I’ve always loved Protoss, and still do. But I am at my wits’ end trying to play against any zergs or terrans lately, to the point I feel like simply exiting the game and only playing PvPs. Please note this is NOT my effort to complain about balance, I am just trying to express my personal frustrations with the matchup and learn where I am going wrong.
I recognize I am not a great player and this is obviously a big part of it, but I thought matchmaking would at least allow me to have a chance, but it hasn’t felt that way. In fact, playing zerg and terran makes me feel GREALY outclassed as they run circles around me and its like they don’t even have to try to beat me. Add to that the pro-scene’s lack of heavy-hitting protoss lately and I am confused.
Generally, I try to play defensive enough early game to easily and fairly quickly get a natural (usually after my cyber-core unless I see the opponent fast-expand). I try very hard to scout any way I can (sentries, sending my first couple units to poke/prod, probes, anything) and then try to prepare a counter for what I am seeing.
But no matter what I do or see, I lose to pretty much anything they throw at me. I go gateway/robo tech and mass marines or mass ling/bane wreck me. I try to go air fairly quick and I get wrecked by marines/mines and mass hydra. I feel like I can’t safely expand because my army is either too slow to respond to zerg/terran multi-pronged aggression, or if I divide my forces to defend I don’t have enough when all their army smashes my one base before I respond to scouting.
The only glimmer of hope I’ve had is the use of sentries, mostly against zergs, and force fielding like crazy. I admittedly have won a few games with that, but more often I will run out of force fields and simply get over-run.
So what is the secret to beating these guys? I was always under the impression that zerg is the ‘swarm’ of cheap, fast, easy units’ that are rather weak, and I will win engagements with my stronger, stouter, protoss army, but that zerg will replace their lost army instantly, evening the odds. But I am never still standing after zerg’s army crashes into mine. (I hate banelings)
As for Terran, I believed them to be the versatile humans capable of different tactics. Decent units, but reliant on siege and positioning. But without Tempests I don’t know how to fight against a terran, and even then they tend to have plenty of vikings to rule the skies, and marines melt sky-toss.
I always thought Protoss was the ‘strongest’ units, more expensive for that reason, and that if I can simply stand my ground until the late game I should power through anything with my ‘superior technology’ philosophy (that it should be rightfully hard to get to that point because of constant attacks and aggression against me). But if I look at the meta right, protoss have to act like a thief or rogue, trying to sneak around the opponent carefully and not take engagements head on? And whats more, win before a 3rd or 4th base goes down and late game hits?
Is there anyone who can set my head straight? I apologize for my rant, but I am as lost as can be (could you tell?). Apparently my combination of poor APM/skill and lack of general knowledge of races is making this game almost unplayable for me.
P.S., the few games I do win against terrans and zergs are generally all-ins that they throw at me (mostly proxies or badly done roach/ravager timings). I always probe scout, and I generally am okay at getting shield batteries up with enough units to hold.
I think my zerg was down in the 20s last month or two ago)