Zerg Strategy?

[DutchNvG]

Alright, as being the first one making a topic in this forum I would like to know / learn a simple strategy for the Zerg. I prefer the Zerg and I am planning to spend some more time with 'em as soon as my exams are finished. I would love to hear any idea's or things I should try out. Thanks in advance guys! 

[36drew]

I'm 1440, rank 3, gold league atm (was platinum but played rdm for a while to understand some of the other races).

A pretty good opening build is

9-overlord
14-pool
16-hatch (on a close map you might not want to FE -fast expand)
15-gas

Soon after this I open up with speedlings backed up by two queens and a sunken or two at my expo. You really need to scout your opponent to see what's happening.

If I see a terran is going heavy on marines, I add banelings. Heavy on marauder = tech for roach/hydra.

If I see a toss is going zealot heavy, I turtle with more sunkens and try to go into ling/muta. Though roach/hydra is just as effective. It kind of depends on how the game evolves, what he's teching too, what your better at managing, etc.

In a mirror I usually don't go as crazy with speedlings, but if my opponent does I add banelings and like to burrow them. Pop em up right in the middle of his mass with some hydra/roach backup. I don't like to make many muta in this matchup. Hydra just own them so back, and hydra just are the way to go once you hit lair - roaches have about half the range, and that just doesn't cut it IMO. Granted they are cheaper and have some interesting tech builds.

[Aaryn_GenD]

[quote=""36drew""]
If I see a terran is going heavy on marines, I add banelings. Heavy on marauder = tech for roach/hydra.[/quote]

why would you tech to roaches if your opponent goes marauder? marauders cream them roaches or?

[KingKaramazov]

I wouldn't recommend building Roaches much since they've been nerfed. They're not really worth 2 supply at the moment.

Zerg pretty much have two options...

Muta / ling or Mass Hydra

Throw in some Infesters for support in either case.

[Drag]

Pure hydra can't stand up alone to marine marauder ball so you need roachs to be the 'meatsield'

[Aaryn_GenD]

also don't be too harsh on nerfs, it might look like a huge nerf on the paper (roachers got own in the last 2-3 patches^^) but they're stil a decent unit

[36drew]

For ten roaches, you are looking at 100 extra minerals. Nothing insane, but it does affect you when you 200/200. Also the zerg one base roach push is hurting quite a bit too.

[Moose_]

Yeah roaches are still viable when mixed into hydra armies, it's just not as practical to have a big late game mass of them anymore.
If I see a toss go 2 gate start (means they are probably going zealot heavy) I still do 1 base roach push, it still works as long as you remember to get another overlord out early.

Another strat that's good to have up your sleeve vs terran is baneling bust:

Make sure that they have a wall with at least 1 supply depot in (that's where you're going to be busting in)
9 overlord
14 pool
13/14 gas
16 overlord
queen when pool is done
ling speed on first 100 gas
baneling nest on next 50 gas

Then just mass lings until the speed upgrade and the baneling nest are done, then build 5 banelings and run them into his supply depot wall and your in. Run all your lings in and kill everything inside.
Don't forget to type kekekekekekekeke

[Aaryn_GenD]

smart use of buildings (not 2 supply depots at entrance) and this won't work :-P

a lot of people already adapted to this.

[Moose_]

Yeah if you see that they have no supply depots in their wall then abandon baneling bust straight away. It's not to bad for you if they do though since you aren't really going all in so you can just expand and transition into something else while they are hiding behind their wall on 1 base.

[Aaryn_GenD]

[quote=""Moose_""]Yeah if you see that they have no supply depots in their wall then abandon baneling bust straight away. It's not to bad for you if they do though since you aren't really going all in so you can just expand and transition into something else while they are hiding behind their wall on 1 base.[/quote]

banelings are still good vs T, if you don't use them vs his buildings, use them vs his marines! they own marines so badly.

[KingKaramazov]

[quote=""36drew""]For ten roaches, you are looking at 100 extra minerals. Nothing insane, but it does affect you when you 200/200. Also the zerg one base roach push is hurting quite a bit too.[/quote]

The real issue is that it's a lot more difficult to amass Roaches in the early game (when they're most useful).

Later in the game roaches get hard countered by Marauders, Immortals, and any other units with anti-armor attacks. Roaches really don't offer you much in terms of utility because like almost all Zerg units they're general purpose.

Blizz nerfed the Roach's special attributes (burrow move, fast regen) and then dealt a blow to the only other thing that made them really useful - their massability. Now you're probably better off making a lot of Speedlings to go with your Hydras instead of Roaches. You can save the gas you were gonna use on those Roaches and use them to make Banelings, which actually hard counter certain types of units.

Overall Zerg just feel like they have about 1/3 the options that the other races do. Nevertheless, they are still my favorite race. Hopefully I won't have to wait for the next expansion for them to become more interesting.

[Drag]

I think ZvT is an interesting match up, but recently in all the high profile reps and streams i've been watching ZvP seems to just turn into Mass hydra owning everything (Check the Nony v Idra games from the HDH as good examples)

[KingKaramazov]

[quote=""Drag""]I think ZvT is an interesting match up, but recently in all the high profile reps and streams i've been watching ZvP seems to just turn into Mass hydra owning everything (Check the Nony v Idra games from the HDH as good examples)[/quote]

ZvT seems like Mass Marauder balls or fast Banshee attacks vs. baneling bust or speedling to mutas. Sort of interesting I guess.