Starcraft/Starcraft: Brood War Protoss Strategy By Ed the Moogle Final Version Copyright 1999-2002 Ed the Moogle Not official in any way. Don't copy or alter this FAQ without permission. If you wish to copy this FAQ, you may not change it from its original TXT format, and it must not appear within a frame or with a pop-up window or ad banner of any kind. I am not to be held responsible for any damages done with this file or it's contents. Latest version is at http://www.gamefaqs.com. Check the latest version before you e-mail me with questions or comments, or before telling me I'm an idiot because I made a mistake. Failure to do this will result in your e-mail being ignored. Domains that CAN use this FAQ http://www.gamefaqs.com http://www.neoseeker.com (e-mail me at edmoogle@hotmail.com or brunerp@juno.com to be added to the list) Domains that can NEVER use this FAQ (I have had some bad run-ins with these domain/domains before. They have either somehow been making money off my FAQs by the use of ad banners or otherwise). http://faqs.simplenet.com http://www.gamesdomain.com http://vgstrategies.about.com http://www.gamewinners.com If you see this FAQ on any of these sites, or any other site that uses my files without complying to the conditions in the disclaimer, report it to me immediately and I will put an end to it (edmoogle@hotmail.com or brunerp@juno.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- I'm writing a guide for the Protoss because I have always liked them the most, and because they have the Mind Control ability in Brood War, barely anyone plays as Terran or Zerg anymore (they can just Mind Control an SCV or Drone and build an entire Terran or Zerg base). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Protoss Advantages/Disadvantages Buildings/Building Strategy Units/Unit Strategy Rush Stoppers VS Terran Strategy VS Zerg Strategy VS Protoss Strategy ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Advantages and Disadvantages ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- + Their original fighting units are powerful (80 HP, 80 Shields, and 16 base damage), they're the only race to use Shields and Mind Control ('nuff said), their scouting unit is invisible (unless detected), and one Probe can warp in several buildings at a time (provided you have enough resources to cover the cost). - They're open to being rushed (they're quite slow), Their defensive cannons are easy to destroy, they must build near Pylons, and their buildings are useless if not near a Pylon (the best way to take them out is to destroy all their Pylons). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Buildings Nexus 750 HP, 750 Shields Cost: 400 Minerals, 0 Gas Options: Build Probe, Mine Gas/Minerals, Build Gateway or Forge This is probably the most important building you have. Minerals and Gas are gathered here, and you can build Probes to create buildings or harvest. It also enables you to build a Gateway to build fighting units. It's one of the only three buildings that doesn't have to be near a Pylon (the others being an Assimilator and a Pylon itself). Put Photon Cannons near it and the place where you are harvesting minerals to prevent air units from coming in and picking off your Probes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Pylon 300 HP, 300 Shields Cost: 100 Minerals, 0 Gas Options: You can build near them, and they provide control. These allow you to build units and you can create buildings near them. Put them near your entrance and surround them with Photon Cannons for a good defense (until Reavers or Sieges arrive, at which point you should employ Zealots and Dark Templars). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Assimilator 450 HP, 450 Shields Cost: 100 Minerals, 0 Gas Options: You harvest Gas here. This is the only building you need for harvesting Gas (besides a Nexus). Put some Photon Cannons by it so some air units don't pick off your Probes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Forge 550 HP, 550 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals 0 Gas Options: Upgrade Ground Weapons, Ground Armor, or Plasma Shields (+1 armor on shields), Build Photon Cannons Here you upgrade your ground unit weapons and armor, as well as Plasma shields, which are on every Protoss unit (even Buildings!). Be sure to upgrade your shields to the max, if nothing else. This will make you last a bit longer when you fall under attack, letting you get in a few more hits. The most useful thing about it is that it enables you to build Photon Cannons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Gateway 500 HP, 500 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 0 Gas Options: Build Zealots, Dragoons (require Cybernetics Core), High Templars (require Templar