EPTHi Everybody. I'm Nyast, a mid-master's Protoss player, and today I want to share with you a build that I've been practicing and that has given me a fair number of wins in the past 2 months. I have a win/loss ratio of around 60% with it, and when I lose it's usually due to an execution problem or to my inability to scout and adapt to what the opponent is doing, not to an inherent flaw with the build.
Many players have probably done it or a variation of it in the past months, so I do not claim that it's 100% original, however I haven't met any player on ladder, on streams or in tournaments execute it, so it's certainly not mainstream or popular right now.
The goal:
Like any Protoss, you've probably played a decent number of forge-first fast expands builds. And like any Protoss, you've found that although you were pretty safe in the early game, you were unable to punish a Zerg from taking a fast third and then flooding you with mass units in the mid game. Zerg's macro quickly becomes unstoppable if he knows what he's doing. A quick stargate is one way to put some pressure back but even that can quickly be stopped by a Zerg that knows how to scout or drops a couple of spores..
Enter the 10 gate ! The goal of the 10-gate is to punish greedy Zergs and to enter the mid-game with a strong economic/macro advantage. You are going to sacrifice a little bit of your early economy to put some ultra fast pressure on the Zerg, expand as fast ( and often faster ) than he does, while being safe and teching quickly.
Most of the time, this build immediately outright kills any hatch-first build. Against a 14+ pool first, you can delay his hatchery by a minute or two compared to your nexus ( and if you feel like playing cheesy, you will even be able to set up a contain ). You will be relatively safe against any cheese ( fast pools )..
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/gMraM.jpg)
Mid-game, 12 more probes, a B3 faster than his. How does it feel to be in a Zerg's shoes ?
Build order, the early game:
The build order is simple but the execution and the timings have to be perfect. You're going to need more than a dozen games before it "feels" right. There are tons of possible variations around this build, but I only use two of them, which I find particularly strong. Those two variations start the same and change based on whether you're going to scout a hatch or a pool first.
The common part:
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9 Pylon (at your natural), scout
10 Gate (chrono 2 times your nexus for probes afterwards)
14 Pylon (at your natural if he hatched first or you didn't scout him yet; at his natural in other cases)
15 Zealot (chrono boosted), send to his natural asap
10 Gate (chrono 2 times your nexus for probes afterwards)
14 Pylon (at your natural if he hatched first or you didn't scout him yet; at his natural in other cases)
15 Zealot (chrono boosted), send to his natural asap
Versus a hatch-first:
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17 Forge
17 Zealot (chrono boosted, rallied to first zealot)
19 Pylon (at his natural)
20 Canon x2 (at his natural)
22 Nexus
22 Canon (at your natural), in defense
22 Cybernetics core, close full wall
17 Zealot (chrono boosted, rallied to first zealot)
19 Pylon (at his natural)
20 Canon x2 (at his natural)
22 Nexus
22 Canon (at your natural), in defense
22 Cybernetics core, close full wall
Versus a pool-first:
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18 Zealot (chrono boosted, rallied to first zealot)
20 Forge
22 Nexus
22 Canon (at your natural)
24 Pylon (this normally compensates for the loss of your 2nd pylon at his natural)
25 Cybernetics core, close full wall
26 Pylon
28 Canon (at your natural)
20 Forge
22 Nexus
22 Canon (at your natural)
24 Pylon (this normally compensates for the loss of your 2nd pylon at his natural)
25 Cybernetics core, close full wall
26 Pylon
28 Canon (at your natural)
Keep building probes as long as you have money, but never prioritize them over zealots/pylons/forge production. Stop building probes around 19-20, accumulate minerals for canons and/or the nexus. Resume probes production ( chrono boosted ) after you've successfully set up a contain or closed the wall at your natural.
After the wall is finished, I usually get the 2 gas in my main immediately, research warp, chrono a sentry and drop a stargate or two. Then I quickly produce a voidray to help defending all-ins. If the all-in doesn't come, I'll continue producing voidrays and phoenix and harass his B3. More about this stage in the next sections.
Variation:
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Against a 14+ pool, you can also attempt a canon rush ( along with your 2 zealots ). This is usually unsuccessful if the Zerg has scouted your zealots with a drone or an overlord and over-produces zerglings. If he produces few zerglings ( <= 10 ), you can attempt a canon rush. I don't do it since it's a bit cheesy, and the goal of this build is to enter the mid-game with an economic advantage in a macro game, not to kill your opponent immediately ( unless he's doing a greedy hatch first ). However you should be aware that if you fail that canon rush, you will most likely fall behind.
Notes and timings:
Versus fast-pool/cheese:
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The build is relatively safe versus a fast pool cheese. I've even successfully hold some 6-pools in close pos. Take half of your probes before (this is key) the zerglings arrive at your natural. Drop a second pylon at your natural. Chrono your zealots. Try to form a little choke with only enough room for 1 zealot in hold-position. As you micro your probes and zealots, chrono a second zealot and drop a forge. Make a canon asap, and when the canon is up, save your minerals and drop a nexus. Proceed with the rest of the build like it was a normal game, and don't worry: even if you lose 6-7 probes, you still have the advantage.
