Whiplash Profile Blog Joined October 2008 United States 2801 Posts #1 Disclaimer: This information has been organized and researched by the Protoss players Huk and Whiplash (me duh) from . This information is also designed for players that are at least platinum and of similar skill levels.



As of now PvP can be accurately described as a rock paper scissors match up. Each build has its own strengths and weaknesses, and each current mainstream build that is used in PvP will be displayed here. The builds will all be compared against each other, approximating which one will have the upper hand. The builds do not include very early builds such as 2 gate proxy or cannon rushes.



Here is a graph representing the PvP builds used as of now. Read left to top. Ex. 2-3 Gate Immortal is greater than or equal to going Blink Stalkers.





This information has been organized and researched by the Protoss playersand(me duh) from vT Gaming . We're pretty good players. This information is also designed for players that are at least platinum and of similar skill levels.As of now PvP can be accurately described as a rock paper scissors match up. Each build has its own strengths and weaknesses, and each current mainstream build that is used in PvP will be displayed here.The builds do not include very early builds such as 2 gate proxy or cannon rushes.Here is a graph representing the PvP builds used as of now. Read left to top. Ex. 2-3 Gate Immortal is greater than or equal to going Blink Stalkers. It just wouldn't be a TL post without a graph, now would it?



Mass Stalker Build:



Vs 4 Gate All-In: ( = )

Generally 4-5 gate will have the advantage earlier on, but as game progresses and mass Stalker blink kicks in the game will start to swing to mass Stalkers. Overall the match up is pretty even I think it comes down a lot to micro/positioning by both players. Either player can probably squeeze out some value with +1 attack upgrade. Mass Stalker is more fun to play though imo .



Vs Colossus : ( ≤ )

This can be a closer match up, a lot comes down to micro. If the Colossus player scouts mass Stalker or knows its coming then the smarter build would be to stay with Immortals. If The Colossus player already invested into Colossus though then stick to it. It comes down to micro really but with the ability to get an observer the Colossus player should bide his time until he can get a critical number of Colossus and move out. The Stalker player should try to atilla the hun (read: INSANE micro) micro vs Colossus player and maybe invest in a +1 forge upgrade and/or an expo. I would give a very slight advantage to the Colossus player.



Vs 2-3 Gate Immortal: ( ≤ )

This is a hard match up for mass Stalkers but a better micro player can pull it off. If you are in a good position map wise, you may be able to attack your opponents main before having to return to your own base. If you can do this and defend the subsequent counter-attack, you will most likely have gain the advantage. Once again the mass Stalker player might be able to sneak in a +1 for an advantage in the first major engagement. You want to dance your Stalkers around your opponent's army without committing to a large attack, which is exactly what your Immortal opponent will try to do.Nice force field/positioning after a mass blink can easily win the game for immortal player.



Vs Void Ray: ( > )

Not much to say here, blink Stalkers are the pure counter to Void Rays. As long as you don't seriously mess up something mass stalker should be ahead here every time



Vs Phoenix: ( > )

Although tougher then playing against Void Rays, mass Stalker should still come out ahead; maybe with a few Zealots and Sentries. With blink you can easily pick off Phoenixes without taking losses and generally with good micro you will beat the Phoenix player in a major engagement.



Vs Dark Templar Rush: ( < )

For obvious reason your not going to have detection, but with some smart play if u see the Dark Templar coming through little ripples on your screen you can hold it off with Sentry call-in/fast forge and force field blocks. You will still be behind though if you fend it off because Dark Templars give map control and an easy opportunity to expand.





4-5 Gate All-In Build:



Vs Colossus: ( < )

4-5 Gate obviously has a huge advantage early on, and huge disadvantage later on. At the higher levels your not going to be able to pull it off unless you hide it really really well, or its on a open map (Scrap Station ramp, Kulas Ravine choke, etc.) Generally if you don't do a good amount of damage within first 10-15 minutes you will slowly but surely fall behind unless you can manage to get an expansion up and pull off some great micro. The Colossus player will be looking to bide his time until he knows he can steamroll over his opponent's puny gateway army.



Vs 2-3 Gate Immortal: ( ≤ )

4-5 Gate will have the advantage early on, but slowly move to a disadvantage later on. It isn't as bad as facing Colossus, but it still is a similar situation. If you don't do damage early on your going to fall far behind, but like every PvP match up good force field and micro will win you the game anyways ^^ (LOL).



Vs Void Ray: ( > )

The 4-5 Gate will come out ahead here just because even if they wait for 2-3 Void Rays before showing up, your going have good early pressure and know SOMETHING is up. You can easily throw down 5 stalkers immediately in addition to the units you already have. After that just play smart and you should come out on top.



Vs Phoenix: ( > )

The game should play out the similar to fighting Void Rays. Most Phoenix builds have a decent number of gateway units added in but you should have more units then he does overall. As long as you don't make some major mistakes.



Vs Dark Templar: ( < )

For obvious reasons... like in mass Stalker vs Dark Templar if you can somehow manage to spot it or predict it, or see little ripples, you can survive. Your going to want to warp in Sentries asap and force field your choke until u can get cannons and observers but either way it seems like your going to be behind here.





