Intro

Khaldor introduced this build based off a replay between an unknown GM Zerg player and Polt on the Korean ladder. I like to pretend it’s NesTea, but just pick your favorite zerg and roll with it. According to Khaldor, this push is very popular amongst GM players and pros right now.

Summary and build order

Move out of your base with ~30 +1/+1 roaches around the 10 minute mark. Continue to flood roaches if you think you can win, or drone up your 3rd behind the attack and transition into hydra/viper or muta.

Basic build order / timings:

15 Hatch

16 Pool

2 Queens when pool completes

4 Zerglings (more only if necessary)

2 more Queens after first two pop

@36 supply, 2 gas

@100 gas, begin lair

2 more gas after lair begins

Double evo at natural

Roach warren (around 7:10 in the Polt replay for reference)

+1/+1

Roach speed

Stop droning when you’ve reached 16-20 on each mineral line

~60 supply, make 6 overlords

Roach production

3rd hatch

Move out at ~10 minutes with 20-30 roaches (+1/+1 should finish before you attack)

(+1/+1 should finish before you attack) Continue to flood roaches or drone up your 3rd

Execution

Because the attack doesn’t hit until after the 10 minute mark, a lot could happen from the Terran. Keep the following in mind:

You won’t have ling speed, so be prepared to deal with reapers and hellions with your 4 queens during the early game.

Check for a 2nd base from Terran. If you don’t see one, expect earlier drop play and heavier aggression.

Hide your roach warren. The Zerg from Khaldor’s replay places his just outside of scan range in his main.

Hide your roaches. Pool them up at the top of your ramp so it’s less obvious what you’re doing.

Bring an overseer and watch for widow mines as you move across the map.

Prioritize your targets when you attack. Bust into his base and kill army, SCVs, tech labs attached to barracks (no marauders), reactors, etc.

Depending on the amount of damage you do with your attack, a counter-attack from Terran isn’t unlikely. Be careful not to overdone your 3rd in case you need to defend.

Transition

If you can’t win with your push, don’t throw away your army needlessly. If you can trade effectively, go for it, but do your damage and go home. Build enough army to defend against drops and counter-attacks, but your primary focus should be squeezing out as many drones as you can afford as you transition into mid and late game.

A natural tech transition is to add hydras into your composition and get up to Hive as quickly as possible to start mixing in vipers. I tend to favor this composition over mutas due to the upgrade advantage we have for range units already at this point. Continue to upgrade, defend, and take your 4th until you’re maxed, then push out with roach/hydra/viper.

As roach/hydra is a little less mobile than ling/muta, consider building a Nydus to harass and keep your opponent at home. Nydus canals can also come in handy if you need to retreat in a hurry.

Build order summary + transition commentary [7:27]

My attack is delayed by hellions, but I manage to do some decent damage and transition into a late game 3/3 roach/hydra/viper build to seal the win.

Khaldor’s Full Tutorial [25:05]

The zerg finds Polt vulnerable and floods roaches for the win. Build order timings in this post are taken from this VOD. Khaldor’s explanations are clear and thorough, because he’s a boss.

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