Starcraft II Tips

People playing protoss!

Question for you protoss players: how do you stop a proxy marauder (with slow) rush?


Edit: Grrr for that matter, how do you play against terrans in general? I can never scout their base because it's blocked off. I usually build an observer ASAP for this reason, but if they decide to do heavy barracks rush, then I can't stop it.... and if I decide to not worry about the observer and build units to fend off a heavy barracks rush, they end up doing a 1/1/1 and kill me anyway

Between walling off, and marines ability to kill scouts effectively, I don't know how to scout a terran

 

Simple... use your achievement points...



(.... runs away ....)

 

No way unless you let them climb that ramp, forcefield behind em and start tickling them with zealots with maybe a stalker to shoot from behind. But the zealot should last 15 shots whereas a zealot needs around... 8-9 hits to kill a marauder. Just need to prevent the kiting and you're fine.

You send in a probe after the 9 pylon and keep it alive. You can even warp in a pylon in plain sight and see if he pulls lots of workers to try and kill it in fear of cannon rush. Then cancel the pylon before it completes and warp in another pylon and repeat. That should slow down their economy enough to let you get an immortal/observer out asap. Heck, warp in a pylon at their ramp to prevent a wall off. They make barracks at 12 supply so your 9 pylon or earlier scout might catch them trying to build one at the ramp. Be sure to cancel the pylon before it completes.

 

Unless you get a probe out as soon as the game starts and know exactly where they are, it's difficult. I can get a barracks, bunker, and supply depot down now usually faster than any probe can get in my area, as long as it's not a double wide ramp. But in my case, that just means it delays my inevitable loss.

 

Right... kiting is why I die though And it's impossible to get a sentry in time before they send in the marauders.

I can never keep my probe alive as soon as a marine comes out. But I really love your idea about building a pylon at their ramp (where their rax should go). I will definitely try that out next time!

What's worst are 4-player maps and by the time you find them, they're already sealed off

Edit: What % of resources are returned for canceled buildings?

 

Send out 2 probes in bigger maps if you plan to do the pylon thing. You can chronoboost to catch up in lost worker count for mining anyways. Heck, you're probably even since you just warp in a pylon and go scouting while they lose one for scouting and another for making the supply depot. There's no rule saying that you can only scout with one worker in the beginning.

 

Or worse yet, by the time "you" finally pay attention to "your" scouting probe, a force of marines have killed it...

Just before reapers start moving out

Before the inevitable bioball that will come after blink stalkers finally get researched.

I think I need to improve my timing.

 

Farful, you and I will have to take out our differences in a 1v1 game. LOL. I know I'd lose, but it'd be fun.

 

If there's a marine by the time you scouted him and it's a 4 player map, then you're scouting way too late Terran's standard is 12 SCV barracks which is about 1 minute after you send out a 9 pylon scouting probe Some get at 11 but meh.

There's a trick to knowing if he walled off or not. Just click about the ramp and if you walk along the sides and not up the ramp means it's fully blocked off. It's something about the AI knowing it's blocked even if you don't have vision

Oh, HT, me and Vicious tried to invite you to play co-op earlier this morning/night your time but you rage quited and then came on for a bit and instantly logged off the moment we sent the invite

 

rofl sure. I'll be on tonight. (4-8pmish pst) We can 2s if you want instead.

I really don't care what Blizzard did (as it doesn't have affect me personally and I don't care if other people gained achievement points by cheating). But overall (as I understand what the gaming world is like today) I think they were justified in their actions, though the punishment was perhaps a bit severe.

 

Yeah sorry about that. I was playing a 1v1, when I was done my 2yr old woke up, once I got him settled I got back in game, then he started crying again, so I had to quit. Darn kids interfering with my pathetic personal life.

And on another topic, there's one thing I don't like about the matchmaking system. My record is pretty crappy. Like 8 wins, 20 something losses. In many games it says I'm "favored" not "slightly favored" but "favored" yet when I'm done I find out the person has at least a 50% W/L ratio, and of course has beat me. I even threw a half dozen games to see if it would help, but nope.

 

-Takes note- 4-8pm PST... Aw crap I got lectures tomorrow

The favour thing is probably race favour for that map ._.

 

Lecture in what subject? I'll take care of the lecture (if I know the subject) whilst in a game with you.

 

As a Protoss, I've learned to turtle myself in and lay down 2 canons in case I get rushed early on. Later on, I try to get Templars or Colossi for the bioballs.

