I've seen a lot of threads posted on Zerg openings so I figured we could do with one that consolidates them all. Also I am very curious on this topic. (Yes I know I made another opening thread so it sort of defeats the purpose but in the future I am hoping this will prevent others about the same thing.) Please copy and paste this format into your response and list your build order as it is produced: League: Rank: Against Terran my opening is: I use this opening because: Against Protoss my opening is: I use this opening because: Against Zerg my opening is: I use this opening because: I know we can not predict map placement and 2v2 vs 1v1 but we are speaking in generalizations. What you generally do. ---------- Great Explanations/Build Orders ---------- (If you add replays I will also list them here) MforWW 500 diamond zerg give some good explaitions and a creative 6 pool vs zerg 500 diamond zerg here ZvT 14 hatch 15 pool 15 gas. Basically, you're dead from the start unless you go for a macro build to compete with Terran's mules. Lately I've been just getting speedling + crawlers to deal with hellions and teching straight to mutas. You definitely need to scout with this build, because if T tries some cheesy all-marine push you'll get crushed unless you see the bio coming and you put down a baneling nest. Once you get mutas you're in control. ZvP 14 gas 15 pool. I don't expand until around 20 supply. Basically, this gets you a strong econ and speedlings. Speedlings are insane against protoss. If a zealot push goes down against your expo, just backstab the mofo with speedlings. They'll usually leave a single zealot in their choke ( and that'll fall pretty quick) at which point you run in and pwn probes. Put up crawlers in your main and pump more lings for defense... trust me you'll come out of this exchange WAY ahead since you'll still have your main and they'll have like 5 probes left. If they don't push, just tech to mass hydra + corrupter and go to town. ZvZ 6 pool with a scouting drone that I turn into a spine crawler behind their mineral line. Don't laugh. This build is seriously good and just about the only time somebody has beaten me with it is if they 6/7 pool themselves and out-micro me. On most maps, you simply can't scout a 6 pool fast enough to react properly since by the time you see it you'll be able to 10 pool at best assuming you didn't send out one of your first drones. Even then your pool will be late, and it'll be my six lings defending a crawler against your drones, and because it's behind the mineral line, you A: can't get a surround on it B: have to go through the chokes in the mineral line by going head to head with the lings. Once the crawler is up it's game over. /I can't wait for other players to quote me and say "your ZvZ build doesn't work against good players blah blah it'd never work on me blah blah." Fact is, it works and it works often. Yeah, I could do a standard build and do alright with that too but there's no incentive for me to switch when this build is giving me quick wins 80% of the time against 500 diamond zerg players. Says to me a thing or two about ZvZ being screwed up, but whatever. Blackjackbob 550 ELO shows us the diversity of a 14 gas 14 pool League: Diamond Rank: 550 ELO (rank 14 but that doesn't matter as the division kinda sucks) Against Terran my opening is: 14 gas, 14 pool, 16 ovie, queen then ling speed at 16 (with first 100 gas), lair with second 100 gas, pump lings as desired. I use this opening because: Ling speed IMO is crucial to trying to defend harass. If you scout very aggressive play drop a spine crawler or two. From here I go into mutas usually and if he goes a lot of thors / mech play i transition into hive tech get infestors then ultras. Constantly trying to poke around his base with mutas, even if they dont seem like they are doing much, they are often annoying him and either making him spend money on turrets or taking his time moving his army around constantly. Against Protoss my opening is: 14 gas 14 pool getting ling speed with first 100 gas. from there it depends what he is doing. if hes 2 gating or 4 gating i will tech to hydras if not I like muta harass again. I use this opening because: Ling speed is an upgrade i get on every matchup it helps a ton with scouting, early harass and mobility. after If i get to go mutas I often contain him really badly with muta ling. Against Zerg my opening is: 14 gas 14 pool, lol yes I guess I have the same initial opening against all 3 races but I find it so far the best. first 100 gas ling speed, next 50 beneling nest, after that i pull 1 drone off gas and make a ling/bling army. depending on how it goes i either continue with it or start teching to mutas or roaches, depending on what i see I use this opening because: its the best I have found for this very fast matchup. anything slower and im dead to bling/ling Meff 613 Diamond gives some good early pressure BO's League: Diamond Rank: 2nd in division, 613 ELO (yes, relatively new division). Against Terran my opening is: either a five roach rush or 14 gas, 14 pool. Continue as a one-base muta threat, abort to baneling+expand if bio is scouted. I use this opening because: without some sort of active pressure or menace, I feel that T can dictate the game too easily. Being able to force moves in a game is the first step in