[G] BW ZvP - sAviOr Analysis

Build I: 9 Pool Speedlings

Spawning Pool - 9
Drone - 8
Extractor - 9
Overlord - 8
Drone - 8
6 Lings - 9 (when Pool finishes)
Ling Speed - 12
2 Lings - 12
2 Lings - 13

Notes

Notation: If you look at the first item in the list, it's "Spawning Pool - 9." This means build a Spawning Pool at 9 supply when you can afford it. Unless otherwise indicated, build Drones when you can early on. Once the Extractor finishes, place 3 Drones on gas. Be aware that your supply drops by 1 every time you make a building. Comments are included in parentheses to the right.

1. This build is used in ZvZ, ZvT, ZvP, and even 2v2.

2. It is one of the most aggressive openings you can do with Zerg. It can punish greedy fast expo and 1 base tech builds, and it defends very well against cheese, including 8 rax, 2 Gate, etc.

3. If your opponent successfully defends your attack without taking much damage, you will be at a disadvantage in a longer game because you will have a low mineral income (few Drones mining). Also, if you aren't able to finish the game with the 10 Lings you made, then you have to make what's called a transition. That is, don't just keep making Lings--you have to have a backup plan in case a Ling attack won't work.

Here are two examples of a transition:

+ Show Spoiler +
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Build II: 9 Pool into Expo (No gas)

Spawning Pool - 9
Drone - 8
Drone - 9 (Extractor trick)
Overlord - 10
6 Lings - 10 (when Spawning Pool finishes)
Hatchery - 13

Notes

1. Used commonly in ZvT and ZvP.

2. In this opening build, the Extractor Trick is used to get a 10th Drone before the 2nd Overlord spawns. See the Terms & Definitions section for information about this.

3. It's quite common to have 8-12 lings before getting the third Hatchery.

4. Zerg typically does a 3 base play (for example, 3 Base, 6 Hatchery play) and only takes a 4th if necessary in ZvP.

5. In this build, the Zerg player can be aggressive with early Lings, and the economy will be in better shape than in the Speedling build because of the higher Drone count. Transitioning into a macro-oriented game will be easier; however, more work will need to be done early on, as the Lings will be slow.

6. In ZvP, you will be able to defend early pressure as well as apply pressure. If the opponent is going for a Forge FE, attempt to run by the Cannons or, at the very least, threaten to--make him put down a 2nd Cannon or pull Probes to block your Lings.

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Build III: Overpool

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
3 Drones - 8 (send out last 2 to scout/expo)
Hatchery - 11 (Drone scout)
6 Lings - 10 *

Notes

1. This build, so named because the Spawning Pool is built right after the Overlord, is most commonly used in ZvP, but it does see some play in ZvT.

2. It is perhaps the safest opening in the Zerg arsenal: A Zerg player can take a fairly quick 2nd Hatchery while having the option to make Lings if necessary.

3. This build is especially useful against Gateway-first openings and early aggression, such as the 1 Gateway FE. Zerglings can be made in time to deal with Zealots, and the Zerg economy will be in decent shape. See the demonstration in the Notable ZvP VODs section.

4. The * next to "6 Lings - 10" indicates that a Zerg player does not have to make 6 Lings right away. Sometimes 2 Lings and 2 Drones are made, sometimes 4 Lings and 1 Drone are made, sometimes all 6 Lings are made, and sometimes all 3 Drones are made.

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Build IV: 12 Hatch

Overlord - 9
3 Drones - 9 (send 2 Drones out to scout/expo when 3rd Drone starts)
Hatchery - 12 (Drone scout)
Spawning pool - 11
3 Drones - 10

Notes

1. 12 Hatch is used in ZvZ, ZvT, and ZvP. The Drone scout isn't normally seen in ZvZ.

2. This is the most economical opening in the Zerg arsenal and the most popular on 4 player maps, such as Fighting Spirit. You will have the highest mineral income early on compared to any of the previous builds. This is very important for long macro-oriented games. The build is a good response to an opponent who is doing a Fast Expand as well.

3. This build is vulnerable to early aggression (Gateway openings, 8rax, 9 Pool) because the Spawning Pool will finish quite late. The Zerg player will have to play defensively early on until the economic advantage is reaped.

4. Notice in the 12 Hatch and Overpool builds, 3 Drones are made after the Spawning Pool. That should help when trying to remember the builds.

5. It is possible to defend against very aggressive builds. Against the 9,9 Gate opening, an appropriate response would be to abandon the natural expansion and build a Sunken Colony in the main. One will have to rely on lots of Lings and micro-management to catch up. See the demonstration in the Notable ZvP VODs section.

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Once you get comfortable with the four opening builds above, try to tackle this slightly longer one. Credit for this build goes to sAviOr; unfortunately, the FPVOD of him executing this build was deleted. However, there is a demonstration of this build in the Notable ZvP VODs section.

Bonus Build V: 3 Hatch Hydra All-in vs. Forge FE

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
3 Drones - 8 (send out last 2 to scout/expo)
Hatchery - 11
6 Lings - 10
Extractor - 15 (with next Drone that spawns after Lings)
Hatchery - 14 (place it at one of the 12, 3, 6, 9 positions)
Overlord - 16
Hydralisk Den - 18
Hydralisk Speed - 19 (once Den completes)
Overlord - 27
Hydralisk Range - 27 (Attack)
Produce all Hydras

Notes

1. When the attack started in this game, there were 9 Drones mining minerals at the main, 4 Drones mining minerals at the natural, and 3 Drones mining gas at the main.

2. You should have 6 Lings and 6 Hydras for the initial attack at 27 supply (some supply resides in the Eggs). The Protoss player had 1 Cannon (others were building) and 2 Zealots when the attack started.

3. After the Hydralisk Den completes, no more Drones are necessary.

4. It is critical to deny scouting with the 6 Lings so that the Protoss player doesn't put up extra Cannons early.

5. It's advisable to place the 3rd Hatchery adjacent to your base rather than the Protoss base because if it is scouted, your intentions for an early attack will be obvious. There is a benefit to having a proxy Hatchery, though. Overlords will be able to spawn closer to the Protoss base, making it more difficult to defend with Dark Templar. Protect the Overlords from Corsair harassment.

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Even these short openings require some practice to master. There will be many distractions and things to keep track of in a typical game. If you know these builds inside and out, then you can focus on the more important things, such as what your opponent is doing and micro-management.

The Importance of Scouting

Scouting is important because you want to determine what opening build the Protoss player is going for. He might be opening Forge FE, but he could also be opening 9,9 Gate. Scouting with Overlords alone might take too long, especially if you don't find the opponent right away with your first Overlord. This is why sending a Drone scout when you place your first Hatchery is quite common on 4 player maps.

The Forge FE is a very versatile opening that lets the Protoss player go for a myriad of strategies in the mid-game. Early in the game, everything you need to see is in the Protoss natural: The Gateway and the Forge. It is important to note when the Gateway completes and also whether or not +1 Weapons is researching early in the Forge. If the Protoss player spends the first 100 gas on +1 Weapons, for example, then a +1 Speedlot timing attack is very likely. More will be said about this attack in a later section.

Once the Gateway completes, the Cybernetics Core will start shortly thereafter, and the first Zealot will be in production. Once the Zealot finishes, you need to see whether it stays in the Protoss natural or moves out to harass the Drones at your natural or 3rd. Sometimes the Protoss player will accumulate a small number of Zealots before moving out. Having enough Lings to deal with this Zealot pressure is critical to maintaining a healthy economy. At the same time, though, you want to keep the number of Zerglings you make to an absolute minimum to grow your economy as quickly as possible. Scouting how many troops your opponent has is necessary to determine the minimum number of defenses you need at any given time.

Improving Your Game - Mishin's Paradox

Trying to improve your StarCraft skills can be very frustrating. You can spend hours at a time (even days) playing on the ladder and still not make any progress. I can sit here and preach to you the old sayings, "practice makes perfect" or "repetition is the mother of all learning," but it won't help you at all. In fact, this advice is very misleading. I would like to share with you an experience I had on iCCup--one that lead to a very interesting discovery.

Back when I was a D-/D Protoss player just starting out on the ladder, I played a 1v1 game against a Terran player with the alias, mishin. We actually played several games, and I lost each of them. In every game, he went for a 2 Fact opening and transitioned to a 4 Fact all-in off 1 base, never letting up the pressure, and ultimately crushed me. I looked up his account on iCCup's website, and I was astonished at the thousands of games mishin played every season.

