Strategy Zerg - Ling infestor style

[Bloodcount]

Style Type: Very strong unit composition which gives you a lot of harass opportunities and is very powerful as a ball of units.
Skill Level: Medium
Style Pros: Offers both harass and ball style of play, both very powerful, and offers decent map control.
Style countered by: Multi prompt attacks.
Most powerful in: Late Game.
Match up: ZvP, ZvT



Basic thought process and tips:

• Your gas goes for Infestors, your extra minerals go on Zerglings.

• The Zerglings offer decent map control. You should try to grab map control from the other player.

• This build is centered around the Infestors: With their Infested Terrans they can give you a very good, yet immobile anti-air unit.

• Whilst your in the player’s base with Infestors, their Fungal Growth can kill lots of workers, or with the Infested Terrans, you can decimate lots of buildings.

• The energy is replenishible, so after you have around 8 Infestors or more, Fungal Growth and the Infested Terrans become almost free.

• One of the ways to fight is to weaken your opponent’s army with fungal growths and then finish it up with a lot of Zerglings.

• Another good way is to simply kill your opponents army with Fungal Growth and use the lings as a decoy (or harass with them) .

• Don’t neglect the Neural Parasite, few players know how to deal with it.

• Burrow is a must have (obviously).

• You can get a tier 3 unit. After getting a good number of Infestors (depending on the way you are using them) feel free to get Broodlords or Ultralisks (I do recommend Broodlords though).



Good openings:
14 gas 14 pool
14pool 15hatch



Final Words: As you might have noticed, this is an Infestor centered play. This is one of the (if not the) most versatile caster unit in the game and this style gives you lots of opportunities to cripple your opponent, such as burrowing infestors into the mineral line, using Infested Terrans to kill add-ons, and much, much more.
Screenshots:

Spoiler

Proof that this unit combination can tackle the Protoss deathball ^_^

 

[Sevion]

Personally, this is my favorite Zerg strategy.

Though, I prefer opening with Ice Fisher. What do you think about it?

 

[Bloodcount]

Well it is pretty similar to 14 pool 15 hatch in terms of economy. Thing is, there are ways to avoid the spines... and when u have speed you can be abused by that. It isn't a bad oppening in any way, just it doesn't fit my style of play, since I am an agressive zerg to begin with.

 

[Nigerianrulz]

neural parasite and fungal growth is probably the best ability in the game, with neural parasite being a very under used ability its saved me games numerous times. but i find that this build allows alot of minerals to be stacked up. probably my bad macro tho D:

 

[Bloodcount]

This style needs a lot of macro hatcheries OR less drones. Although the obvious answer for the highest levels of the game is macro hatcheries (since you can remax in 20-30 seconds... basically 100+ lings and 20+ infestors) For the normal levels like diamond and master it is okay to have less drones and constantly attack and harass with the infestor lings.

 

[celerisk]

The what-the-crap part:

> Whilst your

While you're

> replenishible

replenish-able

> One of the ways ... fungal growths

Fungal Growths (you used uppercase everywhere else too)

> Another good way is to simply kill your opponents army

opponent's

> Don’t neglect the Neural Parasite, few players know how to deal with it.

Don't neglect Neural Parasite



The yeah-good-one part:

> You can get a tier 3 unit.

Which one? And can I have more than one?



The let's-just-be-friends-and-talk part:

> This is one of the (if not the) most versatile caster unit in the game

Not really.
It just so happens that the Infestor is the (near) perfect caster for Zerg.


> Skill Level: Medium

Hm... I don't agree.
You can start using it at medium, but to really get stuff going with Infestors requires somewhat more hours.


> Most powerful in: Late Game

I'd go with "mid-game and later", as the Infestors are out by mid-game already.
No need to have them sitting around until late


> Burrow is a must have

You mean burrowed-movement for the Infestors. Burrow as such is great, but not really required in most games.



What's missing here is a bit of base management.
Like defenses you may want to put up, as early on all you have are Zerglings.
Which means no Roaches obviously, which, in turn, leaves you more open to Hellions and other annoyances.
Or some anti-air... either structures or more Queens.

You should also get those Infestors somewhat fast, as they really are the backbone of you army here



The off-topic-reply part:

> I prefer opening with Ice Fisher

I pretty much forever went with "late" gas, though not to the extreme that this one is going.
Problem being that I'm not good enough to predict everything that's coming correctly and in time.
And, well, that build somewhat depends on that.

 

[Bloodcount]

Which one? And can I have more than one?

Whichever you want, as much as you want whenever you want

>Hm... I don't agree.
You can start using it at medium, but to really get stuff going with Infestors requires somewhat more hours.

This is one of the easier builds to execute. It is much harder to micro lings, banelings AND mutas. Every single build when executed at the highest level is hard to execute.

>I'd go with "mid-game and later", as the Infestors are out by mid-game already.
No need to have them sitting around until late

Depends on your goals with them, if you want to snipe expos with infested terrans the infestors come into play later. What I mean by late game is that this build has a rising power as the game progresses. Certain builds like the 6 gate or the roach/ling style are strongest in the mid game (when players are usually spending money into tech, more expos, where as you stay on the same number of bases and you simply invest into army.

>You mean burrowed-movement for the Infestors. Burrow as such is great, but not really required in most games.

Burrowed-movement and burrow are the same thing, it isn't an additional upgrade like the roaches for example. When you have burrow you can delay expoes and set traps with lings, which is a good skill to have : D


<What's missing here is a bit of base management.
Like defenses you may want to put up, as early on all you have are Zerglings.
Which means no Roaches obviously, which, in turn, leaves you more open to Hellions and other annoyances.
Or some anti-air... either structures or more Queens.

This part is something with which I 100% agree. I will add this section to the tutorial.


Thanks a lot for the feedback

 

[celerisk]

> Burrowed-movement and burrow are the same thing

Sort of, but not really.
I mean, if you're Zerg, you're going to have burrow, eventually.

With this strategy here though, you don't just want burrow because it's cool or great or nice or just plain annoying (for your opponent).
You do want it for burrowed-movement for your Infestors.
Which is sufficiently specific that it's worthy of being pointed out.

Never assume people just know what you mean or are talking about.
There might still be some players that don't play Zerg(*).


And, yes, this seems to be the current build-order "du jour".
Very "famous", if I dare say so, right now.

I love Infestors. And Zerglings. And Mutalisks. And Roaches. And Hydralisks. And... did I mention that I play Zerg?



(*) HERESY! (Forgive me, my Queen, I am not worthy)

 

[Bloodcount]

Point taken.


on a side note: I take it you will get Hots collector's edition huh

 

[celerisk]

> ... collector's

Yep.
Though I'll most likely get an additional digital download edition, just so I'm ready on launch day, as the collector's is bound to only come around 2-3 days past... way too long a wait.

 

[Bloodcount]

Can't you pre-order those ?

 

[celerisk]

Certainly. That's what I meant with the "only 2-3 days late"
With anything other than pre-order? Don't get me started...

 

[black.sheep]

I really like this style in ZvP, I can do lots of damage with lings if they move out into the open and are bad with sentries or don't hug walls.

Also I believe Day9 covered this style in a recent daily
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRB0836o9lg
Its hella good