Citation :
Hi all, I'm a long time lurker here, and as I was summing up what I should do in each of my match-ups, I thought it could be cool if I'd share it here and could get corrections / help. I'm a 900, not playing a lot of (ladder) games, Diamond random player. I'm not confident enough to put a [G] in the title.
Tell me what you think about it, it may even affect my play. Feel free to correct me. The BOs presented here are only the ones I use often, I know there are other very solid BOs. I often names the BO by their "opening" names, which is a little different. All BOs assume constant worker production.
Playing random requires to be aware of a lot of match-ups and of different macro and micro mechanics. It's not easy, but I find it very fun, and I think it gives you insight of all 3 races, that you can use when encountering them. I don't use the advantage of being an "unknown race" in the beginning and often tells my opponents my race if he asks, as I'm playing random for the fun, not for the extra-surprise it gives you to cheese (or I'm in a really bad mood!). This guide is not intended to total noobs that don't know when and what to chronoboost, to drop MULEs and to inject larvaes. It won't also tell you that you need constant probe / SCV production as Protoss and Terran, and cut it only in case of extreme rush / cheese. Nor will it tell you that, as Zerg, you should drone as much as possible by producing units at the last time.
A word on scouting: I 10drone(Z)/supply(T)/pylon(P) scout most of the time. It's perhaps the most important thing in early game, and it's not race dependent, learn to do it well: not losing your worker, harassing his, gathering intelligence. There are very basic things that you can know even when one Zealot/Marine is out: Is he 2 gazing? 2 gating before core? Fast tech lab? How many production facilities does he (intends to) have? Did you lost to a hidden Stargate/Starport on this map already? Check all these.
Zerg:
Scouting as Zerg:
A 10 drone scout is nice, then always hang out at Xel Naga towers with lings, also always have a ling / poke at his front door. Finally, if he turtles, you can sacrifice an overlord to scout him, but I prefer to morph one into overseer, that way you can use it all the game (and it helps sneaky stealth), with the possible bonus to stop his Thor/Immortal/Colossus production by chance when poping on the Factory/Robo.
Zerg BOs:
Banelings:
- 9 lord
- 13 gaz
- 13 pool
- 15 lord (or 16 lord and stock larvaes if you intend to pop glings instantly, you should in this BO)
- 17-20 second hatch (expand if you can defend it) to have more lings / if it's not all-in.
Roaches/Hydras/Infestor:
- 9 lord
- 14 pool
- 14 gaz
- 15 lord (or 16 lord and stock larvaes if you intend to pop glings)
roach warren and queen asap, careful with the 26 pop overlord and 3-5 roaches asap for the ramp/choke
11 pool (team matches mainly, counter 6 pools for instance):
- 10 extractor trick
- 11 pool
- 10 extractor trick
- 11 extractor trick (double, keep one, 3 drones to gaz, pull them off at 100 gaz)
- overlord (asap)
overlord and pool pop at the same time => 3 glings (or drones).
Hatch over Pool:
Do not forget that in extreme cases (cannon rush, rax before supply...) you can cancel your Hatch!
- 14-15 Hatch (with a lord to check for bunker)
- 14-15 Pool (16 may be safe only if the map is really big, like Kulas Ravine)
From there either 16 gaz + Queen(s) + Roaches or delay the gaz to be able to produce mass lings (against a marauders / marines push, only fight on creep)
In all cases, at least one strategically positioned Spine is a must-have. I go as high as 3 Spines before lings speed / (or) 5 roaches and as high as ~5 Spines max.
Zerg vs Zerg
I try to make it go into late/true game (so that I can practice my macro mechanics) instead of all-inning/banelings wars. For that, I think the best is to go fast 3-5 roaches (depending on the size of the choke) and then teching. I prefer Roaches/Hydras/Infestors for fungal growth (good against lings, blings, roaches, hydras, mutas) than playing mutas. Some maps are better for mutas, some maps are better for banelings wars. Except Steps of War or some other small maps, I don't go banelings if the opponent is not going for an earlier than 13 pool.
3 important timings are:
1) The banelings intrusion, you have to either do the same or deny the opponent's with roaches wall.
2) The first (3-7) mutas rush: deny it with Queen(s) + 1 or 2 spores, be careful of overlord (you should already have hydras or have them pretty fast when he'll decide to overlord hunt).