Fast-forward 6 months, and I hit C-, the golden rank, with my PvT. The following season, when the ranks reset, I ran into mishin again. This time when I played him, I won the game quite convincingly. I compared the replays--the games I played at D-/D level with the game I played at C- level--and I noticed several things. Mishin's play had been identical in every game, but my play was different in a few ways. Previously, his Vultures easily baited my Dragoons forward, and they would take many Spider Mine and Siege Tank hits: I lost many Dragoons carelessly. In the recent game, I used Hold Position a lot more and watched over my Dragoons, minimizing casualties due to negligence. Previously, he marched across the map with his army uncontested and sieged once he reached my natural. In the recent game, I slowed his advance from the time he moved out, forcing him to siege inch by inch all along the way to my natural, which bought me the time I needed to build a force. Previously, I had too few Gateways producing units, and my money remained high at around 1700 minerals. In addition, I only had 1 mining base, my main. In the recent game, I kept my money low by having enough unit-producing structures, and I expanded after I broke through his initial contain from the 2 Fact push. I continued to trade my forces with his to keep his army away from my base while my economy grew. Eventually, I took the macro advantage and was able to take a 3rd while still holding his push back. Once I had enough production, I pushed him back all the way to his base, flooded units into his main, and won.

The point I want to make with this story is that playing thousands upon thousands of games, also known as mass-gaming, has the potential to do absolutely nothing to increase your level of play. This goes completely against conventional wisdom, which says, "practice makes perfect," hence the name, Mishin's Paradox. Looking back at my games with mishin, his play had remained the same 6 months later. My play, however, was different than the way it was 6 months ago. Therefore, if you are trying to improve your StarCraft, you should be trying to change the way you play rather than trying to play the same way you always have. How do you change the way you play in order to win more, you ask?

The first step is to assume a humble attitude: Admit to yourself that the reason you lost a game was because you made mistakes, and your opponent was able to capitalize on those mistakes. The second step is to look back at the replay carefully (that is, not at x16) and identify your mistakes--make a list of them on paper. The third step is to look for solutions; think about what you can do in future games to prevent these mistakes from happening again. The fourth and final step is implementation; go about solving each of the mistakes in your list in future games. However, don't try to fix all the mistakes at once. Focus on one of them at a time. This is where practice comes in handy--in each game you play, you should have something specific you are trying to do better. Players who reach a plateau in their skill level do so because they are missing one of these four steps.

In my games with mishin, it was fairly easy to identify the mistakes I made because it was a low-level game. In general, the higher you go in terms of skill, the less obvious your mistakes in the game will be. Therefore, how much you improve will be a function of your observational prowess. It might prove beneficial to have a friend (or a coach) watch your replay with you because he or she might notice something you overlooked.

In summary, if you are looking to improve your game, then look for mistakes in the games you lose. In the following games you play, push yourself to correct those mistakes one at a time. Too often I see players who stream their games, playing one right after the other, without viewing replays of the games they lose; some only give a cursory glance at the replay at x16 speed. This will lead to a plateau in skill level with respect to time à la Mishin's Paradox.

Never Give Up

Against mishin's style of play, I discovered many things that I needed to improve upon in my PvT game. Playing other people with different styles revealed other flaws that helped me improve further. In general, you should experience many situations, experiment with your build orders, and not be afraid to mess up. Push yourself to play better and faster by playing people slightly above your level. The beauty of this training method is that if you lose, it was meant to happen, and if you win, it's because you played exceptionally well. Maintain a consistent training schedule every week, preferably with a few hours most days of the week rather than many hours a few days of the week. Being healthy, eating well, and getting enough sleep every night all do wonders for your game, needless to say. For more tips on improving your game, I highly recommend reading Ver's outstanding guide on the subject.

9-Pooling the Devil

While it is important to practice your builds in order to become comfortable with them and optimize your play, it is not a good idea to use the same build many games in a row against one opponent (unless he or she happens to be a friend helping you practice). For example, if you always open 12 Hatch, the opponent may decide to punish you with an aggressive build or do something greedy that wouldn't normally work. Try to be unpredictable and mix up your openings if you have rematches on the ladder or are playing a series. Even if you lose the game, it sends a message and keeps the opponent guessing.

The Mythical Build That Conquers All

Depending on what strategy the Protoss player goes for, you will have to adjust your build accordingly; there is no one-size-fits-all build order you can memorize, practice, and execute every game and expect to win. StarCraft isn't all about you. If you don't adjust your build based on what the opponent is doing, you may end up making the game more difficult than it needs to be or, in the worst case scenario, end up losing. Thus, in the following sections there will be discussions of the 4 Base, 8 Hatchery Hydra Build in response to particular variations of the Forge FE. The build is longer and more complicated than Builds I - IV, so make sure you are familiar with them before reading on.

+ Show Spoiler +

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FPVOD Demonstration by sAviOr

Skip to 32:00 for the start of the game.

The game was played in November of 2011. Protoss player 1v1 Fish ladder stats: 55-47-1 (1253)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to Ivev on Youtube for posting this video.

Phase I - Mineral Intensive

Overlord - 9
Hatchery - 12 (Drone scout)
Spawning pool - 11
Extractor - 13 (with 3rd Drone that spawns)
Hatchery - 12 (make with the Drone scout)
Lair - 16 (with first 100 gas)
Overlord - 16
Ling Speed - 18 (with second 100 gas)
2 Lings - 21
4 Lings - 23
Overlord - 26
Spire - 26
4 Lings - 25
2 Lings - 30
4th Hatchery at nat - 35
5th Hatchery at 3rd - 34
Overlord - 33
6th Hatchery at 4th - 33 (scout the Protoss natural with Lings - +1 Weapons on Forge and Core)
Overlord - 32
Build 2 Sunken Colonies at nat/3rd - 35-40

End Phase I

4 Scourge when Spire finishes (protect Overlords/scout Protoss base)

When the Scourge scout the main, the Protoss should have a Stargate, Citadel, and 2nd Gateway built with Templar Archives just starting - 44

Maintain a force of about 16 Zerglings/6-8 Scourge

Phase II - Gas Intensive

Hydra Den - 44
Overlord Speed - 46
Evo Chamber (+1 Carapace-preferred or +1 Missile) - 45
2nd Gas - 46
Hydra Speed - 48 (when Den finishes)

End Phase II

Protoss should push out at this point with around eight +1 Speedlots - 48

Add Creep Colony to Simcities at nat/3rd - 48 (morph to Spore when Evo comes up)

Scout Protoss 3rd/Start macroing Hydras - 62

Phase III - Macro Intensive

Hydra Range - 72 (when Hydra Speed finishes)
3rd Gas - 76
Overlord Drop - 80
7th and 8th Hatcheries at 4th - 94
Lurker Aspect - 94
2nd Evo Chamber (+2 Carapace/+1 Melee) - 100 (when +1 Carapace finishes)
Start macroing Zerglings

Notes

1. The Extractor at 13 supply should be placed when you have roughly 200 minerals banked.

2. Drone Saturation: 9-11 Drones per base (see note 11). Then start producing Hydralisks at 62 supply (~50 Drones in total and ~12 supply in Zerglings and Scourge).

3. Army composition: Hydralisk production starts at 62. Once +1 Carapace completes, Zerglings should be produced as well. Lurkers should be sprinkled throughout the army--about 3 Lurkers per control group of Hydras or Lings--once enough gas is earned per unit time to support their production (purpose of the 3rd Gas).

4. Attack strategy: Highly aggressive, multi-pronged attacks with Hydras. Attack at natural/3rd while dropping one control group of Hydras behind mineral lines--this makes it impossible for Zealots to get a surround on them.. Use Hydra Morphing in the mineral lines and at ramps if possible to block reinforcements. Use Silver Lurkers to kill Probes at mining bases once Lurkers are available.

5. When the first wave of Speedlots attacks, there should be about 2-4 Lings in front of the Sunken Colonies (to block the spaces between buildings) with about one control group trailing the Zealots (Eggs morphing at the Hatcheries can be used to block holes further) to minimize damage. Although it wasn't used in this game, the Larva Trick can be used to move the Larvae between the buildings of the Simcity. If you then morph them into Eggs, you can prevent Zealots from running in.

6. The food count in this build (after Protoss pushes with Speedlots) is imprecise since sAviOr loses units throughout the game. The order is what's important, though, and it should be closely followed.

7. Hive tech/Mutalisks/5th base/4th gas were not acquired in this build.

8. Notice that sAviOr does not build any Lings early even after his Spawning Pool completes. He relies on microing his drones to keep them safe from Probe harassment. This is not a risky play because the Protoss player has opened with the Forge FE build. The Gateway will come very late (after the Nexus, Forge, and possibly 1 Cannon). It is wasteful to build Lings since they cannot do anything useful early other than chase the Probe around.

9. Overlords are used extensively for drops and detection vs DT's, and Corsairs will be sniping them. Be careful to always have Overlords building to avoid getting supply blocked. Expect to lose 1 Overlord to the first 1-2 Corsairs before the initial 4 Scourge spawn.

