Zerg aggression - DRG's 7 Roach pressure ZvT - Page 3

On October 03 2011 11:01 Ironsights wrote:
A roach rush against a terran seems to me (a plat terran player) somewhat risky. That is not to say it is without its uses. As you say, roaches cripple hellion openings, set you up to handle mech, and can provide you with a decent early game contain.

Here's the problems as I see it: You cripple hellion openings and can outright win against FE builds, but against a 2-3 rax bio opener, you are done. You are well equiped to handle mech via a roach opener, but less able to harass a defended terran and less able to handle upgraded bio. Your roach opening gives you a contain, but at the cost of your tech.

All in all this makes (in my opinion anyway) the roach rush against terran a gamble. It will either pay off very well or cost you the game.

If I may reference a recent TvZ I played (will post a replay once I get home if I can find it) where I opened with a 3 rax marine with shield timing push. My goal with the build is super fast shields, fast marine production, into an attack while adding two more rax for more army and expanding.

Having scouted the zerg, I set my SCv to patrol in his natural hoping to spot the expand and delay it. When he hadn't expanded by the time I had all three rax completed, I went in for a look to see what he was up to. Found the roach warren and ran home. Bunker by my wall, managed to get 1 marauder out and in that bunker, held the push with nearly no losses. Now I have an army, a spare OC, and a zerg outside my wall that is behind on tech and can't come in. Use my 5 rax (adding one more tech lab) to pump marauders and marines, got the stim and shells, threw out two medivacs and pushed. Rolled the roaches and slings, tore through the spines and killed the zerg just as mutalisks were popping, which my marines ate up redily enough.

All rambling aside, I suppose my post is trying to answer your question thus: Roach openings are good against FE or Hellion openings, may overrun a Starport opening, but will lose pretty hard to bio openings.
Keeping in mind these are the observations of a Plat Terran...hope it helps.

On October 03 2011 11:56 SwitchAUS wrote:



This is what I would be most concerned about as a zerg, but at the same time, I rarely see bio play anymore, so I think it's a fairly calculated risk. Especially given the number of hellion openers that terran have been using of late.

On October 04 2011 03:51 Oboeman wrote:

The weird thing is that he doesn't get any info with his scouting drone. He always pokes up the ramp and immediately goes home. Basically the scout gives him the location, and tells him if there is one or two barracks at the top of the ramp (and I don't think he checks for hidden rax either). he never looks for gas.

so if the decision has to be made at that point, he doesn't have much information yet.

On October 04 2011 23:58 Ponyo wrote:
The Zergs who beat me, are agressive with their ling and outmicro my hellions. As a Terran its never a good trade when he is sending lings at each hellion 2 at a time, you just take to much damage. I feel dealing with a speed first is 10x harder than dealing with any 15 hatch/roach rush. Regardless of what opening I do reaper/hellion, I'll always have a bunker up at my nat by the time you get there and then any normal terran will go into siege mode or fast drops. But this is 1 rax/gas/cc or 1rax1fact cc.

TLDR: if you can handle it, speed first > roach rush