Hello Friends,
Hope you all are doing well! In the spirit of the holidays I am going to go through my favorite games from IEM Gyeonggi for every matchup and give you some sick builds to pwn nerds on the ladder with. There are spoilers ahead, so if you didn’t watch the tournament, GO WATCH IT NOW. Come back when you are ready and get yourself a league promotion with these insider nerdballer strategies.
TvZ
The Clincher
12 SCV
13 SCV
14 Depot/SCV
15 SCV
16 SCV
17 CC/SCV
18 Rax/SCV
19 Gas/SCV
20 Gas/SCV
21 SCV
22 Marine
23 OC/OC/Factory/Reactor on Rax/SCV
Constant SCV production from here on out
27 Factory
28 Depot/Reactor on Rax again
29 Switch factory to reactor/2 Hellion
35 Depot/2 Hellion
41 Depot
42 2 Cyclone/2 Hellion
55 2 Depot/2 Cyclone
61 2 Hellion/Armory
67 Depot
With 4 cyclones on the map switch to full hellion. You want to start moving out across the map at this point and try to take out overlords along the way (supply blocking your opponent ftw). When the armory completes you want to be at your opponents doorstep switching into hellbats. Go up to 6 cyclones to seal the deal when you arrive and then supplement more hellions from there if needed. Seize the moment. If you don’t succeed you didn’t do it right (or zergs have adapted, run for your life). If you need to see what to do if the opponent has enough roach/ravager to deal with your push watch literally every other game in this series for more info, it’s good stuff. You use this build when you need to secure your chance to win $15,000. If it dominates Dark, it will dominate every other inferior zerg on the ladder.
TvP
The Crusher
12 SCV
13 Send SCV across the map/SCV
14 Depot/SCV
15 SCV
16 Proxy Rax/Gas/SCV
17 Gas/SCV
18 SCV
19 OC/Marine
20 Proxy Factory/Depot/Reactor on Rax/SCV
21 SCV
22 Cyclone
25 2 Marines/Proxy Starport
27 Depot/SCv
28 2 Marine
30 Cyclone/Move into the protoss expansion
33 Depot/2 Marines/Medivac
37 2 Marine
39 Make a bunker in the protoss main base/Cyclone
42 2 Marines
You get the point, right? Keep making marines/cyclones till the dude dies. Pick up cyclones in the medivac if they start to get focused. For the love of Raynor avoid photon overcharges. Key point to this build is that you only want the protoss to evacuate their expansion, YOU DO NOT NEED TO KILL IT. Get in the main, make them pull probes (lose probes) and force the engagement. Did I mention avoid photon overcharges? $15k build right here boys and girls.
TvT
Clear the Air
12 SCV
13 SCV
14 Depot/SCV
15 Gas/SCV
16 Rax/SCV
17 Gas/SCV
18 SCV
19 OC/Repear
20 Factory/Depot/SCV
21 Repear
22 SCV
23 Cyclone
26 Starport/SCV
27 SCV
28 Depot/Tech Lab on rax/SCV
29 SCV
30 Viking/SCV
33 Swtich Starport to Tech Lab/CC/Reactor on Rax/Raven
35 Tech Lab on Factory/Depot/SCV
Constant SCVs from here on out (supply will vary if you’ve lost a repear, etc.)
36 Tank
40 2 Marine
43 Switch Starport to Reactor/2 Vikings
47 Gas at natural/Tank/Marine/Depot/2 Viking
61 Tech lab on Rax/Depot/Ebay
63 Tank/Viking
70 Depot/Stim/Turrets to protect from Banshees
At this point you are set up for success to move out across the map with all of your army units. Controlled pressure usually wins in TvT and you want to be iNcontroL of the tempo of the game. Feel confident about this setup – you have equal or superior air, the ability to fend off banshees at home, and you aren’t looking to set up dainty tank pushes in the middle of the map. You want to find yourself at their front door with all of these units seiged up in a dominant position, crushing their dreams, and forcing them to quit the game. Opponent didn’t go banshees? You need to establish air dominance with a good pdd or auto-turret fight. Don’t force it if you have equal numbers, let them make the mistake of wasting their ravens energy (run away) or engaging you closer to your rally (the numbers dude, the numbers). If you get gridlocked with them, prepare for the long haul by making more rax, expanding as much as possible, upgrading your bio faster, and cutting off all of their efforts to expand with well seiged positions.