10. Be careful against counterattacks--Storm/DT/Zealot/Reaver drops are quite common in the late-game.

11. On Fighting Spirit, each of the main bases has 9 mineral patches, each natural has 7 mineral patches, and the 12, 9, 3, 6 positions have 8 mineral patches. When you are building your Drone force at the start, take care to properly distribute Drones between the bases; for example, you should have 12 Drones in the main (eventually putting 3 on Gas), sending the rest to the natural--set rallies for both Hatcheries to the natural. Eventually you will want 11 Drones in the main, 9 Drones in the natural, and 10 Drones in the 12, 3, 6, 9 positions (2 more than the number of mineral patches).

12. Once the 3rd base is established, transfer 4-5 Drones to it from the natural. Otherwise, there will hardly be any mining there, as lots of Drones need to be used to make a Simcity. Also, there will be an oversaturation of Drones on the 7 patches of the natural, leading to inefficient mining.

13. Don't assume the Protoss player will give up making Corsairs after the first 2. Keep up the Scourge production (maintain 6-8). They can be used later to scout and snipe Shuttles.

14. Even though the Protoss player gets +1 Air Weapons, sAviOr does not get +1 Air Carapace. He protects the Overlords with Hydras.

15. +1 Carapace is preferred as the first upgrade at the Evo Chamber because the first upgrade the Protoss will get is +1 Weapons. Lings are the most cost-efficient unit in the Zerg arsenal, and the sooner you can use them in battle (when they can take 3 Zealot shots instead of 2), the better.

16. If the Protoss player happens to go for a 2 base strategy with 7-8 Gateways, a general rule of thumb is to put down as many Sunken Colonies at each natural as there are Gateways. Get Lurkers and defend your economic advantage (4 base vs. 2 base). Keep an eye out for the Protoss 3rd. Observed from: SKT ex-pro, Larva.

17. Initially, leave your scouting Overlord in front of the Protoss natural to see when Zealots spawn and if they leave to harass (also check for a fast +1 Weapons on the Forge). After the Lings deal with the Probe scout and Zealot harassment, send them to the Protoss natural and then send the Overlord to the Protoss main along the ridge at the natural (remain hidden for as long as possible and check to see if there's a 2nd Gateway or Robotics Facility in the natural).

18. sAviOr made use of Cross Scouting with his initial Overlord. Not only can he see where the scouting Probe comes from, but also he can time a Ninja Drone to take his natural expo when the coast is clear. The second Overlord was sent to the location of his eventual 3rd, and the third Overlord was sent to the middle of the map, presumably to scout Zealots en route to the 3rd. Interestingly, this is probably the safest position for the Overlord, since Corsairs usually hug the edges of the map in a game with the spawn locations, 8 and 4.

19. sAviOr rallies all the Hatcheries on his hotkeys to the opponent's bridge when he's on the attack. This way he doesn't need to waste extra APM moving his units from his natural to the battlefront. Make sure to change the rally points if you need to.

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FPVOD Demonstration by sAviOr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYmmucIo8LU
Skip to 51:40 for the start of the game.

The game was played in November of 2011. Protoss player 1v1 Fish ladder stats: 55-48-1 (1220)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to Ivev on Youtube for posting this video.

Phase I - Mineral Intensive

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
Hatchery - 11
2 Lings - 10 (2 Lings, 2 Drones)
Hatchery - 15 (with Drone scout)
Extractor - 14
2 Lings - 15
Overlord - 16
Lair - 18 (with first 100 gas)
Ling Speed - 22 (with second 100 gas)
Overlord - 23
6 Lings - 23
Spire - 28
2 Lings - 31
4th Hatchery at nat - 35 (scout Protoss natural with Lings - +1 Weapons on Forge)
5th Hatchery at 3rd - 35
Overlord - 34
6th Hatchery at 4th - 34
Overlord - 33
Overlord - 33 (sAviOr was expecting 2 Overlords to fall)
Build 2 Sunken Colonies at nat/3rd - 35-40

End Phase I

When sAviOr scouts the main with his Overlord, he sees a Stargate, Corsair, Citadel, and Templar Archives just starting (presumably) - 35

Maintain about 16 Zerglings/6 Scourge.

Protoss player will attack with 8 +1 Speedlots - 42

Phase II - Gas Intensive

Hydra Den - 40
Evo Chamber (+1 Carapace) - 40
Hydra Speed - 41 (when Den completes)
Overlord Speed - 57
Hydra Range - 57 (when Hydra Speed completes)
2nd Gas - 65
3rd Gas/4th Gas - 70 (start banking gas for Ultras)

End Phase II

Add Spore Colonies to Simcities at nat/3rd - 68

Have about 12 Hydras - 68 (try to establish map presence with these)

Phase III - Macro Intensive

Lurker Aspect - 70
Add Forward Sunken Colony to nat/3rd - 85
Queen's Nest - 94
2nd Evo Chamber (+1 Melee) - 94
7th and 8th Hatcheries at 4th - 97
Add a Sunken Colony and a Spore Colony to 4th - 91
+1 Air Carapace - 88
Hive - 88
Adrenal Glands - 115
Overlord Drop - 115
+1 Carapace + Glands complete -> MASS LINGS
3rd Evo chamber (+1 Missile) - 134
Defiler Mound - 134
5th Base - 139
Ultralisk Cavern - 160 (could've been built to start research sooner)
Consume - 160
Burrow - 157

Notes

1. First Zealot attack comes at about 40 food. 12-16 Lings and 2 Sunken Colonies and Drones should be enough to defend.

2. Drone saturation: 9-11 Drones per base. See note 11 in the previous build.

3. Army Composition: Hydra production begins at around 50 supply. Once Lurker Aspect finishes, he gets around 5-7 Lurkers per natural. Once Lings become effective against Zealots (i.e. once +1 Carapace completes), they are produced more than Hydras. Transition ultimately to: Lurker/Ling/Ultra with a few Hydras sprinkled throughout.

4. Attack Strategy: Get quick Lurkers (about 3-5 per natural when Lurker tech researches). Use Hydras to attack Zealots and snipe High Templar. Attack Protoss once macro/tech kicks in (off of 8 Hatcheries).

5. Protoss will eventually have a Corsair fleet and Storm/DT/Reaver drop. These drops will become frequent at the end of the mid-game.

6. Use F keys to your advantage: Assign them over 2 bases with minerals so that way you will be able to quickly transfer drones if a Storm/DT/Reaver drop comes in.

7. sAviOr has about 5 Hatcheries on his hotkeys (suppose they are on 4-8). He often macros using 4s+left-click, 5s+left-click, and so on. Perhaps this can be more efficient sometimes than 4sz5sz6sz7sz8sz or 4sh5sh6sh7sh8sh or 4sm5sm6sm7sm8sm.

8. Notice how he traps his own Hydras via Hydra Morphing behind the mineral line at the 12 position to harass Probes. This is an efficient way of harassing because not only does the Protoss player have to deal with the Hydras in the present, but he also has to keep some of his army with an observer there to deal with the Lurkers once they spawn in the future. Don't forget to burrow them!

9. sAviOr decides to take his 3rd and 4th Gases at 70 supply even though he doesn't need them. I suppose he was feeling comfortable with his mineral mining rate and decided to start banking gas in preparation for the late-game. Indeed, once the Protoss player started to accumulate Archons, sAviOr macroed more than enough Ultralisks in no time.

10. In anticipation of drops, sAviOr positioned several pairs of Scourge around the 4th, where a Shuttle would have been most likely to pass. He did this once the Corsairs were no longer a major threat to Overlord safety.

11. Silver Lurkers are used extensively during engagements on the map. This increases their effectiveness, as the Protoss player will likely not notice the drops.

12. Burrow is used to defend against Reaver drops.

13. When he attacked the heavily defended Protoss 4th base, sAviOr used a combination of ground troops and Overlord Drops to break it. Notice that sAviOr unloads each of his Overlords individually. This will drop all his units in a bigger area, making it more difficult to hit all his units with Storm and splash from Reaver Scarabs. Additionally, the damage output per unit time to the surrounding buildings is higher than if he unloaded his units all in one spot. Special thanks to greenelve for this note!

14. As in the previous game, sAviOr did Cross Scouting with his initial Overlord. This enabled him to see when the Probe was coming and let him use a Ninja Drone to place the Hatchery without having to produce Lings first. The Drone scout immediately went to make the 3rd Hatchery after it saw the Cannon building.

15. In this game, sAviOr made use of the Forward Sunken Colony; he built a Sunken Colony (at about the time he gets the 7th and 8th Hatcheries) so that it covered the bridge area. Adding Lurkers, more Sunken Colonies, and a Spore Colony or two would make an excellent defense against Protoss attacks, as the Protoss units would have to funnel through a smaller area. This kept the Protoss player from attacking and gave sAviOr the time he needed to build a huge army. This defense also helps protect against counterattacks in general.

