Dromar's Blog

A good match.


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I'm gonna just get right to it: My rank is now 1839, and I'm about to get to D+, and I honestly don't feel I deserve to be called a D+ player. I can only win like 1/3 of games against D players, so why should I be considered D+? I should actually be D- I would think. I guess that's just not how the iCCup ranking system works. This update is a little small (only 20 games played since the last), but I'm basically going whenever I have questions or just something to say, which is now. So off we go:

1v1 analysis:

Zerg(76 games)
(16)ZvZ: 6-10 37.5%
(32)ZvP:12-20 37.5%
(28)ZvT: 6-22 21.4%

overall:24-52 31.5%

since last report:

Zerg(20 games)
( 4)ZvZ: 2- 2 50.0%
( 9)ZvP: 5- 4 55.6%
( 7)ZvT: 0- 7 0.0%

ZvZ: Haven't played many ZvZ games since my last update, but some new developments have arisen. Of the 4 ZvZ games I've played, I've been gassed twice. By gassed, I mean they sent a drone scout, and built an extractor on my gas.
The first time it happened was Tau Cross, where I responded by taking my nat (3rd hatch), and proceeding to lose the game like a noob because I forgot to make my lair long after I had enough gas. I feel I could have won that game had I gotten my lair and spire at the correct times, or just gotten spores a bit earlier. In fact, both my ZvZ losses came from me idiotically forgetting to upgrade to lair and/or forgetting to build spire. Hopefully I can rectify that easy problem.
Anyway, the second game I got gassed was on Blue Storm, and it made me realize that I have to have a plan to deal with this, since on 2 player maps, they can gas me easily if they wish to. This time I responded with a hidden hatch (3rd hatch) and mass speedlings just before his spire finished (ee han timing is easy with overlords )

ZvP: Uh, seeing that 5-4 record made me check my replays to figure out how I won. Basically, mutas rock in pretty much every way. 3hatch or 4hatch muta, almost like I'm playing ZvT, except I trade a couple mutas for scourge to deal with sairs (and scourge are way cheaper too). The great harassing power and mobility of mutas has basically allowed me to deny expansions, harass mineral lines, thwart the inevitable +1 speed zeals (see visual aid)
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Well, I played some, got busy and stopped playing for a couple weeks, then played a bit more, and here's where I am now. I'm at 1490, and I've played a few 2v2s, which always are either really fun or really shitty, depending on whether I win or lose, and my 2v2 rating is now 1130 after 4 games.

A quick 2v2 recap:

So apparently everybody loves to go PP in 2v2s. Of my 4 games, 3 were PP, and one was ZR -> ZZ. Against the ZZ team, it was just a double-team zerg rush win. The PP game I lost was a double 2-gate doubleteam into me, plus I had some 40 APM noob as my ally. Those games sucked (maybe cuz I lost, maybe cuz they were over in 5 minutes).
The other two games were pretty fun. One was on Python, ZP vs PP. I had seen 2v2 PP strats on Python such as one player going cannons to defend both ramps, then secure both players expos, while the other player went hardcore zeals; seems like a pretty good strat to me. When my ovie scouted the close position opponent going forge first, I assumed that's what was happening. Nope. Both players went for a hidden in-base cannon rush. My ally rolled his rush over with a standard 2-gate, and I just stopped the cannon rush dead with a well (and timely) placed sunk, until I had a bunch of hydras. It was just a formality from there.
The other game I won was a ZT vs PP on Hannibal. First off, I love Hannibal as a 2v2 map. Second, tanks + lurks + overlord/scourge pretty much owns everything PP can send your way. I took my nat way before anyone else, while pressuring and delaying expos, but later in the game, it seemed like I was too late to take a third, because they were pretty much all taken. So I kinda didn't pull my weight later in the game, but my ally was Korean, so it worked out.
All in all, 2v2 is pretty fun, and it's a nice warm-up for 1v1 games. Guess that wasn't such a quick recap.



