SizQo
05-26-2005, 09:57 PM
Although this is a FMP community map site, I have noticed many of you enjoy and participate in WGTour. I have compiled some useful facts on LT ZvT, that may really help you out in the future!
This style takes a decent amount of skill, intuition, and practice to pull off correctly, and as there are plenty of resources for more elementary ZvT openings I will not waste my time writing strats for newbies.
Purpose:
The purpose of this build is to maximize economy while minimizing risks to such "cheese" strats as proxy BBS.
Build Order:
9 overlord
12 pool
12 hatchery (at expansion)
If opponent techs:
14 gas
if opponent 11/13 rax or especially 10/12 rax
16-17 hatch in main or at expo if at 6, then immediate gas after.
If you start at 12, put your second hatchery just below/to the side of the ramp and your third at your expansion.
Now as at this point you have taken the economy route and are NOT in control of the game, you must respond to your opponent.
Early Game:
vs Tech:
If your opponent walled off, use your initial lings as scouts and only make drones for now. Sending one ling periodically to his ramp to scout (and always maintaining another just outside out of his vision) is crucial to discovering what he is up to, as you have several vulnerable points and you cannot possibly protect them all and expect to win.
vs Early Wraiths:
If your zerglings see only a few (3-4 at the most) marines being made and no new ones in production, there is an extremely high chance that your opponent is wraith rushing. The only other thing that generally comes from this is fast tanks on your expansion cliff, but if he's stupid enough to do that you shouldn't have much trouble beating him. In any case, it is a possibility and we must cover that end as well. Even if you didn't 3 hatch, your spire will not be done in time to save all your overlords from the inbound wraiths. Since you will eventually switch to hydra later and you aren't worrying about tanks, just drop both a den and a spire, make 3-4 hydra, and wait for spire to finish to start making mutalisks. If your spire is nearing completion, you haven't seen any wraiths, and your scouting his ramp still reveals nothing, he's probably trying to put tanks on your cliff like a dumbass, so drop one sunken by the edge and rape it with mutas when it shows up.
vs Tank Rush
If your zerglings see academy units (or an academy) accompanied by slow marine production (i.e. 4-6 marines and medic(s) or firebat(s), he's obviously spending his money on something, and he's either hiding 3 rax m&m, fast m&m dropping, or tank rushing. Most of the time it's the latter, but in case it is the former you may want to suicide your other scouting overlord to find out since the counters to both are fairly different. If assured that he made an early factory make 24 or so speedlings, but don't let your opponent see them. The less firebats he makes the easier this is. If the tank comes out and you aren't sure you can take his army with a speedling flank (or burrow, if you were just that motivated), leave your army hidden and pop down a few sunks to slow him down and collect muta/speedling until you have enough to kill his entire army at once. The sunks should delay his tank(s) enough to build an army capable of doing this. If he leaves a tank or infantry unit unprotected use grouped mutalisks to snipe it. Once the attack is dealt with, proceed to midgame.
vs one rax M&M drop:
Similar to the previous, make some speedlings and follow the dropship around when it gets to you. Since it can't unload on top of a dozen+ speedlings, he'll be forced to retreat in plenty of time for midgame. Often after this I'll skip mutalisks altogether and go straight into linglurker => hydralurker using the spire only for scourge.
vs Metal
Very few people do this anymore, but it's not unheard of. If you see multiple facts, sunk a few times and block your ramp (in case of speedvultures), then start massing mutas when your spire finishes with +1 attack upgrade. If your opponent begins making valks switch to range/speed hydralisks and get upgrades for them, and make a few scourge for the valks to include in your first fight in the middle. Valks cost alot of minerals, so you do not have to worry about any excess of tanks. If he continues on land only, muta/hydra is more than sufficient to deal with any amount of goliaths. Throw in a few lings if you're feeling frisky, it's really not a hard strat to beat unless you get caught COMPLETELY unaware.
vs Two Rax
Since you don't have to worry about anything except marines and medics coming through your choke for now, feel free to skip the zerglings (aside from your first 6) and make drones. Scout his ramp a few times as he may still be tank rushing, and you will need sunkens and/or speedlings to deal with that. If you see nothing but a pile of marines, power from all three hatches while teching to spire, not forgetting to block your ramp if it's exposed with a few lings (3 and 6 positions). Once your spire is done, proceed to midgame and be happy the early game was so easy. Make sure you scout for some dumbass trick like a floating rax in your main or such.
