Hello Friends,

Hope you all are doing well! In the spirit of the holidays I am going to go through my favorite games from IEM Gyeonggi for every matchup and give you some sick builds to pwn nerds on the ladder with. There are spoilers ahead, so if you didn’t watch the tournament, GO WATCH IT NOW. Come back when you are ready and get yourself a league promotion with these insider nerdballer strategies.

TvZ

Innovation vs Dark The Clincher 12 SCV 13 SCV 14 Depot/SCV 15 SCV 16 SCV 17 CC/SCV 18 Rax/SCV 19 Gas/SCV 20 Gas/SCV 21 SCV 22 Marine 23 OC/OC/Factory/Reactor on Rax/SCV Constant SCV production from here on out 27 Factory 28 Depot/Reactor on Rax again 29 Switch factory to reactor/2 Hellion 35 Depot/2 Hellion 41 Depot 42 2 Cyclone/2 Hellion 55 2 Depot/2 Cyclone 61 2 Hellion/Armory 67 Depot With 4 cyclones on the map switch to full hellion. You want to start moving out across the map at this point and try to take out overlords along the way (supply blocking your opponent ftw). When the armory completes you want to be at your opponents doorstep switching into hellbats. Go up to 6 cyclones to seal the deal when you arrive and then supplement more hellions from there if needed. Seize the moment. If you don’t succeed you didn’t do it right (or zergs have adapted, run for your life). If you need to see what to do if the opponent has enough roach/ravager to deal with your push watch literally every other game in this series for more info, it’s good stuff. You use this build when you need to secure your chance to win $15,000. If it dominates Dark, it will dominate every other inferior zerg on the ladder.

TvP

Innovation vs Stats The Crusher 12 SCV 13 Send SCV across the map/SCV 14 Depot/SCV 15 SCV 16 Proxy Rax/Gas/SCV 17 Gas/SCV 18 SCV 19 OC/Marine 20 Proxy Factory/Depot/Reactor on Rax/SCV 21 SCV 22 Cyclone 25 2 Marines/Proxy Starport 27 Depot/SCv 28 2 Marine 30 Cyclone/Move into the protoss expansion 33 Depot/2 Marines/Medivac 37 2 Marine 39 Make a bunker in the protoss main base/Cyclone 42 2 Marines You get the point, right? Keep making marines/cyclones till the dude dies. Pick up cyclones in the medivac if they start to get focused. For the love of Raynor avoid photon overcharges. Key point to this build is that you only want the protoss to evacuate their expansion, YOU DO NOT NEED TO KILL IT. Get in the main, make them pull probes (lose probes) and force the engagement. Did I mention avoid photon overcharges? $15k build right here boys and girls.

TvT

Byun vs Maru Clear the Air 12 SCV 13 SCV 14 Depot/SCV 15 Gas/SCV 16 Rax/SCV 17 Gas/SCV 18 SCV 19 OC/Repear 20 Factory/Depot/SCV 21 Repear 22 SCV 23 Cyclone 26 Starport/SCV 27 SCV 28 Depot/Tech Lab on rax/SCV 29 SCV 30 Viking/SCV 33 Swtich Starport to Tech Lab/CC/Reactor on Rax/Raven 35 Tech Lab on Factory/Depot/SCV Constant SCVs from here on out (supply will vary if you’ve lost a repear, etc.) 36 Tank 40 2 Marine 43 Switch Starport to Reactor/2 Vikings 47 Gas at natural/Tank/Marine/Depot/2 Viking 61 Tech lab on Rax/Depot/Ebay 63 Tank/Viking 70 Depot/Stim/Turrets to protect from Banshees At this point you are set up for success to move out across the map with all of your army units. Controlled pressure usually wins in TvT and you want to be iNcontroL of the tempo of the game. Feel confident about this setup – you have equal or superior air, the ability to fend off banshees at home, and you aren’t looking to set up dainty tank pushes in the middle of the map. You want to find yourself at their front door with all of these units seiged up in a dominant position, crushing their dreams, and forcing them to quit the game. Opponent didn’t go banshees? You need to establish air dominance with a good pdd or auto-turret fight. Don’t force it if you have equal numbers, let them make the mistake of wasting their ravens energy (run away) or engaging you closer to your rally (the numbers dude, the numbers). If you get gridlocked with them, prepare for the long haul by making more rax, expanding as much as possible, upgrading your bio faster, and cutting off all of their efforts to expand with well seiged positions.