Archives), or Dark Templars (Brood War only, requires Templar Archives), enables you to build Shield Battery, Citadel of Adun or Cybernetics Core. The gateway is where you train Zealots, Dragoons, High Templars, and Dark Templars. Build at least two or three of these near your entrance, so if you're under attack by some Siege Tanks, you can take some Zealots to them and get rid of the threat. If you are going for a Zealot, Dragoon, or Templar rush, a dozen is enough to supply you with a large amount of troops in a small time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Photon Cannon 100 HP, 100 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 0 Gas Photon Cannons are the Protoss' main defensive force. They do 20 damage, and can hit both air and ground units. Their main disadvantage is that they fire rather slowly compared to Missile Turrets and Spore Colonies, which can be a problem in air attacks. Cluster them near your choke points to prevent rushes, and back them up with Dragoons and Zealots or High Templars with Psionic Storm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Shield Battery 200 HP, 200 Shields Cost: 100 Minerals, 0 Gas This building recharges your unit's shields. Protoss can't repair their HP, but they can repair their shields, so do so during battles. The only disadvantage is that it cannot recharge the shields on buildings. However, if your base falls under attack, you can recharge your units' shields if they are running low. A very handy building indeed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Citadel of Adun 450 HP, 450 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas Options: Upgrade Zealot Movement, Enables building of Templar Archives Here you can make your Zealots faster. But its main advantage is that you are able to build the Templar Archives, which enables you to create Templars and Dark Templars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Cybernetics Core 500 HP, 500 Shields Cost: 200 Minerals, 0 Gas Options: Upgrade Air Armor and Weapons, or increase Dragoon attack range. You can build a Starport and a Robotics Facility after making this. Here you upgrade Air Units, but you'll need a Starport to take advantage of this. You can also upgrade the attack range of your Dragoons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Starport 600 HP, 600 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 150 Gas Options: Build Scouts, Carriers (require Fleet Beacon), or Arbiters (Requires Arbiter Tribunal). Enables building of Fleet Beacon. Here you can build Scouts (weak ground attack, but very strong air attack), Carriers (heavily destructive to ground units), and Arbiters (which I'll explain later). You can also build Corsairs, which cannot attack Ground units and their air attack is weak, but they can disrupt your enemies' defenses. All of them are useful. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Robotics Facility 450 HP, 450 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas Options: Build Reavers, Shuttles or Observers, build Observatory or Robotics Support Bay. Here you can Build Observers (requires Observatory), Reavers (Require Robotics Support Bay) or Shuttles, which will be explained later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Robotics Support Bay 450 HP, 450 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas Options: Upgrade Scarab Damage, Reaver Capacity and Shuttle Speed. Enables building of Reavers. Here you upgrade your Shuttles or Reavers/Scarabs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Templar Archives 500 HP, 500 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 200 Gas Options: Enables building of High Templars or Dark Templars (Brood War only), upgrade Templars or Dark Archons (Brood War only), enables building of Arbiter Tribunal. One of the most important buildings you can get. Enables your High Templars to use the dreaded Psionic Storm, as well as Mind Control for your Dark Archons, among others. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Observatory 250 HP, 250 Shields Cost: 50 Minerals, 100 Gas Options: Upgrade Observers, gain ability to build Observers. This enables you to build one of the best scouting units in the game, Observers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Fleet Beacon 500 HP, 500 Shields Cost: 300 Minerals, 200 Gas Options: Upgrade Carriers and Scouts. Here you can increase Carrier Capacity (allows your Carriers to carry more Interceptors, a definite plus) and Scout Movement, which enables your Scouts to move more quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Arbiter Tribunal 500 HP, 500 Shields Cost: 200 Minerals, 150 Gas Options: Enables building of Arbiters, upgrade Arbiters. You can research Stasis Field and Recall for your Arbiters here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Units ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Probe 20 HP, 20 Shields Cost: 50 Minerals, 0 Gas Base Armor: 0 Base Damage: 5 Size: Small Probes harvest Gas and Minerals, and also warp in buildings. Unlike the Terran and Protoss, they can warp in multiple buildings at a time. They're very weak, though, so don't rely on them if you get rushed (unlike SCVs, which are fairly good at defending if they get rushed). