Zerg Road to Diamond: day [4]

Symph

Japan14 Posts

January 06 2012 00:23 GMT

Hello Teamliquid!

This is my fourth blog, for day 4 of my "Road to Diamond" blog series.

-http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=299571 (1st blog, with backround info, ect.)
-http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=299858 (2nd blog)
-http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=300173 (3rd blog)

So today, I overcame the fear of laddering and did a good bunch of matches on ladder.

And right now I'm 3rd in my division!

The main highlight today was beating a high diamond in custom and a low diamond on ladder!

But.... from seeing my win/loss for all my games today I was at.. 6 win and 6losses.. 1 of the wins to a diamond and another loss to a diamond... which I guess is okay... But from my 6 losses, 5 were from ZvZ T_T..

My hell of ZvZ:

+ Show Spoiler +

Shit...

+ Show Spoiler +

+ Show Spoiler +

fuck

+ Show Spoiler +

FUCK

+ Show Spoiler +

FUCK!!

+ Show Spoiler +

trying to split...

+ Show Spoiler +

*sigh*

So.. my ZvZ is practically what's letting me down the whole time... And the worst thing about is 80% of the time, for some reason I ALWAYS get Zerg... I didn't even verse 1 Terran in the whole day!

The Build I use is Tang's 2 hatch mass ling

found here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=274426

The main idea as stated is, open 14/14 take guys off gas at 100 and from then on expand and mass zergling.And the way he puts it, makes it sounds like it works greatly, but this require GREAT micro.

I usually find myself only winning nowadays to 1base roach and 2base roach using this build... As seen from the above picture 1base baneling and 2 base baneling, which are so, so common obliterates me...

He states from the thread that when the 1 base baneling attack comes to go ahead and counter, and win. Go for sort of a base-trade scenario, he states a phenominal 70% winrate against 1 base baneling.

Here's where I run into my problems, If I go attack just as he's about to he'll continue on, but as his next ling pops he'll immediately make a few banelings in his main after seeing my huge mass zergling army come for him. And usually banelings kill 40% of my lings with my BEST micro, and his reinforcing lings clean the rest up, while I have around 4 seconds to do damage.

And as you can see from the above photo's, those first banelings make it in to my main and blow up and kill all my drones. In Tang's video he shows exceptional micro where he splits each and every one of his drones everywhere to minimize baneling damage. Something which I struggle with..

Not to say the build is bad, I just lack the micro for it to work for me

So I was thinking of switching to a new build and practicing it...

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=254591

It's aXa's ZvZ. Usually starting with a 9-pool to slow the opponents economy into a queen wall, until roaches come out, then a nice +2 timing attack before many muta can pop. Will be sure to report how it goes!

Anyways Other then my ZvZ's I had a few games vs protoss, found some pretty wierd tactics in most of them..

+ Show Spoiler +

Firstly, I see the pylon at his nat. I was thinking FFE. But then I saw 2-gate?? I thought that only works AFTER you got your forge and nexus down O_O.

So after I saw that, I just decided to go mass speedling. And it killed him easy...

So in the next match I see this...

+ Show Spoiler +

And I think, reasonably I did this...

+ Show Spoiler +

I mean, what other reason would a forge in-main mean? Besides I only saw his scouting probe block my expansion and go somewhere in the fog...

+ Show Spoiler +

What...the...fuck

So from there I didn't take the game seriously, I thought I could just take the game off him with roaches... And I was about except he went DT's.. So basically for a whole 22mins! it was an overseer and roach war.. he would keep on sniping my overseer and use his DT's to push me back... *sigh*

+ Show Spoiler +

And he gives me the "...." At the end and leaves...

I mean I'm sorry, really am, that his early forge inside his main with no cannon-rush into complete main simcity wall off to 1-base 5gate DT expand didn't work. He must of been high, or something.

So immediately after, I'm yet again surprised to see...

+ Show Spoiler +

And, that's right...

+ Show Spoiler +

Mr.Innovative LastGunsling did not the 2 gate proxy, but the 3 gate proxy. I soon as I scouted It I wasn't sure how to react, except for immediately cancel my hatch. The game progressed for soo long with me just barely holding every wave he sent at me with lings. I really wasn't sure what to do, because spines are ineffective against tanky zealots, and the can just walk around them anyway.

Could someone please tell me a solution??

And for the last match of the day, and the far most enjoyable for me was against a Protoss on Antiga.

He opens FFE to my delight, so I just drone all the way up, get my third at 4:00 mins, put down my roach warren at 7:30 and stop droning around 8:10

(keep these timings in mind if your new and reading this, it's very useful against FFE)

And When I scouted his 5 Gate and chrono Forge, I was expected an all-in. And thanks to these timings as soon As it hit, I hate a somewhat 12+ roaches popping.

+ Show Spoiler +

Held it off without losing a single drone, or unit for that matter. He smartly stops engaging after the first 2 warp-ins and starts making an army back at base. He does go for a wierd 3-robo constantly pumping out immortals.

When I go for my counter push..

+ Show Spoiler +

He holds off barely, thanks to his immortals. Which was a wise choice seeing I was mass roaching.

+ Show Spoiler +

Thanks to placing my overlord at his 3rd, I could quickly deny it.

