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Oracle (Legacy of the Void)

From Liquipedia StarCraft 2 Wiki
This article covers the current multiplayer version of this unit. For another version see Oracle (Heart of the Swarm).
[e][h]Protoss Oracle
Unit Information
Type:
Air Unit
Description:
Flying caster. Can use Stasis Ward, Envision and Activate Pulsar Beam abilities.
Built From:
Cost:
 150  150  37  3
Attack 1: Pulsar Beam
Targets:
Ground
Damage:
15 (Pulsar Beam)
24.4
Bonus:
+7 vs Light
Bonus DPS:
+11.5 vs Light
Unit stats
Defense:
100 60 0 (+1)
Energy:
50 / 200
Sight:
10
Speed:
5.6
Strong against:
Weak against:

Description[edit]

The Oracle is a flying harassment and support caster for the Protoss that is produced from the Stargate. In LotV the ability Stasis Ward was added.

While fairly expensive and fragile, the Oracle is a very mobile unit and has several useful spells. Its attack, Pulsar Beam must be activated for an energy cost before it can be used and also drains energy while the ability is activated. It rapidly destroys workers and other light units, although anti-air units and structures will quickly kill it. The Oracle is also an effective scout and can be used as a temporary detector.

Spells[edit]

Caster: Oracle
25
Cooldown: 10 s
Duration: 20 s
Radius: 6
Causes enemy units and structures within the target area to grant vision for 20 seconds. Reveals cloaked or burrowed units and structures.
Caster: Oracle
50
Duration: 3.58 s
Radius: 4
Places a cloaked Stasis Ward at the target location that lasts 170 seconds. Once activated by an enemy ground unit, the ward traps nearby enemies in stasis for 21.5 seconds. Trapped units cannot be attacked or affected by abilities.
Caster: Oracle
25 (-1.96/s)
Charges the Oracle's Pulsar Beam, which does 15 (+7 vs Light) spell damage to ground units while active.

Abilities[edit]

Deactivate Pulsar Beam
Caster: Oracle
Deactivates the Oracle's Pulsar Beam and prevents it from attacking.

Competitive Use[edit]

General[edit]

Vs. Protoss[edit]

Proxy Stargate play has seen some competitive play, and if unscouted can cause serious damage to the opponent's economy.

Oracles are also common in the mid-late game of this matchup thanks to their envision ability, allowing a player to constantly keep track of their enemy. It is also convenient that they can be acquired while on the way to Tempests, a very powerful unit in this matchup's lategame.

Vs. Terran[edit]

Oracle play against Terran can be a gamble due to Marines. Against a greedy or unprepared Terran an Oracle opening will do devastating damage to the economy. If the Terran player scouts the build or amasses a large number of marines though, the build can be shut down quite quickly. However, surviving oracles are still useful support units, as their fast speed will help deal with small Terran drops in conjunction with photon overcharge. Some players also utilize revelation to great effect in scaring away drops and spotting the late game Terran army to get off critical storms.

It is important to note that a single Oracle can take up to five Marines without Combat Shield, while two Oracles are only able to eliminate a group of eight or less Marines, these facts are important to remember while going for an Oracle rush or defending one.

Widow Mines are also an effective counter to Oracles as they can one shot them, so watching for them is important when entering a Terran base with Oracles.

Vs. Zerg[edit]

Oracle and Phoenix openings are the current meta for PvZ and are seen in most games. This is because it forces a response out of the Zerg to create Spore Crawlers and keep their Queens in position. In addition Oracles are useful for defending the unfinished 3rd base against large masses of Zerglings as well as provide substantial early-mid-game defense. Oracles can also be useful in mid- and late-game because of their Revelation ability, removing a Zerg army's ability to freely attack anywhere on the map. Also, it may be worth noting that Oracles can kill Larva very quickly because they die from a 2 oracle attacks, which can leave the Zerg unable to produce additional units.

Other[edit]

The early Oracle model bears many similarities to the Stasis Orb of the Wings of Liberty alpha
  • The unit model was based on the Stasis Orb design, adjusted to fit a Dark Templar theme.[1]
  • Revelation puts a seal on units in the area the ability was cast on, the seal lasts for 15 seconds and reveals the units it is placed upon.
    • With this ability and the Oracle's fast movement speed, tracking and spotting enemy armies becomes a simple task. This ability detects Cloaked or Burrowed units.
  • Activate Pulsar Beam is a spell that costs 25 energy to activate and 1.4 energy per second thereafter; it enables the Oracle to attack ground units with a high-damage beam that can two-shot workers (SCVs are 3 shot) and marines without Combat Shield. The Pulsar Beam is the main weapon of the Oracle and can take out a large number of workers in a short time. Therefore it is important to activate the ability at the last possible second to deal maximum damage.
    • To be energy efficient, the Pulsar Beam must be turned off for 11.43 seconds (turning it off and on vs. just leaving it on).
  • Stasis Ward is the newest ability of the Oracle. While it traps units for 30 seconds, the units trapped cannot be attacked or affected by abilities. The Protoss player can however use this time to take a favorable army placement. This ability can also be used to split an army in two.

History[edit]

The Oracle and Tempest were designed so that Protoss could make more use of the Stargate in the early-game and that it would be possible to go for Stargate based armies in the late-game, given that it was an unpopular choice for most of Wings of Liberty (outside of PvP and PvZ early-game, and PvZ extreme late-game). Besides the Warp Prism, it was felt that the Protoss race lacked a way for harassment, and that is another reason why the Oracle was created.

Gallery[edit]

Quotes[edit]

Oracle's quotes (video and sound) - YouTube video.

Patch Changes[edit]

External Links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. BlizzCon 2011 - Art & Technology Panel
  2. Blizzard Entertainment (14 November 2017). "STARCRAFT II 4.0 PATCH NOTES". Battle.net.
  3. Blizzard Entertainment (28 November 2017). "STARCRAFT II BALANCE UPDATE -- NOVEMBER 28, 2017". Battle.net.
  4. Blizzard Entertainment (18 December 2017). "STARCRAFT II BALANCE UPDATE – DECEMBER 18, 2017". Battle.net.
  5. Blizzard Entertainment (22 January 2019). "STARCRAFT II 4.8.2 PATCH NOTES". Battle.net.
  6. Blizzard Entertainment (26 November 2019). "STARCRAFT II 4.11.0 PATCH NOTES".
  7. Blizzard Entertainment (9 June 2020). "StarCraft II 4.12.0 Patch Notes". Battle.net.
  8. Blizzard Entertainment (20 August 2020). "BALANCE UPDATE". Battle.net.
  9. Blizzard Entertainment (29 September 2023). "StarCraft II 5.0.12 Patch Notes". Battle.net.