Zerg Versus Terran: The Bane of my Existence

A friend of mine and I are playing, and Marine-Tank is just killing me.  He does this very interesting double-push, where he doesn't rally his second batch of units to his first batch, instead he saves it up and does a sizable second push immediately after the first (right at the time when you think you're safe to build drones).

I don't really like the fact that you pretty much have to build Banelings against early Terran aggressiveness, or you are dead.  If he keeps coming at you with Marine-Tank (with Medivac, possibly), you have to tech to Infestors, or you are also dead.  Some people say Muta works, but if you mis-micro at all, you are equally dead.  Fungal growth just does SO much damage to marine balls, and prevents your banelings from being kited.

But... Infestors don't really last that long against Siege Tanks.  In fact, it's rather crazy.  The whole matchup is all about you engaging Siege Tanks while they are moving, or your Zergling / Baneling / Muta / Infestor, or whatever combo of that you try, will explode to rapid-fire marines and the heavy splash from tanks.

Starcraft 2 Timings - Learning From Day9

I watched a really good Day 9 episode recently, giving lower-level players a sense of when you can go in for the kill.  In short, you count the number of major advantages ("blunders") you get over the other player (losing a battle, you destroy an expansion, you successfully harass and do a ton of damage), and if the answer is more than two or three, you try to go in for the kill (build mostly attack units, mass up and go for the big finishing attack).  Day9 suggests that number of major advantages really depends on your own play and your ranking, and you're going to have to figure it out how many advantages you need before you can go finish your opponent off, but this "blunder counter" gives you a method of deciding when to push.

Generally, immediate counterattacks after winning a single major battle can lose you the game, because by the time you get there, you hit both his fixed defenses and his reinforcements, while yours are further and further behind you.  This is a "wait for another blunder" moment, or a "get more ahead" moment, rather than a "go frickin' kill him" moment.  All of these moments are explained by Day9 in his various 'casts.

2v2: Learn your Lategame Strategy

I was recently in a 2v2 where I felt like I was winning.  It was Terran-Zerg (us) versus TT (them, double Terran), and some early aggression seemed to put us ahead... or did it?

Watching the replay, I noticed that our aggression really only put us back even, after all the resources spent on banelings and marines.  We expanded with our perceived lead, to match their existing expansion.  As Zerg, I double-expanded, and again, felt that we were in the lead after some more poking and prodding.

Yet, lategame was a huge fiasco.  In an attempt to break their Siege-tank + mass Raven (with Vikings added later), I built Corruptors and Broodlords.  This turned out to be a big mistake.  Why?  Well, simply put, we weren't going to outproduce both players making Vikings, and their vikings would kill Corruptors + Vikings, because of attack range and point defense.  So we gradually lost the air war, and then the game.

Thinking back, I should have ignored the air and tech'ed to Ultralisks, and gotten 3/3 upgrades on them.  Heck, I could probably have even dropped the Ultras on the Siege tanks, or even just a few zerglings and let the Siege tanks kill each other with splash.

So what am I trying to say?  Well, despite what the enemy does, you still have to think of how you're going to push him back, NOT how to kill his existing units.  We didn't NEED to push back the Vikings, only to kill the Siege tanks and get the ground back, so we could take the middle expansion, instead of seeing it fall to the enemy.  So, try to make your opponents' mix "irrelevant", and get an army composition that they'd have a hard time dealing with, rather than playing "their way".

More Lessons From GSL: Zerg Aggression

Okay, so I won't make any spoilers for anyone, but in the recent GSL (Global Starcraft League for those who are new), ST_July, a Zerg player, used constant and early aggression to beat both Terran and Protoss players.  Specifically, he massed roach against an early-expanding Protoss on a large map, and Baneling-busted through a Barracks wall on another map.

Mind you, his micro and timings are perfect.  He can afford to throw large masses of units against his opponent, knowing that he'll either have time to build defenses if his attack fails and there is a counterattack, or he knows how to avoid forcefields (in the case of Protoss opponents).