1v1 analysis:

Zerg(56 games)
(12)ZvZ: 4- 8 33.3%
(23)ZvP: 7-16 30.4%
(21)ZvT: 6-15 28.6%

since last report:

Zerg(24 games)
( 5)ZvZ: 3- 2 60.0%
(11)ZvP: 4- 7 36.3%
( 8)ZvT: 1- 7 12.5%

ZvZ: My ZvZ has definitely improved, as I've started employing more econo-friendly openings. Assuming Python, something like 12hatch(@main),pool,drone,gas. On 2 player maps, or maps without a nice defensive choke I'll prefer something else. I have been considering throwing in an occasional 4pool, but I'm still debating whether or not it's even worth it. I have to consider the viability/timing of a 4pool + sunk rush, since if I'm going to cheese I'd prefer to have an offensive sunk involved (way cooler and IMO a stronger punch, and thus better chance of working, since 4pool doesn't really have a followup).

ZvP: My ZvP has improved as well, though I still have quite a ways to go. I have been getting 2gated frequently enough that it's become a concern, and I've responded by going 12pool, because, as much as I hate it, I can't deal with a good (or even okay) 2gate when I 12hatch. This is somewhat painful economically, but I've had pretty good results so far, namely because:
1. since I'm going with a "safer" build, I just skip drone scouting, which helps a tiny bit I guess, and
2. for some reason, when the protoss scouts my 12pool, they build cannons first anyway. I'm guessing they confuse it with overpool (or just think pool before hatch = cannons first) but it's a nice mistake I can capitalize on against my current opposition.

ZvT: My ZvT, unlike the other matches, has gotten a lot shittier. And it's because my muta harass has been ineffective. It seems like they've got turrets up way before my mutas get there, and there's just too many turrets to do anything. I need to back off and just retain map control in those situations, but so far I haven't been. On top of that, my muta micro has been way off lately. I'm playing on iCCup, but it's been seeming like I've been playing on bnet as far as muta micro goes, resulting in me getting into situations I can't handle, and getting my mutas killed. The other problem, which is probably somewhat related, is that I'm having difficulty keeping my 3rd since my lurkers don't come in time to stop his mnm force from getting in. So, I definitely could play better, specifically areas revolving around the muta portion of ZvT, but I have yet to. It just seems like the terrans are TOO prepared for my mutas. And they haven't been late either. So I'm considering going lurkers instead until I can clear my bad muta habits from my mind.
This is a definite 180 from ICCup report 1, where I said "ZvT is my best matchup, definitely. Going into a game, I feel most comfortable in ZvT." I guess I still feel reasonably comfortable going into a ZvT, though a bit less so now, and way less so when my mutas get raped, and then I lose my 3rd 20 seconds later.

Questions:

ZvZ:
1. Which build would you rather open against 12hatch@main: 4pool or 9pool? How about against 12pool? Assume python if you just want to give a quick answer, or elaborate based on map qualities if you wanna give a more detailed answer.

ZvP:
1.Um... I think I just need to practice and get stronger all around in this matchup before any more QnA will help me. I guess... there's no good reason for protoss to get cannons before nexus when I 12pool right? Is there anything for me to exploit if I go 12pool and they get nexus first? I assumed not.

ZvT:
1. When playing standard sAviOr style 3hatch muta, when do you commonly add evos? Just 1, or 2? If only 1, when do you add a second?
2. I've been trying out dual evos, both right after my lurker up starts, which is right after I start morphing my mutas. I then get carapace (of course), and range attack, rather than melee. My thinking is that, when skirmishes ensue with my lurkerling army, the +1 range will make my lurkers more effective, for longer (since marines will need +3 armor to before they can avoid 2hit death from lurkers). After I get +1 range, I then start on melee ups as normal, while continuing carapace. Unfortunatly, my games haven't gotten that far due to the above-mentioned muta troubles I've been having. So what do you think of this? Good idea? Bad?
3. What's the best counter to straight up mass goliath (plus the occasional siege tank, I guess)? I assumed mass hydra, but I lost anyway, but that may just be because he was a better player.

