Protoss Counters Guide

The Protoss lives and dies by its counters. More than any other race, the Protoss depend upon counter enemy units. In this Starcraft 2 Protoss Counters list, I will be discussing the best units to build in order to defeat your enemies based off what units they have built.

In particular, Protoss specializes in anti-ground. They have two great units, the Immortal and Colossus, which collectively shred ground units. Immortals counter literally every armored ground unit in the game while Colossi counter every light ground unit in the game.

While this might make Protoss seem like a great race, the problem is that neither of these units can attack air units. Protoss are particularly weak versus some air units because they have no true unit which is both anti-air and anti-armored. The Stalker fulfills this to an extent, but does not do this duty as well as the Zerg’s Corruptor or Terran’s Viking.

As a result, many of the units on this Starcraft 2 Protoss counters list tend to be air units. Below, you will find two charts. The first chart describes Starcraft 2 Protoss counters (Protoss Unit Weaknesses). In this chart, all of the units on the left side of the column are weak against the units in the right side of the column.

Note: If the word “soft” appears next to a unit, it means that this is a soft counter. This means that the counter is not a landslide victory but that one unit is slightly favored over the other.

Protoss Unit	Protoss Counter	Terran Counter	Zerg Counter
Zealot	Colossus Sentry Void Ray	Marauder Hellion Siege Tank	Roach Mutalisk Brood Lord
Sentry	Colossus	Hellion Banshee Siege Tank	Brood Lord Ultralisk
Stalker	Immortal Zealot	Marauder Siege Tank	Roach Hydralisk
Immortal	Zealot Sentry	Marine Ghost	Hydralisk Zergling
Colossus	Immortal Void Ray	Siege Tank Viking	Corruptor
Void Ray	Stalker (soft)	Viking Thor (in mass)	Hydralisk
Phoenix	Stalker	Marine Thor	Hydralisk
Carrier	Stalker	Viking	Corruptor
Mothership	Stalker	Viking	Corruptor
Warpship	Any anti-air unit	Any anti-air unit	Any anti-air unit
High Templar	Zealot Colossus	Siege Tank	Zergling Ultralisk
Dark Templar	Void Ray Immortal	Banshee	Mutalisk Brood Lord

In the table below, I have put together a list of what Protoss units counter units of other races. In other words, the units in the left column are strong against the other units in the same row. This table details Protoss Unit Strengths.

Protoss Unit	Counters Protoss	Counters Terran	Counters Zerg
Zealot	Stalker Immortal	Marine Thor	Zergling Hydralisk
Sentry	Zealot Carrier	Marine	Zergling Hydralisk
Stalker	Void Ray (soft) Carrier	Hellion Reaper	Mutalisk (soft) Brood Lord (soft)
Immortal	Stalker Colossus	Marauder Thor	Roach Ultralisk
Colossus	Zealot Sentry	Marine Hellion	Zergling Hydralisk
Void Ray	Immortal Colossus	Marauder Siege Tank	Roach Ultralisk
Phoenix	None!	Banshee	Mutalisk
Carrier	Immortal Colossus	Siege Tank Marauder	Ultralisk Roach
Mothership	Immortal Colossus	Marauder Siege Tank	Roach Zergling
Warpship	none	none	none
High Templar	Sentry	Ghost Marine	Hydralisk Infestor
Dark Templar*	Zealot Stalker	Marine	Zergling Hydralisk

*Dark Templar not nearly as effective if detection is present.

By memorizing these two charts and changing the units you are building accordingly, you will have a lot more success on battle.net when playing as and against Protoss.

If you have trouble remembering all of these races, a great way to speed up the learning process is to print out these two charts and keep them near the computer when you play. When you get a peak at your enemy’s army when scouting, reference this chart and build units accordingly.

Just by learning all the Starcraft 2 Protoss counters, you will significantly improve your gameplay.

Zerg Counters Guide

Unfortunately for the Zerg, both Terran and Protoss players have an easy time countering their units. In the first table in this Starcraft 2 Zerg Counters article, I will discuss what units Terran, Zerg, and Protoss players can build to counter Zerg units.

In the first chart, I have listed all the Zerg units on the left hand side and then the Starcraft 2 Zerg counters in the rest of the chart.

