For zerg players, do you find expanding very early usually helpful?

Hi, I've seen some videos of MadFrog (skilled zerg player) and I noticed that he always expands early and likes to make a ton of expansions. I know that expanding has its risks since you'll be spending resourcings in expanding instead of units, but do you often find that more helpful than harmful?

Thanks

 

I rather like to expand after my pool IF there is no sign of proxy or early rushes. Should prepare some spine crawlers though and try to prevent the expo from being scouted. Expanding while an enemy scout is loose in your base is a bad idea IMO, he will see it when leaving your base.

 

MadFrog can do that because there's no lame people rushing him with all in cheese every time, since those games are on 4 player maps. If you're in a 1v1 and a 2 player map, you're better of with a normal timed expo.

 

Plus madfrog knows how to handle reaper rush

 

Even if he gets cheesed... His zergling timing is good enough and he is scouting constantly, if u see ur opponent is getting a fast gas and fast techlab, hes probably going to reaper rush, so that will determine if he's going to get his pool b4 his hatchery. Getting speedlings with queens and a couple of spinecrawlers are good enough to protect base/expansion until you have teched to tier2.

If u get a fast hatch its saying that you are going for a macro-game rather than trying to kill him right away, in diamond, a zerg rush is too weak because u need to be in big numbers. I find mass speed-lings works the best against protoss. Run-bys to workers, surround zlots/stalkers, take out pylons. This is one rush strat that can be done with another hatchery in ur base or in ur expansion. Up to u.

 

Chowzilla, I still have the feeling that once there is a big clump of stalkers, even surrounding lings don't work well enough. Against that, one should support with roaches+hydras, no? And, do infestors have anything to say here? Never tried them vs stalker mass.

 

I normally do a 10 Pool and get a small defence whilst scouting with my overlord. If they are going to attack me early I hit them even earlier. Or I start to build up if they are building up also

 

A lot of zerglings will make short work of stalkers, there's a short window where that will be possible. Obviously, too great an amount of stalkers and that wont work.

 

you need to make a decent amount of speed lings, but remember your lings are only there to defend, not to counter attack, if he steps onto your creep within spinecrawler range, thats wheN you try to surround them, often enough he'll back off, if u scouted him and he is getting a decent sized army u couls get roaches but technically the only army is able to get should be defendable with lings and crawlers. When you have reached the point where his army is diverse and big enough, you should have hydras or mutalisk to harass.

The timing depends solely on your macro unfortunately

 

I personally think the reason for this is due to speedlings being an effective early tier troop (for map control) and them only costing a few minerals.
An early expo not only increases the mineral income but also provides more larvae enabling the zerg to army up more quickly in a straight speedling build.

 

For expanding, I go by one rule: I have to earn my expansion. I'll either expand after I defend a push or failed rush/cheese, or if I manage to deny THEIR early expansion or do some really good early game harassment (killing lots of workers, denying production buildings etc. etc.).

However, if my opponent is turtling, it becomes a question of either gaining early map control and expanding, then outproducing him, or if I should do an early baneling bust and burst in with speedlings and the like off of 1 base...usually depends on what mood I'm in (and in a 2v2, it also depends on what my friend is doing).