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[D]SC2 Notes: The Sangate PvZ

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
Post a Reply
EsportsJohn
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4883 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-12-29 08:02:25
December 29 2013 07:33 GMT
#1
Apparently San nearly won IEM Singapore on the backs of hundreds and hundreds of zealots warping in and slaughtering millions of zerglings. Specifically, he used a special 4-gate rush to easy win half a dozen games. Unlike the more common zealot pressure builds that hit at 7:00 with 3-4 gateways, San's build hits at 6:15. Let's take a look at why San is being called "The Zealot King".

VoDs:

San vs. EffOrt G2 on Bel'Shir Vestige
San vs EffOrt G3 on Akilon Wastes
San vs. Hydra G2 on Polar Night
San vs. Hydra G3 on Whirlwind


[image loading]
ZEALOTS TROLLOLOLOLOLOLOL



Build Order:
9 pylon
12 gate
15 gas
16 pylon
18 core
18 zealot
22 *probe scout*
23 warp gate
23 nexus
23 MSC (chronoboost)
25 pylon (at natural)
**Chronoboost warp gate nonstop**
26 gateway x2 (4:35)
27 sentry
30 gateway (5:00)
31-32 proxy pylon
@6:00 warp in first round

First 4 zealots hit @6:15
Hide probe after initial pylons


The single most important thing to note is that San gets an early gateway on 12 (instead of 13) and gets a late gas (on 15 instead of 14). The early gate is to allow him to get warp gates 15 seconds faster; the later gas is simply an adjustment to make up the mineral economy he lost with getting an earlier gate (and besides, he doesn't need that much gas early on). Most players normally build the zealot and cancel it if they don't see early lings or a proxy hatch or let it finish and use it to scout instead of a probe. San always lets the zealot finish while still probe scouting. This is because the zealot is very important in escorting the proxy pylon probe across the map.

The initial probe scout simply checks to see if there is a natural and if the zerg took an early third or not and then hides somewhere on the map. If this probe is not found, San will use it to build a pylon instead of escorting a probe. Around 4:30, once the wall at San's natural is complete, he moves out with a zealot and a probe. He generally clears both watchtowers with the MSC while warping in a pylon close to the zerg's third. Once his probe plants the initial pylon (which he can get very close to the third), it will swing around to the other side of the map and hide another pylon. The second pylon allows San to hit from multiple locations or swing around and attack at a different angle if he wants to (in one game versus Hydra, it outright won him the game). San cuts probes briefly in between his first and second warpin, then resumes production afterwards.

If his opponent finishes ling speed early, San will wait for his second warpin before attacking. Against roaches, he splits up his zealots to individually attack and uses time warp to prevent the roaches/queens from kiting. The purpose of this build is to snipe the third, Almost every time San has used this build, he has managed to snipe the third.

The wall + sentry is strong enough to hold any ling counterattacks. If San senses a ling attack incoming, he will use his very early warp gate to warp in reinforcements at home while still warping in zealots.

To followup, San normally takes his natural gases and goes for a robo into a two-immortal all-in. If he snipes the third, this pressure is especially powerful as it hits shortly after the hatchery completes and the zerg player wants to drone again. In addition, it forces the zerg player to amass units off of two hatcheries instead of three. The immortal all-in followup is somewhat akin to Dear's Immortal All-in PvZ. In a couple of cases, San follows up with a stargate and gears up to take a third. Again, in this situation, he's done so much damage by sniping the third that he can comfortably take an expansion while parrying all roach/ling attacks with void rays and zealots.

The downside to this build is that it's very recognizable. It's very cleverly disguised as a normal expansion build, but it's very easy for the zerg player to spot the chronoboost on warp gate and scout the probe moving out across the map to build a pylon. The protoss player also stays on one gas, which is easily scoutable. The best response to this build has generally been just building a few extra lings at 5:00 and sniping the probe/pylon before the pressure even gets started.

Overall, this is a transitional build that can allow the protoss player to get ahead in economy by investing in some early zealot pressure. It's perfectly viable to follow up with almost anything after this pressure: robo all-in, robo expand, stargate expand, blink all-in, DTs, etc. Hope this was enjoyed! Happy zealoting!



