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Zergling Speed: A Very Good Hedge vs. T

Blogs > StRyKeR
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
StRyKeR
Profile Blog Joined January 2006
United States1739 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-24 18:48:13
March 24 2009 18:39 GMT
#1
I almost always upgrade Zergling speed after Lair vs. Terran. It forces the Terran to think twice before being aggressive, keeps him in his base sometimes, and I often don't have to build any sunken colonies.

The strategy of getting ling speed is suggested by the two following Starcraft theorems.

1) The best defense is a good offense.
2) Army power decreases with distance.

I build sunken colonies as a last resort, if I lost all my lings or I screwed up my economy too much to afford using larvae for a dozen lings. They don't move, and all they do is force the Terran from attacking your base.

Speedlings weakly dominate sunkens because they can achieve the same effect (marine+med don't attack you) but you can do more (like counterattack or harass). The only downside is that instead of using 3 drones to make sunkens, you need 6 larvae (which could have gone to 6 drones). But for the reason I mentioned, I almost always get speedlings because of their mobility.

The second point illustrates that if I have lings, I'll be able to camp in front of his base with them before he can camp in front of mine. By the time he pushes me all the way back, I'll have mutas and his army will be useless. Keeping a distance reduces the power of his marine+medic army.

Today I realized another benefit. Speedlings allow you to take advantage of greedy builds. Builds that, if you don't see it and deal with it when there's a timing window, will roll you over for sure later in the game. E.g.: Terran goes two engineering bay before academy for dual upgrades; Terran goes 1rax1fac1star for REALLY early Vessels.

Here's the recap of what happened. It's Destination, I'm Zerg, he's Terran, I'm at 5 o'clock.

My initial ovie is sent in a dumb direction.

[image loading]


Later, I am able to scout first his Starport.

[image loading]


At first, I think he is just going early Vessel. But then I see this.

[image loading]


He was gonna go early Valkyries, and there would be a timing window in which he'd only have one Valkyrie and a handful of marine and medic. If I left him alone, he'd skip making turrets. Valkyries are to turrets as lings are to sunkens. I couldn't let this happen.

I had ling speed. So I hatched about 6 more lings for a total of about 18.

[image loading]


As soon as I had 8 mutas or so, I go into his nat.

I knew that given his build, he could only have had a handful or marine+med and a Valk. I was confident in the efficiency of my build so that I could apply the substitution principle to the enemy -- you can't have everything; for everything extra you gain, there's something you lose. He sacrificed marine count for early Valkyries, and I was going to make him pay for it.

[image loading]


I trust myself and go in, killing about a dozen SCVs, doing severe damage. In retrospect, I think I could have done more damage by going into his main and attacking his Barracks.

That's pretty much the defining move of the game. The rest of the game is me trying to throw the game by getting constantly harassed. You wouldn't take away much from it. He keeps making small positive EV (expected value) moves, and I know it. He was coming back. I had been dealt an AK against his A8, but he was outplaying me little by little.

[image loading]


[image loading]


[image loading]


Each picture shows a different hatchery. At least 7 hatcheries were sniped throughout the game.

I had one final chance to set things straight. I went all-in on ultralisks and lings and shoved them in. Instantly, the tables turned and I was able to secure the win.

[BRAG]Check out his record. vooevoli[/BRAG]

Back to my point though -- my observation was that a dozen speedlings provide a very good hedge against a lot of greedy Terran builds.

Replay

***
Ars longa, vita brevis, principia aeturna.
H
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
New Zealand6138 Posts
March 24 2009 18:54 GMT
#2
cool post, but please don't ever make poker analogies again.
[iHs]HCO | のヮの | pachi & plexa ownz | RIP _
inReacH
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Sweden1612 Posts
March 24 2009 18:57 GMT
#3
How on earth does he still have a full line of minerals at his main while yours are almost mined out completely (last picture)
CaucasianAsian
Profile Blog Joined September 2005
Korea (South)11582 Posts
March 24 2009 19:01 GMT
#4
On March 25 2009 03:54 H wrote:
cool post, but please don't ever make poker analogies again.


I heard it was +EV to do so.
Calendar@ Fish Server: `iOps]..Stark
Tropics
Profile Joined August 2007
United Kingdom1132 Posts
March 24 2009 19:01 GMT
#5
im just curious as to how you went from wrecking his nat so early to almost losing the game

at that fight it looks like you've just killed all his mnm and you still have a group of lings and 8 mutas left, i dunno how it's even possible to come back from that

o_O
minus_human
Profile Blog Joined November 2006
4784 Posts
March 24 2009 19:01 GMT
#6
isn't one supposed to like.. upgrade zergling speed by default after Lair?
H
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
New Zealand6138 Posts
March 24 2009 19:02 GMT
#7
On March 25 2009 04:01 CaucasianAsian wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 25 2009 03:54 H wrote:
cool post, but please don't ever make poker analogies again.