On some maps like Tal'D'arim, some Zergs attempt 6-pools in the hopes that the Protoss will go nexus or forge at 15. They bypass the canon and go harass the main. This build is really good in this scenario, as the map is huge, and you'll have a zealot out before his zerglings arrive. Zerg's reactions when they realize their 6-pool has no chance of passing is priceless.. most simply gg and quit, but one time a Zerg told me: "wtf, never seen such an early gate on that map.."
On some maps like Tal'D'arim, some Zergs attempt 6-pools in the hopes that the Protoss will go nexus or forge at 15. They bypass the canon and go harass the main. This build is really good in this scenario, as the map is huge, and you'll have a zealot out before his zerglings arrive. Zerg's reactions when they realize their 6-pool has no chance of passing is priceless.. most simply gg and quit, but one time a Zerg told me: "wtf, never seen such an early gate on that map.."
Handling the canon rush:
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When you attempt to punish a hatch-first ( this happens in ~40% of my games, as most maps in the pool are 2v2s, a lot of Zergs feel safe by going hatch first ! ), your second pylon should go down near his natural around 3'30. It doesn't matter if he scouts it, or has an overlord on top of it. Your forge should be completing soon, and your first zealot is almost here. Zergs are used to defending canon rushes by pulling out half their drones, but here with your zealot it doesn't work. When the first lings appear, micro your zealot around, do not engage if he has more than 4 zerglings ! Make him run in circles, he doesn't have speed yet. If his lings attack the pylon, attack the lings, then retreat when he engages.. rinse and repeat. Retreat between mineral patches in hold position. Snipe the queen if there are few lings and he sends his queen, it'll be off creep. Retreat hurt zealots away for a while, wait til shields recharge, and reengage. Buy some time for the canons to go up !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/STMyu.jpg)
Greedy Zergs must be punished: you will have 2 zealots, 2 probes and 2+ canons going up, think of how many lings you need to defend that..
Zerg's responses:
Scenario 1: you succesfully set up a contain with canons
Don't get excited too quickly: there's a timing where a Zerg can all-in you, and you don't have your tech yet. I've lost a fair number of games due to feeling too confident at this stage, so get ready to feel the desperation of a Zerg ! However as you experience the build, you'll become better at holding those all-ins. The key here is to scout him regularly with your remaining probes/zealots and see what he's teching to. Try to see if he makes a second hatchery in-base, took some gas, and fast techs to lair. Check his units, do you see some roaches ? Does he have speedlings yet ? All those hints will be critical in preparing against his response..
- zerglings/bannelings (hints: quick gas, no lair, no roaches, 2nd hatch in base, tons of speedlings..):
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He will attempt to bypass your canons, morph into bannelings in front of your entrance, and hit you before you can have too many sentries. The key here is to reinforce your wall with more gates, chrono sentries, chrono the warp and drop 5-6 canons.. don't be afraid to go overboard, you're on two bases, he cannot compete economically so if you survive you'll be in good shape !
- roaches (hints: few zerglings, roach warren):
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The good news is that he'll have to deal with your canons at his natural first. As soon as you see roaches attacking your canons at his natural, drop 5-6 canons at your wall, chrono your warp/sentries, chrono your first voidray. It shouldn't be too hard to resist, and as soon as your voidray is done, he's extremely far behind.. just play safe from now on, harass with your air, take a third, tech to colossi.. and you should have no trouble in the mid/end game.
- nydus (hints: fast lair):
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Spread pylons in your main, around the cliffs. Remember where his overlords come from, that's the most likely spot for a nydus. If he still hasn't busted your contain at his natural by 7', it's very likely to be a nydus. Check the mini-map very often. If he successfully spawns a nydus in your main, you can only hope that your voidray is not too late, as you won't have enough gate units to hold. As soon as you see the nydus, don't hesitate to take 8 probes and surround it !
- exotic stuff (hints: fast lair?):
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Once somebody went fast mutas on 1 base. Another one made a nydus.. in another corner of the map, to bypass my contain and expand. So far none of those responses have worked against me, as I have a quick stargate or two, so I have map control and can easily harass.
- roaches/lings bust and double-expo:
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While most of the Zergs tend to go all-in when they're behind, a few of them will still attempt to play a macro game, bust your canons, attempt to poke at your choke and immediately retreat. They'll double-expo and go into mass droning mode. Continue with the build as if it was a standard macro game, go air harass and take a third asap.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sNLj0.jpg)
The result of a failed all-in. The game is litterally in the bag: I have twice the number of probes, my tech is ready and I'm getting my B3 while he's barely taking his B2
Scenario 2: you delayed his expansion, forced him to produce a lot of zerglings, but did not contain him
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Most Zergs will attempt a macro game and take a fast third. At this point you should be chrono boosting probes like crazy, you will still hold the economic advantage until 9-10'. See the next section about the build transitions in the mid-game.