Players looking to defeat the Zerg units on the left hand side should build the other units listed in the same row.

The chart below is organized such that the left side lists Zerg units and the right 3 columns identify which units easily counter the left side.

For example, in the “Roach” row, the units listed in the same row are all very effective versus Roaches. So, in the “Terran Counter” column next to “Roach”, you will see that the Marauder and Siege Tank are both listed. The Siege Tank and Marauder are very strong versus the Roach, hence they counter it.

To see which Zerg units beat other races’ units, please see the second chart.

Zerg Unit	Protoss Counter	Terran Counter	Zerg Counter
Zergling	Zealot Colossus	Hellion	Roach Ultralisk
Roach	Immortal Void Ray	Siege Tank Marauder	Mutalisk Brood Lord
Hydralisk	Sentry Colossus	Hellion Siege Tank	Brood Lord Roach
Mutalisk	Sentry Phoenix	Thor	Hydralisk
Corruptor	Stalker Sentry	Thor Marine	Hydralisk
Infestor	Immortal Colossus	Siege Tank Ghost	Brood Lord
Ultralisk	Immortal Void Ray	Banshee A lot of Thors	Hydralisk Brood Lord
Baneling	Colossus	Siege Tank	Mutalisk
Brood Lord	Stalker Void Ray	Viking	Corruptor

In the second Starcraft 2 Zerg counters chart (below) highlights which units Zerg players should build in order to counter the enemy. So, if the left heading says “Zergling”, you will want to build Zerglings to defeat all other units which are listed in the same row.

Zerg Unit	Counters Protoss	Counters Terran	Counters Zerg
Zergling	Stalker Immortal	Marauder Thor	Hydralisk
Roach	Zealot Sentry	Marine Hellion	Zergling Hydralisk
Hydralisk	Sentry Immortal	Marauder Viking	Mutalisk Corruptor
Baneling	Zealot	Marine	Zergling
Mutalisk	Zealot Immortal Colossus	Marauder Hellion Siege Tank Viking	Roach Ultralisk Zergling
Corruptor	Colossus Carrier	Battlecruiser	Brood Lord
Brood Lord	Immortal Zealot Sentry	Marine Marauder Siege Tank	Hydralisk Roach Zergling
Ultralisk	Stalker	Marine Hellion	Zergling
Infestor	Zealot Sentry	Marine Marauder	Hydralisk

These two Starcraft 2 Zerg counters tables should help you out significantly in your online play. The strategy is simple, if you play as Zerg, use the first chart so you can figure out what to avoid building.

If you are playing as Zerg, you can get the idea of what Zerg units are strong against other enemy unit types. After scouting, you can change to whatever build you want based off your enemy’s actions.

At first, this might take a long time to learn. After all, there are quite a few unit counters in game. Just keep playing and practicing the creation of units which counter the enemy. If you are a Zerg player or struggle beating Zerg players, I would recommend printing these charts out.

Then, as you are playing, you could reference the tables to see what you are supposed to build (or avoid building) based on what units the enemy has.

These charts are more important than any other race than Zerg. Since Zerg can rapidly go between producing dozens of air units to dozens of ground units, being familiar with all the Starcraft 2 Zerg counters can help you easily switch between unit types based on what your enemy has and what he is planning to get.

Starcraft 2 Terran Counters Guide

Finding good Starcraft 2 Terran counters is hard. In my opinion, the Terran race is by far the hardest race to counter in Starcraft 2. They have a lot of balanced units and can be pretty tough to beat

Below, you will find a Starcraft 2 Terran counters list. What I have done is list each Terran unit, and then next to it have listed what unit you should build in order to defeat the Terran unit in question.

The table below does not list what Terran units are strong against. Please see the second table for that information. The list below will tell you what to build when fighting against Terran players.

For example, in the "Marine" column, units under each race heading tell you what to build in order to defeat Marines. In the "Protoss Counter" column next to "Marine", you will find the Sentry and Colossus. Both these units do very well versus Marines.