16. Even though sAviOr went for the Overpool first, he did not produce 6 Lings; instead he focused more on his economy, building only 2 Lings and 2 Drones. He slowly built his Ling force to 12 by the end of Phase I. This was safe to do because his opponent opened with the Forge FE.

17. As in the previous game, sAviOr sends the initial scouting Overlord into the Protoss main along the ridge at the natural once his Lings get to the Protoss natural (at around 20 supply). This way, there is no chance for a Zealot to slip out onto the map unnoticed.

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FPVOD Demonstration by sAviOr
http://www.twitch.tv/nekotrap/b/393916300
Skip to 29:10 for the start of the game.

The game was played in April of 2013. Protoss player 1v1 Fish ladder stats: 58-43-0 (1293)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to Nekotrap for posting this video.

Phase I - Mineral Intensive

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
Hatchery - 11 (Drone scout)
2 Lings - 10
4 Lings - 11 (attempt to run by - no Cannons at Protoss natural)
Extractor - 15 (when you have ~200 minerals)
Hatchery - 15
Lair - 17 (with first 100 gas)
Overlord - 17
Ling Speed - 15 (with second 100 gas)
8 Lings (after Overlord spawns)
Spire - 25
4th Hatchery at nat - 35 (scout Protoss natural with Lings - no +1 on Forge)
5th Hatchery at 3rd - 34
Overlord - 33
Hydralisk Den - 34
4 Scourge - 33 (when Spire completes - scout Protoss Main with them)
Overlord - 35

End Phase I

When you scout the Protoss main with the Scourge, you should see 2 Stargates and the Core researching +1. There should not be a 2nd Gateway yet. Scout the main later to see what the opponent transitions to.

Phase II - Gas Intensive

Hydra Speed - 41 (when Den completes - still no +1 on Forge)
Overlord Speed - 41
6th Hatchery at 4th - 45 (should be 42)
2nd Gas - 44
Evolution Chamber (+1 Missile) - 43

End Phase II

Phase III - Macro Intensive

Hydralisk Range - 52 (when Hydra Speed completes)
7th Hatchery at 4th - 62
8th Hatchery at 5th - 61
Add Spore Colonies to Simcity/Defend Corsair harass - 60
+1 Air Carapace - 69
Add Sunken/Spore to 4th - 94
Lurker Aspect - 112
3rd Gas - 112
Defend DT Drop - 112 (leave some Hydras in each main just in case)
Deny Protoss 3rd Base - 116
2x Evo Chambers - 115
Queen's Nest - 115
4th Gas - 104
5th Base - 104
Overlord Drop - 122

Notes

1. sAviOr first checked the Protoss natural with his scouting Drone before building the 6 Lings. He saw there were no Cannons building, so he built 6 Lings in order to punish the greedy play by the Protoss. Even though these Lings came after the Cannons finished, he attempted a run-by and was able to damage the Protoss economy.

2. If you are lucky, the scouting Drone will head straight to the Protoss base. In this game, sAvior used the Drone to block the Nexus from being built. This has the same effect that scouting Probes have when they prevent a 12 Hatch from being placed. Don't forget you have to make the 3rd, so don't stick around for too long.

3. Rely on 8 Lings for scouting and maintaining map control. Once the Lings get to the Protoss natural, retreat the Overlord towards the center of the map above the ridges (he already saw the Protoss main during the Ling run-by). Once Overlord Speed finishes, this Overlord is used to scout the Protoss player to check what he is going for after 2 Stargate Corsairs: Reaver/DT Drop or ground army (lots of Gateways). Scout around the ridge of the Protoss natural to remain hidden for as long as possible.

4. Notice sAviOr makes one pair of Scourge in his main and one pair of Scourge at the 3rd when he makes his initial 4. This way 1 pair of Scourge can catch the Corsair whether it goes to the 3rd or main. Once the Corsair retreats, he can cut it off with the other pair.

5. Rely on Scourge initially when the Spire completes to defend the 2 Stargate Corsair harass. They should buy enough time until 5 Corsairs accumulate (the Critical Mass) before you get some Hydras out to continue the defense. Attempt to snipe any Corsairs you can. Maintain map control for as long as possible with Lings/Scourge--as long as you have it, you won't have to worry about defense at the 3rd.

6. Hydra production starts at about 45 supply. 7 Hydras will defend your Overlords against 7 Corsairs. Complete Drone saturation in the main/natural (12/10) before producing mass Hydras there. Continue droning up at the 3rd/4th--there is zero defense at these bases! sAviOr can afford to skimp on the defenses at the 3rd/4th because the Protoss player can't afford a considerable ground army early on. He also had map control with Lings/Scourge.

7. Huddle all Overlords above the Hydras at the natural; defend as if you were playing against 2-Port Wraiths. sAviOr doesn't seem concerned about detection at his 3rd/4th at this point. Because all the early gas is spent on Corsairs/+1 Air Weapons, there is no threat of fast DT's as in the Bisu Build.

8. Since the Protoss player will not have a big ground army, you are free to roam the map with any ground units. Just remember to keep your Overlords covered with some Hydras. Attempt to catch the Corsairs on the move with Hydras.

9. If the Protoss player follows up the 2-gate Corsairs with a Robotics Facility as in this game, DT drops or Reaver harassment is possible. Sniping the Shuttle before the harassment starts will give you a decisive advantage in the game. Look for openings.

10. The 5th base of Zerg is quite a move in ZvP (P on 3 bases). It pops the following question to the Protoss player: I'm going to take an economic advantage, so what are you going do about it? This is particularly difficult for a Protoss player to deal with who is on the defensive. It will prompt some sort of attack, so be prepared--use it to your advantage!

11. It might've been better to get Overlord Drop a little sooner, since the Protoss player had a hidden expo with Cannons at the ramp. sAviOr lost a lot of units trying to attack it by ground.

12. As in his other games, sAviOr makes use of Hydra Morphing extensively. In situations where his group of Hydras is outnumbered by Zealots, he runs behind the mineral line and morphs Lurkers at the narrow choke points. This will force the Protoss army to linger in order to kill the remaining Lurkers. It also prevents the Zealots from getting a surround on the Hydras. This tactic is what Protoss players usually employ when they do early harassment with Zealots.

13. Since the Protoss player doesn't go for +1 Weapons early, you don't have to wait for +1 Carapace to use Lings effectively against the Protoss ground army. Once you accumulate enough Hydras and the Corsairs are no longer a major threat, get Lings to help deal with the ground army.

14. Note that since sAviOr did not see the +1 Weapons upgrade researching in the Forge, he got the Hydra Den earlier than in the previous two builds. He anticipated some type of early Corsair play.

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FPVOD Demonstration by sAviOr
http://www.twitch.tv/nekotrap/b/393916300
Skip to 00:10 for the start of the game.

The game was played in April of 2013. Protoss player 1v1 Fish ladder stats: 58-42-0 (1325)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to Nekotrap for posting this video.

Phase I - Mineral Intensive

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
Hatchery - 10 (should be 11)
2 Lings - 11
Extractor - 13 (when you have about 200 minerals)
Hatchery - 13 (Drone should be sent out at 12 supply at about 100 minerals)
Lair - 15 (with first 100 gas)
Overlord - 15
Ling Speed - 18 (with second 100 gas)
4 Lings - 18
Spire - 24
Overlord - 25
Scout Protoss natural with Lings - 27 (no +1 on Forge, only 2 Zealots)
4th Hatchery at nat - 35
5th Hatchery at 3rd - 34
Overlord - 33
Hydralisk Den - 33

End Phase I

4 Scourge when Spire completes - 33 (2 built at main, 2 built at 3rd)

When the Overlord scouts the main, you should see +1 Air Weapons on the Core, 2nd Corsair, and Templar Archives completed.

Phase II - Gas Intensive

2nd Gas - 35
Overlord - 35
Hydra Speed - 34
1 Creep Colony at 3rd - 36 (mistimed - build with Hydra Den)
Overlord Speed - 35
Begin Hydra Production - 35
Hydra Range - 39

End Phase II

Apply Pressure with 8-10 Hydras at Protoss natural - 49

Phase III - Macro Intensive

6th Hatchery at 4th - 52
Lurker Aspect - 54 (get 1-2 Lurkers per natural)
Evo Chamber (+1 Carapace) - 54
Defend with Hydras, 2 Sunken Colonies at nat/3rd, Drone up - 55
3rd Gas - 61
7th Hatchery at 4th - 81
8th Hatchery at 4th - 80
Attack Protoss 3rd - 79
4th Gas - 84
Queen's Nest - 85
Evo Chamber (+1 Missile) - 84
+1 Air Carapace - 91
Build Forward Sunken Colonies at nat/3rd - 92
Add Sunken + Spore to 4th - 95
Evo Chamber (+1 Melee) - 98
Hive - 102
Adrenal Glands - 128
Defiler Mound - 128
Overlord Drop - 128
5th Base - 127

Notes

1, sAviOr used the Overpool opening, and he did not use Cross Scouting this game.

