Starcraft II Strategy and tactics. Starcraft II Strategy and tactics Zerg tips in starcraft 2

Reflections on the game.

When I first started playing regular Starcraft on the ladder, I didn't really like playing against Terrans. Actually, I just hated such matches, because I always lost. But that's a common complaint from a mid-level player. If opponents of equal strength play different races, then the balance of the game depends very much on the skill level of both partners. Low to mid level players find the Terran matchup very difficult and often wonder "What the @#$%! What were the Blizzards thinking when they made the powers so evenly matched?". But if there are higher class players, the game is much more equal and sometimes you just enjoy seeing how finely balanced the possibilities of the parties are. Each of the races has so many actionable responses to any opponent's move that the game is very feature-rich and varied. And although I like the way this match is more balanced in regular Starcraft, because there the Zerg has a greater choice of different strategies (because of the Medics, you always have to make Lurkers), nevertheless, in Brood War, the game of the Zerg against the Terran is very interesting. However, due to the large differences between these games, I will only be covering Brood War in this article. (Note: You know what? If you're tired of my chatter, skip it and read the strategies below).

Just like in chess, there are many different opening moves in Starcraft. And, unfortunately, Zerg "plays black" - in the early game, Terran holds the initiative, and you have to think about how to react to his actions. A Terran can start the game in many ways:

• put an early Bunker;
• make a rush with Marines from 3 Barracks;
• Rush with Marines and Medics from 2 Barracks,
• choose a tank rush supported by 2 Barracks;
• attack with Marines and Medics from 2 Barracks with the support of Science Courts;
• make Marines and Medics in 1 Barracks and strengthen them with early Tanks;
• go to the Fighters at 1 Barracks;
• prepare an early landing of Marines and Medics at 2 Barracks;
• prepare a landing of Tanks at the 1st Barracks.

You need to survive the attack conceived by the Terran, and then force him to lock himself in his own base. Since Terran's defense is completely abnormal in strength, many opponents, even without your pressure, will voluntarily sit on their base and strengthen it - and that's all you need! If the Terran tries to lean out of the base, destroy his forces, and in the meantime, seize control of the map. The ability to arrange a reliable defense is a powerful psychological factor, an eternal temptation for the Terran, which many succumb to. You should take this into account and use it, although, of course, strong Terran players also know about this and do not sit out in impregnable fortresses.

The order of development.

At the beginning of the game against Terran, I almost always use the following order of development. There are only two exceptions: either if I find that the enemy has a very early Barracks (indicating an early Bunker), or if the enemy base is very close (for example, the positions at 12 and 3 hours on Lost Temple).
9 Drones
Overlord (9/9)
2 Drones (11/17)

Immediately send one Drone to build a Hatchery at the narrow entrance to the expansion through which the road to your base leads (to Lost Temple), do not build this Hatchery on the mountain at the entrance to your base (10/17)
2 Drones (12/17)
Of these 2 Drones, one collects minerals, and the second receives the honorary right to build a Spawning Pool (11/17)
3 Drones (14/17)

The third of these Drones makes a Hatchery at the nearest expansion, unless it's the same Narrows where you built the second Hatchery - in which case you can build the third one wherever you like (13/17)

When the Pool is ready, make 8 Zerglings (4 Larvae - 3 from the first Hatchery and 1 from the second just completed)

Instead, if you are absolutely sure that the enemy will not rush, you can make 3 Drones and 2 Zerglings for reconnaissance.

From this point on, the further order of development depends on what your opponent does.

After the third Hatchery, I usually start mining gas at both bases and make a Lair when I have 100 gas. I usually spend the next 200 gas researching Zergling acceleration and Burrow, and then building a Hydralisk den. For Overlords, I open transportation first, and then acceleration. After surviving the initial actions of the Terran, I usually open Lurkers, and when I make 6 Lurkers, I build 3 Evolution Chambers and research improvements (it is very important for Hydralisks and Lurkers to have +1 attack, and +2 and +3 are not necessary to open). I then blockade the enemy base with Lurkers and Zerglings and harass them with sabotage (like landing Lurkers on the mountain next to their expansion), while occupying the map and continuing to research upgrades. Once both major Overlord upgrades are ready, I immediately move on to the Hive and, in about half of my games, start building the Spear at the same time. Spear and Hive are ready at about the same time, then I can make Guardians or Defilers instead to use the Cloud. Now I'm making a lot of Zerglings that have all of the upgrades open and may be starting to research upgrades for the Ultralisks. Zerglings and Ultralisks are a formidable force in the late game against Terran. Even if you don't make Guardians, Spear is still useful - you need Skurges to shoot down Science Vessels. Sometimes you can make several Queens to have such a great weapon as the Web. In the late game, the Zerg has many different options and you can choose whichever one you like best. The biggest danger to you is Science Vessels in large numbers. Radiation is a very nasty spell, and Defense Matrix has many uses. Terran also has a lot of options, but they are mostly good in the mid game. In the late game, Terran mostly makes Science Vessels, Marines, and Tanks, and while this combo is very flexible, it's also very repetitive in most games, so you don't have to tailor it to something unknown. But Terran constantly has to adapt, because the Zerg has a million strategies. You control and direct the late game if you have expansions, of course. Just try not to spoil your game with excessive self-confidence, and you will be fine;).

Against the early Bunker

Early game is the main stage on the way to your final victory. Watch out, don't lose the Hatchery with an early Marine rush. The price of losing Hatchery is usually a quick "gg", because against Terran it is very difficult to correct the mistakes made. However, there are several key signs that point to an early rush. With small numbers on both sides, the Zerglings are stronger than the Marines, so in the early game, the Terran needs the Bunker to make the Marines effective. Therefore, if you see a Terran building a Bunker (usually near your second Hatchery), you can assume that he will send Marines to that Bunker. If the Marines don't show up, then either you have a very clever opponent, or you are dealing with a newcomer who needs to be punished for a stupid waste of resources (Battlenet usually has the second, Kali always has the second).

Usually your 8 Zerglings show up just in time to save you from the threat of an early Bunker. However, sometimes the Zerglings are late and you need to remove a few Drones from work in order to kill the SLE building the Bunker with them. If there are several SLEs or the Bunker spawning extraordinarily early, you will have to send 10-12 Drones into the fight to kill the Marines before they get into the Bunker. Fight with Drones to buy time while the Zergling heroes take the stage and save everyone. Another possibility is to simply cancel the second Hatchery and start building a new one at the main base. I almost always fight with Drones to kill two birds with one stone - to keep the early expansion important for production and show the Terran who's boss. It is very useful to let the opponent know that you are not afraid of cheap tricks.

