The Original "Funky" Anti-Zerg Protoss Island Strategy

By Zileas, The Funky Master of Protoss Air...
Thanks to Xaanix from long long ago to putting me on the right course in developing this.  I took it a lot farther in detail, but you told me it was possible...

Basically the first thing to realize when playing Protoss vs Zerg is that you dont need to kill them to win.  Meaning, you don't need to hurt them early, nor do you need to do anything to attack their bases (although it certainly helps) as long as you get at least 35% of the map. I have a good sense of timing and always end it well before this point, but playing it safe is ALWAYS ok and wont screw you over like it will on land against zerg (as long as you are expanding that is)

Also, keep in mind that although the zerg can regenerate his units very very quickly, if they take enormous losses at any point, fast attacks on their main base generally will allow you to take out key structures. Killing a spire, a dozen overlords, or a hive or lair are CRIPPLING to a zerg. Especially in combination.

The Basic Order:

Always build probes unless i specify otherwise or you hit 20 total on your main base (or have saturated your minerals.. this is for ladder maps) 1) 7: Pylon
2) 8: Assimilator (key point.  MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS)
3) [3 Probes on gas]
4) 10: Gateway
5) [starting probe 12:  Put 4th probe on gas]
6) Cybernetics core as SOON AS YOU CAN (i.e. the second the gateway comes out. Cancel a probe if you must)
7) Citadel of Adun
8) [Consider making a dragoon IF YOU ARE SURE YOU CAN GET THEIR OVERLORD]
9) Pylon, preferably such that you will get good cannon spread (i.e. behind minerals)
10) Forge
11) Templar archives (note that if you wont have enough minerals for archives immediately second the citadel pops, you do NOT want to do forge first.. generally you can however)
12) 2 Cannons, preferably very near your nexus
13) Psi Storm, templar [Keep pumping templars continously throughout the game for the most part. When in doubt build more templars.. if you see gas accumulation, build another gateway and build templars, etc.]
14) Robotics Facility if it wont delay templar #2 by more than about 10 seconds.  Then also get a cannon as soon as you have 150 and it won't interfere with your templar production.
15) More templars, cannon #4
16) Once you have cannon #4 you can usually (if you are fast with psi storm)go ahead and get your first shuttle out of your robotics bay.  I suggest getting 2 shuttles before expanding, so if you can que these you may as well.  If you are a slow clicker, get a 5th cannon in the middle of your base, then do this.
17) Around templar #3 or 4 you want to go ahead and get robotics support bay. Also around templar 4, archon your two weakest templars and expand with a templar, an archon and a probe.

Optional early forks:
Xaanix's Fork: Dual gateway and dual pump templars, delay robotics facility a bit.  Get a fast archon and shield battery to defend vs most mutas.
Lameking's Fork: Archon/Templar rush on zerg base to decimate peons and destroy spire, THEN expand (works well vs mutas, works VERY poorly vs hydras.. of course you could always expand instead if you see hydras...)
KGOR/Maynard's Fork:Fast/Reaver Archon attacks in succession

Basics of Establishing an Island Expansion

Protoss have great island defense.  The key to getting an expansion going is to build it in the blink of an eye, with a significant defense.  Usually a templar or two + some other relevant troops (usually archons or against terran or protoss reavers and dragoons).  I recommend nexus first, then 3 pylons followed by around 6 cannons.  Sometimes you want batteries too and I'll discuss this below.  You want the cannons on the edge of the Island, and you also watn a good number of templars.  If you are really fast you can make do with 1 or 2 templars (and use scouts do defend guardians) but since most people are not lightning quick, and most zerg like queens anyway, your better off putting around 6 templasr per expansion when you can afford to do so.  Although early game, 4 is more than adequate. Remeber to use the hotkey T.  Also you ALWAYS Want speed upgrades for shuttles and scouts, the sooner the better.

The Midgame

Zerg have a fininte number of powerful strategies which they may use against you.  Understanding these is the key to defeating them.  Here are a brief list of the early midgame zerg strategies that I often see (or even rarely see) and their counters.  Some are more effective than others, but any of them CAN kill you if you do the wrong things :P.  Also, as a general rule, if you expand and havent seen any air force, you aught to scout the zergs main base with a spare shuttle.  Chances are they are either expanding like mad, or have gotten a hydralisk drop together.  Either way, youll want a reaver about now in this case.

