• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 22:28
CEST 04:28
KST 11:28
  • 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
Serral wins HomeStory Cup 2915Serral wins Maestros of the Game 243ByuL, and the Limitations of Standard Play3Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners7Code S Season 2 (2026): RO4 and Finals Preview12
Community News
GSTL Returns in 2026!38Weekly Cups (Aug 3-9): Protoss get shut out7RSL goes to London! 2026 Offline Finals Nov 21-2212Weekly Cups (July 27-Aug 2): SHIN's big week0SC4ALL II: Brood War - $2500 - Dec 5-611
StarCraft 2
General
GSTL Returns in 2026! Balance hotfix patch 5.0.16b (July 16) SC4ALL: II Talent Announcement! Protoss AoE skill expression Weekly Cups (Aug 3-9): Protoss get shut out
Tourneys
PIG STY FESTIVAL 8.0! (13 - 23 August) Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament 2026 GSTL Announcement Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) 2026 KungFu Cup Announcement
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
Nexus Wars 2021 GUIDE [M] (2) Industrial Park
External Content
Mutation # 538 Media Blackout The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 537 Hostile Territory Mutation # 536 Railroad Switch
Brood War
General
Your past clans Best Games Kespa era BW General Discussion ASL22 General Discussion Looking for old Team Micro Arena(TMA) Teammates
Tourneys
CSLAN 4 is Coming! Small VOD Thread 2.0 Escore Tournament - Season 3 BSL LAN Party - Kraków 29-30 August - OPEN SIGNUPS
Strategy
Odyssey Mineral Stack Saturation Fighting Spirit mining rates Any training maps people recommend? Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Anyone here play Quakeworld back in the day? Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread EVE Corporation General RTS Discussion Thread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
[TL LoL EUW IHs] Teemo shall perish TSM pausing esports and CLG Dead
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Power Rank TL Mafia Community Thread NeO.D_StephenKing vs This Guy From 1 Million Dance
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread US Politics Mega-thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread Artificial Intelligence Thread The Letting Off Steam Thread
Fan Clubs
MarineLorD Fan Club The ShoWTimE Fan Club The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread Series you have seen recently... [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books
Sports
MLB/Baseball 2023 Football (Soccer) Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Simple Questions Simple Answers FPS when play League Of Legend on laptop
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Northern Ireland Global Starcraft
Blogs
LOCKPICKING NOOB
LUCKY_NOOB
Chinese Gen Z: Between Dream…
TrAiDoS
Cathedral Of CS And NY pizza a…
FuDDx
Please support my new stand…
Peanutsc
Hello guys!
LIN1s
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 5601 users

Guide to Cannon Rushing - Page 5

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
Post a Reply
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 13 14 Next All
rathe
Profile Joined August 2010
United States109 Posts
August 12 2010 02:43 GMT
#81
On August 12 2010 10:22 kzn wrote:
So, a question:

I got cannon rushed in 3v3 (not particularly surprising, olol) and, having this thread in mind, I pulled 4 probes to kill cannons as they were warping in. The rushing probe dropped like 5 cannons and a pylon, with a pylon below a cliff powering over the edge into my base, and 2 of the cannons + the pylon finished at full hp, 1 cannon finished at half.

It wasn't particularly bad for me, because I got the probe dead early-ish and just rebuilt, but 4 probes didn't seem to be enough if the rushing player doesn't cancel.


Well, two things. First, if he's dropping that much hardware, he had to have saved up 850 minerals (5 cannons and a pylon) and already spent 100 for the first pylon. That means that the rush came late and you should have had more stuff to fend it off with.

Second, you need 4 probes for EACH CANNON (or pylon) he puts up, not 4 total for all cannons. Early game, he won't be able to put up more than a few cannons at once because of his economy. Later game, he can do a lot more. Still, you should have had enough probes to send more to the other ones. And if he keeps building, just queue the probes to the next item so they go attack it as soon as they finish.
Rob Hustle - Check out my music mang! - http://www.facebook.com/robhustle
Censored
Profile Joined April 2010
9 Posts
August 12 2010 03:19 GMT
#82
Cannon rush, so cheesy, but apparently you can cannon rush your way into plat (possibly diamond as well). Looked at this strat and it reminded me of a recent game where I got cannon rushed, almost the same exact as what the strat says to do, but a good watch nonetheless.

Replay: http://www.gamereplays.org/starcraft2/replays.php?game=33&show=details&id=136629
Im a lover not a fighter....but im also a fighter so dont get any ideas.
l90 Proof
Profile Joined July 2010
64 Posts
August 12 2010 03:30 GMT
#83
Hilarious and well written.

Suggested additions would be other counters to the cannon rush, I've had some success with P (when I spot the rush late, once a cannon is already up) by pumping a 2-3 stalkers quickly and then sniping the probe, once he is gone I can return to normal game plan and let the cannon sit idle until I get a big enough force to snipe it without taking damage. At the very least, the stalkers can prevent the probe from effectively advancing the cannon line. I would assume Terran can do something similar.