3) The mass mutas (or roaches/hydra) push you didn't saw coming, way later in the game: the key is fungal growth, you can slow his ground forces a lot, you can annihilate his mutas.
Zerg vs Terran
Except on very small maps, I try and get a hatch over pool. Indeed, 3 cases:
1) very small map (steps of war...) or the Terran is very agressive (rax before supply, lots of rines or reapers) => Banelings BO, banelings bust if you can, expand not too late (not later than 25, I'd say) if you can't.
or, normal to big map (Desert oasis to Kulas Ravine) => Hatch over Pool into:
2) Roaches if he's going (more than 3) reapers (because you can't have enough glings and speedlings not fast enough). I currently lose to reapers very often. In a BO3, if he went reapers and I lost, I 13 gaz 13 pool, speedlings into 20-21 hatch.
3) Speedlings/Banelings otherwise, you really only need roaches if the hellions count is > 4 or >= 3 with blue flames (and drops).
General facts:
- Spread creep between your main and your natural asap (good against all intrusions, particularly reapers and hellions).
- A close bunker is not a problem, provided that you saw it building you can kill his SCV. Otherwise, just stock 6-10 (depending if he stuffs it with 2 marines of marine/reaper) glings and take your queen, make it tank and just roll on the bunker.
- If he doesn't pressure you enough, take 4 gazes, and go into mutas. If he does, adapt to his play, try and wall against hellions, not only at chokes but also behind your minerals if you can.
- The hardest thing for me to win against are 5 rax reapers when I hatch over pooled and Thors drops. But I know that if he Thor drops very fast, I may have a windows to baneling bust him. For the moment, I simply seem to be rolled on by fast Thors in experts hands.
- Later on, one can counter Thors/hellions (blue flame) with speedlings/rolling blings and/or droped blings/roaches/infestors. Blings do a ton of damage to hellions and fungal deny their mobility, glings/roaches are a good combination against Thors. If you can't handle them because of numbers, abuse speedlings mobility and try and backdoor him as much as possible before engaging in the final fight.
3 important timings are:
1) The first reaper, just don't lose drones (easy to say!).
2) The marauders/marines/(sometimes reapers) stim push, it takes advantage or an early stim push and can destroy buildings really fast (it punishes you if you made too many Spines). You should at least have speedlings in adequate numbers to defend that, and fight on creep and with both your queens if you fast expanded. You may have banelings, don't do too much of them early on.
3) The hellions rushs (yellow flame I can't handle pretty OK, blue flame with or without drops is much harder to deal with).
Zerg vs Protoss
Except on very small maps, or against 2 gates + close position / cannon rush => Hatch over Pool. 4cannonical cases again:
1) He fast expands (with wall-in), take b2 asap, and b3 as soon as you are near saturation in your main. Fear Colossus / HT techs => don't go hydra except if you saw air or have a HUGE macro advantage. Expect him to push your b3 or natural with a lot of Gateway units soon (scout it, 7 Gates is common there).
2) Handling the 4 Gate push: you want as much Spines as you can have, that pop out just when he arrives. You want a bunch of units too, roaches against zealots and speedlings against stalkers. If the number of zealots and sentries is not too high (less than 4 zealots, no enough sentries to FF your glings out of fight, no + attack), you can only speedlings and macro up.
3) 2 Gates into robo: I personnaly appreciate teching to mutas quite fast, so that I can harass/backdoor and, when in sufficient numbers, it can even counter Colossus. Immortals obliterate roaches in small numbers, or any amount of roaches (that can't burrrow) with the appropriate amount of force fields. If he's going for a 2-3 gates + chronoboosted immortals push, don't do too much Spines (I'd say maximum 3 in early game) because immortals are quite minerals heavy (same mineral/gaz ratio than stalkers), so he should have "not too many zealots", and Spine get hurt a lot by immortals / stalkers.
4) Void rays: you want to have hydras, except if he was really passive all this time and you teched to mutas really fast with your natural pumping gaz, so then you can kill them with mutas and Queens. Before hydras, rely on queens (don't fear doing 2 or 3 on each hatch if you're sure he's doing VR) and spores (don't do too much of them, they don't move).