With that said, on with the Starcraft 2 Terran Counters list (Terran Unit Weaknesses):

Terran Unit	Protoss Counter	Terran Counter	Zerg Counter
Marine	Sentry Colossus	Siege Tank Hellion	Roach Ultralisk Brood Lord
Marauder	Immortal Void Ray Zealot	Siege Tank Banshee	Hydralisk Mutalisk Brood Lord
Reaper	Stalker Photon Cannon	Marauder Hellion	Roach Spine Crawler
Ghost	Stalker	Siege Tank	Roach Ultralisk
Hellion	Stalker	Marauder Thor	Roach Mutalisk
Siege Tank	Immortal Void Ray Phoenix	Banshee	Brood Lord Mutalisk
Thor	Immortal	Siege Tank Marauder Battlecruiser	Zergling Hydralisk Brood Lord
Banshee	Phoenix Void Ray	Viking Thor	Mutalisk Corruptor
Viking	Stalker	Thor	Hydralisk
Raven	Stalker	Viking Thor	Corruptor
Medivac	Any anti-air unit	Any anti-air unit	Any anti-air unit
Battlecruiser	Void Ray Sentry	Viking	Corruptor

In this second table, you will find what each Terran unit is strong against. This is for Terran players to use. You should see what unit your enemy is building (look in the columns sorted by race) and then build whatever Terran unit is strong against that.

For example, on the "Marauder" line, it is listed as countering the Roach. If your enemy is Zerg and builds Roaches, you should build Marauders. This chart details Terran Unit Strengths.

Terran Unit	Counters Protoss	Counters Terran	Counters Zerg
Marine	Void Ray Immortal	Marauder Thor	Corruptor
Marauder	Zealot Immortal	Hellion Thor	Roach
Reaper	Zealot Sentry	Marine	Zergling
Ghost	Immortal All units!	Marine	Hydralisk Zergling
Hellion	Zealot Sentry	Marine	Zergling Hydralisk
Siege Tank	Stalker Sentry Colossus	Marine Hellion Thor	Hydralisk Roach Baneling
Thor	Phoenix Colossus	Viking Banshee	Mutalisk Corruptor
Banshee	Immortal Colossus Zealot	Siege Tank Marauder	Roach Zergling
Viking	Void Ray Carrier	Banshee Raven	Brood Lord
Raven	Massed Units	Massed Units	Massed Units
Medivac	n/a	n/a	n/a
Battlecruiser	Zealot Immortal Colossus	Marine Marauder Siege Tank	Hydralisk Zergling Roach

With these two tables detailing Starcraft 2 Terran counters, you should be in a good place both to win while playing Terran and when playing against Terran players in Starcraft 2.

If you are really struggling versus Terran players. I would recommend printing out these charts and placing them somewhere near your computer. You could then reference them whenever you get beat by a particular unit so you will know what to build for next time.

Learning all of the Starcraft 2 Terran counters can take some time, so be patient. With practice, this will all come naturally and you will know exactly what you need to build in order to win games.

Starcraft 2 Campaign Mode Strategy

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Campaign mode strategies:

Tip #1: Use automated defense and keep them repaired with SCVs.

In online play, getting too many automated structures is a murder because you cannot take them on offense with you. Additionally, enemy players will simply avoid your cannons and kill the units and structures they have access too.

However, in campaign mode, the computer is fond of mini-attacks from various entrances to your base. Additionally, the computer always goes for whatever attacks it first.

As a result, by placing a bunker or two at each entrance to your base will go a long way when your units are away from home. You should also leave an SCV parked idly by your bunkers. The SCV will automatically repair bunkers and damaged units, so you can literally set up a few Bunkers and forget about it.

You can usually put two Bunkers up with Marines and leave an SCV there and forget about defending your base for the rest of the game.

Due to the high value of Bunkers, I prefer to get the turreted Bunker's upgrade over the +HP upgrade. Since you should be using SCVs to keep buildings repaired anyway, the extra health does not do much. The extra damage goes a long way, especially at maps where your supplies and money are limited.

Tip #2: Make extensive use of Hero units

Whenever you have access to Hero units, such as when you are controlling Jim Raynor, Zeratul, or the Odin, you will want to have the hero unit take the bulk of the damage.

You can engage in small fights and then let the hero unit heal, either by Medic (Jim Raynor), SCV (Odin), or shield recharge (Zeratul).

Progress slowly when possible and allow yourself to heal up. Do not allow weaker units like Marines to take the focus fire damage during limited-unit missions as they will often die very quickly.

Tip #3: Hire every Mercenary you can.

