Lambo’s Standard ZvZ Guide
Introduction and Video
This guide is based off of Lambo’s Standard ZvZ video guide that he made a few months ago. The current standard ZvZ build includes safely opening with 3 bases using Zergling Baneling tech and transitions into a standard Roach Ravager mid game that aims to hit 66 drone saturation. This guide includes how to safely get to that position as well as how to transition past that standard Roach Ravager mid game.
Standard ZvZ hasn’t changed much since then, so all of the information in that video as well as this guide is still relevant. You can download the replays that he shows in his guide, as well as some extra replays below.
Build Order
Opening
This is a standard ZvZ opening, however keep that early reactions/changes are needed to defend early aggression such as 12 pool or 13/12. Keep an eye out for these attacks coming across the map by using your overlords to scout pathways and react accordingly.
16 – Hatchery
18 – Extractor
17 – Spawning Pool
21 – Overlord @Main base + 2 Queens + 2x Zerglings @Natural //Send the Overlord to the outside of your third base and use these Zerglings to scout
26 – Zergling Speed – Pull 2 drones off of gas
26 – Hold larva until you confirm hatch first vs pool first (more information on this reaction here)
26 – Drone @Main base //Rally into gas. Alternatively you can also just take 1 drone out of gas if you prefer
30 – 2-4x Zerglings //Make 2 more Zerglings than your opponent sends across the map, which you can see with your Overlords including the 2 Zerglings you make when your pool finishes
32 – Hatchery //This can go down on 30 before the Zerglings if Zerglings do not leave their base
@3:05 First Injects Complete – 1 Drone @Main Rally into Gas
VS 3 Base Ling Bane
To Scout: scouting 3 base Ling Bane is fairly simple as you can scout a Drone leaving to take the third base with your first Overlord, or the third base itself with your second Overlord. From this position, use your Overlords to scout attacks from your opponent such as Ling Bane pressures or all ins.
32 – Baneling Nest
31 – Overlord //Send this Overlord out on the map
36 – 6-8x Zerglings //used to morph into Banelings to defend Ling Bane all ins
@100% Zergling Speed //Scout with 2x Zerglings once Zergling Speed has finished. Use this scout to check if your opponent is flooding Zerglings, if they have went for an early lair or if they are playing standard.
42 – Overlord
42 – Evolution Chamber
41 – Queen @Main Base //Pull Queen from Natural to Third and Queen from Main to Natural
@100% Baneling Nest – Morph 2-4x Banelings //Depending on how much Ling Bane your opponent is making
@4:00/~40 Drones – 2x Extractors //Make these when you hit 40 drones and have more drones in production. Passive games should be ~4:00 but games with heavy Ling Bane Pressure or Ling Bane all ins will be delayed.
@100% Evolution Chamber – +1 Range
@100 Gas – Lair + Roach Warren //Roach Warren can be slightly delayed after Lair
@75 Gas – Overlord Speed
@100% Lair – 1 Evolution Chamber, Roach Speed + Overseer for Scouting //Replace the Overlord you turn into an Overseer so that you don’t lose map vision
@100% +1 Range – +2 Range and +1 Carapace
Note: when scouting with 2 Zerglings when your speed finishes, you can also tell if their Lair is early by comparing amount of gas mined. For example, if your opponent has a lair started when you have 50 gas with +1 range on the way or 150 gas before starting +1 range then they are likely to be going for a Roach speed Nydus or Spire/Muta build. Another way to check this is by checking if they have an upgraded started when you have ~80 gas (less than 100) after starting +1 range yourself. If they do not have the upgrade started, this means they could have spent the gas on an early Lair instead and if they have started the upgrade then it is likely that they are playing a standard build.
VS 2 Base Roach
To Scout: there are a few different ways that can indicate 2 base Roach without actually seeing the wall off. To scout this if your first Overlord sees: a normal hatch timing (similar creep spread to yours), a Queen in production at the natural, 1-2 drones fewer than yours at the natural (this means they didn’t transfer drones off of gas) and no Zerglings leaving their base then it will likely be 2 base Roach. In this situation you can scout with your first 4 Zerglings to confirm that it is indeed 2 base Roach.
