PvZ: Super’s 3 Base +1 Timing

Introduction

As per standard Protoss procedure in the current meta, I have been struggling heavily in PvZ. Veryn, a fellow Protoss player, wrote up the build order to this marvelous gem of a PvZ build. You hit the Zerg player with 100 supply at the 6:40 mark with +1 attack and many Gateway units.

The Build

Notes

Super cuts Probes when he has 8 at his third (52 total Probes; 40 on Minerals, 12 on Gasses).
When you cut probes, switch Chrono from Nexus to Forge.
*On Orbital Shipyard and Dusk Towers, you can use this Probe to build your first Gateway at the wall on your way to scout your opponent.
**If you scout a really fast gas (13/12 or 14/14) keep these Adepts at home and in your wall.

Explanation

This build opens up with a Nexus first. This can be very risky on maps with exposed naturals such as Lerilak Crest, Ruins of Seras, Central Protocol, and maps with short rush distances such as Ulrena. As such, I highly recommend mostly using this build on Orbital Shipyard and Dusk Towers. You can get away with it on Ruins, but it is very difficult. If you want to hit a similar timing attack, I would recommend going double Gate before your natural to be safe vs early ling pressure and all ins, or to put on pressure vs greedy 3 Hatch Before Pool openers.

When you move out with the Adepts, make sure to shade around as frequently as possible to keep the Zerg player guessing where your Adepts are and prioritize Drones. DON’T FORGET TO ACTUALLY SCOUT. Look around the base to make sure you don’t see anything suspicious like an early Evolution Chamber for Overlord Drops or an early Roach Warren for a fast Roach/Ravager all in. Count the Zerg’s gasses and see what they invested in. Do they have Zergling speed? Do they have a Lair? Make sure to keep track how much gas was mined and how much you visibly see spent. This can help you tell the difference between Mutalisks, Hydras, Lurkers, Banelings, or Roach/Ravager.

The rest is pretty straight forward. You build 4 Sentries up to gather energy for Guardian Shield and Forcefields, as well as a way to stay safe from Zergling pressure and to scout with Hallucinated Phoenixes to keep track of what the Zerg player is doing. You set up your economy by using 12 Probes on Gas and 40 Probes on Minerals between the 3 bases to fund your 9 Gateway attack. If, by chance, you scouted a 2 base all in, definitely do not go for the attack, and stay at home and defend and add the tech to work towards the compositions I mention in the last paragraph. If you hold the all-in spectacularly, you can counter attack with your current Gateway count and try to win the game or deny expansions.

When attacking, it is imperative to keep your Warp Prism alive. You need it to not only reinforce your army, but to also use it to micro your army to give your units a sort of psuedo-blink. If you see that it’s a heavy Ling or Hydralisk composition, you’re going to want to be morphing in more Adepts. If it’s anything else, you want to prioritize warping in Stalkers. If you lose Sentries, replace them. Try to attack at an angle where the Zerg isn’t to force them into an unfavorable position by keeping track of their army movements with your Observer and Hallucinated Phoenixes. Ideally, if they’re taking a fourth, you want to either kill it or cancel it, and then put on a lot of pressure at their third trading out cost effectively.

If the timing seems to be failing, you need to resume Probe production and take your Gasses at your third. You need to get a Twilight council so you can get +2 Ground Weapons and get either Blink for a Blink/Disruptor composition, or Charge for a Chargelot/Archon/Immortal composition, building a Robotics Bay or Templar Archives for each, respectively along with a second Robotics Facility. Use the Warp Prism for continued harassment to keep the Zerg off your back while you tech up, and you can follow this up when either Blink or Charge finishes for a second timing attack to keep the Zerg honest.