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When I play a 1v1 match against Zerg as Protoss, I'm happy. So far (in about 5 matches), I found the following strategy undefeatable:

  1. Quickly build a Forge (before Gateway), then 2-3 canons at your doorstep. If you have a Natural Expansions that is defendable, build the canons there instead of the main base, and secure your natural.
  2. Gas up, build more canons, expand to natural if it's defendable
  3. By this time, the Zerg player will have given hope on ground assult. 5 canons are pretty much impassable... the Zerg will go for Mutalisks/Corruptors
  4. Mass up on Pheonixes - build 2-3 Stargates and pump Pheonixes using Chrono boost. You will encounter some Muta resistence, but you can build Pheonixes faster than he can build mutas.
  5. By the time you have control of the skies, build Voidrays and gg

What is its weak point? How can I defend against it playing Zerg? Nydus/Overlord transport ?

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Situation like this make me wish Zerg had a non air-based siege breaker unit. Broodlords don't work as siege when your opponent has lots of AA (and little else) – Raven Dreamer♦ Aug 12 '10 at 0:24
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Has anyone tried banelane bust on you? I find it hard to believe that 5 cannons are unstoppable. – Doug Aug 14 '10 at 2:44
@Doug - yeah, I haven't encountered it yet, though I imagine it will be quite effective. This might be the best answer to such a wall-in tactic. – ripper234 Aug 14 '10 at 18:18
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I love seeing the cannons go up. the more you spend on cannons, the less you have for units that can actually come out to get me. therefore, i can spread out over the whole map, get 5 bases, and wait until you run out of resources. – Peter Recore Aug 18 '10 at 20:02

2 Answers

up vote 21 down vote

This is actually the best possible thing to happen for you as a zerg player. He's running just Phoenixes and he has given you map control FOR FREE.

Your Strategy is going to be as follows:

  • Build a couple spore to stop early Phoenix harass.
  • Expand to 3 or 4 bases
  • Spread your creep
  • Build pretty much any unit, you're going to run over him

He's giving up the Macro advantage as you now have map control. You can build Hydras as a direct counter to Phoenix and they have the nice benefit of being strong against 4 gate.

Now if he pushes out a more standard 4 Warpgate play, you just FE and play normal vs a 2 Base Protoss. By the time you make a serious push, the Photon Cannons will be a small factor.

Btw, what do people feel about the plural of Phoenix? In Roman mythology there was only one Phoenix in the entire world so the word had no plural. I've been using it as both plural and singular (like fish) as a result.

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UPVOTE! So true, I laughed so hard. For the plural, I find myself saying Pheonixes sometimes or just Pheonix. – Doug Aug 14 '10 at 2:45
@Doug based on the latin the plural of Pheonix would have been Phoenices (like matrices). – tzenes Aug 15 '10 at 0:46
Lol, it could also be Phoenii :P – Carl Clover Aug 20 '10 at 17:17
Maybe Phoenixen? – Brant Aug 26 '10 at 15:14
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asked on english.stackexchange english.stackexchange.com/q/19839/2109 :D – bronzebeard Apr 7 '11 at 6:11
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up vote 4 down vote

I'm assuming you are walling off with no gaps with those cannons? Any half decent zerg player will ignore your cannons and run past with speedlings. (Zerglings with speed upgrade) if you are not walling off. If you are walling off then see my next comment.

Any half decent Zerg player can easily counter this strategy by one of two things. Nytus (sp?) network or Overlord drops into your main. Game Over.

What league are you seeing success with this?

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Bronze-Silver :) I'm not completely walling off, but the number of cannons I have is usually enough to decimate the incoming force, so my opponent doesn't even try to go for a ground assault. – ripper234 Aug 12 '10 at 6:35
It does not work in Diamond, let us just say that. – Doug Aug 14 '10 at 2:44

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