Lots of times, people get worried when they are about to face off against another Protoss player. They know how versatile the Protoss is, and the amount of different strategies they can use on you is so vast, but the same goes for you. As a Protoss player, you have so many strategies you can use, and if you implement it right, defeating Protoss is no different than defeating any other race. If the person is using Protoss, but is not specialized and does not have specific strategies for facing off against them, it can lend to a very easy game for you. The most important thing with any race in Starcraft 2 is to remember to scout early.
Void Rays
The Void ray is great against opponents who make big Protoss units such as Carriers, attacking their base, etc. The Void ray is effective against Protoss, as they actually do not have much to counter air units with. One strategy that you can use is to block off your base, build a build a Stargate, and 2-3 Void Rays and attacking. Now you must have previously scouted, because if he scouted, he may see that you are walled off and builds Stalkers, then you’re in trouble, but if he did not and is building Zealots, well he’s a goner. It works best in lower leagues versus opponents who do not scout. Another way is to expand aggressively, gather minerals, build void rays, this is a mass air strategy. What they need to do is amass large amounts of Stalkers to counter this. This strategy can work really well if you combine it with ground units like Zealots.
Dark Templar Rush
Dark Templars can be one of the most annoying units to deal with. This is a strategy that seems to work very effectively in higher leagues as well as lower leagues. To do this effectively, you cannot let the enemy know what you are doing, build 9 probes immediately, and then build your pylon at the entrance. If you do not build it near the entrance, make sure the opponent cannot properly scout the whole base. Next you will build a Gateway, you can pump out a couple Zealots to get rid of the enemies scouting probes. At 16 units, build another pylon near the edge of your base, a part that the opponent will not be able to see, as this is the most important part. You need to then build a Cybernetics core, and start collecting Gas. All the while keep building probes for minerals as well. After the Cybernetics core, research warp technology (optional) and build your second Gateway. Having 2 gateways leads to a faster output of units, you do not want to have to wait for your Dark Templars to collect. As soon as you are able to build a Dark Shrine do it, preferably in a place the enemy cannot see. After the Dark Shrine, if you are able, build a Pylon and a warp gate inside of the enemy’s base with the probe that has scouted, this is usually difficult if you are going against a good opponent. If not, you can also build it near the enemy’s base just so you do not have to have your Dark Templars walk far, giving him more time to research observers. I build about 4 Dark Templars, and if the enemy doesn’t have detection, you will be able to rampage and destroy his base. Ideally you wish to hit the Nexus first as that is what he needs to survive. If you find he’s building detection, you might want to hit all of his probes as fast as you can, if you feel you do not have enough time to build a Nexus. Once he does have detection, I usually run my Dark Templars out of there. If you take out the Nexus, you pretty much won the game, you just have to send out balanced units. If you took out the Probes it will be a bit more difficult, but he just lost his entire economy, so you also have a very good chance of beating him. The most important thing to watch out for with this strategy is dectors, if you go for this strategy and he has detectors you may lose the game.
Mixed Army
Mixed units are good, they create a good balance for Protoss. They are able to fight anything, and if micro’d correctly, are able to defend and attack just about anyone. There is however a way to beat them. The key to beating them is not spending money on getting different buildings, or anything of that sort. The key is to stop them early with Zealots and Sentries. You should also consider researching Charge, although not as necessary for Protoss it still makes your untis better. So concentrate on building mass amounts of Zealots and Sentries, saving your resources and just going for a larger army. You cannot extend the game, you cannot let him expand. If the opponent is the type to mass Zealots, then you want to take the other route and build air units (void rays).
These are just a few of the Protoss vs Protoss strategies that are available in the game. You will actually find that the strategies can be used for other races as well, and that they are all very flexible. It is important to find a strategy that you enjoy employing. The most important part of this game is to have fun, I however enjoy winning more than losing, and I assume that is why you are on this website. It is much more gratifying. When you keep playing you will discover strategies that opponents do to you, copying them is a great idea. Good luck, have fun!
Due to the versatility of the Protoss race, there are a lot of great ways to beat Protoss players. The key is early scouting so you can get whatever counters your opponent. With that said, here are some effective Protoss vs Protoss strategies:
Void Rays
For a longer game, getting Void Rays is a great way to beat another Protoss player. Protoss lack a strong armored air counter. There are two ways to pull this off. First you can try the air rush, which involves walling your base, building 1 Stargate, making 2-3 Void Rays, and going in. If your enemy is building Zealots and Immortals, this is an effective strategy. If your enemy is amassing stalkers, it is a bad strategy. It works best in lower leagues versus opponents who do not scout. The other way to do this is to spread out the map aggressively and amass void rays. If you construct a massive Void Ray army, your Protoss opponent cannot stop it. The Stalker is the key counter to an air rush. To the mass air strategy, you have to just stop it by destroying unprotected expansions. It will be unstoppable if too many Voids are built.
Dark Templar Rush
This is very effective even in the higher leagues. You must wall the entrance with a pylon, a gateway, and a few Zealots. You can’t let your opponent know what you are up to. Immediately upgrade to a Dark Shrine. If you can, conceal the Dark Shrine in the corner of your base so the enemy can’t see it. When you go in, if the enemy has no detection (common if you are fast), you can use the front and send in at least 4 Templar as that way you can kill faster than the opponent can counter. Go right for the kill and take out their core Nexus at once. If they do have detection, you can still usually execute their main base if you use a Warp Prism and warp in about 6 Dark Templar. By the time they recognize what happened, their Nexus is gone! Once this happens, make a more balanced army to come in and execute everything.
Mixed Army
A lot of players will go for the mixed army approach: some Stalkers, some Sentries, some Immortals, and maybe some Zealots. This is efficient but the easiest way to counter this as a Protoss player is to hit them early. Research Charge and mass Zealots and Sentries (on a side note, Charge is not nearly as important versus Protoss players as they have no units which easily kite Zealots). The opponent will spend a lot of resources on a variety of buildings and you will end up with a larger, stronger army in the short time. Don’t let them go air or expand and you will win this just like that. Charging Zealots and Sentries are great versus newbies who mass Stalkers as well. To counter a Zealot masser, go air!
To sum up, three effective ways to beat Protoss players are to rush or mass Void Rays, rush to Dark Templar, or build Zealots and Sentries. These are just a few of many Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Protoss strategies. The best Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Protoss Strategy always depends on your opponent’s strategy. If your opponent is massing Zealots and Sentries, a quick Void Ray strike will be crippling. If they are massing Sentries, rushing to Voids can be disastrous. Likewise, if an enemy has no detection, Dark Templars are an instant win every time! Take some time to learn the units and you will be winning your Protoss mirror matches every time.
A strategy that anybody can use which works very effectively would be called the Stalker Strategy. The strategy consists of pumping out stalkers as fast as you can and either warping in the opponents base or using Blink so that you are able to leap past his defenses. This strategy is very effective for people who decide they wish to go air. When Protoss goes air, the stalker is something that will easily destroy them. You do not want to use Stalkers against Zealots and Immortals. A build order that I use for a stalker strategy would be like this. I would first build 8 Probes, and then a Pylon would be next. I would take that Pylon and scout with it, while continue to build more probes. I will observe the opponents base while pumping out Probes, and I would set up Chrono Boost to speed up production of Probes, and at 12 supply, I would construct a Gateway. As soon as the Gateway is ready, I will build an Assimilator to mine Vespene Gas, put 3 Probes on it, and construct a Cybernetics core and a Pylon. At 16 Probes, I would construct 2 more Gateways next to the first one.
