Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide

If I could sum up the ultimate Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide in 2 words, they would be "Map Control."

Controlling the map is the way Zerg wins games against Diamond league players of any race. The three key aspects of this strategy are: expanding quickly, controlling the flow of information, and expanding massively.

Throughout the rest of this Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide, I will be teaching you how to do this so you can start winning the vast majority of your 1v1 matches (works for other brackets, too!).

Expanding Quickly

The cornerstone of any Starcraft 2 Zerg guide is an early expansion. You need to expand early (a popular build involves getting a Spawning Pool at 15/18 supplies and an expansion at 16/18 supplies). Of course, there are exceptions such as if you see the enemy is doing a fast rush (proxying or something of the sort).

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If you are good, you can defend normally-timed rushes with your Queens, some Zerglings, and maybe a Spine Crawler or two. The key part is that you build an early expansion and (more importantly) get harvesters going there, especially for gas.

The biggest mistake players make is not harvesting at this expansion soon enough. You need to recoup your losses; you can't spend all day defending a harvester-less expansion. Scout your opponent and build appropriate defense, but do not go overboard with units and structures early.

This leads me to the next part of the Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide..

Controlling Information

This is what separates good Zerg players (the ones towards the top of the Platinum league) and great Zerg players (the ones towards the top of the Diamond league). Zerg have an unprecedented ability to not only scout the map but also control the flow of information.

The first thing Zerg has going for it is the Overlord. Spread these in areas of interest (around your base, at mid-field) to see an enemy attack coming in the distance.

The next thing Zerg has going for it is speed-enhanced Zerglings. Early game, send out 2 Zerglings to the midpoint of the field. Use these to intercept scouting Probes, SCVs, and Drones.

By intercepting scouts, you prevent the ability of the other player to see what you are doing. This will frustrate a good player and make him paranoid. It will mess up his build order, he will overspend on defense, and he will be reluctant to expand for fear of the unknown attack.

As the game progresses, keep 8-12 Zerglings at mid-map in order to prevent units from even seeing you. Continue to spread Overlords out around the map. When you see an enemy expansion far from their base, take it out with a pack of Zerglings.

The whole idea behind the controlling the flow of information is that not only are you seeing what your opponent is doing so you can always be ready to counter it, but you can also prevent the enemy from seeing you with Zerglings.

Eventually, your opponent will waste money trying to see you. Each Scanner Sweep comes at a cost of 270 minerals (missing a MULE) and an Observer is not cheap versus Zerg as many Protoss players opt do not usually get much in the way of detection versus Zerg players. Keep up a few Spore Crawlers to keep Observers at bay.

This brings me to the final part of the Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide.

Expand Aggressively

Having Zerglings that far from home gives the illusion of power. If you are able to prevent him from scouting, use this opportunity to expand aggressively. The key part of this Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide lies in economy.

Cover the map with Overlords so you can see an attack coming from far away. This will give you ample time to prepare for an attack, as most players love the opportunity to pick off a defenseless Overlord.

Zerg players always need gas. Get extra Hatcheries all over the map, throw up a few automated defensive structures, and start harvesting gas. Even if the enemy kills one or two of these, keep putting them up.

Once your economy is rolling, mass units (that counter the opponents - see the Zerg vs (fill in the blank) guides for specifics) and attack the opponent. Keep using the Spawn Larva ability at all your expansions.

With a huge economy, you can go from 200/200 to 70/200 (70 Drones) in battle, and then instantly get back up to 200/200 (with the units that counter what the opponent has remaining!) 

Zerg units are somewhat inferior to other races, so the ability to bounce right back from a major attack is crucial.

Thus concludes the Starcraft 2 Zerg Guide. Now go use these strategies to dominate your opponents in online play! 

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