I just lost to reaper rush followed by marauders + medivacs on scrap station. I decided to try to defend my 16 supply expo but didn't stand a chance, speed upgrade for lings came way too late. I even saw the first reaper coming bc of my overlord chilling on the ramp of the opponent's natural expo. When I realized he is continuing to pump reapers, I built roaches, which worked pretty well, and then I set up my exe again, built about 16 speedlings and teched up to mutas. Too late. Marauders came through the destructible rocks (my fault, should have put an overlord there) and my zerglings were too few for the second wave. I'm asking: is it a good idea to cancel the expansion when reapers arrive? Or should I fight for it? And how? I'm pretty much screwed if my speed upgrade arrives too late. If the reaper is very early I even have no time to build a spine crawler at the expansion.
Honestly, if the terran is going reapers I dont early expand. I generally put my 2nd hatch in my base and tech up to mutas, or at the very least a respectable number or roaches+speedlings before I try it, if I dont just kill his base.
Couldn't you place Spine crawlers around your base to pritect incase of reapers? they'd get them pretty fast, or atleast keep them ocupied, and they couls strike them when they jump down cilffs.
Spine crawlers.. or any static defense.. are a very bad idea against reapers. The reapers can micro around them and that is one less drone/100 minerals less you have for units. I'm thinking you just gotta get speed for lings as fast as possible.
1 or at the most 2 spine crawlers arent that much of an investment, and are a worth quite abit against a small number of reapers that can do massive damage to your economy. If you have nothing BUT the spine crawlers they are meat for the reapers. However with a decent force of speedlings, and a central placement of the crawlers they work very well
I normally just mass crackling and expand the creep as fast as possible. 2 spines hold off most reaper rushes and come in handy for the inevitable marauder rush. 2-3 roaches can also be handy but no more since this is what your opponent wants you to do. But yeah scouting is very important to see them. Don't worry the patch will be out soon to stop reaper rushes >>
it might delay em abit but it wont stop them. Whats really fun with reapers is to attack with your main army, and skirmish at the front door while 4 reapers greet their workers.... That's where the REAL damage comes in.
Ok, next time I'm gonna cancel my expo and build spine crawlers with speedling support instead of roaches with muta tech. Sounds like a plan. Thanks alot!
I don't know if it really counts as defending against a rush, but replay of zerg fending off reapers with a natural expansion is attached.
Andd this why it best to put two spine crawlers in the middle of your mineral line as zerg. Static they may be, but its prety safe to say that people will always aim for your mineral line sooner or latter.
But that ain't enough. They'll attack your exctractors, your pool, anything out of range. You need at least 3 spine crawlers in a triangle per hatch to secure your min line as well as hatch and buildings. Of course this only counts vs. not too many reapers and without any other units defending.
Just lost again. Diamond player, pumping reapers like a friggin retard, he had more reapers than I had speedlings god damn it. Seems like terran is the new zerg.
Well, if he was pumping reapers and he won then it wasn't like a retard. Next, if he had more reapers then you had speedlings you did something very VERY wrong. Next, any money you spend on static defense takes away from your army. If you make 3 in a tripod they can still target them 1 at a time, and focus fire em down. Static defenses are just like fences IRL, the purpose is to discourage, and delay. Nothing is gonna stop a determined vandal from getting over a fence no matter how high, or nasty you make it. Just like nothing is gonna stop a determined reaper rush from overcoming your static defenses no matter how many you make. Static defenses first discourage attacks by making em not worth it. 2nd they delay the attackers till your army can get there. EARLY game they are a great aid to your army in the event of an attack, but late game you wont have enough to make a difference.
I find this strategy is overlooked when it's very much viable. It's greed that gets the average Zerg player in trouble and if one overcomes that and builds their second hatchery in-house, it can make all the difference. An added bonus is the extra creep that comes with this. As for reaper balancing, they don't need longer build times, they need to have those stupid charges removed. I still don't know why Blizzard made a harassing unit good for sieging buildings when static defences are theoretically their direct counters. But no, right now a handful of reapers cuts through buildings like butter :wacko:
Usually micro'd speedlings are enough to take them out. Never really have a problem with reapers, nor do i waste time getting roaches. Roaches are pretty crappy right now. Why their research requires a lair is beyond me. Another cheap option is 2 queens.
How do you micro against mass reapers? If they reach a critical mass they shoot down anything, if you try to counter you lose your base thanks to their stupid charges. So annoying.
Usually if i see the opponent going heavy on the reapers i make around 4 groups of 12 lings each. Overlords on the edges of my base and 2 groups up and 2 groups down. This allows you to get the surround if they kite down the ledge. Once they stop the harrass a quick scout to see if they have alot of tanks, if they dont a quick transition into banes before they get to much medivacs or air up.
@ domanz, Cracklings only work to a certain extent. Once there's a certain number of Reapers you're going to need more punch. Specifically Roaches or Muta. Don't go Hydras as they're expensive and are classified as "Light" units which the Reapers get a bonus against. But your opponent should never really be able to get mass Reapers. It's your job to put enough pressure on him to keep him from doing that. As Tasty said above, cracklings are the answer early.
I'm still willing to bet that some judicious use of burrow would keep speedlings viable a bit later too. The important thing is you don't want to be chasing the reapers. You need to surround/cut them off, which means flanking them as much out of sight as possible.