If you destroy the Bunker and the Marines run back to their base, chase after them with the Zerglings and try to kill a few of those junkie freaks. If he still manages to destroy your Hatchery, you should rather build a new one at the main base and, possibly, make a Sanken there as well. In this case, the enemy will either create their own expansion or attack your main base. The sign of the first is the absence of attacks. You can recognize the signs of the second even with modest indicators of mental development. These are Bunkers, these are new Barracks from which Marines jump out and run to your base, these are Tanks, Turrets, etc. If your Terran is peaceful and economical, it's up to you how to continue the game (I recommend Lurkers or Mutalisks). If he is aggressive, then something is probably wrong with him in life and he takes out evil on you for some of his failures. Well, use the advice in my Rules of Engagement (that's a separate strategy guide).

[Here I would like to emphasize that my articles are not one-way streets. The Zerg vs. Terran strategy is at the same time a guide for Terran vs. Zerg, because it shows the best Terran moves and possible Zerg responses).

Against rush with Marines from 3 Barracks.

Ah, this rush from 3 Barracks! What a rarity! If your opponent doesn't already know that Marines without Medics and Stimpaks aren't particularly good against Sunkens, teach them that. Reflecting this attack, you can either move on to gas production (to speed up and bury Zerglings), or live without gas for now, but make more Sunkens (for example, 4). I myself am a supporter of saving on Sunkens, so I extract gas and open up improvements for Zerglings. I build 2 Sunkens and bury 12-18 Zerglings within Marine shot range of the Sunkens. Since the enemy attacks from 3 Barracks, he does not have money for the Academy, which means there will be no Locator. For those who are too lazy to think for themselves, I explain: he will not be able to detect your ambush. Now the trap is ready and while the Marines randomly fire on the Sunkens, the Zerglings pop up and solve all the problems. His opening gambit failed and you now have the advantage. You have expansion and you don't have to worry about new attacks until he does a Locator, because now you are pushing him psychologically. He will be afraid to attack and go on the defensive. If you're playing a very good Terran, such a setback won't really upset his game, but even he won't attack anymore until he builds a Locator. From now on, your best bet is Zerglings and Lurkers, because he has invested most of the money in the production of infantry, which means you need units that hit them well.

Against rush by Marines and Medics from 2 Barracks.

A typical Terran start in BV is a Marine and Medic rush, because this is one of Terran's strongest openings. This strategy has two options: first 1st Barracks, then gas, then 2nd Barracks; or first 2 Barracks, then gas. When I myself play Terran, I prefer to delay the development of technologies, because I consider building 2 Barracks to gas more profitable. If the Terran starts with 2 Barracks, he can be aggressive earlier and doesn't let the Zerg get too greedy. The main disadvantage of rushing with Marines with Medics is that the attack starts later than in the early Bunker strategy (because you need gas for the Medics first), so the Zerg does not need defense at the very beginning and can only deal with the economy.

If intelligence has shown that the enemy is preparing Marines with Medics (in the Barracks-Gas-Barracks variant), then you can not worry about defense and make only Drones. After a while (reasonable) place 2-3 Creep Colonies, but don't turn them into Sunkens until you see him lead troops to attack. When the enemy came at you, choose - either put more Sunken, or make more Zerglings. If you have 18-24 Zerglings, that's enough to fend off any Terran infantry attack with 2 Flamethrowers or less.

If intelligence has shown that the enemy has chosen another option (Barracks - Barracks - Gas), you need to make a minimum defense. For example, 8 Zerglings and 1 Sunken can almost always repel what forces he can have in an early attack (before Medics). In the worst case, you will need 8 Zerglings and 2 Sunkens. And on top of that, you can build some Drones. Once he has Medics, either use the mentioned Zergling burrowing trick before 3-4 Sunkens, or make 4-5 Sunkens and some Zerglings. This protects against almost any rush by Marines and Medics. When his attack fails (or if he's not attacking in front of your Sunkens), the Terran will almost always move to Tanks and block your base in the meantime. This means that you have a little more time to strengthen the economy, but very soon you will need combat technologies. Choose for yourself between Mutalisks and Lurkers, I personally trust Lurkers more. When the enemy has Tanks, he will begin to put pressure on you, pushing the Tanks with the support of the infantry. Now you can no longer wait and you must make your move. See Breaking the Terran Siege for specific tips.

Against a rush of 2 Barracks with Tanks.

Some Terrans still do this. They build Marines in 2 Barracks and Tanks. They are usually pretty aggressive with early Marines and don't let you skimp on defense. Then they quickly bring the Tanks and shoot the Sunkens from a distance. If you don't have Lurkers, Mutalisks, or a bunch of haste Zerglings (or burrowing, which is always a big help to Zerg), then the victory celebration will have to be postponed until future games. If you fall into this trap, read the section on breaking the Terran blockade. However, if you do not forget about reconnaissance and think in advance about the future - what your opponent is going to do, it is quite possible to repel such an attack.

When your intelligence reveals that the Terran is preparing a 2 Tank Barracks attack, you need to decide if you will have the high tech you need in time. If not, you need to have a lot of Zerglings. Keep 24 Zerglings (or so) in the middle of the map and hit the Terran while his forces are still on the march. Or, this is also possible, when he withdraws troops from his base, send Zerglings there. Maybe you will win right away. Since he almost always plays without the Academy in this opening, he almost certainly doesn't have Flamethrowers, which are the main danger for Zerglings. If for some reason you can't counterattack, dig in your Zerglings either lined up in the middle of the map where Marines are most likely to pass, or in a group where Tanks and Marines are most likely to line up to bombard your base. When the enemy is above you, dig out the Zerglings and kill everyone in sight (this works even better if you attack him with Hydralisks, Mutalisks or Lurkers on the one hand, which distract the Marines and absorb their shots while the Zerglings do the dirty work). This tactic works against Marine/Medic rushes as well, but the results aren't as pretty there, because the Terran can have Flamethrowers.

Don't feel like you've got your back against the wall with these Terran tactics - the game is running smoothly and you have plenty of options. You can build Zerglings alone, or Hydralisks with Zerglings, or Mutalisks with Zerglings, or Lurkers with Zerglings - it all works very well. Just do not go to extremes: on the one hand, do not show excessive greed in the development of the economy, on the other hand, excessive cowardice, that is, do not build too many Sunkens. To repel such an attack, you need not a stationary defense, but a mobile force - as with any early appearance of Tanks.

Against a rush of Marines and Medics from 2 Barracks with Science Vessels.

Another fairly common Terran strategy is to develop the technology straight into Tankless Science Vessels. Radiation helps well against Lurkers, and Marines and Medics help well against everything else. Unfortunately, Radiation doesn't kill Lurker instantly, so this Terran strategy isn't perfect either. Remember, I said that because of the Medics, you always have to make Lurkers (you read everything I wrote, right???). So, Terran is also not free to choose - because of the Lurkers, he has to make Tanks. Lurker kills infantry with just 2 hits, and Radiation does not have time to kill Lurker during this time. To counter this Terran attack, use the standard combination of Zerglings and Lurkers, as with the Marines/Medic rush from 2 Barracks. The difference is small.

Against a rush of Marines and Medics from Barracks 1 with Tanks.