PvZ
Old School Meets New School
12 Probe
13 Probe
14 Pylon at expo/Send probe to zerg’s base/Probe
15 Probe
16 Gateway/Gas/Probe
17 Probe
18 Probe
19 Pylon at zerg’s expo to block > Scout main base of zerg then send probe to zerg’s third and patrol block the expo/Probe
20 Cancel pylon at zerg’s expo/Nexus/Cyber Core/Probe
21 Gas/Probe
22 Pylon/Probe
23 Adept/Warpgate/Probe
26 Probe
27 Twilight council/Adept
Constant Probes from here on out (Supply may vary if you lost the scouting probe)
Use the two adepts you have to push across the map and harass the zergs base
32 Adept
34 Resonating Glaives/Gateway/Gateway
38 Adept
40 Robo/Pylon/Mothership Core
41 Warp in 3 adepts/2 Pylons
50 Gas/Adept/2 Sentry
60 Warp Prism/Nexus
66 4 Gateways
70 Immortal
Use the warp prism to drop 4 adepts for harass initially – DO NOT LOSE IT. You want about 9 adepts, 5 sentries, 1 immortal when you move out at approx ~6:00. We are going for this boys. Warp in 6 adepts with the warp prism when your gateways finish and move into the natural expo. Use force fields to hold off lings/banes and split the zerg army up as best as you can. Keep the immortal alive at all costs, it is the key to this push. Keep warping in adepts and crush him when he tries to reinforce. Your micro is going to win this game, and even if it fails you’re still on three bases, so don’t give up. If there are spines and a bunch of crap preventing you from getting into the natural just take out his third and fall back – as long as you’re up a base you will win eventually.
PvT
The Dirty Bird
12 Probe
13 Probe
14 Pylon/Probe
15 Gateway/Probe
16 Gas/Probe
17 Probe
18 Probe
19 Nexus/Send probe out for a proxy/Cyber Core/Probe
20 Gas/Probe
21 Proxy Pylon/Probe
22 Probe
23 Adept
25 Warpgate Research/Probe
26 Stargate/Probe
Constant Probes from here on out
28 Adept
34 Gas
36 Oracle
40 Pylon
42 2 Gateway/Void Ray
50 2 Pylon/Void Ray
54 Gateway/Mothership Core/3 Sentry/2 Gateway
63 Forward Pylon/Void Ray/Gateway
67 2 Adept
When you have 70 supply you should be at the terran front door. If you lost the oracle make another one, you are going to need it for widow mines. Use a forward pylon to warp in a few zealots to tank front line widow mine shots and lead up the ramp. Poke with void rays at the front two depots and take them out to supply block the terran/open up your path to victory. Once the depots are removed shade forward and move in for the kill. Warp in as many stalkers as possible when you move up the ramp, you’re going to need them. Don’t forget to use your void ray upgrade before they die, they’re not meant to last this fight, just meant to deal as much damage as humanly (or alienly) possible. Supplemental adepts are your ideal unit to finish whatever marines/scvs the terran is trying to hold you off with from there.
PvP
Life on the Line
12 Probe
13 Send probe across the map/Probe
14 Pylon in base/Probe
15 Probe
16 Gas steal opponent (try to get 2 then keep the probe alive in or around their base)/Gateway/Probe
17 Gas at home/Probe
18 Probe
19 Gateway/Probe
20 Probe
21 Cyber Core/Probe
22 Pylon/Probe
23 Probe
24 Mothership Core (rallied to opponents base)/2 Adepts
30 Gateway Research/Pylon/2 Adept (send adepts over to opponents base asap)
34 Robo/2-4 Offensive Pylons and try to get photon overcharge off in their base (preferably to take out their pylon powering their gateways)/2 Sentry
Try to fight with adepts and fall back if you aren’t doing any damage
35 Gateway/Pylon/Immortal (rally immortal across the map to meet up with your army)
38 Warp Prism/2 Stalker
47 Pylon
Use the warp prism to drop 2 sentry + stalkers outside the opponent base and warp in more stalkers. Engage at the opponents expo and force field off their ramp to prevent retreats/split the army. You do not need to kill the expo, just need to force them to retreat and catch them unawares. Wait out the opponent’s overcharge and overwhelm them with units. Even if the photon overcharge rush you initially do fails you’re all in son. You can, and will, still win.
