So recent patch notes have nerfed centrifugal hooks to no longer give banelings +5 health, and instead costs 50/50 less. I dislike this change because I am a zerg player, but ALSO because I think it will impact ZvT far greater than ZvP, as bio can now kill banelings noticeably easier, but banelings can still roll through storm with 1 hit left.
Alternatively, I suggest nerfing baneling upgrade damage from +2 (+2 vs light) to +1(+1 vs light).
The intention of this change is to stop banelings with +2 melee from one shotting probes. Previously a baneling would do 43 damage to a probe with +2 melee, but with this change it would do 39. Of course, this means that +3 melee banelings would still one shot 0 armour probes, but this comes so late in the game that it can be circumvented by armor upgrades (+3 banelings would deal 41 vs 0/0 probes).
This change impacts midgame harassment in ZvP where zerg would often rush +2 melee just to run banelings into protoss mineral lines throughout the game, which is a form of harassment that’s inexpensive and easy to execute, but very unforgiving for the protoss if miscontrolled. On the other hand, this change will affect ZvT, a “balanced” matchup, far less than -5 health on banelings would and actually creates noticeable gameplay differences for protoss while keeping a net damage nerf on the baneling, a unit many felt was generally too strong.
Furthermore, I would like to pitch some buffs to underused protoss units: the tempest and the voidray. I was actually pretty surprised when I saw that neither of these units were being changed to be more viable with the recent patch, especially given the current state of protoss.
First, I would suggest to either lower the gas cost or supply of the tempest. Currently it is basically non existent in ZvP, idk about other matchups, but like if a protoss is ever building tempests I just feel like he’s bm’ing me or giving me a free win. Both corruptors and hydralisks hard counter it, and abduct and neural are also great against it. It’s great against broods, but broods have been falling out of favour, not really due to tempests but just the threat of double prism backstabds and it being such a slow unit. Reducing gas cost or supply is a meaningful buff for a unit that imo just sucks and is not really competitively viable.
Although the voidray is seen sometimes in ZvP, it’s usually just 1 to clear overlords/try to deny a base. My suggestion is really just to revert it to the WoL version that gained damage the longer it attacked. I know it’s generally remembered as a low league rage inducing cheese unit, but hear me out:
The direction they seem to be taking for the current voidray is to be that of a threat which armoured units like corruptors and stalkers just can’t fight as long as prismatic alignment is active. I believe this is bad design because:
- Prismatic alignment discourages kiting, since it slows the voidray, therefore there is less to gain by kiting with it.
- It makes voidray interaction linear. Basically gameplay involving it devolves into trying to bait prismatic alignment, waiting till it wears off, and reengaging before it’s off cooldown. It comes off as a mundane interaction because there’s really not a lot to do on the protoss’ side.
However the old voidray was better designed because:
- Once you had full charge, you could kite with them kind of like mutas, but with way faster attack speed, which could be cool to watch similar to how mutas can look like they don’t stop moving if kiting perfectly. If say the protoss charges their voids on some rocks and then catches the zerg army unaware, they can actively kite voids toward enemy roaches/corruptors rather than being like “alright, since I used the ability I’m supposed to use, you get a free escape”.
- Gameplay involving the voidray is no longer linear, both sides now have reason to micro vs/with voidrays. Protoss is encouraged to kite to maximize dps with their flux vane voidrays, lest their charge wears off and more units have to tank for them next fight while they charge back up. On the other hand, zerg still has the incentive of retreating and waiting till the voidrays calmdown, but they are further encouraged to fight voidrays in skirmishes and with abducts, which seems to be the way Blizzard wants zerg to fight current voidrays anyway. Instead of a 25 second window where voidrays get destroyed by the unit they’re supposed to counter, change that window to “whenever they’re not fighting”.
- The gameplay issues of the WoL voidrays are largely gone. Corruptors and hydralisks have both been buffed, and abduct and parasitic bomb would also be phenomenal vs voidrays. Furthermore, thor anti air has been buffed, vikings have been buffed, and the introduction of the widow mine and cyclone both serve as answers to WoL voidrays. Sure the stats would need to be tweaked, perhaps remove the bonus vs massive as it conflicts with tempests, but is, imo, the better designed unit.
Protosses have always dreamed of the golden armada, these changes to the voidray and tempest would make that style more viable without touching protoss ground units, thereby keeping the midgame vulnerability of that style largely intact. It is also the intention of these changes to minimally affect, PvT, but I am not as familiar with that matchup so feel free to let me know if I missed something there.
Feedback is appreciated, whether you agree or think my ideas are terrible 