Phase cannon rush, attack, strategies

[CallDownTheThunder]

what i am going to do is build phase shifters and phase cannons and use the phase shifters pylon power ability to teleport the cannons into the other guys base! i think it will be brilliant :)

[coalescence]

You can't teleport buildings. You could have just sayd it in the Phase Cannon Topic...

[CallDownTheThunder]

o sorry. im drunk lol

[NotDeadYet]

Plus, the phase prisms will be at least as high-tier as Shuttles; probably even more. By the time you could build them AND enough phase cannons, the enemy would have enough defenses to destroy the cannons before they could do any damage.

[10-Neon]

It would probably be as much of a rush as a Nuke rush or... Ultralisk rush: not much of one.

[generalrievous]

Plus, the phase prisms will be at least as high-tier as Shuttles; probably even more. By the time you could build them AND enough phase cannons, the enemy would have enough defenses to destroy the cannons before they could do any damage.

well seeing how they are the protoss basic defense structure I highly doubt its high tier however, I dont think you will be able to materialize them like units w/ phase prism

[Gold]

well waht are they when there phased, they look like units to me.

[10-Neon]

The Siege Tank looks like a structure when it's sieged. Larger Terran buildings can move, looks can be deceiving.

[NotDeadYet]

generalrievous, I said that the phase PRISMS will be high-tier. I think that phase cannons will be available early in the tech tree, though I also think that they may require an upgrade to move around.

[CallDownTheThunder]

i was just thinking since phase cannons can materialize anywhere theres power it might work

i dunno what would happen if the prism died tho

[T-man]

You all have a big misunderstanding.
According to the literature, War Gates only work on producible units. As in, only units that have not been made yet. Each Warp Gate can make one unit anywhere in psi, and then has a cool down. You can't just send units rolling through a warp gate into psi.

(Edit: And I even brought proof:

"Functionally a warp gate is similar to a gateway in that both devices open a spatial rift. However, protoss forces moving through a gateway must emerge in close proximity to the structure, whereas those summoned via a warp gate can be projected to any part of the battlefield that lies within the psionic matrix." - From blizzard's web roster

Remember that the old explanation for Protoss build times was that it took time to open the rift and blah blah. Hence these Warp Gates still open the rift to that stash of Zealots or whatever wherever they are. You can't just teleport a force that you have waiting around, like you could with a Nydus Canal (maybe Worm too...))

[coalescence]

DUDE :-X Nobody is talking about warp gates and warping units in. Where talking about moving Phase Cannons from one position to another by deploying phase prisms along the road...

[overmind]

maybe cannons can go anywhere thats powered even if the road isn't?

[coalescence]

No, they go * whoosh* if they go outside psi (unless deployed in building form)

[CallDownTheThunder]

how long does the phase prisms psi ability last anyway?

[coalescence]

DUUUUDDEEE :-X

Phase Prisms deploys into a Pylon, so it stays as long as you want (untill you undeploy)

[LoserInLosing]

Only way to use phase cannons to attack is, unless u build pylons to the way of your enemy base (which is quite timecosuming, resource wasting, and of cos, pure stup*****)is to use phase prisms and move them slowly, taking alot of time. If you build alot of them, still timeconsuming and waste of time and resource wasting. By the time u get cannons and pylons or phase prisms, u probably dead already

[proswimma]

hmm that COULD work but by the time you are ready to do it, it wont be a rush anymore. That would be a very interesting strat to do during an attack though.

[Ghost]

If the phase cannons are going to used to attack anything they should NOT attack alone, after all (in SC1) dragoons where better that photon cannons.

[mc2]

Actually dragoons have a shorter range than photon cannons until they've got the range upgrade. and also photon cannons have a faster cooldown
Although dragoons can get attack and armor upgrade :)

[wuffle]

NO.NO.No. All you have to do is build a pylon and some phase cannons within short range of an enemy's base (but out of sight) then fly over some phase prisms and make a path to base (perferably over a ledge an leading toward the probes/SCVs/Drones. Then you have a nice short path for your cannons to own. All you need to counter this is anti air towers, as the cannons will die when their power is lost.

[mc2]

Errr, the phase prism does not teleport structures, and the phase cannon is a structure....

