EPTSpawn: Cross positions.
Me: 11p/18h
Him: Tech lab barracks
I scouted the front and saw the barracks with a factory behind it and a couple of Marauders. Deduced some kind of marauder/hellion push and spine-crawlered my natural's ramp. When he moved out he was way ahead in food - 50 to 30 or so. I think the discrepancy was due to hellions/marauders (cheap per food) and the fact I had expanded, built two queens and spinecrawlers, plus an evo-chamber in case of banshees.
I split his attack, dashing past his hellions to look for the marauders I expected to be following up. I didn't find them (they'd gone around the back of the pocket third pillar) but did snag a couple of hellions before blue-flame finished. Between my lings and the crawlers at the ramp I managed to fend him off. He did run four hellions up into my main but a queen and some lings finished his push.
I put down a third and teched to spire (my macro had been abysmal so I had to spend my money on something) while droning. He took his natural. His next push, composed of marine/hellion with a single banshee, got shut down hard by roach/muta.
Good play: I was persistent in occupying the watchtowers, and consequently caught him starting to cluster banshees near my main.
After taking out the banshees I tried to harrass with the mutalisks, but he had a thor out and more marines. Not long after that he pushed in again with marines, hellions and two thors with medivac support. Roach/muta plus my spinecrawlers saw him off. This was the first time I had taken a supply lead.
I went for hive tech, massed more roaches and try to deny his pocket third. It looked good to begin with but he came out with units left over (although I did focus down the remaining Thor and he lost a lot of SCVs)
After that I transitioned to Ultra/Baneling while he continued to mass marine/thor/marauder/medivac. His big push came a little too early for my ultras to pop and I had to sacrifice my third, but caught his trailing thors with lings as he headed up the ramp and manage to surround and destroy his bio with ultra/ling/baneling.
Mistake: I didn't pay attention to how my drones were allocated to gas and minerals, and went through a VERY low-mineral stretch.
After that, Ultra/Baneling started to work its magic, and our mid-map exchanges started to work out more and more in my favour. I delayed his fourth, fifth and sixth bases with lings, but missed a seventh at the bottom of the map which he was able to mine from for the rest of the game.
Good Play:I got my greater spire and used broodlords to clear out the fourth and fifth bases while occupying the middle of the map to discourage reinforcements and taking my pocket third.
In the end, he just wasn't able to keep up enough production and, after a last stand at the bottom of his natural ramp my lings, ultras and broodlords overran his main.
Specific Lessons Learned:
Even a pronounced food deficit can be overcome with a good engagement. I was way behind in food for much of the first half of the game, but was able to hold on with spinecrawlers and decent flanking.
Don't forget about those extra expansions on Shakuras. Just because they're inconvenient for me to reach...
Watch the ratio of drones on minerals/gas. I habitually take drones off minerals to build things, which can leave me mineral-light.
General Lessons Learned:
If I suspect the game's going long - if I don't think I can deny a third, for instance - going hive sooner rather than later seems to be a good move.
