• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 14:07
CEST 20:07
KST 03:07
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Code S RO12 Preview: GuMiho, Bunny, SHIN, ByuN2The Memories We Share - Facing the Final(?) GSL19Code S RO12 Preview: Cure, Zoun, Solar, Creator4[ASL19] Finals Preview: Daunting Task30[ASL19] Ro4 Recap : The Peak15
Community News
Weekly Cups (May 19-25): Hindsight is 20/20?0DreamHack Dallas 2025 - Official Replay Pack8[BSL20] RO20 Group Stage2EWC 2025 Regional Qualifiers (May 28-June 1)14Weekly Cups (May 12-18): Clem sweeps WardiTV May3
StarCraft 2
General
Can anyone explain to me why u cant veto a matchup The Memories We Share - Facing the Final(?) GSL Code S RO12 Preview: GuMiho, Bunny, SHIN, ByuN Karma, Domino Effect, and how it relates to SC2. Code S RO12 Preview: Cure, Zoun, Solar, Creator
Tourneys
[GSL 2025] Code S:Season 2 - RO12 - Group B [GSL 2025] Code S:Season 2 - RO12 - Group A EWC 2025 Regional Qualifiers (May 28-June 1) DreamHack Dallas 2025 RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series
Strategy
Simple Questions Simple Answers [G] PvT Cheese: 13 Gate Proxy Robo
Custom Maps
[UMS] Zillion Zerglings
External Content
Mutation # 475 Hard Target Mutation # 474 Futile Resistance Mutation # 473 Cold is the Void Mutation # 472 Dead Heat
Brood War
General
Will foreigners ever be able to challenge Koreans? Battle.net is not working BW General Discussion BGH auto balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Practice Partners (Official)
Tourneys
[ASL19] Grand Finals Small VOD Thread 2.0 [BSL20] GosuLeague RO16 - Tue & Wed 20:00+CET [Megathread] Daily Proleagues
Strategy
I am doing this better than progamers do. [G] How to get started on ladder as a new Z player
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Path of Exile Monster Hunter Wilds Beyond All Reason Battle Aces/David Kim RTS Megathread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
LiquidLegends to reintegrate into TL.net
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia TL Mafia Community Thread TL Mafia Plays: Diplomacy TL Mafia: Generative Agents Showdown Survivor II: The Amazon
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread All you football fans (soccer)! European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
Serral Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread NHL Playoffs 2024 Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Cleaning My Mechanical Keyboard How to clean a TTe Thermaltake keyboard?
TL Community
The Automated Ban List TL.net Ten Commandments
Blogs
Need Your Help/Advice
Glider
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Yes Sir! How Commanding Impr…
TrAiDoS
Poker
Nebuchad
Info SLEgma_12
SLEgma_12
SECOND COMMING
XenOsky
WombaT’s Old BW Terran Theme …
WombaT
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 15273 users

Starcraft 2 n00b ep 22 - Encounter at StarCast

Blogs > KingOctavious
Post a Reply
KingOctavious
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States324 Posts
April 01 2011 01:35 GMT
#1
Hey, hey, hey, everyone. I’ve got something a little different for this episode of Starcraft 2 n00b. In this match, I play against Mork from StarCast, which, if you don’t know, is pretty much the definitive Starcraft 2 podcast.

Mork is a high-diamond player, so the focus this time around is more on what he does right than on what I do wrong. In this match specifically I go PvZ, and Mork uses a Zerg strategy that works great against Protoss — as long as you know how to pull it off. It involves containing your opponent with speedlings, expanding super-fast (his third hatch goes down around the 7-minute mark), droning and teching like crazy, and keeping good enough map awareness going in order to build up a quick counter army as soon as you see that the Protoss is moving out.

I’ve actually tried this strategy before after I originally heard Mork discuss it on StarCast (this was before I played him). The trick here is that you really have to keep up great scouting, or else what happens is the Protoss player moves out … and just kills you. Watching Mork play, the way to do this is to keep several things going: spread creep nonstop (he goes triple creep tumor), control the watchtowers, suicide overlords/overseers over the Protoss base periodically, and show up at the Protoss ramp with a group of speedlings every now and then. The last part of that checklist is as much for seeing what kind of units your opponent has as it is to keep him afraid from feeling like he can expand. Oh, and finally, occasional baneling doom drops on the mineral line tend to help your cause, too. He even bane-bombed the front line of my army at one point. Obviously you have to wait a little ways into the tech ladder until you can do that, but once you get all your overlord upgrades, it works like a charm.