General facts:
- In any case (Mutas/Glings or Roaches/Hydras(/Glings)), it's good to get a quite fast evolution chamber, you can launch +1 armor fast if he's not pushing (for those of you who don't know yet, try and stay +1 amor ahead of Protoss +1 attack when fighting glings against zealots, do the maths), it can block a side of one or two Spines against zealots (and does damage when it breaks), and it allows you to put a spore in each mineral line if you fear fast VR / Phoenix(es).
- You should deal with VR with hydras/queens, not with spores in numbers, with which you won't be able to counter once the VR are killed, and which die terribly fast to charged VRs.
- Always outexpand him.
- Don't get brained out by Phoenixes: with Mutas, fight at his base with numerical superiority (otherwise "go go ground units" ) and kill probes/pylons when he flees, otherwise either outnumber him (with hydras) or fight close to spores. Don't switch back to Hydras from Mutas if you saw 1-4 Phoenix(es), have your spire poping up and have a big stock (1000) of gaz!
- Speedlings are superfast, you can harass and defend at the same time, roaches and hydras off creep are superslow, don't move out before knowing what he's up to. I tend to like to do all roaches upgrades if I produce them in big numbers (their burrowed regen rate is insane).
4 important timings are:
- The (classical) 4 Gates push that you will see coming.
- The +1 ground attack push that-you-will-see-coming-but-does-not-realize-that-zealots-are-50%-more-efficents-on-glings!
- The VR(+Scout) opening. Counter it appropriately with queens. Don't forget he can then (or at the same time) come with zealots/stalkers (few or no sentries, VR are gaz heavy) so don't let your minerals and gaz count go stellar just because you are microing (transfusion!) against his VR. Use your high number of queens to place a lot of creep tumors if he is not coming back again with VR.
- The Colossus +3 range timing push if you turtled too much, therefore the need for Mutas (Corruptors if he is really hard on Colossus).
Terran:
Scouting as Terran:
I like to supply scout. If you feel it can get very cheesy (team matches), scout before. Scan is expensive (270 minerals on blue minerals), but it can change between losing and winning the game. 3 great times to scan: when you are in total darkness with regard to what your opponent does, when you want to drop, and when you move out. One "compulsory" scan: ahead, going on creep, attacking a zerg that does glings/blings. You will kill creep tumors and deny any burrowed blings. Finally, you can scout with a fast Viking against Zerg and then chase overlords. Terran BOs:
All kinds of Barracks first (for anti-cheesy team matches)
- 9-10 (choke or not) Barracks
- 10-11 Supply
- Orbital asap (eco) and / OR gaz asap (reapers)
Marauders/Marines/Stim:
- 10 Supply (I tend to use the 9th if I want to wall and the choke is far)
- 12 Barracks
- 14 Refinery
- 15-16 Orbital (as soon as the rax ends)
- Marine (to deny scout)
- (~16) Supply
- Tech Lab
- Marauder then stim pack asap
- Barracks
- Reactor
- Barracks + Tech Lab
- Constant Marauders production out of 2 Tech Lab Barracks and constant Marines out of the Reactor Rax.
- You can either hard push when the stim finishes or expand (push+expand or defend+expand) because you're on one gaz only.
Fast ghosts / marines:
(very well explained here Ghost Marine Opening %28vs. Protoss%29 )
- 10 Supply
- 12 Barracks
- 13 Refinery
- 15-16 Orbital (as soon as the rax ends)
- Marine
- (~16) Supply
- Tech Lab
- (18) Barracks
- only one Marauder
- Marines (a buckload of 'em)
- ~23ish Ghost Academy
- Take second Refinery asap for upgrades (marines shield, stim) and/or tech
Vikings/Tanks:
- 10 Supply
- 12 Barracks
- 13 Refinery
- 16 Orbital
- 16-17 Marine
- 18 Supply
- Factory asap
- Tech Lab (on rax)
- 2nd Refinery asap
- Starport asap
1/1/1:
- 10 Supply
- 12 Barracks
- 13 Refinery
- 15-16 Orbital
- 15-16 Marine
- 18 Facto
- 20 Reactor on the rax
- Starport asap
There are also the fast banshee (gaz before rax, see Gretorp's) and fast Thor drop BOs that are very interesting, but I don't use them much. I play random, I stay basic.
