EPTOverview
This build utilizes zealots and void rays, to effectively deal large amounts of damage, pick off expansions, gain scouting information, and maintain air superiority
Z/TvP
The composition basically works the same as muta/ling/bling, and has a similar play style.
- void rays act as your harass unit, picking off overlords, and out lying buildings.
- zealots are your damage dealers and your tanks, they deal massive amounts of damage to just about everything.
- carriers act as your long range siege unit
- small number of stalkers help pick off enemy air
- This build is more powerful on longer rush distances due to the mobility advantage
- Keeping map awareness and map control is very important
- Losing air control is bad (similar to how losing all your mutas results in you being vulnerable to drops and banshees)
BUILD ORDER:
I will not get into specifics, because a lot can change early on but I will give the basic idea
VS Zerg:
Start with a 9 pylon and a 10 forge (build to wall in), use your scouting probe to proxy the enemies natural, maintain constant chrono boosted probe production while teaching to void rays. In most cases feel free to wall in with just 1 cannon (unless zerg is going for a 1 base roach rush in which case I recommend a minimum of 3 cannons). When your star port is done chrono boost out a void ray (rallied to the front) and a phoenix (rallied to the void) proceed to do a normal 1 base, 1 star port harass. Around the time your second void ray is coming out you should be at 30 probes for your main and even with constant void ray and zealot production you should be able to expand (if you are wary you can drop a second gateway before expanding), build a twighlight console, and research charge as you have resources (chrono boost charge). DO NOT TAKE THE GAS ON YOUR SECOND BASE. Rather then mining gas at your natural stick to minerals once charge is researching you need to build up to 4 gateways. Use extra for forge and air upgrades, I also recommend getting a second forge and powering dual ground upgrades and single air upgrades, (you can afford this if you get your gases at your natural around 50 probes).
Add a second star gate right after you get your third base (keep on 3 fully mining bases)
Switch to carriers once 1, 1 air is completed.
Vs Terran do the same thing but do not get the forge till after you expand.
Why it Works
Zergs expansion is delayed horribly and has to build units that are not drones to deal with the cannons. ( ie lings/roaches) lings and roaches are not very good at shoot up, as they do not have a natural they may not get a second queen which makes for an easy win with your void rays. When the void rays shows up the zerg is forced to get many a queen (I have seen as many 4 or 5 queens = 750 minerals that’s not a drone, and not a different unit). Constant pressure also forces spore crawlers (you can get 4 more of these) it basically ties up a lot of resources and compounds to the fact that they could not get a natural.
Terran is forced to make marines to deal with the void rays, and zealots are amazing vs marines. Void rays can easily pick off outlying buildings and forces terran to build a great many missile turrets.
Map control:
This build focus on giving you map control, void rays should constantly be harassing and gaining scouting information (once defenses are up you can count units).
Protoss Symmetry:
Protoss units do have quite a bit of symmetry. This is because terrains must build marines if they hope to deal with the void rays, and zealots can charge and chew marines to bits. Zerg needs to either go air or hydralisks, in this case zealots charge up and tank for the voids, if the voids are target fired then the zealots do amazing damage (probably more than the voids could do).
Units that shoot air units
marines (nom nom nom by zealots)
Thor (nom nom nom by zealots and are not that good against carriers (though in mass it could be problematic)
Viking (countered by more void rays, picking off reactors and using your small stalker count to turn the tide)
Ghosts (are terrible, but could be problematic vs the zealots)
Only five good terran units actually shoot up
From there, notice:
Air attacks by units that attack air units
Marine (very fast attack speed, low damage, zealots own marines)
Thor (fires multiple low-damage rockets, keep your units unclustered, zealots do good damage vs thors)
Viking (fires multiple low-medium-damage rockets, pick off reactors, have more stuff)
What does this mean for us? In a late-game composition, upgrading air armor is very strong, due to the low-damage attacks of these units. In addition, these three units are infantry, mech, and air, which makes upgrading all three of them incredibly inefficient. Any one to two of these can be hard-countered with ease.
Dealing damage and being annoying:
Use your void rays to pick of low health buildings (refineries, tech labs, reactors, supply depots). You can also move in kill 1-4 workers and leave (target fire mules when possible).
4: forcing:
Building void rays force building units that shoot up (marines, hydrdas, Vikings, ect ect) the zealot then is used to counter these units
Reacting to Terran Openings
fast banshee, drop a robotics bay as soon as you see this, target fire the tech lab on the start port to eliminate cloak, use a defensive phoenix or 2-4 stalkers.
Banshee tank push: get a second gate way and get more zealots
Marine scv all in, chrono boost void ray, target fire marines, stop probe production and get as many zealots as possible
There is not much terran can do vs this build, they need marines to shoot the void rays, they need Vikings to out range then, and they need hellions/marauders to deal with the zealots, you basically stretch the army thin
Reacting to Zerg openings:
Build extra cannons to deal with a one base roach push, do not let zerg take hidden expos
Reacting to Zerg reactions:
Nydus network: scatter your buildings around your base so that you can always spot a nydus (this seems a common thing if you cannon cap the natural.
1-2 base mutalisks, the second you see mutalisks only produce stalkers and phonix’s I would actually recommend 1 star port phonix per base with stalkers.
Hydras, simply out upgrade and out mass zerg, since you have been sniping expos and prevented zerg from expanding his army will be small.
Corruptors, get about 8 stalkers and and kill his corruptors
Infestors: get detection, target fire the infestors, put void rays in groups of 2 and do no clump
Lategame Compositions
If you army gets crushed hard the build has allowed you upgrades and many gate ways, you could just play a normal game at the late game, otherwise I suggest favoring carriers in the late game
Tips and Tricks
abuse cliffs as often as possible be all over the map and snipe expos, constant harassing means you will see enemy unit compositions.
Do not over compensate with stalkers, unless your army horribly dies and you really need them I recommend you only keep about 8 stalkers.
