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.

[PvT]PartinG's 3-Gate prism into Blink Stalker-Disruptor

It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of writing a guide on this fan-favorite. After a solid showing at HomeStory Cup 17 and qualifying for the final season of Code S, it might be time to get excited for PartinG again. For anyone not aware (as we have many wonderful newer additions to our lovely SC2 scene) the so-called "Big Boy" used to be more than just a hilarious streamer. Back during WoL and HotS, he was one of the most entertaining, charismatic, and skilled Protoss players in the world. He invented Storm first openings vs Terran and showed the world how to use Storm flanks. He perfected the infamous Immortal-Sentry all-in, which came to be known as the "Soul Train." He was a title contender right up to the beginning of Legacy of the Void, which was when he took a lengthy hiatus from StarCraft II.

After returning to StarCraft II in late 2017, PartinG has been recovering at a quick pace. This build is in perfect PartinG style as he utilizes an early attack that can easily kill an unprepared Terran but also sets himself up for fancy Blink Stalker + Disruptor play in the mid-game.

Build Explanation & Example Games

Replays of source games:

- PartinG vs INnoVation Source Replay: https://lotv.spawningtool.com/38841/

- PartinG vs FanTaSy Source Replay: https://lotv.spawningtool.com/38828/

It's not often I feature super aggressive PvT builds, so for anyone looking for something to spice up their ladder sessions and collect some extra juicy Terran tears, this one's for you.

Since it is a PartinG build I'll have to preface this by saying that this is a pretty M I C R O I N T E N S I V E build that may not work in certain situations if you don't have the control to pull it off. (If you need a refresher on how to perform pro-style Warp Prism micro, check out this detailed guide) However, nailing the timing should leave you with a strong early game force to do damage with, provided your opponent didn't open 3-Rax or some other early-army oriented build. This build shines versus early tech builds like 1-1-1 or 2-1-1 since the Terran is investing all his resources into a small number of specialized units. That means a brute force attack can easily overwhelm them early on. This particular build is especially dangerous as PartinG tuned his build to hit before common drop timings (Widow Mines, etc). However, if your opponent is going for pure bio early on, then it might end up being hard to crack their defenses. But even in that case, this build transitions decently into the mid-game (more on that later). First off let's see what PartinG does to make this build hit as early as it does.

Some of you may be looking at the initial steps to this build thinking to yourself, "Wait, Gemini. That's not a normal 20 Nexus expand like literally every other PvT and PvZ build has been for the last 10 months!" Wonderful attention to detail, dear reader! One of the small adaptations PartinG uses to perform such a cunning strike against the Terran opponent is to go Cybernetics Core before Nexus. This gets everything out just a little bit faster, and usually can go unnoticed by a Terran if they don't SCV scout (even if they do SCV scout, it's unlikely at lower leagues that they'll notice the difference and prepare accordingly). PartinG basically gets everything at 20 supply. He gets the Cybernetics Core at 20 supply, then the Nexus at 20, then a Pylon at the natural at 20, and the gas at 20. Again, this is all done to get everything out as fast as possible to hit as early as possible.

With the faster Cybernetics, PartinG Chrono Boosts out his first Adept to get across the map extremely quickly. He uses this Adept to pressure the Terran's Command Center and delay it for as long as possible. Typically there will only be a single Marine out (two if Terran skipped Reaper and went reactor), so you can easily kill the SCV building the CC and then trade for some Marine kills as well. A Chrono Boosted Stalker comes right after the Adept, which is in time to deal with the first Reaper at your base, so you don't have to worry too much about that. If you kill the first Reaper you can send the Stalker across the map to pressure alongside the Adept, but you can just leave it home as well. This phase can be quite taxing on your multitasking if you want to maximize your early pressure, so I'd suggest just staying back with the Stalkers.

Probe production should be paused again at 24 (30 supply) in order to get all of your production facilities early. The Robotics Facility goes down at 30 supply after you've made two Stalkers, and the two extra Gateways follow immediately after. Remember to Chrono your Warp Gate research at this time as well, so you can squeeze in two rounds of warp-ins before your timing attack. Once the Robotics is done you should Chrono out your Warp Prism and then immediately get a few Pylons so that you can get your 2nd set of Gateway warp-ins done when the Prism crosses the map. If you do everything correctly, you will end up making three Stalkers out of the initial gateway, three right when Warp Gate finishes, and then three more across the map to hit with a total of nine talkers at about 4:30.

So how does it do vs the plethora of builds Terran has?

