Siren's Gambit (PvT Economic)
Description
I make gateway units and win monkaClap.
This build is intended to kill Terran before 4 minutes.
In the TerranCraft article "TvP: Securing Expansion at The Natural", the writer asserts that "Protoss often attempt to use Adept and Stalker to delay or deny Terran from completing the Command Centre on the low ground at the natural. How well both sides play out this early skirmish has a huge impact in subsequent events. "
I absolutely agree with this statement, and the Siren's Gambit was developed part from my own ladder experience, but in equal parts also off of analysing TerranCraft's meta write-ups, and seeking to identify in the admitted weaknesses of Terran early game where Protoss can then assert further strength.
Hence, Siren's Gambit is an aggressive 2Gate Opener (both at home) that seeks to _deny_ the Terran's ability to establish a Command Centre on the low ground, and against an unprepared opponent- outright win the game.
14 pylon on the lowground, as you would wall vs Zerg```
16 gate > gatescout with probe, harass SCV building the barracks upon arrival
Nexus Chrono
17 gas > 2 probes into gas @completion
17th probe rally to lowground
19 gate
@100% gate Zealot + Cybercore, set Zealot rally point perpendicularly to your base so that it travels off the Reaper's direct path
22 Pylon behind your main mineral line
@100% cyber core Adeptx2 (both chrono'd) + WarpGate, Shield Battery in Main Mineral line
@100% Adepts, Stalker + Nexus
~
Replay - ellie vs SAKERS D1 T <Kairos junction>
Build Order
Analysis
Quoting TerranCraft- which if you are a Terran is an amazing resource that is kept up to date and in good quality by Max- there are two different variations for Cybernetic Core before Nexus.
One builds the Gateway at the standard timing at 16 (more economical), while the other builds the Gateway at 13 (more aggressive).
Since the Cybernetic Core is put down right after the Gateway completes, the economical one is down at 20 and the aggressive one is down at 18.
Depending on ground travel distance and the location of the Gateway, the Adept should reach Terran’s natural by 2:35~2:40 for aggressive variation and by 2:45~2:50 for the economic variation (usually a 8 to 10 seconds difference).
Multiple articles on TerranCraft go on further to discuss the implications of cyber before nexus, cyber after nexus, the proxy 1 gate and 1 gate at home, and most recently the infamous MaxPax.
All of this, however, does not account for the key unit in this build.
The Zealot
Probes
Two probes are going to make all the difference in this build; the one you build your gate and scouts with, and the one you make the 2nd gate, Cyber and 2nd pylon with. Let's call them Jess and Jessica.
Jess is rallied to the lowground, makes the first pylon, first gate and then runs across the map. You want Jess to harass the SCV building the barracks, running away when you lose shields, and returning when your shields are back to continue being an annoyance.
Jess should leave the Terran's nat by around 1:50 5 seconds before the Reaper is out and try to hide in a discreet spot MIRRORING THE ZEALOT'S PATH.
This is because if the Reaper finds Jess, it will miss the Zealot.
If it finds the Zealot, Jess is allowed back into the Terran nat to either harass the SCV making the Command Centre, get additional scouting info, or harass the SCV building the bunker.
If the Reaper rallies straight across, it will miss both Jess and your Zealot, and it won't get any damage done on the other side either assuming it doesn't just die to the 2Adepts popping.
Jessica has less work cut out for her, but she is equally important. Her most important job however is ensuring that your 2nd Pylon is behind the main of your mineral line.
Here is why Siren's Gambit proposes a completely unique strategic change from proxy gate and Maxpax. In both of those builds, your second pylon is out on the map. This means that should the reaper manage to dodge your gateway units, while you are dealing damage on their side and killing SCVs, the unmolested reaper can equalise on your side by killing just as many Probes, resulting in Terran still getting damage done.
With the 2nd Pylon behind your mineral line however, this allows you to start an early shield battery, which will single-handedly invalidate the Reaper. This way, any damage done by our early gateway units across the map can not be answered, and we establish and solidify our lead with every extra SCV we kill, and extra second we manage to delay the Command Centre.
Pylons
1st Pylon on the low-ground 2nd pylon behind main mineral line
Win
Zealot & Adepts
The Zealot is what makes this build so amazingly strong. A 2 Gate Adept by itself is a relatively weak build, because it only creates one threat vector. Where Terran (or any race really) struggles is where there are multiple threats, all of which have to be dealt with using their low (and weaker) units early game.
The Zealot is also amazingly strong anti-structurally. 2 Adepts are helpless against the Terran's depot wall; you'd take years to break it down and Terran don't even need to send SCVs to repair the wall while your Adepts stand uselessly outside. The Zealot can bring the wall down very fast and thus will always force an SCV pull, which essentially gives free SCVs up to your Adepts, guaranteeing you at least 4~ SCV kills, if not more.
What to Attack
With your Zealot and Adepts, after cancelling the CC and Bunker focus on breaking the depot further away from the Command Centre. This is because it increases the distance that SCVs have to travel, and also keep them in range for a longer period of time even if they try to micro away.
If the wall is broken, keep your Zealot at the ramp and shade your two Adepts into a choke besides the Refinery, then enjoy your 8~ SCV kills.
Learning how to be able to micro Adept shades vs Widowmines is a useful skill, but not absolutely necessary. It will be extremely useful however- so if you have the time to spare for it, do try and master it.
Transitions
~To Be Updated~