EDIT: All non-functional replays from previous patches have been removed. Since everything I've added up to this point is now useless, I've simply uploaded my entire "unsaved" folder for all to see. I do this strategy nearly every game (though I may skip DTs if I scout something specific) and I don't feel like sorting through all my replays just to have my next replay pack be rendered useless within 4 days, so if you want to find something good you might have to dig a little. So here you go: the good, the bad, and the ugly. (7/23/10) The Ninja Build: A Brief Guide The first few weeks of the Starcraft 2 beta were very frustrating for me as a Protoss player. It seemed like the only viable way to tech was to make a Robotics Facility and make lots of Immortals and Collosi. In fact that is mostly all that PvP was for a long time. In PvZ, back before roaches were nerfed, you were forced to make immortals in large numbers. In PvT gateway units were just destroyed with few losses by MMM balls, and they pretty much still are. Even at this stage of the game I feel like robotics builds are the largely dominate tech branch in any PvX match-up. However, since the Stalker buff, I have been experimenting with building the Twilight Council before my Robotics Facility (and frequently never even making a robotics facility). This works because of Blink, which to me is the most fun ability in the game. However in high level play Blink alone will not win the game, you need a transition, or rather, a compliment to your well-microed Stalkers that will put the nail in the coffin. This is the Dark Templar. Playing against Protoss, however, this strategy is easily shut down by a quick Robotics and a few Observers with plenty of Immortals, thus it is highly risky, so I will not be focusing so much on the Dark Templar transition when talking about PvP, but only on the early game. Suppose your opponent goes 3-4 gate, or makes some Stargates. When you rush tech to blink and get three of your own Warpgates up, you will have plenty of Stalkers to be able to harass your opponent's army. Because your army is largely composed of stalkers, any forcefields will be wasted on stalkers that can just blink out of the way. Zealots will not be able to surround you either, and any air units are pitifully inefficient against a blinking stalker army. Once you realize your opponent is not making a robotics (heavy pressure from gateway units, or any number of air units), you can transition to Dark Templar and have a reasonable chance of killing him right there. Simply create 2 or more DTs from a proxy pylon and destroy any buildings that may grant him detection (IMPORTANT: using them to defend tips your opponent off and gives him plenty of time to build defense, UNLESS you have units already in his base, which is where Blink comes in; situations like this typically end in a base trade where he cannot kill your units and you simply need to make sure you have buildings still standing and he never gets detection). Should your opponent get a robotics, you will need to get a robotics as well if you plan on using DTs at all. You can then snipe the Observer with Blink and hold off the attacking force a little longer with a couple DTs. I feel like PvP is the most difficult and riskiest match-up to attempt this. But when you think of how many options Terran has for detection you may wonder why this isn't the most difficult to play. Consider the cost of a scan, by using one DT at a time, you can suck the energy of the Orbital command dry with well scattered Dark Templar. When I am playing a Terran I typically either get a Stargate for Voids or research Hallucination to get vision for harassing with Blink Stalkers. The Stalkers will prompt mass production of Marauders, which will get destroyed by Void Rays. However, it is very difficult to micro Stalker harassment and macro at the same time, which can put you into a tough spot, where your opponent has a significant army and a hurt economy, and you have a decent economy and a small army. The Terran player will typically leave his base to counter, then you can initiate a base swap. Again, DTs here will save your life. The Stalkers need only to destroy the Orbital Command(s) and prevent any Ravens from being produced, then you will only need at least 1 Dark Templar to clean up the mess at your own base (beware of EMP! Target ghosts with DTs and only send one at a time). At this point the Terran can do nothing if you've saved your workers and enough money to rebuild. The "reveal" will help you track down his hidden buildings or if it never happens, let you know he has another Command Center out there. And Finally, the PvZ matchup, which I feel is the best situation to use this strategy. It is best to wall off your base in this situation to prevent scouting and ling harass. With the Ninja build in this match-up you want to be wary of getting surrounded by speedlings. To prevent this, position your proxy pylons in such a way that allows you to Blink into an area with a tight choke, or stay near high terrain where you have vision. Early Stalkers can end the game quick if your opponent has overproduced Spine Crawlers on their expansion, because you can simply Blink past them and cause so much damage. You primarily want to use your Dark Templar to kill Queens and Hydras, because it is very easy for a Zerg player to replace drones, so you have little time to kill workers because of how quickly Overseers can be made, always attack with Stalkers while using your Dark Templar, because DTs can do very little to Zerg alone. The Blink Stalkers can be used to snipe Overseers, allowing your Dark Templar to two-shot hydras no problem. If your opponent transitions to Muta-ling, make a couple forges, because you will need all the upgrades and cannons you can get. The great part about fighting Mutalisks with Stalkers is you can do some additional damage while chasing them off by using Blink. In general, if you are to use Dark Templar at all, save your first attack with them when you are in enemy territory, use them in numbers, and spread them out. You will want to get everything you can out of them before the enemy musters up some detection. Use Stalkers to distract your enemy and harrass his economy, snipe anything that wanders off from the group and blink away. Your primary targets are workers, supply, and buildings that offer detection. If you need early vision to see into your opponent's base, hallucination is the cheapest and fastest way to get it. [s]Blinking uphill past rocks is fair game[s], but don't depend on it, since it may be patched in the future. [spoiler]Called it.[/spoiler] If you are going to attempt the strategy, beware; it is RISKY, DIFFICULT, and HIGHLY micro intensive. If you are going to win, you will win by outmicroing the opponent. One bad Blink, or faulty DT attack and you will be far behind. You may ask, "if it is so difficult to do, then why use your build?" Well, because it is fun, and isn't that why we play Starcraft in the first place? I have been working on this strategy for weeks now, and I'm still having trouble with it. However, it has gotten me all the way up to the 1900 level, so I am confident it has its potential in the right situations. I plan on expanding on this topic by adding more replays and comments later on. If you would like to watch what I am talking about here live, I will be streaming shortly after posting this. I stream pretty often, you can usually catch me playing at night. |
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Guides > Protoss guides >
Ninja Build - Blink plus D/t |
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