33 – Evolution Chamber
32 – Overlord //Send this Overlord out on the map
@100% Evolution Chamber – +1 Range
@3:30 – 1 Extractor //This Extractor can be delayed to 3:50 with the other one if you wish
@2 Base Mineral Saturation (35 Drones) – 6-8x Zerglings //Use these Lings to Pressure them taking a third base. You want to go up to 10 total Zerglings
@3:40 Roach Warren
//Around this time you should have an inject finishing in your Natural base which you can use to rally Drones into the 3:30 Extractor
@3:50 – 1 Extractor
@100 Gas – Lair
Scouting: between 3:30 and 4:00 you should use your Zerglings to scout their front wall. In this case you are looking for whether or not the Zerg Evolution Chamber and Roach Warren are upgrading or not (they will wiggle back and forth more than when idle). If they are not upgrading, then it is most likely an all in of some kind (Roach Zergling or Roach Queen Nydus) or they are playing 2 Base Muta. You can learn more about 2 Base Roach builds here.
VS No Upgrades
Ensure that you have vision of your main base using an overlord or something else if necessary so that you can’t be nydus’d there.
@100% Roach Warren – 8-10 Roaches //If no attack is on its way by the time these finish (you will be able to see with your Overlords) then it is most likely Mutalisk. In this case you can follow the defending Muta section of the guide from here.
If there is an attack coming, whether it is Roach Ling, Roach Queen Nydus or something else, keep making Roaches and defend with Roaches the Lings you made previously and your Queens.
VS Upgrades
VS Upgrades, you want to be active with your 10 Zergling and make sure you are able to scout and ideally delay their third base. Once you have made the ~16 Roaches vs this build below you will want to make sure that you scout their third base to see if the 2 base Roach player has begun saturating their third base.
Drone to 46-48
Make ~15 Roaches to be safe
@100% + 1 Range – +1 Carapace
@100% Lair – Roach Speed
Drone to 52-54 Drones on 4 Gases
Once you have scouted that your opponent is droning their third base, you can get additional tech such as Overlord speed and you can drone to 58 Drones and 5 Gases.
@100% +1 Carapace – +2 Range
Scout: at this point you want to use a Zergling or Overseer to scout the opponent Roach Warren to scout for fast Roach Burrow move.
From this position, focus on scouting and staying ahead in drones. Once your opponent starts to go up to 5 gases you can go up to 6 gases and 66 drones and you can take your fourth base once they take their 6th gas.
Transitioning Past Roach Ravager
Generally speaking, in a macro ZvZ that doesn’t end in the Roach Ravager stage you should be trying to reach a benchmark of 68 Drones where you can start massing Roach Ravager. At this point you can take your second Evolution Chamber and 4th base and then continue making Roaches. Around this stage in the game, there are many options that you have access to:
- Aggressive – you can pressure more with your Roach Ravager by making more Ravagers instead of teching, and delaying your tech for later once you are maxed out. This style is generally more common among pros compared to playing more defensive.
- Defensive – you can play defensive and tech to Vipers and Lurkers faster while defending your opponents Roach Ravager aggression.
Roach Burrow move – One option is to research Tunneling Claws and Burrow once Roach speed is complete to help you out position / out multitask your opponent and gain an advantage by dealing economic damage. - Nydus Network – At this point, you can also use a Nydus Network to help out position your opponent similar to the Roach Burrow move.
- Spire – you can tech to spire once your Lair is complete to get Mutas to deny your opponents map vision and try to gain an advantage in the mid-late game before going to higher tech paths. This is a good option if you are ahead going into the mid-game to get more ahead.
Aggressive
With this style you want to max out on Roach Ravager, by delaying your tech you can afford more Ravagers which gives you a stronger army to out position your opponent and gain a lead or win the game. However, once you are maxed on Roach Ravager, you can tech up so that as you trade with your opponent you can begin to replace your army with stronger units like Vipers and Lurkers.
Tech order:
@200 Supply – Infestation Pit + Hydralisk Den
@100% Infestation Pit – Hive
@100% Hydralisk Den – Lurker Den + Hydralisk Speed
@100% Hive – +3 Range +2 Carapace
@100% Lurker Den – Lurker Burrow
@100% Hydralisk Speed – Hydralisk Range
Defensive
Once you feel safe in a defensive position (usually around ~160-180 supply) you can start your tech path up to Hydra Lurker Viper.
