EPTMy name is GFwarbringer and I currently playing on the EU servers. Now since I've been stepping into the world of coaching people, I found out that alot of people actually have no clue how Zerg works in a mechanical way. So I thought it would be a good idea to start a Guide with a general talk with stuff that I think are very valuable to know.
This guide is not designed for the Top notch players, since you guys already know this. This guide is made for the people that are semi new in the Zerg world and for the people that are in the lower brackets that are wondering why they are losing without seeing why!
To get started I like to start saying that I think there are 3 key parts within every match up as Zerg. Those will be Map Control, Scouting and Adaption.
Map Control:
First off all let define what Map Control is. It means that you are in control of the map and normally when you are in control of anything, you are in good shape. Now the next question will be how do we claim this map control to gain an advantage over our opponent? I like to say that there are 3 major ways to gain Map control
1) Creep spread is a big tool in gaining map control. Creep spread is always good to have, since it not only benefits your ground units with a buff to walk faster, but it also creates vision! When you have vision of the map, you are already in control of the map, since you know what is coming your way!
2) Claiming the Xel Naga towers is also very useful. In the early phases of the game, you will not be able to spread creep all the way up to your enemy base to gain vision. So it is useful to claim the Xel Naga at all times, with preferably 1 zergling at each. So basically for 50 minerals, you get alot of information in return.
3) Overlord placement. How annoying is it when you have your map control cause of the Creep spread and the claiming of the Xel Naga towers, but you were not able to see a sneaky drop incoming. This is why we got our friendly hugger, the overlord. If you setup up overlords around your base, you will be able to see drops/banshees/warp prisms in time and you can respond accordingly. Of course there are times where it's not that smart to throw your overlords all around the map, since Vikings/muta's/phoenixes like to shoot at them from time to time!
Optional Note: Expansion capturing. This can easily be done by either placing 1 zergling at each possible expansion or in ZvP/ZvT send an overlord to there (with Lair tech) and make him puke all the creep over his expo point. I believe when he spread the creep there it takes 40 seconds to fully disappear again, so this can be very useful!!!
Scouting:
This brings me on to scouting. Scouting is always important and must be done throughout all the phases of the games. I will first talk about scouting against different races.
ZvP: Most of the Protoss players tend to go for some FFE (forge fast expand) these days on the bigger maps, so you should take your 13th drone (or 14th, personal preference I believe) to scout with. This gives you the information that you will be safe for the first minutes of the games. Now we have the problem that we can't run Zerglings up his ramp to see what he is going for, since most of the protoss will be blocking of the ramp and hide his gateways/tech buildings at his main base. This is why you send your overlord close to his main to fly in at around 7:45 to gain scouting information and then ADAPT YOUR build to what your see. (You see adaption is already coming back, this will be explained later though). Of course, you can later on morph that overlord into an overseer and keep scouting the rest of the game, but at least you know now how to scout in the begin stages!
ZvZ: Zerg vs. Zerg is a tricky match up. Most of the players tend to go for a 14/14 (14 gas 14 pool) build or either a 15 hatch opening. Now where people might think that a 15 hatch opening is macro orientated, it can actually end up in being a zergling all in. This is why we scout! You need to make sure to send his overlord to his base, but if he doesn't find it you need to send a drone to scout. Then respond accordingly. The trick is that when the pools completed, the enemies game plan will start to reveal itself. You need to make sure that you see if he is either droning up and putting down spines, double queen, safety baneling’s, roach warren or that he cuts his drone production and start to produce only lings. So basically Drone/Zergling count is very important to scout in ZvZ in the beginning phases of the game. Drone count can often indicate whether your opponent is going for an all-in, or macro oriented play.
ZvT: It has the same basic idea as playing against a Protoss player, but now you need to know how to read your opponent. Most of the Terran players will block off their ramp with SD's and a Barracks. The key things you want to scout are his racks, his gasses and his add-ons. Double Rack most likely mean early pressure, while double gas mean most likely mean banshees. Also the add-on can tell alot about the gameplay of the Terran player. A reactor tells that hellions are most likely inbound and a tech lab most likely will tell you that he will open with reapers. Of course there are many options terran can open with, but use other forums on TeamLiquid to learn this properly. It is probably better described there then I can do here!
Adaption:
You are still reading the text? Congratulations you've made it to the part of what I think is the most important of those 3. Adaption... Zerg is designed to be a reactive race. You simply cannot start a game and enter the game with a thought like: “I will go this build order, and then I will tech to A to swap in the endgame to B”. You have to ADAPT to what your opponent is doing. A little example: ZvP. We opened the game and went for a fancy 14 pool 16 hatch build. Everything is going peacefully, you scout a FFE and you keep happily droning. Now the trick is to scout with your overlord to see what HE is doing and the ADAPT to the situation. So let's say you love to play with roach/ling/ X build. The X stands for the adaption. So we say you scout a twilight council with blink getting researched. Now we know that we have to respond to this accordingly, so we tech to Infestors, Lings/Roaches for the damage, Infestors to keep the stalkers in 1 place (well placed fungals). Of course you can have your build order and a initial game plan, like 2 base muta play against protoss, but if he decided to go something that counters that (double stargate), you should adapt to the situation and counter him instead! (If he builds phoenix’s to “counter” your muta’s then you send 20 roaches up his ramp, he can’t really do much.)
We've come to an end in what I think are the basics of the way Zerg has to be played. Build Orders, Counters and everything else can be found in other sections of TeamLiquid. The resources I used to make this guide is a mix of Day9, talking with High Master people and my own experience.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and of course I hope that you've learned a bit more about how to be a better Zerg player!
