EPTThis guide has been a long time coming and I'm stilling shoring it up but it is a very satisfying build to execute and win with. I don't recommend using it unless you are already kind of adept at scouting and managing your economy probe-by-probe and making decisions of when you are 'allowed' to make probes or when you are forced to make units. But if you are not, trying this out a couple times will force you to improve upon these areas. Every new build you play and learn helps you disproportionately in some areas rather than others. In other words, every new build you learn improves at least some aspect in your compendium of starcraft II knowledge and ability.
Let me start off by saying one thing. This build in no way shape or form SOLVES 4 gate and therefore does not SOLVE the PvP match up as a whole. This build capitalizes off of the lack of information to be had in the match-up after the first stalker is out, bolstered by your own ability to control and manipulate what information your opponent has, supplemented by your ability to garner as much information as possible from what little you are able to scout.
You never want to use this if you scout 2 pylons, 1 gate and 1 gas. You can't pin him on anything other than 4gate and to assume you can get away with this build is absurd. You will die.
Now, let me list the situations in which you would even CONSIDER using this build. You have to be adept at controlling your scouting probe. You need to know EVERYTHING that is inside of his base before the first stalker pops + a little time for your probe to run away.
For convenience, let us define a standard offensive 4gate (3 gates on 24 supply, 2 pylons before 4 gates, 2nd stalker after additional gates are added) as a balls 4gate. All else equal, if your opponent does a balls 4gate and you do this build, you are dead.
You spy with your little probe...........
A 3rd pylon
This one can be tricky. It doesn't necessarily rule out an aggressive econ 4gate, as weird as that sounds. This 4gate comes slower than a balls 4gate but can still give you issues if you do not deny the probe/proxy. A 3rd pylon in most cases means a 2nd gas after his 1st stalker is out, but it is a pretty tough call. I'm 50/50 on this one
A 2nd gas
This one is less tricky than the 3rd pylon, as you'll never see a 4 gate that utilizes a 2nd gas in PvP, and you rarely see a 2nd gas to fake you into thinking he is not going to 4gate. Even if he fakes the 2nd gas, it's still 75 minerals slower than a balls 4gate (unless he makes it late and cancels it, but I won't get into that). I say go for it.
A 2nd Gateway
3 Stalker rush. You are usually safe as you can easily hold the 3 stalkers once your WG finishes and the 4gate resulting from a 3 stalker rush comes much later than a balls 4gate, so I say go for it.
A 21st probe
This is the wild card. You can only attain this information if you keep your probe alive to the very last safe moment. It gets started after the zealot is done but while the stalker is still in queue. This can easily tip off a non-4gate as I've never seen ANYONE fake a 21st probe and then cancel it. It can still mean a non-balls 4gate, so you need to be careful still.
A 3rd Chronoboost on Nexus
Either a non 4gate or a slow 4gate. Usually this will be in combination with one of the other tells. You know what to do.
*** If you are on antigua shipyard or shakuras plateau, you have the inherent advantage of a ramp at the natural, which will give you the first stalker volley in any engage vs a blink rush or a delayed 4gate. ***
With that said, here is the build:
Build
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9 Pylon
12 Gateway, scout.
14 Gas
15 Pylon
16 Core
18 Zealot*
21 Stalker
21 WG research
(24 Stalker) Do this at first if you feel a little uneasy. Eventually cut this out for 2 more probes though.
*The 16 core gets your WG a little bit faster though you have to cut probes for a few seconds. It just reinforces the threat of your own balls 4gate. PvP is all about intimidation so it's worth it. You can get the zealot on 17 or 18; I prefer 18.
READ ME
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26 Nexus
26 Gateway
26 Gateway
(26 Forge?) 1 cannon can be very strong in the case of an econ 4gate or blink rush, but I'm not sure when exactly you need it. If you want it for a blink rush, you need to get the forge a little bit after 26 or the cannon won't be up in time. I've either been going forge or a 4th gate a little bit later, say on 34-38 food)
26 Pylon (in your main, but right on the edge so you can warp into your nat)
12 Gateway, scout.
14 Gas
15 Pylon
16 Core
18 Zealot*
21 Stalker
21 WG research
(24 Stalker) Do this at first if you feel a little uneasy. Eventually cut this out for 2 more probes though.
