7 Gate Immortal All-In (vs. Zerg)

[e][h]7 Gate 2 Base Immortal All-In

Strategy Information

Matchups:

PvZ

Type:

All-In

Popularized by:

[[Choya, Grubby, Avenge, PartinG]]

Overview

This two base all-in aims to kill the Zerg opponent's third base before they are able to tech towards Mutalisks or Infestors. It relies on two or three Immortals and a high number of Sentries that will be used to cut the opponent's army into pieces with Force Fields. Also of importance is a Warp Prism that will be used both for reinforcing your army and moving back injured units, as demonstrated by Squirtle in this game against BBoongBBoong.

Basic Build Order

Basic Build
9 Pylon 17 Nexus 17 Forge 17 Pylon 18 Gateway 18 Photon Cannon 20 Assimilator x2 (1)(2) @100% Gateway: Cybernetics Core, Zealot. @100% Gas: +1 Ground Weapons @100% Cybernetics Core: Warpgate Research, Stalker 38 Robotics Facility @100% Robotics Facility: 3x Immortal Assimilator x2 (3)(4) @~7:30: 3 Gateways (2)(3)(4) @100% Warpgate Research: Gateway x3 (5)(6)(7)

Notes

• Stop Probe production at ~45. You want optimal saturation (16 Probes) at both mineral lines and three Probes in all four Assimilators.
• As your last Immortals finishes, queue up a Warp Prism and push out immediately. Your last three Gateways should finish shortly afterwards. If you have a proxy Pylon you should start warping-in there, if you do not then warp-in one round of units at home before waiting for the Warp Prism to arrive for further warp-ins. If you do not have a proxy Pylon then you should bring a Probe to build one so that your Warp Prism can focus on protecting your Immortals.
• When you push out, your army should consist of three Immortals, one Zealot, one Stalker and seven Sentries.
• After the Warp Prism, you should build an Observer to be on the safe side against Burrow micro.

Scouting

Ideally, you want to make sure your opponent is not going for a two base all-in because your Gateways will not finish in time to defend against this. To scout for this, use your first Zealot to check whether or not they have a third base in production. If they are going for a two base opening then build two or three more Photon Cannons whilst continuing producing Sentries. After you're safe, continue with the build as best you can; if they opened with a two base build and you managed to defend their pressure, your Immortal timing-attack will be devastating as they will not have the economy nor the tech to defend against it.

Execution

• Push when you have your third Immortal and close your wall behind you.
• While you're pushing, you should have a Probe on the map building proxy Pylons as close as possible to your opponent's third base. It's preferable to use Pylons to warp-in reinforcements as the Warp Prism is required for micro purposes.
• Always try to fight in small chokes near some kind of natural wall to avoid being surrounded and to minimize the amount of Force Fields that you need to create a full wall.
• If your opponent builds a high number of Zerglings then you should respond by warping-in Zealots. If they build a high number of Roaches, you will need more Stalkers. If you run out of Force Fields, you will need more Sentries.
• Place your Force Fields to avoid fighting against your opponent's whole army and to prevent being attacked from multiple sides.
• If your Immortals are targeted and low on hit-points, or if your Sentries are surrounded and low on hit-points, use your Warp Prism to save them. When loading up Immortals, quickly unload the Warp Prism in a safer area so that you don't lose out on their DPS for too long.
• Be careful not to let your Warp Prism get sniped by Zerg anti-air (usually Queens, rarely Hydralisks or Mutalisks).
• If you can get close enough to the Zerg player's third base (or any other non-defensive structure) then you should treat it as a large, natural Force Field.
• If the Zerg chooses to avoid your army and instead goes for the base trade, it can be incredibly difficult to defend your natural expansion. It is instead easier to move all your Probes into your main base. Four Sentries will allow you to produce constant Force Fields that will prevent the Zerg player from getting up the ramp whilst you destroy their third base and natural expansion with your main army. Once you have done so, come back home and re-take your natural expansion. You should have dealt enough damage to be ahead. Once the game stabilises, use your Observer to scout what the Zerg is going to try to do to get back into the game; research Blink and get High Templar if they are going for Mutalisks and get Colossi if they are going for Infestors.

Follow Up

If your opponent successfully stops your push then you will be in a very difficult spot. To be able to defend any counter-attack, you will have to start producing Immortals again and re-build your Sentries. With your Observer you will have to scout if they are transitioning into Mutalisks or Infestors. If they go for Mutalisks, build a Twilight Council and start researching Blink. If they go for Infestors, you will need to build Colossi. You should also be looking to take a 3rd base, although this can be hard against a Zerg opponent who didn't lose their own 3rd base during your push; for this reason, it might be better to max out on two bases and go for a Colossus-based all-in.

Maps

Pro Features

Since Robotic units (Immortals) cannot be warped-in, small maps with shorter rush distances are favorable for this build. Chokes also are advantageous as they lessen the number of Force Fields necessary to cut the opponent's army in half. The fewer open areas the better, since it makes your army harder to surround. Examples include Ohana, Antiga Shipyard and Cloud Kingdom.

Con Features

If the distance between you and your opponent is too long, your opponent will have a lot of time to prepare their defence, making the push harder to execute. Large chokes also make it also difficult to trap units or to protect your units, and wide-open areas make flanks favourable for the Zerg opponent. A good example of a bad map for this strategy would be Atlantis Spaceship

Replays and VODs

	Squirtle	Squirtle plays a standard three Immortal 1/1 push, leading to a clean victory.
	VortiX
	Date: 2012-07-17
	Patch:	VOD

	Squirtle	Squirtle plays a standard three Immortal 1/1 push and demonstrates the importance of Warp Prism micro.
	BBoongBBoong
	Date: 2012-08-08
	Patch:	VOD