I don't recommend this tactic to anyone as a Terran, but I've seen Terrans use it. The Terran quickly builds the Academy and Factory, apparently in the hope of setting up a very early blockade. This works well against the greedy Zerg. However, if you do not forget about reconnaissance (without it, you simply won’t know what awaits you), such an attack is quite easy to repel. A Terran usually has about 8 Marines, 4 Medics, 2 Flamers, 2 SLEs and 1-2 Tanks. To defeat such forces, 24 Zerglings should be enough for you. Either bury them and counterattack his base (just beware of the Flamethrowers that might be left behind), or simply attack his troops with all your might before he builds Bunkers and Turrets next to your base. In general, if you are not too greedy, you have nothing to fear from this strategy. (Note: in this particular strategy, don't do Sunkens other than the 1-2 you should have done already. You need mobile forces to repel this attack.)

Against Fighter Rush at 1 Barracks.

This tactic occurs in about 1 game out of 10. The Terran creates a minimal defense and rushes straight to the Slayers, hoping to punish you for your greed with an air strike. If your intelligence detects this, start mining gas now and make Hydralisk Den as soon as possible. You don't want to lose all the Overlords, as happened to me several times ;).

If you want, you can gather a large force of Zerglings and attack his base so that he has to pay for accelerated technological development. You may be able to do some damage to him. Or you can just build Hydralisks and eliminate the air strike threat. Most likely, his attack will be followed by landing - be prepared. He can drop Marines into your main base or expansion, or place Tanks on a mountain. Reconnaissance, as always, is of decisive importance, but here it is especially difficult to conduct it because of the fighters. For this reason, this seemingly supernaturally stupid strategy is sometimes attractive. The enemy holds the initiative both in the early game and in the middle, and you are forced to respond to his moves. If you correctly guess what he does - great, then you have an advantage. If you do not guess and prepare for his possible actions - then gg. I can't give you detailed advice for all occasions, but after you drive off the Exterminators, place a Sunken at the main base and expansion and keep ready 12 accelerated Zerglings and 4 Hydralisks while moving to the Lair. You need the lair to unlock the overlords' acceleration and transportation.

Most of the time the Terran will drop Tanks on the mountain and unfortunately you won't be ready to deal with such an attack just yet. All you can do is build a Sunken near the mountain to slow down its attack (although sometimes the enemy plays inattentively and lands in your Sunken's area of ​​effect...if that happens, you'll immediately gain an advantage). Sanken will delay the enemy for about 30 seconds - during this time, each Drone collects an average of 18 minerals. We multiply 18 by the number of Drones and subtract 175 (the lost profit from the Drone that Sunken built and therefore did not collect minerals is close to zero - if there were no Sanken, this Drone and his comrades would have been killed by the Tank). We get a net gain even in minerals, not to mention the Larvae that you have during this time, and perhaps you will even have time to discover technologies that will allow you to repel this attack. Even if it turns out that your Sanken did not pay off in terms of money, the last two advantages cover the loss.

If you lose a Hatchery in an expansion, when you have the right techs, kill the Tank and the Bunker that the enemy is likely to build on your expansion and re-occupy the expansion. However, don't build Sunkens this time, because the enemy switches to attacking with Marines and Medics with Tanks. See according to the circumstances how you play next, because your actions will depend on what the enemy is doing and what he has. If you don't lose the Hatchery when the threat is over, return the Drones to their mining duties and continue as usual.

Against a rush with Marines and Medics from 2 Barracks.

Sometimes the Terran makes a standard rush with Marines and Medics. In the meantime, he is preparing Landing Ships to fly over your Sunkens from above and land at the main base. If he does, he will take you by surprise and destroy your rear. However, with intelligence, you can control the situation. If you find that the enemy is preparing a landing, do not build a lot of Sunkens and watch where his Landing Ships are heading. In this scenario, it is very important to have mobile forces and at least 1 Sanken at the main base. If you're good at scouting this strategy isn't very scary, but if you didn't expect it, things would be bad. One of the advantages of such a strategy is that the enemy can simply cheat to force you to spend money on Sunkens. Although I've never seen this in practice, it's possible to imagine a cunning Terran purposely showing you his Dropship (i.e. letting your Overlord fly past his base without killing him, and allowing him to spot a Dropship heading towards your base) . Thus, he will force you to build at least 1 Sanken at the main base and send Zerglings there, but in fact his main forces will attack you from the front. The drop ship may be empty, or it may be with troops, but don't land them until your Zerglings run back to the expansion, repel the attack from that side. Then he can, for example, kill your Drones and brag about his victory in the chat for a long time. (As a rule, they do this on Battlenet, but they always do it in Cali. But, however, he deserved the right to brag).

If you stay alive, the Terran can jump to whatever technology they want, and if their landing party is even partially successful, you'll see those technologies in action in a few minutes. If you have Lurkers, he will have to make Tanks, but he doesn't need to make any other forced moves because the Marines and Medics are fighting off the Mutalisks. By the way, if you force him to make Tanks with Lurkers, and there is already a Landing Ship, then wait for the Tanks to land on the mountain. Tips on how to beat it off are in this article in many places.

Against landing with Tanks at 1 Barracks.

This strategy should be played against in the same way as Fighters with 1 Barracks. In fact, these two strategies usually cross over into one another. Yes, perhaps these two attacks have so much in common that they should be combined into one section. But now I'm lazy. Maybe in the next update I will connect them. Yes, that's the only difference. You won't need the Hydralisks so quickly, but you'll need the Lair sooner.

Breaking the Terran blockade.

You might be thinking, "#$% break through that @#$%^& blockade." Every Zerg who has had to break through the blockade of Terran and fail, at some point comes to this conclusion. For those of you who have this opinion and remained, I give some advice.

The main thing is to fulfill one of the Rules of Warfare: attack from all sides. When a Terran blocks you, you can't just attack from the front, you definitely need to attack from the rear too. If you suspect that the Terran is about to blockade you, you should either use Burrow and ambush, or break through before the Terran defensive line is finished, or prepare a landing force, drop half of the forces on the other side and simultaneously attack the blockade line from the front and from the rear . For example, if you reach Lurkers, drop 2 out of 6 Lurkers and 2/3 Zerglings outside your base. Arrange the units so that on the way back to their base they run up to the blockade line from different directions, when ready - attack. Send the Lurkers first, and the Zerglings immediately after. Then they will come running to the battlefield at about the same time. Maybe the Lurkers will come in a second early and get a few shots, but the Marines will immediately switch to the Zerglings because the Lurkers aren't dug in and aren't attacking yet. Bury Lurkers, you will like the result. To do this, you usually need 20 or more Zerglings and 4 or more Lurkers, but this, of course, depends on the forces that the enemy has.

