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Credit to vitoss from devianart for creating the picture.
____________Overview____________
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The Lair All in Build is meant to destroy the economy of Protoss in a specific timing window before they have a significant gain of resources from their 3rd base. The build isn't as much a build as the build is a general playstyle. The build has several transitions and emphasizes staying on lair for a long time sacrificing tech in favor of creating several lair units shortly after your three bases are well saturated. The use of hydras and zerglings is the primary mode of attack while Lurkers are your last evolution of play. The build stresses utilizing a zergling +1 carapace timing attack before Protoss has +2 weapons so zealots kill lings in 3 hits and not 2 as zerglings are the most cost effective zerg unit. Hydralisk +1 attack is also optional and gives you more opportunity to be aggressive throughout the game. When I describe the build I am assuming the reader knows about most of the basics. I will provide some additional resources at the bottom of the guide.
July and Hero(former teammates on STX Soul) are big advocates of the mass lair style sometimes combined with drop play. Hero though as of late has not been using the timing attack lately.
July and Hero(former teammates on STX Soul) are big advocates of the mass lair style sometimes combined with drop play. Hero though as of late has not been using the timing attack lately.
____________General build order____________
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12 - Hatchery @ natural
11 - Spawning Pool
About 200 minerals- Extractor
13 - Hatchery @ 3rd base(see note)
12 - Zerglings (6) (See note)
@100 Gas - Lair
16 - Overlord
next 100 gas - zergling speed
@100% Lair - Spire
35 - Hatchery (at natural)
34 - Hatchery (at second natural)
33 - 1 to 4 Overlords (See note)
35 - Hydra Den (100% research hydralisk speed, then Hydra range, then Lurkers)
34 - Evolution chamber (100% start carapace or ranged attack)
@100% Spire - Scourge (2 at main, 2 at 3rd) (see note)
35-40ish - extractor
65-70ish - extractor
____________Notes__________
12 - Zerglings (6)
If you have scouted your opponent by the time your spawning pool completes, the choice to skip these Zerglings and spawn Drones instead may be. If you go this route, you should still make 2 Zerglings to kill the scouting Probe.
13 - Hatchery @ 3rd base
Send the drone that is from your main base to your 3rd when you have 100 minerals. Alternatively, you can use your scouting drone to create the 3rd base.
33 - 1-3 Overlords
If your opponent did a Stargate opening, you will lose at least one Overlord to the first Corsair; you want enough Overlords to cover those losses when your Spire finishes. Not being able to make Scourge right as the Spire finishes is disastrous.
@100% Spire - Scourge (2 at main, 2 at second natural)
By creating a pair of scourge at each natural, you give your scourge a large area to cut off corsairs. Whether corsairs go to the main base or 3rd, you can chase the corsairs down with one pair of scourge. While the corsair retreats, you can use the other pair to intercept the corsair.
*Side Note*
There are some things that I call "triggers"(e.g supply count) that I use that tell me when to make something. I make my extractor when I have 200 minerals. The way I know my timing is good is that when i reach 100 gas, I have 150 minerals. If I have any more minerals than 150, I know to make my gas slightly earlier for future games and vice versa if I have less than 150 by 100 gas. I send my 3rd hatchery drone when I have 100 minerals.
11 - Spawning Pool
About 200 minerals- Extractor
13 - Hatchery @ 3rd base(see note)
12 - Zerglings (6) (See note)
@100 Gas - Lair
16 - Overlord
next 100 gas - zergling speed
@100% Lair - Spire
35 - Hatchery (at natural)
34 - Hatchery (at second natural)
33 - 1 to 4 Overlords (See note)
35 - Hydra Den (100% research hydralisk speed, then Hydra range, then Lurkers)
34 - Evolution chamber (100% start carapace or ranged attack)
@100% Spire - Scourge (2 at main, 2 at 3rd) (see note)
35-40ish - extractor
65-70ish - extractor
____________Notes__________
12 - Zerglings (6)
If you have scouted your opponent by the time your spawning pool completes, the choice to skip these Zerglings and spawn Drones instead may be. If you go this route, you should still make 2 Zerglings to kill the scouting Probe.
