Expert: Denny Lin - 11/9/2007

Question
usual plan for toss and terran:

- several mutas (6-9) - enough to harass
- scourge when needed
- 2 groups of 2-3 lurks to flank
- main unit zerglings
- get defilers as fast as possible

problem:

- toss who gets many many corsairs
- hunts lords - picks off scourges - mutas not an option at all
- forces me to get hydras
- player with good shuttle+reaver micro messes my hydras up

question:

- how to take on reaver+shuttle?
- usually use muta for reaver but corsairs too much
- what can I do to keep original plan? - want to avoid getting pushed to using hydras

thanks for reading!
and cheers to SC2, hopefully will be the best game ever!  

Answer
Dear Jeff,

Sounds like a strategy i like to use when i'm on toss vs zerg. Except i sometimes switch to using darktemplars instead of revears.

To counter this tactic, you'll need to know early. USe your Lord to scout. And if you see an early stargate, you'll know it's coming. Don't bother seeing the 2nd stargate. 1 is enough evidence.

Early hydralisks work very well against this tactic. Unfortunately going mutalisk will be a problem, as cosairs basically rape mutalisks apart 1 for 1.

If you manage to get 6mutalisks against his early 1-2 cosairs, you might be able to win the micro war. Spread out your mutalisks 1 by 1. Let the splash attack be of no use, and focus fire on his cosair.

WHat'll usually happen to a good toss player, is that he'll pull back his cosairs... and when your mutalisks chase them, they get all bunched up together again...

It's hard to out-micro that...

Key is to build up scourges... Micro 1 scourge unto each cosair. That'll reduce them to red health which will allow your mutalisk to pick them off.

If however he manage to mass up 6 cosairs. Don't bother with scourges. It won't really work anymore by then.

One good way is to send in overlords to tank the cosair damage, while you send scourges the other way. You'll need to split your scourges into 2 or more groups and fly in from different directions to be effective. But generally it is too much micro. And it's not worth the gas cost, as it's cheaper for the toss player.


This is my suggestion to counter fast cosairs.

(1) Spread out overlords. (overlords with speed can run from cosairs pretty effectively. At least run back to base)

(2) Build up 1-2 spore colonies to prevent cosairs rushing into base. (this works well, up till he gets disruption web).

(3) Ensnare + scourge + hydras work pretty well (against groups of cosairs. Remember to group scourges seperately)

(4) Devourers + mutalisks rape mass cosairs (8-12+)

(5) Ensnare shuttle if possible, pick it off with scourges or hydralisks. Use drone or zergling to tank revear scarab (doesn't work if he has more than 2 revears)



On an end note, a toss player going mass cosairs at the start won't have much gas to build revears. Capacitate on that... You can play defensive with spores, expand and out-tech him.... Or you can attempt a rush with mass zerglings.

Cosairs does nuts to zerglings. And 24 zerglings with upgraded speed can often win the game for you, against mass cosairs. (provided he has not blocked the ramp)

Hydralisks is the best bet, but you'll need spore colonies to keep your overlords alive.

Upgrade overlord speed ASAP (especially if you're doing the hydralisk build), and get up a queen if you can.

Good luck~


Yours,
Denny