Walling or not walling?
- Every time against Zerg, weak wall (Rax + 2 Supply) if I'm going to be Zerglings rushed early on, otherwise 2 Rax or Rax + Facto wall.
- Never against Terran (it is free food for Siege Tanks and Banshees). If I want to defend my choke, I prefer a Bunker.
- Sometimes against Protoss, when they 2 gates chrono, otherwise not. Fighting behind your wall may be playing against you with a large amount of stalkers, and/or immortals, sentries and totally sucks if he Void Rays. I prefer to throw down one Bunker or two if I really need.
Terran vs Zerg
There are really 2 cases, the one in which you get pressured, you should be quite safe, because you can counter all early Zerg pressure really well as Terran, and the one in which you will have to pressure yourself:
1) If you see him producing (stacking) lings, or stacking roaches, or not taking expand before (his) ~22 pop, open with something along the Marauder/Marines/Stim build. If he his lings (+blings) heavy, you can double gaz and marauders/reapers (with reapers in the center of your formation). If he is mixing units of doesn't have too many blings, you can juste have Marauders/Marines, but don't stim you marines uselessly (particularly before having shield). At some point in this BO (between the second and thirs rax), you may want to re-estimate if you should continue on 3 raxes or go to factory/starport/expand if he losens pressure. I don't fear the games in which the Zerg doesn't fast expand since I know how to counter baneling bust. Just do a wall with 2 barracks of barracks+facto, + bunker if he is all-in. If you can't because you did a shitty wall with supply depots, you still have options: either wall down (outside of) your choke with 2 rax or rax/facto, or put 2 marauders in hold position just in front of your wall (they'll soak banelings damages quite well). Don't hesitate to put down bunkers and if you teched (started 1/1/1), produce hellions (and marines and marauders) constantly.
2) You need to put pressure early on, and keep it. It means that you will do everything you can to put pressure on the Zerg and make it build units instead of drones. For instance, if you see a fast hatch without an overlord looking above it, place a bunker nearby and put some (2-3) marines (even better, 1-2 marines and a reaper) in it. You will force either one or two Spine, or some glings (6-10, meaning 3-5 drones less). However, good players don't get tricked, so you'll probably have to delay your first harass to hellions if you're not going reapers. For that reason, I do all sort of variants of 1/1/1 against Zerg. If you can enter his main, go 1/1/1 while delaying the starport and attacking with 4-5 hellions. If you can't, drop hellions with 1/1/1 and either swap your factory to a tech lab to go Thors + blue flame, or build a second factory. If you feel that you can't harass at this stage (~30 pop), delay the starport (or the production from it) and expand. Blue flame hellion drops are insanely hard to deal with as zerg, and you can reuse the same tech to do Thor drops. Then you will want to do Thors/hellions/marines/marauders, with proportions depending on his units composition. Thors+Marines rape mutas, Hellions+micro rape Speedlings/Blings, Thors+Marauders rape roaches. I like to have other units than only Thors/hellions to be able to snipe Neural Parasiting Infestors. Broodlords are really cost effective vs Thors, you should have a starport with reactor and be able to switch Vikings fast.
3 important timings are:
- Baneling bust timing, just lose a few times to it then you'll get it.
- Mutas timing. Particularly harmful if your harass was bad and did not delay his tech, you don't want to have to few marines and/or no Thor at this time. Try not to put down too many turrets too fast, stick with wanting Thors/marines if you can at this point.
- When you move out with your (at least 2) Thors, be sure to replace them by turrets. You don't need to replace them too early (meaning: you should really not build turrets before moving out if you have Thors/marines).
Terran vs Terran
I used to open fast banshee, but I get stomped by more and more people opening Thor push / Thor drop. So now I always open on Vikings/Tanks, because there are mainly 4 cases:
1) Thor push/drop: the timing for a Thor push (to be revealed at least, when he goes out of his turtling) is perfect to have at least one Tank (and Tanks are quite terrible against Thors), one marauder, some marines and a starport. The best way to react at this point is to take out a lot of SCV (he did it first!) and repair your Tank / kill his SCV, focus the thor with Tank/Marauder(s). If you can feel that he is going Thor before he comes out (before doing a starport), put down a second rax with tech lab asap and pump marauders. 2) Fast banshee: save up a the energy for a scan as soon as you know, pump Marines and a Viking asap, you should be safe. If you see (you can now scout with your Viking) 2 Starports+Tech Labs, do turrets quickly. At least one turret in each mineral lines (in case you expanded), it will safe energy for MULEs (then money) and you can easily invest in the engineering bay as he invested in 2 Starports.