Another option, if his Tanks are not advancing, but only blocking you, you can land all your forces outside the base and send them to the middle of the map, where they will intercept the reinforcements going to the blockade line. Now the enemy knows that you are out of the blockade and thinks that you are going to attack his expansion or main base. He can simply lift the blockade and send his forces to attack and destroy your army. In this case, you can either break through to your base, to connect with the forces that will be built there during this time, or still destroy his expansion, or do both ^^. If he still continues to block your base, try to cause as much damage to his base as possible. If he beats you back from his base, keep the rest of the army in the center of the map to cut his forces in two. When you have enough troops, break through the blockade from both sides, as described in the previous paragraph (you will probably have to land more troops to reinforce the army in the center, because it will suffer losses when storming his base).

Zerg vs Terran after debut.

When you survive the early game (you will survive it, right? You feel like a father after reading my article?), you will have an advantage. Terran's initial strategies are mostly designed to win with a straight onslaught or to weaken you so much that you can no longer muster enough strength to win. Unless your opponent is one of the great Terran players who attacks constantly, then after the first attack you will have enough time to develop the economy. By the time he's about to attack again, you won't have much trouble with whatever he comes up with. Just keep following the technological path you started. Common paths: Lurkers/Zerglings to Ultralisks/Zerglings (I like this one the most); from Lurkers/Zerglings to Guardians/Zerglings; from Mutalisks/Zerglings to Guardians/Zerglings; Lurkers/Zerglings to Defilers/Lurkers/Zerglings. Choose any path that seems right to you. (Guardians are good if there are few Science Vessels, Ultralisks - if there are many Science Vessels, Defilers - if there are few Tanks).

Since you control the map by this time, take two more expansions on the mainland and one of the islands. At each expansion, make a dozen Drones, then 1-2 Sunkens and Lurkers to protect against landings. After debut, Terran rarely land on mountains because you have a lot of technology to kill such a landing, so don't worry about it. During this time, the Terran will prepare his further actions - either he will launch a second big assault, or make a deceptive assault, and he himself will set up a blockade and also take expansion, or somehow combine these possibilities. Now most of the battles will take place in the middle of the map. If you find yourself in a blockade, read the previous section, and if the enemy has expanded, continue reading this one.

The second assault on Terran is not as terrible as the first one, with the forces and technologies you have accumulated, it will be easier to repel it. Usually it's just a greed test to see if you're trying to capture more than you can defend. A good Terran will not attack you at all, but will try to block you in order to expand himself. Or, alternatively, he will occupy the nearest expansion and dig in on his two bases so that they cannot be approached. When a Terran has a second base, he can muster a VERY large force, so be careful. Although the course of the war is now determined by you, a good Terran will always take advantage of your mistakes. And since Terran is the best at exploiting Zerg bugs, remember the main thing: don't get greedy (although being a little greedy is a necessary quality for any good Zerg;). After the expansion, Terran will quickly gain strength and will soon be ready to move out of the fortress into an open field. When he does, you'd better be fully armed. You probably won't be in it, though, so here are some tips on how to delay the next Terran attack...

You need to buy time for your expansions to start generating income. The best way to do this is to distract the Terran. A great way to do this is to land Lurkers near his workers or on the mountain next to his expansion. He will have to tinker to get rid of them, and maybe you will even cause him serious damage. Another good way is to land your entire army at his place, so that he has to forget about everything and run with all his might to his base and deal with your landing force. Most Terrans will bare their expansion altogether in this situation (hint: send 12 Zerglings and a couple of Lurkers there), but most good Terrans will anticipate this and leave some defense behind. To prevent Terran reinforcements from running into the base too quickly, assign a special hotkey to the Overlords carrying Lurkers and keep them separate from the rest of the Overlords. Land the Lurkers on the mountain and bury them so that the infantry running under the mountain will die. Do not place them straight along the edge of the mountain, but place them in an arc, at some distance from the edge. Then the enemy, in order to kill the Lurkers, cannot do without Tanks or Radiation. In the meantime, his main base will perish. You won’t destroy an excellent Terran with such an attack, and it’s even unlikely that he will lose much strength, but you will gain considerable time until he is about to make a sortie outside the base again. Another way to buy time is to land a small force (like 12 Hydralisks, 12 Zerglings and a few Lurkers) and start destroying his means of production (Barracks, Factories, Spaceports, etc.). He would have to send at least part of the army to repulse the attack. If you do this a lot, it's very annoying for the Terran and he might even set up a permanent garrison there so that you can never land again (good for you, not bad, because he will spend resources on immobile defense, and you will also gain time).

Now it's time to spend your expansion earnings and build in bulk the units you choose to use at the end of the game. Since you've been upgrading since the end of debut, you should have something like +2/+2 by now. Soon you will have Ultralisks with 4 or 5 armor, or 8 Guardians, or Defilers. If you did not forget about intelligence and did not let the enemy take expansions, he will soon write you GG.

Zerg vs Terran tactics.

So far, I have been talking about the strategic problems of this match. Now on to the specifics of the tactics you can use against the Terran. My favorite tactic is ambushing burrowed Zerglings. All it takes is burying 24 Zerglings lined up in the middle of the map, where the Marines will have to pass, and when it's over you, dig out. The Marines won't have a range advantage because the Zerglings will jump right out of their midst. Instead of a general squad fight, there will be a clash in which individual Marines fight individual Zerglings. And with a small number of parties, the Zerglings win in such duels. You can destroy 14 Marines and 6 Medics with your 24 Zerglings, and sometimes you still have 12 of them left. You can also bury the Zerglings where the Marines and Tanks should stop to bombard your base, and when they begin to siege, dig in.

Another tactic is raiding and retreating with accelerated Overlords with landings. You land troops, cause some damage to the Terran. When his Marines and Tanks run to the rescue of their own, load back on the Overlords and fly to the enemy expansion. You land there again, and so on. You can split the forces in half: send half to the main base, and half to the expansion. You will deal damage to the enemy, delay his attack and lose not so many Hydralisks. This is one of the best ways to delay the Terran's attack, and if you fall back in time, your losses will be minimal. It is very cost-effective, and besides, your Drones, meanwhile, are hardworkingly collecting minerals, helping the common cause as much as they can. It's especially nice to use this tactic against Terran, who "knows everything in advance"... Hmm, there are a lot of them in the ladder. His troops will run back to the base to repel the landing, even before you land. So you don't even have to actually land - he will delay his attack on his own, and time is on the Zerg's side.

A good tactic is to take out groups of Marines with Tanks with Lurkers and Zerglings. Send Lurkers to the flank of the Terran army, and while they are running, attack with Zerglings. The Marines will start shooting at the Lurkers, then switch to the Zerglings. The lurkers are on the side and do not block the Zerglings' path, and the Zerglings do not allow the Terran to escape from the Lurkers' strike, neither forward nor backward. Running Lurkers in from the side is also advantageous because you don't have to line them up for greater efficiency - they will line up like that while running. If the Terran player takes control and orders the Marines to shoot the Lurkers, the Zerglings will eat them alive.