Colossus Tech Build:



Vs 2-3 Gate Immortal: ( > )

You're going to have the edge here with higher tech vs a usually more passive/defensive player that for whatever reason thought you weren't going Colossus. Either way the Immortal player will probably want to transition to Colossus after making the mistake of opening with immortal, and will be slightly behind. The Colossus player would be smart to scout well and come out when range is upgraded; usually enabling a good timing window to end game.



Vs Void Ray: ( ≤ )

It sucks when you rush Colossus and Thermal Lances/ your first Colossus are about 1/2 way done when 2 void rays enter your base. At this point your behind and should look to transition into 3-4 Gate + Immortal (if you can). The Void Ray player needs to attack with a ground army and Void Rays, and try to win with early advantage if possible. If you do opt to stick with Colossus then you're going to be at a disadvantage just because your unit composition is going to be a lot harder to balance out then your opponent's.



Vs Phoenix: ( < )

Your going to be in a similar position as facing Void Rays except that now even if you transition to Immortals, they can be constantly liftoff/raped by phoenix's anyways. Your going to be very behind so basically do the same thing as you would against Void Rays and hope you can pull off some good micro or your opponent makes mistakes.



Vs Dark Templar: ( > )

With a Robotics you can easily get or already have an observer if they decide to Dark Templar rush you. Basically your looking at an attack-move win here.





2-3 Gate Immortal:



Vs Void Ray: ( ≥ )

This is a pretty close match up and I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me but I feel like the immortal player can easily transition here while the Stargate player is more locked to what he started. Generally the starting unit compositions are equal coming down to micro but I still will give the advantage here to Immortal player. Watch out if the Void Ray Protoss tries to transition into Phoenixes however.



Vs Phoenix: ( > )

Also pretty close, usually Void Ray/Phoenix builds are pretty similar vs others. I think Phoenix's are safer here but would get less "free wins" then Void Ray (also very true in PvZ). I would give the advantage to the Phoenix build, then Void Rays vs Immortals but its really close. The liftoff ability really kills Immortals because in most battles you're going to be able to always disable them or just target their anti-air, then clean up the rest later.



Vs Dark Templar: ( > )

Observers + attack move = gg.





Void Ray Build:



Vs Phoenix: ( < )

Although i haven't tested it Phoenixes should come out here as the victor as long as proper micro takes place, but i would assume 1 if not both players would transition here (this is the key factor in why you never see this build happen). Either way it would be pretty interesting to see since no matter what charge Void Rays beat Phoenixes, but Phoenixes have a faster movement speed and can harass Probes. It could be extremely micro intensive.



Vs Dark Templar: ( ≤ )

This match up is the rarest/funniest IMO. Basically what it comes down to is HOPEFULLY if your the Void Ray player your going to scout the Dark Templar when u attack his main, and HOPEFULLY your going to know to sentry/cannon/robo. Even still, after all that your going to be a bit behind because if the Dark Templar player doesn't flat out kill you, he is going to have free map control and easy access to blink Stalkers, which means once you do come out your going to be against a mass gateway army with blink stalkers and an earlier expo.





Phoenix Build:



Vs Dark Templar: ( < )

Similar to Void Rays except it depends on how you play it. Some people who go Phoenix will hide it until they get 3-5, while others will scout with 1 asap to see whats up. If you scout with 1 and see the Dark Shrine your going to be ahead because you will have more then ample time to adjust accordingly. If you wait for 4-5 your finished because they are going to have Dark Templar in your base before you even move out.





