• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 12:18
CEST 18:18
KST 01:18
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Season 1 - Final Week5[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall10HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0
Community News
Firefly given lifetime ban by ESIC following match-fixing investigation17$25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced7Weekly Cups (June 30 - July 6): Classic Doubles6[BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China10Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL70
StarCraft 2
General
RSL Revival patreon money discussion thread TL Team Map Contest #4: Winners Esports World Cup 2025 - Final Player Roster Server Blocker RSL Season 1 - Final Week
Tourneys
RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo) $25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome Mutation # 478 Instant Karma
Brood War
General
BW General Discussion A cwal.gg Extension - Easily keep track of anyone Script to open stream directly using middle click ASL20 Preliminary Maps BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/
Tourneys
2025 ACS Season 2 Qualifier [Megathread] Daily Proleagues Small VOD Thread 2.0 Last Minute Live-Report Thread Resource!
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Path of Exile Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread CCLP - Command & Conquer League Project The PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch Thread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread The Accidental Video Game Porn Archive Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! [Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Men Take Risks, Women Win Ga…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 682 users

PvP advice for noob

Forum Index > Brood War Strategy
Post a Reply
1 2 3 4 Next All
sanelicv
Profile Joined September 2019
Peru3 Posts
November 01 2021 15:56 GMT
#1
Hi, I'm a C protoss player and I am having trouble against 3 gate obs.
Basically this guy makes gate robo gate gate and then goons + obs, no reavers. I understand this is one of the safests builds you can do in PvP. He then applies pressure as he expands.

I usually go gate gate robo or gate robo gate and then reaver expand.
I was wondering if there is a way to hard/soft counter the 3 gate obs BO that I just mentioned. Perhaps a timming window to push? Perhaps as soon as I have 2reavers+shuttle? What would be your advice against this particular build?

Thanks!
Soulforged
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
Latvia918 Posts
November 01 2021 16:06 GMT
#2
1g reaver nex is a soft counter to it, although you'll want to avoid committing to the fight until the reaver pops, it may be a few seconds late to the party. battery helps keeping the reaver alive, so does goon positioning and e.g. pylons
the most important part is not being late on your robo and reaver, though

2g obs nex is another one, as they'll need an extra production round from the 3gates before they're even on goons after travel time. 3 rounds of production will get them 1 extra goon, but by that time the numbers will be so high for both that defensive arc advantage may make it not matter (plus it gives you time to either get a reaver or 3rd gate of your own)
WGT-Baal
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
France3353 Posts
November 01 2021 19:05 GMT
#3
if you want to go full all-in you can also just 4 gate goon allin yourself. but it s not a reliable strat. Any dt and you die essentially, and you need to end the game right there too. but if you hit as he expands it may work out for you.
Horang2 fan
ProMeTheus112
Profile Joined December 2009
France2027 Posts
Last Edited: 2021-11-01 23:14:32
November 01 2021 23:10 GMT
#4
have you tried shield battery at your nat to help your reaver? that can be really effective
if you get your expo up you can have it earlier than him unless he won't make actual use of his gates, then you have eco advantage or tech advantage due to already having reaver out
btw robo being a bit forward close to exp is good, it's even possible to make robo at nat i think but hard
confusedzerg
Profile Joined July 2021
Russian Federation102 Posts
Last Edited: 2021-11-02 02:59:37
November 02 2021 02:58 GMT
#5
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.
I am a Westerner and I like homosexuality. Thank you.
Jealous
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
10136 Posts
November 02 2021 03:54 GMT
#6
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.

Isn't this glitch historically banned in competitive play? The new generation is so savage
"The right to vote is only the oar of the slaveship, I wanna be free." -- бум бум сучка!
Timebon3s
Profile Joined May 2018
Norway688 Posts
November 02 2021 04:15 GMT
#7
These new kids have no honor :o

I find that skipping reaver if you’re low rank is the best way to win since it requires a lot of practice and attention/micro.

Maby you should also do 3g obs and try?
It’s also a good idea to play the strategies you struggle to defeat. In that way you learn the weak spots of that strategy.

Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28647 Posts
November 02 2021 06:10 GMT
#8
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


ya this is considered cheating. don't do that.
Moderator
Jealous
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
10136 Posts
November 02 2021 06:22 GMT
#9
On November 02 2021 15:10 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


ya this is considered cheating. don't do that.

I also like how he said "just counter it" but didn't actually answer OP's question. Now that I think about it, this was effectively a brag post mixed with a self-admission of abusing known bugs on ladder, lmao.