General:
1. When do you drone scout in each matchup, and why? I used to scout immediately with my 9th drone, but I would either find no useful info (ex. partially built rax, could be any number of followups), or I'll find good info, but too late for any changes in my build open to be worth it (ex. I see 2gate, but my 12hatch is already down, and it's not worth it to cancel now). Seemed the only info I got was their position and whether or not they were cheesing (if their base was empty), or occasionally ZvP, I could scout in time to go 3hatch before pool against an FE. But usually even a 9 scout wasn't quick enough for that. I've now given up drone scouting completely, since I either get no good info, or it's too late to act on it. So, what do you do to scout, when, and why?


As always, comments and constructive criticism welcome.

So all my games will be played on ICCup from now on. I'm currently hovering just below 1000, which doesn't include the 260 points that I haven't recieved from drophacks. And I don't know if they're gonna do anything about it or what. Apparently my first day happened to be the same day that the site got overloaded or something, and they aren't gonna be able to handle all the complaints from that day. Or maybe they will, I dunno. It's not like I'm real good or anything, so it's no biggie.

My goal is to make it to D+ by the end of the season, which honestly can't be too difficult, since I get +130 for a win, and -50 for a loss. I think my biggest problem will be lack of time, but I'm sure I'll find enough time to play in the next 2.5 months. That said, my record is

Zerg(32 games)
( 7)ZvZ: 1- 6 14.2%
(12)ZvP: 3- 9 25.0%
(13)ZvT: 5- 8 38.4%

(32)SUM: 9-23 28.1%

Some of the players, it seems they must be way better than D level, cuz I just got owned horribly some games.

Another thing I'd like to comment on is the etiquette on ICCup. It seems to be nonexistent, at least in the positive sense. Of my 32 games, I've gotten 4 ggs, and 2 of them were me losing and my opponent gg'ing before me. It's sad really. I hope it gets better as I climb the ranks.



ZvZ: I've decided that my past "standard" build in ZvZ sucks, since it's not strong economically, and it's not aggressive enough to punish my opponent's econ opening. That seems to be the common problem with 12pool builds; it's only half good at two things, so it's usefulness walks a fine line. Anyways, my new standard open is 12hatch inbase, 11pool, 11gas, lair first, lingspeed only if needed (but it probably will be most games), and plan to get a sunk incase I need it. With good building/unit placement, I can be pretty secure with only one sunk while I get lair/spire. So my ZvZ record sucks ass, but I've used a shitty build for all but one of those games. The only time I'm considering not using my new standard is on two player maps like Blue Storm, where aggression is much more viable.


ZvP: Still suck at ZvP, but I'm working on it. Way back when, I got my lair immediately, but too early, and had no econ, except for an all-in which rarely worked. Then, I got lair too late, and had an okay econ, but got raped by the +1 speedzeals. Now, I'm working on getting a good econ going, AND getting gas in a timely manner. Forcing myself to get 4 hatch before gas helps this. Then, unless he went for 1gate tech to corsairs off one base, I'll usually spend my first gas on +1carapace, then get my nat gas, and get Lair, then hydra den + a few hydras. Shortly after that, I want to get my third gas up and running. I dunno, I'm still relatively clueless in this matchup.


