[Next_rim]

Originally Posted by aztecx

I am curious as to how you hardcounter it.

Mass queens and spines do not do so well against 2-gate-robo pushes. First attack is 7-min, 2nd wave is 10 min. There are two drawbacks though - it doesn't work on large maps and you have to have perfect positioning and micro.

The good thing is that most of the times protoss gets to destroy queens and spinecrawlers, and denies heavy drone production. Macro-wise, the protoss delays hydra/muta and 3rd base as lot, until protoss is comfortable with income to afford hard zerg army counters like colossi or phoenix. Obviously, zerg has double the hard time if tech is roaches.

Another timing push (for bigger maps) is 3(4)-gate agression with a stargate follow-up. Goal is to kill as many queens as possible, while ignoring spine-crawlers and FF-ing lings away. Then protoss pushes with 2-nd wave with a void ray, safely snipes spinecrawler wall from a distance, and contains the zerg until expansion is secured and saturated. It's stupid for zerg to go roach or muta from here, since protoss already has stargate, and most zerg just go for (delayed!) hydra. Protoss is free to expand and get colossi, therefore.

The flip side is delayed expansion. If you fail with micro, or lose the void ray, it's pretty much game after that, since it is very hard to hold of a counter-attack, or get colossi from one-base to handle approaching hydra ball.