*The 16 core gets your WG a little bit faster though you have to cut probes for a few seconds. It just reinforces the threat of your own balls 4gate. PvP is all about intimidation so it's worth it. You can get the zealot on 17 or 18; I prefer 18.
READ ME
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At this point, you want to feign 4gate. Devote all CB to WG, none to the stalker, none to probes. Your stalker gets out in time to deny information that pins you on anything other than a 4gate. Be aggressive with your stalker but not as aggressive with your zealot, especially if they opened with a 2nd gate way after core before their first stalker pops. You want to feign 4gate all the way. Make a pylon under their ramp if they did not open with 3 stalker rush. The only way they can push you back is if they are aggressive with their stalker+zealot as well. Play conservative.
If your zealot+stalker poke gets all the way to his ramp without opposition, that is a good thing. If he's trying to balls 4gate you, he wants a pylon under your ramp (cancel before completion of course) or at least close to it by the 5 min mark. Bring your units to the side of the ramp, not up it. You don't want to to get forcefielded but you want to see what is shooting you. Just a stalker? Pretty inconclusive. A sentry? NICE.
If you don't see a sentry, go ahead and retreat, checking for proxy pylons as you go. You don't have to fear his units coming after you as he wants to defend the 4 gate he has "scouted." If he gets up a proxy pylon and you never see it, it's still very possible he can pull off a delayed 4gate and kill you so stay on your toes.
If your zealot+stalker poke gets all the way to his ramp without opposition, that is a good thing. If he's trying to balls 4gate you, he wants a pylon under your ramp (cancel before completion of course) or at least close to it by the 5 min mark. Bring your units to the side of the ramp, not up it. You don't want to to get forcefielded but you want to see what is shooting you. Just a stalker? Pretty inconclusive. A sentry? NICE.
If you don't see a sentry, go ahead and retreat, checking for proxy pylons as you go. You don't have to fear his units coming after you as he wants to defend the 4 gate he has "scouted." If he gets up a proxy pylon and you never see it, it's still very possible he can pull off a delayed 4gate and kill you so stay on your toes.
26 Nexus
26 Gateway
26 Gateway
(26 Forge?) 1 cannon can be very strong in the case of an econ 4gate or blink rush, but I'm not sure when exactly you need it. If you want it for a blink rush, you need to get the forge a little bit after 26 or the cannon won't be up in time. I've either been going forge or a 4th gate a little bit later, say on 34-38 food)
26 Pylon (in your main, but right on the edge so you can warp into your nat)
At this point, you have ruled out a balls 4gate. The only real threat is the 3 stalkers he made if opened 3 stalker rush or a proxy pylon behind an econ 4gate. Let's say you have found it and killed it for simplicity's sake (and you should have on your way back from his ramp anyway, so if you didn't, shame on you! xD)
If you put your gateways up on time and you CB'd your WG research, you will have 4 stalkers and a zealot before the 3 stalkers arrive and you can easily drive them away. You can even feign a blink rush because the stalker won't actually reach your natural before your warped in units can engage him and 4 stalkers is not very indicative of 1 base robo play.
You can move around the map a little bit with your stalkers. But, if you scouted a 2nd gas right after core, know that he can have blink as early as 6:40 (7:10 post 1.4) if he for some reason played very greedy into a super fast, super risky blink rush. 7:00-7:30 (7:30++ post 1.4) is more of an accurate ballpark. Don't get caught by blink stalkers.