1)Mutalisk Rush.  Use your templars and cannons to shred this easily.

2)Mutaharass/blockade on your expansion. This requires good unit control to beat.  Generally unless the zerg is very good and your psi storm control sucks, the archon and templar will shred this.  However its a VERY good idea to bring in massive reinforcements when they try this one. If they are obnoxiously hit running your templars and archon, consider keeping the templar in the shuttle hotkeyed until you need it.  Also if they are succesfully bashing down the  archon, get a battery up and bring in some dragoons and another archon. Dragoons RIGHT ON TOP of your archon with hold position will discourge mutaharass very very effectively.  Once you get like 2 cannons up, or in most cases just a shield battery the zerg will be at a disadvantage. If they mutaharass and you stop it somewhat quickly, i recommend a reaver/archon or archon/templar drop on their base with the objective of killing all their drones and their spire.

3)Chrono's Mutaharass with Scourge.  This is a real toughie.  But scourge are a big sacrifice.  Usuaully you can get shuttles in anyway.  If they go LIGHT scourge just try to dodge and manually drop your stuff.  Empty shuttles make great scourge killers :).  Also if they go HEAVY HEAVY Scourge IMMEDIATELY (cancel templars if necessary) get speed upgrade and get spare shuttles. Try to break the blockade.  If you do before you get speed upgrade, start preparing a nasty archon/reaver/templar drop so that once you DO get speed you can quick kill their main base since they will have minimal defense. Get the expansion first always however.  If they do it like chrono does, chances are youll need a dragoon or two to stop the harassing of your archon.. But then again.. only chrono plays like chrono on air.. well KGOR too...

4)Hydralisk Drop.  This seals the zerg's fate.  Just get reavers.  If they chose to defend and expand with this, just out expand them.  Its not hard.

5)Stratus' Ever-So-Deadly and Extremely Bitch-Ass "Parasite Zileas' Shuttles then try to scourge them" tactic.  This is probabaly the meanest thing a zerg can do to you early on.  It is really effective.  Basically they start parasiting everything you have, in particular templars, reavers and shuttles especially, in an attempt to contain you.  Get speed upgrade immediately and keep pumping templars.  It may be wise to stash templasr in a shuttle deep in your cannons so that they can't paraiste these templars but still cant scourge the shuttle.  Generally if you can get speed upgrade you should expand, but at this point youll have enough stuff that you can also drop the shit out of them.  Make sure you use a non-parasited shuttle, or at least try to, and then drop like 2 temlars and an archon on their main base or something.  They wont have much early defense, and unless they are really good and worthy of using this strategy (Stratus, Zhelkas) they will tend to die.  Id recommend taking 3 shuttles.. one with a drop, one with an exp package, and one empty. Send the empty one out to a random area, then follow with the drop and the exp, in any order, or simaeltaneously.

6)TillerMaN's Moderately Effective Guardian Rush.  Generally whenever you see a hive or the start of a hive you need to get scouts RIGHT AWAY.  As in, cancel templras as necessary, and put scouts all over in non scourgeable locations.  Also you aught to drop the zerg a lot while hes trying to get his guardians in order to make the tech climb be even riskier if he actually uses it. Generally when a zerg is doing guardians you can hit and run with scouts. Its recommended that you get speed upgrade for your scouts in a timely manner as well so mutas and scourge dont hurt your scouts, even if the scouts get ensnared.  Guardian rush is VERY deadly if you dont see it coming. IF you get hit and didnt see it coming, use your templars and pray, and drop them HARD in order to buy yourself time. Im talking taking low mana templars and archoning them and things like this.  The only way out of this is god-like templar control, lots of spare mana, and a fast climb to scouts, OR a quick kill on their greater spire ;).  Consequently, my only loss to a zerg on air this season was to a guardian rush.  In retrospect, a simple series of hard drops on his main wouldve taken him out, but I was gimpish.  Make sure you hit hard and hit often on their main if they try this.

7) Mutaharass with hydra drop. Stop this attack with templar as the hydras are dropping and possiblya  reaver.  Then hit their main base hard with a reaver and an archon.  This should quick kill them if you manage to stop the first attack.  this strategy is particularly annoying to fight against on solar (which btw is a war for the center.  Dont bother for the small islands).

8){PH}PhatMan's mass zergling drop/mutarush.  Be very wary of this.  If you think its coming, make sure you have 2 reavers and you should be ok.  If this catches you without reavers, you are dead.

