Hey All,

So Shox's post inspired me to put down in words what has been in my head for quite a long time:  my philosophy of zerg play and why it works for me.  WARNING: There is a lot of theory crafting here based more on experience and intuition rather than hard data.  My only qualifications are my relative success in small tournaments and on ladder (2nd in masters division, roughly 1550 points at the time of this writing).

The strength of Zerg lies in the Swarm's macroeconomic capabilities and mobility of their units (with the noteable exception of the broodlord, the pitiful hydra, and somewhat with the recently nerfed infestor).  These facts cause me to believe that a reactionary macro style based primarily on keeping an economic advantage over your opponent is the best way to approach All 3 matchups as Zerg (but especially against T and P).  

In this post, I will give my thoughts on the Zerg vs Terran matchup where terran does some version of bio or marine/tank (mech play is so  different, its basically a new matchup).  ZVT is the MU I am most comfortable with and most successful with.

In the early game, I still believe that 15 or 16 hatchery first is the best build.  Pool first builds gives the zerg some early map control, but are particularly weak to any tech based Terran play (hellions, especially with blue flame and banshees in particular).  This is because a delayed hatchery means Zerg has to play catch up with economics and the early zergling advantage is bascily entirely negated by blue-flame hellions and/or banshees    Moreover, two rax pressure (and even all-in) is still very powerful against pool-first zerg if the Terran simply delays and builds up a bigger scv marine ball to fight against the economically and larva short pool-first zerg).  

In contrast, hatchery first play is much better at holding off 1 base tech, keeps good economic parity against 1 rax expand, and has roughly the same success against two rax pressure (the pool-first zerg is safe earlier, but more exposed later).  

I'm currently still uncertain when to get my gas.  Against two-rax, I will sometimes do 16 hatchery, 15 pool, 14 gas because the early speedlings let you regain map control.  Against 1 base expand, reactor or blue flame hellions, or banshees, I almost always delay gas until at least 25-26 food.  Against hellion play, my roach warren goes down at 25-26 food and is completely early enough to hold off harass.  Triple or Quad queen with 1 spore at each mineral line and creep connecting main and natural completely shuts down cloaked banshee play.  The extra queen or two is not really even a "cost" because she will help you get great creep spread, defend your base against drops/hellions/banshees and will populate your third/fourth hatcheries with a queen.         

I believe that mutalisks must be the stable of a midgame zerg army.  Infestor based play can be strong, but suffers greatly from the inability to withstand drop harass.  Moreover, infestors without mutalisks can cause the terran to produce a two factory tank-heavy deathball that almost no zerg ground army can deal with.  Mutas can snipe tanks effectively and force the terran to produce thors instead of tanks.  A roach-baneling-ling army without mutalisks can be situationally effective, but it suffers from the same disadvantages of weakness to mass tanks backed up with bio and not being able to handle drops.

Mutalisks force the Terran to produce missile turrets.  They also can shut down drop play.  They discourage maurders (a scary unit against banelings, roaches, and infestors).  Mutas also are very capable at doing massive damage to a terran base if there is any gap in the air defense.  Many times, I have won games by counterattacking with mutas while the terran army is pushing me (they kill SCVS rapidly and they can camp the production facilities, which is basically GG for a terran if you can hold off the army in the field).  Mutas in larger numbers can demolish small marine task forces and snipe tanks or medivacs with ease.  Most importantly (IMO), they are a huge psychological burden on your terran opponent who always feels uncomfortable leaving their base without many turrents and is discouraged from harassment due to the mobility of the mutas.  Even at high masters level, double drop play is not very common because of the apm strain.    

My game against Terran relies on coutnerattacks.  Mutalisks, lings, and roaches are exceptionally mobile and can backstab like a mofo.  From the midgame on, I usually will always keep a group of lings parked outside the terran base ready to backstab if the defenses are not strong enough.  

Melee Upgrades are essential to keeping your lings and bings powerful against marines throughout the game (they also help with the eventual tech to broodlords or, rarely, ultras).  I will start plus one melee often before or during lair (roughly 7ish minute mark).  I love to get save up mins/gas and get plus one air attack while building my first 7-10 mutas.  Plus two attack mutas are so powerful at tearing apart a terran base.  

Burrow is well worth the investment.  2 burrowned banelings and can kill so many marines and cause the terran to lose many mules by scanning his way to your base in future pushes.  Additionally, if you cannot defend an expansion, burrowing drones before or during the attack can save them or at least force the terran to burn a mule to kill the undefended drones.  Finally, burrowing a zergling and pooping creep at each expansion delays the terran's expansion and distracts him from other things (like dropping your main).  Always tax your opponnents multitasking when you have the opportunity.  In a similar vein, late game crackling drops in the main can be very cost-effecitve, annoying, and force the terran to retreat with his army.  

The goal of my style is to keep the Terran to ideally two bases, but at the most three, and simply crush each successive push with muta-ling-bling into infestors and broodlords while your superior economy and production of 4 (and eventually five and six bases) allows you to outproduce your opponnet.  The game also can end by doing a crippling counterattack while the terran is in the field and simply holding on while the terran's final army withers.

My base timings are ideally 16 hatchery ASAP, third base around the 9 minute mark, macro hatchery next, fourth base around 100 food, and then 5th and six base when your minerals pile up and/or your mineral patches starting running low at main or natural.  On some maps (particularly XNC) I will build my 3rd and 4th at roughly the same time.  This way, I can sack one of my bases, and save the drones to transfer to the other base ensuring I always have a third base.  The 350 mineral investment (including the drone to make it) of the hatchery is not that signfiicatn of a loss as long as you keep your drones alive and get the extra gas fromt he third base.  While the terran is pushing your 3rd or 4th, you should be able to use banelings to force him to take it out slowly by seiging up and in that time you can retreat the drones and/or counterattack to damage onto his third base or natural.  

I personally believe in going up to 80 or 90ish drones in the late game for a brief period (even sometimes into the 90s).  When I'm maxed and floating thousands of mins and gas, I'll then make those drones into spine crawlers at each base to defend against drops, extra "just in case"  expansions, and an additional macro hatchery at the main or natural.  Knowing when and how to drone is the essence of any good zerg but I believe it's far too situational to explain in any general terms effectively.  My only advice to zergs working to improve their game would be to start on the greedy side and learn based on failures when to make units.  It's easier to learn when to cut drone production than it is to develop the habit of droning hard to ensure success in the later portion of the games.  Far too many zergs I watch stay low econ (40-50 drones) well into the mid-game, which is a disaster against and terrans who secure a third base.  

I typically wait till around at least 150 or 170 food on muta-ling-bling to move towards infestors and hive tech.  When you get maxed on Muta-Ling-Bling, making more and more banelings achieves a more powerful max army that eventually becomes monsteriously hard for the Terran to deal with.  

As always with zerg units, flanks are essential to get greater surface area of lings, avoid splash damage with tanks, and to use the zerlings to trap the marines from the baneling hits.  WHENEVER the terran starts a push (you know because you keep a zergling outside the base to check for this), you MUST bring some of your lings and blings into the field.  These guys can 1) counterattack if the natural is exposed 2) cut off reinforcements or at least force the reinforcements to bunch up before moving out and 3) be used for the flank on the terran push.  Keeping lings and blings out in the field is essential to handling all types of terran pushes, especially two base timing pushes.