Introduction

Hey guys, my name is Gemini and I'm a Grandmaster Protoss player who has been making guides since 2011 on various sites. The Build of the Week is my most popular series of build order guides that I've been making for about three years now on /r/allthingsprotoss. With the help of TeamLiquid.net and Spawning Tool I'm now bringing my guides over to TL as well!

Each write-up includes build order notes, an explanation/analysis of how the build works, and a VOD section so you can check out the source game and how it should go. I'll also include the Spawning Tool link so that you can practice it in game yourself and download the replay of me doing it. I hope you enjoy and be sure to read the whole write-up before asking any questions as I'm sure some of them will be answered in here!

How to use Spawning Tool
Link to the Spawning Tool Build
Link to /r/allthingsprotoss Guide.

[PvZ]Zest's 4 Oracle into double-Robo Immortal

Protoss vs Zerg continues to be rough for a lot of Protoss players out there, especially for the lower leaguers. This build is especially for you guys. This is probably the most "I respect all that you can do and will go overboard to defend it" build you can bring to ladder. Four Oracles, two Robos making Immortals, and a one way ticket to salty-Zerg tears.

Build Notes

Build Explanation & Example Game

"B-b-b-but Gemini, I thought the entire point of the Overlord drop nerf was so Protoss wouldn't be forced into opening Stargate every single game!" That's true, and I'll be covering some of the new builds later. However, my editor has to dump this backlog of old builds Stargate is still one of the most fundamentally safe ways to open, due to the scouting it enables + the threat Oracles present in the early game. I've gone into detail on how to open with Stargate in three previous Builds of the Week, and I'll be referencing them regarding some of the intricacies in execution.

In the last PvZ BotW, Dear's immortal/gladept all in, I went into great detail on how to scout early game Zerg all-ins and how you should respond to things like proxy Hatchery, early Pools, and other things of that nature (thankfully, no longer early drops). This is where having practiced the exact same opener every PvZ can be a strength. If you can perfect this early style, then you will know what to do versus all these early all-ins, since the defensive tactics are very similar regardless of your follow-up.

In Stats' Blink-Stalker + Colossus BotW, I went over exactly how you should be using the opening Oracle for scouting and securing a third base. With this build, Zest goes for FOUR Oracles in total, which is actually kind of insane (he makes a single Phoenix first in this example game, which is just a slight variation you can opt for. It doesn't impact much at all for the build). Not only does this allow players who are good at harassing to deal a lot of damage, but it also gives Protoss a massive amount of defensive strength as well. You'll have a lot of Revelations to keep track of the tech and army movement from Zerg and a ton of energy for Stasis Wards as well. This is the first aspect of the "I respect your options and want to defend" mindset behind this build.

The build then goes into a transition phase. Normally, this is where Protoss players would warp in their Twilight-Robo-Forge for the eventual Chargelot-Archon-Immortal army. But with this strategy, you instead go for double-Robotics Facilities after taking a five-minute third base. You also get a few Sentries at first to help secure the third base, and to keep fend off any Ling-Bane bust attempts there. The Robotics, alongside a four-Gateway explosion around 5:30 (you can even get six Gateways if your macro isn't the best, to keep all your production going), let you start producing an incredibly robust army early in the game.

Your follow-up depends on what the Zerg player does. That requires some elaboration on the PvZ match-up in general, which I'll get into in the next section.

Midgame Zerg Control: Accepting Being Passive

Many Protoss players complain about Protoss' weak mid-game, and even some Zerg pros acknowledge this point. Zerg has been strong in the mid-game for a long time now, and nothing has happened to change that fact. Whether it's with Hydra-Bane or Hydra-Ling floods, Hydra-Lurker contains, or Roach-Ravager busts, Zerg has the ability to ramp up their production for a massive surge of units that can kill Protoss at around 6-9 minutes into the game. This is inherent to Zerg due to its unique production/economy mechanics. Protoss has three options to counter:

1). All-in before the Zerg can power up.

2). Use an opener that prepares you for the mid-game onslaught as best as possible, and defend long enough until the late-game where Protoss excels.

3). Try in vain to control of the mid game and then die horribly because it's impossible to attack into a mid-game focused Zerg.

