• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 11:21
CET 17:21
KST 01:21
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Revival - 2025 Season Finals Preview8RSL Season 3 - Playoffs Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups C & D Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups A & B Preview2TL.net Map Contest #21: Winners12
Community News
Weekly Cups (Jan 5-11): Clem wins big offline, Trigger upsets0$21,000 Rongyi Cup Season 3 announced (Jan 22-Feb 7)12Weekly Cups (Dec 29-Jan 4): Protoss rolls, 2v2 returns7[BSL21] Non-Korean Championship - Starts Jan 103SC2 All-Star Invitational: Jan 17-1822
StarCraft 2
General
When will we find out if there are more tournament SC2 Spotted on the EWC 2026 list? Weekly Cups (Jan 5-11): Clem wins big offline, Trigger upsets Weekly Cups (Dec 29-Jan 4): Protoss rolls, 2v2 returns Spontaneous hotkey change zerg
Tourneys
$25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced $21,000 Rongyi Cup Season 3 announced (Jan 22-Feb 7) WardiTV Winter Cup WardiTV Mondays SC2 AI Tournament 2026
Strategy
Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ?
External Content
Mutation # 508 Violent Night Mutation # 507 Well Trained Mutation # 506 Warp Zone Mutation # 505 Rise From Ashes
Brood War
General
Potential ASL qualifier breakthroughs? A cwal.gg Extension - Easily keep track of anyone BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ BW General Discussion StarCraft & BroodWar Campaign Speedrun Quest
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL21] Grand Finals - Sunday 21:00 CET [BSL21] Non-Korean Championship - Starts Jan 10 SLON Grand Finals – Season 2
Strategy
Game Theory for Starcraft Simple Questions, Simple Answers Current Meta [G] How to get started on ladder as a new Z player
Other Games
General Games
Beyond All Reason Nintendo Switch Thread Awesome Games Done Quick 2026! Mechabellum Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread Trading/Investing Thread
Fan Clubs
White-Ra Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List TL+ Announced
Blogs
My 2025 Magic: The Gathering…
DARKING
Physical Exercise (HIIT) Bef…
TrAiDoS
Life Update and thoughts.
FuDDx
How do archons sleep?
8882
James Bond movies ranking - pa…
Topin
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1622 users

ZvZ is the most boring mundane same-crap MU ever!

Forum Index > Closed
Post a Reply
1 2 3 4 Next All
Devolved
Profile Joined April 2008
United States2753 Posts
August 10 2014 12:24 GMT
#1
I took a break from SC2 a while back, but since I have come back I've been watching a lot of tournament streams to get caught up on strategies and just the scene in general. Every single ZvZ I've seen (and there's been a ton of them) is just the same Roach vs. Roach battle with maybe some Hydras mixed in for some extra DPS. It's boring, it's repetitive, and if this is the future of SC2 I don't know why I even bothered returning.

How fucking boring is it to max on 1 (or 2 if you're really playing out-of-the-box) units and just bang your head against your opponent's same composition over and over until 1 person finally gets a bit of an edge and wins the game? This is not strategy. It is mundane repetitive mechanical bullshit, and it's something I can easily do without.
$♥$
Mojito99
Profile Joined October 2013
Germany154 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-08-10 12:27:54
August 10 2014 12:27 GMT
#2
very good thread,

i like your arguments about zvz and especially your insight into the matchup on various skill levels. I hope you follow this up with a guide.

In all honesty: zvz was the reason for many people to play protoss or terran instead.
TokyoGirl
Profile Joined July 2014
Japan116 Posts
August 10 2014 12:27 GMT
#3
yea it sucks. i blame it on the infestor nerf and spore crawler buff
Devolved
Profile Joined April 2008
United States2753 Posts
August 10 2014 12:28 GMT
#4
ZvZ Guide:
Build Roaches.
The end.
$♥$
ETisME
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
12631 Posts
August 10 2014 12:36 GMT
#5
always interesting to see some people with their complete lack of knowledge in ZvZ and label the MU as boring mass up one unit
其疾如风,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不动如山,难知如阴,动如雷震。
Enigmasc
Profile Joined February 2014
United Kingdom147 Posts
August 10 2014 12:37 GMT
#6
yeah its pretty dull but most mirrors are
thou you can trey and mix things up a little trying to be cute with burrow and by going muta-> roach
Nebuchad
Profile Blog Joined December 2012
Switzerland12379 Posts
August 10 2014 12:40 GMT
#7
Roach bane from Snute.
Muta transition (some Scarlett vs Sen games for example).
Infestor transition (a ton of games).
Swarmhost transition before it was thankfully patched.

Most PvT: tech to colossus so that you can hold mines and bio, into scv pull, the end.

A match-up that doesn't have it at all: PvP! But most people dislike it and then pretend it's for that reason.

A solution: watch roach wars more carefully and realize how much skill it takes to win a majority of them. Then come back and discuss.