ZvT
It’s Tricky and Sticky
12 Drone
13 Overlord/Drone
14 3 Drone
17 Hatch at your third/3 Drone
19 Hatch at natural/2 Drone
20 Gas/Drone/Pool/Drone/Overlord/Drone
21 3 Drones/Queen/5 Drones/Queen
33 Drone/Queen/Drone/2 Lings
40 Ling speed/Overlord/2 Drones
42 Overlord/2 Queens/2 Drones
45 2 spores/6 drones/12 lings/2 Queens
If you don’t get killed by the initial reaper harass, congrats! You have tricked the terran into thinking you’ve gone pool first and are making him turtle like a coward. You’ve essentially set yourself up to have a ton of lings for map control/base defense when you hit 66 supply. At this point you want to keep massing lings and preventing drops (surrounding marines), spreading creep at all costs, and making sure you don’t die. Add in drones, when it’s safe, to complete your saturation at all bases. Add on double evo around ~88 supply. Spread creep. Get +1/+1 and tech to lair around ~95 supply. Spread creep. Add on the baneling nest around ~100 supply. Spread creep. Take a fourth when you’ve essentially controlled your side of the map and cut off all terran aggression. Spread creep. Add on a spire when the lair completes. Oh yea, did I mention spread your creep across the freakin’ map? Baneling speed, +2/+2, good stuff, start them up immediately to maximize your current advantage. Use banelings to defend weak little marine pushes and drop them in the terran’s main and third. Make the terran feel as claustrophobic as possible. Max out and then trade with the loser who probably only now just took his third.
ZvP
SQUAD
12 Drone
13 Overlord/Drone
14 3 Drone
17 Hatch/2 Drone
18 Gas/Pool/4 Drone
20 Hatch/Drone/2 Lings/Queen/Drone
24 Ling Speed/2 Drone
26 Overlord/2 Drone
28 Queen/2 Drone
32 Overlord/Drone/Queen
35 6 Drones
41 OVerlord/2 Drones
43 3 Spores (at each base)/3 Drones/Evo Chamber/6 Lings/2 Queens
48 Overlord/4 Drones/2 Overlords
54 +1 attack/12 Drones
64 Baneling Nest/Gas/Overlord speed/24 Lings
OK, you’re at about 80 supply now on three bases. You’re spreading your creep well and you’re continuing to make lings till about 100 supply. Try to poke at the main base and expos with lings if you can. Make a roach warren and a lair at this point for insurance. You are relatively low econ at this point so make sure to morph banelings to defend vs adepts, they’re probably coming and you’re gonna need them to trade. Counter attack with a small squad of lings when the protoss hits you, they will crush overcharged pylons with +1. In fact, you will be able to make everything at their third retreat at the minimum and kill it all at the max. Use your plethora of queens and banelings to defend vs any sentry/adept drops in your main (PRO TIP: Load 4 queens into an overlord to make another mobile kill squad. Target the warp prism with the queens to nip that weak old played out strat in the bud!!). Your ling counter attack squad, in harmonious destructive unison with your mobile queen squad, is going to win you the game – just like it won dark this game.
ZvZ
Win or Learn
12 Pool/3 Drone
14 Gas/Overlord/8 Lings/Queen/4 Lings
21 Ling Speed/2 Lings
22 Baneling Nest/Overlord/10 Lings
Morph two banes when the nest finishes and keep making lings to flood your opponent. Look, soO doesn’t win this game but the build is sick. ByuL is smart enough to make 6 queens to defend this – your opponent will not be as smart. Try to get up the ramp and into the main to surround queens and take out drones. Avoid ling vs ling engagements, especially if they are slow. If your opponent blocks the ramp and doesn’t let you in the main take out his natural expansion. If the game goes as long as this one does get overlord drops and drop your entire army in the main. This build will allow you to beat people that aren’t as good as you. If you start losing with it, copy what your opponent does to win and add that to your arsenal. This game is always evolving, so win or learn.