Number three is something that I've personally struggled with for a while, and I imagine others have as well. It's difficult to accept the fact that for a three to four minute period of the game (if not longer), the only thing you can do is defend. You don't get to move out across the map for a timing push if the two-base all-in phase has ended. You can't yank Zerg left and right with Warp Prism harassment. You have to sit back, wait for your tech and army to scale up (Storm, Colossi, or critical mass of Archon-Immortal), and defend wave after wave of Zerg. Now, this is obviously a generalization of the situation, but it's what the majority of PvZ games turn into.

The most you can do in these stages is send out small hit squads of Chargelots to the fourth and fifth bases of the Zerg while they're attacking to try and delay or slow them down in any way. Do enough damage, and you might even auto-win once you get past the threat of imminent death. However, sometimes the pushes come a bit too early, at a point where you'll need every unit at your disposal in order to survive. This is where this build comes in.

I mentioned earlier that Roach-Ravager pushes off of three bases have gained traction with Zergs. Roach-Hydra compositions have also risen in popularity, due to the Hydra upgrade split/nerf making super-fast Hydra-ling and Hydra-bane attacks less effective. If you were to open with a normal Oracle into Chargelot-Immortal-Archon build, you might get overrun by Roaches as you try to tech up to Charge and Storm. Zest's build gets a second Robo very early so you can pump out Immortals to defend against these types of attacks. The example VOD demonstrates this quite well, with Zest able to hold off Scarlett's Roach-Ravager-Queen push. Should you scout one of these attacks coming (you see a Roach warren and no gasses at the third base with low Drone saturation) then you should put down extra Shield Batteries at the point of defense (depending on the map) and spend all your Chrono Boosts on getting a lot Immortals. You'll also want a lot of Sentries so you can summon your best WoL-HotS era Forcefields to make those Roaches extra sad. The four Oracles from the early game can help immensely, as one jackpot Stasis Ward can turn the tide of the battle (the Oracles can chip in with damage as well, as long as you don't send them carelessly to their deaths).

But what if Zerg isn't trying to kill you with that kind of push? Won't you be behind from delaying Storm and upgrades so much? Not necessarily. Double-Robo still leads to an extremely strong army composition. If you go for this style, you're basically saying, "I'm in it for the late-game, and I know it" since you're looking to scale and defend for as long as possible. When you have as many Immortals as a double-Robo opener gives, it's not exactly easy for the Zerg to attack into you later on. You're still trying to get Charge and Templar tech relatively quickly. If you don't see Zerg going for a big attack, then you should warp in a Twilight Council and Forge after your gateway explosion, followed by Templar Archives.

The other reason this build is pretty solid is because Immortals are also the biggest counter to lurkers. Lurkers are a common choices by Zerg players, so getting a high Immortal count early allows you to break Lurker containment that much more easily. With four Oracles, you'll also never run out of Revelations to keep the Lurkers revealed as well.

If you want, you can even transition into Disruptors instead of Storm if you see Zerg going for a roach/hydra composition. As long as Zerg isn't going mass Zerglings, there are plenty of situations where you can use Disruptors effectively. With two Robos producing Disruptors, you can catch Zerg by surprise and snowball one or two big fights into a victory.

One thing you'll have to be careful of is Mutalisks. Since you go double-Robo so early, there is always the potential for the Zerg to do a Roach push and then immediately switch into Mutas to abuse your lack of anti-air. This is something that you need to keep in the back your mind as a possibility. With four Oracles and a decent Sentry count, you have plenty of ways to constantly scout enemy territory for any quick tech switches. With good scouting, you'll have more than enough time to get Phoenixes and then Archons once your Templar Archives finishes. A Muta-switch after a Roach push is risky for Zerg—if they don't get any damage done, they'll be hard-pressed to stop a Protoss counter-attack. This is only a situational thing, though, and for the most part you'll want to stay defensive throughout the mid-game.

Once you've weathered Zerg's aggression and feel that they're losing steam, feel free to immediately take a fourth base and continue to scale up towards the ultimate late game army of Immortal-Archon-Templar-Carrier. Generally speaking, switching into a second Stargate and Fleet Beacon as your fourth base starts to get saturated is the optimal timing. Use Zealot run-bys/Warp Prism harass to keep the Zerg busy while you get your carrier count up. It's at this point where you can really start to control the pace of the game, since you'll have a lot of income to support constant Zealot counter-attacks and Zerg will be scrambling to transition to the late-game. As long as you take control of watch towers and keep using revelation on the Zerg's army, you can really open up the map and put the hurt back onto the Zerg. This is a good replay of mine showing how the map opens up once the Zerg's window for pushing has ended and you start going towards Carriers.