PvZ

Stats vs ByuL Old School Meets New School 12 Probe 13 Probe 14 Pylon at expo/Send probe to zerg’s base/Probe 15 Probe 16 Gateway/Gas/Probe 17 Probe 18 Probe 19 Pylon at zerg’s expo to block > Scout main base of zerg then send probe to zerg’s third and patrol block the expo/Probe 20 Cancel pylon at zerg’s expo/Nexus/Cyber Core/Probe 21 Gas/Probe 22 Pylon/Probe 23 Adept/Warpgate/Probe 26 Probe 27 Twilight council/Adept Constant Probes from here on out (Supply may vary if you lost the scouting probe) Use the two adepts you have to push across the map and harass the zergs base 32 Adept 34 Resonating Glaives/Gateway/Gateway 38 Adept 40 Robo/Pylon/Mothership Core 41 Warp in 3 adepts/2 Pylons 50 Gas/Adept/2 Sentry 60 Warp Prism/Nexus 66 4 Gateways 70 Immortal Use the warp prism to drop 4 adepts for harass initially – DO NOT LOSE IT. You want about 9 adepts, 5 sentries, 1 immortal when you move out at approx ~6:00. We are going for this boys. Warp in 6 adepts with the warp prism when your gateways finish and move into the natural expo. Use force fields to hold off lings/banes and split the zerg army up as best as you can. Keep the immortal alive at all costs, it is the key to this push. Keep warping in adepts and crush him when he tries to reinforce. Your micro is going to win this game, and even if it fails you’re still on three bases, so don’t give up. If there are spines and a bunch of crap preventing you from getting into the natural just take out his third and fall back – as long as you’re up a base you will win eventually.

PvT

Stats vs Maru The Dirty Bird 12 Probe 13 Probe 14 Pylon/Probe 15 Gateway/Probe 16 Gas/Probe 17 Probe 18 Probe 19 Nexus/Send probe out for a proxy/Cyber Core/Probe 20 Gas/Probe 21 Proxy Pylon/Probe 22 Probe 23 Adept 25 Warpgate Research/Probe 26 Stargate/Probe Constant Probes from here on out 28 Adept 34 Gas 36 Oracle 40 Pylon 42 2 Gateway/Void Ray 50 2 Pylon/Void Ray 54 Gateway/Mothership Core/3 Sentry/2 Gateway 63 Forward Pylon/Void Ray/Gateway 67 2 Adept When you have 70 supply you should be at the terran front door. If you lost the oracle make another one, you are going to need it for widow mines. Use a forward pylon to warp in a few zealots to tank front line widow mine shots and lead up the ramp. Poke with void rays at the front two depots and take them out to supply block the terran/open up your path to victory. Once the depots are removed shade forward and move in for the kill. Warp in as many stalkers as possible when you move up the ramp, you’re going to need them. Don’t forget to use your void ray upgrade before they die, they’re not meant to last this fight, just meant to deal as much damage as humanly (or alienly) possible. Supplemental adepts are your ideal unit to finish whatever marines/scvs the terran is trying to hold you off with from there.