Annoying stuff you can do, and SHOULD do throughout the game

Generally speaking zerg expansions are poorly defended.  Also, no matter how well sunkened or spored the expansion is (or the main) you can usually get off a psi storm in plenty of time (or two) if you drop another unit first.  I've detailed the particulars of this here .

Also, never, and I cannont stress this enough, forget how much the zerg's spire is worth to them.  A spire is a very very high priority target, and worth lots of sacrifice.  If you lose 3 archons killing it suicidally so what.

Finally, never forget the power of a diversion.  Something that LOOKS like its a drop keeps the zerg from focusing on manically expanding even if its not a drop.  One really cool thing you can do is start throwing hallucinations of shuttles all over the map then suddenly mix in REAL shuttles with REALL payloads on multiple targets.   Keep up the hallucinations and you have a permanently confused zerg whos probabaly not expanding, and possibly forgetting to build units. Similarly, overlord hunting with scouts is a REAL pain in the ass for a zerg, especially if you dont kill mutas to push down their supply :)

Late Game Concerns, Late Game Cleanup

The late game, if you haven't killed the zerg before this, is essentially clean up. Assuming you have 3 expansions that is... If you dont have 3 expansions, and its late into the game (25 minutes +) you really need another expansion. Unless youve been putzing around, chances are the reason you dont own the map is because the zerg has all the other expansions.  At first glance this may seem highly hopeless, but I assure you, you are indeed in the clear. I'll detail how to deal with this sort of situation in a bit.

The late game is usually a situation where the zerg has almost infinate units, limited only by the number of hatches they have and the limit of troops. You can however use this against them to some extent.  And repetitive slaughters of their mutalisks will beat their gas reserves down to zero. It takes very little time to reduce the zergs army from 100 mutalisks to zero mutalisks, and if you kill the spire while you are doing this, chances are, they will lose.

A couple objectives must be kept in mind to deprive them of the their current units, and prevent them from having more. 1) Get a full group of full upgraded scouts.  These, if used wisely, will NOT die no matter hard the zerg tries.  The speed upgrade is most important, then weapons, then shields, then armor.  I recommend dual cybernetics Facilities to accomplish this goal quickly and efficiently.  Dont forget banks of 2-3 shield batteries at key locations.  You also need to use scouts with good technique.  This is posted here. Also keep in mind that scouts are your best defense against guardian attacks.  Sure templars work, but scouts are much better.  Watch out for scourge though.

2) Get a highly mobile heavy drop force.  I have one technique that works well, and can be adapted as you need (you often dont need the hallucinations suggested).  It is posted here .

3) Remember that mobility is so so key.  If you can get half of their army on one side of the map, and instantly crush a key area, like say.. a greater spire.. you will win.  Use your mobility, and use their inabilty to similarly ambush you to your advantage.  Zerg CANT overrun your expansions quickly.  Its an arduous process.  They also cant overrun your main.  You can however use speed upgrade scouts and shuttles to instantly wipe key structures off the map.  Also, if you DO take out a key facility, dont hold back.  Wipe them off one expansion at the very least, or possibly finish off their main base.  Ive always been a fan of killing a key structure in the main base, then crushing their biggest expansion however.

4) Use hallucinations to draw off forces to allow you to kill key targets, as well as using them to take out scourge, which are really the only good late game counter (besides nydus/hyudralisk defense which dies to other things) which really works against this sort of thing.

Here are some "priorities" for a game thats 30 minutes in and  involves a protoss with 2 expansions, and a zerg with the map.

1) Get an expansion.  Usually a cannon push will work.. you need to be very careful because the third expansion is very key.

2) Destroy spire

3) Destroy hydralisk den

4) Destroy hive/lair

5) Destroy spawning pool

6) Destroy Evo Chamber

7) Other Production buildings (defiler mound, ultralisk den)

8) Doom drop, or standard drop primary expansions.

9) Establish cannon network and templars on the former expansion even if you dont plan on mining it.

[Make sure you always psi storm muta swarms that are targets of opportunity. Think in terms of gas gained/lost.  If you come out killing twice as much gas as you are losing its at least an even trade.]

If you heed this, and your unit control is good, you will win.  Zerg do not compare to Protoss late game... of course a Zerg with superior unit control will still beat you, but a zerg with equal unit control will not.