Tech order:
@160 Supply – Infestation Pit
@100% Infestation Pit – Hive + Hydralisk Den
@100% Hydralisk Den – Lurker Den + Hydralisk Speed
@100% Hive – +3 Range +2 Carapace
@100% Lurker Den – Lurker Burrow
@100% Hydralisk Speed – Hydralisk Range
Reactions, Scouting and Other Tips
Overlord Positioning
An Overlord path example for Acropolis is shown below. There is rarely one set of Overlord paths that is strictly the best for any map, however this is a good example of a path that checks off everything required for the first four Overlords. The first Overlord would see Zerglings going straight across the map in the case of 12 pool or 13/12, the first two Overlords are not easily target-able by Queens however still give full vision of every exit pathway from the opponents base. The third and fourth Overlords give extra vision around your own base to see incoming attacks from your opponent and morphing Banelings close by. Additional Overlords past the fourth would also go out on the map similar to the third and fourth Overlords but further out on the map and in areas where you don’t have vision. Once you have Overlord speed, you can use patrol with your Overlords on the map to dodge Ravager Biles. Send your Overlords out on the map to gain as much map vision as possible with Overlord speed, when you have time in the mid-game.
Note: against two base Roach/fast lair builds, your third Overlord should scout your main base for Nydus worms going down.
Pressuring with Roaches and Taking Cost Efficient Trades
It is easier to show how to pressure with Roaches and how to take cost efficient trades in a video, which Lambo does great in his guide so I would recommend watching through to see his explanation of this section of the guide as it will likely be easier to learn this from a video rather than text.
With that being said, the main points come down to always fighting in a concave, moving between bases to catch your opponent out of position, splitting your army up into as many groups as you can effectively manage and whoever has more Ravagers is able to push in or push back more easily due to having access to more Corrosive Biles.
Fighting in a concave is fairly self explanatory, with a concave you will have more units firing at once and fewer units behind not able to attack which means you will be doing more damage in the fight and take a cost efficient trade. In addition to this, you can do some moves by catching your opponent out of position and splitting your army to force them to engage into your concave.
Splitting up your army through burrow Roach movement, Roach Overlord drops or simply having two army control groups allows you to attack in many areas at once (and force more units than you send to defend) which will give you the advantage somewhere on the map where you can push in, take good trades or deal economic damage. While doing this, you can move back/retreat or flank with any army that doesn’t have an advantage.
The Ravager Corrosive Bile ability is important because Zerg players have to move their army backwards to avoid taking extra damage from the ability. This means whoever has more Ravagers is able to use Corrosive Bile more often and force the other Zerg player to move their army back more. In this case, you can push into armies and give yourself the concave by forcing your opponent back.
Zergling Baneling Pressures and All ins
Zergling Baneling pressures off of 3 bases and ~25 Drones are popular especially on the lower levels of ladder. This is because at lower levels microing defending units is often more difficult than microing the attack and Ling Bane fights can be volatile due to big Baneling connections. An example of Lambo defending these types of Ling Bane pressures is included in the replay pack.
To Scout: the two mains ways to scout that an attack like this is coming, is by scouting with Zerglings, around 3:30-3:40 which allows you to see what units your opponent is producing. You can use your Overlord vision to keep track of if your opponent is continuing to produce Zerglings as you will see them rallying across the map.
To Defend:
to defend these types of attacks you want to delay your tech (+1 Range, Roach Warren, Lair, extra Extractors). Once you have stabilized you can start this tech path again.
They will try to morph some of their first Zerglings into Banelings on your side of the map so that they can hit faster. Use your first Zerglings to pressure/deny them from being able to make these Banelings. This is easier to do if you make two extra Zerglings than them as outlined in the build order. To do this pay attention to how many Zerglings they make with your first Overlord.
Focus on defending by pulling your Queens to the front and using your own Banelings to zone out their units and the Queens to target their Banelings. As the defender you should have a higher Drone count first and then be able to defend with faster reinforcements. If your opponent continues to flood Ling Bane and doesn’t transition, spend extra minerals on Queens to help defend and keep your bases injected.
Defending Roach Timings and All ins
Roach Timings and All ins generally hit off of a few different specific Drone/Gas counts.
- 27 Drones 1 Gas //Can Scout the Early roach warren and only 8 drones @ the natural. Defend with Ling Bane Spine.
- 32 Drones 2 Gas
- 41 Drones 3 Gas //Can scout no drones @third with early Roach Warren and no Lair.
