[ToRChoboSniper]

[Ecko]Chobosniper’s +1/+1 roach speed ZvT build




Introduction

The roach speed timing has shaken tournament scene some time ago, with Stephano series of victories with an innovative roach hydra composition, which often utilized this opening to gain a large advantage early in the game. Despite his incredible success with this opening, however, Snute was the most influential player for me, as he transitions very smoothly into a standard macro game. As with many dated builds, it has been eventually figured out and can’t be relied on game ending damage, but a recent game against Select, Bly improvised a surprisingly effective variant of this build order, forcing uncharacteristic mistakes from his opponent with strange moves that suggest that there is still an opportunity to breathe life back into this build.

Past its opening I don’t believe this is a simple build, and players platinum and below will experience some trouble executing it. However, it is not an incredibly difficult build that requires continuous practice, like the standard zergling, baneling, mutalisk composition, making it a great alternative if you have trouble with that composition. Furthermore, the lower the level, the more deadly the initial roach push becomes and this build becomes much more viable. However, the trade-off is that there’s a much lower skill ceiling to how well you can execute it.

Motivation

Many of the new season’s map have very large distances between the natural and the third, which is incredibly advantageous against protoss, but also makes the queen defence of standard play much more precarious vs terran. Merry go around and Waystation are particularly difficult in this regard, and were the biggest motivators of creating this unorthodox play-style that takes a much slower third but still keeps up vs terran in the late-game.


The distance from natural to third is quite large, but it can be easily defended with roaches

Not playing standard, while often gimmicky, has the advantage of becoming much more unpredictable. I prefer to always practice at least one cheesy build in each match-up to overcome either unfavorable maps or against players much better than myself (see http://www.sc2sea.com/showthread.php?t=8045), and while this build is neither gimmicky nor cheesy, because of its stark differences from standard play, there are plenty of opportunities to blunder against this build.

Disclaimer

I came up with this build very recently, and have been reluctant to practice it until I gave it some thought. This build is far from optimized, and while I don’t foresee any problems with this build due to how safe the opening is, due to lack of experience with this build there may be some glaring weakness that I haven’t accounted for. This guide is mainly to provide a framework to start with, and there is plenty of opportunities to adjust this build and make it your own. Despite all these warnings, I’d like to stress that the timings seem to work out perfectly, and because of this, in an important match vs HuT recently (who’s a much better player than me and would've slaughtered me in a standard game) I turned to this build in hope for some advantage early in the game.

This guide is not going to be easy to go through. Most build orders go through the supply or timing of each step, and with zerg timings you can detail the exact drone count and unit count at each timing. I don’t play that way, however, and these facts don’t cross my mind when I execute the build. Bar the opening, you’re going to find mostly descriptions of the build rather than solid timings.

Opening

11 scout (or whenever you prefer)
15 hatch
15 pool
17 OL, pause droning until lings are made
@ 100% pool 4-6 lings (once again, depending on preference) and 2 queens
@100% queens 2 more queens
36 double gas
@100 gas lair

This is a standard 4 queen build with a somewhat quick double gas. Until the 3rd and 4th queen are done, keep one queen near each mineral line to defend from reapers. With your second 25 energy, remember to spread some creep to your natural ramp, so that you can wall-off.

I prefer a 15 pool as the faster lings makes defending the reapers much easier. Combined with the fact that this build is completely gasless gives this opening a much easier defence against proxy barracks play.


Zerglings spawning just in time for a reaper

More than any build, it is important with this build to leave OLs to the potential third base locations

+1 +1 roach speed timing

After the lair is started, you need to start a third gas, then two evolution chambers, then a fourth gas, and then a roach warren whenever you have the minerals. Place the building such that you can wall-off like this:

A wall-off that makes this build completely safe against hellions

I tend to over-saturate your bases with 18-20 drones in each mineral line; not only does it help make up for a lack of a third base, but also uses up the excess minerals and larvae before the roach warren is finished. Remember to make extra overlords before roach production. Start +1 to range attack, +1 carapace and roach speed when the buildings are finished. Start burrow after all of this.