_
StrategyAllyssa Grey <3<3
Jer99
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
Canada8157 Posts
December 29 2013 08:31 GMT
#2
so that's the sangate you were talking about!

Poor Hydra getting sangated twice in a row, but what a brilliant move killing your own hatchery for the broodlings
StrategyTaeJa #1 || @TL_Jer99 || "seeker seeked out his seeking"
tar
Profile Joined October 2010
Germany991 Posts
December 29 2013 10:27 GMT
#3
It's always funny how the game developes in cycles: Expand into 4 gate zealot is such an old concept. It gets popular, is super successful and then zergs adapt and it fails miserably most of the time. Then no one uses it, zergs don't account for it any longer and the 4 gate comes back. The cycle continues.

Gonna give it a shot on ladder.
whoever I pick for my anti team turns gosu
Qwyn
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2779 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-12-29 10:58:49
December 29 2013 10:53 GMT
#4
Oh my god first 4 zealots hit at 6:15 instead of 6:45? What...the...fuck...god damn that's really depressing.
Oh my god this timing seems unstoppable...thanks for making my worst fear even more scarring...holy shit. Seven/eight zealots by 6:50 instead of 5...

God damn.

The scariest thing is that this looks like a three gate at the wall O_O.
"Think of the hysteria following the realization that they consciously consume babies and raise the dead people from their graves" - N0
justnny
Profile Joined October 2010
United States171 Posts
December 30 2013 15:05 GMT
#5
Thank you for the summary. I'm going to try it now!
Yamato
Profile Joined February 2010
United States33 Posts
December 30 2013 17:14 GMT
#6
Are there any probe cuts in this build? Also, do you keep building probes even after you are warping in zealots?
ETisME
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
12385 Posts
December 30 2013 17:28 GMT
#7
i hate this push soooooooooo much, it's like zerg rush, except a billion times stronger and the 'lings' don't die
其疾如风,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不动如山,难知如阴,动如雷震。
EsportsJohn
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4883 Posts
December 30 2013 17:43 GMT
#8
On December 31 2013 02:14 Yamato wrote:
Are there any probe cuts in this build? Also, do you keep building probes even after you are warping in zealots?


I mention it briefly in the summary, but San usually continues probe production during this pressure, doing only a slight cut between the first and second warpin. I imagine he also probably stops when he reaches full saturation at his natural (24/24, no gases).
StrategyAllyssa Grey <3<3
Yamato
Profile Joined February 2010
United States33 Posts
December 30 2013 18:09 GMT
#9
On December 31 2013 02:43 SC2John wrote:
I mention it briefly in the summary, but San usually continues probe production during this pressure, doing only a slight cut between the first and second warpin. I imagine he also probably stops when he reaches full saturation at his natural (24/24, no gases).


Ah cool, I missed that - thanks! Sounds like an excellent aggressive option that I'll have to try out. Thanks for the excellent guide!
hellokitty[hk]
Profile Joined June 2009
United States1309 Posts
December 30 2013 19:49 GMT
#10
On December 29 2013 19:53 Qwyn wrote:
The scariest thing is that this looks like a three gate at the wall O_O.

No, actually it looks like an obvious 4 gate at the wall unless you hide your gateways.
People are imbeciles, lucky thing god made cats.
EsportsJohn
Profile Blog Joined June 2012
United States4883 Posts
December 30 2013 19:57 GMT
#11
On December 31 2013 04:49 hellokitty[hk] wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 29 2013 19:53 Qwyn wrote:
The scariest thing is that this looks like a three gate at the wall O_O.

No, actually it looks like an obvious 4 gate at the wall unless you hide your gateways.


Well, for some maps you only need 2 gates to complete the wall (i.e. Frost, Yeonsu, Polar Night, MAYBE Bel'Shir if you include your initial pylon in the wall). So yeah, obviously it works better on maps like that .
StrategyAllyssa Grey <3<3
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