[ZvT] How to counter mech terran?

On March 22 2010 05:32 StRyKeR wrote:
The response build depends heavily on the type of mech strategy the Terran chooses to do. There are a number of mixed opinions about what to do versus mech late game, but here's my experience-based opinion on ZvMech.

There are two threats.
1) Early game vulture / drop / wraith cheese
2) Late game army control and map domination by siege tanks

Many games will end because of the first factor. You should first try to get past it. I use a modified 3-hatch muta build to get through 1).

You can indeed choose 3-hatch muta, but not in its pure form. The build I use:
12hatch
13pool (assuming I scout no 8rax rush -- I scout early enough to tell. if he goes 8 rax, 11pool it and then 14hatch, then 4 lings)
15hatch
17gas
17creep colony at nat
Lair with 100 gas
Den with 50 gas
24Ovie
3 hydras till 27
More hydras if wraiths start coming, also build spores if 2port wraith

Spire once Lair finishes
Sunk in main once Lair finishes if no wraith (protect against vult drop, though you should have enough hydras anyway -- this is just a precaution)

9 mutas
Expo as quickly as possible
11 mutas
Muta carapace

Make mutas until he gets a science facility (by scouting well)
Meanwhile, upgrade Hydra attack first, then carapace, attack, then carapace.
If you see a Science Facility go up, go Hydra speed / range.

There's no benefit of getting ling speed with 3-hatch muta. If you want to block vultures, use buildings. If you want to break his wall... well, because he'll have vultures, the only time speedlings will work is if you catch him offguard (doesn't happen often).

Also, if you don't get a hydra den with the next 50 gas after lair, you'll lose to a well-executed 2port wraith. Watch this replay against a strong Terran going 2port wraith -- you'll see that I have hydras JUST in time for his wraiths (but not enough, so I end up losing the game). The key is to get a good number of hydras, whether you plan on using them for offense or not. Then you can transition to mutas or whatnot.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4422/replays/3789 TADStRyKeRZ zjflwl1ckT.rep

As many people have pointed out, you need LOTS OF SHIT midgame. Not because you want to attack necessarily, but because a pre-Hive mech ball push is possible, and you want to be able to counter when that happens (don't face his army head-on without swarm).

Get Hive for late game. Position hydra / lurkers at important chokes, use Dark Swarm to prevent them from expos. The plan is to starve them off and hold them at 3 bases max while you take the rest of the map.

I disagree with getting Ultralisks under any circumstance in ZvMech. They are the worst unit against sieged Tanks, even under swarm. They are also a purely offensive unit, and this strategy of whoring till minerals run out is best served by defensive, ranged units.

Here's a good replay of mine demonstrating the entire gamut: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4422/replays/3774 lionLouiskT TADStRyKeZ.rep

Key points:
* Use sim-city (building placement) to block vulture runbys.
* Get many hydras early to block cheese, but not too many to cut into your eco.
* Whore drones. ZvMech is not a low-econ match-up.
* Make as many expos as you can get away with as early as possible. Mech takes a while to materialize an army.

* Upgrade Muta armor twice, then attack upgrade twice, then armor then attack. You want armor upgrades because they are your meat shields against Goliaths while your Hydras rape everything. Also useful to get armor beacause if they go Valks, Mutas+armor shrug them off easily.
* Upgrade Hydra attack, then carapace, attack, carapace. Hydras are supposed to be the major damage dealers.
* Your mid-game army should be Hydra + Muta. Harass scvs if you can with mutas, but don't lose them carelessly.
* Mutas => Tanks, Hydras => Goliaths.

* Make LOTS OF SHIT mid game for the purpose of countering if he makes a timed pre-Hive push.
* If he comes at you before making a 3rd, counter. Do NOT attack his army head on. He'll wipe out your main but you'll wipe out all his buildings, so it's a good trade. Just keep running away and expoing at random places and continue to build mutas one by one. Your army will get larger, his smaller.
*You DO want to get to Hive as soon as possible, but only after making enough shit that forces him to take a 3rd instead of pushing out.

* Get Hive, research Lurker and Consume. Put your hydras / lurkers / defilers in places where he would expo and expo there yourself. It's a money game from there. Just starve him.
* The best part of this strategy is that it wins using what the Zerg does best -- expo whore and defend with Dark Swarm, same as in ZvBio. Let the Terran come to you, always, because it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to break into a sieged mass of tanks.

* What if he gets position, sieges up 20 tanks, gets mass expos, and just sits there? The answer is simple: you shouldn't have gotten into that situation in the first place.