ZvT: ZvT is my best matchup, definitely. Going into a game, I feel most comfortable in ZvT. The only thing is bunker rushes. Out of the 13 ZvTs I've played, 8 have been losses, and 4 have been to bunker rushes. It's a huge hole in my ZvT right now. I think if I could notice it sooner, I'd be able to deal with it more easily. I've handled bunker rushes on bnet before, but it seems my biggest problem is I notice the bunker building too late due to the hatchery's shitty vision, and get screwed. So what I've been doing as of the past 1 ZvT is just making sure I can clearly see the bunker-prone area in order to react to it. I don't think it's too much of a sacrifice to just have a drone sitting there to deal with it before it happens. Once my pool is done, I'm fine.
Generally I go 3hatch muta, but I'll sometimes build a den at the correct timing to possibly throw off the terran if he scans and only sees the den. Also, SCVs tend to somehow be able to get into my base even with my lings blocking the exit from his base. Building the den has caused me to easily win 2 games with mutas because he had no turrets, and had his army containing me, expecting to force my 3rd base later by making me break out with lurkers. One game that went exactly like that was against a 290 APM Korean who drophacked me when he lost. At the D level, Terran's seem to have a lot of difficulty with mutas in my experience.


I now only play against players who have antihack on, which actually makes it tougher to get in a game. A lot of the time, the game is full as soon as it shows up on the screen, and since people make restrictions like "D+ only," "no Z," etc, I sometimes sit in the lobby for a few minutes just trying to get a game. Wish I could host.



Questions:

ZvT:
1. One game I played, I wasn't able to get my scout drone into his base, due to me scouting him last. I kept a watchful eye over his nat with a ling, to see when he expoed, and he didn't expo at the 1rax cc timing, so I assumed he was going for a sunk-break, and made more sunks. Then wraiths flew into my base and started raping overlords. I eventually dealt with his harass, but not before taking noticeable damage, at which point he followed up with a dropship full of mnm. This strat owned me pretty bad. What can/should I do if I'm unable to scout the Terran? Should I send in an overlord? Cuz' it doesn't seem like it'll get very far, and probably won't even get any good info.


ZvZ:
1.I'm thinking that if I ZvZ and secure my nat, I just have to be able to defend my opponent's earlier aggression for a short while before I can just overpower him with a greater gas econ. If I 12hatch@nat or 12pool12hatch@nat, what can/should I do to defend until my econ pulls ahead? I may have to deal with lots of fast lings, or fast mutas. Obviously I can scout which one is coming based on his lair/spire timing, but what should I do to defend from each? Should I plan on going evo:spore against mutas, or try to defend with my own muta/scourge? Sunks at my nat to deal with mass lings seems like it could be a bad idea depending on the map, since they might be able to run through. The only alternative I can think of is to delay my gas/pull drones off gas and pump lots of lings until I'm safe, then power econ to take advantage of my additional base. Any comments on this line of thinking?

ZvP:
1. Why don't protoss players build a pylon where my nat would go and follow it up with cannons behind the minerals more often? I've only had this happen once so far, and when protoss FEs and Zerg 12hatch why is this not done more? How can I stop it?

As always, comments and constructive criticism welcome.

Ok, so I dl'ed the stuff to play on iCCup, and I thought there was a problem because the site is down, but apparently I can play fine in THE ABYSS, so I did. I played 8 games:

2 ZvP, got raped
3 ZvZ, got raped
3 ZvT, which I'm 2-1, one of the wins was a drophack.

So I took a bunch of screenshots, and I've got autoreplaysaver on, but I'll have to wait until the site is back up to read what I'm supposed to do.

Some iCCup-related questions:

1. Is the site down often?
2. Are there any busy/quiet times on the D server?
3. How many times am I gonna get drophacked? I assume players have more integrity at C and above?

ZvZ:
The common build I use is something like this:
9overlord
12gas
11pool
build one drone, then save up money. When pool finishes, make 6 lings and start lair. Then, constantly pump lings, and add a 2nd hatch asap (usually when my 7th and 8th lings hatch). Defend with my lings unless an opportunity presents itself. Straight to lair, build an overlord, save up money, build mutas, or muta/scourge combo if opponent went fast spire too. Afterward, entirely game dependent.

Does this build suck? I thought it was good because I got spire basically as fast as humanly possible, and defend as much as possible, but I just got rolled. What other good builds can I try (assuming python, longinus/tau, other common iCCup maps)?