However, in the most recent championships, MC totally dominated all opponents by clever use of force fields, but I don't blame July for his loss, there - he was simply outplayed and outmaneuvered.

Know Your Zerg - Spotlight on Zerglings

Zerglings have it tough - they are sacrificed as scouts, area-of-effect (AOE) weapons slaughter them, they're always the first into combat, and they never get the bed to themselves.

So... what are they good for?  Zerglings' main purpose switches from core army in early game, to scouts and runbys late game.

Are Surprisingly Good At:

• Counterattacks:  Even 12 Zerglings into someone's unguarded expansion might cause their main army to turn around to defend.   While 12 Zerglings shouldn't turn the tide of the battle for you, if they kill 12 enemy workers, the next battle will be far easier.
• Killing Roaches and Stalkers, early game.

Zergling Tricks

• Get Burrow.  Burrow Zerglings all over the map, preferably under enemy expansion locations and where you DON'T have creep, but need vision.
• Put a Zergling outside the enemy base.  If he moves out, you'll know it.  All it costs you is 25 minerals, and is easily and quickly replaced.

Words of Caution

• Although it may LOOK like you have a lot of Zerglings, they are so cheap that numbers are often deceiving.
• Do not send Zerglings against walls, into AOE, or through chokes.  Do not send them against large masses of marines, except as a means of preventing them from kiting your banelings
• Keep Zerglings away from enemy banelings.  You are almost better not engaging at all than engaging enemy forces anywhere near banelings.  If you must, send 1 zergling at a time into banelings to reduce their numbers 1 for 1.  It is possible to kill over 16 Zerglings with 1 Baneling.

Know Your Zerg - Spotlight on Mutalisks

Here is some key information on Mutalisks.  All information relevant as of patch 1.3:

Are Surprisingly Good Against:

• Void Rays:  equal numbers of mutas will kill a nearly equal numbers of Void Rays.  Void Rays cannot escape Mutas, and are more expensive.

 Are Countered By:

• They cannot outrun Phoenixes - stay and fight unless you can find nearby corruptors or other anti-air to save them
• Are shredded by most anti-air, but especially low damage, high-rate attacks such as Marines or Hydras

Best Purposes

• Should be constantly on the move, preferably harassing something:
• Workers
• Enemy Reinforcements
• Slow enemy units (Siege tanks, Immortals, Banelings

Upgrades

• Attack upgrades are better for them, since you will generally be using them to attack things that can't fight back, or that need to die fast, such as turrets.
• If you intend to make the "big Muta ball", armor upgrades are actually quite good.  Still, mutas should not linger when they are being target-fired by enemy units.

The Magic Box

• The magic box technique , conceived by Team Liquid, is a positioning tactic where you mutas are spread out and not overlapping.  This allows them to take on even scary units like a Thor or two without taking massive splash damage.
• To magic box, give the mutas a move command to a safe area, and then wait until they all arrive at the spot - they will naturally spread out.
• When attacking with your magic box, do not target-fire units.  If you do, the mutas will lose their magic box and clump up.  Instead, use a move command and park your boxed mutas over your target, using the Stop command when your mutas are in position.  Mutas have a bounce-attack and will hit what you want them to most of the time, since their range is so short.
• Watch a video tutorial on the magic box and its benefits

Starcraft 2 Strategy: Watching the GSL Pros

Even the pros can make horrific mistakes.  Some of their mistakes, aside from micro (which can always be improved) are:

• Throwing away too many early game units in the name of "scouting".  
• Losing units by not committing to fights, allowing the opponent to whittle down your army without causing any damage to his.
• Not having a strategy or goal or build
• Sticking with the same unit combination over a long game
• Throwing away units into fixed defenses instead of expanding
• Failing to pull workers away from an attack
• Failing to scout opponent expansions
• Not enough harassment
• Fleeing with units that are going to be run down and killed anyway