Otherwise, he is either going bio (marauders/marines/stim), often into fast expand, or he is going Vikings/Tanks too. 3) Against bio, fear Marauders + Stim, fear that he'll scan your uphill Tanks just to take them down extremely fast. It's all about positionning your tanks (not on the edges of cliffs for instance) and having units to soak damages. You don't need that much Vikings/air (because he don't get any air), so you can throw down a second Barracks+TechLab to have some Marauders. Marauders+Tanks (+Vikings for the sight) roll on pure Marauders/Marines when well positioned. Even with medivacs.
4) Vikings/Tanks, best countered with Vikings/Tanks and a better micro, or Marauders+Stim if he has not yet Battlecruisers and you have the economical advantage (like an already running natural and he just launched it). Do never fight with your Vikings in inferior numbers, focus on air upgrades.
In all cases, if the game lasts a little, there are 2 possible transitions:
1) Vikings + Battlecruisers wars. BattleCruisers are good at unlocking Tank's locked positions, and Marauders can't shoot at them. In this case, upgrades are really really really important and you should get more Vikings than him. If you don't have the numerical superiority, don't fight and lay down your Vikings so that he cannot shoot on them (not in his Marauders or Tanks...). Try and harass, BCs are slow.
2) He goes Marauders/Marines/Stim harass everywhere are you both have many expands. I personally like to build 1 or 2 defensive Planet Fortresses at key points in the map, to slow him, if I'm on Vikings/BCs/Tanks tech. If you can't stop him killing one of your expand: don't go, harass by getting your Vikings in his workers, and stand your key positions with tanks. Anyway: you want to transition into Marauders/Marines/Stim if you have the economical upper hand.
Perhaps that nowadays (with the latest Tank nerf), opening bio on small maps is safer.
3 important timings:
- Mass Marines (+ Marauders) rush (you can experience it if you tech too fast on a too small map, they'll come in mass before Siege Tank tech (and even one Siege Tank is not always enough).
- First Banshee (cloak timed with the Second one), you have to have at least 4 Marines and a Viking at this time, don't waste your Scan.
- Vikings / Tanks (+ Marines + Turrets) contain. Don't let him contain you, at least don't let him deny your expand while he is expanding.
Terran vs Protoss
I always open fast ghosts. This opening is very well explained here Ghost Marine Opening %28vs. Protoss%29 and in Gretorp's Episode 1 (Beta). Scouting is very important there again (everytime), just poke at the Protoss front every now and then, and don't be affraid to throw a scan if you fear very fast Colossus / Void Rays. Check for expands (a good Protoss will expand fast if you let him, he craves for gaz.) If you have enough EMP, don't be affraid to use one of them to kill an Observer, this is quite important (particularly to defend or when you transition/expand).
There are mainly 4 possibilities for the Protoss:
1) Void Ray rush: this opening hard counters any VR rush as long as you don't leave your base. It transitions in whatever you want and Ghosts remain useful all game long. 2) Against a 2 gates 1 robo, you have to keep the Colossus count low until you transition into Vikings. You can shoot 2 EMPs on a Colossus (150 shield and EMP deals 100 damages to shield) if you have enough energy.
3) Against a 4 gates push, you have to make enough Marauders to match his stalkers. From there, try and deal with the Zealots without losing too many Ghosts (Ghosts have the same DPS on Zealots that Marauders have on Stalkers) and Marines. With well placed EMPs, you should prevail. Take care if he is 1 basing (all-inning) that you should put down some bunkers. You can expand also against a 4 gates, but it has to be at the very right timing and bunkers are compulsory.