2. As in the 2 Stargate, +1 Corsair build, sAviOr gets a faster Hydra Den (at 33 supply) in response to seeing no +1 Weapons researching in the Forge with his Lings.

3. DT's should be on the way to your base by the time the 2nd Corsair appears.

4. After he deals with the DT harassment, sAviOr goes for an early attack with 8-9 Hydras at the Protoss natural (at 47 supply - at the 8:00 minute mark). The Protoss player doesn't seem to have much to defend with following the harassment. If he or she transitions by getting more Gateways, then there will be a small timing window where the Protoss won't have many units. The Protoss player suffered quite a bit of economic damage as a result of this early attack.

5. After this attack, sAviOr goes on the defensive and takes his 4th. He tries to run away with the game economically after doing damage.

6. sAviOr takes his 3rd gas when he starts making Lurkers.

7. The timing of sAviOr's attack on the Protoss 3rd is impeccable (at 80 supply - at the 11:00 minute mark). He got there right before the Cannons warped in and was able to shut the expansion down. He made use of Hydra Morphing to block Protoss units from going up the ramp to defend.

8. At around 85 supply, Forward Sunken Colonies are made at the nat/3rd. After taking down the Protoss 3rd, sAviOr wanted to defend against the threat of an all-in attack on 2 bases and preserve his economic advantage.

9. Lurkers make for an excellent defense when taking one of the 12, 3, 6, 9 positions. Melee units are what the Protoss player needs in order to make an attack on these high-ground locations, since ranged units are at a disadvantage going from low to high ground. Lurkers counter these melee units perfectly.

10. In this game, sAviOr takes advantage of the fact that the Protoss player expanded all over the place. Each of the new Protoss bases acts as a target that he can attack. When his attack at the 3 o' clock position failed, he changed his attention to the 8 o' clock position and shut it down. He didn't try to go for the Protoss main, nat, or 3rd after his initial attacks in the game. The Protoss player likely would have put up many defenses to prevent another attack.

11. Taking control of the 8 o' clock main allowed sAviOr to mount a double-pronged attack on the heavily defended natural. With a final army composition of Hydras, Guardians, Lings, Lurkers, and Dark Swarm, sAviOr was able to take the game. Note that he did not go for Ultralisks this game. Maybe he didn't because they take up a lot of supply--making many Ultralisks would have limited his army size, which would have limited the number of places he could attack at once. In general, Ultralisks increase the power of your attacks but limit the maximum number of places you can attack at once. Mass production of Ultralisks requires a booming economy, so it's best to stall their production until the late-game.

12. The Protoss player attempted to stop sAviOr's 6th base from going up at the 9 o' clock position. This left the Hatchery with very little health at the end of the attack, making it a liability. He solved this problem by morphing it into a Lair to give it extra hit points so it could not be sniped easily.

13. Only 6 Lings were made by the end of Phase I--sAviOr seemed convinced there was no early Speedlot attack coming. He seemed caught off guard at the timing of the DT harassment because his Sunken Colony was late. There was no 2nd Gateway when sAviOr scouted the Protoss main with his Overlord; this is a deviation from the build listed on the Liquipedia page (so is the +1 Air Weapons, but this is less significant). Perhaps the Protoss player skipped the 2nd Gateway in order to get his tech up faster. He opted to send his DTs out one at a time (the first DT coming earlier than usual) in order to harass before sAviOr had defenses up in time. The downside to this Protoss strategy was that he left himself open to a counterattack in a small interval of time. sAviOr took advantage of this and hit the timing with Hydras perfectly.

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sAviOr's Play

+ Show Spoiler +

Killer's Play

+ Show Spoiler +

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sAviOr vs. Bisu
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in the Lost Saga MBCGame Starleague in January of 2009.
The map is Neo Harmony.
Special thanks to Klazart for posting these videos and providing excellent commentary.

Jaedong vs. Bisu
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in the GOM TV Season 4 MBCGame Starleague in January of 2008.
The map is Bluestorm.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for posting these videos and to Diggity, Klazart, and Moletrap for the excellent commentary.

Jaedong vs. BeSt
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in the 2008 WCG Qualifiers in August of 2008.
The map is Andromeda.
Special thanks to Klazart for posting these videos and providing excellent commentary.

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This build order against Corsair/Reaver was made from careful observation of the VODs and comparison to sAviOr's other builds. It is meant to serve as a starting point for dealing with Corsair/Reaver. Starting with Phase II, where the build starts to diverge noticeably from sAviOr's previous builds, the supply count will be used to give a sense of the time that the building or upgrade starts.

Phase I - Mineral Intensive

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
Hatchery - 11 (Drone scout)
2 Lings - 10
Hatchery - 15
Extractor - 14
2 Lings - 15
Overlord - 16
Lair - 18 (with first 100 gas)
Ling Speed - 22 (not necessary)
Overlord - 23
6 Lings - 23
Spire - 28 (Robotics Facility should start around this time in Protoss natural - also +1 Air Weapons on Core)
2 Lings - 31
4th Hatchery at nat - 35
5th Hatchery at 3rd - 34 (at 4th on 4 player map if you are able to scout the Robotics Facility early)
Overlord - 33
Hydralisk Den - 34 (in the main)
Evo Chamber (+1 Missile) - 33 (in a safe place)
4 Scourge - 33 (when Spire completes - scout Protoss Main with them)
Overlord - 35

End Phase I

The Scourge should see the Robotics Facility in the natural and the Stargate and the Robotics Support Bay in the main. Check to see if a 2nd Stargate is being added.

Phase II - Gas Intensive

2nd Gas - 40
Hydra Speed - 41 (when Den completes - send Drone to make 6th Hatchery)
Overlord Speed - 41
6th Hatchery at 4th - 45
Burrow - 44

End Phase II

Start producing Hydras - 50 (finish saturating Drones on the 3 mining bases)

Phase III - Macro Intensive

Hydralisk Range - 52 (when Hydra Speed completes)
3rd Gas - 62
Evo Chamber (+1 Carapace) - 63
Evo Chamber (+1 Melee) - 65
+1 Air Carapace - 69
Lurker Aspect - 90
Overlord Drop - 100

Notes

1. The biggest deviation in this build is the lack of the 7th and 8th Hatcheries at the start of Phase III. Presumably, if the opponent is going Corsair/Reaver, then you will lose a lot of Drones throughout the game (Reaver drops at the start and, subsequently, Storm and DT drops). Therefore, your mining will be very unstable; in general, it won't be enough to support 8 Hatcheries. You should only macro from 6 Hatcheries initially and then place your 7th Hatchery when you start to feel comfortable in the game (i.e. mining becomes stable). Otherwise, place the 7th Hatchery at your 5th when an extra base becomes necessary.

2. Hive tech will become critical in the late-game--in particular, Defilers. Because of the lack of ground forces early on, the Protoss player will have had to invest in a lot of Cannons. Thus, Dark Swarm will prove to be invaluable when you attack a Protoss base. If the opponent accumulates many Reavers, Plague will be very useful when trying to take them down. Also, your engagements with the Protoss army will go a lot smoother if you happen to get lucky and Plague a big group of units. Try to get the Queen's Nest down no later than the 14 minute mark in the game; you can get it sooner if you fend off the initial Reaver harassment with ease.

3. As noted in the VODs, Burrow is a very useful upgrade to get when facing this particular build. You will be able to get important scouting information, namely where Corsairs and Shuttles are heading, without your opponent's knowing. When it becomes possible, Burrow your Lings all around the outside of the Protoss base so you can see when and where the Shuttle comes from. Additionally, you can set traps--groups of Hydras burrowed--in locations where the Protoss player is most likely to pass through. Another convenience is the ability to Burrow your Drones when the Reaver comes within firing range of them. The Protoss player will most likely not have Observers in your mineral lines, so he or she will be forced to pick up the Reaver and move on to the next base.

4. Phase I is mostly similar to sAviOr's other games. You still want to have 12 Lings by the time you hit 35 supply, and you still want to get Lair with your first 100 gas. Ling Speed is not necessary so early against Corsair/Reaver, since there will be very few Protoss ground units to deal with (unless you happen to be going for a big Ling attack). In general, the Hydras will be doing most of the work early on. The fast Evo Chamber and +1 Missile upgrade will give you more firepower against the elusive Corsairs and Shuttles.

5. You will have a lot of Hydras to control early in this type of game, so it's important to be on top of your hotkeys, macro, and map awareness. Corsair/Reaver is one of the most difficult PvZ strategies to execute because it demands great multitasking ability and APM from the Protoss user; however, the Zerg player will need to match that with great multitasking of his or her own.

