Starcraft 2 Dark Templar Rush Guide

The Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush is one of the most effective ways to win games in online play. It is particularly effective in 2v2 matches that feature a Protoss enemy.
The Dark Templar (also known as a DT) is a permanently cloaked unit (it cannot be seen without detection) with a high-powered melee swing. It can wipe out an entire base if the enemy has no detectors.
Since Observers can be costly to get compared to Scanner Sweep and Overseers, many Protoss players wrongly assume that 1) their ally will get detection and 2) that their partner will be able to use this detection efficiently in the Protoss player's base.
This is rarely true.
As a result, by performing a Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush you can often catch your opponent off-guard and inflict a mortal wound before he is able to respond by getting detectors. Here is how to do it:
Start off building 9 Probes. When your ninth probe is in production, build a Pylon. As soon as your Pylon is done, keep pumping out Probes and then build a Gateway.
While the Gateway is building, keep building Probes and build some Assimilators (you will need gas). Once you approach 16 supplies, build a hidden Pylon in the back corner of your base.
As soon as the Gateway is done, start the production of a Cybernetics Core. Keep producing Probes and start harvesting vespene gas.
This conservative approach will not only make your opponent think you are going for a 3 Gateway or Robotics Facility build, but it will also leave you prepared to transition into making normal ground units after your initial Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush.
The second the Cybernetics Core finishes, you should be building a Twilight Council at your hidden Pylon. Hiding this Pylon is crucial as you do not want your enemy to see what you are up to. You should also start researching Warp Gate technology at the Cybernetics Core and build a second Gateway. You should also scout out your opponent here.
Nine times out of 10, when the enemy sees 2 Gateways and lots of harvesters, he is assuming normal play and will not get detectors. While your Probe is on its way to scout, build a hidden pylon just outside of the enemy's base. Double check your opponent to be sure he does not have detectors at this point.
As soon as your Twilight Council is done, you should be building a Dark Shrine in your base. While it is building, make sure you have adequate supplies and vespene gas. You can often spend spare minerals on Zealots or Photon Cannons to defend your base.
As soon as the Dark Shrine is finished, your 2 Gateways should already be Warp Gates. Use the Warp Gates to warp Dark Templar to the Pylon outside the Protoss opponent's base. Send them in and enjoy the Starcraft 2 Dark Templar rush!
If the enemy has 1 Observer (sometimes happens), split your Dark Templar between his expansion and his main base - the Observer cannot be two places at once. If he has a lot of Cannons, simply attack the other enemy's base and begin to produce normal units at your Warp Gates and progress into a normal play game.
When the Starcraft 2 Dark Templar Rush is performed correctly and quickly, it is often too devastating for an opponent to recover from.
For more ways to perform a successful Dark Templar rush, see my Dark Templar Rush guide where you will get the inside scoop on how to perform a variety of variations of the SC2 DT rush.
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