[G] TangSC's Drop-Style ZvP

It's fun. It's my favourite style of play, and I know you will enjoy it too. It will put a smile on your face and most of us could use that.

It's challenging. This style will not be easy for new players, and I expect even some highly skilled players will struggle a bit at first. Multi-tasking and decision-making are constantly taxed, because you're always out on the map. There is no "sitting time" where APM isn't important, even in the early stages you must be active to deny scouting while optimizing your economy. You can't focus only on the execution of your drop and transition, you have to continue droning and injecting - something I seem to forget in the tutorial replays -_-

It's effective. We're not exactly fitting the mould of standard ZvP, but that's not always a bad thing! Well-timed builds can be very effective even if they are unusual. I'm sure some will be quick to judge this as a gimmicky or cheesy strategy, and we could argue all day about whether that's true without getting anywhere. Let's skip that argument, because whether drop-style is a viable long-term build or simply an unorthodox all-in, you should try it.

It's adaptable. I've had a lot of fun experimenting with variations and transitions (can't wait for Swarm Hosts), but I've only scratched the surface in terms of potential. You guys all play Zerg - or at least you should! - and you all have unique takes on the game. I think some of you will have brilliant ideas on how to adapt and transition in response to what your opponent does, and I really hope that those who don't often use aggressive openings will mix it up and try it anyway. It is natural to be a little hesitant about using low-economy tech builds, but you'll find that the early Overlord drop presents unique opportunities and advantages. So let's find out how to make the best use of them. I'll tell you what I already know, but I need to hear about what you find out too.

The best way to learn this style and get a feel for the variations and transitions is to watch the following tutorial videos. They focus on the timings of the first drop, denying scouting, and transitioning, but each video has general, helpful tips and tricks that apply to any style.

Drop-Style ZvP Tutorial 1 (Featured Game vs LiquidHero) (Links to Part 2 and 3 can be found in the comments)

Drop-Style ZvP Tutorial 2 (Featured Game vs EGiNcontroLRC)

Drop-Style ZvP Tutorial 3 (Featured Games vs Daisy/Sase)

Massive Drop-Style ZvP Replay Pack
http://www.twitch.tv/tangsc/c/1790707Anko (Drop-Style + Mutalisk)
http://www.twitch.tv/tangsc/c/1616654 Placid (Drop Style + Hydra/Creep Highway)
http://www.twitch.tv/tangsc/c/1616648# uGpFabled (Drop-Style against Gateway All-In)
http://drop.sc/284621 EGiNcontrLRC (Drop-Style + Mutalisk + Roach-Max)
http://drop.sc/284622Daisy ESCDaisy (Drop-Style + Hydra/Creep Highway)
http://drop.sc/284619 LiquidHerO (Drop-Style against Gateway All-In)
http://drop.sc/284620 KingSaSe (Drop-Style + Mutalisk + Roach-Max)

The core build order up can stay the same up until 40 supply regardless of what your opponent does (assuming he doesn't go early 2-Gate Zealot). I've included screenshots for all you visual learners, though all of this is covered in more detail in the tutorial videos.

9 Overlord
15 Gas
14 Pool
16 Overlord
16 Queen/Speed (First 100 Gas)
18-20 Zerglings (Do not remove Drones from Geyser



20-21 Drone
21 Expansion Hatchery (~3:50)
20 Lair (~4:15)



20-24 Drones (Fully Saturate Main + 1 Drone for Second Geyser)
24 Second Geyser
23 Overlord
23-26 Drones rallied into Second Geyser (use first inject). You should have 16 Drones mining Minerals 2/per patch with both Geysers filled by 5:15. Once you do, rally to the expansion minerals.



26-29 Drones rallied to expansion
29 Queen (Expansion)
31 Overlord Drop (~5:50 when Lair is done)



31-34 Drones (Optional Zerglings if he's pushing out with 1 Zealot 1 Stalker)
34 Overlord (Overlord Speed queued up at expansion so it starts when Queen finishes)
34-40 Drones
40 Baneling Nest (Replace Drone)

There are endless variations available for the first drop, you can do anywhere from 16-30 Zerglings and 4-12 Banelings. I've provided a few options an overview to the style. "Light" pressure is 4 Banelings and 16 Speedlings (3 Overlords total) while "Heavy" pressure is 4 Banelings and 24 Speedlings (4 Overlords total). Believe me when I say there are "Super-Heavy" variations as well, but the focus of this guide is not to win with the first drop. Keep in mind these options can be mixed and matched, and adjusted to suit your personal play style.

To execute "Light" pressure for the earliest max-out transition, remove one Drone from each Geyser after Overlord drop. This way you can start an earlier third and you won't bank gas (remember to fill it back up once you saturate your expansion, though!). Continue droning to 44, then produce two Overlords.


Go from 44-52 with Speedlings (16 Zerglings, 2 Overlords full). Immediately start your third base (7:45).


