Standard Timings – All Match-Ups
Note: these timings are referenced at the professional level, it is likely anyone on the ladder facing these builds will have them show up slightly later. Therefore, these timings are the earliest they can happen when they are executed properly.
Zerg vs Terran
2-1-1 and +1/+1 follow-up @ 5:00 / 6:30
What is it:
The 2-1-1 is a timing attack that hits with 16 Stim Marines and 2 Medivacs.
One standard follow-up is a +1/+1 attack that hits with 24-28 Marines and 4 Medivacs.
To scout:
1 Reactor Barracks, 1 Tech Lab Barracks researching, 1 Factory, 1 Starport. (Reactor building on Factory or attached to Starport)
Marines at the front/in the main and no other army (other than sometimes 1 Widow Mine)
To defend:
Start at least 1 evo early – 3:40-4:00 for carapace. Add the second evo later on.
Constant Queen production @4:00 (Goal is total 6 defensive Queens to target Medivacs)
Make 30 Zerglings @4:20-4:50 so they are ready for the 5:00 timing
Continue Drone production
Use the Queens to target Medivacs and send the Zerglings in to attack the Marines when the Marines attack any structures, Drones or the Queens.
Can delay Baneling Nest to 5:15-5:30 to have 4 Banelings ready for the +1/+1 follow-up.
4 Hellion Run-by @ ~4:00
What is it:
With economic Hellion based Terran openings (often mech), it is common to attack with 4 Hellions at ~4:00.
To scout:
1 Reactor Factory
To defend:
Make 4 extra Lings at 3:30 to be safe and have Queens at the front.
Cloak Banshee @ 5:00
What is it:
Single or double Cloak Banshee attack
Cloak can finish by ~5:00
To scout:
Starport with researching Tech Lab
To defend:
Start your lair @ 4:00-4:15 to have an overseer and queens for defending
Spore in the main base at 4:40
Spore in each mineral line at 4:40 if you didn’t start your lair in time
Double Thor Drop @ 7:30
What is it:
2 Medivacs with 2 Thors @7:30
To scout:
Many mech openings use this style of drop pressure. You will see 3 Factories (1 Reactor, 2 Tech Lab) and a Reactor Starport.
To defend:
Ling Bane Hydra is ideal, but if Hydras are late Queen Ling Bane can work. Try to surround the Thors with Zerglings while focusing the Medivacs with Hydras/Queens.
Hellbat Banshee Timing @ 5:30
What is it:
1 Cloak Banshee @5:00
8 Hellbats and 2 Cloak Banshee @5:30
Economic based attack, Terran should have a third CC behind this attack
To scout:
1 Tech Lab Starport researching
1 Factory with Reactor
1 Armory
4 Hellions @4:00
To defend:
Constant Queen production
@4:20 Lair for Overseer
1 Spore Crawler in each base @4:35
Defend with mass Queen, Spore Crawlers and an Overseer
Optional Baneling Nest @4:00 can help with defense.
Zerg vs Protoss
DT / Archon Drop @ 5:00 / 5:30
What is it:
4 Dark Templar and a Warp Prism at 5:00 or 2 Archons and a Warp Prism at 5:30
To scout / defend:
See the bottom of this article for defending and scouting standard Archon Drop
Standard Oracle Opener @ 4:00
What is it:
Standard Oracle opening that hits @4:00
To scout:
99% of Stargate play will open with an Oracle in one of the first two units built. If you see the Stargate producing a unit you can tell if it is an Oracle, but if you see a Stargate in general and can’t see what it is producing you should assume Oracle.
To defend:
1 Spore Crawler in each base @3:30
If your third base isn’t up by 3:30 send 2 creep/defense Queens to the third and make the Spore Crawler as soon as possible.
Oracle into Archon Drop + Zealot @ 6:00-6:30
What is it:
Standard Oracle opening @4:00 (assuming this is true)
Oracle opening into an Archon + Zealot attack + Oracle (assuming it is still alive) @ 6:00-6:30
Either Chargelots or regular Zealots
To scout:
Fast Robotics Facility and Templar Archives after Stargate opening
To defend
Spore Crawlers @3:40 in each base
With a regular Lair timing, defend with primarily Hydralisks
If your Lair is late, must use lots of Queen Ling Bane to defend
8 Gladept Pressure @ 5:00
What is it:
8 Glaive Adepts @ 5:00
To scout:
Twilight Council researching
3 Gateway
2+ Adepts in the natural/wall
To defend:
Baneling Nest @3:30-3:50
Minimum 4 Queens
Constant Speedling production at 4:00
At 100% Baneling Nest make ~4 Banelings
Aim for 2.5 base saturation
2 Oracle Opener into 8 Stalker 8 Sentry All-in @ ~6:10
For reference here is a link to the build
What is it:
2 Oracle opener into a Sentry Stalker all-in with a fake third base at ~6:10. The attack has a Warp Prism with constant Stalker warp-ins on 8 Gateways.
To Scout:
The Protoss drops 5 Gateways in their main after putting down the third nexus at 4:45. It can be very difficult to scout these Gateways, as the Protoss will get a Phoenix, however seeing them will tell you it is an all-in.
Important: At around 5:00 if you scout more than 3 Sentries, it is an all-in or pressure attack. This is the easiest/main way for scouting a Sentry based Protoss all-in. If there are many Sentries (8+) moving across the map it is an all-in build.
