Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to a brand new Tip of the Week. In this episode you will be taught the complex ways of the Warp Prism by the great Captain Obvious. Read on for what he has to say!
Introduction To Warp Prism Play
Warp Prisms see very limited use in the current meta game. When they are used it is mainly for some sneaky Dark Templar usage or High Templar Storm drop on the Mineral line. Every once in a while we see them used to get an island expansion, but because of its relative high tier and limited uses the Warp prism is an uncommon sight.
"Captain Obvious strikes again" you may assume? Think again, do you really know all of its secrets?
Transport & Phasing ModeThe most unique part of a Warp Prism by far is the Phasing Mode. In Transport Mode the Prism is a slow moving drop ship but when stationary it has the ability to call in an entire army in a matter of seconds. Mobile and instantaneous, the Warp Prism has plenty of advantages over a proxy Pylon.
There are several tricks to make the Warp Prism more effective. First of all you have to remember that it is a support unit. Keep it in the back of your army and move with caution. With a mere 100 HP this paper plane must be handled with care. Keep it and the Warping units out of harms way by deploying on the edge of the combat zone and supply a steady stream of reinforcements from there.
On The Offensive
When going for the aggressive approach, the Warp Prism can fly through the fog of war and deploy over unscouted high ground. Stalkers can safely warp in here and then blink down the cliff or across a chasm. When using Dark Templars you may deploy on the edge of the cliff where the Prism itself is out of sight but the power matrix projects onto the low ground. And for a deadly Psionic Storm drop you want to warp a High Templar on a cliff, then load it in the prism and drop at the mineral line for instant damage.
Now if you ever felt the Warp Prism was too slow to be useful, there is a solution! Although Gravitic Drive from the Robotics Bay is a low priority upgrade on many builds, realise it can greatly improve your harassment capabilities. Its usefulness can also be illustrated by the fact that a Warp Prism with Drive and Ship Plating 1 can fly by a Missile Turret and live to tell the tale.
Overlooked Aspects Of Phasing Mode
When deployed the Warp Prism projects a small psionic matrix where units can be warped in, just like a Pylon. This is where it gets interesting, because this field does indeed work just as a Pylon.
Anywhere within the psionic matrix the Protoss player can erect structures. This gives the commander great advantages when setting up his forward expansion or proxy base. Normally a Protoss player would have to queue a Pylon, wait the full 25 second warp time and then start warping in structures and defences. With a phasing Warp Prism you can immediately start construction. Getting that Photon Cannon up 25 seconds earlier can be vital when defending your new expansion.
Try combining this knowledge with the other Prism abilities. An example push could be an Immortal drop plus Probe, you can immediately start warping in Sentries, Zealots and other units supporting you instant Cannon Push.
Constructing a base? It can be done anywhere with a Warp Prism!Another problem many Protoss players are familiar with is a disabled production structure when a Pylon gets taken out. Nothing can be more dangerous than not being able to warp in High Templars when you're fighting on the edge of extinction. Having a Warp Prism around immediately allows you to power up that Warpgate again and simultaneously creates psionic matrix for the Templars to be warped into.
So what can you take from this information? In conclusion at a paltry cost of 200 minerals, any Protoss army would be helped by having a Warp Prism in their ranks. Just in case...
