PvZ revised PART 1 By Salv
Author: Salvatore321
For money maps: No
Difficulty: Advanced
Comments: 9 (Watch for comments!, Add to favorites)
Views: 5914
~~Protoss versus Zerg~~ PART 1
--Introduction: Protoss versus Zerg. The matchup a lot of people called imbalanced. To a degree, I would agree it's 'Imbalanced' but only because I feel it's easier for the Zerg to outperform the Protoss with lower effort. However, if both races are being utilized to their fullest, I would think it's 100% balanced. So let's get down to it.
-- This strategy will cover my favorite Protoss versus Zerg build and i'l go over some unit combos and what counters what. I'l try to go as indepth as possible and if you have questions, just post as a comment and I will try to answer your Q.
~~The Build~~
-- The build itself is known as the 2gate rush. So first off, why do a 2gate rush? To understand Zerg, you must understand they always have to choose one of two things: units or drones. They can either power (build drones) or mass (units). Now you really never want them focusing on drones because if they get a sizeable economy up, mixed with the fact they can replenish their army quick; and that's it very mobile, it's spells doom for you. So what the 2gate does is put pressure on them, forces them to mass, gives a good chance to deal economic damage, and a small chance to cripple them.
--First off build probes up to 8/9 supply and make a pylon. Most people say put it by the ramp, but I usually put it in the middle of my base as I hate having to build my gateways towards my nexus as opposed to away from it (odd habit). Scout after that pylon as well. After this, gateway at 10/17, gateway at 12/17 and zealot at 13. After this, as long as you keep pumping probes, your pylon should start at 16/17.
--I would suggest you hotkey your probe to 1 and when you find his main, scout it and return to his natural. If your in time, you could catch it empty before he makes his hatchery, if you can, stall it by keeping it close to the drone trying to make the hatchery. Send your first zealot as well and just attack that hatchery, flee back to your base at the first sign of zerglings.
--Keep pumping probes and making zealots accordingly and when you have 7, go to his base. (As a nice rule of thumb, I always start my tech after my third pylon is built. Tech being a cybernetics core and the assimilator.) When your 7 zealots arrive at his base your going to need to quickly look for a few things. A) Does he have a sizeable amount of zerglings. 8 is not sizeable, 10 is not sizeable, 15+ is sizeable IMO. Also look for how many sunkens he has. (If he has 3 or more. Take a probe and expand right away and get a forge Asap for some cannons.) If he has 1 or 2, your about to try and break his ramp. (When deciding whether or not to try to break his ramp just look at his zergling and sunkens, if your unsure that you'll be able to make it up, just attack to pressure a bit and scare him and back off but stay close.
~~Breaking the Ramp~~
This is where you have a chance to do economic damage, and a chance to cripple him. If hes not prepared, or he just isn't too afraid of 2gate rushes, he might not have enough zerglings or sunkens. Your objective is to get up his ramp. Now usually you'll want to just move past whatever he has. If he starts trapping you with zealots, try to fight out of it, you'll usually have more than enough zealots to be able to get to his ramp. It takes practice, but more often than not you'll be able to get up the ramp.
--Now the Zerg doesn't have the defense of his sunkens so you want to make a break for his mineral line and make some havoc there. Usually he'll move them to his natural, but no big deal, try to destroy the spawning pool and the hatchery. Usually you won't get neither, but what you will get is his massing zergling instead of drones and ecnomic damage because that line wasn't being mined for however long you were up there.
~~If you chose not to~~
It's not a big deal, he knows your there so he won't power 100%. It's recommended you try to break the ramp so rally more zealots to your already existing force and try with a larger number of zealots (10 or 11 maybe) If still unsuccessful, it's not a big deal once again, he probably made a lot of sunkens and wasted drones on those or massed zerglings.
~~Back at the Base~~
After the cybernetics warps in, get the forge and the citadel up and get yourself an expansion. I would recommend a cannon at your ramp, 2 cannons by your natural, 2 cannons by your main nexus and 1 at your new choke (By that natural) If your unsure about mutalisks (you didn't get to see tech, or your suspicious of it) make two goons. Two goons and two cannons can handle a mutalisk attack usually, he will most likely back off. Of course once your templar archives is up though, an archon is the best choice.
~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~ This is only PART 1 and it's not easy writing these, I will submit PART 2 very soon.
--Introduction: Protoss versus Zerg. The matchup a lot of people called imbalanced. To a degree, I would agree it's 'Imbalanced' but only because I feel it's easier for the Zerg to outperform the Protoss with lower effort. However, if both races are being utilized to their fullest, I would think it's 100% balanced. So let's get down to it.
-- This strategy will cover my favorite Protoss versus Zerg build and i'l go over some unit combos and what counters what. I'l try to go as indepth as possible and if you have questions, just post as a comment and I will try to answer your Q.
~~The Build~~
-- The build itself is known as the 2gate rush. So first off, why do a 2gate rush? To understand Zerg, you must understand they always have to choose one of two things: units or drones. They can either power (build drones) or mass (units). Now you really never want them focusing on drones because if they get a sizeable economy up, mixed with the fact they can replenish their army quick; and that's it very mobile, it's spells doom for you. So what the 2gate does is put pressure on them, forces them to mass, gives a good chance to deal economic damage, and a small chance to cripple them.
--First off build probes up to 8/9 supply and make a pylon. Most people say put it by the ramp, but I usually put it in the middle of my base as I hate having to build my gateways towards my nexus as opposed to away from it (odd habit). Scout after that pylon as well. After this, gateway at 10/17, gateway at 12/17 and zealot at 13. After this, as long as you keep pumping probes, your pylon should start at 16/17.