6. The Corsair/Reaver build can be scouted early by looking for the Robotics Facility in the Protoss natural (this building placement spawns the Reaver in an excellent position to defend against an early Hydra attack). The Facility should start a little after your Spire. Note also that the Protoss player will skimp on ground units to get his tech up as soon as possible. There should only be 1 Zealot when the Facility starts. The second Gateway unit, most likely a Dragoon, will follow soon after to shoo your scouting Overlord.

7. The Protoss player will be attempting to take air superiority by amassing Corsairs at the start (2 Stargates are sometimes built). Using pairs of Scourge, try to poke in the Protoss base and snipe a Corsair before Critical Mass is reached. The more Corsairs you snipe, the more you delay the Protoss player from moving out with the Shuttle and Reaver. You should maintain about a control group of Scourge at all times.

8. In the build order, I made the comment to build your Evo Chambers in a safe place. Your main doesn't count as a safe place because it is a prime target for a DT/Zealot drop in the later stages of the game. You should build your Evo Chambers at a mining base where there are many Hatcheries around. This way, you will have units close by to defend the Evo Chambers if they come under fire.

9. It is important to realize that, against Corsair/Reaver, Simcities are not necessary at your natural and 3rd. The Protoss player will have an air force that can bypass all obstacles on the ground. If anything, the Simcity will only get in the way of your Hydralisks by preventing them from getting to the Reaver behind your mineral line, for example. In addition, there won't be a Protoss ground force to worry about early on. By the time they do get an army, you will already have a massive Hydra force.

10. Placing 1 Sunken Colony and 1 Spore Colony at your main and 4th is very useful in defending against drops. Also, placing Spore Colonies in good positions around your mining bases will help deter harassment.

11. After starting with Corsair/Reaver, the Protoss player will likely transition into a ground army by getting mass Gateways. Having Lurkers and Lings by the time they get a sizable ground force will be very beneficial to your engagements. Another (less common) transition is getting a Fleet Beacon to get Disruption Web and Carriers. The composition of Reavers, Corsairs, and Carriers is a very scary one to have to deal with, but there are some weaknesses you can exploit:

i. The army will have to stay together in one big clump to be effective. This means that usually the Protoss player will only be able to attack one location at a time.
ii. The transition to Carriers takes time, so you should use the opportunity to take many bases and get your economy booming.
iii. The Protoss army overall is very expensive and has a lot of hit points. Plague will be absolutely devastating
iv. Queens should be used for their Parasite and Ensnare abilities. These will let you keep tabs on the Protoss army's whereabouts and slow the movement and firing rate of the Corsairs, respectively.
v. Even with Dark Swarm, it will be difficult to approach the composition of Reavers and Disruption Web with Hydralisks. You will need to get Devourers and Scourge to tackle the air support. As CombatEX said in the famous GGPlay vs. Stork game, "12 Devourers can take down 24 Corsairs." Devourers have a base armor of 2 and a whopping 250 hit points, so they will be able to take a lot of fire before going down, giving your other units a chance to get shots off.
vi. Because of the lack of a ground force, the Protoss player will be relying heavily on Cannons and Reavers for defense. Use Overlord Drop and Dark Swarm to attack Protoss expansions (preferably when the main force of Carriers, Corsairs, and Reavers is far away).

See Jaedong vs. Bisu in the Notable ZvP VODs for a Corsair/Reaver game with a transition to Carriers.

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FPVOD Demonstration by Killer
http://www.twitch.tv/snipealot2/c/2054288
Skip to 4:50 for the start of the game.

The game was played in March of 2013. The Protoss player is Soheefou (aka Shuttle)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to snipealot2 for posting the video.

Phase I - Mineral Intensive

Overlord - 9
Spawning Pool - 9
Hatchery - 11
2 Lings - 11 (2 Lings, 2 Drones)
Extractor - 14 (at around 150 minerals)
Hatchery - 14
Lair - 17 (first 100 gas)
Overlord - 17
Ling Speed - 17 (second 100 gas)
2 Lings - 17
4 Lings - 18
Overlord - 27
Spire - 27
Attempt Ling run-by - 27 (scout Protoss natural - no +1 Weapons on Forge, Robotics Facility going up in the corner)
4th Hatchery at nat - 34
5th Hatchery at 3rd - 35
Overlord - 33
2 Scourge - 34
Hydra Den - 34
Overlord - 33
Evo Chamber (+1 Missile) - 35

End Phase I

Scout the Protoss base with Scourge - 38 (should see Robotics Facility in the natural and Stargate and Robotics Support Bay in the main)

Begin Hydralisk Production at saturated mining bases (main/nat) - 38

Phase II - Gas Intensive

Hydra Speed - 38
Add Spore Colony to nat - 39
2 Overlords - 40
2nd Gas - 44
Overlord Speed - 45
Add Spore Colony to 3rd - 46
Shuttle spawns from Robotics Facility - 53 (7:45 mark)
6th Hatchery at 4th - 52
Burrow - 51

End Phase II

It's important to scout the Protoss player's main later to see what the transition will be. Killer scouts 7 Gateways going up in the main at about 85 supply (the 9:50 mark).

Phase III - Macro Intensive

3rd Gas - 59
Hydra Range - 61
Evo Chamber (+1 Melee) - 89
Queen's Nest - 88 (10:00 mark)
Hive - 91 (when Nest completes)
Evo Chamber (+1 Carapace) - 94
Adrenal Glands - 108 (when Hive finishes)
Deny Protoss 3rd - 119 (12:50 mark)
Adrenal Glands completes -> MASS LINGS (army should be 50% Hydras and 50% Lings)
Defiler Mound - 89
7th Hatchery at 4th - 92 (14:00 mark)
Consume - 102 (when Mound completes)

Notes

1. Lurker Aspect, Overlord Drop, Mutalisks, and Hive tech units were not used in this game. The army consisted entirely of Lings, Hydras, and Scourge--all very inexpensive and cost-efficient units. +1 Air Carapace was not researched. Hydralisks were primarily used to contest air superiority (Scourge were of secondary importance).

2. The attack with 3 Zealots at the end of Phase I hit at a very inconvenient time for Killer because he was temporarily supply-blocked at 35.

3. Whether or not the Reaver harassment is successful, the Protoss player will follow up with Storm and DT drops to hurt your economy and possibly snipe an expansion if you are not careful. Quick Drone transfers and good positioning with Hydralisks are essential to minimizing damage. The purpose of this harassment is to slow you down and buy enough time for him or her to build up an army (from the mass Gateways in this game). It also serves as a distraction to keep you on the defensive so that he or she may take a 3rd base.

4. Towards the end of the game, where the Protoss player was camped in the top-middle of the map, Killer maneuvered 2 control groups of Hydralisks around the center of the map and went into the Protoss natural. He found 2 stray High Templar, sniped them, and ran away before the Protoss army could defend them. The technique of HT Sniping can be used with Hydralisks as well as Mutalisks. Hydralisks have less mobility than Mutalisks, though, so make sure you don't take too much damage as you snipe the High Templar.

5. See the previous section for more notes!

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FPVOD Demonstration by precyo on Youtube
+ Show Spoiler +
The map is Python.
Special thanks to precyo for posting the video and providing commentary.

Weakness of the Weakness

To deal with the 4 Gate, 2 Archon Build, I recommend using the 5 Hatch Hydra Build; that is, stay on 5 Hatcheries rather than going for a 4th base so quickly. Produce an army of Hydras rather than building Drones to deal with the early attack by Protoss. w3jjjj has written an outstanding guide on this build--when to use it, how to use it, when to go back to sAviOr's build, and more. Alternatively, you could use Mutalisks and Lurkers to defend. Against 2 Archons, it can be difficult to defend with Mutalisks, as they require a lot of micro-management. One tactic would be to focus-fire the Archons--if you can take them out, the Zealots won't last very long with Mutalisks over them. Lurkers might be the safer choice, since the Protoss player won't have detection early on, and Lurkers are very effective against Zealots.

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Jaedong vs. Movie
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in the Avalon MBCGame Starleague in June of 2009.
The map is Heartbreak Ridge.
Special thanks to Cholera for posting the video and providing excellent commentary.

Weakness of the Weakness

The article of the 5 Gate Goon Build on Liquipedia covers how to defend against the attack. In this build, the Protoss player goes for the Dragoon Range upgrade instead of the usual Stargate with the first 150 gas. The attack from the Protoss player will begin sooner rather than later with relatively few units. This will give you some time to halt Drone production and get some Lings and Hydras and Sunken Colonies up. As stated in the article, a combination of these defensive elements is crucial to holding off the attack effectively. When constructing Sunken Colonies, be aware that your natural expo is a bigger target than your 3rd. Flanking maneuvers with a variety of units are the best way to confront a force of Dragoons. You should aim to get Lurkers and Mutalisks in the defense when you can--Mutalisks can absorb a lot of damage, and, since there won't be any detection for the Protoss, Lurkers can stop the Dragoons from advancing.

