Ive randomed Karax 8 times today and it’s been sad and embarrassing. I even played with Neometal (a good player from the latest rock slapping champions video), which was even more embarrassing. I don’t want to be a Karax rockslapper! Please help me!!
If you have or know of any videos (those usually work best) of a Karax pwning that would be amazing. The more maps the better so I can get an idea of how decisions are made during different circumstances. I don’t want to be the next rock slapper, which might happen if I keep randoming Karax. Save me please!
Karax isn’t a “pwning” commander. He’s pretty laid back and slow. Most go with static defense – So you could do cannon hopping strats. Difficult, but doable.
Most Karaxes will go either Zealot/Energizer/Immortal or just mass Carriers as unit Karax.
Yeah… I’ve tried cannon hopping, it’s not really my preferred play style I’ve found. Defense hopping isn’t my favorite play style, and my probes get stuck on marines, marauders, dragoons, anything that would take up space on the front line. Also the hybrids are jerks and decide to pwn your innocent probes for no reason (b*$#ards). I’d much rather prefer going units in 90% of cases unless the defense is the obvious better choice.
Most? With carriers sure, but finding a karax that actually does Immortals+Zealots+Energizers is like finding a unicorn. Most karax players just wanna go brain dead and either play Photocannon City or 10 APM mass Carriers.
So what I’m guessing is that zealot, immortal (with shadow cannon I presume), and energizers are the way to go with units and that will work in most cases? Any different amon unit comps that require switching it up?
Energizer/Immortal actually work pretty well for heavy air based Terran or Protoss comps due to Reclamation. You steal the good stuff, and Shadow Cannon the rest.
Zerg air tends to be a concern since it’s a larger amount of weaker stuff, bad for Shadow Cannon, and naturally none of it is mechanical so it can’t be stolen with Reclamation.
Against sky you hard rush Spear Upgrades. Enemy air units stack literally on top of each other, so you can just hammer them with the spear. Then you use either cannons, mirages, or carriers to mop up stragglers. Immortals obviously aren’t the best option for killing damaged stragglers since 200 damage is usually way overkill, but they work too.
If you are doing army Karax, just remember: your best unit against anything but bioterran and Zerg is the energizer. Just mind control all the good units in the enemy wave and orbital strike the rest.
I don’t play him often, but I think you’ll be fine if you invest in the Spear of Adun and rush for Immortals with a few static defenses.
He’s got the energy to defang waves enough for less costly defenses to hold and to support allies in a push with purely the top bar, and his army is fun to play around with even if it’s late to the party.
The Zealots are also good, as well as Energizers if you aren’t as lazy as I tend to be.
The biggest thing is to have a plan. What are you going to do? Once you see the map, decide whether you want to go a mobile comp or tower defense?
Tower defense is easy enough, go up to twilight council, and get all the relevant tower upgrades, and at least 1 level of solar efficiency, and the repair beam upgrade. Any spare resources at that point are up to you.
If the choice is mobile, decide what units you want. The way I see karax is you have 2 options for mobile comps: carrier, or anything else. Choose carriers if you have time to get up to them. L&L is a good map IMO for carriers. Cradle less so (IMO).
If you go for the “anything else” option then you need to fill your 3 vespene unit slots. What are those? Karax has his units under and inflated gas cost… so decide what units are going to get that gas. You have 4 units to fill those slots: Mirage, immortal, colossus, and energizer. Pick 2. One of your slots is ALWAYS filled by the energizer. If you are playing vs mech terran, remove one slot and start mind controlling enemy units with more energizers. If it is smarmy zerg: immortal colossus. Air zerg: immortal mirage. So on, so on.
(Not gonna lie, I kind of use the mirage only b/c I love the voice lines, and how the unit feels, but it does work well against aerial zerg comps.)
Also wanna add, a mixed tower/unit strategy does work on some maps (like Mist Opportunities, Void Launch, and Malwarfare, for example.)
Just use Cannons and Shield Batteries around the defence target as mineral dumps, and make an army with the gas. You’ve got a smaller army, but you can let the smaller waves die to the static and soften the rest up with the SoA.
Can’t really recommend any specific videos. All I can offer is generic advice on Karax…
–Don’t try to do everything at once
You can get Immortals VERY quickly. Get SoA upgrades quickly. Line of cannons, starting units, etc. Level upgrades, ability upgrades… ditto. YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL AT ONCE! Even then, something’s gotta give. For example, consider upgrading only lv1 stuff, or only weapons first for example.
If you’re going Carriers sooner than later, don’t bother much with anything else (for example, stop at lv1 Solar Forge)
–if using units, this is “my chart”:
Sentinel to tank, and get something out ASAP
Energizer for all purpose boost, but Reclamation later on
Immortal for high DPS sustained damage (like vs. Void Shards or Trains). Getting Shadow Cannon upgrade is merely a bonus (though a nice one at that
Observer for vision for SoA shots
Colossi for sustained AG (anti-ground) AoE
Carriers for strong air, and if the mission will last more than 20 minutes
I have yet to use Mirages for a long while, but people swear by them.
The energizer gameplay sounds extremely fun and interesting, and I don’t mind a little extra micro, because it makes controlling Karax much more interesting.
Thanks for the tips. I’m going to look forward to experimenting with the different unit play styles and improving.
Mass Mirages can be hilarious against ground comps when you have enough of them. Energizers can just steal Protoss/Terran stuff. Immortals are cool, Shadow Cannon requires a bit of paying attention so you don’t overkill things.
Out of all maps, LnL is the last map one should be playing carrier Karax/Fenix on. You needlessly waste time and make the mission harder doing that; just go for standard sentinel/energizer and rake the enemy with the Spear of Adun.
Thirded
If you struggle in non-mutation it’s probably because your build isn’t particularly efficient. Reading the teamliquid guide and using their builds will help with that.
At the very least, it leaves you with a good starting point.
Only problem is that the TL guides are often outdated, as commanders change and the game gets updated.
See: Alarak Guide. It still makes mention of the global 1QE2C, which is no more.