--I would suggest you hotkey your probe to 1 and when you find his main, scout it and return to his natural. If your in time, you could catch it empty before he makes his hatchery, if you can, stall it by keeping it close to the drone trying to make the hatchery. Send your first zealot as well and just attack that hatchery, flee back to your base at the first sign of zerglings.
--Keep pumping probes and making zealots accordingly and when you have 7, go to his base. (As a nice rule of thumb, I always start my tech after my third pylon is built. Tech being a cybernetics core and the assimilator.) When your 7 zealots arrive at his base your going to need to quickly look for a few things. A) Does he have a sizeable amount of zerglings. 8 is not sizeable, 10 is not sizeable, 15+ is sizeable IMO. Also look for how many sunkens he has. (If he has 3 or more. Take a probe and expand right away and get a forge Asap for some cannons.) If he has 1 or 2, your about to try and break his ramp. (When deciding whether or not to try to break his ramp just look at his zergling and sunkens, if your unsure that you'll be able to make it up, just attack to pressure a bit and scare him and back off but stay close.
~~Breaking the Ramp~~
This is where you have a chance to do economic damage, and a chance to cripple him. If hes not prepared, or he just isn't too afraid of 2gate rushes, he might not have enough zerglings or sunkens. Your objective is to get up his ramp. Now usually you'll want to just move past whatever he has. If he starts trapping you with zealots, try to fight out of it, you'll usually have more than enough zealots to be able to get to his ramp. It takes practice, but more often than not you'll be able to get up the ramp.
--Now the Zerg doesn't have the defense of his sunkens so you want to make a break for his mineral line and make some havoc there. Usually he'll move them to his natural, but no big deal, try to destroy the spawning pool and the hatchery. Usually you won't get neither, but what you will get is his massing zergling instead of drones and ecnomic damage because that line wasn't being mined for however long you were up there.
~~If you chose not to~~
It's not a big deal, he knows your there so he won't power 100%. It's recommended you try to break the ramp so rally more zealots to your already existing force and try with a larger number of zealots (10 or 11 maybe) If still unsuccessful, it's not a big deal once again, he probably made a lot of sunkens and wasted drones on those or massed zerglings.
~~Back at the Base~~
After the cybernetics warps in, get the forge and the citadel up and get yourself an expansion. I would recommend a cannon at your ramp, 2 cannons by your natural, 2 cannons by your main nexus and 1 at your new choke (By that natural) If your unsure about mutalisks (you didn't get to see tech, or your suspicious of it) make two goons. Two goons and two cannons can handle a mutalisk attack usually, he will most likely back off. Of course once your templar archives is up though, an archon is the best choice.
~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~ This is only PART 1 and it's not easy writing these, I will submit PART 2 very soon.
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Out of 8 voters, most think this strategy is Exceptional!
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Other Submissions: |
| 1, IxionsRevenge | |||||||
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Well written. I personally use hatch 1 to just pump zlings constantly after I get the pool. My 12 hatch expo is used to make drones and a few sunkens and a third hatch after everything gets going to make drones for the main line. Usually when the zealots make a break for the ramp you just need to block the ramp since they usually arent attacking just moving. If you stall them up the zlings can chew on them along with the sunkens. If you weaken them enough, just stacking your drones is usually enough to stave them off till more zerglings can stop them. -Ixion |
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| 2, HellzInTown | |||||||
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Its well written. Being a toss player myself i usually have trouble with the zerg -.-. But this is helped. O and btw Exceptional. | ||||||
| 3, MatGeo | |||||||
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Am I the only one who finds it hard to beat P t.t Nice job salv ;] |
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| 4, ZShock | |||||||
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Finally... Completely understood guide, finally! Simple strategy, and wirh excelent results. Nice guide, thanks! | ||||||
| 5, Protogod (Senior Moderator) | |||||||
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My worst MU, as written by salv. Excep. |
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| 6, MedavassD | |||||||
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Awsome, I'll try that next time I play!!!!!!!! -Exceptional- -Med |
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| 7, Hasu | |||||||
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Your giving this an exceptional? i must wonder about your judgement. no offence salv, but this is a mediocre strategy with good writing. Two gate isn't that great vs. zerg for a few reasons. 1.) if the zerg is better than you at micro, and he expands, he will have the advantage. 2.) Even if you fuck up the zerg, he will still have techs faster good than you. A better strategy imo is fast expand, while im not going to explain how to do this build, it's a much better way to win a zerg. For some reason im compelled to give you a pretty bad, but i'm not going to be a bigger asshole than i've already been: Good -Hasu |
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| 8, Devastate | |||||||
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"Your giving this an exceptional? i must wonder about your judgement. no offence salv, but this is a mediocre strategy with good writing. Two gate isn't that great vs. zerg for a few reasons. 1.) if the zerg is better than you at micro, and he expands, he will have the advantage. 2.) Even if you fuck up the zerg, he will still have techs faster good than you." @Hasu: If your micro is better than the zerg, then you will win. This strat is assuming you have even abilities. The whole point of this strategy is to try and screw him up, lower his economy, make him panic. If he tries to take, the sheer number of your units will be able to kill him before he can acheive what hes going for. And, IMO, fast expo is a lot more risky than 2 gating. -Expeptional |
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| 9, soa609 | |||||||
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Looking forward to the part 2  |
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