EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XokDe62.jpg)
Since hots came out, two main buffs have been applied to the mutalisk. The first one was the movement speed buff, second one was the regeneration buff. This has made zvz really only about the mutalisk. Getting up as many mutalisk as possible has become a skill that many zerg players have to have.
Here is a game i played on ladder where I fall a little bit behind from aggression (i actually held it off really efficiently i think), then somehow win the game by expanding and defending with spores, spines, lings and trading off efficiently.
After the game I try to analyse the micro moments, theorycraft about how the game could have gone better for both of us and a trial to spot mistakes from both sides.
http://www.twitch.tv/agahamsorrow/c/2913558
This VOD is just an example. I could have used another game but in this one i fell behind (or it was even, its up to you) and the opponent was going for mutalisks aswell.
Some tips from me to zergs who have trouble in the zerg mirror match up:
I think zvz is one of the hardest matchups to understand. From ling baneling wars to ling muta wars, its very hard to understand. Just like phisics, you either see it or you don't. You might say the matchup is really micro heavy and requires a lot of APM to play, but I think understanding the matchup is the first step to grow in zvz.
-Never engage with mutalisks aggressively. Always try to snipe things like overlords and lings. If the game is even, the opponent will have muta advantage and will be able to win the muta fight. Every mutalisk fight counts!
-try to be one base ahead of your opponent after the mutas are out. 300 minerals and a drone is not a lot if you take into consideration that you can play defensively with spines, spores, queens and have defenders advantage (your mutalisks have to travel less). You will have to cut ling production but its ok because spores 3shot mutalisks so he can only attack into an expansion with lings.
-Have some lings hotkeyd with mutas. This way they will move together and lings will tank some damage from enemy muta fire, giving you yet another small advantage. Just be aware of counter attacks!
-don't spread creep. Jesus, I think spreading creep only gives your opponent an advantage since you will most likely play low on lings and high on mutalisks. Also, if he went hydras, he will be able to manouver faster near your base, making your life harder. My solution is to spread creep with overlords and plant a spore or two in key places so that the creep is between the bases but it doesnt give an advantage to the opponent. Also a spine crawler to prevent spores from being sniped by lings is a good idea.
-carapace first. Always go carapace first and get +2 carapace before attack. You are not going to do a timing attack (if you play like me at least) and getting +2 carapace might cost more, but its also more cost efficient due to how mutalisks shots bounce (queens have double attack so if hes doing some strat with lots of queens then the upgrade will pay off).
-Get at least one spine on every base. Ling runbys are really annoying to deal with at first and spines help you by either giving you more time or shut down small ling runbys.
-if opponent is making a roach warren before you start your lair (or if you have very few drones), skip the fourth gas and keep scouting. If he is doing a roach ling all in, the extra income will help in the form of spine crawlers and lings. This tip depends on the enemy worker count. If you know he can't afford that many units, you can get the fourth gas and just stop mining if hes coming to attack.
-The hardest tip to follow: Play the "dance of the mutalisk". What I mean is, you oftentimes see in the tvp matchup that both parties armies go back and forth and try to pick off stuff from each others army. The same should be done here. Whenever you spot a positional mistake (like some lings moving forward and some not moving or mutalisks spreading out while hes chasing) you should capitalize on that. This is hard to do but its a skill that will pay off if practiced on regular basis. (again, never engage when being aggressive and don't put yourself into these awkward positions where if you retreat you have to go through spores, mutalisks or both)
-From my teammate Pixel: Getting three or so banelings is a good way to defend bases in the mid to late game. Trading off some gas for lots of lings is usually very good and can buy time to get bases up, more defense, or lings yourself.
If you liked this post, check out my stream thead at
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=428303
and give me a comment!
UPDATE
From my teammate Owl
Mutalisks really benefit from the shock and awe effect. This is a very important concept to understand I think that applies to starcraft 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_and_awe
The shock and awe is also called rapid dominance. It's more a psychological concept that relies on the opponent being "afraid of you". The concept is to destroy the will of the opponent and deceive his understanding of the war through battle dominance or map vision (thats why its important to strive for total map controll). I think mutalisks benefit from this because you can very easily capitalize on enemy positional mistake as said before and they pick off stuff very easily. Being able to one shot enemy queens, spores or gas geysers has this psychological effect.
The other matchups also have this effect. Think about ling baneling muta vs marine widow mine. If you surround the terran and the banelings connect, there you have rapid dominance. On the other hand, if widow mines connect on banelings/muta/lings in packs, you also have rapid dominance.
A really cool concept right?
