[H]ZvP Python, Neo-Sauron

On October 27 2009 04:43 ninazerg wrote:

Just in general, you'll want to get your Hive, or start thinking about Hive when you get that third gas, unless of course, you want to do drops first or something.

Here's my thinking behind the usage of zerglings/hive tech/whatever (Because I didn't just think "Oh man, zerglings would be good there." without having a reason.)

Your build (Spire into 5 hatch hydra) is great for Python, because it puts a ton of pressure on the Protoss player, which gives you a good deal of map control early on. When you press on the front of the Protoss base, it stops them from getting their third gas, which they crave. For example, if I were Protoss, I'd think about going for a small attack early to put pressure on the zerg, then grabbing my third gas simultaneously.

When you go 5-hatchery hydras and put that pressure on them, it takes away that opportunity for them to grab a quick third gas, which puts them behind in the game, because of the wide open middle of Python, they're trying to mass up a huge army and take control of the middle.

Now, because the Protoss is behind, it forces them to do a drop, or roll over and die. Typically, they'll do like high/dark templar drops to harass your drones, or take out expansions that are still morphing. They have to do this, because playing against a 4-gas zerg with only two gas sucks.

If you fight off that drop (or other harasses, like speed zealot drops) with scourges/hydras/mutas or whatever you choose, then his only option is to mass up a ton of dragoons and templars to break your lurker line outside his base. Knowing this in advance, you can get defilers and zerglings to hold off dragoons, and because you have that lucrative fourth gas, you can start mixing ultras in as you stop him from pushing out, then just walk in whenever you feel like it and crush him.

This strategy is great on Python, because it leaves the Protoss with very few options, because if you lurker contain and then constantly re-enforce that contain, there is no back door to escape out of. Therefore, again, he has to make a ton of dragoons and high templars to break out the front of his base, and dark swarm over lurkers with zerglings absolutely crushes this type of play from the Protoss.

The drawback to this type of strategy (On Python or Colosseum type maps... it probably will fail you 90% of the time on Heartbreak Ridge or Longinus) is that if your economy gets delayed significantly, then you won't be able to hold the front of the Protoss base because you won't have enough units. That's exactly what happened in the replay you've supplied; your fourth base was lost and you had to rebuild it, buying the Protoss extra time to break out.

Normally, the way most Protosses delay your economy is to get a +1 weapon then attack your drones at your third base, because it's so far away that it makes it difficult to re-enforce, so what you can do is put down an Evolution Chamber at the same time as your Spire, then if you see the forge spinning with your scouting lings, you just get a +1 Carapiece, then when you get your Hydralisk Den, you put down a second Evolution Chamber and start getting +1 Ranged Attack. If the Protoss tries to rush with Zealots, your scouting lings will see them come out of his base, and you can just run your Hydralisks from the middle to whichever base they're going to and kill them. Select all the drones from that third base (Or second base... whichever he attacks) hotkey them and then run them away when he attacks. Kill the Zealots, then hit your drone hotkey and click the minerals to send them all back.

After killing their attack, just continue with your macroing and pressuring on their front, and you'll basically force them to do a harass or some desperate crazy attack, and you'll almost certainly win the game.

Sorry if this was too long to read... >_<

I just had like 30 minutes of free time, so I decided to write this, so sorry if I rambled.