.
See, here's the reason that I think you're so much better off dealing with Nydus Worms than air units: one, Brood Lords are an absolute pain to kill. Two, you're dealing with an enemy that specializes in close-range ground combat. Your Siege Tanks can make short work of any number of Zerglings, and they're not at all shabby against Nydus Worms, but they're easy prey for air units. Build enough Siege Tanks and it won't matter how many ground units the enemy can send against you; just remember to keep something (bunkers preferably) in between the Zerglings and your tanks.
Your Banshee squadron is also your first and best line of defense against the Queen of Blades. While it may be tempting to let her wander into range of all your Siege Tanks, remember that your Siege Tanks are your main base defense; you do not want her messing them up. (Remember: Banshees are cheaper than Siege Tanks.) You're safe enough letting her get in range of your outermost tank and then pounding her with the Banshees while the tank wails on her from afar.
Two very important notes: you will bleed Banshees doing this. Keep your starport queues full. Second, spread your Banshees out when you get to Kerrigan. She has a psychic attack that can destroy any number of units in a given area. Don't clump your units together when dealing with her.
If for whatever reason Kerrigan attacks at the same time as a regular Zerg rush or a Nydus Worm attack, use the Artifact when Kerrigan gets in range. It'll wipe out every Zerg in the area and do some damage to her as well. As long as you stop Kerrigan before she gets to your base, keep each entrance guarded by two bunkers backed up by at least 4 Siege Tanks backed up by a Thor or three, and maintain a strong Banshee squadron, you really shouldn't have that much trouble.
(The trick, of course, is that the Zerg will regularly chew through your frontline defenses. Unit replacement is key.) Good luck.
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