[Elysdeon]

I am a gold player and i have the most problems TvZ. Basically in nearly all matches I will end up being contained by speedlings and mutas. Even if i make a push they usually get destroyed by a bunch of speedlings and banelings.

In a short while later, mutas come and thats usually gg . Even in the longer lasting games where i have thors mixed in MMMT i still get owned by obscene numbers of speedlings, banelings and mutas. Even my Thor + blue-flame hellions get owned good grief.

Any tips?

TvT generally no problem, 3 rax marine pressure works pretty well
TvP MMG or early 3 rax MM stim push works well too

[OxygeN]

in THEORY, the way to beat a speedling banes muta army late game, is pure mech. like 10ish tanks 15 hellions 6 thors that kind. but very unlikely we'll ever get that, so the more pragmatic way is to get.

MMM Thor Tanks + Hellions if u can squeeze some in.

The idea is to stagger ur tanks well, so they dont explode to 1 group of banelings, keep your thors not at the front, but staggered(relatively) for the same reason as the tanks. MM and hellions try and keep them as spread out as possible, and you have a chance right there.

ahahaha. good luck! I got loads of problem with that composition too, but im working really hard on it. :P

[MskiJaBiTo]

Being a Zerg myself i believe that the most basic to counter muta/ling/bling is marine tanks with proper positioning and micro.
Coz i think tanks>banelings
and marines > everything else. XD
If you still have problems with banelings, try mixing in marauders in front of your bio army to try and tank the banelings.
And ofcourse if the muta count gets really absurd, make some thors.

That's the most basic concept to your problem imo. Hope it helps

[Apth]

Originally Posted by Elysdeon

Basically in nearly all matches I will end up being contained

You've got some good advice re Muta/Ling already, so I'll focus on your containment problem.

Speedlings are good at early game containment. They eat small groups of units very efficiently, as small groups of units will often have gaps between individual units, allowing better surrounds. Surrounds are how Speedlings do their damage.

Mutas are good at late game containment. They are very quick, and in large numbers can do unhealthy amounts of damage to your production and economy if you're not careful, making you scared of leaving your base and allowing the Zerg player to expand like a demon.

IMO, the best response to this is a timing attack when you have a large enough unit ball that Speedlings lose their effectiveness, and before the Muta count gets too high. This isn't hard to time - consistently scout your opponents base with scans, drops, vikings, whatever.

As soon as you see the Spire go up, push. Your opponent will have 5-6 Mutas out by the time you get there, and all those minerals didn't go into Speedlings. As long as you've continuously made units, you'll have a big enough ball to roll your opponent.

If you want to feel safe, throw down an Engineering bay as you start your push. If your push bounces, it won't take you long to get turrets up to repel any Muta harass.

Hope that makes sense.

[ToRXypha]

Apth hit it perfectly, just remember Spire takes a long time to build and the zerg is prolly saving up to pop at least 5 as soon as its done, they dont want to spend any gas on banelings cuz of wanting the mutas, its a pretty big window and if you exploit you generally catch zerg with their pants down.

[Elysdeon]

Oh ok i shall try a timing push with tanks and a marine ball which shd be enough to take them out before Mutas get critical mass or lings / banelings get too many.

Recently I have been going early blue-flame hellions + marines/maruaders but they don't go to well against lots of lings and banelings as well... will try tanks and marine ball now.

So 1 factory quickly cranking out tanks with 2 barracks one reactored churning out marines? Push out with 4 tanks?

[Apth]

Originally Posted by Elysdeon

So 1 factory quickly cranking out tanks with 2 barracks one reactored churning out marines? Push out with 4 tanks?

Try to associate your timing pushes with something that gives you a significant advantage. For instance:

A timing push when +1 infantry weapons has just finished is good, because your infantry ball is doing more damage than it otherwise would.
Pushing earlier would mean less damage, pushing later means you could have spent the minerals you spent on the upgrade on something else. This is a timing push.

A timing push when your opponent has just started a Spire is good, because your opponent has less units than they otherwise would.
Pushing earlier would mean your opponent is still spending money on units, pushing later means your opponent is spending money on units again. This is a timing push.

A timing push when you have four tanks is bad, because it gives you no significant advantage.
Pushing earlier would mean you have slightly less tanks, pushing later means you have slightly more tanks. This is not a timing push.

Hopefully that makes sense.