4) Against 2-3 gates harass into High Templars, you have to EMP his Templars, and a good Protoss player will separate them. A good Protoss player will feedback your Medivacas so you'd better keeping them in the "low energy" zone (by Stimming when moving for instance). It's all about microing (and having an adequate macro too...) against storms and all the protoss army. Do the bio +attack upgrades because Zealots will have +Armor and die slowly, and they are huge DPS and constraints to mobility. Don't fight in chokes against Storms (good against Zealots only, bad against Storms ). I personaly enjoy being able to cloak my Ghosts to dodge feedback if I don't see Observers. Try and kill observers.
And, the more common long term strategy for the Protoss is to go 2 gates into robo / Colossus tech, expand (asap) and Templars tech: there, you should not do too much Vikings because he will abandon Colossus and then you'll have useless Vikings.
3 important timings are:
- The (classical) 4 Gates push that you should handle with bunkers. Bunkers are almost free!
- The VR opening, you're safe (EMP then chase) if you're not halfway accros the map.
- The Colossus (1-3 at most) push, having 1 or 2 bunkers to save your ghosts (if defending) can win you the game.
Protoss:
Scouting as Protoss:
I Pylon scout, and then often goes for a fast Observer when I'm not under pressure (so, when I wonder what my opponent is doing). Also, the stalker is a fast unit, you can scout with it pre-Concussive Shells and pre-Zergling Speed. In case you have Phoenixes, abuse their mobility to scout everywhere. If you have Hallucination, pop and Phoenix and scout.
Protoss BOs:
Standard Build:
- 9 Pylon
(Chronoboost probes when the Pylon pops)
- 12 Gateway
- 13 (very slight probes cut)/14 Assimilator
- 16 Pylon
Gateway pops out => produce a Zealot and launch the Cybernetics Core.
Core pops out: you can either launch a Sentry or a Stalker and Warp Gate tech. If blind, I prefer Stalker (to counter Reaper)/Warp Gate against Terran and Sentry (to Force Field ramp) against Zerg and Protoss.
Wall-in FE (works well on maps like Blistering Sands, Desert Oasis, LT):
- 10 Pylon (go scout)
- 10 Gateway
- 12 Forge
- 14 Zealot
- 16 Photon (if needed)
- Nexus asap
Do not over build cannons, wall solid against Zerg and Protoss (no weak Pylons...)!
Nexus first (only safe against one Rax Terran, later than 14 Pool Zerg, one Gate fast Core Protoss):
- 9 Pylon (go scout)
- 15 Nexus
- If you can wall (perhaps even a total wall-in, you'll break your Forge or a Pylon later), you may want to 15 Forge against Zerg/Protoss
Do not over-build cannons, wall solid against Zerg and Protoss (no weak Pylons...)!
Fast Void Rays:
(There is a good explanation of this BO + opening against Terran here: 1 Gateway Stargate %28vs. Terran%29 )
- 9 Pylon
- 12 Gateway
- 14 Assimilator
- 16 Pylon
- ~18 Core + Zealot if against Zerg
- 2nd Assimilator asap
- ~22 Stalker (can be skipped if you walled with your Zealot, otherwise build it and use it to kill scouts)
- Stargate asap (you can proxy it, very efficient on some maps like Steppes of War and Desert Oasis)
- ~24 Pylon
- Research Warp Gate (but keep your chronoboost for the Stargate from now on)
- ~30ish Void Ray (chronoboost)
General facts about Protoss macro that I won't count as a "BO":
- You can sustain 1 Robo + 2 (Warp)Gates production on one base and still expand. 3 Gate Robo is only useful for a timing push (very efficient on a greedy Zerg for instance) but will delay your expand a lot.
- If you want to go to Templar Tech, you need to take your natural.
- I favor Charge over Psionic Storm if faced with Terran Bio / Stalkers (Sentries) / Hydras (Roaches).
- A classical transition for 2 Gates into Robo into expand into Templars is as follows: Gate, Core, Gate/Robo or Robo/Gate, Observer if you can(== if not pressured, I often/always chronoboost it), 1-3x Immortal (chronoboosted) if you need some (Marauders/Thors/Roaches/Stalkers), one or two round of Sentries => gives you the money to expand, Twilight Council, Templar Archives/Charge or Charge/Templar Archives (if you crave for Chargelots and need gaz / army), Psionic Storm, Templars (let them charge energy), Khaydarin Amulet when you can.
Walling or not walling?