To Defend:
To defend this attack, if you scout it at around 4:45-5:00 immediately place a Roach Warren to start Roach/Ravager production and go up to 3-4 gases. At around 5:30 or 2.5 base saturation, start constant Zergling production. Once your Roach Warren finishes, make as many Ravagers as you can. Use the Zerglings to slow the Protoss down until your Ravagers can make it out to help with the defense.
If you scout the build later (5:20+) and do not have time for a Roach Warren, but you did start your Lair on the earlier side (4:30 or earlier) start your Hydralisk Den as soon as the Lair finishes. Making Zerglings to defend similarly to the Ravager style, however make as many Hydras instead once the Hydra Den is finished. In this instance, you want to go up to 3 gases.
If you scout the build later (5:20+) and your Lair was later than 4:30, you won’t be able to get Hydralisks out in time. You are going to need constant Queen/Zergling production as soon as you scout it and to hold with Ling Queen. This is easier if you got an early +1 melee upgrade and it finishes near the time they hit, however it will still be difficult to hold. Pull injecting Queens to help defend the attack and if possible target the Warp Prism with your Queens.
If you don’t scout the build until it is basically attacking/the Warp Prism is moving out, this build is incredibly difficult to hold. Just make as many units as you can and try to keep the third base alive. Pull Drones if necessary.
Stargate opener into 4 High Templar Storm drop @ ~6:10-6:30
What is it:
An Oracle opening into a 4 High Templar Storm drop at 6:10. The High Templar will Storm your mineral line and then be picked up, morphed into Archons elsewhere and brought in for an Archon drop. The time it hits depends on how greedy the Protoss is (order of third base, Gateways etc) and how many Chronoboosts they spend on Storm. Since this is a greedy build, it is most common on maps like neon violet square.
To scout:
Without seeing the main or Templar Archives, if you check the third base and there are at most 1 Sentry and very few units (1 Stalker + 1 Adept or 2 Adepts at 5:00, as an example) there is a good chance those resources were spent on a Storm drop. If there are 3 Sentries, the are most likely going Blink + Colossus and it won’t be a Storm drop.
Templar Archives at ~4:45 when it is finished ~5:21 Storm will begin and will be chrono’d. If you scout a Templar Archives in this time frame and it is researching, it is likely a Storm drop. If it is being chrono boosted, it is almost certainly a Storm drop. Seeing the Robotics Facility and Warp Prism along with the Templar Archives ensure that it is a Storm drop, while only seeing the Templar Archives could mean that it is a standard Immortal, Chargelot, Archon + Storm composition.
To defend:
3:30 Spore Crawler in each base to defend the standard Oracle opening. Once scouted, send Overlords to potential Warp Prism paths to scout for the Warp Prism. Be ready to move your workers once you see the Warp Prism, as the faster you pull them away from the Storms the fewer Drones you will lose. Be ready with an army (depending on what composition you are going for, most likely some form of Hydralisks – don’t use Zerglings) to defend the follow-up Archon drop.
Zerg vs Zerg
12 Pool 6 Zerglings @ 1:55 (short maps)
What is it:
6 Zerglings arrive at natural Hatchery at 1:55
To scout:
Scout 6 Zerglings with first Overlord at 1:35
To defend:
Pull 11-13 Drones around 2:00. Don’t take a fight until you have 6 Zerglings out, use the Drones before the Zerglings come out to attack their Lings and keep the hatch alive, but pull away once their Zerglings stop attacking the Hatchery. Once Ling Speed has started, pull 2 Drones off gas.
13/12 @ ~2:05-2:25
What is it:
Constant Speedling production with Banelings morphing attacking sometime from ~2:05-2:25 depending on the map and if they send their Lings straight across or around the map to avoid Overlords.
To scout:
Opponent won’t have a natural base
Over 10+ Lings being sent across the map
To defend:
Identify that it is a 13/12 and not a 12 Pool.
The Lings show up later with a 13/12. A 13/12 will not have a natural base, whereas a 12 Pool will start one quickly.
Make 2 Queens and constant Ling production with 1 Spine Crawler on the high ground.
Once Ling Speed has started, take 2 Drones off gas.
Pull 5-6 Drones as the first Zerglings hatch to protect the Queen at the natural. Once your Queen is saved, put the Spine Crawler on the low ground and wall the ramp with your Queens.
Important: Don’t inject your Hatcheries right away, save the energy for transfuse. Once you have a low ground Spine Crawler and one transfuse you can start injecting the natural and once the opponent has backed off and you have held the attack you can send one Queen back to start injecting the main.
15 Hatch Zergling attack 26 Speedlings @ ~3:05-3:25
What is it:
26 Speedlings attack at 3:05 if they arrive as Speed finishes, 3:25 if they leave as Speed finishes with constant Speedlings rallied
A Zerg using the 15 Hatch build is on 14-15 Drones, 2 bases and 1 Queen.
To scout / defend:
See the 15 Hatch ZvZ article for scouting and defense
Credits
RiSky
- Thanks to mYinsanity RiSky for helping with coming up with important timings to know as well as reviewing all of the information for scouting and defending each build. RiSky is a high GM player on the EU server who offers coaching and streams. If you are interested in getting coaching, you can find RiSky’s coaching and twitch links here:
Gemini
- Thanks to Gemini for helping discuss / find the ZvP timings and how to scout and defend them.
- Gemini runs the build of the week on all things protoss and did the write up for Harstem’s double Oracle Sentry Stalker all-in.
- Gemini’s Twitter