[Hellbringer]

I loved the old photon cannon rush - build a pylon on the edge of the map between the minerals and then put a cannon behind the minerals and own their workers ;D

[UchihaItachi0129]

I loved the old photon cannon rush - build a pylon on the edge of the map between the minerals and then put a cannon behind the minerals and own their workers ;D


me too lol. and the 2nd form. build at the entrance so all they can do is stay inside their base while you expand. photon cannon rushing is so fun ... even more fun when you're playing a noob and he doesn't scout a lot.

Edit: and then when he finally makes an army and tries to attack you he gets met by a huge mass of cannons

[Arachanox]

This rush probably wouldn't work since Phase Prisms would be mid or high-tier, but in theory you could have your Phase Cannon go into Warp Mode, then have it move in a line towards your foe's base. While it is moving, have the Phase Prisms fly over the Cannon, continually deploying and undeploying their Psi Matrices, creating a *road* to your enemies. Of course, this would probably be highly ineffective.

[PowerkickasS]

yeah it's a good strategy. problem is everyone's already thought of it, posted it, and nobody's listening to each other =/

[MrFrancko]

It's always been feasible to build a pylon near an enemy base and hoping that they don't see it in time to stop you from building cannons there. It would be hard to pull off though and near impossible against the zerg.

[wuffle]

Errr, the phase prism does not teleport structures, and the phase cannon is a structure....


I didn't say they did. Still a phase cannon can move as long as it stays in pylon power, that is why I said to fly in some phase prysms..

[mc2]

That means you'll have to construct a "Great wall of Pylons" that goes all the way from outside the enemy's base to the inside. Then move in all the phase cannons that you constructed outside the enemy's base.

Or you'll have to move the phase prism and the phase cannons simultanenously to get them to go into the base of your opponent. Not only is that lots of microing for a "rush", it still requires quite a lot of resources AND the phase prism will definitely not be able to obtained early game.

[Darktemplar_L]

Will phase cannons be the only protoss building that can move then?

[wuffle]

That means you'll have to construct a "Great wall of Pylons" that goes all the way from outside the enemy's base to the inside. Then move in all the phase cannons that you constructed outside the enemy's base.

Or you'll have to move the phase prism and the phase cannons simultanenously to get them to go into the base of your opponent. Not only is that lots of microing for a "rush", it still requires quite a lot of resources AND the phase prism will definitely not be able to obtained early game.


I wasn't thinking of a wall of pylons and yo are probably right about the prism. I just liked it better than the other ideas.

[Remy]

While a phase cannon rush seem unlikely, I wouldn't completely dismiss the possible offensive applications of phase cannons altogether.

Fly in a few phase prisms to drop some reavers and a probe, immediately deploy pylon power afterwards. Probe builds phase cannons and a backup pylon just in case, while you warp-in gateway units. If it all goes through, that's some pretty bug hurt right up their ass. It'll be like getting nydus'd but worse with constant static D cover fire for the reavers and ground troops while they close in deeper.

I'm sure there will be crazier things we can do later on when the game is finally released.

[Lemmy]

I was thinking about the new phase cannons and I had an idea. How about having 2 phase prisms (A and B) and say 3 cannons, so you "open" the A prism, warp the cannons. Then open the B prism next to the A one, and move the cannons under it. Close prism A and put it further away next to the prism B, then move cannons again. Then continue moving the cannons by alternating the prisms location closer and coloser to the enemy/expansion/friends base. If done fast, this can be an effective way to move your cannons between 2 places not connected by psi.

[Fenix]

I didn't make a topic of this, but I mentioned somewhere else "walking" the prisms and cannons to enemy bases. You build a crapload and leapfrog them. A new version of the Phase Cannon rush. I think the biggest problem was (A) Cooldown and (B) Phase Prism health. It can't be higher than a shuttle.

[burkid]

i think that the phase prisms have a 2 min cooldown.

[PhantomFF]

More to the point how effective would phase cannons actually be against things with armor or other defensive structures...its a fun idea tho all of a sudden having phase cannons on someones back.

[Griffith]

I doubt it will have a cooldown, it wouldn't fit with the fast paced flow of the game.

[burkid]

the tool tip for phasing mode on phase prisms has a clock with a 2 next to it, so i would assume that that meant 2 min cooldown, just so people dont "walk" phase cannons around.

[Griffith]

You are right, didn't notice it before. Kinda sucks, I hope they get rid of it.

[Rambling]

Units > Cannons, everyone should have learnt from the 1st SC, cannons are okay to have but not massed, U need units of ur own, thats just str8 newbie.