Stupid Protoss Tricks - Starcraft 2

Here are some techniques dirty tricks that I've been seeing Protoss players using to ruin your day before it even starts.

The Protoss Cannon Rush
Building a forge, scouting with a probe and tucking him away until you can build a pylon and some cannons deep in your opponent's base is an old trick, but makes you plenty angry (which is why it works). The speed at which Protoss can build early buildings (often before opponents can get out sufficient troops) makes the cannon rush a scary concept.

Simply build a pylon far enough away from your opponent so that it won't be seen by a lazy opponent, but close enough to support cannons that can damage gatherers, expand when it's safe and wipe out your opponent's base before he can get started.

Block 'em In
Less aggressive than the cannon rush is the ramp defense or block 'em in strategy. Before your opponent gets a chance to make his first rush on your base, block him in with enough cannons to stop him while you build and expand in peace.

This won't stop flying units, but if you're good enough, you can start expanding your defenses so that your opponent can't even fly out his base without huge losses.

That's My Vespene!
I love this one. If you have the minerals and have gotten the jump on your opponent, you can take over his vespene gas before he gets a chance to build on it, slowing down his development tremendously.

Just move in a probe like you normally would and build an assimilator on HIS vespene gas spots. As they start loading in, they take too long for probes to destroy, and if he has to take the time to destroy them then he's using troops that could be used elsewhere. Getting higher level units will come much slower and he'll be off balance having something else to deal with.

Probes are slow and easy to kill.

Or are they?

When sent early enough, there's almost no way to keep them out of your base, even if you're walling in with Terrans.

Since they can build on the run, they don't have to stick around and get killed. Incoming buildings take forever for starting units to destroy, and new buildings can be built easily. Your opponent will waste time and energy destroying buildings that will probably come in anyway, and if it's a cannon, then it will start wreaking havoc on them.

Worst case scenario, this is a distraction. Best case, it will destroy your opponent.

Meanwhile, you're building your forces, developing tech and preparing to finish your opponent off.

A single zealot can't chase a probe unless it has the charge upgrade, and by the time that comes up, the zealot should be dead from cannon fire. Even if the probe passes the zealot, one strike is not enough to destroy a probe, and if you are an effective kiter, the zealot won't get another chance. Zerglings have the same problem.

Marines have the advantage of range, but if a cannon is up, they won't last long. Also, marines are necessary to guard the ramp. If a few marines are chasing a probe, and your first batch of zealots show up, he's in trouble, wall or no wall.

Of course, Starcraft 2 wouldn't be that much fun if it didn't have new units, and it has some great ones.

One of my favorites is the Stalker.

The dragoon gets a huge upgrade by now being able to blink, a short range teleport that allows him to jump short distance, past defenses and even across gaps and up different levels (with sufficient visual range)

What's really insidious about these guys, besides the fact that you can exploit unguarded back doors and kill off opponents from within, you can also micromanage them so as to cycle injured units to the back and keep the bulk of the force in a fight. This keeps the squad alive longer in firefights.

Simply select the stalkers in the front of a group that are getting attacked and blink them to the back of the squad. This works whether you're advancing, performing a fighting withdrawal or on defense.