13 - Hatchery @ 3rd base
Send the drone that is from your main base to your 3rd when you have 100 minerals. Alternatively, you can use your scouting drone to create the 3rd base.
33 - 1-3 Overlords
If your opponent did a Stargate opening, you will lose at least one Overlord to the first Corsair; you want enough Overlords to cover those losses when your Spire finishes. Not being able to make Scourge right as the Spire finishes is disastrous.
@100% Spire - Scourge (2 at main, 2 at second natural)
By creating a pair of scourge at each natural, you give your scourge a large area to cut off corsairs. Whether corsairs go to the main base or 3rd, you can chase the corsairs down with one pair of scourge. While the corsair retreats, you can use the other pair to intercept the corsair.
*Side Note*
There are some things that I call "triggers"(e.g supply count) that I use that tell me when to make something. I make my extractor when I have 200 minerals. The way I know my timing is good is that when i reach 100 gas, I have 150 minerals. If I have any more minerals than 150, I know to make my gas slightly earlier for future games and vice versa if I have less than 150 by 100 gas. I send my 3rd hatchery drone when I have 100 minerals.
____________Midgame transition (you're getting there!)____________
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In this section I will write about various things to keep in mind as you are entering the midgame and common patterns in roughly chronological order.
There are a lot of build orders that you can use to transition into the build. You can use 4 hatch before gas, 3 base spire into 6 hatch before hydra den/evolution chamber, AKA 8 hatch 4 base build in the savior analysis guide(a good resource you can search on TL). Each build has its strengths and weaknesses and I only list one variation which uses the most common opener, 3 base spire.
Most of the time when I'm in the midgame I peak at 6 hatcheries on 3 bases but that can be map dependent on how many mineral patches there are. The responses are mostly dependent on the protoss' build but I find the build listed above to be okay as a starting point but certainly not a one size fits all build which does not exist. The guide won't elaborate on those intricacies of variations so much, but the evolution chamber is an important part of the build.You should make some hydras, maybe 5 for the natural, 5 for 3rd and a sunken colony at each. As mentioned before, the response is too dependent on protoss build order to really say. Along the way you should be able to afford the 6th hatchery.
An important part that a lot of beginners don't get is you only make a few hydras, and then you work on making more drones to saturate all of your 3 bases more to near maximum capacity. That's an essential part of being zerg, supplementing bases as you obtain them. Rarely you will have the opportunity to create the appropriate number of drones to saturate them right away as protoss tries to delay you. Naturally, there will be small phases alternating between making drones and fighting units as more money lets you get more bases and still afford using all larvae.
A rough estimate for each base is to have 1.33 drones (so 12 drones for 9 mineral patches). 3 basesx12=36. 3 gasesx3=9. 9+36=45ish drones total. 45 isn't a strict number, I mostly get drones between the 39-43 range and can get a feel just by eyeballing all of my bases. I make sure to have 1 drone per mineral patch.
Along the way you should upgrade overlord speed. I think of the upgrade as an afterthought and only try to make the overlord speed upgrade in time so that all my units can safely be near the protoss front door when +1 carapace is about to finish. If you are late on the overlord speed, DT's will wreck your day and you miss the timing. A rough estimate to start overlord speed is when the carapace is 50 percent done.
Start making zerglings when carapace is 80 percent done so you have a ton of zerglings ready to make use of the +1 carapace when the upgrade completes. The +1 carapace timing is a small window because protoss +1 weapons is finished by now and +2 weapons might be somewhere midway into completion. Research your +2 carapace afterwards so you give yourself another timing window when zerg carapace is equal to protoss weapons. After protoss has their +2 weapons, make only hydras until +2 carapace is complete because zerglings will no longer be cost efficient vs. zealots.