I also found this strategy from teamliquid.net

[G] Gnial's PvT Stalker-Void Ray Strategy

 

Taking on a lecture whilst trying to concentrate in a game of SC?! *headexplode

 

Oh, I'm sure it'd be a bad lecture. I'm also trying to set a bad example to uni students here by trying to convince them to skip out on lecture to play SC2.

 

I can probably sleep after lectures It's only 9am - 1pm :3

I'll try to be there

 

Just a small question, i remember reading that SC2 was a game optimized for 2 cores, although most still recommended quads for optimum, lately i been checking my temps at home on my i7 920, and all cores are reaching the same peak temps (havent bother checking load graphs or logs), but it seems like either sc2 is using all 4 cores, is this the same experience all are having or just two cores are being used on your i7 mobile?

 

If you have 4 cores, it'll use all 4 cores but the first 2 cores will be used slightly more than the other 2 iirc

 

Played 8 solo games against Terran last night. Lost 7 of 'em. Seems like I just can't beat a general MM (heavier on marauders) rush.

I've tried your pylon suggestion a few times. No one ever rushes SCV at it. If I do let it complete, it gets taken out pretty quickly with a marine or two. Then they just lift off their rax and set it down at the entrance blocking off ramp again. I guess it does slightly slow them down, but it also slows me down as I'm building the pylon when I should be building my gateway.

More suggestions needed!

 

Try making an early Stalker and harass them with it. Try to take out a worker or two or a marine and run it away when its shields start to drain. When it's recharged, send it back again for more damage. Keep pumping out more stalkers to do the same, while you quickly tech to void rays. When you have enough void rays, send them in to finish off the workers or something while you keep the front line busy with your stalkers. I haven't tried it against real opponents yet, but works great on the AI. Be sure to keep a stalker or two at your base in case he tries sending reapers.

edit: I forgot about them walling off. Maybe you can kill off a supply depot or barrack upgrade to draw them out?

 

Warping in the pylon shouldn't deter you warping in the gateway much But really, the pylon's there just to scare them thinking you're going to cannon rush them

You may attempt a proxy gateway rush but that's a risky all in sort of build Only way early game is to abuse your ramp and sentry forcefields while you tech up to immortals ASAP

 

Proxy gateway rush is nerfed now not as good as it used too be (I only used it a few times)

I tried the "korean 4 gate rush" but never really pulled it off right so I dont think I actually won when I tried it.

I guess that will have also been nerfed though is probably still close to as effective as it used to be.

I dont like rush tactics anymore, I hate to use cheese and prefer a macro game but it means I lose easier now to rushes especially in 2v2 or 3v3 where rush is more effective.

 

Wooh, finished placements with a 4-1 score. Placed in Gold 100. :/

 

Agreed. Terran MM is really hard to hold off. I've been losing to that quite a bit, especially since my Protoss isn't very good, lately I've only been playing Protoss and I'm finding that PvT is now my hardest match-up. Even ZvT and ZvP is easier for me.

The pylon block tactic is not going to ever work against a competent player. As high level Terrans don't even wall in PvT.

Something I have been doing is a FE expand build in PvT. It works pretty well because the expo gets you the extra minerals and gas you need so you can beat any kind of MM 3 rax push, with just mass units.

This is the only 2 replays that I have where I FE and its not exactly against MM pressure. Also my micro and macro in both games are pretty bad. Both are against 1000+ diamond players.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

Here is me doing Korean 4 warpgate to a 1800 point diamond player. It works best against someone going late gateway or making a gateway later then you. I do it whenever I suspect cheese and get a. early gateway, but scout and see a normal gateway timing. Since an early gateway vs an economically late gateway will usually result in the early gateway person losing.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

 

Thanks! I'll be sure to take them out.

What does FE stand for? I'll assume it means fast expand?

I honestly have trouble seeing how you could pull off a fast expand when they go MM but I'll check out the replays I really ought to spend time and just youtube replays

 

It is indeed Fast expand. You'll have to practice your building placement for fast expanding though

Remember that game where I went 7 warpgates? xD That's the Protoss Fast Expand build Well I messed up the placements since i blocked for both of us but you'll get the idea of how it is

 

You mean the game where you built like 10 cannons out in front?

 

Almost 10 Yeah that one

You're supposed to make it bend a bit and put pylons and cannons at safe places and train more units and less cannons than I did anyway

 

Not trying to criticize your cannons - I mean they did win us the game Just trying to figure out which game you were referring too. Too bad I don't save replays

 

Well it's a really badly done one You're better off watching Random1337's replays

It's this one btw

 

StarCraft II Patch Notes

Void Ray Nerf!

