First and foremost, I am not a progamer and therefore can easily make mistakes. Please consider these as my own thoughts. I draw my information from recent GSL/SSL wins and some stream replays from Puckk and State. I am clearly going to make mistakes, but hopefully drawing off prolevel play I can get at least close enough that we can have a discussion. I'll try and update this as I have time over the next week or two with replays and clear examples.
To start out with I'll go over basic changes from hots. Then I'll go over some of the most abusive styles and difficult compositions for protoss to deal with and describe how I am guessing based off replays what is a more optimal way to deal with them. Next, I'll go over racial changes leading to how to get to these compositions throughout the game. I will go over openers and attempt to find replays to support my ideas provided to support these transitions.
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What to watch out for the most?
The first question is in general what should be the goals in game to stay organized. In contrast to HOTS where the zerg spent most of their time matching the protoss composition now protoss has to do their best to match zerg and limit the possible transitions that the zerg player can do. The goal then in terms of builds is to have actionable items that make this occur. Usually your builds will then be to slow down econ so that a zerg cannot get up more bases and gases to get up more tech trees before taking fights, to hit timings before tech comes up, and then try to limit zerg econ while match zerg on the number of bases and tech options they have.
Unlike before Protoss has options to be cost effective in the midgame and less options in the late game. Most of the cost effective trades in the mid-game come from your choice of blink or adepts. If you see a zerg expanding to a 4th before 5:30 or on 6 gas before 5:30, you should be the attacker in most cases. With the tools of the opener you should have a way to punish either of these scenarios. Everything should be proxied, carried in a warp prism, or warped in as needed. If protoss units are walking across the map, the protoss players probably already lost the game.
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New unit micro-
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Disruptors-
Some tips with disruptors. First off, Disruptors hard to get to without dying. Typically you do not rush them, but instead get them off an immortal backbone. They are really most effective when there is a lot of high value units clumped or outranging units like lurkers. (i.e. hydra/ravager ball) Also when you get to roughly 5 of them, you can almost constantly spam purification nova making your army extremely cost efficient. Any low econ game with a ball of disruptors, the longer it goes the more likely you are to win. If you shoot out the purification nova and then move the disruptor, you also move the purification nova ball. You must learn to move click, shift cast purfication nova, and shift click move the disruptor back. This will be your go to micro move. Also, Its best to have a warp prism to pick up the other ones if you are in trouble so that you do not cancel the purification nova.
Warp Prisms and gas unit-
Your bread and butter for new micro should be using the pickup range on the warp prisms. It is the most cost effective aspect of the protoss race. Picking up stalkers which have a long range then placing them back is a huge spatial advantage and should be exploited at every turn. They should be placed in the back of the army and pull units back. Almost always you should have 1-2 sentries or templar. Think of it as a single unit. Its a warp prism plus some gas unit. Warp prism plus sentry, warp prism and stalker, warp prism and templar. Each one means that your warp prism is effectively a spell caster.
Adepts-
The harass on adepts makes them the most effective worker harass unit in the game. Adepts are versatile. They force out units early and reposition while doing damage similar to a phoenix. The upgrade for the adepts make sense if you are NOT going against a roach heavy player.
To Adept or Zealot-
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This is one of the questions that people ask, when would you ever build zealots? The truth is zealots are better in fact than adepts at a small number of tasks. For the most part you should be building adepts. When in doubt build them. Mostly think of zealots to kill structures or with archons. If you have zealots you should trade them however way possible before lurker tech. Lurkers hard counter adepts so hard that they are useless.
Zealots are better for-
1. Trapping an army- They form an arc around the army and slow the mobility slightly of the opponents army movements.
2. Sniping a tech building/killing static defense- Charge allows the zealots to weave rapidly through buildings and snipe a tech building which may be somewhat surrounded or hidden. Also, if being chased a zealot with charge can get to a building creating space which is lost by having adepts attack at a distance. Zealots will attack the first spine as a group where adepts tend to attack multiple spines.
3. Blocking a ramp- You can use zealots to create a wall on a ramp, then warp the adepts through that wall. Allowing adepts to escape after in base harass. (not spending gas) Also, as part of an initial wall.
4. Evading fungals- Since zealots have charge they split up a bit in the attack in. This means that against infestors zealots are more powerful.
5. Better to save gas for tech- if you are cutting gas to get a tech heavy unit like archons or void rays its better to go zealots.
Adepts are better for-
1. Scouting- The shade ability allows them to pass and get vision while moving away from problems.
2. Worker harass- 2 adepts one shot workers. 2 zealots 4 shot workers.
3. Repositioning your army during a battle- You can use the shades to close distance beyond aoe units like lurkers or go past roaches into hydras.
4. Creating concaves- If you can get a good opening fight they are better.
5. Passing through force fields/static defense- You can put a sentry in a warp prism drop ff's then shade through to split an army or pass through defenses.
