All Things Zerg

General tips

  • If first overlord doesn't see a natural - make units/spines/sacrifice overlord immediately
  • If 3:30 scout sees no tech, make a spore in each mineral line, and scout for hidden tech on the map
  • Do not be afraid to pull drones
  • Do not be afraid to make a spine forest
  • 80 drones is the dream. That's 16/16/16/8 on minerals, and 8 gasses across 4 bases.
  • Check out /r/allthingszerg for more direct help

Openers

vs Zerg

Hatch Gas Pool
  • 16 Hatchery
  • 18 Extractor
  • 17 Spawning Pool
  • 19 Overlord (Skip this if you see lings with your first overlord)
    • 2x Queens
    • Metabolic Boost
    • 2 off gas, rally drone to gas
  • 30 Hatchery
  • @50 gas Baneling Nest
  • 4x Lings (Scout)
  • Overlord
  • Queen

vs Protoss

Hatch Gas Pool
  • 16 Hatchery
  • 18 Extractor
  • 17 Spawning Pool
  • 19 Overlord
  • 20
    • 2x Queens (2 more queens out of natural)
    • 4x Zerglings (Clear Third with 2, scout with other 2)
    • Metabolic Boost
      • 2x Off Gas
  • 30 Hatchery
    • Queen

vs Terran

Hatch Gas Pool
  • 16 Hatchery
  • 18 Extractor
  • 17 Spawning Pool
    • 2x Queens (Constant queen production out of natural)
    • 4x Zerglings (For Reaper)
    • Metabolic Boost
      • 2x Off Gas
    • Continue Droning
  • 19 Overlord
  • 30 Hatchery*

* If reaper denies this expansion, build 2 queens instead and take the hatchery at 44.

Scouting (3:30 overlord scout)

vs Zerg

1 Base Ling Bane
Any form of pool/gas without expo
  • First overlord sees zerglings before natural
  • First overlord sees no natural

Constant ling production.

Baneling nest before speed, and a spine at the edge of the main.

Queens are very good at defense, get more if you can afford it.

Early pool expand
~10 zerglings to kill natural
  • First overlord sees lings
  • First overlord sees natural

Immediately make 6 lings.

Pull ~14 drones with lings and defend the natural like your life depends on it.

vs Protoss

Oracle into Archon Drop
Oracle + Pheonix, followed up by 2 archons and a warp prism
  • Warp Gate doesn't begin researching immediately after cyber core finishes
  • A Building Stargate
  • A robo after the stargate.

You can usually safely assume an archon drop after an oracle opening

Build a spore in each mineral line

Drone to 44, take 2 gasses, a roach warren, and a lair

Drone to 58, take another gas and an evo, begin building roaches. You can either continue building roaches and lings and all in from here, or make ~12ish roaches and continue droning.

vs Terran

2-1-1
Double medivac stim drop, leaves base @ 4:45
  • 1x Barracks with Reactor
  • 1x Barracks with Tech Lab
  • 1x Factory building Reactor
  • 1x Building Starport

  • Evolution Chamber (Carapace)
  • 4:00 Extractor
  • @50 Gas (After Carapace)
    • Baneling nest
    • Start Ling Production
  • 2x Queens from natural
  • 2x Queens from third
  • @100 Gas Lair

Send queens in first to tank, then send in zerglings.

Hellion Banshee
4-8 hellions + 1 banshee
  • 1x Starport with Tech Lab
  • 1x Factory with Reactor
  • * Armory

Spore in each mineral line at 4:30

Focus the banshee with your queens and try to surround the hellions with your lings.

  • A total of ~12-16 lings. Keep them in your natural for a hellion runby
  • 4:00 Extractor
  • @100 Gas 2x Evolution Chamber
    • Melee and Carapace Upgrades
  • Build up to 4-6 queens for defense/creep
  • @50 Gas Baneling nest (After upgrades)
  • @100 Gas Lair (After baneling nest)

* If he morphes in hellbats, split your queens so they don't get hit by splash and try to separate the hellbats, before engaging with zerglings.