 

Dammit you can't feedback Thors for easy damage anymore

 

Same for corruptors.

 

Ugh.

Medivac and reaper nerfs were somewhat unnecessary. As I'm usually on the receiving, rather than giving, end of void rays, I suppose that nerf works for me, but I don't know if I totally agree with it ... especially the speed upgrade nerf. Everything else, I'm just sort of "meh". :-|

 

reaper early harrass is now harder (bunker now require SD)

protoss nexus is 1000/1000, no longer 750/750


I think half of all Zerg building got a life buff, lol

EDIT: supply depots have +50 life, usefull for terran wall vs baneling bust, I guess...

 

WOAH!? Nitro packs require factory!?!?!?

They are really trying to kill early reaper rushes, lol.

 

Why slowdown medivacs? Whats the point in that? It's not like they were speedy to begin with and you have to micro them anyhow because it's impossible to get them to follow units. They must be putting on lipgloss or something when the marines/maruders are marching on to their inevitable death.

 

Wow thats a pretty big nerf to void rays, both in speed and damage to buildings.

I guess they will fair a bit better now if somebody gets the jump on them, but that was not really the point of voidrays.

Roaches +1 range is a pretty big buff I think (33% range increase)

 

I'm a terran player and am disappointed about the upcoming reaper changes. i've watched a lot of pro level plays and never see reapers being used besides for rushing. it will be interesting to see what people do with this particular unit now. i'd personally use them as suicide guys whos main purpose is to take out important buildings like pylons, spawning pools, etc.

 

reapers were too easy mode, if they are perfectly executed then its almost an easy win and hard to counter. if that somehow fails, then you still have options for MM or MMM and your economy is not entirely f'ed.

 

Reaper is still a great building destroyer, also a good scout.

They only made it so you cant get the speed upgrade without the factory, you can still get the unit to rush with. but now it wont force roaches or fast speedings to counter properly a queen or two can do the job.

I hated having to go roach for reapers, and then have the maruaders come in a few min later to mow me down.

 

Yes Voidray And Medivac Nerf!

Yesyesyes!

 

you kidding me? medivacs where one of the fastest non air combat unit, SO hard to stop even when you saw them coming if you were not in your base already as protoss or zerg. Its a very welcome nerf, means that terran actually have to use some kind of strategic positioning in battles too and now just turtle up and make drops that can snipe 2 buildings every time.

 

Sooo, poor unit management is the reason? Keep a few anti air units spread around the base. I get demolished every time when someone does that because I don't give the medivacs any ground or air support half the time and lose a couple medivacs filled with marines. But if there's no defense, then it's an open back door. I don't see how running slower will help.

Maybe they should slow down voidrays enough so marines can catch up to them too. I dunno. I just hate how Blizzard keeps changing the game, when everyone constantly drools how well balanced the game is. If it's balanced then why the constant changes?

 

SC:BW was well balanced.

SC2 is better balanced than many recent RTS. Best? I dunno.

As for the medivacs, at least they will not outrun my MMM balls, now

They used to be inbetween the reapers and the MM ball (attackmoving long distance), to they get picked off by some airborne units. (hard to keep track on small screen of m11x ).

 

YES!
No longer will a medivac with 4 stimmed marauders automatically equal a dead nexus. I will actually have a chance to save it since it has more health. (And might be able to kill the retreating medivac cause its slower =p)

Though honestly, voids didn't really need a nerf(Probably going to get flamed for this since so many people love hating on voids). They were already so fragile for their cost and were only really a "problem" in the bronze league where one player would mass them on one base...and literally no one upgraded flux vanes but whatever, I hardly use voids anyways.

 

Just won a match against a 2000 point Terran as Protoss.

Either my Protoss is starting to get better, or he was having a bad day.

I love this Fast Expo build as Toss, it is really good for PvT. Lets you get 5 Colossi relatively the same time as one base Protoss, but with a better unit composition.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

 

I'm honestly happy about the voidray nerf. I don't really see it in solo matches, though I used to void rush against zerg in the platinum level.

Voidrays were most effective in team games, ffa, and lower division solo, to the point where they're impossible to stop once a player masses them and they just make the game dumb and impossible to win.

No comment on medivacs... I rarely see them and rarely use them (don't know how to play terran outside of 3rax still). Still need that "heal 1000+ with medivacs!" achievement too :-\

 

Speaking of void rays, just had a protoss go void ray on me. Even though he was charged using the rocks on shakuras plateau, he had a hard time taking my queens down.

I read through the patch notes but didn't expect that BIG of a difference with their damage output