The last tactic I remember right now (if I remember again, I'll add in an update) is for paratroopers in a situation where the Terran doesn't have Tanks yet (for example, if he tries to expand early with only Marines and Medics). Very often there will be a mountain next to these M&Ms. You need 6-8 Lurkers and Zerglings. Land 2-4 Lurkers on the hill, 2 more Lurkers somewhere near his mountain, and keep 2 Lurkers and Zerglings ready for the assault. Bury 2-4 Lurkers on the mountain and they will start hitting the infantry below... Then send 2 Lurkers (not the ones near the hill) to the infantry that is forced to retreat and bury. And immediately send the 2 Lurkers that were next to the hill to run up the hill, and bury it so that the infantry retreating to the hill does not reach there. Finish off the rest with Zerglings. No more M&M, no expansion.

Who is Tsunami?
Real name: Robert Avery
Location: UPenn, Philadelphia, PA
Birthplace: NJ, USA
Age: 18

Game achievements:

• Highest rating in Starcraft - 1703 (Ladder Season 5)
• Highest Rank in Brood War - 1516 (Ladder Season 6)
• Beat almost everyone who is considered good players
• Declared Starcraft World Champion at Macworld Expo NY 99
• And most importantly, some of those whom I respect respect me.

Lifetime Achievements: I don't know... Maybe going to college or doing well in school? Oh yes, my girlfriend is my biggest achievement ^^.

How he spends his free time: Computer games, video games, tennis, billiards, skittles, hanging out with friends and, of course, my BEAUTIFUL girlfriend =).

Hello, friends! I want to present my guide to Starcraft, for people who have been playing for a long time it will not bring any profit, since it is aimed at those who have recently bought the game and are sitting at the bottom of the bronze. this guide will only deal with 1v1 battles, of course the information gleaned here will not be useless in team matches. In this guide, I will describe the buildings and give a brief description of the units, at the first stage it will be zerg, if people like the guide, then I will do it for terans and protoss. in addition there will be a couple of useful tips that will help you win.

Zerg is a completely biological race, even buildings are of the "biological" type, all buildings and units restore health over time, a large number of producing buildings are not required to build units, you just need to "open technology" by building one building. With the necessary number of resources, a zerg can stop the limit in a matter of seconds, which is very problematic for terrans and protoss; in the beginning, to rebuild a good economy, which is not so problematic, because it is very, very difficult to punish a zerg for a freebie, if the zerg has 4 bases and has built more than eight pack masters, then the enemy has very little chance of winning.
Zerg simply must have one base more than the enemy (unless of course he is also not a zerg)
A fully upgraded base is exactly 24 slaves, 18 on minerals and 6 on gas, more (to transfer to another, recently built base), but no less.
Do not build early gas, there is no sense in it and you will be far behind the enemy

If your opponent is not a zerg, or a zerg that does not build an early pool of spawning (he has 6 - 9 workers and a pool is built), then build slaves up to the limit of 15 (adjusting oversearl along the way) and then set up a pool, and then another base. this is the standard. if the enemy (non-zerg) builds a second base, put a third.
Intelligence is our everything, especially in the early stages, after we sent slaves to mine minerals, and ordered one drone, send the lord to the alleged enemy base. keep a couple of dogs near the zelnag tower, it is very important to know when the enemy is attacking, because while the enemy is sitting at the base, you can build slaves, but do not get carried away, leave a limit for the army, 80-90 slaves are no longer desirable.
Also, to increase the understanding of the game, you can and should watch streams, for example, the same mtwDimaga, he often streams in Russian

Incubator(hatchery, hut)

Zerg main building.
to build an incubator, 300 minerals and 1 drone are required (total 350, for other races 400)
Hatchery eventually produces larvae from which practically Zerg units are then created. One hatchery eventually creates up to three larvae, but this number can be increased with the help of a queen (queen), but more on that later.
The incubator also serves as a "resource warehouse", it is into it that workers carry minerals and gas. after construction, the incubator surrounds itself with slime or creep, on which you can build other buildings, also zerg units move faster on it (except workers)
Zerg adopted the mechanics of the main buildings from the third Warcraft, so the incubator has two levels of improvement lair(rail) and hive(hive).

lair

Upgrading to a lair requires 150 minerals and 100 gas, as well as a built spawning pool (pool)
while upgrading, the production of larvae does not stop
Lair gives access to new upgrades and buildings
Available Upgrades
Drilling
Allows all Zerg ground troops to use the burrow ability. Units that are dug in lose their ability to attack and become invisible to the enemy unless they use detectors or detective effects.
Lightweight Carapace
Increases the movement speed of Overseers and Overlords.
Abdominal bags
Allow overseers to transport units.

Hive

Upgrading to a hive requires 200 minerals 100 gas, this is the last step in the evolution of the main building, having a lair will give you access to the most powerful zerg units.

Extractor

This is a building that can only be built on a gas field, of which there are always two, gas is almost useless at the beginning of the match and is extremely necessary in the protracted stage.

evolution chamber(evolution)

Allows you to upgrade Zerg ground units
Available upgrades:
melee attack, 3 levels
Upgrades attack, zerglings, packmaster symbiotes, ultralisks, and banelings
ranged attack, 3 levels
Improves the attack of the queen, cockroach, hydralisk and infected marine
Armor of ground troops
I don't think it needs an explanation.

creeping sporozoan(sporka, air cannon)

Requires an evolution chamber.
The main building of air defense. It can dig and move, while losing the ability to attack. To take root, the sporozoan must be on the mucus.

creeping lasher(sledge)

Pool of birth required.
Ground defensive structure. Can dig and move, while losing the ability to attack. To take root, the lasher must be on the slime.

pool of birth(pool)

Grants access to Zerglings (dogs) and the queen.
The pool gives access to the following upgrades:
Accelerated Metabolism(wings)
Increases Zergling movement speed.
adrenaline glands
Increases Zergling attack speed by 20%.

breeding ground for cockroaches(roach waren, roar)

Gives access to cockroaches (roches), requires a whirlpool of birth.
Available upgrades:
Gliacentric repair
Increases the movement speed of cockroaches.
digging claws
Allow cockroaches to move around in a burrowed state and increase the regeneration rate in it.

Baneling Nest(bailing nest)


Gives access to gpiblings (bailings)
Available upgrades:
Circular holds
Increases Banelings' movement speed.

Hydralisk Lair

Requires a rail to build.
Allows the production of Hydralisks.
Available upgrades:
tubular spine
Increases the attack range of Hydralisks.

Spire

Requires a rail to build.
Allows you to build mutalisks (muta) and corraptors, also serves to improve the air army of the zerg
Can be upgraded to a great spire.

Great Spire

Hive required.
Gives access to the owners of the pack (bruds)

Ultralisk cave
Hive required.
Gives access to the construction of ultralisks (elephants).
Available upgrades.
Chitin shell
Increases the armor of the ultralisk.

Units
Larva

Almost all units of the Zerg are built from the larva.

Drone(worker, slave)

Basic work unit. Extracts minerals and vespen. Can mutate into buildings.

overseer

Provides support by increasing the maximum number of troops in the army. Can mutate into a master. They can also serve as good early reconnaissance and transport troops (with the appropriate improvement).