If you've been keeping up with my blog you know that I have the most difficulty against Protoss. My frustrating losses to all but the noobiest of players has caused me to reexamine my play...

Fortunately, since I've been keeping written notes of my progress (ie. this blog) I was able to notice that, as I played more games, got better in general, faster, more multitasking ability, and more strategic/tactical knowledge, I've actually gotten worse at ZvP.

How the hell could this be? I watched pretty much every ZvP replay I've played, and...

Back when I started playing, the first 100 gas I ever got went to lair, always. I also tended to take my gas a bit early (around 12 or 13 supply). In ZvP this translated into me going 2 base 2 hatch lurker rush. When I got some lurkers, I'd usually move out to protoss' nat and just charge in, targeting cannons with all the hydra/ling I had while my lurkers settled in. If I broke in, I'd probably win, if not, I'd lose. I didn't really know much else to do at the time.

Then, one horrific and fateful day, I played some games on bnet. 4 games. All against Protoss @Python. And each and every time, they went 1gate tech to corsairs. As most people know, if you're unprepared when that corsair gets to your base, it can be gg pretty easily. It was very frustrating. That's when it all changed. Before that, my main priority was to get some lurkers and roll out. After those games, my main priority became getting hydras to deal with those corsairs.

Now, that's not exactly bad, but I didn't follow up correctly. What I inevitably ended up doing every game ZvP since then was getting mass hydra/ling, and since I was going mass hydra, I might as well get hydra ups, etc. This put a lot of strain on my gas econ early in the game, resulting in my getting lair very, very late. So late that I never had lurkers unless the protoss delayed his push for some reason. Since my macro isn't really strong yet, I'd get owned repeatedly by a group of +1 speedzeals and a couple templar, and then it was pretty much over. At this point, the only way I'd ever win was either via the occasional hydra rush, or, if the protoss for some reason decided not to attack when he took his third, and instead sat his army by his third to defend it while it warped in, my drop tech would complete around then, and I would drop my hydras in his main, forcing him to run his army back to deal with it, while a dozen speedlings shut down his third, and I took another expo. Repeat until I have cracklings and ultras. But basically I just lost to +1 speedzeals and templar over and over.

My late lair meant late overlord speed, which meant corsair harass was more effective for longer, and a couple DT could give the protoss map control ez. It also meant really late lurkers, which made dealing with the +1 speedzeals really tough. What a shitty way to play.

So anyway, I finally realized what I was doing wrong. Will I win more often now at ZvP? I dunno. But I'll be playing better.


tl;dr: The jig is up 'tosses. I know about your additional pylons.

ZERG (50 games)
ZvZ (11 games) 2- 9 18.1%
ZvT (16 games) 7- 9 43.7%
ZvP (23 games) 5-18 21.7%
Winrate 28%

I'm gonna stop keeping track of my APM since it's basically a waste of time to average it out. My APM is between 150-170 vT and vP, and between 100-120 vZ. There really doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do in ZvZ usually.


I'm 14-36 in the last 50 games
I'm 8-17 in the last 25 games

I generally played much tougher competition in this set of games. The thing is, on bnet, I'll usually find myself against players that are either way better or way worse than myself. I'd say out of this set of 50 games, I played maybe 15 against players close to my level. I may consider playing ICCup, since that way I'll be able to focus on similarly-skilled players.


ZvT:
I've tried out an idea I had recently for ZvT on Python: get lair, lay down a den and a spire, research slow drops and dual evos, and take both islands as soon as drops finish. Pile up some lurkers and go for hive. I've found that Terran will rarely find out about the islands until it's far too late unless they go for a quick dropship, in which case they'll probably scout one or both quickly.
Other than that I just need practice playing to reduce the "wasted" time in my games, like when I get a queens nest and don't go to hive for ~1 minute, and then I build a defiler mound, but don't get consume or defilers for another minute. I also need to get more experience taking out science vessels with scourge. It sucks that vessels fly nearly as fast as scourge. Scourge should be faster IMO by just a bit.

