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[Q] How do you "Sauron" Zerg

Forum Index > Brood War Strategy
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1 2 Next All
b0red111
Profile Joined August 2008
United States48 Posts
September 18 2008 13:31 GMT
#1
So I think just about everyone has seen the GIF with all of July's pretty lines streaming to the enemy base, but how does one get to that stage? Is it just a point of the game where Zerg has been in controll and takes all the bases to kind of "lol @ protoss 1a2a3a4a"? Or is it a legitimate strategy much like 3 hat to lair and lurkers or 5 hat hydra?

If it is a feasible strategy like those, how do you do it? In other words, what are some key timings//opening build orders that set you up for that kind of endgame?
Just Drive down that road until you get blown up
Not_Computer
Profile Blog Joined January 2007
Canada2277 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-09-18 13:49:18
September 18 2008 13:39 GMT
#2
Imagine it this way:
1) Your opponent is Rock, you are July. You have beaten your opponent many times and are confident you can do it again.
2) Your presence causes him to tremble in fear, thus he dares not to aggravate your beast and allows you to take over the map.
Though there may be a few futile attempts to attack, those are merely thorns in your side.
3) You expand like a madman while containing him with great care, utilizing perfect unit placement and meticulous maintainence micro to ensure that he does not break free.
4) With your 6-8 fully running bases against his 2 depleted ones, you rally your forces to the front lines and begin the assault.
5) Victory is imminent.

edit: to put it in short, most P players won't allow the zerg to get this far ahead... there would have to be a notable gap in skill level for the zerg to be able to expand and macro so much. (or just carelessness on the protoss' part) Usually it would end up with the protoss posessing anywhere from 2:3 or 1:1 ratio of bases with the zerg otherwise the game would have been over already. (due to cheese or micro/build order type win, and not making it to a macro war stage)
"Jaedong hyung better be ready. I'm going to order the most expensive dinner in Korea."
BlasiuS
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
United States2405 Posts
September 18 2008 14:34 GMT
#3
Quoting from the 'definitions' thread:
Sauron – An expansive, low-tech Zerg build. Initially, Zerg matches Protoss attack upgrades with Carapace upgrades, and maintains a 3:1 ratio of Zerglings: Zealots, while all remaining minerals are spent on expansions and Drones. Zerg will be making massive amounts of Hydralisks and Zerglings from the midgame through the endgame.


Although, I tend more towards the definition of the fact that it's an end-game condition where you can just 1a2a3a4a.. your troops and replace them as fast as they die with 10+ hatches
next week on Everybody Loves HypnoToad:
hooktits
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States972 Posts
September 18 2008 14:40 GMT
#4
On September 18 2008 23:34 AlabasterFilth wrote:
Quoting from the 'definitions' thread:
Show nested quote +
Sauron – An expansive, low-tech Zerg build. Initially, Zerg matches Protoss attack upgrades with Carapace upgrades, and maintains a 3:1 ratio of Zerglings: Zealots, while all remaining minerals are spent on expansions and Drones. Zerg will be making massive amounts of Hydralisks and Zerglings from the midgame through the endgame.


Although, I tend more towards the definition of the fact that it's an end-game condition where you can just 1a2a3a4a.. your troops and replace them as fast as they die with 10+ hatches


so basically sauron zerg is like standard zerg play with less lurkers
Hooktits of Tits gaming @hooktits twit
Breavman
Profile Joined September 2004
Sweden598 Posts
September 18 2008 14:43 GMT
#5

Sauron – An expansive, low-tech Zerg build. Initially, Zerg matches Protoss attack upgrades with Carapace upgrades, and maintains a 3:1 ratio of Zerglings: Zealots, while all remaining minerals are spent on expansions and Drones. Zerg will be making massive amounts of Hydralisks and Zerglings from the midgame through the endgame.


This is true. So that GIF of July running over Rock has nothing to do with sauron since I assume he has hive tech by then (correct me if I'm wrong on that).
heyitsme
Profile Joined June 2008
153 Posts
September 18 2008 14:49 GMT
#6
I think that the ''expand'' part of the definition is very important for sauron Zerg play. IIRC the concept behind it is that you expand all over the place so that your opponent doesn't have the time and ressources to shut all of your expos down... you get away with extra bases and once your macro fully kicks in you overwhelm your opponent.

Never tried something like this against toss, but I find it to be very effective when I use it against my friend that tries to go metal TvZ against me.
BlasiuS
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
United States2405 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-09-18 15:02:05
September 18 2008 14:50 GMT
#7
On September 18 2008 23:43 Breavman wrote:

Show nested quote +
Sauron – An expansive, low-tech Zerg build. Initially, Zerg matches Protoss attack upgrades with Carapace upgrades, and maintains a 3:1 ratio of Zerglings: Zealots, while all remaining minerals are spent on expansions and Drones. Zerg will be making massive amounts of Hydralisks and Zerglings from the midgame through the endgame.


This is true. So that GIF of July running over Rock has nothing to do with sauron since I assume he has hive tech by then (correct me if I'm wrong on that).


Making large amounts of hydras, zerglings, and expansions doesn't mean you totally neglect hive, only that it comes later. Whereas standard Z midgame is to tech to lurkers, secure an expansion or two, and sunken up, Sauron midgame aims to expand 2-3 times while pumping mass hydras and lings. Gas that would normally go to lurkers instead goes to upgrades (speed/range hydra, attack, melee, carapace).

