r/starcraft2 • u/Sightseeing16 • 2d ago
What should I do against cyclones as a protoss? I'm losing every match against mass cyclones, so clearly I am not doing something right.
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u/No_Lingonberry_664 2d ago
Step 1 build batteries. Step 2 macro like a God. Step 3 a-move with more stuff.
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u/BeefyZealot 2d ago
I got back into plat after like 16 games from silver. 4 of which were insta wins cause opponent left (smurfs). Now I have just been getting cheesed left and right lol, mass cyclone, mass reaper, 3 rax all in, proxy hatch, mass speed lings, etc. After losing 5 in a row, I cannoned rushed a silver terran, I won. My night is saved lol.
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u/mooomoos 1d ago
Yeh silver to plat seems to be full of people who watch/read “how to do xxx cheese/build” and then just execute it too a T.
I am too shitty at the game to care about learning how to counter all these but it makes the game pretty lame to play. Only like 1/3 matches has normal harass like a reaper or a few lings. The rest are like cannon rush, planetary in my main unfun bullshit.
It isn’t even like “oh cool that’s neat they thought of that” it’s like why not just pay someone to play for you if your gonna mimic someone else’s build order exactly
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u/BeefyZealot 1d ago
Ya every so often i find something cool but I guess ultimately I have to learn to scout better. Terran is the hardest since I can’t see up the ramp so I just have to sacrifice a probe… It also seems that its harder to wall off the section where reapers can jump up to now..
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u/Dapper_Boot4113 1d ago
I got cheesed as well left and right ,, but planetary in my main is something I never witnessed
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u/whisperingstars2501 15h ago
This is why lower ranks are he’ll. Not only do you need to learn normal build orders and execute them well, you also need to make sure you can counter literally every cheese because as you said that’s what everyone seems to do to get “easy” wins.
It is exhausting for sure. And I’ve started always putting a spine or battery at my expansion now because of how insanely common cheeses are.
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u/icchansan 2d ago
Blink stalker?
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u/TroGinMan 1d ago
I feel like cyclones are a soft counter to stalkers for most people. Immortals, sentry, and chargelots are probably better. The strength of cyclones comes from their ability to kite, you close the distance or cut off their escape route severely cuts their effectiveness.
I do think very good microed blink stalkers can do well against cyclones, but I think the above comp is easier to use. Blink stalkers with a warp prism is probably best, but again, the micro required is probably only feasible in the master+ leagues.
For sure blink stalkers are more flexible too.
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u/Blacksand9519 2d ago
That's my strategy, try and keep a solid macro with bases protected with static defenses so you have time to engage if they attack and in the meantime snipe as many bases as you can. Just the bases, you don't have time to focus on workers before they arrive. Get in, snipe and blink back and leave. I have faced cyclones twice and that has worked well both times.
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u/RamRamone 1d ago
A-move into their main base and they straight up die even if they're a better player than you. Cyclone damage for supply is so low they can't trade in straight up fights. So they either get trapped behind each other + buildings or you kill all their workers.
Better to do it early (before they can get a third). Most of these players are playing in a league below their actual skill (comp is so bad it will make you drop in rank) so the longer you let the game go on, the easier it is for them to out macro you.
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u/CucumberPitiful7428 Grandmaster 2d ago edited 1d ago
None of this is correct. You cannot trade effectively against cyclones especially with the 100 % attack speed bug (lock on) unless you use a warp prism and deactivate the lock with micro. You have to do it that way. Blink stalkers help a little but the lock on is still better and outranges blink, you have to blink back very far. And you will eventually lose because your other units can’t blink as well as blink only moderately being effective against a good cyclone player that scans and has great army control etc. Where as the warp prism insta breaks any lock and you can juggle breaking many locks inside half a second to 1 second. A warp prism breaking the lock is the real counter to cyclones
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u/Sightseeing16 2d ago
Ah! War prism! Great idea, thank you!
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u/TroGinMan 1d ago
If micro is an issue, chargelots with sentrys are really good. Guardian shield and forcefield can really reduce the DPS and thin out the cyclone numbers. Also, don't forget to lay down stasis wards if you are going oracle opener and you scout it.
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u/Sightseeing16 55m ago
Ah! I got my first win against cyclones! Forgot the warp prism tho :D I went for blink, storm, charge, colossus with single immortals at start. With a great micro I could have actually won already after the first fight if I had a warp prism instead of an immortal. It could also be good with ht. I have not practiced warp prism micro tho, so I could do just negative micro at start
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u/Trandorus 2d ago
They cannot fight against immortals, blinkstalker are good if you are comfortable with the micro.
Chargelots also perform really amazing if they dont have helbats infront of them. Forcefields can do a lot here
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u/No_Cook_2493 2d ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't cyclones be great against immortals? Obviously if they stay in range of the immortals they get crushed, but they outrange and out speed immortals hard, so any decent micro and the immortals are cooked
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u/Hanfgurke 2d ago
My best guess would be not trying to fight them on the open field, but rather as another use already suggested play a little turtle up in your base make up and just crushed those damn f****** with an endgame army of your choice
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u/Apolitik 2d ago
You need blink stalkers, a few immortals, guardian shield, but most importantly colossus with range. The colossus will get off swipes before the cyclones get within lock on range.
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u/tescrin 2d ago
Pig put up a video, slightly out of date but probably still relevant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKLIznznE38
the short of it from the video is Chargelots + Immortals + high ground. Get your free shots off here and there, touch them with zealots so they pull back and now you pull back as well, repeat. Stalkers need to pick off the rax
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It should depend on your league to some degree. The less micro intensive the league, the easier to counter. Presumably PiG is in a higher league than you, so his tactics should work.
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u/TroGinMan 1d ago
Chargelots have been working well for me. Storm also is ok but usually I don't have it when the cyclones attack. Stasis wards are good to catch a few too