ZvP:
I'm getting very frustrated losing to protosses with 70 APM over and over. I feel like protoss can beat me without even having to try. Psi-storm is gay. 1 templar is worth 10 of my supply, or more when you count the archon merge. I can barely survive a push, much less stop his expo, which always happen simultaneously. Once the expo is up, there's 5-10 cannons protecting it, and I can't take out his army because psi storms melt half my army in 3 seconds. GG. ok, enough ranting.
Thinking more constructively, I just feel that protoss has too many options in PvZ on Python, or generally any map with a ramp. Short of 4 or 5-pool gayness, Zerg can't stop an FE. 2gate is tough for me to fight off when I 12hatch, and I feel like I get so far behind economically no matter how well the early harass goes since so much larva/money is used for lings, while the protoss pumps probes constantly. Sunks are pretty much worthless because he can just run up my ramp. Which brings up ramps: ramps afford the protoss the ability to do 1gate tech builds in PvZ that can either gg it right there (1 corsair that can't be answered = gg) or cripple the Zerg economically, forcing me to either get gas really early or spend all my initial gas on a hydra den + a few hydras which sometimes can't even keep the corsairs from getting kills, and are next to worthless against speedzeals. Protoss could also go for a quick +1 or speed up or any other less conventional 1gate tech build, and I need to scout it, so I pretty much have to give up an overlord for it, either to a corsair or a dragoon. This is all a result of the fact that Python has high-ground start locations, and protoss can just hold-position 2 zealots and do whatever the fuck he wants. Overpool speed is also pretty shitty against FE on maps with ramps, since anything blocking the tiny ramp will cause the run-through to be a complete failure, which sets me way behind economically.
That said, I've played against some pretty good protoss players, but you don't have to be good to beat me in PvZ. Get a group of +1 speedzeals, a couple corsairs, and attack-move, gg. I'm always either too weak economically, or militarily, or I just don't have an answer fast enough.
So, in summary, I'm having difficulty against protoss. So I'm doing what I usually do when I have trouble with something: I keep banging my head against the wall until the wall breaks. I'm reminded of the time I first moved to expert in Guitar Hero. I played Smoke on the Water 28 times before I passed, and after that I never failed an expert song again.

ZvZ:
I'm really liking the gas-pool builds. I'll usually 12gas11pool, and go straight for lair/spire, pumping lings and adding a second hatch in main. I'm kind of an idiot with lings when I'm on the offensive. I've noticed a few times that I'll overpower his lings with superior numbers, and then attack the hatch at his nat, thinking "if I take this out I'll be way ahead." Obviously, I should be going straight for the drones. It's cost me a couple games, but I don't think I'll be making that mistake any more.

Questions:

[ZvT]
1. Is there any strategy or tactic that I can use to dissuade Terran from getting dropships when I go double island expo?
2. How come I almost never get bunker rushed? Is it just too hard to pull off on a 4 player map like Python? I thought BBS and bunker rushes were popular on bnet.
3. When I take my third (assuming Python), which expo should I take? Corners are difficult to defend since they're wide open. Min onlys are worthless (ie. gasless). That leaves empty mains and nats, which I'm reconsidering. Mains have a ramp which I can defend with 2-3 lurkers, but securing a nat is like getting another expo free whenever I need it. If I take an empty nat and throw up a few sunks, it's nearly as well-defended as my nat. Any comments/suggestions on which expo is better to take?


[ZvP]
1. In what order should I spend my gas? Say I 12h11p13h@3rd against protoss on Python, and we'll assume he's opening FE tech to corsairs. When should I get my gas, and what should I spend it on?
2. When should I go for hive tech? What are the signs I should look for to indicate that I should be going for hive tech?
3. Why don't protoss players build a pylon where my nat would go and follow it up with cannons behind the minerals more often? I've only had this happen once so far, and when protoss FEs and Zerg 12hatch why is this not done more? How can I stop it?
4. How do I deal with a probe harassing my drones mining? He's pretty much impossible to kill since he has regenerating shields. Meanwhile he keeps following my injured drone around until he finally kills it.