Probe management is very important at this point. Most likely, your opponent is one basing. He'll have somewhere between 16-20 probes on minerals. You can have the SAME amount of probes as he does, but if they are well distributed between your 2 minerals lines, you will have at least 150 more mineral income per minute (nexus is paid off in 2.xxx minutes + maynard time if you stay on equal probes with your opponent) Consider this when you are thinking of tacking on additional probes. If you get any where near 5 more probes "ahead" of your opponent, you're probably dead for a lack of units.
I won't tell you how many probes or units to make because,
a. It's entirely situational
b. I don't actually know yet
However, I can sum up the situations you will soon find yourself in.
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Delayed 4gate
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1. He 4gates you, but much later than a balls 4gate. He will have to establish his proxy pylon after he moves out because of your feigned agression which buys you valuable time to establish gateway production. You want to either have a 4th gate in the works or a cannon down in time. You have a better economy so you can pump out units more efficiently than he can (plus he can't support 4 gates sustainably, but you can) if you chronoboost well. 3 Chronoboosted gates can hold him back if he's 4gating you because at this point he won't be able to keep his WG cool downs all the time) I wouldn't add probes until he is petering out.
Don't rush to get blink, but get it eventually. Once he retreats and transitions into whatever the hell it doesn't matter, and you finish blink you can simply walk across the map and kill him.
Don't rush to get blink, but get it eventually. Once he retreats and transitions into whatever the hell it doesn't matter, and you finish blink you can simply walk across the map and kill him.
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Blink Rush
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2. He blink rushes you. This is a tough fight and it's very micro/macro intensive. His stalkers are pretty much invincible from the virtue of blink. On Shakuras and Antigua, you will have a big advantage because he can't shoot you until he breaches the ramp. You do want stalkers, but zealots are very important as well. You want to keep his stalkers from shooting your stalkers for as long as possible. You need to hit every single WG on time during every fight while maintaining decent chronoboost on your gates. On the maps I did not mention, this is a VERY difficult fight. While you won't have blink when he gets it, you can still micro back your hurt stalkers because he can't offensively blink on top of you until he has pretty much already won.
You're going to want to transition into blink yourself, but be very careful. You don't want to take your 2nd gas too early or you won't have the mineral income to make enough units to stay alive.
You're going to want to transition into blink yourself, but be very careful. You don't want to take your 2nd gas too early or you won't have the mineral income to make enough units to stay alive.
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One Base Robo
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3. He is none the wiser, and goes for a 1 base robo play. Get blink once you have ruled out the above situations and threaten a blink all in while you transition into chargelots and eventually a couple archons (be careful; you might not be able to get up archons in time for a one base push. But if they expand, definitely get archons!!) You should be able to keep him in his base for a long period of time with the 10-14 stalkers you made earlier for defense. Once you have a good stalker ball, one that can pick off his units as he tries to move out, only get zealots. You can get as many as 6 gates at this point depending on how many probes you made in the interim. You have to engage in a decent spot if you only have chargelots + blink stalkers. You want your zealots to envelope the push as well as possible. FFs are annoying. Blink stalkers on top of the collossi and focus them, of course.
Stay on 2 gasses for as long as possible, but get your 3rd when you feel safe. If he expands, go ahead and get 4 gasses and saturate both of your mineral lines and you'll eventually outmass and crush him. Your blink stalker/chargelot/archon force will roll him over because you had an early economic advantage.
The only consideration you have to take is positioning. You can't bust him unless you are EXTREMELY ahead as he will be able to put his colossus in very good spots where your chargelots and archons can't touch him. Wait until he is out of position or dreams of taking and securing a third. A-move your chargelot archons after you have positioned a decent concave for yourself and blink your stalkers from behind and target his colossus.
Stay on 2 gasses for as long as possible, but get your 3rd when you feel safe. If he expands, go ahead and get 4 gasses and saturate both of your mineral lines and you'll eventually outmass and crush him. Your blink stalker/chargelot/archon force will roll him over because you had an early economic advantage.