NOTICE: This may be useful for FMP maps as well.
This style takes a decent amount of skill, intuition, and practice to pull off correctly, and as there are plenty of resources for more elementary ZvT openings I will not waste my time writing strats for newbies.
Purpose:
The purpose of this build is to maximize economy while minimizing risks to such "cheese" strats as proxy BBS.
Build Order:
9 overlord
12 pool
12 hatchery (at expansion)
If opponent techs:
14 gas
if opponent 11/13 rax or especially 10/12 rax
16-17 hatch in main or at expo if at 6, then immediate gas after.
If you start at 12, put your second hatchery just below/to the side of the ramp and your third at your expansion.
Now as at this point you have taken the economy route and are NOT in control of the game, you must respond to your opponent.
Early Game:
vs Tech:
If your opponent walled off, use your initial lings as scouts and only make drones for now. Sending one ling periodically to his ramp to scout (and always maintaining another just outside out of his vision) is crucial to discovering what he is up to, as you have several vulnerable points and you cannot possibly protect them all and expect to win.
vs Early Wraiths:
If your zerglings see only a few (3-4 at the most) marines being made and no new ones in production, there is an extremely high chance that your opponent is wraith rushing. The only other thing that generally comes from this is fast tanks on your expansion cliff, but if he's stupid enough to do that you shouldn't have much trouble beating him. In any case, it is a possibility and we must cover that end as well. Even if you didn't 3 hatch, your spire will not be done in time to save all your overlords from the inbound wraiths. Since you will eventually switch to hydra later and you aren't worrying about tanks, just drop both a den and a spire, make 3-4 hydra, and wait for spire to finish to start making mutalisks. If your spire is nearing completion, you haven't seen any wraiths, and your scouting his ramp still reveals nothing, he's probably trying to put tanks on your cliff like a dumbass, so drop one sunken by the edge and rape it with mutas when it shows up.
vs Tank Rush
If your zerglings see academy units (or an academy) accompanied by slow marine production (i.e. 4-6 marines and medic(s) or firebat(s), he's obviously spending his money on something, and he's either hiding 3 rax m&m, fast m&m dropping, or tank rushing. Most of the time it's the latter, but in case it is the former you may want to suicide your other scouting overlord to find out since the counters to both are fairly different. If assured that he made an early factory make 24 or so speedlings, but don't let your opponent see them. The less firebats he makes the easier this is. If the tank comes out and you aren't sure you can take his army with a speedling flank (or burrow, if you were just that motivated), leave your army hidden and pop down a few sunks to slow him down and collect muta/speedling until you have enough to kill his entire army at once. The sunks should delay his tank(s) enough to build an army capable of doing this. If he leaves a tank or infantry unit unprotected use grouped mutalisks to snipe it. Once the attack is dealt with, proceed to midgame.
vs one rax M&M drop:
Similar to the previous, make some speedlings and follow the dropship around when it gets to you. Since it can't unload on top of a dozen+ speedlings, he'll be forced to retreat in plenty of time for midgame. Often after this I'll skip mutalisks altogether and go straight into linglurker => hydralurker using the spire only for scourge.
vs Metal
Very few people do this anymore, but it's not unheard of. If you see multiple facts, sunk a few times and block your ramp (in case of speedvultures), then start massing mutas when your spire finishes with +1 attack upgrade. If your opponent begins making valks switch to range/speed hydralisks and get upgrades for them, and make a few scourge for the valks to include in your first fight in the middle. Valks cost alot of minerals, so you do not have to worry about any excess of tanks. If he continues on land only, muta/hydra is more than sufficient to deal with any amount of goliaths. Throw in a few lings if you're feeling frisky, it's really not a hard strat to beat unless you get caught COMPLETELY unaware.
vs Two Rax
Since you don't have to worry about anything except marines and medics coming through your choke for now, feel free to skip the zerglings (aside from your first 6) and make drones. Scout his ramp a few times as he may still be tank rushing, and you will need sunkens and/or speedlings to deal with that. If you see nothing but a pile of marines, power from all three hatches while teching to spire, not forgetting to block your ramp if it's exposed with a few lings (3 and 6 positions). Once your spire is done, proceed to midgame and be happy the early game was so easy. Make sure you scout for some dumbass trick like a floating rax in your main or such.
NOTICE: This may be useful for FMP maps as well.