Blink

[e][h]Blink

Ability Information

Caster(s):

Stalker

Cost:

 150  150  121

Hotkey:

B

Range:

8

Cooldown:

7

Researched from:

Twilight Council

Research Hotkey:

B

Blink is an offensive and defensive spell cast by the Protoss Stalker. Blink allows the Stalker to teleport to any location within its 8 range, so long as the Protoss player has vision of the destination. When utilized properly, Blink is a highly micro-intensive ability and provides great mobility to the Stalkers.

Use

In competitive play Blink is often used to place Stalkers into key positions in combat situations. Using Blink, Stalkers can quickly surround enemy units, or teleport to high ground to gain the edge against enemy forces. It's also very useful when chasing retreating enemy units since it allows the Stalkers to quickly close in and maximize the damage done.

Blink can also be used defensively, by Blinking away injured Stalkers so that their shields may regenerate. Similarly, a retreating Protoss army can distance itself from the enemy very quickly with generous Blink usage.

Additionally, Blink makes Stalkers a very good harassment tool. They can Blink into an enemy base, deal damage to vulnerable workers or crucial tech structures and Blink out again before the opponent has a chance to defend.

Shift-queuing blink

When Blinking a big group of Stalkers all the units may not teleport to the destination. To solve this we use shift-queuing. This is done by ordering the Stalkers to move to a location from where they should Blink, then, while holding the Shift key, we order them to Blink to a new location and finally, after letting go of the Shift key, we hold it again and order to move away from the target location of the Blink (to give enough space for the next Stalkers to Blink in). This way, the Stalkers will walk toward the first location in regular formation and then Blink towards the new desired location one by one as they gradually reach the first location. This technique can be used for quickly Blinking to islands or far away cliffs without worrying about leaving some Stalkers behind.

Stalkers using a simple Blink command. Notice the number of Stalkers left behind.

Using a Shift-queued blink command only a single Stalker is left behind. Notice the three commands issued: a move command to the edge of the rocks, a Blink command to the other side and an other move command from there.

To make sure no units are left behind: Right-click close to the edge. B-Shift-click far into the target area and release Shift. Shift-click at a location away from the Blink destination, to make sure there's room for all the Stalkers.

Vs. Protoss

• Against slower units - Because of their highly mobile nature (allowing for effective kiting), Stalkers already have an advantage against slower Protoss units such as the Zealot. With Blink, well-controlled Stalkers can avoid being hit by Zealots more easily, even if the latter has Charge.

• Against Colossi - When a Protoss player is using Colossi, which out-range Stalkers, Blink can be used to maneuver Stalkers into range so that they can attack. This can be useful when the player using Colossi has a large army of Zealots or other ground units out in front, blocking access to the Colossi, as the Stalkers can quickly Blink past the ground force and focus on the Colossi.

Also, due to the high mobility and 'cliff-walking' ability that Colossi have, they are often able to escape from battles unharmed, taking routes that other ground units can't follow. Using Stalkers' Blink ability, the pursuing player can close that gap and continue attacking.

• Against air units - As in every match-up, Blink is an excellent way to counter an enemy making air units. It allows Stalkers to blink right underneath them and cause damage and negates their ability to abuse cliffs and general mobility.

Vs. Terran

• General usage - If the Terran opponent is utilizing highly mobile units such as the Hellion or the Reaper, Blink will allow Stalkers to either catch up to, or retreat from, those forces with greater ease. When Terran players drop units such as the Siege Tank on cliffs (e.g. at the natural expansion on Lost Temple), an Observer can provide vision so that Stalker forces can counter-attack such drops by Blinking up onto the cliff.

• Bypassing Terran 'wall-ins' - It is common for Terran players to wall off their main, and sometimes subsequent expansions by blocking choke-points or ramps with buildings. This often presents a difficult barrier for Protoss players to overcome, particularly if the Terran is guarding the wall with units such as Siege Tanks. Using the Blink ability, Stalkers can bypass the Terran wall, possibly allowing additional units of the Protoss army to attack the wall from below.

Vs. Zerg

• Countering Roaches - The speed and range advantages of Stalkers allow them to effectively kite roaches in small battles. Additionally, Stalkers deal bonus damage to Armored units. Proper use of Blink can give Stalkers an edge against Roach forces by giving allowing the Protoss player to control the distance between the Stalkers and Roaches.

• Against Zerg air- Blink is very effective against air units, allowing Stalkers to traverse terrain that would usually block their path. As such it is a useful ability whenever a Zerg produces air units. It can allow Stalkers to chase down Mutalisks, Corruptors and Brood Lords. Blink is especially useful against Brood Lords, whose Broodlings block the pathing of other ground units.

Constraints

• To Blink, the player must have vision of the destination.
• Blink must land on a viable destination (for example, water or empty space are not valid targets).

In Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm

Due to the change of timing in Legacy of the Void, the timings are different in the last expansion than in Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm. In the previous expansions, the research lasted 170 seconds.

Notable Games

• IdrA vs. DrunkBobby on Lost Temple, Zotac Cup [1]
• Nazgul vs. Gerrard on Blistering Sands, Gosugamers.net EU vs. Asia Showmatch Series [2]
• superstar vs. human on Delta Quadrant [3]
• IdrA vs. Nazgul, MLG Dallas 2010 (all 3 games) [4]

Patch Changes

Balance Update 10
Blink research time increased from 140 to 170.

Patch 1.4.0
Blink research time increased from 110 to 140.

VOD

• [5] MajOr (T) vs. Suppy (Z) for fun, All Units have Blink, casted by HuskyStarcraft (Three Games).