Morph 4 Banelings and execute the multi-pronged drop at 8:15.


As you're dropping, your goal is to fully saturate your natural and third base so keep droning and producing Overlords.


Start your Roach Warren + Evolution Chamber, and get up to 4 Gas.


Get Roach +1/Speed with a total of 4-Geysers and 4-Hatcheries (Should sound very much like the Stephano-Style Roach Max).


By 12:45-13:00 you should be maxed with Roaches, +1, Speed, and with your Overlord upgrades ready to put on more multi-pronged aggression.

See Replays against iNcontroL and KingSaSe.

Heavy pressure is 3 Overlords full of Speedlings instead of two. Cut Drones at 40 Supply and produce 1 Overlord. Go from 40-52 with Zerglings to do execute "heavy" drop pressure (24 Zerglings, 3 Overlords full). Execute the multi-pronged drop at 8:15:

As you drop, you can continue droning, adding 2 Geysers, and building a Spire:

Make sure you have supply when the Spire finishes, and start the +1 Air Attack (approx. 9:30). You should be fully saturated at your main/natural before producing any Mutalisks:


Once you've created 6-10 Mutalisks, start your third and start droning (if you're on top of your macro/multitasking, you can start the third before the Mutalisks:


As you pressure with Mutalisks, continue droning and start a Roach Warren + Evolution Chamber:


Once you've fully saturated the third base, start Roaches and Upgrades:

Continue producing Roaches/Overlords until 200/200 - Then start the mayhem multipronged Roach pushes and drops. Make sure you have a 4th Hatchery:

Execute the "Light Pressure" drop - See Transition 1, and replay against ESCDaisy.


Drone to Full-Saturation at expansion then start third hatchery and Hydralisk Den.
While Hydra Den builds, produce 6-8 Drones for your third and a couple of Overlords.


As the Den finishes, produce 8 Hydralisks (Optional to produce more if you want to all-in, but you'll need 3-4 Geysers if so.)


Produce as many Zerglings/Hydras as you like (Lots if he's attacking you or if you're doing a doom drop or creep highway timing).


Start a Roach Warren and Evolution chamber, and drone your third to full mineral saturation.


Once you reach 60-66 Drones, make sure you have a 4th or a macro hatch, make sure that you have a 4th or a macro hatch and that you're mining from 4-5 Geysers before starting Roach production.


13:30 - Roach/Hydra Max-Out

You only need your first Overlord to scout Nexus-first or Forge FE to choose Drop-Style, and it works on any map. The timing of the drop (approx. 8:15) almost guarantees you'll be the first aggressor - even if he goes for a super-early Gateway all-in, he'll likely just be pushing as you drop his main/expansion. You don't need to scout his Gateway count or tech choice before the first drop.

As you drop, it's important to figure out your opponent's tech choice, with planned responses to each possibility. For example, you will always start droning at 52 with the goal of transitioning into some form of tech, but you may cut your droning or teching short if he's preparing to all-in you. On the other hand, if you suspect he plans to take a third after your drop, you may decide to drone harder. Sometimes, you may even find yourself extremely behind after the first drop, and in need of some desperation tactics.

Below I've outlined a few of my responses/options based on my own personal preference of relentless aggression with Roaches, Mutalisks, and/or Hydralisks, but I hope others will dabble in Late-Game transitions (Infestors, Macro, Upgrades, Spines, Broodlords). These are merely suggestions.

Generally speaking, if your first drop scouts that your opponent has . . .

Only Gateways (6+), you're in panic mode. If you execute the drop as soon as possible, worst case scenario you'll do some economic damage and force warp-ins at home - the goal is to delay their push as long as you can so that you can get a decent drone count before building defenses/units. You should have already been very active scouting for Proxy-Pylons in the early game with your first 4 Speedlings, and you should try maintain the Xel-Nagas and deny Proxy Pylons. You can't expect to hold a third, and it's actually best to put down 3-4 Spinecrawlers as you drop, and consider putting down a few more with Evolution Chambers in front of them. Both 2-base Hydralisk/Mutalisk transitions are effective, though you'll likely delay their production to get additional Spinecrawlers/Speedlings if he pushes out right away. (3rd/4th Gases shouldn't be rushed). His build is pretty all-in, and as long as you reach full 2-base saturation and still hold his timing, your tech-advantage should allow you to take a third and win the game.

Robo + Gateways, you are very fortunate and should do a lot of damage. You should also feel pretty safe, Immortal timings are delayed compared to Gateway all-ins, which gives you time to drone a bit harder while you drop and get your Mutalisks/third started at a reasonable time. His counter-attack options are limited, and you'll have more opportunities to keep contain and pressure with Mutalisks. Just keep an Overlord spewing creep at his third, and try to reach full 3-Base saturation before producing Roaches. Once you reach 60 Drones (fully saturated 3-Base Minerals / 4 Geysers), max-out on Roaches and trade armies constantly.