One thing I like to do in this scenario is drop a second gate ( sometimes before the cybcore, to complete the wall ), produce 4-6 zealots and make a small push on his likely third. This doesn't delay your air tech too much since it's mostly limited by your gas. The advantage of this small push is that you can either outright kill his third, either it forces him to produce a lot of lings, but this also allows you to scout what he's doing. If you see roaches, drop a couple more canons at your natural and retreat, do not lose the zealots, and chrono your voidray.
The mid-game:
We're now into the mid-game, and he's not all-inning you ( or he already did and failed ). Your first voidray is out, you have a couple canons in your natural, you are safe. You're still equal or in front of him economically, but if he took a fast third, he's soon going to take the lead ! The goal now is to keep that advantage.
If he did not all-in you at all, drop a second stargate. Chrono voidrays until you have 3-4 of them, then continue to produce phoenixes ( all chrono boosted ) with a rally point. Go harass his third with your voidrays: the goal here is to pressure him, force a ton of queens and spores. If you see a lot of queens and spores at his third when you arrive ( for example because he had an overseer and saw your stargates earlier ), harass the main. Lift and snipe the queens, delay him as much as possible, and don't forget to check his tech path !
Most of the time, a good Zerg will successfully defend your harass. You should then use the voidrays to prevent creep spread, hold the Xel'naga towers and snipe as many overlords as you can. Use the phoenixes to regularly scout his army composition and tech path.
There are many transitions possible out of this build in the mid-game, I'll quickly mention a couple of them:
Mass gates play:
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Drop a twilight while you're preparing your voidrays, add some more gates ( 6-8 ), research blink, upgrades at the forge. When you start to move for your harass, destroy a canon or a gate at your natural, warp in some sentries/zealots/stalkers, take your B3, put a pylon and some canons. Normally he'll be too busy with your harass to prevent your B3, but beware of the response as soon as he scouts your third, he will most likely go all-in, produce a ton of lings/roaches/hydras and attempt to kill it. Spawn as many gate units as possible, micro, force-fields..
If you scouted: mass lings and probable mutas:
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If you already have two stargates ( that's what I usually do with this build when the Zerg plays a macro game ), drop a third stargate. Chrono phoenixes. Produce many gates, tons of zealots, some canons to defend your minerals lines and take your third expansion when you can.
If you only had one stargate, go mass gates play with blink, add some templars/archons and.. try to survive..
Double-stargate double-robo:
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I usually do this transition when I see he's teching hydras with my phoenixes when I harass him. I stay on ~3 gates, then I drop 2 robos asap, a robo bay and transition colossi 2-by-2, chrono boosted. I add more gates and produce mass chargelots, and once I feel confident enough, I take my third ( usually around 13-14' ). Upgrades are very important, a second forge may help.
Maps:
This build is particularly good on maps with a choke/ramp at the natural.
It's not good on Xel'naga caverns and on Metalopolis: the natural is too open. I have roughly 50% win/loss ratio when I do the build on those maps. Zerg's all-ins are very hard to defend, as canons cannot cover all the space.
It is decent on Shattered Temple, although a bit more risky than other maps. Get ready to close off your wall before you drop your nexus at 22 !
On Antiga Shipyards, your second pylon should be at your natural in all cases, whether he hatch or pool firsts. That's because it's not possible to completely close off your wall without a second pylon, the range isn't high enough.
Summary:
The goal of this build is to put pressure on the Zerg 2-3 times before the mid-game.
1. Early 2 zealots pressure (with a canon rush if he hatch-firsts).
2. [optional] More zealots pressure, 4-6 zealots from double-gates, especially if your early zealot pressure didn't do much. Try to kill his third, or at least scout what he's doing.
3. Air harass from one or two stargates ( one if he all-ins, two if he plays a macro game ). Forces him to produce queens, spores, overlords.. sometimes you can even snipe his B3 or his main.
When you do this right, you'll be in the mid-game with an economic advantage and the same number of expansions ( or if you really outplayed him in the early game, you can have an advance in expo count.. ). You will have map control thanks to your air, you can easily scout him and react to what he's doing. Congrats !
Replays:
Vs Hatch first:
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![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-238421.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-238308.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-237754.jpg)
Vs Pool first:
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7 pool:
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-237753.jpg)
Another 7-pool with mass lings and nydus attempt, transition into hydras:
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-238548.jpg)
10 pool:
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-238549.jpg)
14 pool 15 gas:
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-238208.jpg)
11 pool 19 gas:
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-235029.jpg)
13 pool into roaches (this is an example of containment vs pool 1st, the variation I described above..):
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/repimgs/repimg-33-238551.jpg)