Oracles-
Revelation is your new best friend in legacy of the void. It does well to counter lurkers. Against ling heavy compositions you should be thinking stasis for runby's. Also, they provide vision for blink which is important for mobility to out work lurkers.
Pylon Overcharge/recall-
Your goal late game should be 3 pylons at each base with 3 pylons across counter paths. Why 3? The mothership core can save energy for a recall then cast 3 pylon overcharges. This is particularly useful against run bys and muta harass which is one of the most difficulty situations to deal with the game.
Colossus-
Colossus are still useful against fast infestor play with ling and hydras. In this scenario you want to use adepts to phase on top of the hydralisk army hits with zealots/stalkers/and collossus in one push. The ideal timing is to hit them before ultralisks come out and be ready for an ultralisk transition if its hive and a mutalisk transition if its not hive.
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Builds that still work-
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Dt harass into blink
Proxy oracle play
Blink harass
Zealot Immortal timings
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Things that no longer work-
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Single Stargate Phoenix openers-
If you go phoenix off gate first the fastest two arrive is 4:30 cutting production which is when a zerg off 3 hatch is already saturaded and you haven't even started to do damage yet. 2 phoenix arrive about 5:15 if you do some 2 gate pressure into phoenix, where the zerg is still saturated even with some lings made to defend. Phoenix do not do enough damage alone and the zerg already has a hydra den completed when 4 phoenix arrive. You did not buy any space or information with them. Just don't build them first. They can work after 2 oracles pounding away (i.e. Hero vs sacsri) Double stargate builds exist and often have success.
Mass sentry-
This was a popular build towards the end of hots. Flood with gateway units and have never ending sentries. Stay in pockets where damage could not occur. This does not work. It dies to nearly any build the zerg does because of the easy accessibility of ravagers.
Collossus timings vs roach hydra corruptor-
This used to work because of sentry positioning and the colossus had such high damage output that the corruptors did not kill them before the army died. This is no longer the case.
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General changes from HOTS-
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-Prion Terraces- The map Protoss never will win
-Changes to chronoboost make allins off 2 bases weaker
-Early game pressure is very important
-Creep spread is twice as fast
-Ultralisks are much stronger
-Collossus counter much fewer compositions
-Need to stay even on bases not just 1 base behind
-Upgrades are not as beneficial
-Adepts provide scouting
-Zerg cannot kill nexus first with ling pressure
-Pylon positioning is most important defence especially to zergling drops
-Should match tech and compositions
-Phoenix openers do not provide enough pressure to deny droning, but can work as transitions
-Cannot open forge openers
-Ravager ling hard counters immortal timings
-Ravagers off roaches are often used to pressure and drone
-Roaches hard counter adepts
-Stasis is one of the most useful spells for scouting and should be used every game in the late game with revelation (stasis on ravagers, revelation for lurkers)
-Disruptors are hard to control and outrange Ravagers you have to have the capacity to get to them if they morph lurkers.
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Units/Unit Compositions-
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Ling/Ravager-
Adepts,immortals,archons are your preferred unit composition. Avoid void rays and stalkers, dts, and templars.
Hydra/infestor/ling-
Colossus, archons, blink stalkers, adepts. Your goal should be to maximize your concave and position the adepts to kill the hydralisks. archons are not particularly effective against hydralisks, so if the hydralisk count is high, probably best to not make archons. Also, you might consider phoenix as a soft counter to hydras/infestors.
Roach/Ravager-
Immortals stalkers and a small number of adepts. The adepts mainly buy space for the repositioning of the army and can shade through to kill ravagers. The blink add tankyness and avoids the ravager shots and immortals avoid ravager shots. Also a warp prism is ideal to maximize micro. Avoid mass adepts and phoenix and void rays unless preparing for a zerg tech switch.
Mutalisks-
Usually you want to push while the mutalisks are popping. If this is not an option you need to asses where you are. If you have chosen archon and blink already and are not on 4 base you cannot go air. You will die. If you are on 4 base, its probably better to fill in phoenix to go toward the late game tempest tech to deal with brood lord lurker follow ups. Avoid getting too many robo units and try to create pylon positioning so that the mothership core moves as little as possible to defend as much as possible.
Roach/hydra/lurker-
Oracles, warp prisms, immortals, archons, blink stalkers, pylons, and eventually disruptors. If you have a stargate or can afford one, you should be making oracles. They are much better than any unit in the game to deal with lurkers. You need them for the vision of the revelation and stasis makes it hard for them to push into you without losing a lot of their units. When you think lurkers, you should think revelation and warp prisms. Adepts and zealots do not do well against this composition. Any extra minerals should be put into more pylons, zealots harass, and warp prisms.
Brood/lurker-
Warp prisms/blink/mobility. Defense with tempests, disruptor, archon, immortals, storm. You should rapidly get 2-3 warp prisms possible to increase your mobility. Both brood lords and lurkers lack mobility. Also for the game ending fight tempest/templars are a priority. You should shot for a tempest for every brood lord, and a templar for every infestor and viper. Even if there are corruptors, with the tempests focus the broods first and warp in stalkers behind it to kill the corruptors and lurkers. Archons are great for tankiness. you should have an archon for every ultralisk and lurker as your target number. Avoid getting adepts and zealots except for harass. The ideal pickoff would be new bases and tech such as spire, infestation pit, lurker den, or ultralisk cavern to limit their transitions.
