Shaft comes on to talk about how to effectively use Zerg spellcasters, how to keep them alive, and how to be much more cost-effective than your opponent. We take a look at how to use the most common (and some not so commonly thought of) spellcasters per match-up, detailing some of the more common ways to make them even more cost-effective. If this is an area you find yourself struggling in, then please come take a look!

All videos are organized according to match-ups, though the first match-up listed, in this case Zerg versus Protoss, will include some overlap into the other match-ups. Please enjoy guys!

Some of the topics covered include:
- Burrowing infestor sandwiches
- Baneling land mines
- Utilizing the Viper
- Fungal kiting
- and more!

mizU

United States12125 Posts

September 05 2013 08:06 GMT

Wow your introduction was super long.

Also this isn't much of a guide, it's more of an explanation of what spells do.
The title is a bit misleading.

Good guide for noobs, not so much anyone above Plat/Diamond.

theonlyshaft

United States581 Posts

September 05 2013 08:34 GMT

@mizU I feel like maybe you didn't watch the whole thing. As stated in the introduction, we begin basic, and build up in an effort to be comprehensive. IMHO an "explanation of what spells do" would not include something like how to place Blinding Clouds to be the most effective against mech in ZvT, which this vod does. What it does not do is try to establish hotkeys -- too much customization within Starcraft for that, and it's beyond the scope of this project.

The format: "When using this unit's ability X, target this type of opponent unit." E.g., blinding cloud on high DPS units so you can pick off small portions of his army unmolested. I'm glad you think this would be good for plat/diamond people, though, seeing as those two leagues as well as the three below them represent about 95% of the SC2 population -- exactly my target demographic

( Population chart: http://www.sc2ranks.com/stats/league )

If you're a Diamond league player looking to get better, it's not videos like this that you should be looking at. If you have issues in a particular match-up, or a particular variation on a match-up (say, you love FE in ZvP but have much difficulty holding gateway first), you should find videos that address specific instances. After that, it's all about refinement, getting more accurate, and most importantly, getting faster. Starcraft is a game of small tasks that build up quickly. Failure to handle them in the appropriate time can lead to bottlenecks and, ultimately, losses. Videos can only give you the information, it's up to the player to incorporate it and refine their technique.

As far as the introduction being too long, please remember there is a table of contents that will easily allow you to navigate past anything that doesn't suit. Have a great day and thanks for tuning in

DrDeep

16 Posts

September 05 2013 08:47 GMT

Really useful, thanks bro!

mizU

United States12125 Posts

September 05 2013 10:41 GMT

I did watch the whole thing, everything you're saying should be known by anyone in Diamond and above.
I'm not saying it's a bad guide, I'm just saying that maybe it should be titled Zerg Spellcaster Guide or something.
I was expecting information on casting priority in big deathballs when you have multiple spellcasters to control or something of that nature.

theonlyshaft

United States581 Posts

September 05 2013 10:58 GMT

On September 05 2013 19:41 mizU wrote:I'm not saying it's a bad guide, I'm just saying that maybe it should be titled Zerg Spellcaster Guide or something.
I was expecting information on casting priority in big deathballs when you have multiple spellcasters to control or something of that nature.

Well, we do give casting priority on individual units. And since controlling multiple spellcasters is essentially the same as controlling one, it still shouldn't be that hard. Afterall, how often as a Zerg player do you actually have multiple groups of spell casters (as defined normally)? All I can think of off-hand is viper+infestor, which would be against mech most likely. Well, we have a viper section and an infestor section. One should be able to watch those two sections and get everything need. Every situation is different though, so there's no way to make a video saying "ALWAYS abduct before fungaling." You use the spell that your opponent makes easiest for you. That's why I spend so much time analyzing where certain spells are good (like fungal on ramps) and where they are weak (fungal in open areas). But all-in-all, getting two groups of spellcasters, with upgrades on all of those spellcasters, as a Zerg player it's too much gas. That's the main reason that's not covered here, is for the most part it's bad to do, and the circumstances where it's not are quite rare as a Zerg. Our Terran Spell Casters video covers controlling multiple groups, but imho it's just not necessary here. I think the main issue is you saw "Expert Unit Control" in the title without understanding the context of the expression (highest tier of a micro control series, and not a guide dedicated to experts) and are now disappointed in reality not matching your expectations.

tili

United States1332 Posts

September 06 2013 00:47 GMT

I'm high plat - and I found the video to be extremely constructive.

Please keep making these!(esp. For zergs!)

theonlyshaft

United States581 Posts

September 06 2013 03:07 GMT

On September 06 2013 09:47 tili wrote:
I'm high plat - and I found the video to be extremely constructive.

Please keep making these!(esp. For zergs!)

This is part of a series called Crash Course, and most of our content is for Zergs (my main). You can check out the entire playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9QsjkBYtQM488AcrN9kiiEdKzhGQnWmM

btw very glad to hear it helped

Lobotomist

United States1541 Posts

September 09 2013 17:59 GMT

nice! I'll be sure to check this out. my caster use is pretty bad

theonlyshaft

United States581 Posts

September 09 2013 21:52 GMT

#10

On September 10 2013 02:59 Lobotomist wrote:
nice! I'll be sure to check this out. my caster use is pretty bad

I hope it helps! Let me know?

Jermstuddog

United States2231 Posts

September 09 2013 22:27 GMT

#11

Intro takes too long, otherwise great video!

Thanks for the time and effort!

theonlyshaft

United States581 Posts

September 10 2013 22:25 GMT

#12

Absolutely welcome Jerm.

I have a question to all of those saying the intro is too long. Are we referring to the Table of Contents, the CECC trailer, or the actual introduction of me discussing the format for the episode? Or all three together?