[ZvZ]
1. 12hatch at nat. When should I do it?
2. 12pool12hatch@nat. What should my plan be to deal with his earlier mutas when I go for an econ opening such as this? Should I plan on getting spores or should I try to get muta/scourge of my own to defend with?

Constructive criticism, questions, and comments are welcome.

First off, I'm gonna list some info that people may find useful (and I don't want to lose for future use). I couldn't find this info from a google search, and honestly didn't really know what to type in to try to find it anyway.

Zerg Build Timings (in seconds) (24fps@Starcraft):

12 Drone
15 Zergling
18 Hydralisk
24 Overlord

75 Hatchery
63 >Lair
24 Extractor
26 Evolution Chamber
50 Spawning Pool
26 Hydralisk Den
12 Creep Colony
12 >Sunken Colony


63 Zergling/Hydra Ups
168 +1 Carapace/Melee/Range
75 Lurker Aspect
83 Overlord Ups

1 larva/15seconds/hatchery = 4 larva/minute/hatchery
24 gas mined/5 seconds/geyser = 288 gas/minute/geyser

all numbers are approximate of course, just timed from a couple replays.


The following are a few builds I came up with while playing/thinking sometime. Obviously they're not completely smoothed out yet. All assume Python.



IDEA: Against FE protoss, the protoss has relatively little defense keeping them alive while they macro up and tech up. This culminates at about 6 minutes into the game, when they tend to add several gateways and switch over to mass unit production. Before that 6 minute mark, the protoss will generally have nothing to protect himself but 1-3 photon cannons and a few zealots at his nat. This idea is for what I'll call an all-in timing push at or just before the 6 minute mark. My current build plans to have ~9 or so hydras + as many lings as you can get, with both hydra range and speed, and +1 carapace (although the carapace may need to be cut since it takes almost 3 minutes, and really pushes the plausibility of getting an extractor in time. It would almost require gas before pool to get 150 gas before 3:12, now that I think of it.).
EXECUTION:
1. Scout early. You're going to open 12hatch, and the protoss will likely respond with nexus first, at which point you may as well go 3hatch before pool. If he for some reason builds his gateway first, you need to build a pool right away obviously.
2. I wanted to get an evo chamber, and get +1 carapace right away for a couple reasons:
- when protoss scouts the evo, he probably won't think you're planning an all in, and
- +1 carapace makes your army much stronger against his zealots (though I'm starting to question this now).
however, it looks like +1 carapace is not viable, and not as useful as I initially assumed. So, you'll probably want to get a hydra den right away to start the upgrades. Range is very useful for positioning while shooting down cannons/microing against zealots, and speed makes microing against zealots much more profitable.
3. Deny scouting. This may be the toughest part of this build. You'll make a few lings initially to deal with his scouting probe, but depending on your opponent's skill level, that may be difficult with slowlings. Zergling speed would be nice, but there may not be gas to spare for it with the timing. The other option is to concentrate on getting rif of that first probe ASAP, then throwing up a sunk to keep out any more scouts. Costs more minerals/worse for econ, but this is an all-in, so that doesn't matter too much. By the way, useful fact: with ~15 drones on minerals, and 1 geyser, you can sustain 3 hatches worth of hydras, overlords, and a few lings indefinitely.
4. Finally, roll out to protoss' nat, rally your hatches, and move in, hydras first, to take out cannons, with lings to support after, or take on zealots while the hydras finish the cannons and reinforcements arrive. Also, make sure to have an overlord sent to his nat from early on, because protoss will likely try to save himself with a couple DTs. Also, you may want to have a hydra patrolling back home to deal with his first corsair, otherwise you won't be able to reinforce the push.
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So I don't suck as much as I used to, but I still suck. I'll just get right into it:

I'll on occasion warm up before a session with a practice game, usually a 1v1 on blood bath or something. Something quick to get me into the correct mindset. This last time, I played a ZvZ on blood bath, and the guy turned out to be a min hacker. But I beat him anyway. I feel happy about that, but I'm not including it into my stats as a real game.