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FPVOD Demonstration by Reach
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was aired on IntotheMSL in January of 2006. The Zerg player is MuMyung.
The map is Ride of the Valkyries.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for uploading the video.

sAviOr vs. Sick[Kal]
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in July of 2011.
The map is Neo Aztec.
Special thanks to HEKTOKOTYL on Youtube for posting the FPVOD.

Weakness of the Weakness

The +1 Speedlot Timing Attack can be scouted early. The Protoss player will spend the first 100 gas mined on the +1 Weapons upgrade in the Forge; in addition, there will be an early Citadel and no Stargate. Once you realize the Protoss player is going for this build, take your 2nd Gas and go for fast Mutalisks or Lurkers (as in ZvT). Once you defend against the attack, you can do a counterattack with your Mutalisks or a contain with your Lurkers. Since the Protoss player skipped the Stargate initially, there won't be any anti-air defenses, so he or she will have to invest in Cannons in the mineral lines to defend against your Mutalisk harassment. There won't be an Observer out any time soon, which means detection will be an issue for the Protoss player. Consequently, your Lurker contain will give you map control and the opportunity to expand and build more Drones. The transition to 2 Stargate play after the Speedlot attack is a very popular transition; therefore, if the Zerg player decides to go for Mutalisks, a bigger investment will be needed to take control of the air. Note that the Corsairs are not very effective in low numbers (less than 5), so there is a timing window in which you can strike with Mutalisks and Scourge and deal massive damage. See Jaedong vs. Stork in the Role of the Mutalisk section below.

If you do not scout the +1 Weapons upgrade early enough to change your build order, you will still have a chance to win if you place Sunken Colonies down in time, and you play on 3 bases rather than 4 (i.e. the 3 Base, 5 Hatchery Muta Build). This type of play will be covered in [G] BW ZvP - sAviOr Analysis II. See sAviOr vs. Minus)Eagle for a demonstration of this build switch.

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Jaedong vs. Stork
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in the EVER 2007 OnGameNet Starleague Finals (Game 2) in December of 2007.
The map is Katrina.
Special thanks to Klazart for posting the video and providing excellent commentary.
Mutalisks come into play at 7:40

Jaedong vs. Perfectman
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in Proleague in March of 2012.
The map is Chain Reaction.
Special thanks to ESportsTV for posting this video.
Mutalisks come into play at 13:08

sAviOr vs. Nal_rA
+ Show Spoiler +
The game was played in the Pringles I MBCGame Starleague Finals (Game 3) in July of 2006.
The map is The Eye.
Special thanks to SCTV on Youtube for posting the video.
Mutalisks come into play at 10:40

Notes

According to Liquipedia, "If the Protoss player manages [to] get up a group of about 6 or more Corsairs (or 5 with +1 Air Weapons), the standard Zerg tactic of Scourging the Corsairs becomes ineffective as the larger number of Corsairs will kill Scourge before they are able to hit." The number of Corsairs needed to kill Scourge before they hit is defined as the Critical Mass; a lesser number of Corsairs will be ineffective in dealing with Mutalisks and Scourge. Thus, until the Protoss player reaches the Critical Mass of Corsairs, they are vulnerable to a Mutalisk and Scourge attack. Jaedong nails this timing beautifully in his game against Stork. The reason why Protoss players go for the 2 Stargate transition in the +1 Speedlot timing attack is because they are scrambling to get the Critical Mass of Corsairs: They want to shorten the interval of time that they are vulnerable to an aerial attack by as much as possible. The harassment of Overlords is a secondary objective in this transition.

A more practical use of Mutalisks is seen in Jaedong's game against Perfectman. He used them to harass the High Templar and prevent a 3rd base from being established. Because the Mutalisk is a medium-sized unit, they don't take the full 20 damage from Dragoons--only half of that. So one can absorb many Dragoon shots before it goes down. This fact is useful for a tactic called HT Sniping, whereby one sends the Mutalisks over the Protoss army, picking off any High Templar in the area and forcing them to use Storms to fend off the harassment. Note that because the High Templar move sluggishly, they will generally be in the rear of a Protoss advance. The lack of High Templar will be invaluable when engaging the Protoss army with masses of Hydras. As an added bonus, there will be fewer Archons to deal with, giving you more time to transition to a late-game unit composition. Be aware that this tactic will only be effective if the Protoss player is not able to contest air control with Corsairs.

On maps where there is a short distance between the main and the natural by air but a long distance by ground, Mutalisks can be effective in harassing Probe lines. For example, in sAviOr's game with Nal_rA, the Mutalisks were able to go back and forth between the main and natural, and the ground units had a very difficult time keeping up. Nal_rA had 3 or 4 Archons, and he still couldn't defend well. When engaging the Archons with Mutalisks, it is very important to spread the Mutalisks out to avoid taking splash damage.

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Demonstration of a 9 Pool Speedling Transition - 2 Hatchery Play

JulyZerg vs. Bisu
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The game was played in the 2008 Bacchus OnGameNet Starleague in February of 2008.
The map is Bluestorm.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for posting this video and to Diggity, Klazart, and Moletrap for the excellent commentary.

Demonstration of a 9 Pool Speedling Transition - 3 Hatchery Play (Bonus Build V)

sAviOr vs. Bisu
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The game was played in the 2007 EVER OnGameNet Starleague in November of 2007.
The map is Bluestorm.
Special thanks to Klazart for posting this video and providing excellent commentary.

Demonstration of the Overpool Opening (Build III) Against the Gateway FE

sAviOr vs. Candy.pOse
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The game was played in May of 2013. Protoss player 1v1 Fish ladder stats: 28-8-1 (1390)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to Kirino Kousaka for providing the FPVOD.

Demonstration of the 12 Hatch Opening (Build IV) Defending Against the 9,9 Gate Opening

sAviOr vs. Candy.pOse
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Skip to 31:10 for the start of the game.

The game was played in May of 2013. Protoss player 1v1 Fish ladder stats: 27-8-1 (1360)
The map is Fighting Spirit.
Special thanks to Nekotrap for providing the FPVOD.

Another Demonstration of the 4 Base, 8 Hatchery Hydra Build Against the Neo Bisu Build on Neo Aztec

sAviOr vs. NtO`dalsin
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The game was played in July of 2011.
The map is Neo Aztec.
Special thanks to HEKTOKOTYL on Youtube for posting the FPVOD.

Demonstration of a Variation of the 4 Base, 8 Hatchery Hydra Build on Destination

ToT)Mondragon( vs. Liquid`NonY
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The game was played in February of 2010 in the finals of the Teamliquid Starleague (Game 1).
The map is Destination 1.1.
Special thanks to nevake on Youtube for posting the video and Day[9] and Chill for providing excellent commentary.

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sAviOr vs. Bisu
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The games were played in the GOMTV MSL Finals (Games 1-3) in March of 2007.
The maps are Longinus II, Reverse Temple, and Blitz X, respectively.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for uploading these videos and Day[9] and NonY for providing excellent strategical analysis of sAviOr's play.
It is interesting to note that sAviOr's ZvP record before Game 1 was 26-5 (83.9%), and Bisu's PvZ record before Game 1 was 4-4 (50%).

JulyZerg vs. TheRock (Sauron Zerg)
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The game was played in the Shinhan Bank OnGameNet Starleague in February of 2006.
The map is Ride of Valkyries.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for posting the video.

JulyZerg vs. BeSt
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The games were played in the 2008 Ever OnGameNet Starleague Finals (Games 2 & 3) in July of 2008.
The maps are Troy and Andromeda for Games 2 & 3, respectively.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for posting these videos and to Cholera, Klazart, and Moletrap for the excellent commentary.

sAviOr vs. Nal_rA (Second Holy War)
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The game was played in the Pringles Season II MBCGame Starleague Semifinals in November of 2006.
The map is Sin Peaks of Baekdu.
Special thanks to Cholera for posting these videos and providing excellent commentary.

GGPlay vs. Stork
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The game was played in Proleague in June of 2008.
The map is Andromeda.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for posting this video and to Moletrap and CombatEX for providing excellent commentary.

Jaedong vs. Bisu
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The game was played in Proleague in June of 2008.
The map is Andromeda.
Special thanks to VioleTAK for posting this video and to Diggity and Klazart for providing excellent commentary.

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Hydra Morphing - Morph Hydras into Lurkers at ramps, in mineral lines, and other strategic locations to prevent Protoss units from going up and down ramps and flanking your units. Useful when doing drops or delaying Protoss armies in general.

Extractor Trick - When you are at 9 supply in the beginning and waiting for the second Overlord to spawn, make an Extractor when you have 70 minerals. This will drop your supply down to 8, allowing you to build another Drone. Once the Drone has been morphed, you can cancel the Extractor, which will give you 10 Drones in total. This is used in the 9 Pool into Expo build, since your economy will need a boost from opening Pool first.

