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[Q] PvZ defending fast hydra push

Forum Index > Brood War Strategy
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1 2 3 4 Next All
bitchaRd[raGe]
Profile Joined August 2008
Russian Federation376 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-24 17:18:59
January 24 2009 17:15 GMT
#1
What do you usually do as protoss when you FE and zerg goes 9 pool+speed, deniying your scout and then 2 hatch hydra?
Cause since my scouting probe killed and zerg has speedlings, i cannot see what he does, and if i go mass cannons in my nat and zerg doesn't go fast hydra push, then i am way too far behind him.

So, what do you think, what's the best vs this?
SKT1!
koreasilver
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
9109 Posts
January 24 2009 17:17 GMT
#2
Mass cannons. There isn't really much else you can do at that early of a timing.
Azrael1111
Profile Joined July 2008
United States550 Posts
January 24 2009 17:21 GMT
#3
Ya, not much you can really do if he is denying scout with speedlings. Add cannons and play it safe. His economy is not the best after 9pool, but he trades off that you DO need to add more cannons or risk losing to an all-in.
petzergling
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
538 Posts
January 24 2009 17:39 GMT
#4
After a 9 pool speed its pretty standard to put down a 3rd cannon at your sim city after you start your tech just to be safe from all-in openings. It's really just a matter of game sense and scouting to defend anything because you have to predict what your opponent is going to do. Cannons in mineral lines for anti 2 hatch muta or a 4th cannon in front in fear of a hydra bust, remember also in defending these attacks you're going to have a very small handful of units and probes, so use them wisely as most of the people who only do ZvP all in builds aren't that great of players.
Mod Edit: Don't bold your entire post
Repertoire
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Canada92 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-24 17:49:56
January 24 2009 17:41 GMT
#5
Send another scouting probe to a random area on the map, so when your first probe dies you can scout for a 3rd expansion or get lucky and scout his main.

You can also click on the mineral patch with the second probe when you have vision with the first scouting probe. This allows the second probe to bypass the ramp and get another scout in.
Dromar
Profile Blog Joined June 2007
United States2145 Posts
January 24 2009 18:15 GMT
#6
On January 25 2009 02:41 Snacks wrote:
Send another scouting probe to a random area on the map, so when your first probe dies you can scout for a 3rd expansion or get lucky and scout his main.

You can also click on the mineral patch with the second probe when you have vision with the first scouting probe. This allows the second probe to bypass the ramp and get another scout in.



Yeah I think the best answer is to get another scout in, even though it's hard. You send another probe to hide somewhere on the map as soon as your first one is killed. Wait for him to get his lings outside your base, and then a bit later send the scout to his base or look for a third. You should have some time to scout before his lings get there.

If he manages to completely deny scouting, you may have to add cannons.
Cloud
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Sexico5880 Posts
January 24 2009 18:53 GMT
#7
Get your corsair asap and keep making zeals, you may need to cut probes, but you want your sair to be out in record time.
BlueLaguna on West, msg for game.
Malongo
Profile Blog Joined November 2005
Chile3472 Posts
January 24 2009 19:05 GMT
#8
Sair timing is the key, but i also noted that some Protoss like to warp a 4 canon at the exact timing (idk it i guess it is 3/4 sair) so they get time to cancel it as the sair cross the map. Cannon position is important since they have to be in a line+ protected to get them all firing.
Help me! im still improving my English. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. M. G.
bitchaRd[raGe]
Profile Joined August 2008
Russian Federation376 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-24 19:14:00
January 24 2009 19:13 GMT
#9
When sair is our usually you are almost dead if you did nothing to defend hydra push
Some zergs make early sunk and even put 2 lings into ramp so you can't sneak into his main. Scouting his 3rd may work (if he didn't get 3rd means he is all-in hyda or muta) but on some huge maps you can't scout all expansions, and zerg can expand everywhere. So, it seems that 2nd hiding probe and mineral walk is the only ultimate solution, though it hasn't ultimate solutions
SKT1!
Cloud
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Sexico5880 Posts
January 24 2009 19:15 GMT
#10
Thats why you make your sair faster and produce nonstop zeals.
BlueLaguna on West, msg for game.
Breavman
Profile Joined September 2004
Sweden598 Posts
January 24 2009 19:24 GMT
#11
One thing to do is to push out with your first few zealots and engage the lings preventing scouting. At the same time you can try to sneak by a probe. If he has a lot of lings, retreat asap. He probably can't have the fast hydras as well as many lings. If he is making hydra, you might encounter the first group on their way to your base. Run home, add cannons and be prepared to fight. It gives you a few more seconds to prepare this way.
Cheerio
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
Ukraine3178 Posts
January 24 2009 19:59 GMT
#12
Also on low levels I've noticed that in case of hydra or ling all-in the zerg will be too anxious to check your cannon numbers sacrificing a ling or getting hits on ovi by cannons. On the contrary if he goes for eco and tech his ovi will go to scout the main and lings primary goal will be to prevent scouting.
imperfect
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
Canada1652 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-24 23:39:30
January 24 2009 23:38 GMT
#13
On January 25 2009 03:53 Cloud wrote:
Get your corsair asap and keep making zeals, you may need to cut probes, but you want your sair to be out in record time.


On January 25 2009 04:15 Cloud wrote:
Thats why you make your sair faster and produce nonstop zeals.



yeah i think this is the best answer, although the hidden probe works sometimes.

you have to play around with your overall core timing to get the sair in, or else just build cannons.

better safe than dead!
blind bisu free and anytime fanboy.
Shado.
Profile Joined February 2008
United States187 Posts
January 25 2009 01:50 GMT
#14
When in doubt, add cannons...

