Hey All, I've been doing a 14 hatch, 14 pool fast expand build, and it's been working pretty good. I've been pretty much going roach/ling, with mutas later. The challenge I face, especially against terran, is getting hit by fairly aggressive players. Even with infestors, a marine ball, with tanks backing it up seems to destroy me. I'm not sure if I'm droning too hard, and not getting enough units, or if I should consider banelings for terran? If banelings are viable, how many should be made relative to the ling count? Watching some of my replays, I was successful where I slowed down droning around the 30-35 workers mark, and pumped lings and roaches. When I'm unsuccessful, I have 40-50 workers, so I think I'm droning too hard in some cases.
Yeah, you're probably just droning too hard. Some banelings will greatly help stop early pushes like that. How many you get is more relevant to the composition of their army. More marines = more banelings. Since the banelings still have to reach your target you'll also probably want your creep extended out at least far enough that the MM ball has to come into your zone to attack any structures, so your banelings can benefit from +speed if at all possible. Burrow is also an option, since you're probably going to be able to predict where they will approach from, especially with advance scouts, and they won't be leading with a raven that early.
i allways go zergling/baneling vs terran and sometimes i just go 100% banelings xD and i like to burrow them and explode right under their armys xD
I usually don't go for a fast-expansion until I know the Terran opponent is teching, or using some type of build which will allow me the time to make use of said expansion. If I see more than one Barracks go up, or a reactor being put down, I'll usually go straight for banelings—and either bust, or wreck their offensive and counter. I think, especially with Zerg, you have to be really reaction-based. You shouldn't go straight for the fast-expansion unless you have an idea of what your opponent's doing.
Agreed. Zerg has the best recon of any race. II typicaly only fast expand if my foe clearly going heavy on the defence insted of army building. Against protoss a early forge is normaly a good sign that you can fast expand IMHO. Terran its typicaly somewhat harder to guess in the early game becuse walling, but bunkers are a good sign its safe and early double barricks or more is a very bad one
I am pretty much FE for most of the occasions these days; unless the terrans sending in 6 marines to rush me, normally the first 6 lings and a spine crawler will do the work. once both of the hatches are up, I normally turn the first 6 lings all into bane, then go from 3:1 or something roughly like that; bane speed is a MUST for BLing though, good ratio always ensure that after the whole big blow-up you still have enough lings to finish off their marauders.
This is what i do each time that i go against terran. I start with heavy droning up and lots of gas, then get 7-8 mutas and i go harrass as much as i can, seeing the mutas the terran will either go for thors or marines or both, then i stop making mutas and transition to hydras which do really good against marines and thors. This way the terran wouldnt think of using siege tanks which will kill hydras soooo easily. If the terran is smart and does change back to tanks then i tend to do some banelings drops.
banelings for marines and hydras for maruaders is what I usually use. Usually they go for MMM ball in which I just reply with banelings and roaches. Sometimes I do zerg-hydra also. Because if you get a surround with zerglings it demolishes MMM but if you can't then its worthless.
Even if the terran goes 2 rax push, i usually still FE. Just gotta micro good and keep pumping lings 1 spine at the choke between main/natural can render a push pretty ineffective depending on map. From what i see FE is still the build to go vs terran, unless you wanna semi all in and bane bust. If they go 1/1/1 a roach push can usually win it.
As most others here, I also usually get banelings in my mix rather than roaches against terran. They are just too sweet against that bioball.
Ironwolf no offence but you are missing the point? Look it from the terran´s perspective...If you make a fast exp what do you think he should do? Let you have it and let you win? NO! Ofcourse not! He WILL make a early push to get it down...It is what all good players do. So my advice for you is to get atleast some units and 1 queen before making the exp then walk down with the units and the queen and once the exp is done make 2-3 spine crawlers and you will keep it save for some time..
Can you post a replay of this please? Preferably in very close spawning positions. I'm having a hard time defending 2 rax. Thx.
For the 2rax i think the most common mistake most zerg make after going FE is to drone up. Its at that point they get messed up by a timing push. i'll look through a bunch of my replays im sure i have a couple somewhere. I should name my replays differently though lol.
Yeah, 2rax you want to stop pumping drones at 16 and get some lings out asap- like get your fast expo down, get your queen a spine or two and then ling ling ling...just make sure he's really going to all in you or else he'll feign the attack and do something else at the expense of the drones you could have had.
