[D] New Z unit upgrade

Name: The DONGLING!
Alias: Flyling, Wingling, Airling, Smallwing, Cutewing
Description: Zerglings with Dongwing growth upgrade

1. Lorewise, zergs tend follow two paths: evolve or die. Broodlord = evolve. Scourge = die. It is unusual for a unit to become weaker and still thrive. (Bonus, look at most of the zergling artworks in battlenet and blizzard, don't they seem to have wings XD).

2. Zerg needs a ligitimate AA late game ("Dongling" comes post Spire + Hive). The apparent imbalance issue is resolve when you consider that "Donglings" will be melee air units - they have to get close to do damage and they can be most effective
with speed and in mass. All of this fall right within the heart of the swarm concept.

3. Zerg is an offensive race, first and foremost. If one of your options lategame vs battlecruisers etc is to temporarily "take control" of them (though a cheap-looking ridiculous appendage), something has got to be wrong. Donglings will do a great job bringing this mojo back to the zerg. (This is also one of the reasons why i think changelings, neural parasite, and infested terrans are gimmicks that are outside zerg essence. changelings, seriously???)

General
Donglings will give zerg a viable air option late game (although at a steep but reasonable [because any cheaper it will be OP] cost) by simply upgrading an existing unit. Most importantly, the excitement they generate will be great from the point of view of the spectators who want some action into the games, as well as the players who want to put some good use to their high apms.

vZ
Donglings will redefine "ling micro" forever. Just imagine!

vT
Among the many possible unit matchups, i think Donglings vs Vikings will always be something to look forward to in ZvT

vP
Donglings vs Phoenix/Void Rays will be good to watch. PLUS, Donglings will finally show Colossi who`s boss (just kidding xd)

There are many, but let me specify 2:
1. Air stacking or air layer order
i think the best way to avoid this is to not allow Dongling stacking, and allow the normal air layer order so that Donglings can only take advantage if they have speed and mass, so opponents do not become immobile when surrounded. Donglings can only be effective by outspeeding/flanking, surround, attack, resurround, attack..

2. vs slow capital ships
yes. BC, Carriers, and other big slow capital ships/units will be greatly underwhelmed by Donglings. maybe reduce their damage against them by at least 30%? And they cant attack Collosi.

At the last remaining days of the bloody and savage Brood Wars, the swarm, although triumphant, was almost annihilated. Body after body lie to waste as far as the eye can see, dismembered, dishevelled, dead. Crimson blood which once run fiercely in the veins of every proud creature to answer the call of the Queen of Death now creep slowly all throughout the colony. It was victory only as much as it was defeat.

Among the first to fall are the frail Scourge. The absence of the scourge was felt immediately as Mutalisks were no match against the raiding specialized air units of the Terran and Protoss scavenging the land for loot. Pushed once again to the extreme limits of physical possibilities, the swarm did what it does best – evolve.

It was in the planet of Mar Sara that the new trait first manifested. It must have been the radiation from the nukes. Or it must have been there all this time, dormant and just bidding its time. It doesn’t matter. A cold vicious chill crawled up the spine of every zergling. They didn’t understand what it was. They were restless, but it felt good. Fuelled by primordial drive and a renewed hunger for violence and destruction, the zergling took to flight, and became the Dongling!

Why?
Why not!

Why "Dongling"?
In honor of the Greatest BW player and more importantly the best Hive Mind ever!

So zerglings can evolve to Donglings, and devolve back as zerglings?
In essence that’s correct. They evolve by growing Dongwings, so they can either go air (as Donglings) or ground (as Zerglings). They do not really need complete metamorphosis as butterflies do, after all, they are not pollinators but warriors. It is simply and instrument of war. Think of it as a switch between two aspects of this unit.

What is Growth Time?
Once the Dongwing Growth evolution is completed in the Spawning Pool, all zerglings will morph into a cocoon for 5 game seconds and emerge with their newly grown Dongwings.

Are minerals, gas, or energy required to morph between aspects?
No. They only things you need to get Donglings are a Spawning Pool, a zergling, a Spire, a Hive, the Dongwing Growth evolution. Morphing is free and can be done endlessly. However, morphing, like most things in Starcraft, follows certain physical limitation. For example, a Dongling cannot morph back to zergling above a body of water, a void, or any other terrain on which a zergling cannot plant its feet on. Also, morphing between aspects require 2 game seconds, during which the unit morphs into an egg.

How does the Dongling attack?
The Dongling, being winged zerglings, retain their combat attributes. They attack on air as melee units with a range of 1. Moreover, Donglings are also affected by Adrenal Glands and Metabolic Boost.

IMBA!!! OP!!!
That is partially true. But with the cost of 500/500, it’s pretty hard to acquire, given how gas hungry zerg is. It also comes late, after Spire Hive and has reduced damage vs capital ships.

I hate Dongling!
Just ignore this post. Or, if you can, write why you think so. xd

I love Dongling!
Thanks. Would have have reasons other than those stated here? Or modifications?

What if Blizzard actually uses this?
I’m only a fan and a player of the game. I may cheer, QQ, rant, suggest, pretend I know better, but in the end it’s their game. But if this really happens, please please please name it Dongling! The Dong deserves it.

“Before you can fly, first you must crawl.”
- Friedrwarrsch Nietzsschh, Zerg Cerebrate

“The scan told us there only lings, so we pushed. We were ready for their every attack – from the front, from behind, from below our feet… but from above?!?”
- Jim Raynor, post-evolution zergling survivor

“I believe I can fly!”
- Mook, the happy ling

Let’s give credit where credit is due. This post is inspired by the works of Christopher Notbusch who was recently featured on TL.