• vs. Widow Mine Drop: This is an extremely strong timing since this hits as a widow mine drop would be moving across the map, meaning there will be basically no units at home for the Terran. In his game vs INnoVation, INno tried to pull the Medivac back and drop the mines to intercept the army but a simple well timed pick up into the prism negated the mines and let PartinG roll on forward.
  
  
• vs. Cyclone or Tank: If Terran opened Cyclones, then nine stalkers easily can focus fire them down in two volleys, even with SCVs repairing. A Tank can also be killed in two salvos if it's in an opportune position. If the Tank is placed in the back lines, you can drop directly on top of it since Terran has to sacrifice so much unit production to have a Tank that early. Otherwise, you could just elevator into the main.
  
  
• vs. Banshee: Banshee openers can also get shut down hard because of how few units Terran will have at home. When FanTaSy went for a Banshee opener vs this build, PartinG was able to deny the natural and kill a lot of SCVs. He saw the tech lab on the Starport as well when he poked into the main, and was able to prepare for Banshees with Shield Batteries and Observers.
  
  
• vs. 3rax: If Terran opened 3-Rax, it could be difficult to get anything done without good micro. Terran should have around 18 marines when this attack hits, which can be hard to micro against. Terran doesn't have the highest SCV count with this build, though, so as long as you can trade favorably it can still turn out OK. Since you have the Robo done you can also go right into Disruptors since their Medivacs will be really late and you can punish any follow up pushes they do with them. It's also important to remember that Stim and Combat shields finish just after 5:00 with this opening so if you're in a scrappy fight until then, be wary of getting overwhelmed when Terran hits that power spike.
  
  
• vs. 2-1-1: Since this is basically the same as 3-Rax but with one less barracks, you should be able to still micro against the marine count they've made. 2-1-1 isn't really that popular in TvP but you'll still get some people that try to do it.

If you do end up in a situation where you can't immediately kill the Terran, fear not. PartinG also has a sexy follow up that he showcased vs FanTaSy.

Blink Stalker-Disruptor Transition

Continuing in PartinG fashion, he follows up his early attack with a fast Blink transition to set up a 3rd base and then goes into Disruptors! PartinG is one of the few Korean players to actively use Blink/Disruptor as an army composition early in PvT instead of transitioning into Disruptors in the late game. It's extremely fun to watch and just as fun to play as well.

Your early attack should have killed a decent amount of SCVs, and it will be difficult for the Terran to immediately launch a counter attack, especially if you keep the threat of the Warp Prism alive. A lot of Terrans will be so afraid to move across the map if they know you still have a Warp Prism. With the space that he created, PartinG goes into Blink research and saturates his two bases before expanding to the 3rd. With Blink done early, you can do some nice Blink micro vs any counter push that eventually walks across the map, or accompany your Stalkers with some Immortals, to clean everything up and continue on.

Something that PartinG delayed quite a bit in the example game were his extra gateways, but that was because he was so busy microing his Stalkers nonstop across the entire map. You can easily fit them in after you start Blink and your Forge just like normal in PvT. If you don't feel as safe, then you can get the extra gateways earlier and delay the forge just a little bit. You can also Chrono out some Immortals like I mentioned if you would prefer a more solid core to your army back at home instead of Blinking around with only Stalkers.

Once everything is nice and set up going to three bases, PartinG gets the Robotics Support Bay and goes into Disruptors to be really active on the map and snowball his lead. He even goes for Warp Prism speed and goes crazy with a double Disruptor drop. If you want to go that all out then please be my guest, but know that it is not at all necessary and it's VERY micro intensive. It is extremely fun and rewarding though and I have collected many a salty tear utilizing it.

You can also go into limited Colossus production after you make your first few Disruptors. Or, you could transition right into Psionic Storm. There's no need to go full out Blink-Disruptor if you don't want to. In the meantime, it's important that if you choose to go for this style, then you either need to be sitting back and punishing the Terran's aggression when it's coming to you, or you need to be active on the map looking for fights. You can't let the Terran sit back and get in an entrenched position with too many units because then it can be hard to break it with Blink-Disruptor. If you have a good lead and macro well then you should be able to break most things a Terran can do early on though. If they do get a good siege up with ranged Liberators and Tanks, then you'll have to transition into Tempests to break them.

As for your composition, it's not actually pure Stalker-Disruptor. You can have a few Immortals from before, and a handful of Sentries are absolutely vital for Guardian Shield. You can also go either Glaive-Adepts or Chargelots as the follow-up to round out your composition.

No matter how you decide to play the transition, this build is a very fun and aggressive one meant to set the tempo and keep it the entire time. PartinG is a great player to watch for playstyles like this. Even if you aren't the greatest at micro or multitasking, emulating PartinG's style can be a great way to improve those aspects of your play.