EPTThere are, according to this guide, four types of stalker micro available to you. These types are: Blink micro, Basic Kiting, Shield Preservation, and Dodging. Each have their own use, though some require an upgrade, others are only enhanced by the upgrade. Le'ts start with the basics.
Basic Kiting:
Basic Kiting is where you attack a unit, usually of lower range or melee, and then run away from the target, and then turn to fire as your attack cooldown is up, and repeating. This method is most effective on slower targets or units with a melee range that cannot greatly outrun you. The benefit of this micro technique is that your unit stays alive with few or no damage taken, while killing the other unit, or merely causing him to give up and go away. The downside to this technique is that you are giving up ground to the opposing unit/army which can be bad if you have your stalker at a point to guard a choke, or to protect a watch tower, or to defend valuable terrain. This technique is simple to use although takes alot of practice to master, as you can time your attacks perfectly to never miss a single attack as compared to standing still, although you are still moving backwards.
How to Kite:
First pick a target and attack it.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Kite1.jpg)
Then stop attacking and run away from the target.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Kite2.jpg)
After a sufficient distance is covered, turn and attack again.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Kite3.jpg)
Finally, repeat these steps until the target is dead.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Kite4.jpg)
Shield Preservation:
Shield Preservation is when you have multiple stalkers and you replace the front stalker with a fresh one while the old front stalker returns behind the new one. This keeps the enemy from breaking the shields of your stalkers, allowing them a longer life. This method does not require much movement and is typically used over kiting when there is much importance to the ground being held by the stalkers. However this will also work on defensive positions in which the enemy is unlikely to be kited out of position, for instance if he is at the top of a cliff. Also certain units cannot be kited effectively, either due to their speed, a slowing ability, or the fact that they have the same range as your stalker. This method can still not be used on a unit with a larger range than the stalker without considerably more effort. The downside to this technique is that your unit is taking damage, and if done incorrectly you can easily lose all of your stalkers, unlike kiting in which you can just continue running. Also, this can only be done vs low amounts of units, and is useless in large scale battles.
How to Preserve Shields:
Engage a target with your stalkers, which one stalker in front of the others.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/SP1.jpg)
Then move the front stalker behind the unhurt stalker.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/SP2.jpg)
Proceed to attack the target again.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/SP3.jpg)
Note: If three or more stalkers are attacking, you can just keep cycling through unharmed stalkers to reduce damage taken even more.
The Blink Upgrade
Blink is an upgrade researched at the Twilight Council, which is available after you construct the Cybernetics Core. Blink enables worlds of new micro as well as enhancing older techniques. Blink also has it's various uses and quirks accessable by use of the shift key. Blink allows a stalker to teleport from one are to another, and as such it's uses can be obvious. However there are certain abilities granted by the correct timing and use of blink that are advantageous to our stalker army. To explain these abilities we will start with a more obvious one: blink micro.
Blink Micro:
As it's name implies, this technique is the use of blink to the stalkers advantage. The most common use is very similiar to shield preservation. As a unit is weakened it is blinked to the back of a group in order to maintain firepower, but avoid damage. This is useful throughout the game, though shares a weakness with all blink related abilities, blink has a cooldown. In large battles this could take up alot of your concentration and time, so it is best to only do this on the large scale if you can constantly remember to produce more units and keep macro up on your bases.
How to use Blink Micro:
To you blink micro you must first Engage an enemy.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Blink1.jpg)
As the targetted stalker becomes weak, blink it to the back of your forces.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Blink2.jpg)
continue attacking the targets.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Blink3.jpg)
repeat as necessary to save as many stalkers as possible.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/blink4.jpg)
Dodging:
Dodging is the act of blinking as a projectile is mid air moving at the stalker. This negates the damage from the attack and can be used to lengthen a stalkers life, avoid a nasty slow, win a close battle, and avoiding EMPs. Dodging is difficult to use as it requires perfect timing often only fractions of a second in which you have to see danger, think to blink, and then react. Dodging can be one of the most powerful techniques to use with a stalker as with dodging a group of stalkers can take on groups of marauders, hydralisks, mutalisks, banshees or a ghost without any serious damage done.
The problems with dodging occur when some attacks do not a have visible projectile from which to dodge. Siege tanks, marines, auto turrets, queens, all have an invisible projectile. Also dodging is impractical in large battles as more than only unit is likely being targetted, though you COULD dodge with sections of an army it is unlikely to be more useful than maybe getting a single shot dodged.
How to Dodge:
Fire attack an enemy unit
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Dodge1.jpg)
As the enemy projectile is flying at your stalker, blink out of the way.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Dodge2.jpg)
Continue attacking.
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![[image loading]](http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae216/XizorHalfwingseen/Stalker%20Micro%20Photos/Dodge3.jpg)
Repeat as the cooldown allows.
How this helps to be agressive:
Now that the four techniques have been described to you, The real question can be answered. You can maintain pressure on another player, regardless of race (with a few exceptions), using these tactics.
Early Game
A couple stalkers can attack and kill marauders without taking any damage, needing only to stop to regenerate shields. Allowing the protoss player to remain at the front door of the Terran while protoss is free to expand, or tech. Against another protoss, Kiting a zealot is easy and almost necessitates a stalker or sentry in return, which can be defeated by adding a second stalker of your own and practicing good micro. Against zerg, the toughest of all, stalkers can kite zerglings and queens off of creep and even get shots off a tech buildings and hatcheries, and with a proper probe block early, can even shut down that fast expansion to allow protoss time to catch up. Though the Speed upgrade for Zerglings quickly ends this tactic if it is researched.
Mid Game
In addition to the above tactics, one can finally research blink, and defeat small groups of enemies by dodging and by blink micro. by minimizing casualties you are able to remain on the offensive and pin the opponent in. This threat is doubled if you get an observer and blink in along a cliff to harrass, move through the base, and then blink out unharmed. The combination of fighting and harrassment is key to using stalkers to maintain high pressure on the enemy.
Late Game
Masses of upgraded stalkers is nothing to joke about late game. With proper blink micro, and a few blink tricks to avoid walls and cliffs, one can destroy whole armies with stalkers alone. Blink micro becomes intense, where you can fight battles losing only a handful of stalkers compared to the large amoun fo casualties inflcited upon your enemy. With proper priority targetting kiting can even be re-enabled late game against some of the slower units available.
I hope this Guide and information finds it's way into the hands of a good micro Toss and they can use it well. And if you are new, then this guide is good to familiarize yourself with the tricks that a stalker is capable of.
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