More to the point, 3g obs is meant to be a safe build that doesn't outright lose to anything. To put it more simply, it's not something you "just counter". Traditionally, the key to beating safe builds is to get ahead economically; in this case it could mean expanding with Reaver before the opponent does, or skipping Robo until after Nexus, as has been suggested above.
"The right to vote is only the oar of the slaveship, I wanna be free." -- бум бум сучка!
Bonyth
Profile Joined August 2010
Poland555 Posts
November 02 2021 06:55 GMT
#10
First answer is the best one in my eyes.
kogeT
Profile Joined September 2013
Poland2037 Posts
November 02 2021 08:48 GMT
#11
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


Ladder is sadly full of wannabe bisu koreans doing this in PvZ / PvP - I hate these people.
https://www.twitch.tv/kogetbw
ajmbek
Profile Joined November 2008
Italy460 Posts
November 02 2021 13:04 GMT
#12
On November 02 2021 00:56 sanelicv wrote:
Hi, I'm a C protoss player and I am having trouble against 3 gate obs.
Basically this guy makes gate robo gate gate and then goons + obs, no reavers. I understand this is one of the safests builds you can do in PvP. He then applies pressure as he expands.

I usually go gate gate robo or gate robo gate and then reaver expand.
I was wondering if there is a way to hard/soft counter the 3 gate obs BO that I just mentioned. Perhaps a timming window to push? Perhaps as soon as I have 2reavers+shuttle? What would be your advice against this particular build?

Thanks!



Hi,

as you said the 3 gate obs is not easy to counter as it is a safe bo. What you can do is expand faster and play defensivly, but you had to know he is doing this build.

At this point I am not sure if you are asking for a general PvP opening advice or just to be told for some counter.

Going 2 gate 2reaver push is an option, but keep in mind that you will get may looses with this bo vs 3gate obs. It is based a lot on micro managemant of the shuttle, witch can be very hard at C level.

A safer option vs 3gate obs can be: 1 gate, robo at ramp, reaver with no shuttle and nexus.
Sic iter ad astra
confusedzerg
Profile Joined July 2021
Russian Federation102 Posts
November 02 2021 17:50 GMT
#13
On November 02 2021 15:10 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


ya this is considered cheating. don't do that.

says who? none of us are playing in tournaments.
I am a Westerner and I like homosexuality. Thank you.
confusedzerg
Profile Joined July 2021
Russian Federation102 Posts
Last Edited: 2021-11-02 18:04:41
November 02 2021 17:52 GMT
#14
On November 02 2021 15:22 Jealous wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 02 2021 15:10 Liquid`Drone wrote:
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


ya this is considered cheating. don't do that.

I also like how he said "just counter it" but didn't actually answer OP's question. Now that I think about it, this was effectively a brag post mixed with a self-admission of abusing known bugs on ladder, lmao.

More to the point, 3g obs is meant to be a safe build that doesn't outright lose to anything. To put it more simply, it's not something you "just counter". Traditionally, the key to beating safe builds is to get ahead economically; in this case it could mean expanding with Reaver before the opponent does, or skipping Robo until after Nexus, as has been suggested above.


sorry i assumed he knew how pvp tech generally works since he said he has been playing many years.
OP, if robo, go nexus and prepare to hold his one base reaver push. he will likely try a 2 gate reaver push, maybe 3 if he sees you expand.
if he dt, go 3 gate goon obs.
if he 4 gate, you can either go DT or 2 gate reaver with very delayed obs. DT isn't as risky as you may think here because a fast storm transition is very viable and works well if for whatever reason he doesn't die straight up.
if he 3 gate obs, then you can go 1 gate robo nexus 2nd gate reaver. go straight reaver and make a shield battery at the nat because he will likely get aggressive, and battery synergizes extremely well with reaver. make sure you make robo near top of your ramp so that fatass can crawl its way down quicker.

if i am missing any other tech paths that you want to know how to counter then let me know, but those are the most common.
I am a Westerner and I like homosexuality. Thank you.
Timebon3s
Profile Joined May 2018
Norway688 Posts
Last Edited: 2021-11-02 18:30:32
November 02 2021 18:30 GMT
#15
On November 03 2021 02:50 confusedzerg wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 02 2021 15:10 Liquid`Drone wrote:
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


ya this is considered cheating. don't do that.

says who? none of us are playing in tournaments.

This is true.
Tournaments dont dictate the ladder
confusedzerg
Profile Joined July 2021
Russian Federation102 Posts
Last Edited: 2021-11-02 18:51:06
November 02 2021 18:50 GMT
#16
yes, and before someone says it, blizzard outright said flying scv is cheating. they have not said this for shift right click geyser. so thats not a valid comparison
I am a Westerner and I like homosexuality. Thank you.
Jealous
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
10136 Posts
November 02 2021 18:53 GMT
#17
On November 03 2021 03:30 Timebon3s wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 03 2021 02:50 confusedzerg wrote:
On November 02 2021 15:10 Liquid`Drone wrote:
On November 02 2021 11:58 confusedzerg wrote:
in early game when you both have a zealot and dragoon, take your probe and shift right click it on his geyser a ton at his natural. then shift right click inside his main and push up his ramp with your goon and zealot. i have 77% winrate pvp because the probe goes through and you scout his tech and just counter it.


ya this is considered cheating. don't do that.

says who? none of us are playing in tournaments.