Twilight + Gateways, you should do some damage with your first drop because his blink won't quite be done. It's crucial to scout his Gateway count, but unfortunately it will usually be 4, which doesn't give you a clear read - he could take a third, or he could put down 3 more Gateways after your drop and go for a Blink Stalker all-in (See game against LiquidHerO). The best thing to do is plant an Overlord at his third, and make an educated guess. If you think he's going for a third, fully-saturate your third before producing Roaches. If you think he's going to all-in you, partially saturate your third and build Roaches/Speedlings earlier. It's a bit of a coinflip going Mutalisks against this build, but I'm starting to think earlier Roaches would work better against this particular Protoss opening. Hydralisks aren't very effective.

Single-Stargate + Gateways, you're in a bit of trouble but you're not hopeless. He's probably going to get out enough Zealots/Sentries to hold his main Nexus, and he's going to punish you by killing some of your Overlords. You may end up a bit behind, but even if you are, pull back your remaining Overlords and attempt a Spire and/or Hydralisk follow-up. It sounds bizaare, but 2-base Mutalisk/Hydralisk/Speedling with a creep-highway can be very effective (see game vs ESCDaisy). The most passive way to play this out would be to get either 6-8 Hydras or Corruptors out to defend Stargate pressure then power workers to full 3-base saturation, aiming for a reasonably timed Roach/Hydra or Roach/Corruptor maxout to kill his third. High-Risk, High-Reward strategies like Hydra Doom-Drops can pay off when you're very behind (i.e. minimal damage done with drop, 3-4 Overlords lost).

Double-Stargate, your drops should kill his main Nexus putting you way ahead. Then it's just a matter of getting enough Hydras to hold his counter all-in. Just keep tabs on whether he rebuilds the main Nexus, because if he does you'll need a third. Usually it's best to cancel Spire in this case, Hydralisks are where it's at.

Early Third, Late Gateways, you should kill your greedy opponent. Most Protoss aren't bold enough to blindly take a super-early third base against a Zerg with Speedlings and a late third, but it does happen. Any Nexus before 8:00 will severely delay Gateways, making it almost impossible to hold the drop. Still, you must kill a Nexus, not just a handful of Probes, so you're a bit more committed than usual to doing damage. It's the kind of situation that you should win as long as continue the aggression, because he won't have a lot of units, but if you back off without doing enough damage you could lose. Immediately responding with a 2-Base Hydralisk/Speedling doom drop in the main is very effective.

Dark Shrine + Gateways, build Overseers while you drop. He'll probably hold off without losing too much, but if his DTs don't do damage, you're ahead. Follow-up with Mutalisks (optional) and an eventual Roach-Max to deny his third base/hold any 2-base all-ins. Hydralisks not recommended.

Protoss hate playing blind. If you can deny their Probes/Zealots from getting any meaningful scouting, you can keep them in the dark with your early Zergling speed. They may misread you based on your early gas, and build extra cannons in case you all-in. In the early game, there are two essential times to deny scouting:

1) As soon as your first 4 Zerglings spawn (18-20 supply). By this point you'll have mined more than 100 Gas and it's fine if Protoss scouts that, but obviously you need to chase him away before your Lair is started. Once his Probe is out of your main, keep 2 Zerglings on the ramp to your main so that he cna't scout your Lair, and use the remaining 2 to take a Xel-Naga and scout for hidden Probes/Pylons by your third/fourth base locations. Be prepared to bring your Queen to the ramp if a Probe tries to sneak his way into your main. With the 2 ramp-Zerglings and the Queen, you can always deny scouting of the Lair.

2) Speed finishes approximate 5:05-5:15 with this build. Once speed is done, there is no excuse for letting a Probe scout your lack of a third Hatchery. Position 1 Zergling on each Xel-Naga, and 1 Zergling in the path to your 3rd. Make sure there's nowhere he could have hid a Probe on your side of the map (through Overlords and shift-rallied Zerglings). With good positioning and micro, your initial 4 Speedlings should be enough to shut down a single-Zealot scout as well as any Probes, but if you're uncomfortable, you can build another couple sets of Speedlings around 30 supply (after Overlord Drop and 2nd Queen). 8 Speedlings can shut down a Zealot/Stalker poke as long as you engage at once. With speed you should completely own your side of the map.

I mentioned earlier that I'm hoping others will offer their insights to help develop this style. As you practice with the build, save some replays, upload them to DropSC, and link them in your comments. Give us a bit of analysis on things that worked well or didn't work well. Explain some of the mistakes you made along the way (I've forgotten Overlord speed a hundred times), or the parts of the build that are most difficult to execute. I will continue producing videos to add to the guide, especially on Late-Game transitions (Broodlords, Infestors, ...Ultralisks!?) I'd be happy to use some of your replays for future tutorials

Also if you enjoyed the guide, please comment and show support on TL and Reddit