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Zealot 80 HP, 80 Shields Cost: 100 Minerals, 0 Gas Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: 8 (hits twice) Size: Medium "New arrival" Phrase "My life for Aiur!" Select Phrases "Issah shu!" "Footman Calls!" (that's what it sounds like) "Gee-ous!" Confirm Phrases "Honor guide me!" "Blast that zerg!" (that's what it sounds like) "For Adun!" "Kau kola!" Annoy Phrases "En Taro Adun!" "All for the empire!" "Doom to all who threaten the homeworld!" Zealots are your basic fighting units, and are very skilled in close-up combat. You'll have to get some pretty quick, because Protoss are the most open to be rushed. They're also useful if a Siege Tank or Reaver is wiping out your Photon Cannons. Just send in some Zealots to destroy that tank. 16 base damage (can be upgraded up to 22, I believe) is quite a bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Dragoon 100 HP, 80 Shields Cost: 125 Minerals, 50 Gas Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: 20 Size: Large "New arrival" Phrase "I have returned." Select Phrases "Recieving." "Input command." "Transmitted." Confirm Phrases "Knock out soon!" "Lock tide!" "Mi-to-la!" "Commencing." Annoy Phrases "Unauthorized transmission." "Incorrect protocol." "*beep" Drop your weapon. You have 15 seconds to comply." "...5,4,3,2,1 *zap*" Dragoons are your basic defense from air attacks. They do just as much damage as a Photon Cannon shot, even when not powered up! But they're quite slow, which leaves them open to attack from Firebats or other units. To protect them from Firebats or Zerglings, use Zealots or Dark Templars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- High Templar 40 HP, 40 Shields Cost: 50 Minerals, 150 Gas Base Armor: 0 Base Damage: N/A Size: Medium "New arrival" phrase "Sa-sha-hur-ditu-me-hari!" Select Phrases "Ah shudai caw!" "State thy bidding!" "Your thoughts?" "Say-ah-ha!" Confirm Phrases "You think as I do." "My path is set." "It shall be done." "Ee-shtoff!" Annoy Phrases "Your thoughts betrayed you." "I see you have an appetite for destruction..." "...And you learn to use your illusion..." "...But I find your lack of control disturbing." High Templars have no physical attack, but can research Psionic Storm, a powerful attack that damages all units within it's range (it doesn't work on buildings), and is pretty much your ultimate weapon against the Zerg. They can also use Hallucinations to draw enemy fire or scout while you retaliate on an attack.Two High Templar can merge together to become Archons, very powerful fighting units. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Archon 10 HP, 350 Shields Cost: 2 High Templar Base Armor:0 Base Damage: 30 Splash Damage Size: Large "New arrival" phrase "The merging is complete!" Select Phrases "Power overwhelming." "We burn!" "Draw-so-cop!" "We need focus!" Confirm Phrases "Destroy!" "Annhialate!" "Eradicate!" "Obliterate!" Annoy Phrases "It all looks so different on this side!" "(something I can't make out)" "It's beautiful!" "They should have sent a poet!" Archons are very powerful units, capable of taking out large groups of Marines or Zerglings at a time. They also make fighting off air rushes easier because of their capability to attack multiple units at a time. But beware of the Terran's EMP Shockwave, which removes all Energy and Shields from a unit. With only 10 HP, an Archon can be easily destroyed by Terran forces. They can hit air and ground units, and they do splash damage, meaning anything close to the unit you attack will also be damaged. They cannot be detected by Terran Spider Mines, so pairing them with an Observer is a wise plan for clearing them out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Dark Templar (Can only be built in Brood War) Cost: 125 Minerals, 50 Gas 80 HP, 40 Shields Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: 40(!!) Size: Medium "New arrival" phrase "Adun Toridas!" Select Phrases "Yes?" "Naras goo-leo." "Sayas goo-enof!" "I'm waiting." Confirm Phrases "Very well." "For Aiur." "Eh-mah!" Annoy Phrases "Your taunts are inadvised, Templar." "Do not provoke me to violence." "You cannot evade my wrath..." "...In the closure of shadow." Dark Templar are always "Cloaked", meaning that they can only be seen by Detector