Zergling(dog)

The fastest and cheapest unit in the game, at a price of 50 minerals for two pieces works wonders, if you manage to lead the dogs to the enemy base and send the workers to beat, then the enemy will have a hard time, most likely after this he will simply leave the game. You should not build dogs against helions, zealots and roaches, in addition, dogs quickly die from protoss colossuses and tanks under the cover of marinos (but then my grandmother said in two, if the dogs ran to the tanks, then the tanks fall apart in seconds).
Queen

A support unit, costing in a rail, requires a pool of spawning, the number of queens should not be less than the number of bases, ideally + 1 or +2 queens. The Queen has several unique powers
- injection, casted on hatchery, after forty seconds (about 20 real ones) we get 4 larvae to those three that the hut produces, ideally injections should be done non-stop.
- create a creep tumor, creates a plaque that starts to spread, can only be built on slime, a creep turmor can put one copy of itself in a small radius from itself, and this can continue indefinitely.
- healer, restores 125 hp to any unit or building, rarely used, but very useful when the enemy destroys your base.
in addition, the queen is a good DD, well repels early aggression both on the ground and in the air, all the mucus is terribly slow.

Hydralisk

In modern realities, it is practically useless, unless the enemy is playing in the air.

Baneling

Mutates zerglings too.
Living bomb, extremely effective against enemy workers and small light units such as marines, zealots and dogs, excellent at breaking into enemy buildings, ineffective for other purposes.

Ovresir

Mutates from overseer, requires a rail.
Scout, can "freeze" other people's buildings, reveals hidden units, is very useful, having 2-3 such units in the army is very useful.

Cockroach(Roach)

An almost universal unit, except that it doesn’t shoot through the air, a large number of cockroaches will cut out anything, be afraid of terran marauders and protoss colossi

Mutalisk(muta)

A fast flying unit designed to quickly raid an enemy base and destroy its workers, a very fast and mobile unit. Each Mutalisk shot deals reduced damage to nearby targets. Afraid of Protos Phoenixes, Protos Stalkers and Archons, Viking Marines and Teran Thors, Infestors, Corraptors, and other more numerous Mutas.

corraptor

Anti-air unit, also effective against Protos Colossi. Able to mutate into the master of the pack.
Available option:
Corruption
Coats the target in acid, causing them to take 20% more damage.

The master of the pack Brood, broodlord

Here it is the Zerg imba, the ultimate unit. Broodlord is a very slow unit and without cover is destroyed in seconds, so that this does not happen, you need to adjust the dogs and infectors, and also have several corraptors as a result, we get an ultimatum bundle, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, do not let them gather in a small pile, otherwise it will be enough to destroy your army Just.
Brood Lord is also dangerous because as an attack he "drops" symbionts, which, when they hit the target, cause damage, and they do not die immediately, but continue to damage for some time.

Ultralisk(Elephant)

A living armored tank that deals significant damage in the area in front of it, is practically not used now, but I think it will still show itself in hots, the only plus is to build quickly.

!
Copying the guide to other sites will be considered plagiarism and will be punished with bending

StarCraft 2 - Strategy and Tactics game

If you are a beginner and crave interesting and fast-paced online battles, then this topic is for you!
Here I will publish the most effective, simple (and not very) to understand materials dedicated to the tactics and strategy of the game StarCraft 2.
And remember that it is important not only to quickly hit the keys, but also to think with your head

Cheese - game tactics (so-called surprises)

Since these tactics are "not for everyone", I will not describe them in detail. Also in brackets is the author, nicknames from the teamliquid.net forum.

Cheese for the Zerg

ZvZ "6pool spine" rush

• 6 Pool
• 7 Drone
• 8 Drone
• 6 dogs + while the production of dogs is in progress, we advance with one drone (since it moves much slower)

ZvP "7 pool econ" -(Ephemerality)

• 7 Pool
• 8 Drone
• 9 Drone
• 6 dogs

ZvP "baneling timing attack" (purerythem)

• 13 Gas
• 13 Pool
• Getting Drones up to 15 limit
• Queen, learning speed for dogs

Terran Cheeses

TvX "Super Fast Banshees" (ShadowDrgn)

• 10 Gas
• 10 Barracks
• 11 Vault
• 11 Factory
• We continue to build SCV and make one marine to prevent reconnaissance of your villainous plans
• 15 Spaceport
• 16 Laboratory
• 16 Vault
• 16 Banshees

TvX "3-rax cheese" (all-in)

• 9 Barracks
• 9 KSM, we don’t do them any further, 10 is enough.
• 10 Vault
• We make a collection point for barracks on a ramp. Then we make ONLY marines
• 11 Barracks
• 13 Barracks
• 16 Vault

TvP/TvT "scrap station planetary fortress rush"

• 7 gas, three workers on it
• 7 Engineering Station
• After accumulating 150 minerals and gas, load 5 workers in room. center and together with the two remaining workers we fly / go to the base to the opponent. Do not forget that some more gas will be required for further repairs of the Planetary Fortress.
• We upgrade to a planetary fortress and extract minerals from enemy crystals
• If the workers are attacked, we load them into a com. center.

  True, I consider it a minus that if the enemy is Terran, he can fly away, for example, to gold minerals and then punish you very, very painfully.

TvP Super fast Thors on maps for 1v1

• 6 KSM
• 7 KSM
• 8 Gas + 3 mining workers after construction
• 8 KSM
• 9 KSM
• 9/10 Barracks on Basi + send one CSM to build a proxy Factory
• 10 Factory + set a rally point at the opponent's base
• 10 Base storage
• 10 Broxy Factory Armory
• 10 Laboratory
• 10 Thor + save 100 minerals and 50 gas to repair mine about 100 and 50 to repair.

TvT "fast reaper" (BlasiuS)

• 6/7/8 Barracks
• 6/7/8 Gas, 3 xm per loot once built
• @ After the completion of the barracks, we attach the laboratory
• @ After building the laboratory, we build the Thug (Reaper)
• 10 Vault
• @ As 100 minerals accumulate, we modify the lump. center to the light.

TvT "7 rax", for 2x2 cards (mrk)

• 7- Proxy Barak and KSM, send to the base to the opponent
• 8 - KSM
• 9 - Vault and Marine how the Barracks will line up

Prostoss Tactics

I would like to say that the Protoss are not the easiest race to start playing StarCraft. They rely not on the size of their army, but on technology, so all their units are expensive and slow to build.
Due to the same reasons, many players lose to early Zerg rushes in the first minutes of the game.

But closer to the topic.
The basis of any game is the so-called Build Orders - building orders. Following them, you will usually develop in the right direction from the very first minutes of the game. And as practice shows, it is often BOs that become the key to success in 90% of games with inexperienced players who trying to develop quickly and go into a significant minus of resources

Usually, each race has its own BP and, accordingly, its own tactics of behavior in the game. Therefore, I will consider the most effective, in my opinion, BO for each matchup.
So let's go.