The only consideration you have to take is positioning. You can't bust him unless you are EXTREMELY ahead as he will be able to put his colossus in very good spots where your chargelots and archons can't touch him. Wait until he is out of position or dreams of taking and securing a third. A-move your chargelot archons after you have positioned a decent concave for yourself and blink your stalkers from behind and target his colossus.
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4. Pheonix play
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Lol. I opened like this against a phoenix opener once. He flew his first phoenixes and saw my natural and that I had blink and immediately left the game.
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5. Blink + Obs aggression
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This can be quite difficult if your opponent has strong micro. You want to keep your zealots at your natural while keeping all of your stalkers plus maybe 1 or 2 zealots (usually warped in on the spot) in your main. He won't have as many units as he would if he was doing a blink rush, but it can get dicy on maps where he can forcefield your ramp without being right at your nexus (think xel'naga). It's worth it to start a cannon at the edge (and by edge I mean ~6-8 pixels from the edge so that he can't shoot it from the lowground but you still get vision of the obs if it's giving him a decent amount of vision) where you're most vulnerable to a blink in to provide potential vision of the observer as well as stationary defense against a blink in. You can get blink a little faster as opposed to when you're facing a blink rush because he has less actual units.
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That's all I have for the time being. This is still a very new build and I am constantly experimenting with it. At least for me, when I first started messing around with this, I felt less like I was trying to learn a new build and more like I was trying to learn a new language. Very little of what you have learned in PvP, at least outside of scouting, will apply here. Have fun with it!
Here are some replays for you.
Replays
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replay 1: Shakuras, vs blink rush + obs. This will hit a little less hard as a blink rush, but he can blink into your base. I'm not really too afraid of this kind of play, as it pretty much means he will have 3 less stalkers than he would if he didn't get the obs.
http://replayfu.com/download/sbw4js
replay 2: Antigua vs blink rush. This build is pretty good on this map against blink rushes because of the ramp at the nat as I've noted. It pretty much gives you a half blink as you can move back your hurt stalkers and he can't really do anything about it or he puts himself in a tight spot.
http://replayfu.com/download/kLxL4f
replay 3: Antigua vs delayed 4gate. This build does well against a delayed 4gate on this map for the same reason it does well against a blink rush. He did lose his probe sloppily so I didn't have to find and kill the proxy pylon on the way back from his base. Consider that when you try to do this build against delayed 4 gate. You really need to make sure he didn't get a pylon up in time for his first warp in.
http://replayfu.com/download/GvbtHq
replay 4: Shattered temple vs 1base robo. He played it safe and so I capitalized. He then established his own expansion but was behind because his was so much later. Forced to try to take a 3rd to come back in economy, I engage him trying to safeguard his 3rd.
http://replayfu.com/download/Sqz49p
replay 5: Abyssal caverns vs 1base robo. It's pretty close to how the 4th replay was, but I was able to be greedier with my expansion and could easily bust his nat off 2 base.
http://replayfu.com/download/Njg2wq
replay 6: Shakuras vs DT drop. If you don't see anything indicative of robo tech at the ramp and he hasn't moved out with stalkers for a blink timing, you should assume it's either DT drop or that he's going to swing in with a bunch of phoenixes at any moment. In either case, drop a cannon in your main mineral line and if the drop does come, make sure you surround the cannon with probes so he can't get any free licks at it while you warp in some units to fend it off. You might lose some infrastructure that isn't in sight range of your cannon, but as long as you don't lose too much you are still ahead because of your faster expansion. Also, it's nice to know that his colo tech will be late if he chooses that route, and his WG army will be weaker because he has invested so much in the shrine + dts.
Note: In some of these replays I get 2 stalkers and 2 probes up to 26 food instead of 1 stalker and 22 probes. the 20 probe version is a little safer and sells a 4gate harder if he pushes with a 3 stalker rush. I am not sure which is better against what, but I think if both are played perfectly, the 22 probe, 1 stalker 1 zealot at 26 food, comes out ahead.
*** replayfu is down unfortunately. If it is down for a significant amount of time, I will transfer the above replays to a different site.