units (Science Vessels, Overlords, etc.). Their attacks are even more powerful than that of an Archon. But they must pause for a second or two between attacks. If seen, they can be quickly destroyed. They are good for mowing down those tough defensive buildings in a hurry, just because of the sheer amount of damage they do. I mainly use them for defense against Siege Tanks, Reavers, and Lurkers. Two Dark Templar can merge to become a Dark Archon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Dark Archon (Brood War only) Cost: 2 Dark Templars 25 HP, 200 Shields Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: N/A Size: Large "New arrival" phrase "We are as one!" Select Phrases "Must feed!" "Thoughts in chaos!" "We hear you!" "Must have energy!" Confirm Phrases "We move!" "Oblivion awaits!" "Aaaahhh!" Annoy Phrases "Must consume..." "...or oblivion will take us!" "Adun, see me!" "Darkness overpowering!" Dark Archons can use three spells: Feedback, Maelstrom, and Mind Control. Feedback can be cast on any unit that uses energy. They will lose all their energy and take damage equal to the energy loss. For example, a Battlecruiser with 500 HP and 200 Energy will take 200 Damage and lose all that energy. Very useful against those damn Ghosts that keep using Lockdown on your units. FeedBack costs 50 Energy. Maelstrom freezes any unit in it's range for a few seconds, rendering it unable to move or fire. It's useful when a whole army of Marines or Ultralisks are headed your way. Maelstrom costs 100 Energy. Lastly, Mind Control allows you to take control of an enemy unit you cast it on. If you cast it on a Dropship or Overlord with units in it, you'll get all the units inside it too! But keep in mind that this process drains 150 energy and all the Dark Archon's shields. The enemy will also begin firing on your Mind-Controlled unit as soon as you pull it off. So be sure to have an attack squad backing you up. The most useful thing is that you can Mind Control an SCV or Drone and build an entire Zerg or Terran base. It's very risky to do, though, as you'll usually have to clear a path through huge bases to do it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Reaver Cost: 200 Minerals, 100 Gas 100 HP, 80 Shields Base Armor: 0 Base Damage: 100 Splash Damage (wow!) Size: Large Reavers are very powerful and have long range, but are the slowest units in the game. They're good for knocking down enemy defenses, just be sure to have some Zealots and Scouts backing them up. The bad thing about Reavers is that you have to manually load them by selecting them, and choosing "Build Scarab" (Scarabs are little mechanical units that run up to the target and explode). It can only carry up to 5 at a time, unless you upgrade it's capacity. Best of all, they do Splash Damage, meaning that they can take out a large number of units at a time. They're also good for taking down Ultralisks (4 hits will kill one, but you'll need multiple Reavers to do it in time). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Scouts Cost: 300 Minerals, 100 Gas 150 HP, 100 Shields Base Armor: 0 Base Damage: 8 to Ground units, 14 to Air units (hits twice, making 28!!) Size: Large "New arrival" phrase "Teleport successful." Select Phrases "Standing by." "Awaiting command." "Jo-gug?" Confirm Phrases "It will be done!" "Ge-ous!" "Ko-ko-la!" Annoy Phrases "Signal unstable." "Psionic link dissapated." "Adjusting neural transmission." "*various strange noises*" "Subatomic thrusters reingaged." Scouts are very good against Air attacks (like Battlecruisers that try to Yamato all your Photon Cannons to oblivion). They're also good for taking out Spider Mines, because if a ground unit attacks, you can send out an Archon or two to wipe them out. Or if some air units attack, the Scouts can wipe them out quickly. Just be sure to recharge shields every now and then. These are pretty much the Protoss' best "rushing" units, because when they all focus upon one ground unit they can tear it down quickly, and since they do 28+ damage to air units with each shot... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Corsair (Brood War only) 100 HP, 80 Shields Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: 5 (Air attack only) Size: Medium "New Arrival" phrase "It is a good day to die!" Select Phrases "May I be of service?" "Ready for battle." Confirm Phrases "Ah, at last!" "Excellent!" "I thought you'd see it my way." The bad thing about Corsairs is that they can only attack Air units. But they fire rapidly for light damage each hit (Sort of like Terran Valkyries, but their shots don't go all over the place). However, their main use is their ability to cast Disruption Web, which prevents all units within it's range from attacking. This only works on Buildings or Ground units, though. Perfect for when you need to get through those pesky Missile Turrets with a Shuttle or Arbiter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- Shuttle Cost: 200 Minerals, 0 Gas Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: N/A Size: Large Shuttles are your only means of transporting Ground units across lava or other impassable obstacles (actually, I take that back. The Arbiter's Recall ability can do the same). Send them with some Scouts and an Observer to provide protection until you unload the units. Keep in mind that a Shuttle has eight spaces, and each unit takes up a certain amount of spaces, as follows. Small- 1 Space Medium- 2 Spaces Large- 4 Spaces Confused? You'll see how it works when you start loading them up. Observer Cost: 25 Minerals, 75 Gas 40 HP, 40 Shields Base Armor: 0 Base Damage: N/A Size: Small Annoy Phrases "I sense a soul in search of answers!" "Well it sounds like...aw sh**! (can't make out the rest)" "One small step for man, one giant...STOP POKING ME!" (lol) "(a short clip from the hidden track in Warcraft 2)" "Warcraft 5! The next level of battle with an expansion set..." This is one of the best scouting units. It is always cloaked, and can detect cloaked or otherwise invisible units (Spider mines). They also make good during attacks due to the fact that they are cloaked, and usually the enemy will be focusing on the main threat- the attacking units. Their only downfall is that they are easily destroyed if spotted. Arbiter Cost: 100 Minerals, 300 Gas (Yeowza!) 299 HP, 150 Shields Base Armor: 1 Base Damage: 10 Size: Large "New arrival" Phrase "Warp field stabilized." Select Phrase "Bel Adun!" Confirm Phrase "In-cos-me!" "Je-pa-ca-zoen!" Annoy Phrases "We sense a soul in search of answers." "Do you seek knowledge of time travel?" "Now for your first lesson. Hahahaha!" "*rapid backwards talking* Do you seek knowledge of time travel?" Arbiters move and fire quite slowly and aren't very powerful to boot. But they can cloak any nearby Protoss units, making for a useful defensive unit (Cloak some Reavers and watch the sparks fly!). The only bad thing is that they can't cloak other Arbiters. Arbiters can cast Stasis Field, which imprisons all unit's within it's range in a crystalline field, rendering them invincible, but unable to attack or move. They can also Recall units to their location. Useful for moving in past enemy D and wreaking havoc. One of my favorite strategies is to fly in past enemy Defense (using the Disrupter Web from the Corsairs), then Recalling a bunch of Reavers and Dark Templars to wreak havoc. Be sure to bring some Scouts along, too, so your Arbiter doesn't get blasted out of the sky. Carrier Cost: 350 Minerals, 250 Gas 300 HP, 150 Shields (Wow!) Base Armor: 4 (Wow!) Base Damage: 6 Size: REALLY BIG "New Arrival" Phrase "Carrier has arrived!" Select Phrases "Ich Nu?" Confirm Phrases "Commencing!" Annoy Phrases "The enemies are legioned..." "...And still you procrastinate!" "Command, or you will be relieved!" "This is not an idle threat!" Carriers may not sound very powerful, but they send out smaller units called Interceptors that are extremely fast and attack quickly. They do little damage, but a large group of them can quickly tear down most anything. Be sure to upgrade Carrier Capacity so that each Carrier can carry 8 Interceptors (it's a crime they don't start out with 8). Just be sure to bring some Scouts along in case some Wraiths, Goliaths, Photons, etc. try to ruin your day. Also bring some Observers with you (and watch out for Lockdown!). Not as effective as Scouts, but still very deadly when in mass. How to stop those damn Rushes Zergling Rush: A few Photons and Zealots should stop the threat. Just be quick about it. Zerglings wait for no one, and they usually try to attack before you even get one Photon up (I've seen it happen before). Marine Rush: Some Photons and Zealots, definitely. Take out the Medics if they have any. Battlecruisers: Other players have a tendency to group them all together in one big group, leaving them open to Psionic Storm or Stasis Field (build Photon Cannons when they're unable to do anything about it!!!). A large group of Scouts also work well. Carriers: Scouts and Dragoons. Photons may prove useless, because if you destroy anything, it will be some easily-replaced Interceptors. If they have an Arbiter, take it out with Scouts, then concentrate on the Carriers. Guardians: Scouts. They're defenseless against them. If they have Devourers or Mutalisks, send in some Dragoons for good measure. Hydralisks and Lurkers: Take them on the ground with Zealots, Templars, and Reavers or in the air with Carriers. As for the Lurkers, use some Observers or Photons to spot them, then take them out from the air if