Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Protoss Strategy

Due to the versatility of the Protoss race, there are a lot of great ways to beat Protoss players. The key is early scouting so you can get whatever counters your opponent.

With that said, here are some effective Protoss vs Protoss strategies:

Timed Stalker/Sentry Push

This is my preferred method for playing Protoss vs Protoss matches. In this strategy, I will opt for the following build order:

- 9 Pylon
- 12 Gateway
- 13 Assimilator
- 16 Cybernetics Core
- 17 Pylon
- 19 Gateway
- 20 Assimilator
- 22 Gateway

Early gas is necessary, as Sentries and Stalkers are expensive. This works best on larger maps where fast or proxy Zealot rushes are not viable. You will need to squeeze out a Zealot or Sentry early in the game simply to defend your ramp while you tech up.

Next, get nothing but Sentries and Stalkers, in equal numbers. This is quite gas intensive. Push the enemy once you get enough energy for 6+ Force Fields. You can the enemy's Zealots with good Force Field placement and take no damage in the process.

During your initial push, expand. You should have extra minerals. Be careful not to lose too many units. Often you will be Zealot rushed before you push; use Force Fields to trap Zealots in your ramp space and separate the enemy's Stalkers from his Zealots.

It is very easy to defend against enemy pushes with good Force Field placement.

Void Rays

For a longer game, getting Void Rays is a great way to beat another Protoss player. Protoss lack a strong armored air counter.

There are two ways to pull this off. First you can try the air rush, which involves walling your base, building 1 Stargate, making 2-3 Void Rays, and going in.

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If your enemy is building Zealots and Immortals, this is an effective strategy. If your enemy is amassing stalkers, it is a bad strategy. It works best in lower leagues versus opponents who do not scout.

The other way to do this is to expand the map aggressively and amass void rays. If you build a massive Void Ray army, your Protoss opponent cannot stop it.
The Stalker is the primary counter to an air rush. To the mass air strategy, you have to just prevent it by killing undefended expansions. It will be unstoppable if too many Voids are produced.

To be able to easily execute this, you will want to do the following:

Start off with a Stalker/Sentry build as outlined in the "Favorites" section of the Protoss Build Orders post.

Dark Templar Rush

This is very effective even in the higher leagues. You must wall the entrance with a pylon, a gateway, and a few Zealots. You can't let your opponent know what you are up to.

Tech immediately to a Dark Shrine. If you can, hide the Dark Shrine in the corner of your base so the enemy can't see it. When you go in, if the enemy has no detection (common if you are fast), you can use the front.

I like to send in at least 4 Templar as that way you can kill faster than the opponent can counter. Go right for the kill and take out their main Nexus right away.

If they do have detection, you can still usually kill their main base if you use a Warp Prism and warp in about 6 Dark Templar. By the time they realize what happened, their Nexus is gone!

Once this happens, make a more balanced army to come in and finish the job.

Mixed Army

A lot of players will go for the mixed army approach: some Stalkers, some Sentries, some Immortals, and maybe some Zealots. This is effective but the easiest way to counter this as a Protoss player is to hit them early.

Research Charge and mass Zealots and Sentries (on a side note, Charge is not nearly as important versus Protoss players as they have no units which easily kite Zealots). This is one of the best Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Protoss strategies out there.

The opponent will spend a lot of resources on a variety of buildings and you will end up with a bigger, stronger army in the short term.

Don't let them go air or expand and you will win this no problem. Air is expensive, so it takes a long time to build up. You should have more units and have no problem killing your opponent, as long as you do not allow him to over-expand.

Charging Zealots and Sentries are great versus newbies who mass Stalkers as well. To counter a Zealot masser, go air!

In conclusion, three effective ways to beat Protoss players are to rush or mass Void Rays, rush to Dark Templar, or build Zealots and Sentries.

These are just a few of many Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Protoss strategies.

The best Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Protoss Strategy always depends on your opponent's strategy. If your opponent is massing Zealots and Sentries, a quick Void Ray strike will be crippling.

If they are massing Sentries, rushing to Voids can be disastrous.

Likewise, if an enemy has no detection, Dark Templars are an instant win every time! Take some time to learn the units and you will be winning your Protoss mirror matches every time. 

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