- Against Zerg, I think that's good practice, to have a choke so tight that you can defend with only one Zealot. It may even prevent backdoors when you moved out (you can always throw down a Sentry but 1) you need gaz, 2) the time to warp in and throw the FF is far greater than the time to "block" by warping a Zealot in the "one-Zealot" choke).
- Never against Terran (it's free food for Tanks and Banshees as for TvT).
- Yes against very aggressive Protoss (proxy). Anyways, you should rely on your sentries fast (you really need to wall only against a 2 gates proxy all-in while waiting for the first sentry).
Protoss vs Zerg
I often open Wall-in FE or (new!) Nexus first on big maps (Desert Oasis is a "big map" ). On one base, 2-3 Gates Robo works nice on small ones to put a lot on pressure on him (make him build Spines and units).
If he expands and you didn't, you can try and all-in him with a 4 Gates or 3 Gates Robo, but I'm not a big fan of that.
Holding off zerglings is easy with Zealots and good Sentry Force Fields micro, holding off Roaches is easy with good Stalkers micro (hit and run).
If fight Zerglings (who won't?), always keep +1 ground attack upgrade ahead of his +ground armor. Zealots are very cost efficient against Zerglings if they have this one upgrade leap (consider it a core tech as having Psionic Storm).
There are mainly 2 ways the game can turn into:
1) Mutas/Glings, you will lose by being contained to defend in your base while he out macroes you. He'll backdoor whenever he can. Early on, Stalkers+Sentries (with Guardian Shield) are efficient against Mutas, later on they lose their efficiency to high numbers of Mutas, possible circles by Zeglings, immobility. I use one Starport building only Phoenixes per running additional base (one Startport when I have B2) against Mutas, even if he has a lot more Mutas : you can help a few cannons in each mineral lines, you can micro against more Mutas, but don't lose your Phoenixes to a head to head fight with a superior number of Mutas. You can also kill Queens and Overlords and take back the map control. You'll need a fair amount of +attack Zealots. Not commiting too much too Phoenixes if he is not building ONLY Mutas will make you able to deal with other units (he may switch out fast from Mutas if he sees he can't contain you / lost mapcontrol).
2) Anything/Hydras: Colossus with range rape them. Rush for colossus while buildings gateways units adequately to his units compositions (always a few Sentries for FF and Guardian Shield, Stalkers against Roaches and Zealots against Zerglings).
If you fast expanded, there are really two cases: - Either he took B3 and you want to push with ~7 Warpgates to kill one of his expansions.
- He will push on (one or) two bases with Zerglings / Hydras with range (to pick off your wall out of cannons range). It's kind of all-in for him, so cut probes if necessary, and, did I said that Colossus with range rape hydras?
Late game: - I have nightmares about ultras. However, if I played well enough and don't lose the first fight they're in, I can counter them (if I can't, I had already lost previously to something else, like Mutas harass). If you see ultras and your army can't take it, retreat and spawn what you need to have a line of Zealots blocking Ultras from Stalkers. Then put down as many Robotics as you need to have one Robo / running base and produce chronoboosted Immortals. Immortals / Zealots / Stalkers do pretty well against Ultras. - If he persists Roaches/Hydras (or Mutas/Glings) and add Corruptors (or many Mutas) to counter Colossus, you can either play it micro-wars with Sentries/Stalkers/(Zealots)/Colossus or go to HT. I find that going to HT is safer (Hydras off creep and Corruptors are really slow to get their asses out of storms). Don't forget that HT can Feedback Corruptors. Archons are a viable use for HTs against Zerg (particularly own against stacks of Mutas) once depleted of their energy.
3 important timings are:
- Early rushes/pushes (normally you're the one harassing the Zerg, but some nasty ones may want to Zerglings rush or Baneling Bust or 5 Roaches Push you). Building placement, fast first Zealot, and Force Fields deny all that quite well.
- Firsts Mutas timing, have one sentry with Guardian Shield up and a few Stalkers, you'll be ok!
- When you move out and he backdoors, be sure to warp a few Zealots in your chokes, and to have a few cannons (I'd say 2, not spread out, clustered together and powered by 2 pylons) in your mineral lines.
