Starcraft 2 Armory - Unofficial Starcraft 2 Fansite

Three days ago, Cydra responded on Battle.net on a topic which included questions about how EMP works.

Ghost does not have EMP ability any more at the current development stage.

For your information above questions,

1. Immortal's hardened shield is passive and there is no additional upgrade to get it.
2. Ghost's EMP took out Immortal's shield.
3. Once Immortal's shield was taken out by EMP, Immortal took full damage from Siege Tanks, which means there's no more hardened shileld.

However, Cydra expressed the opinion that EMP might be returned.

I agree with that EMP is an interesting ability as well.
Right now, EMP is taken out from the game but as you know, this is not the final.
I will update you all when EMP's back to the game.

Source: Battle.net

Good. Let's have the EMP on something hard to mass like the nighthawk: not the ghost. EMP is too cool to leave out of the game, but it shouldn't be on a unit that is going to get as much use as the ghost, especially now that nukes are so good.

Finally Blizzard reconsidered at least for now. Hope they get it right.

http://www.sc2armory.com/forums/topic/3834/

So I was wrong about the hardened shield they do can be taken out by EMP. Its OK I guess.

I thought EMP can only taken out its normal shield and not its special hardened shield because its a passive ability. I m wrong, it maybe good as Immortal are really living up to its name base what I have seen on game matches online (which is a bit too much really).

But then again, IF the special hardened shield was not to be taken out by EMP it can be good as well as it will encourage the use of low tier units with low attacks as counters for them in mid and later game. IMO

Read about it at battle.net. Man, EMP is a very powerful spell vs Protoss. More so now in the hands of cheap ghosts rather than on expensive Vessels. This can change the gameplay dynamics significately on that type of match-ups.

Just when i hear the good news the ghosts' emp removes immortals shields, i also hear it is out for now...well i guess at least cydra should've said what replaced it.
In any event, this also gives us insight into how the greatly debated hardened shield mechanic works.
Btw, while i support putting emp on the ghost, i think putting it on the nighthawk is better than totally scrapping it...may be ghost can switch with nighthawk and take the ability to paint targets instead of the targeting drone...works fine with his paint target for nukes ability

Personally i don't like EMP it is a good anti Protoss ability but not good at all against the other races. IMO it should be at least somewhat useful against teran and zerg and not op against toss before it can go back in the game.
Bah but I always wanted to remove it so I might not have an objective opinion as I would like to have.

Uh, it's great against terran air forces as well, BCs and wraiths had energy, and you could protect your infantry by scoring a hit on a science vessel before it irradiated their butts.

Quote by Clubby

Uh, it's great against terran air forces as well, BCs and wraiths had energy, and you could protect your infantry by scoring a hit on a science vessel before it irradiated their butts.

But many games are decided before a players can get that deep in thr tech tree and after wraiths and BC lost their energy they indeed lose their powerful ability's. But they still are a formidable fighting units.
But lets say EMP hits the precious Arbiter or HT? They would be almost completely useless. Yes the HT could merge into an Archon but what of Arbiter? His shields down no spell to cast a really weak attack...
Not good for toss...
Similar thing could be said for the Irridate ability used against a Zerg unit. It affected all Zerg units but was mostly uselles against terran or toss. Yet irridate was removed from the game while EMP lingers about till this day...

Just because it's great against one group doesn't mean it can't be great against another. if you're outgunned 4 battlecruisers and a science vessel vs 5 battlecruisers, if you emp their cruisers and yamato two of them you already have the advantage and you would win. If your comsat station runs out of energy and they use mass wraiths, just emp that area and move your marines and goliaths in, without making your science vessel a target by being a lone detector. do they have M&Ms? ...Ask for some politely, and if they have marines and medics, emp the medics and irradiate a mairne before your forces move in. The zerg you don't really have examples like that, unless you're up against a queen/defiler *****, which you still wouldn't get much of a chance to hit a hit and run unit.

EMP scores a 10/10 against protoss, and an 8/10 against terrans.

I haven't played TvT at all so I didn't know that it could be used in those ways. Heh never occurred to me....
Still by my reckoning I would give it 6-7/10 but yea It is not so useless as I first though it would be
Still I would like the EMP removed unless it is toned down in some way(I play toss thus I am not completely objective . But yea It might be good...
Hmmmm... I'll be needing some time to think about it...

EMP wasnt that great of an ability, i wont miss it. the immortal still remains strong though so thats good news too

Would they be giving it back lockdown?

hm i always did think that emp was a lil wierd... it was geared mostly towards protoss and against zerg it was next to useless. So I agree that taking it off a staple unit like the ghost is a good idea. I like the power though so hopefully it will be reassigned. It IS a lil too powerful against some toss units... especially archons... just wipes em out.

NERF! EMP was one of the most useful abilities in sc, taking it out is a big mistake, it means that in some situations (Siege vs Immortal) that one side would have a descent chance of winning vs virtually no chance of winning. Sure ghosts are easy to mass, at the same time lockdown was cheap too, if you massed enough ghosts you could take out an entire fleet of carriers or BC's.

NERF! EMP was one of the most useful abilities in sc, taking it out is a big mistake, it means that in some situations (Siege vs Immortal) that one side would have a descent chance of winning vs virtually no chance of winning. Sure ghosts are easy to mass, at the same time lockdown was cheap too, if you massed enough ghosts you could take out an entire fleet of carriers or BC's.

1. Immortal's hardened shield is passive and there is no additional upgrade to get it.
2. Ghost's EMP took out Immortal's shield.
3. Once Immortal's shield was taken out by EMP, Immortal took full damage from Siege Tanks, which means there's no more hardened shileld.

This actually tells us when the immortals shields are down the Hardend shield ability has no effect.

Immortal Life: 270 Shields: 80

So after 8 hits of damage absorption it acts like a normal unit. Taking full amounts of damage.
Thus I believe that it is not overpowered. (But then again being a toss player I might not be fully objective on this matter)