Want some strategy tips for Blizzard's epic RTS, Starcraft II? Today we're covering the Protoss!

It's been about a month and a half since I received my Starcraft II beta invitation and, while I don't have nearly enough time to devote to "mastering" this game, my education in the RTS genre has been significantly improved over this short period of time. Maybe it's been the steady diet of competitive Starcraft II matches that I've been watching while sitting in traffic, or perhaps it's simply my competitive nature getting a hold of me once more, but either way, it's quite satisfying to know that, with light playing over the past month and a half, I've made the glorious transition from Copper League dweller hoping not to get dropped to some unknown "Wood League," (reserved for only the most inept of RTS players) to the highest ranks of Diamond 1v1 and 2v2, where I can hold my own against some of the scariest SC2 players this beta has to offer.

With that being said, however, Blizzard has also announced that their first phase of beta testing will be concluding at the end of this month, only to resurface a few weeks after that-hopefully stronger and more balanced than ever. Thus, as this will most likely be our last week of truly experimental beta testing, many players are taking this opportunity to try out new strategies, new build orders and, most importantly, new races. Getting used to each race, however, can be quite confusing, especially if you've ingrained those race-specific hotkeys into your brain.

But be confused no longer, ZAM readers, as I have decided, for this last week of beta, to compile some of the most common strategies and give some of the strengths and weaknesses of each race. So whether you're still deciding what race to try first, or if you're struggling in Silver league, read on and see if you can learn some new things about the three races in Starcraft! Today I'll be covering Protoss, and tomorrow you can expect to hear about the Zerg and Terran. Do note, however, that this is all based on Patch 13 and the strategies are what I have faced most commonly amongst top level Diamond / Platinum level 1v1 players. Finally, remember that I play Protoss the most, followed by Zerg and then Terran, so the level of detail in their respective strategies may vary.

The Protoss

Two months ago, when I was first learning how to play Starcraft II (and RTSs in general), the Protoss were the race I chose as my "main" because… well… they looked cool. Energy shields, big robots, laser swords and warping!? Yes please! I also chose the Protoss because they had a reputation for being one of the highest "skill-per-unit" races in the game; that is to say, the Protoss can often be the most effective with the least number of units, but they require intense micromanagement to really produce stellar results. For example, in a match of 20 zerglings against, say, two sentries, two zealots and a stalker, the Protoss player could potentially stomp the zerglings with few casualties, but they would need to position themselves and micromanage their sentries well if they wanted to win.

If you have read any of the "Situation Reports" that Blizzard publishes with every new patch note, then you know that the Protoss have one of the highest winning percentages across all three races. They are also the most played of the three races, and beginners tend to gravitate to the powerful the Protoss when first learning the game. Because of this, however, Protoss players have been getting the most nerfs across the past few patches, so if you think the Protoss are weak now… well, you may not be very happy with this race in the future. But who knows?