See you in a while.
No will to live, no wish to die
Sjokola
Profile Joined November 2010
Netherlands800 Posts
August 10 2014 12:40 GMT
#8
You should watch Hyun vs Sen from the last Taiwanese open. I don't think ZvZ has to be boring. With ling bane micro, burrow roach shenanigans, ling runby's, mutalisks, etc.
JoeCool
Profile Joined January 2012
Germany2520 Posts
August 10 2014 12:41 GMT
#9
I thought ZvZ was all about Ling/Bling?
Devolved
Profile Joined April 2008
United States2753 Posts
August 10 2014 12:42 GMT
#10
On August 10 2014 21:36 ETisME wrote:
always interesting to see some people with their complete lack of knowledge in ZvZ and label the MU as boring mass up one unit

Hey, I'm no SC2 expert and especially not a ZvZ expert. I'm just commenting on what I've seen since I've returned, which is about ~50 ZvZ tournament matches with every single one of them being a Roach vs. Roach battle. Of course there may have been some very minimal early ling/bane action but all the other player has to do to counter that is build Roaches and have a bit of defense in the form of his own lings/banes. Maybe I'm missing something and you can enlighten me, but from what I've seen it's Roach vs. Roach nonstop with maybe a few Hydras mixed in till the end of the game.
$♥$
MangoMountain
Profile Joined June 2011
Norway2044 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-08-10 12:47:03
August 10 2014 12:45 GMT
#11
unit composition =/= strategy, it's more about how you get an advantage in upgrades, economy, positioning, tech, whatever and how you push that advantage. it's pretty hard to appreciate the skill involved unless you play it a lot, just watching isn't the same thing
KelsierSC
Profile Blog Joined March 2013
United Kingdom10443 Posts
August 10 2014 12:46 GMT
#12
On August 10 2014 21:24 Devolved wrote:
I took a break from SC2 a while back, but since I have come back I've been watching a lot of tournament streams to get caught up on strategies and just the scene in general. Every single ZvZ I've seen (and there's been a ton of them) is just the same Roach vs. Roach battle with maybe some Hydras mixed in for some extra DPS. It's boring, it's repetitive, and if this is the future of SC2 I don't know why I even bothered returning.

How fucking boring is it to max on 1 (or 2 if you're really playing out-of-the-box) units and just bang your head against your opponent's same composition over and over until 1 person finally gets a bit of an edge and wins the game? This is not strategy. It is mundane repetitive mechanical bullshit, and it's something I can easily do without.


You are a foolish man
Zerg for Life
Jett.Jack.Alvir
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Canada2250 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-08-10 12:55:19
August 10 2014 12:54 GMT
#13
On August 10 2014 21:41 JoeCool wrote:
I thought ZvZ was all about Ling/Bling?

Most openers is ling/bling but unless one zerg ends it with some sweet bane pain, both zergs need to transition to something else.

I see most pro zvz games go like this:

ling/bling -> roach/ling -> static defense

From here, there are variations. I have seen some go roach/hyrda like the OP mentions, while others still like mutas in this match up. Another choice is SH, but this might force the opponent to go brood lords.

I honestly don't think zvz is as bland as the OP thinks. Like with any mirror match ups, sometimes the counter to x unit is more x unit, but in zvz its not always roach wars.

Gere
Profile Joined December 2010
Germany55 Posts
August 10 2014 12:54 GMT
#14
On August 10 2014 21:24 Devolved wrote:
How fucking boring is it to max on 1 (or 2 if you're really playing out-of-the-box) units and just bang your head against your opponent's same composition over and over until 1 person finally gets a bit of an edge and wins the game? This is not strategy. It is mundane repetitive mechanical bullshit, and it's something I can easily do without.

Are you at least top Masters yet? If not, then you probably should try playing your "simple" strategy and see if it works out. It cannot be that hard to build a single unit, right?
Most likely you will find yourself missing strategical points and losing a lot. It's easy to shout out "I know everything and I would win if only I tried"
meshfusion
Profile Joined June 2014
Russian Federation232 Posts
August 10 2014 12:56 GMT
#15
it's true that the thread could be better articulated but he's right that the state of SC2 is "repetitive" to say the least.
every ZvZ is the same (and I agree, most boring MU, I ALWAYS skip it or ignore it or don't watch it when it happens)
every TvP or TvP opening and the first 10 mins are 90% the time the same with the stupid reaper expand.

Maniak_
Profile Joined October 2010
France305 Posts
August 10 2014 12:59 GMT
#16
On August 10 2014 21:24 Devolved wrote:
Every single ZvZ I've seen (and there's been a ton of them) is just the same Roach vs. Roach battle with maybe some Hydras mixed in for some extra DPS.

Add in the lings/banes at the start of the game and you've got the entire zerg ground arsenal available until much later in the game (and hydras are already pretty late).
Add the mutas when there's an opportunity to get them and there are not already the few spore crawlers (baneling spewers in that case) necessary to defend them and you've got the entire zerg air arsenal usable in zvz before brood lords.

