EPTThe Baneling is a unique unit, they can be extremely well use if going in for blowing up a mineral line, or taking out a marine ball, but they need things for the enemy to engage first. Yesterday I talked about a great game that I won mainly because of my Baneling/roach/muta play, and when I was about to start my ladder I thought "hey I should go pool first, with banelings." which I tried to go all my zvt matches.
The first match I played was a zvt, where I went for 14 pool/gas, 20 hatch, this may sound weird but I found it to work in my zvt matches, since imp hating going for early hatch versus a terran, so this was the only build I could think of. I began to macro up, making a lot of drones until around 35, where I dropped the second gas and started getting a lot of zerglings. I spotted his marines (which were in a pretty cool conga line) that were moving out on a great a click across the map. I morphed plenty of banelings (around 16), and brought them around the now formed marine ball. when he decide to hut-hut-hut to my base, a pep in the step, and shiny boots, I let my waddling banelings come from behind, and turn the platoon into nothing more than 2 left over marines, that would get head butted to death. Ironically, the player left (again no gg), I heard shell shock can do things to man, but make him lose his sense of manner, I would’ve never thought possible.
What I took away from this game was that is a good position banelings can really make a 2 rax terran push into nothing, but I felt like I should’ve had speed by then, for that matchup I need to try to get my lair out faster so I can get the BS out much quicker.
While I played about 8 games today (lack of extra school work) I don’t think you guys want to read about every game, so ill include a very interesting game that also included banelings, but more about my extreme failure against a build I loved when I first started playing zerg.
When I dropped into a game, I found myself playing a random and first thought "CHEEZING BASTURD TOTLLY GONNA CHESS ME NEED TO GET LE SPINE CRAWLERS". After 13 scouting, I saw it was a zerg, so I immediately got a 14 pool, fearing the mass ling which caused me defeat the game before. But I knew I could win if I went for the Baneling, ling, muta play I had always wanted to try (much like idra style). Early game it was showing a lot of success, my banelings did massive damage against his quick ling style, and he seemed unable to head on fight me. But I did something wrong (a rank 23 silver leaguer doing something wrong?!?!?!?!) I know don’t call witchcraft, but I went into a heavy macro game but never tried to go into "the next step”. Everyone has it, but I continued making ling/Baneling/muta. When I went to poke at his with my lings I saw around 40 roach/hydra. My first thoughts of course being "Shit...need more lings and mutas...." I also noticed he was out expanding me; I promptly fixed that by double expanding. But I continued to go ling, and when I saw him hauling ass across the map with his giant cockroaches and a mix between ekens and the dinosaur that kills Newman in Jurassic park, I decided to run directly into with banelings, and watched only 6 roaches die. I was rolled quickly, and of course I got all mad, telling myself roach/hydra so OP, totally wasn’t my bad. Looking back on it, the banelings were a good opener, hell they are a great opener, they can win the game. Yet since I still have a terran play style of staying in the base a lot more than a should, I can’t continue to go that style. Of course I needed to put down an Infestation Pit, which probably would’ve changed the game, and I could’ve gone down the ultra path, which I love oh so much. But I realize I’m still trying to get a reactionary race down, and I need to start using my units to their full potential, and not throw them away. But I am improving enough to be happy with my games today.
Alright I decided that I would stop here, and talk quick about what I plan on focusing next. I always seem to think that infestors would be a bad idea when, let’s face it, until the nerf, infestors will never be not useful. So tomorrow hopefully I’ll have some great stories about my adventures using infestors. I’ve kind of decided to take improving and switching races in stride, I know that I won’t be on part with people in my league who have been playing zerg for awhile now, so I figure since I’m playing catch up, I should take it slow and really retain the builds, ideas and concepts that I need to learn.
Also, I couldnt leave anyone without the daily dose of bacon, because everything better with bacon:I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing and learning from it.(please critique my writing in the comments if need be, as I said before I'm a budding writer and this is great experience for me.)
![[image loading]](http://www.speakeasy.org/~sjmaks/bacon/bacon5.jpg)