EDIT: note that this would never ever work against Terran. Without proper grouping and flanking, the Terran ball will kill literally an infinite amount of zerglings and hydras (It probably still will even with proper grouping and flanking). This strat works because standard toss armies don't have any fast ranged units, no long range splash (even reavers can be overcome with good micro), and templars have a limited number of storms before they either die or are merged into archons.
next week on Everybody Loves HypnoToad:
Breavman
Profile Joined September 2004
Sweden598 Posts
September 18 2008 15:01 GMT
#8
The way I see it sauron is and early/midgame strategy since late game will usually look the same no matter what, just like you say.
InfeSteD
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States4658 Posts
September 18 2008 15:26 GMT
#9
That definition of Sauron Zerg sounds legitimate and imo Ive always seen Sauron Zerg as exactly that:

Overexpand everywhere in the map and drone hard while trying to defend all over the place with mass zerglings, there is a point in the game where P is a little stronger and you cannot defend with zerglings anymore but by this time all ur mass hatcheries should be running so u can just mass units such as Hydras/Lings and u may lose 1 base or what not but u still way ahead economically than the protoss since ur gonna be able to smash his army with ur sauron zerg and put more expansions up etc.

I remember a really good Protoss friend of mine telling me the way to defeat good sauron zergs is with good shuttle harassment.. to kick back the economy
w/e
ZBiR
Profile Blog Joined August 2003
Poland1092 Posts
September 18 2008 15:33 GMT
#10
get some good ol' Blackman replays from 2002-2004, you'll get the answer
Ki_Do
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
Korea (South)981 Posts
September 18 2008 15:34 GMT
#11
sauron zerg is when the orcs die and then sauron hire a new army filled with lings
I've got a point, and i'm ready to kill or die for it.
heyitsme
Profile Joined June 2008
153 Posts
September 18 2008 15:44 GMT
#12
On September 18 2008 23:50 AlabasterFilth wrote:
note that this would never ever work against Terran. Without proper grouping and flanking, the Terran ball will kill literally an infinite amount of zerglings and hydras (It probably still will even with proper grouping and flanking). This strat works because standard toss armies don't have any fast ranged units, no long range splash (even reavers can be overcome with good micro), and templars have a limited number of storms before they either die or are merged into archons.


It is true, when it's up a Terran push can kill an infinite amount of hydraling. However, terran gets delayed if you open mutas cause without mnm muta harass is harder to deal with. After that you take alot of bases and your midgame is all about abusing Metal's lack of mobility. You might lose some bases, but it should not be enough to keep you down.

But yea I wouldn't even bother to try this against SK.
EsX_Raptor
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States2801 Posts
September 18 2008 15:45 GMT
#13
It's like the SKTerran for Zerg
InfeSteD
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States4658 Posts
September 18 2008 16:03 GMT
#14
Sorry Raptor but that makes no sense lol
w/e
XCetron
Profile Joined November 2006
5226 Posts
September 18 2008 16:31 GMT
#15
I think SKterran is where you skip tanks so he meant you skip lurks.
IzzyCraft
Profile Blog Joined June 2007
United States4487 Posts
September 18 2008 16:43 GMT
#16
On September 19 2008 00:45 EsX_Raptor wrote:
It's like the SKTerran for Zerg

It's more like spirit toss for zerg. For all those toss players
I have ass for brains so,
even when I shit I'm droping knowledge.
InfeSteD
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States4658 Posts
September 18 2008 17:25 GMT
#17
The thing is that Sauron Zerg has mostly to do with economy and expansions more than unit combination
w/e
Not_Computer
Profile Blog Joined January 2007
Canada2277 Posts
September 18 2008 17:26 GMT
#18
or like sauron zerg for zerg!

j/k
"Jaedong hyung better be ready. I'm going to order the most expensive dinner in Korea."
d(O.o)a
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Canada5066 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-09-18 17:38:55
September 18 2008 17:37 GMT
#19
"Sauron" Zerg isn't really a strategy as much as it's a situation. You wouldn't enter a game thinking "I'm going to go SauronZerg this game" because you don't know what your opponent will do.

In order for SauronZerg to work you have to get a good contain off because without it you'll never succeed because the protoss will send raiding squads to kill your expansions.

If you get the contain off there are a few opportunities you can go for "SauronZerg" and mass expand or you can mass up/tech off of 3-4 base. It usually depends on the situations like most things in starcraft.
Hi.
Stimpacked
Profile Joined June 2008
Philippines368 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-09-18 18:52:23
September 18 2008 18:42 GMT
#20
almost every good toss can break a contain its so simple it's just gonna give a disadvantage coz if your so confident on your contain and P breaks out your third/fourth is simply dead(coz you rellied on your contain so you have minimal defence on your 3rd/4th) and it's also very vulnerable to drops coz you rally all your units for the contain... so i suggest play like savior secure a third very early with 3rd hatch put sunks and some lurks and just delay his third with lings while teching to hive w/ upgrades soften his army with plagues attack with lings from different sides and some drops with swarms on his expos etc, you're gonna do that while going to ultras usually when you get your 4th... sauron is very risky its like trading bases and almost every good toss users have a templar or a reaver on each of their expansion so its really hard... so to sum it up sauron sucks! how can it be good when your ahead 2 bases and P just took his third with some reaver/templar on his third defending you ling/hydra so called sauron while P just rolled over all your expansion one at a time... it's nonsense!
live and let live...
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