TvZ Late Game MnM Vessel Tank vs Ultraling/Defiler

On March 07 2010 01:39 Ver wrote:
It's abundantly clear from watching this that you need to work on understanding TvZ theory in general, which means watching lots and lots of Flash games. You seem to have wrong perceptions on things (such as building bunkers and trying to leapfrog forward while sustaining 1 fact tank production instead of keeping a mobile SK bio/vessel army and continuing to expand) and oftentimes focused on the wrong priorities to the neglect of very important factors (like taking your 3rd). Just watching Flash games (study from progamers, not foreigners) will teach you a lot of things; most notably to not put your turrets at the nat like that or you will auto lose to anyone remotely competent, or to keep your army mobile and threatening to gain map control, not just camping in one place.

Before even jumping to lategame you need to go through and read this liquipedia article and watch some of the recommended games to get your build down, because what you did was horribly inefficient.

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/1_Rax_FE_(vs._Zerg)

Basically your opponent overexpanded (Zerg can only take 1 gas after mutas are out before teching to hive, he took 2, thus dies to a timing push). Example of how this plays out is Flash vs GGPlay. If you had your build down pat you would have been able to basically kill either of his expansions before lurkers were out or at the very least force sunkens, and you most definitely would have killed him with the timing attack.

As for lategame, you are going to want to see two games to understand it:

http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/games/34969_Calm_vs_Flash
Zero vs Flash

Essentially here is your game plan/transitions for a defensive setup:

-Pressure before mutas to force sunkens and possibly delay 3rd hatch
-Pressure after mutas are no longer a threat to interfere with drone transfers/possibly invade their 3rd if they mess up
-Do heavy damage/kill their natural with the timing attack while expanding to your 3rd (timing attack favors Terran on this map). Once defilers are out quit making tanks (don't worry about vultures they aren't necessary vs normal Zerg builds and you have more important things to worry about) and keep on 2 port vessel while trying to delay 4th/wear him down.
-Once 3rd is up start securing 4th (at other main) immediately. Keep your army moving in between his expansions to irradiate safely and try to catch him off guard. If he is turtling and just trying to get his 4th up make sure you deny any expansions beyond his 4th at this point for certain by preemptively placing marines in such spots.
-Once 4th is running his ultras will be out soon so play safer with your bio group while starting tank production at your nat/4th and take the 5th
-If you already have enough of a lead you can run him over with a big attack (flash/zero), but if not you are going to have to starve him and defend well (flash/calm).

Offensive approach means that you are going to get 2 dropships once you switch to two ports instead of just massing vessels and try for combined attacks in 2-3 areas at once in order to cripple them before ultras can be started. Otherwise it has a mostly normal transition following that.