- 52 Drones 4 Gas //Scout 4 Gases, 8 Drones @third
- 58 Drones 5 Gas //Scout 5 Gases with Overseer
- 66 Drones 6 Gas
To defend each of these timings, you can go to the next Drone count and defend. For example against 41 Drone 3 Gas you can defend with Roaches on 52 Drones and 4 Gases. Against 58 Drones 5 Gas, you can Defend with 66 Drones 6 Gas without a 4th base and by cancelling +1 carapace.
Pool First
There are some pool first builds that people try somewhat similar to ZvT pool first openings that get their gas and pool faster and pressure with 6 Zerglings quickly. Off of this opening, 2 base Ling Bane all ins are stronger and something to watch out for. To defend builds like these, keep all 3 Drones in gas, make 6-8 Zerglings once you know that it is pool first (either by seeing their Zerglings leaving or by not seeing creep at the natural with your overlord) and place a Baneling Nest as soon as possible.
Get your Baneling Nest in your main base instead of using it to wall off, since if your opponent does a committed Ling Bane attack, they will hit before your wall is up. This way you can wall off your ramp with Queens and protect your tech to give you adequate time to get your own Banelings out.
Keep 3 Drones in Gas
@Scouting Pool First – Make 2 More Zergling’s than your opponent (usually 6-8)
@50 Gas after Zergling Speed – Baneling Nest //In the main base
Take your third base after the Baneling Nest
Mutalisk
The most common mistakes when defending Mutalisk are building too many spore crawlers too quickly and trying to rush into Hydralisks and defend with those. Both of these hurt your economy and Mutalisk are actually quite strong against Hydras, especially when they are in low numbers.
You should be defending Mutalisk by making additional Queens spreading creep and making some Roaches or Banelings to defend their ground army. Start with 1 spore per base in time for the Mutalisk to arrive. You can add extra spores at each base if they keep making Mutalisk as well adding a spore between your natural and third bases depending on the map.
Roach Burrow move is a good option against Mutalisk as it allows you to put pressure on your opponent and often times forces them to bring their Mutas home.
Ling Bane Muta
Against Ling Bane Muta styles, you want to get your Hydralisk den quickly once your Lair is done.
Note: this Hydralisk den is NOT to make Hydralisks quickly, it so so that you can tech up to Lurkers as well as get the Hydralisk upgrades. Mutalisk are quite strong vs fast Hydralisk and making Hydras quickly with stunt your economy. Focus first on defending with Roach/Queen/Spore while droning up and getting additional tech.
Once you have Lurkers you can defend against any Ling Bane Mutalisk Timing with Lurker Queen Spore. Keep two Lurkers at your third and fourth bases slightly behind spore lines to defend against Ling/Bane runbys. These two Lurkers will 1 shot Banelings.
Drop a fast infestation pit for Hive to get Vipers and the Lurker burrow upgrade. You can move out once you are maxed with Vipers and Lurkers against opponents that aren’t going Ultralisk, however remember to keep some Lurkers at home to defend runbys and counter attacks. Ideally use some burrowed Roaches to force your opponent back to give you room to move out with your army. Be cautious of moving out against Ultralisk, if your opponent goes Ultras you will need more Lurkers and they will generally be trying to attack into you, which becomes easier for them if you are out on the map.
Roach Muta
Roach Mutalisk players will start the game off with Roaches and transition into usually a small number of Mutalisk to gain an advantage in the midgame and take away your map vision. Against these builds, you should be taking a fourth base and defending with Roach Queen spore while teching up to Hydralisk. In this situation you can play a Roach Hydra army rather than going straight to Lurkers.
Fourth Base VS Muta
Taking a fourth base vs Muta players can be difficult especially if they get to Muta’s quickly. Against low economy Muta players, like 2 base Roach into Muta, you can afford to take your fourth base later once you have lurkers to much more easily take the fourth.
Against higher economy Muta players, such as Muta tech switches in the mid-game after starting the game with Roach tech, you can take your fourth base and defend it similar to your third base.
The important part of being able to take a fourth base is making sure you make extra Queens and spread creep, this way you can make a couple of extra spores and transfer them to near your fourth base before its finished to take it more easily.
Lambo
Big thanks to Lambo for reading through this article after it was written to ensure that I was able to include as much important and correct information as possible! Lambo is a pro Zerg player for Team Qlash and puts out great content. You can check out and learn from his Twitch and YouTube below.
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[…] by /u/beardie88 [link] […]
Doing God’s work! And big thanks to Lambo, best educational stream from one of the best out there!
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