Wow, that's a lot of data to sift through! Give us your thoughts and opinions! Generally 4-5 gate will have the advantage earlier on, but as game progresses and mass Stalker blink kicks in the game will start to swing to mass Stalkers. Overall the match up is pretty even I think it comes down a lot to micro/positioning by both players. Either player can probably squeeze out some value with +1 attack upgrade. Mass Stalker is more fun to play though imoThis can be a closer match up, a lot comes down to micro. If the Colossus player scouts mass Stalker or knows its coming then the smarter build would be to stay with Immortals. If The Colossus player already invested into Colossus though then stick to it. It comes down to micro really but with the ability to get an observer the Colossus player should bide his time until he can get a critical number of Colossus and move out. The Stalker player should try to atilla the hun () micro vs Colossus player and maybe invest in a +1 forge upgrade and/or an expo. I would give a very slight advantage to the Colossus player.This is a hard match up for mass Stalkers but a better micro player can pull it off. If you are in a good position map wise, you may be able to attack your opponents main before having to return to your own base. If you can do this and defend the subsequent counter-attack, you will most likely have gain the advantage. Once again the mass Stalker player might be able to sneak in a +1 for an advantage in the first major engagement. You want to dance your Stalkers around your opponent's army without committing to a large attack, which is exactly what your Immortal opponent will try to do.Nice force field/positioning after a mass blink can easily win the game for immortal player.Not much to say here, blink Stalkers are the pure counter to Void Rays. As long as you don't seriously mess up something mass stalker should be ahead here every timeAlthough tougher then playing against Void Rays, mass Stalker should still come out ahead; maybe with a few Zealots and Sentries. With blink you can easily pick off Phoenixes without taking losses and generally with good micro you will beat the Phoenix player in a major engagement.For obvious reason your not going to have detection, but with some smart play if u see the Dark Templar coming through little ripples on your screen you can hold it off with Sentry call-in/fast forge and force field blocks. You will still be behind though if you fend it off because Dark Templars give map control and an easy opportunity to expand.4-5 Gate obviously has a huge advantage early on, and huge disadvantage later on. At the higher levels your not going to be able to pull it off unless you hide it really really well, or its on a open map (Scrap Station ramp, Kulas Ravine choke, etc.) Generally if you don't do a good amount of damage within first 10-15 minutes you will slowly but surely fall behind unless you can manage to get an expansion up and pull off some great micro. The Colossus player will be looking to bide his time until he knows he can steamroll over his opponent's puny gateway army.4-5 Gate will have the advantage early on, but slowly move to a disadvantage later on. It isn't as bad as facing Colossus, but it still is a similar situation. If you don't do damage early on your going to fall far behind, but like every PvP match up good force field and micro will win you the game anyways ^^ (LOL).The 4-5 Gate will come out ahead here just because even if they wait for 2-3 Void Rays before showing up, your going have good early pressure and know SOMETHING is up. You can easily throw down 5 stalkers immediately in addition to the units you already have. After that just play smart and you should come out on top.The game should play out the similar to fighting Void Rays. Most Phoenix builds have a decent number of gateway units added in but you should have more units then he does overall. As long as you don't make some major mistakes.For obvious reasons... like in mass Stalker vs Dark Templar if you can somehow manage to spot it or predict it, or see little ripples, you can survive. Your going to want to warp in Sentries asap and force field your choke until u can get cannons and observers but either way it seems like your going to be behind here.You're going to have the edge here with higher tech vs a usually more passive/defensive player that for whatever reason thought you weren't going Colossus. Either way the Immortal player will probably want to transition to Colossus after making the mistake of opening with immortal, and will be slightly behind. The Colossus player would be smart to scout well and come out when range is upgraded; usually enabling a good timing window to end game.It sucks when you rush Colossus and Thermal Lances/ your first Colossus are about 1/2 way done when 2 void rays enter your base. At this point your behind and should look to transition into 3-4 Gate + Immortal (if you can). The Void Ray player needs to attack with a ground army and Void Rays, and try to win with early advantage if possible. If you do opt to stick with Colossus then you're going to be at a disadvantage just because your unit composition is going to be a lot harder to balance out then your opponent's.Your going to be in a similar position as facing Void Rays except that now even if you transition to Immortals, they can be constantly liftoff/raped by phoenix's anyways. Your going to be very behind so basically do the same thing as you would against Void Rays and hope you can pull off some good micro or your opponent makes mistakes.With a Robotics you can easily get or already have an observer if they decide to Dark Templar rush you. Basically your looking at an attack-move win here.This is a pretty close match up and I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me but I feel like the immortal player can easily transition here while the Stargate player is more locked to what he started. Generally the starting unit compositions are equal coming down to micro but I still will give the advantage here to Immortal player. Watch out if the Void Ray Protoss tries to transition into Phoenixes however.Also pretty close, usually Void Ray/Phoenix builds are pretty similar vs others. I think Phoenix's are safer here but would get less "free wins" then Void Ray (also very true in PvZ). I would give the advantage to the Phoenix build, then Void Rays vs Immortals but its really close. The liftoff ability really kills Immortals because in most battles you're going to be able to always disable them or just target their anti-air, then clean up the rest later.Observers + attack move = gg.Although i haven't tested it Phoenixes should come out here as the victor as long as proper micro takes place, but i would assume 1 if not both players would transition here (this is the key factor in why you never see this build happen). Either way it would be pretty interesting to see since no matter what charge Void Rays beat Phoenixes, but Phoenixes have a faster movement speed and can harass Probes. It could be extremely micro intensive.This match up is the rarest/funniest IMO. Basically what it comes down to is HOPEFULLY if your the Void Ray player your going to scout the Dark Templar when u attack his main, and HOPEFULLY your going to know to sentry/cannon/robo. Even still, after all that your going to be a bit behind because if the Dark Templar player doesn't flat out kill you, he is going to have free map control and easy access to blink Stalkers, which means once you do come out your going to be against a mass gateway army with blink stalkers and an earlier expo.Similar to Void Rays except it depends on how you play it. Some people who go Phoenix will hide it until they get 3-5, while others will scout with 1 asap to see whats up. If you scout with 1 and see the Dark Shrine your going to be ahead because you will have more then ample time to adjust accordingly. If you wait for 4-5 your finished because they are going to have Dark Templar in your base before you even move out.Wow, that's a lot of data to sift through! Give us your thoughts and opinions! Former professional broadcaster. Back in college to get a degree, then back to e-Sports!