[PapaBigBelly]

Hey everyone!
I was just wondering, do you zerg players prefer using infestors or mutas in TvZ and why?

I personally, dont like both honestly hahhaha but they are essential and thats why I have to learn to use them. I actualy rather use roaches, but they dont seem to work against marine tanks.
I was thinking of infestors so let me hear your thoughts

[pikk0n]

I'm only gold (random) but I play a lot as zerg against my friend who's a diamond terran and uses marine tanks. I find this really easy to counter if you have roach ling bane. I have an 80% winning record against him when I use this strat assuming I do not misclick. I wouldn't bother with mutas or infestors against that unit composition if I have roaches. However, I do find that mutas are more effective seeing that it can counter drops better than your infestors can. You can't beat fungal growth on scvs but if your opponent has tanks and just one turret guarding the expo, your infestors are not going to be that effective. I suppose the same can be said with mutas when dealing with turrets. It's really a personal preference because mutas aren't going to be that useful in terms of dealing with the terran push unless you are lucky enough to find a few stray tanks (which I doubt you'd find as often in diamond level). If you can protect your infestors from the tank splash damage (they count as armoured so get dealt the full amount of dmg from the tanks), their fungal growth make them extremely useful in getting rid of those meddling marines.

I'd say mutas are better for harassments and anti-harassments whereas infestors are good counters to the terran army when they make a push. It'll depend on what you decide to do during the game. However, you'll most probably end up getting an infestation pit anyway to get the hive tech so you could just as easily go up both tech paths depending on how quickly you wish to get your ultra cavern or your 3/3 upgrades.

[Aean(:]

I have more trouble against infestors then mutas. Fungal'd stimmed marines = 1hit ko. Also, you can take control of thors or whatever if you decide to research the skill.

[pikk0n]

LOL! Aean. I take it that your marine micro no longer works as well now that fungal growth is used more often in your division?

[AvPoker]

I prefer massing mutas because I can harass the terran's main and natural as well as forcing turrets, killing scvs and lone marines/tanks/medivacs/turrets and make it extremely difficult to get a third base.

[cruxBsK]

As a Terran player I find mutas to be more difficult to deal with

[HDPhoenix]

My 2cents is that 200 minerals worth of turrets can stop 1000minerals 1000gas worth of mutas. The core of Terran armies are marines and recently thors, and both really shut down mutas. So its difficult to harass a good player and mutas are not good in standard engagements unless you're Glade and are backed by 1,000 banelings.

Terran is a race that love to harass with drops but fungals can really shut that down. Terran can't move out unless they have a nice ball of MM or mech supported by hellions. Again infestors shut down MM and trap the hellions for easy clean up.

Its FAR harder to use, but if you can learn to use infestors, they are amazing. If you need proof, go to youtube and look for Dimaga. He has mastered ling, infestor than goes into ultra/broodlords. Remember that ling, ultras and broodlord's broodlings all share the same upgrades so his early game upgrades really help his mid and end-game plays

[HDPhoenix]

You Tube

You Tube

[cruxBsK]

just putting it out there i really don't like how HDstarcraft over does it in his commentary like you can hear it in his voice

[NvJazBas]

I prefer mutas. Mainly because I suck at using infestors and roaches lol but against mech, infestors are must.

[Skitz]

I've been wanting to use infestors for a long time, except it makes drops so much harder to deal with that I'm afraid to use it on ladder. So I've stuck with muta until I can get a bit more practice with it in customs.

Definitely worth using infestors if you can manage the drops.

[Eryx]

it completely depends on the match how you've opened, how they opened, the damage done, map control, etc

But to speak on the perspective of build flow if your desire in the match is to tech to broods spire tech feels better to start with(IMO) so you get spire make mutas to harass keep the terran back and ideally forces him to get turrets maybe get thors meanwhile you can be getting a base and droping your infestation pit which then allows you to when the time is right get hive and go broods.

[SirChristoffee]

Whose to say you can't muta ling/bling with investment in 1 or 2 infestors just to fungal?

[Eldrid]

1-2 infestors isnt enough

it is a waste actually to get an infestation pit, + fungal growth upgrade, then get 1-2 infestors (1-2 fungals isnt going to do much)

I usually have 10 infestors by the end of a game with terran, i spam it all over them constantly and with upgraded lings which take the damage its lololollololol

then you deny 3rd, take your own 3rd / 4th, map control . . . if they start dropping you you should have good overlord vision and slings meet the drop ship, infestors behind them to fungal it & queen kills dropship.

Edit2: The above dimaga video is probably a better reference ;( Lol
Edit: Replay below;
http://www.sc2sea.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=275 - mid-high level masters game on NA server.
The terran was nothing special, and he made alot of mistakes i think .. eg not much pressure (or crappy pressure. all marines ...) but the theory is the same, the same wouldve happened if he went marine / tank, the -only- problem this strat encounters is extremely early 1 base marine/tank pushes before you have infestors.
To counter that you need to know its coming early & speed baneling sling hold it off. once
infestors hit the field your golden.

[FaDePressureTest]

personally i muta off 4 gas, then get my infestation pit when i take my 5th and 6th gas. but i always go both at least in standard tvt games, sometimes less mutas sometimes more, depending on how the match is panning out, and combine them with whatever army i have, whether its roach or ling/bling depending on the terran's army.

[CagnacciKid]

When I play Terran I dread seeing even small amounts of Mutas, they throw me completely off my game and 99% of the time I will lose in their presence.

However, when playing as Zerg I've found it hard to use Mutas in the same way they have been used against me, so it might be that I am just not responding properly as a Terran player.

... Or the fact that I suck with Zerg.

[Whisky]

both have different uses in the matchup.

mutas are more of a harassing unit to pin the terran back in his base, allowing you to get a quick 3rd and saturate it more safely. you don't have to be killing workers, just targetting tech labs and reactors forces the terran to pull back some marines and defend against your mutas because his production facilities are very important too. also, mutas serve as a scouting unit due to their high mobility and you can try to force stims/catch the tanks unsieged, which is when you want to engage.

infestors are more of a defensive unit, more used to delay the terran's push. yes infestors can take out marines with 2 fungals, but the more important function is that it drains up medivac energy and forces him to slowly push because of the fear of clumping up his units, buying you more time to get your crucial units like banelings/ultras/broods, or even counterattacking with a group of lings.

ultimately both units serve different purposes in the zvt matchup and you ideally should be proficient in both and react to what the terran is doing. as mentioned above, infestors are crucial against mech.

[MeLo]

In the IGN, IdrA destroyed Drewbie's mech using neural parasite and even took a raven and used a pdd against him. It was hilarious.

[HDPhoenix]

mirroring what Eldrid said, by midgame, you dont have the gas to support 200gas spire + 150 gas infestion pit + 150gas energy upgrade AND still get mutas and infestors. It'll be one or the other. Late game, you'll get both but infestors seem to be the safe choice defensively