Your "send 4 probes to kill whatever is building" suggestion is well taken, but what do you do when rusher probe starts building 2-3 cannons/pylons at once? He can still cancel just as effectively, and 4 probes can't do damage fast enough to kill them all before finishing.
onionchowder
Profile Joined July 2009
United States137 Posts
August 12 2010 05:01 GMT
#84
Very nice and detailed guide. I had a great time reading it, even if I will never do a cannon rush as a Zerg who off-races as Terran. There are a few key points you missed out though;

What is the timing on sending your first probe? Do you ever send a 2nd probe? How do you react if your probe is killed? Do you continuously build probes at your main? Do you chrono-boost probes at your main at all?
Eric Guan is a sexy beast
Shaithis
Profile Joined March 2010
United States383 Posts
August 12 2010 05:02 GMT
#85
Sigh, this is gonna become the biggest thread on these boards. I called it...
Battler
Profile Joined August 2010
Hungary19 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-12 06:05:24
August 12 2010 06:04 GMT
#86
Hi everyone, first post here on TL.
I'm not a big fan of cheese myself, but I got curious about the overreaction possibilities. How about, say, as P I build my second pylon a bit earlier in their base, watch as they scramble all workers to stop it, cancel before it finishes and continue with whatever I was doing before? You could get a slight economic advantage, throw off the opponent's build, etc. Could this work or the investment (delayed pylon at the main, 100 minerals "lost in the warp" for a short time) is too big?
"I've got banshee, and cheesecake, and I'm bringin' em home to you"
rathe
Profile Joined August 2010
United States109 Posts
August 12 2010 06:16 GMT
#87
First off, thank you to everyone who has provided feedback in this thread, both positive and negative. If you hate cannon rushes, hopefully this will show you how to smash those dirty cheesers when they try it. If you love cannon rushing, hopefully this will help you do it better.

The tips and strategies that you have shared have already helped me to learn more about this problem space, and I appreciate you sharing your insights.

Your "send 4 probes to kill whatever is building" suggestion is well taken, but what do you do when rusher probe starts building 2-3 cannons/pylons at once? He can still cancel just as effectively, and 4 probes can't do damage fast enough to kill them all before finishing.


You send 4 probes for each cannon he is building. So, if he is building 2, you send 4 to the first one, 4 to the second one. If you don't have enough probes to spare, queue them up. So, send 4 to the first one, 4 to the second one, then queue the probes from the first one to go hit the third one after they are done.

Also, remember to queue the probes to return to mining after they are done. That way you don't have to babysit them.

If he does the rush right, he probably won't be able to build more than 3 cannons at once, because it is so early and the cost is so high. When I do this rush on 1v1 maps, it has usually failed or succeeded by the 4 minute mark. I just timed a rush against the AI, and it was gg by 4:12.

What is the timing on sending your first probe? Do you ever send a 2nd probe? How do you react if your probe is killed? Do you continuously build probes at your main? Do you chrono-boost probes at your main at all?


I usually send the probe at 9 after I build the pylon. It looks like a typical scouting probe because it is. Sometimes I will send a second probe, but usually I won't. There could be some room for experimentation with two probes, but I haven't done it.

If the probe dies, usually it will die early or it will die late. Either one is fine. If the probe dies late, and the attack cannons are up, its job is already done. If it dies early, then you cancel whatever is building and transition to something else. Usually you only lose the cancellation costs. What hurts is if you get the pylon up, then the probe dies. Now you are out the cost of the pylon as well as the cancellation of the cannons.

I don't send another probe if the first one dies. There will probably be more of whatever killed the first probe waiting for the second one when it arrives. Like any investment, you can't get married to your position. Once it starts tanking, dump it and move on.

Often, people will immediately counter attack, so I will build two cannons by the nexus, then start chronoboosting probes and teching like normal. I try to chronoboost probes at my main whenever possible so that I am not too far behind if and when this fails.

Rob Hustle - Check out my music mang! - http://www.facebook.com/robhustle
drunkensolo
Profile Joined March 2010
Germany56 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-12 08:42:22
August 12 2010 08:41 GMT
#88
i recently cannon rushed because i didnt want to face another mirror matchup. hate tossvstoss.
worked though. mid diamond.
so i don't mind a guide about cannon rush. it's just another tactic for your repertoire.
ALPINA
Profile Joined May 2010
3791 Posts
August 12 2010 09:14 GMT
#89
I never cheese ever but this guide is pretty nice, it mentioned a lot of things. Most of them are common sense though
You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
Gnial
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Canada907 Posts
August 12 2010 09:21 GMT
#90
This guide made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Entertaining read

Kudos
1, eh? 2, eh? 3, eh?
aznhockeyboy16
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States558 Posts
August 12 2010 09:30 GMT
#91
personally, I think the 2 gate in base proxy is much more effective than a cannon rush vs terran, and it really doesn't care all that much whether or not it's been scouted on maps like steppes of war.
yourwhiteshadow
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States442 Posts
August 12 2010 09:34 GMT
#92
this is just hillarious. a comical read...really brought a smile on my face. i dno if i could EVER be considered legit if i did this all the time.
Technical Director, Si Media Production, simediapro.com
Rubyfire
Profile Joined July 2010
Germany186 Posts
August 12 2010 09:41 GMT
#93
I guess if you don't scout it, it's just your own fault. :x
That's why you should place your first pylon near your ramp to see the probe, when it enters your base. If it doesn't show up near your nexus you should search for it.
Nothing suits me like a suit.
JoFritzMD
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Australia163 Posts
August 12 2010 10:52 GMT
#94
high plat low diamond protoss beating off cannon rushes erry day.