Mercanaries are really powerful units that can be used in nearly every mission. Mercanaries do not expire and once you hire them, you can use them in every subsequent mission for no extra credit cost.

Nearly every Mercenary is good, but I have a particular liking of the Siege Tanks and the Battlecruiser. The Battlecruiser is great because it can single-handedly pick off defensive enemy structures while you are building up your army. You can then return it to base and repair it, and repeat this process until you have whittled the enemy down to nearly no HP.

Tip #4: Grab all the resource packs and build a quick army.

Most of the "Brutal" missions are tough because the computer comes fast and early. Oftentimes, the difference between losing and winning these missions
is throwing up a fast bunker and training some units quickly.

At the start of every game, I always throw down a Bunker (when applicable) and scout with a fast unit for resource packs littered near the base. There are typically dozens of these packs in every level, each one supplying you with 100 minerals or 100 vespene gas.

Conclusion

By making extensive use of hero units, building automated defense, and massing up a large army as fast as possible, Brutal missions are a breeze!

Starcraft 2 Dark Templar Rush Strategy

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Dark Templar vs Protoss (no detectors):

If you are playing against Protoss players and are quick about it, you will often find that the Protoss player has no detection, particularly in the lower leagues. The faster your Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush, the better off you will be when it comes to beating other players!

This also holds true if you wall your base properly with a Pylon and Gateway near the entrance and stick a Zealot in the exit. If they can't get in your base to scout, they don't know you are rushing to Dark Templar!

If you stumble upon a Protoss with no detection, this should be the end of the game. Keep an eye out for any probes that might be trying to build cannons, or any robotics facilities that might be available.

If you see a Robotics Facility producing Observers, kill the pylons quickly (Dark Templar kill pylons very quickly, the Robotics Facility will take awhile).

Use one Templar to start taking out key buildings. Start with the Nexus(es) and Probes then move onto other buildings. Use the other Dark Templar(s) to keep an eye on the enemy's base and kill detectors as they pop up (cannons, more pylons, another robotics facility).

Meanwhile, warp in more Dark Templars to go in and finish the job. It bears repeating that if your Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush is fast, you will find this strategy extremely effective.

If you have little units at your base, often the other Protoss player will send in all his units to attack your base. Protect yourself from losing the "base race" by building a Dark Templar at your base.

Build tons of cannons and Stalkers if he has air. If you kill off all his probes, even if the opponent races down your main buildings and units with air, he will have to kill the cannons to win (not going to happen). Your DTs will finish off job shortly and the game will end.

DT vs Protoss (with detection):

If you determine that your opponent has Observers, a Warp Prism to warp in Dark Templar is preferred. Place a Warp Prism in the corner of the person's base. Build 4-6 Dark Templar and then rush down the Nexus. You can usually kill it before he will be able to respond.

You can also split the defense by sending in 3 DTs at the main base and then warp 3 into an expansion. Most players only have 1 Observer on defense (especially if you are fast), so you will be able to inflict major damage before being caught.

With that said, I prefer not to use the Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush when I know the enemy has Observers. I may use Dark Templar to harass, but I won't rush for a technique that won't be fatal. I will simply use them to harass expansions as the game goes on.

In the next section of this article, I will cover how to effectively use Dark Templar versus Terran and Protoss players.

Dark Templar vs Terran:

Most players mistakenly think that a Starcraft 2 DT rush is completely worthless against Terran players because Terran players can kill them with a Scanner Sweep.

While all Terran players are likely to have a Scanner Sweep, note that this doesn't necessarily mean Dark Templar are worthless. The truth is far from it.

Scanner Sweep costs energy and is limited in amount. Also, note that players have to choice between the MULE and the Scanner Sweep. Considering the MULE is worth 270 minerals to the Terran player (each one is!) simply having them scan can wreck a Terran player's economy.

If you have 4 Dark Templar, you can send them in one at a time, costing the Terran player a scan each time. Good players actually keep less energy on tap as they use it for MULEs, so you can quickly exhaust their reserves.

Even bad players are unlikely to have energy for more than 3 scans, so the 4th Dark Templar will start causing some serious damage. At this point, keep warping in Dark Templar and wrecking the opponent.

