Basic protoss defence strategy against zerg and countering roaches

* I want to apologize in advance for my bad english. I'm brazilian and never done any english course, but my intention here is to help you guys with some strategy. And I think (hpe at least) that my english is enough for that.

  If you are a Protoss playing against a Zerg, (which is probably the case since you are reading this guide) there are some things you should realize. First thing I want to point out is that the Zerg player can cast way faster than you, some damage units. Which brings us to our second point, as the Protoss units and structures are more expensive and slower in production, our play posture should be one of defence and response. Mainly when the zerg can creat the Spine Crawler, wich combined with some zerglings can fend off nearly every early game rush a protoss can attempt. For that reason I would advice you to send a scout probe as soon as you get your first pylon, so you can have an idea of what he's up to.

  So in this strategy I'm proposing to teach you how to be countering a mass roach attack, and do an effective and quick response to it, and at the same time understand some of Protoss basic base deffense. 

  Go all the way doing probes until you reach a 9 pylon, and as I said before go scout with this probe. By the time you get this first pylon there should be something to see inside your oponents base. Scouting earlier than this would be a waste of minerals as there will be one less probe working, and there will be not much to see inside your oponent's base. Note that this is for a 2 base map, if you are in a 4 base map you would like to scout earlier as you don't know where your opponet base is. 

  Now, there are tow kind of defenses for a early Zerg rush, wich implies in changing the place where you'll drop your pylon. In the first one you drop your pylon near the base ramp in a way it could fit a gateway in it's side, making a choke to be filled with zealots. This kind of strategy is ver good against zerglings pressure, but will not be as much effective aggainst a roach rush. The second one is making a canon defence that'll guard your probes against the zerglings and will also do some damage aggainst roaches. In this strategy we will go for the second one.

  This pylon will be very important, so we will have to protect it and at the same time put it somewhere we could drop a canon that would aim our probres, as much as our strcutures. So put this pylon as close as you can to your nexus, between the center and upper left leg of the base.We did this pylon at 9, sent our probe and now are getting our forge at 10 suply. Be sure to put it , closing the entrance to you minreals hallway. The forge should be just left of your pylon, in most maps itll be the place between your nexus and your Gas source. By the time you reach 12 drop your first gateway, put this gateway just right of your pylon and go drop your first canon at the right side of your nexus.

  By the time you reach 12 supply you'll probably have an insight of what the opponent is planing to. In the specific case of the game I've played, and from wich replay I'm creating this guide, when I arrived at their base I saw a lot of drones, maybe around 17, and a extractor and a spawning pool, both still going up. When I saw that I realized that it meant roaches so I diced to rush for some voyds.

  At 14 supply your gateway should be done and you may feel like dropping yours Cibernnetic Core and both your Gas Assimilators, as soon as the assimilators are ready put 2 probes at each.

  So at 17 supply you shoud go for another pylon your first Stargate. Still at 17 supply, drop your second canon, just above your gateway. At 18 supply go for another Fotons Canon, putting a little bit upper side of your second one, this time aiming the base entrance.

  At 19 get your second Stargate and as soon as your first one finishes building, start making your first Voyd. You may want to save some Chrono Bust to use it in this Voyd Ray construction as the roaches will soon be at your base and the 3 canons alone would not take care of them all. 

  At 22 get your third pylon, be sure to have it near the Stargates, so if they destroy one of them, the Starports will continue producing your Voyds. 

  So it was at this 22 suply that the Roaches striked me, my first voyd wasn't ready yet but the cannons made the roaches busy unitl the time I got my first voyd off. At the end of the battle all my canons were down but I could fend off the attack, and neither my probes or my builds were damaged, and this is what matters.

  At 23 supply you star getting your second voyd ray and as soon as it goes out you'll want to strike your opponent base. One of the most basic things in playing Star Craft 2 is learn how to use hotkeys, the'll really help you out and make your moves quickiers. So put a bind key to your Stargaes so you can continue producing while you're attacking the enemy base. Binding your nexus is also a good way to Chrono Busting production.

  So at this time your adversary would be economicaly wasted and should not have pretty much of a defence in his base, except for his queen. In this game the other player attacked me with 9 Roaches and left around 10 more at his base. Now, if instead of going all the way with Roaches he had done some Hydralisks I would have had some real problems attacking his base with the Voyds, so if this is the case you should first destroy his extractors, always paing attention to where his Hydralisks are. After that wait until you get around 6 Voyd Rays and strike his base, always looking for the Hydralisk Den. 

  In this game specific case I didn't have any problems destroying his base once my Voyds reached it. The other player went all the way doing Roaches only, so he dind't have any air defence, except for the queen. There are some structures you may want to destroy first, and it's the Spawning Pool. In the case of a Hydralisk Den, a Spore Crawler or any flying units structure.

Production Guide:

9/10 - Pylon

10/18 - Forge

12/18 - Gateway

12/18 - Cannon

14/18 - Cybernetic Core

14 /18 - Assimilator

14 /18 - Assimilator

17/18 - Pylon

17/26 - Stargate

17/26 - Cannon

19/26 - Cannon

19/26 - Stargate

19/26 - Voyd Ray

23/26 - Pylon

23/26 - Voyd Ray

26/34 - Voyd Ray

29/34 - Voyd Ray

  I really hope you enjoyed this guide, any doubts subscribe me at renato.renatomrs@gmail.com

By

Tona