Metagame in 2 Years?

[Gradius]

How do you guys think the metagame will look in a couple years? Here's my guess for toss matchups:

PvT - Though Colossus will still be the core of PvT, Protoss will start using high templar more & more, but they'll actually keep them in warp prisms, and that's because of the Ghost. Simply put, I think the ghost is very strong at this point and nobody is using it, for which I was grateful on the ladder. I predict the warp prism will be used extensively in this MU. The best way to combat ghosts is just to drop units all over the map so that your army can't be easily EMPed in a ball. Carriers might find a place vs. mech builds.

PvP - will be a coinflip as it is now. :P

Nah, I think archon & colossus builds will be pretty refined. Archons on wide open maps, colossus on maps with tight corridors. But I expect more void ray usage, even though the void ray does a shitty job of countering archons, at least the archon players will go for a quicker stargate vs colossus. Psi Storm might find a niche in PvP, like vs. air or at least for harvester attacks, since the tech is there. Or perhaps it will be decided that colossus are better than archons or vice-versa and people will use the same one strategy as always.

PvZ - Zerg will stop playing like idra and start doing more drops and using more banelings. I've seen roach drops on the ladder, but this is a joke compared to baneling drops on the mineral line or the army. On maps with easy to defend naturals, Zerg will do what catz does and just spam spine crawlers with mutalisks. Ling/Muta/Infestor/Bling might just be the Zerg deathball that Protoss will come to fear. Protoss will focus on gimmicky attacks to hurt the Zerg's econ, like they are now with stargate tech & DTs. Zerg will do more all-ins because they're a race that can recover the easiest from them.

[JackhammerIV]

Well...blink stalkers is probably a better bet in PvP. Something more micro intensive. In 2 years everyone would have gotten much better and blink startegies and micro would be good enough to beat the rest. (And some detection thrown in against DTs:P). Possibly also phoenixes since they reward good micro.

PvT and PvZ i think there will be more fleshed out styles with the end goal being "I must get everything and all fully upgraded". Also precise chronoboost timings will arise and a protoss shortspeak arises from it, e.g. "2chr nexus, chr stock, chr robo, timing lets you chr colossi just as you get 25 energy". Something like that. That chronoboost thing would be awesome.

Like now I've been messing around with an opening build and I somehow stumbled on a robo facility timing where just when i get 25 energy the robo is done. That kind of thing is awesome imo.

EDIT: Also if you can't keep chronos below 50 energy for each nexus off 3 bases you get called a noob.

[Gradius]

Ah yes blink stalkers definitely. Only trouble with them is that blink micro can basically be negated if you focus fire. DTs hurt too but people will easily squeeze in a forge for a cannon and the +1. Phoenix I'll have to say are a no-go however. I've literally rolled every phoenix player with archons, no matter how many of my probes they sniped. I just let them do it because you can walk up their ramp whenever. It's a no-contest IMO.

Build orders with CB nomenclature would be pretty sweet tbh.

PS: Should check this thread in 2 years to see if we were right. :P

[Twilice]

Hm, zealot + warp prism + high templar/archon heavy sounds interesting.

[DemolitionSquid]

In PvP I'm fond of Chargelot/Carrier vs the ever increasingly popular Stalker/Archon (Gateway army) since the Archon's buff. Colossus are generally cheaper overall, but lack the air mobility of Carriers, and are more vulnerable when caught alone. Carriers have long range and can be very annoying when well positioned over a gap to avoid Stalker Blink focus fire. If they target down the Archons, the Chargelots make quick work of Stalkers who don't run. Carriers are resilient to Storm, and if Templar try to storm Chargelots they'll usually hit their own army too. The balancing point, I feel, is Sentries. The Stalker/Archon uses FF to keep the Chargelots away, but the Zealot/Carrier player puts up GS and can even make decent use of Hallucination by creating decoy Archons for the Stalkers and HT to target.

Before its brought up, I know this post sounds weird because everyone knows I hate the Carrier. You must realize that its my hatred for the unit that's caused me to experiment with viable uses for it to justify my loathing.

Also not, this is the strategy I use when I play with friends, and I'm not sure of its true ladder viability.

[Peanutbutter]

In PvP I'm fond of Chargelot/Carrier vs the ever increasingly popular Stalker/Archon (Gateway army) since the Archon's buff. Colossus are generally cheaper overall, but lack the air mobility of Carriers, and are more vulnerable when caught alone. Carriers have long range and can be very annoying when well positioned over a gap to avoid Stalker Blink focus fire. If they target down the Archons, the Chargelots make quick work of Stalkers who don't run. Carriers are resilient to Storm, and if Templar try to storm Chargelots they'll usually hit their own army too. The balancing point, I feel, is Sentries. The Stalker/Archon uses FF to keep the Chargelots away, but the Zealot/Carrier player puts up GS and can even make decent use of Hallucination by creating decoy Archons for the Stalkers and HT to target.

Before its brought up, I know this post sounds weird because everyone knows I hate the Carrier. You must realize that its my hatred for the unit that's caused me to experiment with viable uses for it to justify my loathing.

Also not, this is the strategy I use when I play with friends, and I'm not sure of its true ladder viability.

It has absolutely no viability on the ladder.
Right now, PvP is centered around 1 base builds, and maybe a few builds that transition well into the midgame ( Archon/zealot and robo builds ).

Stargate builds are pretty weak, so in order to get into the mid/endgame, you need to use one of the builds mentioned above. And once you decide to transition into Carriers, you will need a substantial amount of time, leaving you really vulnerable to Colossi timing pushes.
Also, if you want to make use of the Sentry's Hallucination ability, you will need a mediocre amount of them relatively early on in the game, in order to stockpile energy. And this will leave you vulnerable to any kind of 1 base pushes, since Sentries are considered pretty weak once Colossi or blink Stalkers are out.

Also, Carrier's are rather ineffective in PvP since they get countered easily by Voidrays and/or blink Stalkers. They also take a crapload of time to produce, making it hard to defend a counterattack after any kind of army trade

That being said, I think any kind of 2 base Colossi push will devastate you.

Peace.

[DemolitionSquid]

I said my strategy was to counter Stalker/Archon (Gateway) army, not a heavy Colossus build. I would never go Zealot/Carrier vs Colossus/Stalker.

[Peanutbutter]

I said my strategy was to counter Stalker/Archon (Gateway) army, not a heavy Colossus build. I would never go Zealot/Carrier vs Colossus/Stalker.

Oh, I kinda read between the lines. Sry

Anyway. I think that what I explained above, also somewhat applies when going against a Archon based army.
At any point in the game, if you transition into Carriers, you will give your opponent ample time to produce units that counter your composition, especially since your everyday P army consists of larger numbers of Stalkers that counter Carriers well enough by them selves. Not to mention you will give your opponent a great opportunity to launch a devastating timing attack. You'll also need time to get air upgrades etc etc.

Carriers are also really immobile, leaving you very little space for micro mistakes.

[Peanutbutter]

I said my strategy was to counter Stalker/Archon (Gateway) army, not a heavy Colossus build. I would never go Zealot/Carrier vs Colossus/Stalker.

Oh, I kinda read between the lines. Sry

Anyway. I think that what I explained above, also somewhat applies when going against a Archon based army.
At any point in the game, if you transition into Carriers, you will give your opponent ample time to produce units that counter your composition, especially since your everyday P army consists of larger numbers of Stalkers that counter Carriers well enough by them selves. Not to mention you will give your opponent a great opportunity to launch a devastating timing attack. You'll also need time to get air upgrades etc etc.

Carriers are also really immobile, leaving you very little space for micro mistakes.