Alternatively, if you went for +1 ranged attack, continue making only hydralisks and make no zerglings.
Make sure to hotkey all of your hatcheries. I dedicate only hotkeys 1, 2, and 3 to units and I use my mouse for the rest of my units(or whatever your personal setup is). Make sure to rally all the hatcheries in quick order (4 click, 5 click, 6 click, 7 click, 8 click, 9 click) near the front door. Macro is important, and even with the worst micro humanly possible, pure numbers will win. Constantly cycling by going 4sh5sh6sh7sh8sh9sh and 4sz5sz6sz7sz8sz9sz every 14 seconds(time when larvae spawn) will keep the pressure going on. You have to sacrifice micromanagement in favor of macro even when what seems like a huge engagement occurs if you can't do both proficiently.
There are a lot of build orders that you can use to transition into the build. You can use 4 hatch before gas, 3 base spire into 6 hatch before hydra den/evolution chamber, AKA 8 hatch 4 base build in the savior analysis guide(a good resource you can search on TL). Each build has its strengths and weaknesses and I only list one variation which uses the most common opener, 3 base spire.
Most of the time when I'm in the midgame I peak at 6 hatcheries on 3 bases but that can be map dependent on how many mineral patches there are. The responses are mostly dependent on the protoss' build but I find the build listed above to be okay as a starting point but certainly not a one size fits all build which does not exist. The guide won't elaborate on those intricacies of variations so much, but the evolution chamber is an important part of the build.You should make some hydras, maybe 5 for the natural, 5 for 3rd and a sunken colony at each. As mentioned before, the response is too dependent on protoss build order to really say. Along the way you should be able to afford the 6th hatchery.
An important part that a lot of beginners don't get is you only make a few hydras, and then you work on making more drones to saturate all of your 3 bases more to near maximum capacity. That's an essential part of being zerg, supplementing bases as you obtain them. Rarely you will have the opportunity to create the appropriate number of drones to saturate them right away as protoss tries to delay you. Naturally, there will be small phases alternating between making drones and fighting units as more money lets you get more bases and still afford using all larvae.
A rough estimate for each base is to have 1.33 drones (so 12 drones for 9 mineral patches). 3 basesx12=36. 3 gasesx3=9. 9+36=45ish drones total. 45 isn't a strict number, I mostly get drones between the 39-43 range and can get a feel just by eyeballing all of my bases. I make sure to have 1 drone per mineral patch.
Along the way you should upgrade overlord speed. I think of the upgrade as an afterthought and only try to make the overlord speed upgrade in time so that all my units can safely be near the protoss front door when +1 carapace is about to finish. If you are late on the overlord speed, DT's will wreck your day and you miss the timing. A rough estimate to start overlord speed is when the carapace is 50 percent done.
Start making zerglings when carapace is 80 percent done so you have a ton of zerglings ready to make use of the +1 carapace when the upgrade completes. The +1 carapace timing is a small window because protoss +1 weapons is finished by now and +2 weapons might be somewhere midway into completion. Research your +2 carapace afterwards so you give yourself another timing window when zerg carapace is equal to protoss weapons. After protoss has their +2 weapons, make only hydras until +2 carapace is complete because zerglings will no longer be cost efficient vs. zealots.
Alternatively, if you went for +1 ranged attack, continue making only hydralisks and make no zerglings.
Make sure to hotkey all of your hatcheries. I dedicate only hotkeys 1, 2, and 3 to units and I use my mouse for the rest of my units(or whatever your personal setup is). Make sure to rally all the hatcheries in quick order (4 click, 5 click, 6 click, 7 click, 8 click, 9 click) near the front door. Macro is important, and even with the worst micro humanly possible, pure numbers will win. Constantly cycling by going 4sh5sh6sh7sh8sh9sh and 4sz5sz6sz7sz8sz9sz every 14 seconds(time when larvae spawn) will keep the pressure going on. You have to sacrifice micromanagement in favor of macro even when what seems like a huge engagement occurs if you can't do both proficiently.