ZERG (50 games)
ZvZ ( 7 games) 3- 4 42.8%
ZvT (28 games) 9-19 32.1%
ZvP (15 games) 2-13 13.3%
Average APM 154
Winrate 28%

Average APM of opponent 155
Average APM of opponent when I won 154
I'm 14-36 in the last 50 games
I'm 8-17 in the last 25 games

Thoughts:



ZvT:
I've found much more success in ZvT through more liberal use of speedlings. Overlords can only watch over certain areas, and with a group of speedlings I can keep a better eye on the Terran's activity, while also denying scouting, etc. Currently, 12hatch standard:ling speed:lair:dual evo, and both hydra den and spire at the correct lair timings. Depending on the map/how I feel/recent ling scouting, I'll either go muta harass, or just skip it and go straight to lurkers, then secure my third and go straight to hive. I've only recently gotten my first taste of the awesome power of dark swarm. It makes it okay that the Terrans have irradiate.
I've also tried out an overpool speedlings build that I've seen Mondragon use against Protoss, with mixed results. Against 1rax cc or 14cc, it can do some good damage, but against any 2rax build, it doesn't do so well.
One thing that has really helped me in ZvT is that I changed the way I use lurkers. In the past, I've been too agressive with them, taking on the Terran ball with a group of lurkers and 2/3 groups of lings, hoping to destroy it. It usually didn't work. By playing more defensively with my lurkers until I have swarm, I'm having much more success in skirmishes.

ZvP:
ZvP is my weakest matchup. Of the 15 games I played, the only two I won were hydra pushes. Of the other 13, like 11 or so were 12hatch, and probably a couple overpool speed. I don't think overpool speed is viable on a map with ramps, since my run-by can be stopped as easily as blocking the ramp. Lately what I've been doing is something like 12hatch, first gas will go to carapace, then hydra den + a few hydras, lair, ling speed. Once lair is done I get lurker tech and ovie speed, and start melee upgrades. I think I have to concentrate more on building a strong economy against protoss. Generally though, I get raped by the protoss ball, most specifically by psi storms that take out my lings by the dozens.

ZvZ:
I'm really liking the gas-pool builds. I'll usually go either 12gaspool or 9gaspool, or sometimes overpool. I guess I don't have much to say about this matchup.

Questions:

[ZvT]
1. Do Terran players just automatically build turrets against Zerg when they scan a spire? It seems advantageous to go lurkers, but build a spire (since I'll need it anyway for vessels), and have my opponent build a bunch of turrets that will be useless.
2. How do you deal with mnm dropships BEFORE they fuck you up?
3. How viable are guardians? I never see them used in progames usually unless the Zerg player is way ahead already. Are there any good builds that involve guardians? Obviously favorable terrain is needed to keep them alive against mass marines, but are they even viable?

[ZvP]
1. When I scout an FE build, I want to expand, but it just never seems like I have enough money. WTF? Should I be stopping drone production to take my third? That seems counterintuitive.

[ZvZ]
No questions. But I would like to say that I disagree with the common statement that "ZvZ is so luck based," etc. I think there does exist a rock/paper/scissors element in the opening builds of the players, but after that, I think ZvZ just puts incredible importance on a players ability to always be watching his military. If you stop paying attention to your mutas, they can get scourged, and that can cost you the game. Similarly, if you ignore your 8 lings for too long, your opponent might surround with his 12 lings, and destroy yours. The matchup is very fragile, because losing just a couple units carelessly (drones come to mind) will often change the outcome of the game. But I wouldn't call it luck.

Constructive criticism, questions, and comments are welcome.

Watch it:

OversKy vs Jaedong May 7th 2008

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