This is actually the best possible thing to happen for you as a zerg player. He's running just Phoenixes and he has given you map control FOR FREE.
Your Strategy is going to be as follows:
- Build a couple spore to stop early Phoenix harass.
- Expand to 3 or 4 bases
- Spread your creep
- Build pretty much any unit, you're going to run over him
He's giving up the Macro advantage as you now have map control. You can build Hydras as a direct counter to Phoenix and they have the nice benefit of being strong against 4 gate.
Now if he pushes out a more standard 4 Warpgate play, you just FE and play normal vs a 2 Base Protoss. By the time you make a serious push, the Photon Cannons will be a small factor.
Btw, what do people feel about the plural of Phoenix? In Roman mythology there was only one Phoenix in the entire world so the word had no plural. I've been using it as both plural and singular (like fish) as a result.
As mentioned in the Reaper question. You need a stalker to deal with early Reapers as Photon Cannons tend to set you back by too much. However, there is no reason it has to be the first unit you build.
Since a Stalker requires a Cybernetics Core (60 second build time) and it in turn requires a Gateway (which can build Zealots with a 33 second build time) you can easily build a Zealot while waiting for the Cybernetics Core to finish.
So the better question is: "Why wouldn't you?"
- A Zealot costs 100 Minerals and 2 Psi to build.
- A Stalker costs 125 Minerals 50 Gas and 2 Psi to build.
Obviously if you can't afford another Pylon and only have 2 Psi to spare it makes sense to cut the Zealot. But consider also the costs to build a Stalker: A Vespean Assimilator (75 minerals), Probes harvesting Gas instead of Minerals, the additional cost of the Cybernetics Core (150 Minerals). These all add up. That said you can (if you play decently) afford both.
Other things to consider. Once your stalker is built what are you going to build next? "Standard" play is usually to add on another Gateway (150 Mineral cost). By cutting that Zealot you can start building a second Gateway before your Stalker is ready. You'll probably also need more Psi at this point, and a Pylon has the same cost as a Zealot. Its worth noting that you should have a better economy once the Stalker is finished (you were building probes this whole time right?), so these things will still be affordable.
So to answer your unasked question: Should you cut the production of the first Zealot?
Try it out! Play a couple times where you build both, and where you only build the Stalker. How much Minerals do you have? Does it feel like enough for the rest of your game plan? Would 100 Minerals help you? Would you rather have that Zealot to help block your entrance?
This all depends on what your strategy is, so what you need to do is try both and decide. They're two options and there is no correct answer.
For reference material here is Tester vs IntoTheRainbow in the Razor King of the Beta Tournament.
- Game 1 -> doesn't build a Zealot before his Stalker
- Game 2 -> builds a Zealot first then a Stalker
Best Answer
The essence lies in how to handle "large groups", you need to look at the advantages you have:
Sentries: These early units allow you to split up or trap an army by using force fields, reduce incoming range damage using their Guardian Shield and allow you to create hallucinated units which will take damage aways from your real units.
Colossus: There mid game units are known for their AoE damage, they will quickly fry a bio ball. Watch out for air though, although Stalkers are useful against air to some extent... :-)
High Templar: These mid to late game unit is also known for their powerful storms, they also have Feedback to drain energy from units and can warp in more powerful Archons...
Carriers: These late games units have interceptors that work for them so they can stay at a safe distance and thus result in devastating damage if your enemy doesn't manage to take them, supported by an army it can be tricky for your opponent to handle you.
Check the macro of one of your replays that is related to your question, you might be able to find an economy or production gap that makes it clear why you got outnumbered. Check if you expanded well (at 2 workers / min patch), check if you resources were too high (not enough gateways), and so on...