Try and only show a handful of roaches as they are made, and use them to secure a third base and ward off hellions to push the creep out further. As roach speed finishes, attack with all your roaches while making a handful more to defend against hellions. Start your spire and baneling nest as you drone up your third base behind this for the transition, and if your original zerglings died, make 2 extra to follow your roaches.

The large amount of early roaches makes this build extremely safe against aggressive two based play, and has potential to do a tonne of damage against an unprepared terran player.


Without a proper reaction, a terran player does not have enough to hold this roach push

However, a prepared terran player, will invest in bunkers, marauders and widow mines cannot be broken, and you’ll need to transition to a macro game.


HuT pulls off a sexy defence

While there is a heavy commitment to defence, and the map control given by the roaches means the terran player cannot secure a quick third base, in order to make up for your own slow third, you’ll need to delay it further.


With complete map control, the OL near the third becomes incredibly handy now. Note the burrowed zergling who'll force a scan



With 4 queens and complete map control, the creep spread in this build is great

Mutalisk transition

This opening is traditionally a roach hydra build, but I much prefer a mutalisk transition to deal with drops. Because of this, it’s important to start +1 melee after +1 ranged is finished for the transition. You should’ve started a spire as you pushed out and with a third base finishing you’ll have 6 gasses to pump out 10-12 mutalisks, enough to deter drops and secure a fourth base. Without mutalisks, the terran player can drop with impunity and crush this composition.

Furthermore, mutalisks are extremely unexpected, and you can frequently get a large advantage by taking your opponent unawares.


Without turrets and halfway across the map, this terran player is about to lose his economy



A great decision to go for drops against what seemed to be a roach hydra force turns sour as two medivacs fly to their death



My favourite picture in this guide


Roaches, banelings and mutas

While you are getting mutalisk for drop defence, this is mostly a roach baneling midgame composition. After dumping gas into mutalisks, you need to spend your gas on some key upgrades to reach a powerful midgame. These upgrades are +2 melee, +2 carapace, zergling speed, baneling speed and overlord speed. Each of these upgrades are essential to your success, and the rapid transitions between roaches, to mutalisks and the set-up for the mid-game will be difficult for lower level players. I would recommend practicing this build in single player if you’re not confident.


The roach, baneling, mutalisk composition. Note the low drone count; this is the time for aggression

After seeing mutalisks, it’s common for players to start pushing as mutalisks compositions are fragile. This composition, however, extremely powerful and will destroy these pushes. In fact, as this composition doesn't scale well into the lategame, I would recommend being very aggressive yourself and find timings to attack into the terran.


Like other roach baneling compositions, attacks on the third are very hard to stop


Scvs being left to die


Remember to burrow units if you force a scan!

Hive: ultralisks and infestors

While there are plenty of opportunities to trade well in the mid-game, a transition to hive is necessary as this composition does not work well in the late-game. Luckily this build has an incredibly powerful midgame composition and sufficient drop defence, and surviving to hive is much easier than standard play. Add drones, a fifth base, ultralisks, infestors and +3/+3 upgrades for an incredibly strong late-game composition.


Adding ultralisks makes this composition terrifying

Bonus pictures


12:00: After some turtling the terran player decides to take a third, only to be denied


15:00: After quite some time, he tries the other base, only to be denied again, and waits for the creep to recede...


16:00: It takes him a few moments to realize there was a burrowed zergling


17:00: After only a minute of mining, he gets denied once again

Replays

http://drop.sc/379944
http://drop.sc/379945
http://drop.sc/379942
http://drop.sc/379943
http://www.twitch.tv/metalcore1993/b/525745554

Feel free to comment on anything I can do better. I think I have too many pictures, but can't decide which ones to remove. As I said before, I like to focus on core concepts on a build order rather than supply/ timer to use, but if you find it necessary to have those then I can take time to translate these concepts into a refined build order.