Queen/Ultra/ling-
The goal here should be adepts for the lings immortals for the ultras and templars to feedback queens, vipers, and infestors. You should have a warp prism to carry the templars. Avoid getting disruptors, they do not do well against ultralisks and queens transfuse negates their damage to the ultras. Once the feedback is used you should use templars to storm and make archons.
Infestor/Ultra-
Zealots, Immortals,archons, voids. Try to get the count very high. Chargelots over adepts. Try to use the chargelots to trade out and minimize the surface area of both fungal and the ultralisks. Also, the chargelots use less gas which allows for more archons and void rays to be made. Mutalisk tech switches are harder as well because of how much gas these units take. Do not make carriers. The extra armor negates the carrier damage.
Most of the games the priority in general will be to get some immortals. This is because they deal with roaches, are more tanky and and take ravager shots. Also, in order to win, protoss relies heavily on getting across the map. This is by hidden proxy gateways or stargates, warp prisms, and using shade movement speed. Without these you will lose.
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Important timings-
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Speed finishes 3:30 on speedling expand
Late third hatchery is after 3:20
Late roach warren is after 3:40
Proxy oracles off gate first hit 4:00
3 hatch speed finishes close to 4:10
Gate first chronoboosted warp gate finishes 4:20
2 base ravager timings 5:10
Nexus first unchronoboosted warp gate finishes 5:10
Fast 4th starts around 5:00-5:30
Nydus play 5:30
Fast hive starts around 6:00 Fast ultras appear a little after 9 minutes
3 base muta ~6:30
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Openers(these are the approximate non-allin openers that protoss are using to get wins)-
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Nexus first into 2 gate-
Build order-
14 pylon 0:18
17 nexus 0:58
17 gateway 1:08
19 2 gas 1:21, 1:24
20 gateway 1:40
22 cyber core 1:55
28 pylon 2:30
28 2 adepts 2:32
32 warp gate 2:35
34 mo core 2:45
37 tech structure or two stalkers 2:55
if stalkers (43 tech building 3:10)
Transitions-
Nexus first into robo-
Build Order-
14 pylon 0:18
17 nexus 0:58
17 gateway 1:08
19 2 gas 1:21, 1:24
22 cyber core 1:55
28 pylon 2:30
28 adepts 2:32
32 warp gate 2:35
34 mo core 2:45
if stalkers (43 tech building 3:10)
Transitions-
chrono warp gate/start warp prism immediately drop 5 gates @ 3:40 2 pylons at 4:10 for 6 gate adept pressure push while expanding. Hits about 4:30 with 8 adepts.
Nexus first Forge-
Build Order-
14 pylon 0:18
17 nexus 0:58
18 forge 1:11 (usually scout with this worker)
21 2 gas 1:38 (2 gas if no pressure)
21 cannon (if pressure 1:53 if not 2:05)
Transitions-
Nexus first into 3 gate blink-
Build Order-
14 pylon 0:18
17 nexus 0:58
17 gateway 1:08
19 2 gas 1:21, 1:24
22 cyber core 1:55
28 pylon 2:30
28 twilight council 2:32
28 adept 2:32
32 warp gate 2:35
34 mo core 2:45
37 two gates 2:55
41 blink 3:08
43 2 more gateways
47 2 gas
if stalkers (43 tech building 3:10)
Transitions-
Gate first with proxy oracles and adept harass-
Build Order-
14 pylon 0:18
16 gate 0:36
17 2 gas 0:50 0:54
19 pylon 1:18 send to proxy location
19 cybernetic core 1:24
23 proxy pylon placed 1:42
23 stargate 2:03
25 mothership core 2:03
27 adept 2:04
23 warp gate 2:28
30 nexus 2:32
30 oracle 2:50
34 pylon 3:10
Transitions-
Gate first with proxy warp prism and adept push-
Build Order-
Transitions-
Gate first with hidden dark shrine-
Build Order-
Transitions-
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Late game-
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Low econ/sniping and limiting tech is the name of the game. The less you both are mining, the fewer tech choices the zerg has, the more engagements you have off creep, the more likely you will win. In general its better to trade out for expansions, tech, and workers (except in the case of mutalisks.) The reasoning for this is that zerg will have many options to tech switch to with enough econ. Protoss units tend to be more cost efficient. Because of this dts are quite populer to deny bases after 4 bases for the zerg. Usually extra apm should be spent on, denying active creep tumours toward your 4th base, scouting bases, and finding ways to kill tech structures.
I'll try to include more replays, decision trees, builds, and composition pictures over the next 2 weeks. I wanted to post this before Dreamhack and have ran out of time.