creating a winning strategy, so I want to avoid being cornered - and both builds incorporate a delayed but still relatively early expansion. The current metagame means that most T aren't ready to handle the roach rush, so that's my preferred method at the moment. Against Protoss my opening is: depending on the map, either 8-pool early pressure or 14 pool, 15 hatch. I use this opening because: I find that spine+zerglings into hydra is a pretty solid early/mid game defense plan. The choice of hydras greatly discourages stargate tech and the overal composition heavily tempts P to go robotics for colossi, which is a good way to get corruptors and therefore a head start on a very hard-to-deal-with brood lord+hydra strat. However, maps where the defender's advantage is smaller (such as, say, Steppes of War) I find that early pressure (or even just the threat of early zerglings) tends to wreck the plans of many P players of my level and ends up netting me an economical advantage. Against Zerg my opening is: 10 gas, 10 pool into banelings. Cut gas after 150 units. I use this opening because: it gets 4 banelings and 2-6 zerglings (I need to find out the best execution) into the opponent's base before they can set up the much slower 14 gas 14 pool speed first build that most people seem to favor. It still boils down to baneling control like early ZvZ often does, but it ensures that the first strike is mine. StorM__ Diamond 550 ELO shows the diffrent pool to gas setups against the diffrent races League:Diamond Rank: 550 ELO(31 in my division) Against Terran my opening is: 14gas,14 pool on small map 15gas,15pool on bigger maps I try to take my expansions around 20 supply Teching to Mutas to pressure the terran I use this opening because: U can get a good amount of drones really quick and a fast speed upgrade for ur zerglings to defend against early aggression. Its very flexible so i can react to what hes doing. After i did some harassment with my mutas i react to what hes doing. Against Protoss my opening is: 14gas,13pool hatchery around 20 supply if he does no 2gate I use this opening because: I get the pool a little bit earlier in zvp than in zvt because early zealot pressure is very common and dangerous, and i want lings/my queen/a spinecrawler to defend against it asap without getting behind in economy. Depending on the map his unit composition i get hydras or mutas asap. Against Zerg my opening is: 13gas,13pool,speed asap, bling nest with next 50 gas I use this opening because: I wanna do some pressure with blings, maybe win the game with them, get an expansion up and transition into muta/bling. Angryryan uses a 14 pool delayed 20 gas with sucess with Roaches League: Diamond Rank: ~600 Points Against ALL RACES my opening is: 14 Pool 15 Ovie 17 Queen (Build another immediately after this one finishes) 20 Gas 20 Roach Warren 24 2nd Hatch in Main (When Hatch is ~50%, Lair) Expand when Lair is complete. Constant Queen/Drone Production until I have about 8-10. Build enough Roaches to defend any early scouted aggression. Beyond this, spread creep, and build whatever does best against your opponents unit composition. I use this opening because: I feel the usefulness of Queens throughout the game (especially early game) is extremely underestimated, and I choose to take advantage of the excellent unit Blizzard gave us. Queens are excellent anti-air, and are great support for your ground army when defending. Transfuse and Creep Tumors are grossly underused, in my opinion, and Queens can prove to be excellent defense against Reapers, Hellions, and other harrass units. Although your expansion is later than normal, you still have excellent production capabilities due to your extra Hatch in Main, and you can produce as many drones as you could if you were to Fast Expand, but you are significantly less vulnerable to early aggression. Having so many Queens allows you to literally have half of the map covered in creep within 10 minutes, and obviously spreading creep is extremely valuable as it provides vision of your opponents movement and excellent mobility. Also, 8 Queens with full energy essentially provides a 3200 HP buffer to your defending army, with their transfuse ability (assuming good micro). I've only recently adopted this strategy, but in the last 50 ladder games I've played, using this build, I've only lost 13, and I attribute those losses to my own faults (including some things seen below in "key things"). Key things for executing this build: Be extremely diligent in your scouting. At all times, you should know where your enemy is, what units he has, etc. Queens are great GtG support, but if they're the only thing you have, good luck winning. Once you have a good defense and your natural expansion is fortified, spread more creep and expand like crazy. Be on top of Spawn Larva!!!! There is no point to having so many Queens if you're not using their production ability!!!! Replays: ZvP 1 ZvP 2 ZvT 1 ZvT 2 ZvZ 1 ZvZ 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would also like to say that although I may not be among the pros, I believe this overall strategy has great potential, and I would simply like my idea looked at by top players. I would hope people give this idea a chance (because it has been working for me, excellently) and not just blow it off because I'm only Mid-Diamond. |
