Protoss #4

Before the Replay:

My Protoss play is getting plenty of much needed practice.

This was a PvP, he scouted me pretty heavily early.  I don't know if he macro'd because he saw I was macroing or if he didn't have an agressive 4-Warpgate descendant build like what I usually see in PvP that kills me early.

I struggled a bit at the beginning to get everything off the ground, or at least it felt like it.  I didn't have many units, I didn't have many upgrades, but I just kept at it and he gave me time while trying to get his Colossus death ball up.

At that point it was all about having plenty of capacity for reinforcements, upgrading and tech switching.  Got my Archons up then got my Carriers up.  He didn't seem to expand as much as I did, once I destroyed his 3rd pretty thoroughly he GG'd out.

Expanding for gas has been critical to my ability to pull off a win with this build.  I'm going to need to keep that in mind if I run into situations where that expanding isn't an option.

After the Replay:

He didn't build his Gateway until he saw I was going for mine.  Then he threw it down and almost instantly also a forge.  He wanted to get that expand up asap.

Except...not.  After the Gateway / Forge he threw down another Gateway and a Cybernetics core to start researching Warpgate.  Also a cannon at the front, but he's not really blocking off the ramp.

Once he could afford it he got +1, but it wasn't right away...I think the Forge was a waste of money?  At least for a while.  He got an early +1 which I suppose may have been good if I were rushing him...? But if that's what he was afraid of wouldn't have have been better off to build a better wall?

Anyway, by the time he's got Warpgate done, 3 Gateways, his Twilight Council started and his expand Nexus begun warping in I've already finished my expand Nexus, I have 4 Warpgates, admittedly no upgrades but a 16 food lead in army (pretty even in Probes).

Within a few minutes that's a 26 food lead and now I'm starting to pull away from him in Probes.

At 14:20 he spots my 3rd with his Observer and drives his army in.  My food lead's up to 40 now, 13 of those in Probes and we pretty much draw even in the fight, coming out with an unchanged food differential.

As he gets his 3rd up and starts building his Colossus army I pretty much pull away.  The Colossus helps his food catch up, but I'm on 4 bases, throwing down a ton of Gateways and leveraging my stronger income.  I probably could have harassed some here...but I don't think I needed to.  I think until I'm maxed it may suite me better to just upgrade, expand, get my ability to reinforce up to par and prepare to tech switch.  When he attacked at 21 minutes the game was basically over, I instantly shot up to a 60 food lead and started countering to win.

+ 28 Points, Silver League Division Rank 10, Remaining Bonus Pool 66

http://www.gamereplays.org/starcraft2/replays.php?game=33&show=details&id=272856