Make sure to keep the DTs somewhat separated so they do not get taken out by a single scan. Also, be sure to look out for the construction of Missle Turrets as these are a detector.

Finally, you can kill Tech Labs on Starports to stop the construction of Ravens (the Terran detector). Ravens cost so much gas that many Terran players are unable to get them.

The best thing to remember about using a Starcraft 2 DT rush on Terran players is that even if you are unsuccessful, each scanner sweep costs them 270 minerals. Keep sending in DTs one at a time and try to snipe their units and SCVs.

Look for high cost units like Tanks and Ghosts to snipe. Killing a Seige Tank only takes a few swings and many players will not see this coming and scan fast enough, allowing you to kill one (or more) tanks.

Seige tanks are great to kill as most players keep these in "Seige Mode" which means they won't automatically run when you attack them. They will be stuck in place long enough for you to kill one, and often the splash damage from the tanks will hurt their other units in the process.

Just do the math: 1 Dark Templar costs 125 minerals and 125 vespene gas. One Seige Tank costs 150 minerals and 125 vespene gas, and the scanner sweep costs 270 minerals! Losing 125 minerals and vespene is a lot less painful than the 420 minerals and 125 vespene the Terran loses in this situation. By using multiple Dark Templar, this adds up very quickly!

Ghosts can expose DTs temporarily with the EMP ability, so keep an eye out for them and never clump your Dark Templar. Focus these down, as an EMPed Dark Templar that is killed is a waste of money. Use your Dark Templar to focus Ghosts down.

When performing a Starcraft 2 DT rush, note that Dark Templar can also be used to defend your own base from Terran counter attacks. If they spent all their scans on your Dark Templar, they won't be able to see the Dark Templar in your base. You can use Stalkers or Phoenix to focus down any Ravens in the area.

Dark Templar vs Zerg

Versus Zerg players killing the main hatchery is top priority as if players see that you are coming, they can quickly make an Overseer. Four Dark Templar can kill a Lair before the Overseer comes out if you sneak in quietly.

DTs alone will never defeat a Zerg due to the ease of getting an Overseer. However, you can take out quite a few drones and maybe even a Hatchery if you completely take them by surprise.

Use Dark Templar once to hurt the Zerg player's economy, and then go back to producing units to finish them off. As a general rule, I don't like using the Starcraft 2 DT rush versus Zerg players.

One great way to use Dark Templars though is to put a hurt on their supply count by picking off Overlords with the Phoenix. Focus on Overseers and then Overlords.

While the enemy is distracted dealing with the Phoenix, send in the Dark Templar. Use the Dark Templar to first kill any Anti-Air ground unit (Hydralisks, Queens) and then use the Phoenix to focus down any Overseers that might be forming.

Conclusion

The Starcraft 2 DT rush is most effective when used against Protoss players, mostly because only good Protoss players bother to get an early observer.

This strategy is often enough to completely finish off Protoss players, especially mediocre players that have a tendency to rush for Void Rays.

The Starcraft 2 DT rush is also a great way to hurt the economy of Terran players. Wear down their scanning energy a bit at a time until they run out.

Terran Reaper Rush Strategy Guide

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Playing as Terran, reaper rush is an effective strategy. This is being used like crazy on battlenet right and for good reason because most players have no idea how to defend against it.

Now below is a pro game between Jimpo and Dimaga playing as Terran and Zerg, and is commentated by Psy who is also a great player.

Terran goes for a quick Reaper rush while expanding while the zerg is able to fast expand pretty well by using Queens and Zerglings for defense. The Terran then goes for Medivacs, Marines, Marauders and Thors. The Zerg produces Mustalisks and Roaches and adds Hydralisks at the last minute. There is a very good battle at the end of this game that you will like :

How to Get the Secret Mission Piercing the Shroud

To unlock the secret mission in StarCraft 2, you need to do this trick before you go to Char missions. If you already are at those missions or you finished the campaign, you have to load the game to the last mission before Char, do this trick in the Media Blitz mission, complete it and then play the secret mission. After that you complete all the Char missions and you will have 26/26. Also there are three choice missions left, so there is a total of 29 missions.

The secret mission from StarCraft II Wings of Liberty is called Piercing the Shroud and you play it with Raynor and some units. I won't spoil any details, but I can say that it is a very cool mission.