I heard it was +EV to do so.


actually, it's just awkward as fuck and really dorky.
[iHs]HCO | のヮの | pachi & plexa ownz | RIP _
Tropics
Profile Joined August 2007
United Kingdom1132 Posts
March 24 2009 19:02 GMT
#8
On March 25 2009 03:57 inReacH wrote:
How on earth does he still have a full line of minerals at his main while yours are almost mined out completely (last picture)


because the last time he saw that min line they were full. Fog of war is on, you only have zerg's perspective.
koreasilver
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
9109 Posts
March 24 2009 19:16 GMT
#9
Lingspeed after Lair is standard in TvZ.
FieryBalrog
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United States1381 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-24 19:22:21
March 24 2009 19:21 GMT
#10
o_0 I get Lair first 100 gas, ling speed second 100 gas. I thought everyone did that.

P.S. Why do you hate lurkers
I will eat you alive
.gypsy
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
Canada689 Posts
March 24 2009 19:28 GMT
#11
12 speedling builds is usually very weak against strong terran builds, such as the ones that you may or may not have seen in Stylish's vods, also most Terrans arent retards that will die to standard 3 hatch 12 speedlings (not all-in) early game, and doing this sets you far back in comparison to most economic ZvT builds.
https://www.twitch.tv/gypsy93
CursOr
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United States6335 Posts
March 24 2009 19:30 GMT
#12
id hate to see what 4 firebats would do to 12 speedlings >.<
CJ forever (-_-(-_-(-_-(-_-)-_-)-_-)-_-)
koreasilver
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
9109 Posts
March 24 2009 19:33 GMT
#13
Isn't it more economically viable to have a bit of a balance between sunkens and lings anyways?
PePe QuiCoSE
Profile Blog Joined March 2006
Argentina1204 Posts
March 24 2009 19:33 GMT
#14
On March 25 2009 04:02 H wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 25 2009 04:01 CaucasianAsian wrote:
On March 25 2009 03:54 H wrote:
cool post, but please don't ever make poker analogies again.


I heard it was +EV to do so.


actually, it's just awkward as fuck and really dorky.

then i guess you didn't read the webcomic, that's the joke he is making
http://plusev.keenspot.com/
Aesop
Profile Joined October 2007
Hungary11295 Posts
March 24 2009 19:39 GMT
#15
A hedge you say?
ModeratorNon veritas sed auctoritas facit legem. | Liquipedia: Don't ask me, I'm retired.
.gypsy
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
Canada689 Posts
March 24 2009 19:47 GMT
#16
On March 25 2009 04:33 koreasilver wrote:
Isn't it more economically viable to have a bit of a balance between sunkens and lings anyways?


really economical 3 hatch builds involve only getting 4 lings until mutas and delay speed after mutas + Den imo
https://www.twitch.tv/gypsy93
H
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
New Zealand6138 Posts
March 24 2009 19:48 GMT
#17
On March 25 2009 04:33 PePe QuiCoSE wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 25 2009 04:02 H wrote:
On March 25 2009 04:01 CaucasianAsian wrote:
On March 25 2009 03:54 H wrote:
cool post, but please don't ever make poker analogies again.


I heard it was +EV to do so.


actually, it's just awkward as fuck and really dorky.

then i guess you didn't read the webcomic, that's the joke he is making
http://plusev.keenspot.com/


I have read that webcomic.
[iHs]HCO | のヮの | pachi & plexa ownz | RIP _
koreasilver
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
9109 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-03-24 20:00:22
March 24 2009 19:59 GMT
#18
On March 25 2009 04:47 404.TooEz wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 25 2009 04:33 koreasilver wrote:
Isn't it more economically viable to have a bit of a balance between sunkens and lings anyways?


really economical 3 hatch builds involve only getting 4 lings until mutas and delay speed after mutas + Den imo

Who in the world is going to let you get mutas from a 3hatch build making no sunks and only 4 slow lings?
candlejackisgonn
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
United States159 Posts
March 24 2009 20:01 GMT
#19
I don't know any poker references, but I do know that EV is effort values in Pokémon.
Night[Mare
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Mexico4793 Posts
March 24 2009 20:23 GMT
#20
yeah, i just hope you run into a good terran that will make 1-2 bats and own the shit out of your zerglings, leaving you open for a all in attack
Teamliquidian townie
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