Protoss Counter-Rushing

The Story:

Here at the center, we've been getting a lot of questions about strategies specific to races vs. certain units. I've compiled our responces to these questions for the protoss. Here's how to defend against...

Vs. Zerg:
vs. Zergling rushes:
See the center's special page on zergling rushes, found here.
vs. Massive Hydras:
Zealots, zealots, zealots. When faced with hydras in a line, charce straight ahead into them. However, hydras in a tight formation are far more trouble. The few in front seem to take all the damage, while the ones in back attack at will. When this happens, try to attack on more than one flank, and micromange every few zealots to attack a new target.
vs. Expansion-crazed players:
Keep up your scouting! Early game, send a probe or zealot to expansion points. Mid and late game, use observers. Find an expansion, attack. If it's heavily defended, strike a different target, such as their main base. If you can attack them quickly enough, a zerg player's expansions will simply be a waste of their money, instead of an opertunity to mass a large army.
vs. Mutas:
See the center's special page on muta rushes, found here.
vs. Hydras and Mutas:
If you've got psi storming templars and reavers, you're in great shape. Psi storm the mutas and the hydras'll charge into your reavers. Along with your zealots, the hydras should easily fall. Photon cannons or dragoons are also necessary- for they'll take out the mutas that avoided the storm.
However, often times you won't have these two important things at this point in the game. If not, you should have cannons around your base. Groups of 4 or 5 are effective. Be sure to place them around your probes and gateways, most importantly, and be sure more than 1 pylon covers them all. This should fend of the number of mutas you'll be facing at the time, and you'll have time for psi storm soon enough. As for the hydras, your (hopefully) large zealot army should take care of them... try to get them in range of the cannons. Shield batteries help immensly, of course.
vs. Scourge + Hydras:
This tactic is typically used to wipe out a protoss player's expensive air units. Hydras charge in, while many scourge come in from a different angle to wipe out unsuspecting scouts and carriers.
Photon cannons around your base still greatly help. Scourge fall fast to groups of cannons, and those that get by should be picked off by the air units they're trying to attack. Once more, leave it to your zealots to do the dirty work against the hydras.
vs. Zerglings + Guardians:
This combo is amazingly powerful. The zerglings run into combat, dying by the dozen, but allowing the guardians behind them to get off numerous volleys against enemy troops. This works especially well against protoss, becuase zelots, which are the most likely choice to attack the zerglings, cannot even fight back against the guardians.
Unlike muta attacks, by the time your opponett has guardians, you should almost certainly have reavers and psi storm. One shot by a reaver can kill around a dozen zerglings, and you can psi storm the slow guardians from a great enough distance. It does take more than 1 psi storm to kill them, remember, to either cast again if you can or use dragoons against the weakened guardians.
Of course, a good air force will easily solve the problem of this attack as well.
vs. Ultras:
Protoss, it seem, can take our ultras with whatever they use. 10 zealots can oftentimes kill 6 ultras. Dragoons in mass will take them out before they even start attacking. Reavers can do quite a bit of damage... and an archon takes out an ultra no problem. Really, ultras are the zerg unit you should fear the least.
Vs. Terran:
vs. Marines:
Some terran players, instead of defending early, build many barracks and train marines by the dozens. As with hydras, it's important to attack on more than one flank. Zealots are the key once more- someone rushing only marines shouldn't really be a problem for you. Get your minimum of two gateways, and scout. If they've got bunkers, there's a bigger chance that he'll defend. If not, build up zealots and prepare.
vs. Firebats:
As with marines, a terran player is easily able to amass dozens of firebats. Although they equal zealots in the damage they do, they have far fewer hit points.  Zealots should take care of them without much of a problem- but try not to get yourself surrounded. And because firebats really don't have range, you can easily run back to shield batteries and get recharged mid-fight.
Dragoons are actually very effective against firebats. Not becuase of their damage (it's halved against firebats)- but because of the very little damage they take. Firebats only do 25% to dragoons (4), doing only 3 damage with dragoon armor.
vs. Stimmed Marines + Firebats:
This can be one of a protoss player's worst nightmares. Stimmed firebats, when outnumbering your zealots 2:1, will many times defeat you. This is not including the marines in back taking pot shots...
Fight defensively against stimmed units. Delay the fight 10-15 seconds (length of stim). Recharge shields. Make them charge at you.
Even one reaver can win you the battle. Once more, they'll take out many units in one shot.
vs. Siege tanks + Marines:
Another big problem. Those marines can hit air, of course, making air units ineffective in stoping the tanks.
This attack comes in two forms- either the marines charge, or they stay with the tanks. If they come in at you, let them. Give them an attack route, in fact. Let your reavers/templar/cannons do their work. Take your forces (zealots) and charge at the tanks. They'll get a volley off on you, but after they they'll either stop firing or hit eachother.
If the marines stay with the tanks, toy with them. Send in a small group of zealots. As they attack the marines, the siege tanks will fire at the, killing marines in the process. Eventually, the number of marines will dwindle, allowing you to charge in with more zealots.
vs. Siege tanks + Goliaths:
Follow basically the same as above, but goliaths pack more punch than marines. Keep in mind that there's no way they'll have a many goliaths as they would have marines.
vs. Cloaked Wraiths:
Observers and Dragoons. With even one hot-keyed group of dragoons and observers around your town... and wraiths don't stand a chance. Scouts also crush wraiths- what you can see them.
Photon cannons around your town also work well.
vs. Battlecruisers:
Scouts. Two scouts take a battlecruiser. These flying fortresses aren't really a threat. If they use yamato, they're simply a bigger target, becuase they're not moving and can only attack one thing. Worst case scenario- you lose a scout or a photon cannon to yamato (or a battleship at all)- nothing more.
Vs. Protoss:
vs. Zealots:
See the center's special page on zealot rushes, found here.
vs. Zealots + Dragoons:
Don't charge out onto the field of batter. Let them come to you. With your own dragoons, line them up behind your zelots. Make sure none of them run ahead if attacked (use hold position for now if you'd like). Once the zealots charge, they'll take a volley of dragoons fire, softening them up for the fight with your zealots. When all the enemy zealots are dead, then charge ahead into the dragoons.
vs. Reavers:
If you've got air power, reavers aren't much of a problem. For some reason the AI for reaver automatically tells them to run away when attacked by air, even if they're already attacking something. If not, you should swarm the reaver with zealots. It'll typically run away when this happens, too.
vs. Templar:
Stopping psi-storming templar isn't so much a matter of unit building as it is town construction. When you have the room, try to have two perimeters to your base. One, where you build up first, with gateways, shield batteries and cannons. Now, start to push the boundries of your town outward. Build a new line of cannons. Be sure to have your troops near the inner line, so that no templar can get past the outer cannons to attack.
vs. Scouts + Zealots:
Let your dragoons and cannons mow down the scouts first... let your zealots charge into combat with dragoons in back. Not an especially power combo.
vs. Carriers and Zealots:
begun to build offensive units other than zealots.
vs. Shuttles:
Cannons around your base (around your probes, especially) will stop shuttle drops cold. Dragoons are also a help. This is pretty easy to stop.
vs. Arbiters:
Anything anti-air, really. The bigger threat is, of course, whatever's inside it's cloaking field. Take out the arbiter ASAP... or get a detector in the area and kill what it's hiding. This is really your only option when the arbiter is in stasis.

In all these cases, however, the best strategy is experience. Reading strats won't automatically make you a great player- you need to test these as well.

Back