Word.


On a side note, I thought everyone knew to send 4 probes to kill shit...
"Guess what. All my strategies are made of balls." - Tasteless
ashburn
Profile Joined March 2010
Singapore76 Posts
August 12 2010 11:33 GMT
#95
Very good read! Equal parts of humor and flair. It reads almost like a self help book
carwashguy
Profile Joined June 2009
United States175 Posts
August 12 2010 12:17 GMT
#96
I've lost one too many times to the cannon rush. Nowadays I always scout my main and natural in pvp.
Thaddaeus
Profile Joined July 2010
Germany107 Posts
August 12 2010 13:45 GMT
#97
Nice and funny Post.
However i would like to emphasize that cannon rushing is no cheese. Its a debatable strat but no cheese.

What i dont like is that you sound like an Asshole having fun of mocking about your opponents.
I dont think needless flaming mocking or harrasment is a good thing. Maybe you should refrain from such things. Will help you also when you leave school.
im fine :)
Neverhood9
Profile Joined August 2010
United States3 Posts
August 12 2010 13:52 GMT
#98
I'd like to take a moment and thank this thread for allowing me to get my first 10 win streak.

Last night, EIGHT players tried to cannon rush me...all failing. In all fairness, one got close because I lost track of his drone and stupidly assumed he was just scouting and left. Although, I really don't see how this would be successful on any competent player. But maybe I'll learn soon enough
AnodyneSea
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Jamaica757 Posts
August 12 2010 13:53 GMT
#99
Really? A cannon rush guide that's a novel long? wow...
Lost within the hope of freedom, not for control but in the light of our cause
Fiel
Profile Joined March 2010
United States587 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-12 13:56:56
August 12 2010 13:56 GMT
#100
I read the whole OP but not the whole thread. Please pardon if I've repeated any questions.

1) Out of the current standard ladder maps, which ones work the best for Zerg?
2) As you're pumping probes in your main, how many probes do you recommend be on minerals? When do you recommend building the assimilator?
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 13 14 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
IPSL
16:00
CSLAN Day 1
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
SpeCial 220
RuFF_SC2 118
ProTech83
StarCraft: Brood War
Bale 15
Dota 2
The International38734
NeuroSwarm227
Fuzer 58
febbydoto10
LuMiX0
League of Legends
Doublelift8903
Counter-Strike
summit1g9683
minikerr50
Other Games
JimRising 365
ViBE176
Trikslyr52
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick757
BasetradeTV286
[ Show 10 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• RayReign 70
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• C_a_k_e 1337
Upcoming Events
Sparkling Tuna Cup
7h 32m
PiG Sty Festival
9h 32m
Maru vs Shameless
Reynor vs TriGGeR
IPSL
13h 32m
OSC
21h 32m
Afreeca Starleague
1d 7h
Rush vs Hm
Bisu vs Shuttle
WardiTV Weekly
1d 8h
The Patches Monday
1d 13h
Afreeca Starleague
2 days
Sharp vs Shinee
Action vs Shine
PiGosaur Cup
2 days
Replay Cast
3 days
[ Show More ]
Afreeca Starleague
3 days
BeSt vs Paralyze
Jaedong vs Speed
Kung Fu Cup
3 days
The PondCast
4 days
KCM Race Survival
4 days
Replay Cast
4 days
PiG Sty Festival
5 days
CranKy Ducklings
6 days
PiG Sty Festival
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Escore Tournament S3: W7
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
Eternal Conflict S2 Finale

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 3
K-JUNGMAN
Acropolis #5
CSLAN 4
RSL Revival: Season 6
PiG Sty Festival 8.0
META DYMY #4
Esports World Cup 2026
Esports World Cup 2026: LCQ
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026

Upcoming

ASL Season 22
CSL Season 22: Qualifier 1
Escore Tournament S3: W8
CSL Season 22: Qualifier 2
CSL 2026 AUTUMN (S22)
Acropolis #5 - TRS
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
HSC XXX
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Offline Finals
Big Dog Cup 2026 Div 1
Stake Ranked Episode 5
PGL Masters Bucharest 2026
Thunderpick World Champ. '26
ESL Pro League Season 24
Stake Ranked Episode 4
1win Private Club #1
Logitech G Connect 2026
SL StarSeries Fall 2026
FISSURE Playground #5
BLAST Open Fall 2026
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 © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.