Also a note to more beginner players, Imo try as best as possible to deny the Protoss from getting a 3rd base...

So due to the high immortal count I get some lings, so they can surrond the army while my roaches attacked.

+ Show Spoiler +

+ Show Spoiler +

He retreats back, and call's the GG, just as 2 collosi were about to come out of 2 of his 3 robo's. It scares me to think if he had constant 3 collosi production off of 3 bases, although I probably still would of won if he had taken his 3rd, as his army would of been much smaller then seen above, with him spending most of it on probes...

So that was it for day 4, sorry for it being a bit late!

Anyways, THANK YOUf or reading and hoped to enjoyed it! And maybe learnt something from it!

And as I said in my last blog post....

I'm dying for assistance in my trip to diamond, so if anyone reading would be so kind to lend me a hand or give me some advice on my gameplay, it will be GREATLY appreciated. (especially in ZvZ)

My IGN and code are, Symphony.365.

Thanks and see you again, tomorrow!

-Symphony

Lexpar

1813 Posts

January 06 2012 03:04 GMT

I think the 2 base zergling mass in ZvZ is pretty shitty. Usually I 14/14>expansion>bling nest. Scout to see if hes going to do some 2base ling bullshit. If he is, pump lings and get blings at top of ramp. If not, drone like a mofo. If hes going roaches, get a crawler or 2 to defend at nat, then the first push can be defended with lings and crawlers while building econ and going for roaches myself + infestor.

I'm rambling a bit with the game stuff- all to say that 2 base ling is really shitty. Maybe you win against some dummy who 15 hatches or something.

aXa's build sounds really tough to execute without royally fucking something up. I have trouble following a BO after the 30 supply mark, and just try to do what makes sense. Any build that plans that far ahead makes a lot of assumptions that things will go a certain way. If it's what you want to try, best of luck with it, but maybe you should keep things a little simpler

Kamelixs

Sweden88 Posts

January 06 2012 03:28 GMT

aXas build brought my ZvZ winrates up so much that i finnaly had over 50%. The build itself isn't that hard to execute after a few tries against AI/custom, and you won't always be able to do it in just that way anyway. Got into diamond this season, and it's starting to get way worse though. People often have pretty good drone micro, and with a 14 14 the lings starts producing once my zerglings enter his main, so I don't have a whole lot of time to do damage.

Also:
"Maybe you win against some dummy who 15 hatches or something"
I've encountered 15 hatches while doing the same TangSC build, and I can say that it often gets demolished if the early hatcher know whats he's doing. It may be a bit map dependet offcourse, but just a few banes and decent micro will clear this out easily as far as I've noticed. If the guy goes roaches, you have a berrter chance if you manage a sourround, but that's not very likely

Kamelixs

Sweden88 Posts

January 06 2012 03:29 GMT

On January 06 2012 12:28 Kamelixs wrote:
aXas build brought my ZvZ winrates up so much that i finnaly had over 50%. The build itself isn't that hard to execute after a few tries against AI/custom, and you won't always be able to do it in just that way anyway. Got into diamond this season, and it's starting to get way worse though. People often have pretty good drone micro, and with a 14 14 the lings starts producing once my zerglings enter his main, so I don't have a whole lot of time to do damage.

Also:
"Maybe you win against some dummy who 15 hatches or something"
I've encountered 15 hatches while doing the same TangSC build , and I can say that it often gets demolished if the early hatcher know whats he's doing. It may be a bit map dependet offcourse, but just a few banes and decent micro will clear this out easily as far as I've noticed. If the guy goes roaches, you have a berrter chance if you manage a sourround, but that's not very likely

Missclick.........

eXigent.

Canada2419 Posts

January 06 2012 03:32 GMT

I think sticking with zerglings when you are clearly having a really hard time, is pointless. Dont get me wrong, I dont think zerglings are a bad idea, but you should focus on learning another build or 2 based on the map. If you can expand, try learning a expand build and following it up with a really fast baneling nest (you need the baneling nest when you 15hatch to counter any aggression). I think sticking on pure lings against ling/baneling is practically suicide after a while. Especially if your micro skills are not at a high level. All it takes is 1 screw up and all of your lings die

peidongyang

Canada2084 Posts

January 06 2012 03:44 GMT

I dont see why you would cheese to get into diamond... that basically you'll never get masters because there's actually a fair skill jump between diamond and masters...

Ephemerality

United States203 Posts

January 06 2012 03:58 GMT

I find that roaches work best vs. proxy gate play, if you can survive long enough, and can micro the roaches and/or drones depending where they send the zealots. I'd throw up a spine or two to defend the first push or two though.

Symph

Japan14 Posts

January 06 2012 04:22 GMT

On January 06 2012 12:44 peidongyang wrote:
I dont see why you would cheese to get into diamond... that basically you'll never get masters because there's actually a fair skill jump between diamond and masters...

Cheese? I never usually cheese. All ZvZ match-ups are rushes mostly...

And I don't think it's "cheesy" to go all-in after seeing your opponent do something so aggressive, and failed.

I seriously don't get how, at all you would think I'm cheesing. The only time I did any sort of cheese was a few baneling busts before I understood aXa's ZvT style, which I think I'm good at using...

Please or register to reply.

Zerg Road to Diamond: day [4]

Completed

Ongoing

Upcoming