General tactics/tips for playing as Protoss

Many different BOs are, of course, good, but it is not always necessary to strictly follow certain tactics.
StarCraft is primarily an exploration game.
Thus, two types of play can be distinguished: playing from the opponent and imposing one's own game. This is very important to understand, because often due to too late reconnaissance, you can lose very quickly, just not noticing, say, a proxy rush.

But at the initial stages of the game, there are so-called "openings" and "openings" of the game, from which it is already possible to go into some kind of tactics, based on the actions of the opponent.

I will give 3 different openings that I (and not only) consider the most relevant:

"9 Pylon 12 Gateway"

It is currently the default for opening the game, as it gives a good economy and at the same time early enough Gateway (Gateway), which allows you to protect yourself from most early attacks.

The build is divided into two: with fast gas (to enter early technologies) and late gas.

BO with late gas:

• 9 Pylon
• 10 As soon as the Pylon is completed, use the Nexus Time Warp
• Gate 12, use the Time Warp on the Nexus and send one sample for reconnaissance
• 14 Assimilator
• 16 Pylon
• (17 Cybernetic Core)

BO with early gas:

• 9 Pylon
• 10 As soon as the pylon is completed, use the Nexus Time Warp
• 13Assimilator and Time Warp on the Nexus (once 25 energy is accumulated)
• 16 Pylon
• (17 Cybernetic Core)

"9 Pylon 13 Gateway"

Gate 13 is the most cost-effective build that allows you to spin up the economy at the initial stages, but at the same time, depriving you of a significant amount of the army and quick exits in technology.

• 9 Pylon
• 10 Nexus Time Warp
• Gate 13, sending a sample for reconnaissance
• 15 Assimilator
• 16 Pylon

Notes:

• The BO describes only the first use of the Time Warp, but it is assumed that when energy is stored in the Nexus
• All buildings should be built close to the Nexus, as then the most minerals will be mined
• The cybernetic core is called, as a rule, after the construction of the Gate.

This build is also a standard opening, as it protects against most initial rushes and all-ins and allows you to move to a stable mid-part of the game.

The main objective of the build is to unleash the potential of the Warp Gate and early technologies. At the same time, it is important not to die at the initial stage of the game and not to allow reconnaissance.
The build also has different options, for example "9 Pylon, Zealot at the Beginning"

• 9 Pylon
• 11 Nexus Time Warp
• Gate 12, sending a sample for reconnaissance
• 14 Assimilator
• 15 Pylon
• 16 Zealot
• The construction of the Gate will end at about 18 limit, we immediately build the Cybernetic Core

Other options for BO:

In PvZ and PvP matchups, calling an early Zealot relies on intelligence. If you think you can build a Sentinel before the enemy attacks, then it's worth the wait.

In PvT, you usually shouldn't order a Zealot until you discover the use of dangerous tactics or barracks without labs. So it's easier to use Time Warp to summon Stalker to prevent harassment by Roughnecks.

Notes:

Usually the second gate is called at 22 limit, unless you go to a fast Robotics Factory/Stargate.

If the intelligence showed an early attack of the enemy, then use the Time Warp to speed up the production of the Sentinel, which can, with the help of the Force Field, hold back any attacks, except for the attack of the Cutthroats. And if you found two very early Gates, then it makes sense to call the second Gate yourself and prepare for defense.

PvZ - Protoss vs Zerg

Base BP:

• 9 we build a working Pylon (Pylon)
• 10 Use Time Warp (Chrono Boost) on the Nexus (Nexus) as soon as the construction of the pylon is completed
• 12 we build the Gateway, the Probe, which laid the gate, we go for reconnaissance
• 13 Use Time Warp (Chrono Boost) on the Nexus (Nexus)
• 14 we build the Assimilator, after the completion of the construction we send three Probes to extract gas
• 15 building the Pylon
• 16 Call the Zealot if the intelligence showed an early pool (Pool) (<13), то сохраняем Искривление Времени на этого зилота
• 19 we build the second Assimilator, after the completion of the construction we send three Probes to extract gas
• 18 build the Cybernetic Core.
• 21 Summon the Zealot
• 23 Building the Pylon
• Immediately after the completion of the construction of the Core, we call the Sentry (Sentry)
• If intelligence shows that the enemy is going to Roaches (Roaches), then by the number of cockroaches we put 1-2 guns (having previously built an Armory (Forge) for them).
• After the enemy reconnaissance (Overlord) leaves or you drive it away, put the Stargate (Stargate) and start accumulating Time Warp (energy from the Nexus).
• 31 We call the first Emitter of emptiness (Void Ray) and use the curvature of Time.
• 34 We call the second Emitter of emptiness (Void Ray) and use the curvature of Time.

Build comments:

Remember that early detection of the Stargate cannot be allowed. The whole strategy rests on the effect of surprise. As soon as you arrive at the Zerg base with "heaters" - "warm up" them on the buildings located on the edges of the base. After that, with due attention, you will be able to cause great harm to the enemy’s economy, and if he did not have time to go to Hydralisks or Muta, then victory is yours. 1 heating pad kills the queen. Accordingly, two will kill two queens, one may be shot down. The main thing is to have time to "warm up" the heating pads and have time to cause as much damage as possible.

If intelligence shows that at a foreign base:

• 1 or 2 Incubators (Hatchery) and a clear exit to cockroaches: build more cannons, sentries, to repel the counter-attack by cockroaches. We do not stop the production of heating pads, it is possible that you will finish it off with them (usually this happens if you didn’t sniff out the exit to the early heating pads in time).
• 1 or 2 Incubators and Zergling Output: Build more Gates and Zealots, keep building heaters.
• 1 Incubator and exit to Mutalisks: Build another Stargate, stop building heaters and switch to Phoenixes. It might be worth expanding as the enemy won't be able to counter with the zerglings.
• 2 Incubators and exit to Mutalisks: aBuild another Stargate, stop building heaters and switch to Phoenixes. It makes sense to build another Gate and deal a crushing blow with the Zealots before the enemy has time to change tactics.
• 1 or 2 Incubators and exit to Hydralisks: switch to the exit to the Templars, take the expansion.

Base BP:

• 9 Pylon
• 10 Time Warp on the Nexus after building the Pylon
• 12 Gates, traffic jam for Exploration
• 13 Nexus Time Warp
• 14 Assimilator, three prey samples after construction
• 15 Pylon
• 16 Zealot, if intelligence showed an early pool (<13), то сохраняем Искривление Времени на этого зилота.
• 18 Cybernetic Core
• 21 Zealot
• 23 sentry
• 24 Exploring the Warp Gate
• 24 Zealot
• 25 Pylon
• 25 Assimilator
• 27 Robotics Facility
• 28 Gate
• 32 Observer
• 33 Pylon
• 35 Immortal
• 39 Gate

Note to experts: the article below is intended primarily for Starcrafters from the lower leagues, which means that, firstly, the text focuses on things that are obvious to experienced gamers, and secondly, the debut offered to novice Zerg is unlikely to work when playing in Diamond and above, but at the same time it is able to clearly show what exactly and why it is necessary to do against Terrans in order to achieve victory, and also serves as a good “blank” that can eventually be improved to an acceptable competitive build through Mutalisks in TVZ.

