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The last dozen of my PvZ I try to push early with 2-4-6 zealots. Sometimes opponent has not much defense and I can kill queen, few drones and the most important - force him to build more lings.

It looks like I got a little bit better on the ladder, so this strategy stopped to work: usually or quite often opponent has spore crawler or roaches.

With crawler - that is ok, I pulled back get more stalkers/sentries and keep putting pressure.

But versus roaches I don't really have an answer: Immortals will be few minutes later... and instead of pushing opponent I'm being pushed. I can still defend (mothership core, few photon cannons, etc.) until I get immortals, but I lose map control..

How would you advise to continue the mid game once opponent get roaches?

Thank you.

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  • even without map control you can still pull of a victory, it involves securing your third, teching up and pushing out again later
    – ratchet freak
    Commented Sep 30, 2013 at 8:35
  • 3
    Can you fill the complete words for PvZ? I thought this was a Plants V Zombies question ;)
    – shanodin
    Commented Sep 30, 2013 at 17:49
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    @shanodin In the case of Arqade there is a bit of a name collision, but PvZ is a very standard Starcraft term, and one that SC players are likely to Google.
    – Wikwocket
    Commented Oct 1, 2013 at 2:32
  • @Wikwocket Ok, guess I'll have to live with it :)
    – shanodin
    Commented Oct 1, 2013 at 3:57

2 Answers 2

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Sentries, Sentries, Sentries!

I play as zerg and HATE sentries.

They're useful against early pushes to hold off a rush, or at least create a choke point. The idea is that you can slow down the attack long enough to get an extra warp-in of units. Also remember that although roaches are ranged, their range isn't all that high, so with any kind of choke point, half their roaches will just be running around in the back unable to deal any damage.

Into the mid-game it's even more effective in that you've got enough force field energy to cut armies in half, or at least shape the battlefield enough to let your immortals and colossus go to town.

Separately, you'll want to identify as early as possible that he's going roaches so that you can go a little heavier on stalkers as opposed to the zealots you'd want if he were heavier on zerglings

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  • Thank you for the answer, but I didn't got one point: if I see Roaches, should I go for more stalkers or zealots? In my opinion with sentries support stalkers should do better: split roaches into 2 groups and push 1 far behind to kill 1st group easily. Is that correct? But what if opponent doesn't have much roaches... what conclusion should I made?
    – Budda
    Commented Oct 1, 2013 at 20:32
  • Stalkers will be better against roaches, zealots against zerglings (especially zealots with a +1 attack)
    – Clyde
    Commented Oct 2, 2013 at 1:51
  • Also, don't obsess over cutting the army in half. If you can get that done, great! That's a great way to kill lots of units while barely losing anything. But as you play better players, they're just not going to let you do that to them very often. Think more about creating choke points and narrow lanes -- that's something that will be part of almost every early and mid game battle
    – Clyde
    Commented Oct 2, 2013 at 1:54
  • Stakler are better vs roaches than zealots because of mobility and speed: that's true. But on their own, stalkers are very weak vs roaches twice more expensive but with almost same damage and HP.
    – Budda
    Commented Oct 3, 2013 at 22:31
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The best way to deal with this in my opponion, is you going for an Immortal bust / all-in. Immortals will tear Roaches apart. This build is farily simple, and will deal a lot of damage.

Use this buildorder:

  1. 9 – Pylon
  2. 17 – Nexus (pause Probe production)
  3. 17 – Forge
  4. 17 – Pylon (resume Probe production)
  5. 18 – Gateway
  6. 19 – Cannon
  7. 20 – Assimilators x2
  8. 23 – Pylon
  9. 24 – @100% Gateway, start Cybernetics Core
  10. 32 – @100% Cybernetics Core, start WarpGate research and first Stalker
  11. 36 – @100 Gas, start Robotics Facility and one Assimilator
  12. @100 Gas, start Sentry
  13. @100 Gas, start Ground Weapons Level 1
  14. @300 Mins, start 2 Gateways
  15. @100% Robotics Facility, start Immortal production (up to 3) and take 4th Assimilator
  16. @600 Mins, start 4 more Gateways (stop Probe production at around 44)
  17. @100% 3rd Immortal, start Warpprism

Push out at 8:45 with 3 Immortals, 7 Sentries, 1 Stalker, and 1 Zealot

For more info, source. On exections etc., see the source.

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  • Even though that is probably a good build, it is not really for my case. As this way I won't have early roaches. My idea is to have 2-4 zealots when opponent have naked expansion with queen and drones so my zealots prevent zerg from mining and force to build and lose some lings. If I go Nexus first, then till the moment I have any zealot opponent will have a ton of drones/lings/roaches/whatever and my 2-4 zealots won't matter. That time it will be a mid-game-time decision. I asked a different question. Thank you for your help anyway
    – Budda
    Commented Oct 3, 2013 at 22:30
  • @Budda You can simply delay your build after your gateway, or go gateway first into nexus ... and the rest of the BO. You should try this out VS. a Roach bust and practice your defence. When you can manage the defence, you will roll him over.
    – AtlasEU
    Commented Oct 4, 2013 at 8:38
  • How can I identify that opponent will go heavy roach? If he will go heavy lings instead I will suck and suck a lot...? Thank you.
    – Budda
    Commented May 26, 2014 at 2:22
  • @Budda Scout your opponent for a gas heavy build. Note that some like to go 3 base all in roach!
    – AtlasEU
    Commented May 27, 2014 at 17:29

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