EPTAgain, its always useful to start at the beginning so let's kick it off with:
Basic Strats
"Protoss energy shields are effective at stopping all manner of physical and energy attacks, but they can be depleted during an attack."
Imagine if they couldn't? That doesn't sound fair at all.
"By far the most useful upgrade for the Protoss, the Plasma Shield upgrade will add to the shield maximum for all units and buildings. Combined with Armor upgrades, you can noticeably increase the lifespan of your units. As such, the Plasma Shield Upgrade should always be researched as early as possible."
Orly? +1 Shield rush:
Anytime's ticket into the next OSL."The best method of protection is probably the Photon Cannon, since they are a rooted means of defense and will not harm your Probes when fending off enemy units. "
That would be the worst static defense ever if they did hurt your probes. But it would be awesome. Blizz, implement this ASAP.
But I'm sure the gosuness that is TL knew these basic things. Test your skills to their limits with these ...
Advanced Strategies
"In the early game, the key element before actually attacking or defending is to scout with an early Probe (your 7th Probe or earlier)"
Makes sense. If the computer in the game is to believed, 7 rax is the ultimate terran strategy. So of course you're gonna want a probe in their base at the 50 second mark so you can see this amazing rush coming in time to get up 9 Photon Cannons.
"If you do manage to make it into the [opponents mineral line], your opponent will probably have noticed the Zealot presence and begin counter attacking with their Probes and any available Zealots."
If your opponent realizes all his probes are dying. This is in the first couple of minutes so I'm not entirely sure what the guy is so distracted with to not realize this. Unless he's off microwaving Hot Pockets or something. But my favourite part of this is the counter attack with all their probes and zealots. Not sure if this is an attack on your zealots or your main base but I desperately hope it's the latter.
"Also if the map is an 'island' map, the Zealot Rush (as described above) is useless."
Just in case you thought zealots could fly.
"One of the more successful tactics is to go straight for Photon Cannons and build a quick defense."
I'm pretty sure its not even a quick defense at another base. I suppose this is a fantastic strategy if you expect your opponent to send all their zealots and probes at your base.
"Another alternative, though even more risky, is to go straight up the tech tree to either Dark Templar or Shuttles/Reavers. If micromanaged with a solid build order, you should be able to get one or the other unit type in under 10 minutes "
Micromanage your buildings to get your units out faster? Sounds tricky. But if you manage to do it you can get Dark Templar out in under 10 minutes (!!!)
"[A] successful Offensive Photon Cannon operation almost always guarantees victory."
It also
![[image loading]](http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/scc/protoss/pix/general/offcan03.jpg)
How to be Gay With Cannons - Tasteless (according to Day[9])
"The Reaver Pop is essentially the same thing as a Reaver Drop but with more micromanagement. It involves using one or two Reavers in a Shuttle and "popping" them in and out of the Shuttle for attacks and for hiding while reproducing the Scarabs needed for attack"
Totally impractical, can't be done.
"[C]ast the Psionic Storm right on top of the enemy. This requires very little skill and is an obvious use for Psionic Storm."
Yee. Here we basically have Blizzard preempting the "Toss is easy, 1a2a3a" meme.
Protoss vs Protoss
"Other than the Dark Templar, the only units with cloak abilities are those that are within an Arbiter's field."
Err... I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they only meant combat units rather than completely forgetting about the observer.
"Most of the Protoss ground units have difficulty handling aerial units (except maybe for the Dragoon and Archon) and the Scout can be especially useful in taking advantage of that problem."
Damn right. After the opposing player begins his pure zealot/reaver/DT army, send in your scouts for easy win.
"Groups of 18 or more Scouts are extremely difficult to eliminate, even with the mighty Carriers"
Did Blizzard actually spend time thinking of one of the only units that loses to scouts?
"The Reaver is a powerful weapon against any enemy Protoss force. Use the Reaver Drop to quickly destroy mining Probes at enemy bases. They're also very effective for quickly destroying enemy Shield Batteries"
It's easy to fall into the trap of 'go for the probes' but always remember where your priorities should lie: the shield batteries. Take those out with your Reavers and their Scout force will be severely hampered.