There are not that many units that can be used (but not that few either). It's the way they're used that changes things, and that's where strategy comes in.
Mindless roaches vs roaches 1A battles are boring and uninteresting, but I haven't seen that many recently (I'm not following every single game though).
Then again, mindless parade pushing with marines/mines and a few medivacs is just as boring and devoid of strategy. Just keep on rallying until the zerg breaks or finds a way to break the cycle, yay.
And turtle into 1A protoss deathball is not that interesting either.

Each matchup has its boring side, especially when it's not 'your' race and you may not understand what's actually required to execute it. There's nothing special about zvz on this front. And then there's personal taste.
I'd rather see ZvZ and PvP all day long than any TvT, but that's me. Maybe you're just a bit allergic to the zerg race design.
"They make psychiatrists get psychoanalyzed before they can get certified, but they don't make a surgeon get cut on. Does that seem right to you?" -- Jubal Early - Firefly
KelsierSC
Profile Blog Joined March 2013
United Kingdom10443 Posts
August 10 2014 13:02 GMT
#17
I can't believe people are surprised or aggravated that the beginning of a game or strategy for each matchup is the same. Like the game has been out for a while and top players have put a huge number of hours into the game they have figured out the standard "best" way to play. Yes there are variations you can do but the Standard will be the most played out because it is the best strategy at the time until a refutation comes along.

Even in the most varied matchup I doubt there are more than 3-4 distinct strategies to aim for and all others are just subtle variations of these distinct strategies.
Zerg for Life
TargA
Profile Joined December 2010
Norway204 Posts
August 10 2014 13:03 GMT
#18
ur just too bad to realise whats going on.
ProgamerOn October 26 2013 00:10 Nerchio wrote: Shoutout to Targa, best zerg in europe || http://twitter.com/#!/TargA01
ZAiNs
Profile Joined July 2010
United Kingdom6525 Posts
August 10 2014 13:07 GMT
#19
On August 10 2014 22:03 TargA wrote:
ur just too bad to realise whats going on.

Thanks Targa I didn't wanna say it .
Devolved
Profile Joined April 2008
United States2753 Posts
August 10 2014 13:07 GMT
#20
On August 10 2014 21:54 Gere wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 10 2014 21:24 Devolved wrote:
How fucking boring is it to max on 1 (or 2 if you're really playing out-of-the-box) units and just bang your head against your opponent's same composition over and over until 1 person finally gets a bit of an edge and wins the game? This is not strategy. It is mundane repetitive mechanical bullshit, and it's something I can easily do without.

Are you at least top Masters yet? If not, then you probably should try playing your "simple" strategy and see if it works out. It cannot be that hard to build a single unit, right?
Most likely you will find yourself missing strategical points and losing a lot. It's easy to shout out "I know everything and I would win if only I tried"

I never claimed to be a top masters or even good at this game. Please don't put words into my mouth that were never spoken such as "I know everything" and "I would win if I only tried." I never spoke these words nor have I implied such. My commentary comes mainly from watching games as-of-late. If this is supposed to be a spectator-friendly e-sport videogame, then something really needs to be done about the ZvZ matchup, because at this point I'm just turning off the stream when another ZvZ match happens unless it's one of my absolute favorite players.
$♥$
1 2 3 4 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
WardiTV Invitational
14:00
Group B
WardiTV1380
IndyStarCraft 193
Rex144
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
uThermal 312
IndyStarCraft 193
Rex 144
BRAT_OK 62
SC2Nice 21
JuggernautJason18
StarCraft: Brood War
Rain 8909
Horang2 1228
Stork 518
firebathero 216
Hyuk 167
hero 113
Rush 105
Mong 92
Hyun 73
Pusan 65
[ Show more ]
Snow 59
Mind 59
Aegong 45
soO 37
Sexy 26
scan(afreeca) 13
GoRush 9
Sacsri 6
Dota 2
qojqva4403
syndereN575
ODPixel122
Counter-Strike
byalli331
oskar82
Other Games
Gorgc2783
Liquid`RaSZi1455
B2W.Neo1175
hiko797
crisheroes291
Hui .207
DeMusliM177
QueenE144
ArmadaUGS128
Mew2King48
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick3864
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 12 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Jankos4135
• TFBlade907
Upcoming Events
PiGosaur Cup
8h 39m
WardiTV Invitational
19h 39m
The PondCast
1d 17h
OSC
1d 19h
OSC
2 days
All Star Teams
3 days
INnoVation vs soO
sOs vs Scarlett
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
3 days
All Star Teams
4 days
MMA vs DongRaeGu
Rogue vs Oliveira
Sparkling Tuna Cup
4 days
OSC
4 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
5 days
Wardi Open
5 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Proleague 2026-01-12
Big Gabe Cup #3
NA Kuram Kup

Ongoing

C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
BSL 21 Non-Korean Championship
CSL 2025 WINTER (S19)
OSC Championship Season 13
Underdog Cup #3
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual
eXTREMESLAND 2025
SL Budapest Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025

Upcoming

Escore Tournament S1: W4
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
HSC XXVIII
Rongyi Cup S3
Thunderfire SC2 All-star 2025
Nations Cup 2026
BLAST Open Spring 2026
ESL Pro League Season 23
ESL Pro League Season 23
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.