Protoss From Many Angles - Page 3

I play Protoss exclusively, watch streams, read strategies and keep a close eye on the pro-gaming scene. I have written a guide or two in my day, and I consider myself pretty well versed in the game.

First, I will get this out of the way before people start freaking out. I don't mind the KA change in the next patch. While I don't believe KA was too powerful, I DO think that it allowed the Protoss race to accomplish something that was probably unintended by the developers: It allowed them to directly convert Vespene Gas into damage on demand. There was little skill involved, and no race had an even comparable ability. I am not here to discuss the suggested change (+15 energy or increased regen speed, etc), but rather here to discuss an issue with the Protoss Race that the removal of KA will amplify.

The problem I refer to is, of course, the Colossus. The Colossus is considered by many to be OP, simply because of it's nature... it is an a-move unit that does incredible splash damage with minimal micro or baby-sitting. Compare it to it's old counterpart, the Reaver, that required babysitting with shuttles, it was vulnerable and was able to create some wonderful and creative plays.
It's ease of use and it's incredible power has brought it to the point where it is almost b-lined in just about every game. Virtually every game requires Colossi to be acquired relatively quickly, and to be pushed out for just about the whole game, while Stalkers and occasionally Zealots are used for no purpose other than to keep shots off the Colossi.

However Zealots and Stalkers themselves are good for little else in the late game. In SC1, Zealots and Goons were able to be used well into the late game, because they complemented each other so well. They were able to eat a lot of hits, as well as pack a punch of damage.
In SC2, Zealots and Stalkers alone are useless. Unless they have backup of Colossus, HT or sometimes Void Rays, they are nothing but cannon fodder, and melt to almost any force a person can throw at them. Stalkers were supposed to replace Dragoons, but they gave up some of the range and firepower in exchange for increased mobility; a factor that doesn't affect play in giant 'ball vs ball' games. Zealots were capable of packing a punch in BW, but in SC2, even with Charge, Zealots get obliterated by Hydras, Roaches, MM&M and Helions. before they can do any damage. Gateway builds are now obsolete, and require "hero" units, otherwise they get rolled all over.
Because these units are so damn weak, they require a unit that is so damn powerful to balance out the Protoss forces, and in almost all cases, this unit is the Colossus. This makes it difficult to nerf the Colossus.

So would it make sense to nerf the Colossus in exchange for Gateway unit buffs? Well no, as it turns out. Gateway units are tricky to buff for two reasons: 4 Gate and Force Field.
4 Gate is an extremely powerful build as it is, and so, any power increase to Zealots and Stalkers (no matter how small) could, and would, throw the build way out of balance.
Force Field makes Gateway units powerful enough in the early game (by blocking retreats and splitting armies) to survive. It would be extremely difficult for Protoss to manage in the early game without Sentries, and a buff to Gateway units could be too powerful. However Sentries and Force Field are not enough to swing Zealots and Stalkers into a position of power in the late game, unless they are backed up by Colossi or sometimes HT.

It would seem that the only way to buff Zealots and Stalkers would need to be through Charge and Blink. These two abilities in their current state are unable to provide Gateway builds with any significant firepower in the late game. Blink becomes used as a harass tool, and a way of allowing Stalkers to occasionally frontload some damage or take some extra hits, but Charge is difficult to use effectively as much more than a timing attack, because Zealots die so quickly to stim and roaches or hydras in the late game.

Since Zealots and Stalkers do such little damage, Colossi need to do so much. Since Cols do so much damage, they are weak and can't take many hits, and are vulnerable to air, but Stalkers are good at that, and hit air. These facts lead to a painful conclusion:
The Colossus/Stalker Death Ball. You can mix other things in it, like HT or Void Rays, but when it comes down to it, the Colossus and Stalkers are core... with Colossus being the bottom line.

This comes down to Protoss being imbalanced at different times in the game.
Early game (past the 4 gate) they tend to be too weak. They need to abuse Force Field on their ramps or block off retreat paths in order to defend, and rarely are they able to push.
But in the late game, they are rolling in T3 power, throwing the balance in the other direction, often making them too powerful.

This is of course, leading to a very important point... Options.
Since the Protoss Death Ball is so damn powerful, Protoss players are forced to use it in just about every game. Every build transitions to Colossus at some point so that the Death Ball can be acquired. This leads to predictable and boring games. Wouldn't it be nice to see some late game Protoss plays involving Carriers, Chargelot flanks, and Archon play, Rather than just Death Ball every time?

Another potential build that is often disregarded are Gateway centric builds. These involve Gateway units, including the HT. But there are problems with the build in general. I already mentioned how Zealots and Stalkers are weak in the mid-late game. While Charge and Blink increase this lifespan to a degree, they cannot be reliably used for long. This means that it is important to get HT and Storm/KA before Zealots and Stalkers begin to fail and FF stops being effective. This is a very small window at best, and leaves the Protoss vulnerable to timing attacks. Another issue with the Gateway build is that it lacks detection, forcing a Robotics Facility... and once you are there, you may as well go all the way and get Colossi.

The loss of KA makes this option even less desirable than it already was, pushing yet more people into the already overused Colossus builds. It seems what is happening more and more, is that Protoss are being forced to play the same game (or a very similar one) every time.
Terran and Zerg have several options into the late game that are used in a variety of ways and gotten in a variety of orders. Not all may be viable, but since Beta the game has shifted to and away from numerous builds, while the Protoss has simply evolved more efficient ways of using the exact same unit.
Zerg use: Roach-Hydra-Infestor, Ling-Baneling-Muta, Broodlord-Hydra, etc...
Terran can use: Bioball, Marine-tank, Marine-Mech, Heavy Mech, Heavy Air, etc...
Protoss can use: Stalker Colossus, Blink Stalker Colossus, Voidray Colossus, Colossus HT... All colossus centric, leading to a similar Death Ball.

I have a few suggestions. I won't go into too many specifics or numbers, because specifics tend to cause balance issues, and I am no mathematician, but plz, bear with me. I am more trying to get across the ideas, rather than the specific buffs.

Here are some basic points.

1. KA removal is necessary, but unpopular because it forces Protoss players into the already overused Colossus builds.
2. Protoss is balanced around UP gateway units and the OP Colossus, making them weak in early game and strong in late game.
3. Because of this, Protoss has very few options in late game play. Other builds have some problems that need addressing so we have more options.