StarCraft 2 Zerg Play: holding Protoss two base All-ins

Introduction

As many of you zerg players are painfully aware, protoss two base all-ins are picking up in strength and frequency even more than usual lately. Two of the most common two base plays you will encounter on the ladder are the plus 2 attack blink stalker all-in and the 5 to 8 gateway immortal/warp prism all-in.

This quick guide will feature some of the most essential requirements to holding these two builds, as well as others that land at similar timings, such as a number of mass gateway timings. This particular guide will focus on holding all-ins with roaches and zerglings, which is the safest and generally the most effective composition with which to stop these forms of two base aggression. Following these rules will start you on your way to defending protoss cheese at every level and league.

The Build

The ideal build for holding off two base cheese is the standard PvZ fast third before gas opener used by most professional zerg players today. This build, when executed properly, allows you to overpower protoss armies by gaining a macro advantage early on. The goal you should have in mind when attempting to combat a two base push is to maximize your drone count near the 7 minutes into the game.

By this time you should be able to acquire anywhere from 35 to 50 drones depending on your level of play. Try to maximize the number of drones you can get out before this time, as it is crucial to holding two base cheeses! The reason for this is because it takes approximately two minutes for drones to begin returning on their investment after they are built, and the two base pushes discussed here tend to hit at around the 9 minute mark. Credit to sbrubbles on Teamliquid.net for doing the math.

The Creep

Although it may seem inconsequential, a good creep spread is vital when holding a powerful attack. The ability for your units to micro and position is largely dependent on their speed, hence the creep. A good tip to follow is to spread creep outward from you third base, as most protoss tend to aim their attacks there.

The Upgrades

Almost every timing off a forge fast expand a protoss does will include some measure of upgrades on their units, usually plus 2 attack with blink all-ins and 1 attack/1 armor accompanying immortal sentry all-ins. It is a good idea to get carapace upgrades if you intend to make many zerglings, since giving the protoss an attack advantage over your carapace means zealots kill zerglings in two hits rather than three, which is a far bigger deal than it may seem. Plus 1 ranged attack is also very beneficial to a roach heavy army when engaging, and could be the difference between survival and defeat.

The Composition

It is often difficult to gauge the ratio of zerglings to roaches you should produce before or in the midst of an engagement, but it is very important to your survival that you note your opponent’s unit composition and respond accordingly. If you notice a lack of zealots, it is a good idea to spawn a round of zerglings, while if the enemy composition is unusually zealot heavy, you should exclude zerglings all together and use the heavy armored and ranged roaches to out-micro your opponent. Some unit mixtures, including the immortal sentry composition, are quite difficult to counter with any composition, which brings us to the next part of the build.

The Positioning and Micro

The most important part of the battle itself is your positioning going into it. A good engagement involves such tactics as surrounding with zerglings, flanking with a smaller part of your army, and engaging in a wide area where force fields will pose less of a threat and you can achieve a larger surface area. The micro in these battles should include prioritizing and focus firing more expensive and damaging units, such as immortals and sentries, luring force fields out to waste sentry energy, and maneuvering your units around force fields to ensure all are getting a piece of that tough protoss army.

This one is pretty self-explanatory; destroy the forward probe and pylon of the protoss as soon as possible to prevent easy reinforcement. This simple move could be the difference between winning and losing, as an unreinforced army is considerably easier to handle than an ever growing horde of units.