Slippery Lings - When engaging Zealots before they have the +1 Weapons upgrade, Zerglings can take 3 hits before they die. After one takes 2 hits, move it away from the fight and let the other Zerglings keep fighting. Keep pulling injured Zerglings away until the Zealot goes down. This is useful when there are only a few Zealots and an abundance of Zerglings. In his game against Candy.pOse, sAviOr used the same principle with his Drones when defending against Zealot harassment.

Mutalisk Stacking - When using a group of Mutalisks, put another unit in the control group, such as an Overlord, burrowed Lurker, or trapped Zergling. This will make the Mutalisks clump together more closely, which will make them attack together and take damage more evenly. This may prove to be a disadvantage since Corsairs and Archons, which do splash damage, are very effective against them. However, it is advantageous to use when sniping High Templar or harassing Probes in a mineral line.

12, 3, 6, 9 positions - Used as a shorthand way to refer to the bases on Fighting Spirit at the 12 o' clock, 3 o' clock, 6 o' clock, and 9 o' clock positions, respectively.

9,9 Gate Build - In this build the Protoss player makes the Pylon at 8 supply and builds two Gateways at 9 supply, cutting Probes and sacrificing some economy. Two to three Probes often accompany the Zealots in the attack--this further weakens the Protoss player's economy, but it makes the attack much stronger. Probes can finish off Lings that have been hit twice by Zealots: Probes and Zealots in conjunction are effectively Zealots with the +1 Weapons upgrade.

The Sunken Colony Flaw - Creep Colonies have 400 hit points, but when they finish morphing to Sunken Colonies, they permanently lose 100 hit points, giving them a max of 300. This fact is usually exploited in the early game of ZvP when the Protoss player goes for early Zealot harassment. The Zealots need only reduce the Creep Colony's health to slightly under 100 hit points before it becomes useless to the Zerg player. If the Creep Colony morphs with under 100 health, it will be destroyed as soon as it transforms to a Sunken Colony.

CTRL Selection - When there are many Zerg units in a clump (consisting of Lings, Hydras, etc.), you can hold the CTRL key and left-click on a Ling to select all the Lings (12 at most) on your screen. Alternatively, you can select a group of units at random on your screen, hold the CTRL key, and left-click any of the Drone icons on the panel to select all the Drones in that group. Using the CTRL key is useful for quickly selecting units and assigning hotkeys to newly spawned units.

Drone Drilling - Take a group of Drones from your mineral line and have them mine a mineral patch (or geyser) past the location you want them to go. Once they reach this location, have them start attacking the units there. The stacking of the Drones will bug out the units there and prevent them from attacking normally. When Zealots are on ramps or in places where Zerglings cannot get a good surround on them, Drone Drilling can break the position open. July famously used this technique against Best in the 2nd game of the EVER OSL Finals on Troy.

Cross Scouting - On four-player maps--notably Fighting Spirit--rather than scouting towards the natural where your Overlord can hide easily over the ridge, send it towards the center of the map over the area where the Probe has to go through to enter your base. You can see from which direction it comes from, and if you know your timings well enough, you can figure out where the opponent is more easily. Unlike in ZvT, you won't have to worry about your Overlord being taken down. You can also see if there are early Zealots coming. Experienced Protoss players who scout the 12, 3, 6, 9 positions first, looking for the Overlord, will be deceived as well. Also, if you do spot the Probe with the Overlord, you can use a Ninja Drone to build the Hatchery at 12 supply. Once the Overlord gets across the bridge, send it to the corner of the map where you think the Protoss player is.

Ninja Drone - If you happen to be going for a Hatchery before the Spawning Pool is finished, there is a chance a scouting Probe can block and harass your drone. To help prevent this, hide the Drone behind the mineral line at the natural and place the Hatchery when you see the Probe in your main; alternatively, you can hide the Drone somewhere in your main and then send it to your natural once the Probe is far enough inside that it can't stop your Drone from placing the Hatchery.

Plan B - If the Probe gives you a lot of trouble (places a manner Pylon, for example), send the 12 Hatch Drone to make a Hatchery at the 3rd and send another Drone to make a Hatchery at the natural. The probe cannot prevent both Hatcheries from going down.

HT Sniping - A tactic in which a Zerg player uses Mutalisks to maneuver around the Protoss army and kill High Templar that are not well-protected. The same move can be done with Hydras if the High Templar are out in the open. This will make engagements with the Protoss army a lot easier since there won't be as many Storms.

Ramp Lings - There is a technique you can use to quickly take out a scouting Probe on maps where the natural expansion is below a ramp (like Fighting Spirit). Place some Lings at the top of the ramp with enough space between them to allow the Probe to pass through. Once the scouting Probe is about half-way up the ramp, have all the Lings attack it at once. If the Protoss player is not paying attention, then the scouting Probe will most likely get stuck among the Lings and be taken down. If you do not leave any space for the scouting Probe to pass through, it will not go up the ramp.

Stopped Lurkers - Select a group of Lurkers, burrow them, and have them attack a Protoss building in the fog of war. They will not attack anything until you deliberately make them attack something else even if enemy units come within firing range. The most practical use for this is to kill probes that are transferring to a new expansion from behind its mineral line.

Simcity - A collection of buildings that act as a wall, preventing units from going across it easily. Simcities in ZvP are usually made at the natural expansions of 4-player maps to make it difficult for melee units, such as Zealots and Archons, to attack.

Larva Trick - Select your larvae and select any other non-larva unit (Overlord, for example) with the shift key and use the stop command, 's.' The larvae will move to the left side of the Hatchery, regardless of their initial positions. This is useful at the start of the game if the mineral fields are to the left of the Hatchery, since your Drones will spawn closer to the minerals and can get to work faster. This is also useful later on when you need to establish a Simcity at your natural expansions because the larvae will often get in the way of placing buildings in the correct locations.

Silver Lurkers - These are Lurkers that have randomly been dropped behind mineral lines to kill Probes. The more distracted the Protoss player is, the more effective they are, since the opponent will likely not be able to save the Probes in time.

Golden Lurkers - When a Protoss player has 2 mining bases, load 2 Lurkers in an Overlord and drop them behind the mineral line in the main. The opponent will react by transferring the Probes to the natural, where you will have another Overlord with 2 Lurkers waiting. Unload these and burrow them behind the mineral line at the natural as the Probes stack together. Feast your eyes on all the blue explosions.

Cloning - When you send your Scourge to attack, they will not automatically hit all their targets in an optimal fashion. With your Scourge selected, right-click one of the air units you want to destroy and left-click however many Scourge are needed to kill it. With the remaining Scourge, right-click another of the air targets, and repeat the process until you run out of Scourge or there are no more air units. Here is a list of Protoss air units and how many Scourge are needed to kill them:

Observer - 1
Shuttle - 2
Corsair - 2
Scout - 3
Arbiter - 4
Carrier - 5

Warning: Because the Scourge can kill each other with their explosions, it may take up to 8 Scourge to kill one Carrier in practice.

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1st Place: sAviOr, for streaming his games and making this thread possible.

2nd Place: Fox.MVP for encouraging me to write and post this guide on Teamliquid. I probably wouldn't have posted this if it hadn't been for his support.

3rd Place: munkiee for inspiring me to learn about the ZvP matchup.

I'd like to give special thanks once again to Ivev and Nekotrap and unbeee for posting the sAviOr FPVODs. I'd also like to thank precyo, HEKTOKOTYL, ESportsTV, and SCTV for their videos again as well.

Many thanks to VioleTAK, Cholera, and Klazart for posting VODs with commentary of some of the greatest ZvP games ever played. I'd also like to thank Diggity, Moletrap, CombatEX, Day[9], and NonY for joining the casts and providing additional insight to the game.

Thank you, jediking12, TheGnZx, and Marko Zav for posting the Lord of the Rings - Isengard Theme, Never Back Down - Training Scene, and Heart of Courage music videos, respectively, on Youtube.

A big thank you to wo1fwood here on Teamliquid for his comprehensive article on Bulletin Board Code.

A big thank you to greenelve for explaining why one should unload Overlords individually while dropping instead of as a group.

A big thank you to Gao Xi for drawing attention to a mistake and helping me improve the Weaknesses section.

A big thank you to PUPATREE for telling me about unbeee's Youtube channel and helping me add a section on the Fake 3 Hatch Hydra All-in.

Finally, I would like to thank Live2Win and w3jjjj here on Teamliquid for their very wise comments in November of 2007 in response to -orb-'s Bisu Build thread. I have kept these in mind while writing this guide, and I encourage other guide authors to read and follow them as well:

+ Show Spoiler +


Disclaimer: I did not draw this picture!

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