Zerg Gameplay

Yes, I realize I am writing about Zerg first… because I am a Zerg Player.  Terran and Protoss will come later.  Maybe very soon : D.

I now give you… Zerg Gameplay. In this article I will explain SPECIFIC Zerg gameplay tactics, not only in Microing, but in Macroing as well.

As I am writing this guide, I would like to inform you… My friend and I have reached Platinum Rank 1 (2v2). I being Zerg, he being Protoss.

Key Zerg notes to engrave in your head:

1. Queen’s Energy – To become a higher level Starcraft 2 player, you MUST keep your QueenS’ (note, multiple queens, not just one) energy below 26 at all times. I will not sit here and lie to you and say that I do this even. Of course with one Queen I can accomplish this easily… but once I start getting 2-4 Queens, I start to struggle. On my ‘A’ games I keep all of my Queens’ energy below 50, but on other bad games I can get to 100-150.  Which is what differentiates me from pros, they keep all energy below 26 at all times.

2. Spread Creep – I always will build one extra Queen than I do have Hatcheries. (I.E. – I have 2 Hatcheries, so I would have 3 Queens). That extra Queen will be used for spreading creep across the entire map. Most people don’t do this… And to be honest until a while ago, neither did I! Now that I am using it, I see what a powerful tool it can be.  Don’t think your Overlords’ creep generator skill they have is enough, because it isn’t!  You will see an extreme benefit from doing this, just try it.

3. Expand – Zerg is known for their quick expanding and good economy. Not only because Hatcheries are only 300, but you can create a lot more Drones faster than they can create SCVs/Probes. Always expand early depending on the game. Don’t fast expand if they are doing a fast attack (duh!). In the case they are doing a small, fast, attack right away, build up a counter army. Make sure you can hold them off with that army, THEN expand (whether if they’ve attacked you or not). In the other side of things, if they look like they are teching or expanding themselves, fast expand! If they have hardly any units, you build hardly any units. If someone is teching and just turtling up  in their base, get at least 3 Hatcheries as fast as you can… but make sure you can hold off any attack they send. A lot of noob Protoss players will build a Forge before a Gateway, which means Cannons… which usually, almost always, leads to Void Rays. They will just put 5ish Photon Cannons in their base so you can’t break through and fast tech to their Void Rays. This is where you get your 2nd, maybe 3rd, Hatchery and build up your Hydralisks.

This section describes more on units. You can also check out Blizzard’s Official Fansite to read more about units.

Powerful units and how to use them:

1. The Power of the Roach – A lot of the players I play against never even use Roaches. Which in the case I’m speaking, a Zerg vs. Zerg game… Roaches are key… But not JUST in ZvZ, they are vital in all games. Of course there are cases that Roaches will be ineffective: (They get Immortals [Just a few OWN Roaches], They get a lot of Marauders, They get a lot of air… and more)… But in many cases, they are extremely vital to your success. So how do you use Roaches? I tend to always get Burrow+Tunneling. In SC2, observers are more of a thing that you ‘get when needed’. In SC1, it seemed like everyone had an observer (Especially Zerg, haha). Just get 5+ Roaches and burrow right under their workers.

2. Mutalisks – Continuing from SC1, Mutalisks are still a powerful asset to many games. You must be careful with this set up though. Don’t go straight Mutalisks… because that will be all your army will consist of due to their extreme gas price (100 gas per Muta). I usually get Mutalisks after a successful first (and sometimes second) attack. By saying successful, I mean you must significantly reduce their army size with this first and/or second attack. (Usually with Roaches/Zerglings/Banelings, whatever you are using). By ensuring that you have hurt their army, this will give you some ‘cushion time’ to build up your Mutalisks. It takes 5 Mutalisks to 1 hit any worker. Do not attack them if you don’t have 5 Mutalisks. After getting 5-6 Mutalisks, raid the crap out of their economy. This will usually provoke a Counter attack, but from what we discussed before… Their army will have just been built back up, and you should have an equal (or a bit lesser) army waiting for them. In most situations, your army WILL BE smaller because of Mutalisks high resource price. Build some Sunken Colonies to hold them off while you are still killing their economy with your Mutalisks.

3. Banelings – As a first note… if it’s ZvZ, get Banelings. Period.  Moving on…. Banelings are SO ‘under used’ with so many people. Many beginners think that they are a waste of money because they don’t have much army value when it comes to battling. Well they do! Banelings do a staggering 35 damage to Light units. A Marines starting HP is only 40! So with 2 Banelings, you could very well clear out 6-10 Marines… Now tell me that Banelings aren’t worth it!!  Another GREAT use for Banelings is their damage to structures. I have forgotten the exact amount, but I believe it takes 5 Banelings to kill a Supply Depot. This is perfect when it comes to busting Terrans ramp block. I usually get about 7-10 Banelings in the mix, so if they have any extra Marines standing behind their wall (which they usually do), you will kill all of them as well.

… To be continued… I will try to write as much as I can about vital units to use. Infestors coming next.