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When I play a 1v1 match against Zerg as Protoss, I'm happy. So far (in about 5 matches), I found the following strategy undefeatable:

  1. Quickly build a Forge (before Gateway), then 2-3 cannons at your doorstep. If you have a Natural Expansions that is defendable, build the cannons there instead of the main base, and secure your natural.
  2. Gas up, build more cannons, expand to natural if it's defendable
  3. By this time, the Zerg player will have given hope on ground assault. 5 cannons are pretty much impassable... the Zerg will go for Mutalisks/Corruptors
  4. Mass up on Phoenixes - build 2-3 Stargates and pump Phoenixes using Chrono boost. You will encounter some Muta resistance, but you can build Phoenixes faster than he can build Mutas.
  5. By the time you have control of the skies, build Voidrays and gg

What is its weak point? How can I defend against it playing Zerg? Nydus/Overlord transport ?

Grant Palin
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ripper234
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  • Situation like this make me wish Zerg had a non air-based siege breaker unit. Broodlords don't work as siege when your opponent has lots of AA (and little else) – Raven Dreamer Aug 12 '10 at 00:24
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    Has anyone tried banelane bust on you? I find it hard to believe that 5 cannons are unstoppable. – Strawberry Aug 14 '10 at 02:44
  • @Doug - yeah, I haven't encountered it yet, though I imagine it will be quite effective. This might be the best answer to such a wall-in tactic. – ripper234 Aug 14 '10 at 18:18
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    I love seeing the cannons go up. the more you spend on cannons, the less you have for units that can actually come out to get me. therefore, i can spread out over the whole map, get 5 bases, and wait until you run out of resources. – Peter Recore Aug 18 '10 at 20:02

2 Answers2

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This is actually the best possible thing to happen for you as a zerg player. He's running just Phoenixes and he has given you map control FOR FREE.

Your Strategy is going to be as follows:

  • Build a couple spore to stop early Phoenix harass.
  • Expand to 3 or 4 bases
  • Spread your creep
  • Build pretty much any unit, you're going to run over him

He's giving up the Macro advantage as you now have map control. You can build Hydras as a direct counter to Phoenix and they have the nice benefit of being strong against 4 gate.

Now if he pushes out a more standard 4 Warpgate play, you just FE and play normal vs a 2 Base Protoss. By the time you make a serious push, the Photon Cannons will be a small factor.

Btw, what do people feel about the plural of Phoenix? In Roman mythology there was only one Phoenix in the entire world so the word had no plural. I've been using it as both plural and singular (like fish) as a result.

tzenes
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  • UPVOTE! So true, I laughed so hard. For the plural, I find myself saying Pheonixes sometimes or just Pheonix. – Strawberry Aug 14 '10 at 02:45
  • @Doug based on the latin the plural of Pheonix would have been Phoenices (like matrices). – tzenes Aug 15 '10 at 00:46
  • Lol, it could also be Phoenii :P – Lotus Notes Aug 20 '10 at 17:17
  • Maybe Phoenixen? – Brant Aug 26 '10 at 15:14
  • "you just FE and play normal" what is FE? – TM. Sep 01 '10 at 20:49
  • @TM FE = Fast Expand, a strategy which allows superior macro. An explanation of Zerg BO (including FE) can be found here: http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/359/what-build-order-should-i-use-for-zerg-in-starcraft-2 – tzenes Sep 01 '10 at 20:58
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    asked on english.stackexchange http://english.stackexchange.com/q/19839/2109 :D – Rohan Monga Apr 07 '11 at 06:11
  • I'm thinking that it is still possible to control the map ans halt the fast expansion of zerg. A single phoenix can scout easily after all it is fast and a new base is easy to destroy with 2-3 zealots (maybe less) or a void ray. The only problem is phoenix are hard to control and this strategy is hard to execute as it requires a good micro management. But if done efficiently it is very hard to counter imo. – Sinan Apr 07 '11 at 08:44
  • In reasonable numbers (4-6), Phoenix gives the protoss map control and steals it from Zerg. A few phoenix have no problem sniping important Zerg map control units: overlords, units holding watch towers, and queens dropping creep tumors away from the base. In addition they are excellent for scouting. – tenfour Apr 07 '11 at 12:31
  • @tenfour, please explain how 4-6 Phoenix steal map control for Speedlings? What Phoenix do is allow Protoss the ability to harass. This is not the same thing as granting map control. If a Zerg has sufficient Spore Crawlers and pulls back Overlords for speedlings, the value of that harassment is sufficiently reduced. What's more we're talking about a 1 Base Protoss player. Off one base, if a Protoss goes Phoenix that's all they can do. – tzenes Apr 07 '11 at 14:59
  • They can't produce a sufficient Zealot harassment to crack an expo (especially not with 40+ Speedlings running around). Speedlings are cheep so spending Energy to kill them isn't cost effective. The Protoss certainly can't take an expo without a sufficient gateway force. Its a poor poor strategy with flaws I could list all day. What you're probably thinking of is 2 Base Phoenix play off 3-4 Gates, where Phoenix harassment is based by Gateway units to assert map control. – tzenes Apr 07 '11 at 15:02
  • I +1ed as soon as I saw your first line :) – Nick122 Jun 08 '12 at 18:51
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I'm assuming you are walling off with no gaps with those cannons? Any half decent zerg player will ignore your cannons and run past with speedlings. (Zerglings with speed upgrade) if you are not walling off. If you are walling off then see my next comment.

Any half decent Zerg player can easily counter this strategy by one of two things. Nytus (sp?) network or Overlord drops into your main. Game Over.

What league are you seeing success with this?

Mark
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  • Bronze-Silver :)

    I'm not completely walling off, but the number of cannons I have is usually enough to decimate the incoming force, so my opponent doesn't even try to go for a ground assault.

     – ripper234 Aug 12 '10 at 06:35
  • It does not work in Diamond, let us just say that. – Strawberry Aug 14 '10 at 02:44