Instead of matchup specifics, I want to talk about some refinement I've been doing with a build order and comparisons. To be specific, my 11 pool opening. I first heard about this on I think a Mr.Bitter streaming session. I wasn't sure which way it went but I experimented and found what I liked, and started to go for it on ladder. I liked it a lot and seemed to be fine. You get a lot of drones fast, as well as the queen, and in case some sort of cannon rush comes, you can deal with it really easily.
The build I went for is:
10 - extractor
9 - drone
10 - cancel extractor
11 - pool
10 -extractor
9 - drone
10 - cancel extractor
11 - overlord
11 - 3 drones
So a few days ago, I was watching some Day9 VODs since I had nothing else to do, then came across Destiny vs Bomber. I heard Day9 saying "He's doing 11 pool. Very interesting build" or something along those lines. I thought to myself, hey, he's doing my build too. Nice.
Yesterday though, while watching Friendsday Wednesday on the Daily, I found that Destiny's build is actually completely different from mine. His build is:
10 - extractor
9 - drone
10 - cancel extractor
11 - overlord
11 - pool
I was curious about this build and tried it myself one game on ladder. It didn't feel any different but I decided to go and test it myself before I brought myself to a conclusion.
Earlier, I tested my own 11 pool opening against 15 hatch, and it fared pretty well. I thought it was fine so I kept on using it. This time, I tested in the same way, taking different points in the game and how fast I got to them with both builds, and also a final 3:30 count of everything. Everything is noted down in game time.
Pool finishes
Destiny's build- 2:40
My build- 2:25
Natural Expo started
Destiny's build- 3:04
My build- 3:25
Queen finishes
Destiny's build- 3:30
My build- 3:17
3:30 mark for Destiny's build
-14 drones
-2 zerglings
-1 queen
-2 overlords
-2 zerglings in production
-1 overlord in production
-1 hatchery in production
3:30mark for my build
-14 drones
-4 lings
-1 queen
-3 overlords
-1 drone in production
-1 hatchery in production
In conclusion, I found that Destiny gets his hatch 20 seconds earlier than mine, but in all other aspects, I'm either equal or slightly ahead. The earlier hatch isn't really economically significant, since saturation isn't full on both bases either way. The only reason it would be important is in getting spine crawlers down on the creep for an early rush or so. A plausible situation, but not for the majority of games.
I'll be continuing to ladder when I get back from my trip that I leave on tomorrow .
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