PvP

herO vs Stats Life on the Line 12 Probe 13 Send probe across the map/Probe 14 Pylon in base/Probe 15 Probe 16 Gas steal opponent (try to get 2 then keep the probe alive in or around their base)/Gateway/Probe 17 Gas at home/Probe 18 Probe 19 Gateway/Probe 20 Probe 21 Cyber Core/Probe 22 Pylon/Probe 23 Probe 24 Mothership Core (rallied to opponents base)/2 Adepts 30 Gateway Research/Pylon/2 Adept (send adepts over to opponents base asap) 34 Robo/2-4 Offensive Pylons and try to get photon overcharge off in their base (preferably to take out their pylon powering their gateways)/2 Sentry Try to fight with adepts and fall back if you aren’t doing any damage 35 Gateway/Pylon/Immortal (rally immortal across the map to meet up with your army) 38 Warp Prism/2 Stalker 47 Pylon Use the warp prism to drop 2 sentry + stalkers outside the opponent base and warp in more stalkers. Engage at the opponents expo and force field off their ramp to prevent retreats/split the army. You do not need to kill the expo, just need to force them to retreat and catch them unawares. Wait out the opponent’s overcharge and overwhelm them with units. Even if the photon overcharge rush you initially do fails you’re all in son. You can, and will, still win.

ZvT

Losira vs Innovation It’s Tricky and Sticky 12 Drone 13 Overlord/Drone 14 3 Drone 17 Hatch at your third/3 Drone 19 Hatch at natural/2 Drone 20 Gas/Drone/Pool/Drone/Overlord/Drone 21 3 Drones/Queen/5 Drones/Queen 33 Drone/Queen/Drone/2 Lings 40 Ling speed/Overlord/2 Drones 42 Overlord/2 Queens/2 Drones 45 2 spores/6 drones/12 lings/2 Queens If you don’t get killed by the initial reaper harass, congrats! You have tricked the terran into thinking you’ve gone pool first and are making him turtle like a coward. You’ve essentially set yourself up to have a ton of lings for map control/base defense when you hit 66 supply. At this point you want to keep massing lings and preventing drops (surrounding marines), spreading creep at all costs, and making sure you don’t die. Add in drones, when it’s safe, to complete your saturation at all bases. Add on double evo around ~88 supply. Spread creep. Get +1/+1 and tech to lair around ~95 supply. Spread creep. Add on the baneling nest around ~100 supply. Spread creep. Take a fourth when you’ve essentially controlled your side of the map and cut off all terran aggression. Spread creep. Add on a spire when the lair completes. Oh yea, did I mention spread your creep across the freakin’ map? Baneling speed, +2/+2, good stuff, start them up immediately to maximize your current advantage. Use banelings to defend weak little marine pushes and drop them in the terran’s main and third. Make the terran feel as claustrophobic as possible. Max out and then trade with the loser who probably only now just took his third.

ZvP

Dark vs Classic SQUAD 12 Drone 13 Overlord/Drone 14 3 Drone 17 Hatch/2 Drone 18 Gas/Pool/4 Drone 20 Hatch/Drone/2 Lings/Queen/Drone 24 Ling Speed/2 Drone 26 Overlord/2 Drone 28 Queen/2 Drone 32 Overlord/Drone/Queen 35 6 Drones 41 OVerlord/2 Drones 43 3 Spores (at each base)/3 Drones/Evo Chamber/6 Lings/2 Queens 48 Overlord/4 Drones/2 Overlords 54 +1 attack/12 Drones 64 Baneling Nest/Gas/Overlord speed/24 Lings OK, you’re at about 80 supply now on three bases. You’re spreading your creep well and you’re continuing to make lings till about 100 supply. Try to poke at the main base and expos with lings if you can. Make a roach warren and a lair at this point for insurance. You are relatively low econ at this point so make sure to morph banelings to defend vs adepts, they’re probably coming and you’re gonna need them to trade. Counter attack with a small squad of lings when the protoss hits you, they will crush overcharged pylons with +1. In fact, you will be able to make everything at their third retreat at the minimum and kill it all at the max. Use your plethora of queens and banelings to defend vs any sentry/adept drops in your main (PRO TIP: Load 4 queens into an overlord to make another mobile kill squad. Target the warp prism with the queens to nip that weak old played out strat in the bud!!). Your ling counter attack squad, in harmonious destructive unison with your mobile queen squad, is going to win you the game – just like it won dark this game.

ZvZ