Starcraft 2 Zerg vs Zerg Strategy
The Starcraft 2 Zerg vs Zerg mirror match-up is the most volatile match in all of Starcraft 2. This is the one match where a player can go from being about to win to being about to lose in the blink of an eye. The tides of battle move very quickly and as a result, you need to be very deliberate with all of your actions in this match.
In this portion of the Starcraft 2 Zerg guide, you will find some solid strategies you can use to gain an advantage in the Zerg vs Zerg mirror match.
Starcraft 2 Zerg vs Zerg Overview
In a nutshell, the Zerg vs Zerg match-up is all about having a very clear idea of what your opponent is up to. Zerg players cannot easily block off their ramps, so you need to be constantly streaming Zerglings in to the opponent’s base to figure out what is going on.
Every move you make in Zerg vs Zerg needs to be based on the information you are regularly picking up via scouting. From here, I will break down this match into each segment of the game.
Openers
There are 3 dominant builds or openers in Starcraft 2 Zerg vs Zerg games: Fast Hatchery, standard Pool/Gas builds, and Zergling Rushes. These builds then form a game of rock, paper, and scissors.
For example, if one player goes for a fast Zergling rush (6-8 Pool), he will have a lot of trouble against a Zerg player who opens with a standard 13 Pool / fast gas, but will practically win outright against someone who goes for Hatchery first.
On the other hand, if you go Hatchery first, you have a big advantage over another player who goes for 13 Pool / Fast gas. As a result, the opener definitely has a bit of luck involved.
The safest bet is 13 Pool / fast gas, unless the map is extremely big, at which point you may go for a fast Hatchery (but it is not necessary). This way, you always beat Zergling rushes and are on even par with someone who uses an identical build.
Also, if your opponent does go for a Hatchery first, you can really close this gap quickly by getting out Speedlings. What you do is start producing a ton of Speedlings and allow your opponent to scout this. Then, move out and get your own expansion.
Act like you are going to attack in order to force the opponent to spend all his resources on Zerglings, Queens, and Spine Crawlers. All you are really doing is buying time for your own expansion to finish. If the opponent does not take your bluff, you can always go in and take out a bunch of drones.
Either way at the end of your attack, your expansion should be finished and you should have a similar number of drones and you just put yourself back in the game.
General Counters and Builds
Once you survive the opener, there are only 3 primary units which are used in ZvZ match-ups: Zerglings, Banelings, and Roaches. Roaches are strong versus Zerglings and Banelings, but are slow, whereas Zerglings are great at picking off Drones but are weak versus Banelings.
How you use these units or in what method is up to you. Most players prefer to try to mass Roach with upgrades and out-power their opponent, which is very effective once the Roaches reach large numbers, especially if the opponent is stuck on Zergling and Baneling tech.
The other unit which enters the late-game is the Infestor, which can be used to Fungal Growth Zergling Swarms as well as any Mutalisk balls that may be used.
Starcraft 2 Zerg vs Zerg Strategy Conclusion
In general, unit composition is not important in Zerg versus Zerg, only whoever has the better economy. What you can do is every time the opponent tries to expand more than you, feign (or actually) attack while you catch up in Drone production. Feigning aggression to slow down the enemy’s economy is one of the best Starcraft 2 tips and works for all races, but is especially effective in ZvZ games.
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