That is - do not offer three huts to the layer and so on. Early.

It's time to take a closer look at our "bronze" matchups that we find ourselves in whenever we hit the "Find Match" button. We have already done brief reviews of all three races, and I admit that they lack depth. I hope the next few articles will shed some light on the situation for my brothers and sisters in the Bronze League.

As beginners, we must understand that we need to stick to the right timed tactics, but we cannot think only about time and forget about everything else. First of all, we must understand what the purpose of the tactics we have chosen is, and only then think about timing (and use it). Well, stop talking, looking for a match!

Great, we clicked "find a match" and got into a zerg vs terran battle. Let's stop for a second to refresh our memory of what we will have to face ...

• It is necessary to anticipate the fencing, that is, early reconnaissance is MANDATORY
• We will face an enemy who has a very strong defense
• hellions

• Flexible
• Need to build expansions
• Slime spread could save the game

GLHF

Let's start with my favorite (at the moment) tactic, 2-base mutes. To be honest, there are still flaws in my version that need to be fixed, but at this level everything seems to work fine. First things first, build the first worker and send it to scout as soon as it hatches, and send the first overseer to the natural.

After that, our goal is to get about to bring the supply of resources to 12 and at the same time throw off the pool of birth and the extractor. While they are being built, we continue to create workers. As soon as the opportunity arises, take a building to create a queen and send three workers to extract gas. As soon as the opportunity falls, build a second building for gas production, you will need it very soon.

At this point, your worker should already have found the enemy base. The enemy, most likely, has already fenced off (let's hope that you will not be late), now we need to find out how many barracks he is building and whether he is producing gas. If you see a lot of barracks, and especially if you can see that the enemy is building reactors, it's worth waiting for a bunch of marines.

If we see all this, then we need to build zerglings and prepare to use them as a defense. If the enemy has not yet built a bunch of barracks, then we have a little time to rest, but we need to be ready for hellions or some other type of attack. Accept the fact that your worker will be killed, try to use it for as long as possible in order to better understand what your terran opponent is going to do.

Get ready: your first big tactical decision is coming. At the moment when the production reaches 15-20 (but not later than 25, although this is already quite late), turn your incubator into a lair and as soon as you can (and best of all at the same moment) start building your second incubator. If you wish, build 3 or 4 Zergling units and send them in pairs to the xel'naga tower.

You also need to take care of installing a breeding ground for cockroaches. For mutating tactics, you need to build expansions and you need to produce gas, that's a fact. If you're going to build some cockroaches to bolster your defenses, you'll need gas.

For me, the main concern will be what kind of buildings I see in the Terran main. If there are a lot of barracks there, I'll focus on ordering zerglings (it's good to research the zergling speed increase as well), and also try to build the spire as soon as possible. If there is no barracks, then it is worth assuming that there will be a lot of hellions, then I will focus on cockroaches and again I will build a spire.

Another option (though not the best) is to build lashers instead of cockroaches or zerglings. They will never interfere, but you should not count on these buildings as the main defensive force.
Let's start building zerglings. They are multifunctional (once you have a Baneling Nest, which is sure to come, sooner rather than later). I prefer to build one or two zerglings for every three or four workers.

Remember, you need to build the maximum number of workers, fill the base to the maximum. Mutes require a lot of resources. At the very beginning of the construction of the zerglings, our main has already mutated into a lair and is gathering resources to capture the natural, which will give us both of the necessary gas fields.

Wait, what about our Overseers?

Yep, you noticed I didn't mention when to build or what to do with overseers. I prefer to build no more than two at a time (at the moment) when the resource storage is almost full. You ask: why? Overseers build ALL the time, and you don't want to run out of resources by building more than you need. If you build just before the storage runs out, you will have more resources to spend on building other units/buildings.

So, what I had to think about was what to do with the guards. DO NOT COLLECT THEM TOGETHER AND DO NOT PUT THEM IN A CORNER! Think about it, if your enemy finds them, then he will have the opportunity to block you very quickly. Overseers are slow moving and therefore vulnerable to attacks.

What to do with them? I like to cause trouble to the opponent, I like to send the guards as far as possible and start pouring slime. For what? On slime, your opponent cannot build anything!

This will give you an idea of ​​when and where they build new bases. However, the first thing to remember is that your overseer will be attacked/killed when your opponent is ready to set up an additional base (think of it as a built-in bell). As soon as you hear "Our units are under attack", build an overseer to replace the one you lose.

Went-went-went!

Let's get back into the game! We have already captured our natural, we are extracting gas, we are building a spire, the zerglings are on alert ... what's next? We need to start distracting the enemy from the game, that is, harass him. As soon as the spire is ready, we begin to build a mute.

Zergling production has slowed down (probably one Zergling egg for two Mut eggs, but still building workers), but now we have Mutalisks. Let's send them in to disrupt the Terran's supply line. You won't have enough units to turn this attack into a full push, you just need to stop him from getting his income and destroy a resource vault (or two) if you can, but don't be greedy! Try to save as many of your mutes as possible. There is no point in sacrificing these units if there is no such need.

Something to keep in mind as you launch your attack: you expose yourself to the enemy. He will know that you have an air force. If he hasn't already scouted you and figured out what your tactics are, now he will definitely understand it! Be ready to repel a blow from his side. Now is a good time to start building a cockroach breeding ground (if you don't already have one, upgrade if you do!) and even a Baneling Nest.

Once you have these two buildings, you should be ready to expand to a third base, as resources will become scarce in the main. Get some workers out of the main and send them to build the next incubator and both extractors. Also start building the Infestor Pit and (once it's finished) the Hive.

Where do we go after this?

So, we got to the point where we were lucky, and we planned everything right. We dealt damage to the enemy, and also withstood his attacks. If we wait a little longer, then we will have to fight with a strong defensive unit. Let's try and get it over with, okay?

First, let's look at the composition of our army. We have zerglings (with the ability to turn them into banelings), cockroaches and mutts (and a few blighters if you expect your opponent to build a spaceport). Now turn some (probably half) of your zerglings into banelings.

Also make sure that their attack buildings are active, you need to quickly break through the enemy wall. When your banelings hatch, be ready to build more zerglings and send them to the enemy base. Remember, Zerglings are cheap and build quickly. Their strongest advantage is quantity, you can quickly attack the enemy and outnumber him.
Well, here I can assume that we will win. We thought about what we can and should expect from the enemy, and what we can build to be ready for his attacks. Granted, this plan isn't perfect, but the Terrans can be dealt with this way. We know the Terran is a defensive foe, and allowing him to dig in is a big buff to him. You need to use the speed of the Zerg and their flexibility to find weaknesses in the enemy and turn them against him.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to drop them here or email me. And now - step march to play!