I was thinking about ways to counter this, and I think there are two basic ways to do it. One of them I feel a little more confident about than the other. The first way (which is the one I’m less sure about), is to turtle a little, block your entrance, and go for fairly quick colossi with a healthy mix of zealots, stalkers, and sentries (obviously you have to go easy on the latter two, or you won’t have enough gas for your colossi). You have to keep in mind that your opponent is likely going to have whatever counter is needed when you show up, so the colossi are good to take out whatever speedlings have been produced to contain you, and with even zealots and stalkers, plus maybe a sentry for some guardian shields or force fields as necessary, there should be no easy way for your opponent to hard counter you (although, now that I think about it, mass roaches may be pretty effective … hmmmmmmm).

Okay, on to response #2, which I think would be the better one: air harass. We’ve recently seen Cruncher do this in the TSL, and it seems to work like a charm against fast-expanding Zerg if you know how to pull it off. Get a fast void ray, and follow up with several phoenixes. Get over to the Zerg base basically as quickly as you can (after one VR and one phoenix, go ahead and move out — let the other phoenixes catch up), gravitron beam any queens so the phoenixes can take them out, and then apply the same technique to drones as long as you have enough energy for your gravitron beams.

This does three things. First, it slows down the Zerg, as he loses income from killed drones and he loses money from making extra queens (which are essential not only for larvae but for fighting off air). Second, it slows down his production capabilities regardless of money, because fewer queens = fewer larvae. Third, it delays his ability to get a lair. If he’s constantly producing queens, he simply can’t morph his hatch into a lair, which makes it impossible for him to prepare for any and all threats. If the strat is pulled off successfully, he’s stuck with lings and roaches.

…Of course, lings and roaches can be pretty deadly on their own, so you still gotta watch out for that.

Anyway, enough talk. Check out the two-part replay with commentary below:





Lessons learned:

1. If you see an overlord heading for you mineral line mid- to late-game, get your workers the hell outta there!

2. Don’t be afraid to drone super hard as Zerg, just keep a very close eye on your enemy.

3. Awesome strategies are awesome.


Check out my book, The Year in StarCraft II: 2011, http://yearinsc2.com/ :D:D
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Road to EWC
16:00
Europe Open Qualifiers #2
RotterdaM1494
TKL 391
IndyStarCraft 358
kabyraGe 254
CranKy Ducklings191
SteadfastSC156
Liquipedia
Online Event
12:30
K-cup France
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
RotterdaM 1494
TKL 391
IndyStarCraft 358
SteadfastSC 156
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 14366
Calm 3761
Sea 3020
Rain 1337
Stork 405
firebathero 256
Dewaltoss 118
soO 37
Mind 34
Dota 2
Gorgc8576
qojqva2744
Dendi1927
Counter-Strike
ScreaM2560
fl0m815
Foxcn484
flusha386
Super Smash Bros
Mew2King139
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor173
XaKoH 68
Other Games
hiko1333
Beastyqt894
ceh9641
ArmadaUGS115
Trikslyr83
BRAT_OK 34
MindelVK10
Organizations
Other Games
BasetradeTV77
StarCraft 2
angryscii 18
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 25 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• StrangeGG 127
• musti20045 34
• Adnapsc2 16
• tFFMrPink 10
• LUISG 6
• Reevou 4
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• intothetv
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki28
• FirePhoenix8
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• C_a_k_e 3142
• WagamamaTV146
• masondota2106
League of Legends
• TFBlade2070
• Jankos2002
• Shiphtur538
Other Games
• imaqtpie1893
Upcoming Events
Road to EWC
3h 53m
Road to EWC
14h 53m
Road to EWC
15h 53m
Road to EWC
1d 3h
Road to EWC
1d 14h
Road to EWC
1d 21h
Online Event
2 days
Clem vs ShoWTimE
herO vs MaxPax
Road to EWC
2 days
Replay Cast
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
4 days
The PondCast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

YSL S1
DreamHack Dallas 2025
Calamity Stars S2

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL Season 20
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
NPSL S3
Rose Open S1
CSL Season 17: Qualifier 1
2025 GSL S2
Heroes 10 EU
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
ECL Season 49: Europe
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters
CCT Season 2 Global Finals
IEM Melbourne 2025
YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025
PGL Bucharest 2025
BLAST Open Spring 2025
ESL Pro League S21

Upcoming

CSL Season 17: Qualifier 2
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
Copa Latinoamericana 4
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSLAN 2025
K-Championship
SEL Season 2 Championship
Esports World Cup 2025
HSC XXVII
Championship of Russia 2025
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.