"If you do get the opportunity to produce Arbiters, you can gain certain advantages in battle. If you can clear out an enemy's detectors, by destroying their Observers and/or Photon Cannons, units beneath the Arbiter's cloak field will be able to quickly destroy an enemy force or base. However, an even better use of the Arbiter lies in the ability to bypass enemy defenses with an Offensive Recall. This will allow you to quickly transport troops right into the middle of an enemy base, or across the map in an instant and without having to risk losing units inside Shuttles making a run past a Photon Cannon defense. The Arbiter's Stasis Field ability is also very useful against groups of Carriers, giving you enough time to set up the proper countermeasures."
Now this is the key to incorporating Arbiters into PvP. Looks like a pretty viable alternative to the previously-standard "36 Shuttles" tactic of getting your units in their base. Also, you can stasis the Carriers so you have time to get your 18 Scouts onto the scene. Seriously, did workers used to return 16 gas per trip or something?
Protoss vs Terran
"The Terrans are primarily a species built for a strong defense while the Protoss are built for superior power. If you hope to defeat an enemy with an edge defensively, you'll need to overpower them offensively. If you fail to keep the pressure on a Terran opponent, you'll often find yourself facing well fortified enemy expansions and bases that are difficult to break through and if they bring that defensive front to your front door, preventing you from expanding or scouting, all the superior power at your disposal will not be able to overcome a disadvantage in resource production."
Can't believe this was ever the how TvP worked. Seems weird now, eh?
"In the chance that the Terran has both Missile Turrets and ComSat defending their base, you probably will not want to just walk your Dark Templar into the base. Instead, look for any gaps in the anti-air defense and proceed with a drop from behind with a Shuttle and Dark Templar to put a stop to the enemy resource production."
"[Siege Tanks] have a staggering attack range and if there are enough of them around, they can quell almost any Protoss ground force. Your best bet is probably with Zealots that have been upgraded with Leg Enhancements (speed upgrade)."
This is bullshit, it seems Blizzard actually predicted PvT pretty well...
"However, those tactics will generally only work against Siege Tanks out in the field lightly defended by Marines or Firebats[...] "
Oh. Nevermind that. Somebody experiment with Tank/Firebat ASAP.
"The Terran Science Vessels are probably the greatest threat for Protoss players."
For sure. After your army has been EMP'd, their Firebat army will surely clean up your forces. Don't worry about the Tanks, concentrate on taking out the Vessels. Putting myself in the mind of a Blizzard employee from 1999, I feel confident suggesting you Feedback the Vessels.
"Once Psionic Storm is cast [on the Battlecruisers], quickly follow up with anti-air units (Carriers will probably be your best bet) and keep the pressure hard on them"
Carriers are your best bet. Can't emphasize that enough. Dragoons are terrible against Battlecruisers and BCs are also the only unit that your Scout fleet (of 18. With speed. And probably sight range) can't handle.
![[image loading]](http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/scc/protoss/pix/units/screenshots/z06.jpg)
You need your Scout fleet to avoid situations like this, a common occurrence on maps with a 2-day rush distance by ground (remember, Scouts are your only real anti-air).
"However, if you know your Terran opponent is going to build mass Battlecruisers, your best bet is to get as many Dark Archons as possible and research Mind Control."
Admittedly, I would absolutely love to see the replays that Blizz based their research on.
Protoss vs Zerg
"The Zerg, with their cheaper units, 2 for 1 deals and 3 simultaneous unit production at each Hatchery, can produce massive numbers of units."
Seriously, how unfair do they make zerg sound here?
"Getting Photon Cannons can help you out immensely in the early game against Zerglings and if you feel that your foe means to press the advantage of a Zergling Rush, you'll want to get them as soon as possible to help support your Zealots. Shield Batteries can also be extremely useful when defending."
I've been wondering how to deal with zergling rushes, I guess the key is a nice mix of Zealots, Photon Cannons, and Shield Battery. Seems so obvious in retrospect.
"The Zerg can produce Sunken Colonies as fast as Zerglings and only a few coupled with a few Zerglings can really damage a Zealot force."
I have a friend who's signature build is the 7 Pool into fast sunken to fend off the scouting probe. Maybe he's been learning from the Compendium?
"Corsairs and Scouts are well suited for the task since they are faster than the Queen and relatively cheap."
Day[9] talks about the mental checklist. Make sure skirting your base to find Queens is on that mental checklist. You wouldn't want a Parasite to get off on one of your Probes.
"Even if you don't have either means of driving off a Guardian force, you can always use Shuttles to load your more powerful units (Reavers, High Templar) to safety before the Guardians can finish them off."
Because why would you just walk your units away?
So now you're ready to tackle the world and become the next Backho!
, duh.
My, have things changed... 