____________Engaging Protoss____________
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You want to peel away the protoss in waves, not with your whole army all at once. Send enough units that when engaging the tradeoff will be cost ineffective enough for protoss to deal with the small wave with just zealot/goon without storm but not too few that high tempar aren't needed. The idea is to continually force storms out until you can overwhelm Protoss. Roughly a control group of hydras and zerglings are needed in each wave. You'll wear down protoss enough and soon protoss will not have enough units to defend their 3rd base and possibly their natural. Pull back hydras from storms, during or shortly after storms. A Protoss will storm maybe 1-2 seconds after the hydras have all engaged. Usually toss will storm the clumped up parts of your hydras. Keep attacking in waves until you can forcefully plant yourself between the natural and 3rd base.
At some point when you create a divide between the natural base, you want to kill off the isolated third base. In some moments, you can just attack into the natural and win the game that way. From my experience most of the time protoss sacrifices their whole army trying to save their third base. Sometimes they'll let their third base fall and afterwards I only try to do a lurker contain.
For the transition in the latter scenario, I get a second evolution chamber for ranged attack or melee attack. I don't try to expand or make any drones, because I know as long as I can force starve the protoss on only 2 bases, I can win that way while the bases are 3 to 2. If +2 carapace finishes, because I don't have hive to upgrade +3, I instead get whatever other attack upgrade there is available.
At some point when you create a divide between the natural base, you want to kill off the isolated third base. In some moments, you can just attack into the natural and win the game that way. From my experience most of the time protoss sacrifices their whole army trying to save their third base. Sometimes they'll let their third base fall and afterwards I only try to do a lurker contain.
For the transition in the latter scenario, I get a second evolution chamber for ranged attack or melee attack. I don't try to expand or make any drones, because I know as long as I can force starve the protoss on only 2 bases, I can win that way while the bases are 3 to 2. If +2 carapace finishes, because I don't have hive to upgrade +3, I instead get whatever other attack upgrade there is available.
____________Map Variations____________
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Taking your close third on fighting spirit can be better because the 12, 3, 6, and 9 O'clock positions have one more mineral patch than the natural bases(9 total). Similar map features should be taken note of. Taking a close third also allows you to defend your bases more easily.
____________Replay Critique____________
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I critique my own mistakes in replays in this section. Even though I make a lot of mistakes sometimes, I can still produce some good results regardless of loss or win trying to improve macro and game awareness. The games were played between D-C ranks.
replay pack: www.dropbox.com
replay#137
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I do not try to hit the +1 carapace timing and instead go for the 5 hatch before gas build. The midgame zealot aggression really messed me up so everything else went into disarray. What could have helped me is if I had an overlord at the big bridge near my natural and another overlord near the bottom of my 3rd base ramp. His corsairs do a lot of damage and unfortunately he really stretches my forces after I try to establish a lurker contain. His zealot attack at my 3rd should've been defended more and not ignored. I never make a 6th hatchery because I'm so inclined on making hydras and worst off I have very few upgrades and never really hit the momentous high note. You can't attempt such aggression when you're so far behind. In order to win, you need to play defensively only and win cost efficiently.
replay#138
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I go for 5 hatch before gas build again, but the second time more successfully. Even though I don't use a carapace timing, the same idea of massing lair units to kill off a 3 base protoss is still relevant or to establish a lurker contain. Some of my hydra positioning could've been better when my opponent goes in for my 3rd base but otherwise I think I had a decent execution of the build. The attack into the natural base was very risky but I felt confident I was ahead so I went with the continuing charge and had plenty of units to reinforce during the battle.
replay#165
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My timing was not the worst here and my lair finished when the cybernetics core finished, a good timing benchmark to know your spire will be in time for corairs. However, I mess up because I do not place a spire down immediately after the lair is completed. Instead, I linger a little and make some drones. I lose a lot of overlords because of my late spire but despite the loss I have a ton of zerg units later on due to no drone kills from the protoss. The toss went for a fast 3rd base style and unfortunately he did not have any high templar at his 3rd. Also, maybe more cannons for protoss may have helped? I am not entirely sure.