possible. They wreak havoc on ground units like nothing else. Ultralisks: Maelstrom or Mind Control is the way to go here. If you don't have either of those, use some Carriers/Scouts and an Arbiter. Arbiters, Carriers and Observers: First of all, nail those Arbiters hard and fast with your Scouts, so that they don't get off that Stasis Field. Once they're gone, aim for the Observers and then you can shoot them down with Scouts or Dragoons fairly easily. This rush is potentially very deadly unless you know how to handle it. General Computer AI Facts -The Computer Opponents always try to have multiple outposts all over the place. They have an infinite greed for resources, and always try to gain the upper hand by building outposts anywhere there are Minerals. However, they usually leave them poorly defended... -The comps rush a lot more than they used to back in the old Starcraft. They'll mass together large numbers of Goliaths, Scouts, Templars, whatever it takes to get through your defenses. -The comps can Lock Down, Yamato, PSI Storm, and Irradiate units with extreme efficiency. They always hit the right target that will subsequently cause doom to your units, and they do it very quickly, too. -The comps are ALMOST ALWAYS building something. You can trash their units all day, it makes no difference to them. They'll always build more to prepare for a second attack. -Computer opponents will almost always attack where there is defense. So the general rule to keep them out of your base is just to cluster defenses near choke points, where they usually try to strike. -Your units will almost always go chasing after a unit that is firing upon it, even when you order them to retreat. For this reason, keep clicking back until you reach a safe point, so that they won't go blindly rushing in even under heavy fire. VS Terran Strategy (Computer Opponent) AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH I hate Terran. They start off tame enough, sending attacks of Firebats and Marines (which your Photons should make short work of), but after that all hell breaks loose. They start sending Sieges, Cruisers, Science Vessels, all sorts of nasty tricks. Anyway, after watching the first attack or two explode into a bloody mess under Photon fire (hehe), start building like crazy. You're going to need High Templars, Dark Templars, and Scouts to win. Your High Templars and Dark Templars should hide out near your Photons and eliminate any Sieges and Cruisers that come your way. After you're adequately defended (rebuild Photons as needed), start making Scouts. Carriers won't be too effective against those million Goliaths they're making. Once you get about two dozen, you should strike one of their Outposts. This will usually cause them to send a bunch of units after you (usually Ghosts with lockdown). Retreat back to your base and watch them die under Photon fire. Now start to rebuild more Scouts, making sure none of them gets past your barrage of PSI storm and Photon fire. After you get three-four dozen scouts, strike their main base. However, DON'T LET THEM DIVIDE YOUR UNITS! Make sure they're all sort of grouped together, and they're all firing on just a few buildings at a time. If they're spread out all over the place, you'll definitely lose. VS Zerg Strategy (Computer) First of all, GET DEFENSES UP!!! They'll often rush with six Zerglings first thing! Just get five units gathering minerals, then have your sixth build a Pylon, a Forge, and two or three Photons. Don't relax just yet, though. They often try to send a second strike with Lurkers and Hydras, and they know how to do the dreaded Mutalisk rush (shudder). Just build some more Photons and back them up with Dragoons and a few Scouts and you should be OK. When the time comes to build Offense, your best bet is probably Carriers and High Templars (most Zerg don't have a lot of HP, so they fall quickly to PSI Storm). Just move in with Carriers and attack their ground defenses, and back up their attack with PSI Storm and Archons. VS Protoss Strategy (Computer) PSI storm is your main threat here. They don't often rush, but when they do, WATCH OUT! They'll send tons of Zealots at you. Just get some Photons and Zealots of your own to combat them. After fending them off one or two times, they may appear to stop attacking. Don't be fooled. They're off building the super-deadly Templars and Carriers. Back up your Photons with some Reavers and High Templars, then concentrate on building up some Scouts. When you gather about 3 dozen Scouts, take out their Carriers and Templars (spread out so they can't PSI Storm all your units at once), then trash their Pylons in a timely manner. From here on out, they shouldn't give you too much trouble. Questions/Comments/Corrections? E-mail brunerp@juno.com