This is true.
Tournaments dont dictate the ladder

That's arguably only due to Blizzard's laissez-faire approach, if we are being generous in what we call it. Bugs like these have historically been banned from all competitive play, which includes ladder. By centralizing the competitive ladder on their own servers, which they provide no oversight for, they have removed the community's standards and management.

So yes, sure, you're not going to get banned for abusing these bugs (most likely). That's why we have legit hackers and bug abusers in the top 10 of ladder, at least from time to time (haven't checked recently). However, that doesn't mean that it isn't socially derided. If you want to be a ladder hero and gain points by abusing bugs which have historically been banned, good for you I guess.
"The right to vote is only the oar of the slaveship, I wanna be free." -- бум бум сучка!
confusedzerg
Profile Joined July 2021
Russian Federation102 Posts
November 02 2021 18:56 GMT
#18
i think you are just Jealous.

you know what else is socially derided? cheesing. are you going to say that is cheating too?
I am a Westerner and I like homosexuality. Thank you.
Liquid`Drone
Profile Joined September 2002
Norway28647 Posts
November 02 2021 19:19 GMT
#19
I mean, nobody is gonna ban you for using it in ladder, but I'm gonna consider you a cheater, and I'm gonna think that whatever mmr or win % you achieve is not legitimate, and if you did it against me in a practice game, I wouldn't bother playing with you again. I think that's a fairly common point of view. It is also banned in tournaments. Just because blizzard is too incompetent or ignorant or not caring to fix it doesn't mean it's okay.

Also, flying scv bug is a game-breaking bug. This is something that somewhat influences pvp and hardly matters at all for other matchups. Both being cheating doesn't mean both are equally important to address.
Moderator
Timebon3s
Profile Joined May 2018
Norway688 Posts
November 02 2021 19:45 GMT
#20
I just don’t like the idea of tournament organizers being in charge of the online ladder.
It’s fine if blizzard made rules for the ladder and said that this is illegal, or even better fixed the bug.
1 2 3 4 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
CSO Cup
16:00
#82
Liquipedia
FEL
16:00
Polish Championship - Group B
Gerald vs PAPILIVE!
Spirit vs ArT
IndyStarCraft 112
CranKy Ducklings98
Liquipedia
PSISTORM Gaming Misc
15:55
FSL week 5 - CN vs IC
Freeedom13
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Hui .231
IndyStarCraft 112
BRAT_OK 59
MindelVK 10
StarCraft: Brood War
EffOrt 1225
Stork 553
firebathero 485
Larva 342
PianO 221
ToSsGirL 140
soO 111
Dewaltoss 96
Movie 69
sSak 54
[ Show more ]
Mind 47
Shinee 43
sorry 43
JulyZerg 43
Barracks 41
Terrorterran 39
Rock 29
HiyA 25
Stormgate
NightEnD24
Dota 2
Gorgc8738
qojqva2307
LuMiX2
Counter-Strike
fl0m962
flusha762
kRYSTAL_30
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor630
Other Games
gofns23490
FrodaN6865
singsing2491
B2W.Neo1426
shahzam735
Lowko335
Fuzer 335
KnowMe245
Trikslyr60
ROOTCatZ52
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick43802
EGCTV1449
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 14 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• HeavenSC 68
• poizon28 18
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Nemesis5197
• Jankos549
Upcoming Events
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
1h 42m
Bonyth vs QiaoGege
Dewalt vs Fengzi
Hawk vs Zhanhun
Sziky vs Mihu
Mihu vs QiaoGege
Zhanhun vs Sziky
Fengzi vs Hawk
DaveTesta Events
1h 42m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
17h 42m
RSL Revival
17h 42m
Classic vs Clem
FEL
22h 42m
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
1d 1h
Bonyth vs Dewalt
QiaoGege vs Dewalt
Hawk vs Bonyth
Sziky vs Fengzi
Mihu vs Zhanhun
QiaoGege vs Zhanhun
Fengzi vs Mihu
Wardi Open
1d 18h
Replay Cast
2 days
WardiTV European League
2 days
PiGosaur Monday
3 days
[ Show More ]
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
The PondCast
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
Epic.LAN
5 days
CranKy Ducklings
6 days
Epic.LAN
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
HSC XXVII
NC Random Cup

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL 2v2 Season 3
Acropolis #3
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
2025 ACS Season 2: Qualifier
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
Championship of Russia 2025
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters

Upcoming

CSL Xiamen Invitational
CSL Xiamen Invitational: ShowMatche
2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
K-Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
SEL Season 2 Championship
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
Underdog Cup #2
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.