It is almost impossible to completely deny scouting without having at least 10-12 speedlings. What most protoss do is try to sneak one probe out, which attracts the attention of the lings, then send either a second scout out after most of the lings are chasing the initial scout.

You can also send a zlot out to scout, they have a lot more life, and can usually make it far enough to see if zerg has gone all in.

You can also engage the lings with a 2-3zlots and 2-3 probes and force him to reveal his army composition.

Either way, you need to do something to scout zerg. Cutting probes for an early sair is really risky. By then it could be too late.
OneOther
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
United States10774 Posts
January 25 2009 01:55 GMT
#15
On January 25 2009 04:15 Cloud wrote:
Thats why you make your sair faster and produce nonstop zeals.

No, this is wrong. You never get your corsair on time to prepare for a 2 hatch hydra all-in, if the Zerg is half-decent. It doesn't matter how much you rush the tech or cut probes. Add a third cannon, then it's up to the experience and game sense, really. And yeah, keep making those zealots because zealots+probes really help you survive. Do everything you can to get as much information as possible. Like someone said above, hide a probe somewhere that Overlords will not be flying across. Try to see when he gets the third. Of course scouting his main would be ideal, but that rarely happens, but even if you scout his natural, you can somewhat tell what he's doing by looking at the drone count.
meegrean
Profile Joined May 2008
Thailand7699 Posts
January 25 2009 02:01 GMT
#16
Hide a second probe at a hidden location and scout with that one about 30 seconds after your first scout probe dies. If that probe dies too, add cannons
Brood War loyalist
Knickknack
Profile Joined February 2004
United States1187 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-25 05:11:14
January 25 2009 02:59 GMT
#17
How about bringing some real numbers and timing to this discussion...
I know, a novel idea.
Also might want to consider 3hatch hydra as that is pretty deadly as well.

I'll give Jaedong 2hatch hydra vs arew @ WCG bluestorm
overpool, 8gas, 10 3x lings, speed, 2lings, expo,
13 drones, 15den, drones, 17speed +lord, 23range+ovie
6 hydras by 5:00
8ling/11+hydra speed/range by 6:00
JD attacked arew at 6:20 with 8ling/9hydra

Looking at this rep, pushing out with 3lots at 5min seems to be pretty promising. 8 spread out speedlings vs 3zealot, so you should be able to see what the z is up to ~5:30 which is easily enough time to react with loads of cannons. How should zerg react to this? Make more lings while hiding the hydra and try to kill lots before they scout much? So send a probe out after the lots? As said by others the sair timing to scout and react to 2hat hydra seems pretty iffy...though i did not work out the timings.
| www.ArtofProtoss.vze.com |
Cloud
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Sexico5880 Posts
January 25 2009 03:02 GMT
#18
On January 25 2009 10:55 OneOther wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2009 04:15 Cloud wrote:
Thats why you make your sair faster and produce nonstop zeals.

No, this is wrong. You never get your corsair on time to prepare for a 2 hatch hydra all-in, if the Zerg is half-decent. It doesn't matter how much you rush the tech or cut probes. Add a third cannon, then it's up to the experience and game sense, really. And yeah, keep making those zealots because zealots+probes really help you survive. Do everything you can to get as much information as possible. Like someone said above, hide a probe somewhere that Overlords will not be flying across. Try to see when he gets the third. Of course scouting his main would be ideal, but that rarely happens, but even if you scout his natural, you can somewhat tell what he's doing by looking at the drone count.


You already need to have a 3rd cannon if you want to survive speedlings, the hiding probe is guarantee of absolutely nothing if he has zerglings at his choke. The only way you can be sure of what the zerg is doing is with a corsair.
BlueLaguna on West, msg for game.
OneOther
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
United States10774 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-25 03:28:44
January 25 2009 03:26 GMT
#19
On January 25 2009 12:02 Cloud wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2009 10:55 OneOther wrote:
On January 25 2009 04:15 Cloud wrote:
Thats why you make your sair faster and produce nonstop zeals.

No, this is wrong. You never get your corsair on time to prepare for a 2 hatch hydra all-in, if the Zerg is half-decent. It doesn't matter how much you rush the tech or cut probes. Add a third cannon, then it's up to the experience and game sense, really. And yeah, keep making those zealots because zealots+probes really help you survive. Do everything you can to get as much information as possible. Like someone said above, hide a probe somewhere that Overlords will not be flying across. Try to see when he gets the third. Of course scouting his main would be ideal, but that rarely happens, but even if you scout his natural, you can somewhat tell what he's doing by looking at the drone count.


You already need to have a 3rd cannon if you want to survive speedlings, the hiding probe is guarantee of absolutely nothing if he has zerglings at his choke. The only way you can be sure of what the zerg is doing is with a corsair.

Obviously? My point is you don't get a Corsair on time to get sufficient defense for a hydra break. Hydra break is aimed to come right before/right as Corsair pops out. Everyone knows Corsair is the best scouting method in PvZ, it's just you don't get it on time so you have to resort to other things.

In an ideal world, we Protoss players would be able to get the sair on time to defend verses any kind of all-in attack
Cloud
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Sexico5880 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-01-25 03:40:23
January 25 2009 03:37 GMT
#20
So what are you saying? That he should play completely standard after being denied from scouting? Just because its apparently impossible to have a corsair out before he decides to break your base, or that the matchup is imbalanced because you just cant simply scout it?..without sick timing senses.
BlueLaguna on West, msg for game.
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