Replay#234
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The game was very sloppy by both players. I remember going into the game my opponent was d+ so I was not expecting much of a challenge. I hovered a lot of money, my overlord speed was slow, and my units were not at the front door of protoss when +1 carapace was 99 percent finished. I missed a lot of timings but because of my opponent's not so good worker production I get the economic lead anyway.
Replay#250
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I was very far ahead from going for a hard counter. I knew +1 speedzeal attack was coming judging from the 4 minute forge spinning. I get a huge economic advantage and I make so many lair units. For some reason I cancelled my evo chamber at my 3rd. My 2nd gas is late and those two things combined make my +1 carapace late. When I get to his front door, however, I do not take the opportunity to win the game even though my opponent had only 5 dragoons and I had many control groups of units. Sending 1-2 zerglings into the cannons could've given me the proper scouting. I morph 4 lurkers too close to front door and they all get stormed to death. I play a lot more conservatively instead opting for a lurker contain. The containment plan would have worked if I hadn't made several mistakes afterwards. My micro is poor because I engage outside of the security of my lurkers and I continue to make zerglings despite the fact the amount of time has been long after +1 carapace has finished so protoss is already on +2 weapons. I should've made hydralisks instead.
Replay name: MassLair1
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I decide to do a 4 hatch before gas timing. I attack and win in a really straight up way. This replay is probably the most picture perfect style of the mass lair timing. The 4 hatch before gas gets more drones earlier in the game than a 3 hatch spire build which allows for a large flood of units. However, if the 4 hatch before gas timing is too predictable protoss players can start to make aggressive builds designed to try and make use of 4 hatch lair's weaknesses (eg. 2 fast gateways /w normal corsair timing, making a 2nd gateway around when stargate is placed).
Here's a good vod demonstrating the power of 4 hatch before gas: www.youtube.com This is a good example of a variation of 5 hatch hydra using a different opener than 3 base spire. Hero from the large economic advantage just steamrolls bisu's army whenever he tries to get out, just pure economic power goes into Hero's hands!
Here's a good vod demonstrating the power of 4 hatch before gas: www.youtube.com This is a good example of a variation of 5 hatch hydra using a different opener than 3 base spire. Hero from the large economic advantage just steamrolls bisu's army whenever he tries to get out, just pure economic power goes into Hero's hands!
____________Progamer VODs____________
I might add more VODS. Credit to StarCraft BW FPVODs and nevake tlpd youtube channel for uploading the videos.
July vs. Bisu on Chupung Ryeong
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Failed attempt July vs. Stork on Medusa
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I think the attempt failed because Stork stayed on 2 bases, and from stork's corsair scouting stork knew how to react. You can see how volatile the zerg can be from a stance of dominance to a desperate one.
Hero v Free ZvP | 151027
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Hero goes for the +1 ranged attack. He moves his hydras out once +1 attack is done and starts researching +2 attack subsequently. Pretty textbook victory.
Hero v Bisu ZvP | 140731
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Bisu opens up gateway first. In the game hero miscalculates the corsair timing so he loses a lot of overlords. He still tries to do some aggressive lair timing. However, Bisu counters very well with lots of units and DT to delay aggression.
____________Additional Resources____________
www.teamliquid.net
The savior analysis guide is important to create a good foundation in zvp understanding. I don't think you can play the mass lair style well unless your foundation is solid.
www.teamliquid.net
The guide gives you historical background on the evolutionary changes in ZvP and why people play the way they do with the common 3 base spire style today.