Protoss vs Terran
I often go for 2 Gates + fast Robo into expand, but sometimes open Void Rays. I think that's a good opening because it forces the Terran out of pure Marauder, that you can't really deal with efficiently in early game. When doing 2 Gates + Robo, I make a Zealot and a fast Stalker to deny a possible Reaper. Then I'll do Sentry/Zealots/Stalkers with just enough Sentries to force field chokes (main and natural, offensively or defensively). Fast Observer helps a lot for scouting and if dealing with Banshees. Being able to produce Immortals and to transition into Colossus makes this opening very polyvalent.
There are mainly 3 Terrans opening:
1) 3 raxes Marauders/Marines/Stim: don't let them in, they're not friendly. Force field them in small chunks that you can pick off when they try to get up the ramp. You'll have to train this micro, because you have to attract the separated units and kill them quite fast. Do not run out of energy on your Sentries before having dealt with the entire push.
2) Fast Ghosts/Marines: spread your Sentries. If he is pushing, you need to able to deny your choke. If he is defending while expanding, try and poke at his front door (particularly considering that his Marauders count should be low), while expanding. If he throw down some Bunkers, don't impale yourself on it!
3) Mech: you don't fear Mech as long as you keep scouting well and not let him position his Tanks appropriately. The fast Observer gives you vision and you can chronoboost Immortals if you need them (they are very cost efficient vs Tanks and Thors).
Now, you should expand as fast as possible. It can be as fast as when you have only one Immortal and repelled their push, or when you scouted a comparatively small army / a CC building on his side. Because you will need gaz for either Colossus tech or HT tech, or both. Expanding vs a good Terran doing a lot of Marauders (and pushing when he gets angry at me expanding), almost always requires me to use Probes to defend. And I think that is normal. Focus on producing Immortals, Zealots and Stalkers. Zealots are here to soak up damages and requiring him to micro (otherwise they'll be quite good damage dealers), Immortals and Stalkers get the kills. But if you expanded quite fast (and you should), you have to take out Probes to soak Marauders shots and restrain their mobility.
Late game: I think that Chargelots with +2 armor are compulsory. I like to tech fast to HT but sometimes, it's safer to do Colossus (with range, always with range) against MMM, because they come before the High templars + Psionic Storm, and your opponent is forced to build Vikings (that will be useless if you don't give him too many free Colossus and switch to High Templars). I always end it with High Templars, Chargelots, and some Stalkers / Sentries. Archons also as I merge depleted Templars. Storm well, and Feedback all Medivacs and/or Thors (and Ghosts if you can)! Ultimately:
- Against bio, you need by order of priority Zealots/HT/Stalkers/Sentries.
- Against mech or biomech, you need by order of priority Immortals (to take down Tanks and Thors)/Zealots/HT/Stalkers/Sentries. Don't fear to double or triple Robo late game against a full Mech player.
2 important timings are:
- The Marauders/Marines Stim timing push: it comes very early so you have to get a Sentry asap after the first Stalker.
- The Ghost/Marines push, particularly harmful if you went Void Rays or built too much Sentries.
Protoss vs Protoss
I almost always go for 2 Gates + Robo into Colossus + range. I think that this is the standard/best tech. Just a point on two particular timings in this match-up:
- When to produce Immortals? How much? Immortals are an awesome unit: one Immortal costs two Stalkers, yet it rapes them if they can't hit and run. Problem is, you need good force fields to block them, he can lay down good FF to keep your Immortal out of range. They're not really a gaz heavy unit (as much as the Stalker). For all these reasons, I love building Immortals in a combination between "defensive stance" and "lots of Stalker on his side". While defending, you don't have to worry about him running away (hit and running), and if he has a lot of Stalkers, your Immortals have a higher probability to get targets. Indeed, I think that I really use them to counter 4 Gates in PvP. The point is not to delay the Colossus tech too much, but to resist to the 4 Gates push (that comes before Colossus), with Sentries and Immortals.
- When to expand? Two answers, when he does (if you can't, you're really behind), and when either you repelled him from a push or you pushed him and did damages. There is only one reason not to expand: you are near Colossus (for instance you have one, can upgrade range and produce an other with this 400 minerals) and he is still on Gateway/Immortal tech => then you want the Colossus and rape him (at least deny his natural). With Colossus + range and a few Sentries, you can deny his Immortals from shooting to your Stalkers/Colossus and do terrible terrible damage!
|