Roach Roles Roaches are very effective vs. T1 WG units (Sentries, Stalkers, Zealots) and with the range buff in the current patch, they are even more effective vs. Sentries and Stalkers. They can shoot over FFs better and Stalkers will take a hit from Roaches even when micro'd because of their slow attack. This makes them quite cost effective at stopping any P pushes with WG units early on (3WG expand poke, or even 6WG push) and especially larva efficient compared to making sLings. At this stage, sLings act more to reinforce for or against a push and to cut off the P from retreating so the Roaches can get shots off. Be sure to send Roaches in first to take the initial fire before sending in the sLings if you attack head-on (flanking is obviously preferable but you still need to make sure that the Roaches tank for the sLings before the sLings closing in screw up the opponent's attack priorities). Speed upgrade for Roaches is a must and you'll see pros get this every single time as soon as they hit Lair. Burrow and Tunneling claw upgrades are pretty iffy since a lot of P tend to get Robo anyway which usually means Observers. However, if you plan on massing Roaches, they are definitely worth getting and Burrow also helps you save Drones and Queens. It is possible to do a small timing attack with Burrow Roaches and I believe @ MLG Dallas, Machine did this vs. Tyler on Lost Temple. Roaches regenerate HP very quickly while Burrowed and in large enough numbers, they can pick off units and Burrow to heal quite efficiently. Upgrades also help these guys out a ton and it's not uncommon to see double Evo chamber unlike if Z goes Roach/Bane/Ling/Muta in which case 1 Evo for Carapace is more common. Robotics Rules If the P is getting the Robotics, it generally depends on what timing they are getting it at. If it's early, say, before 7 minutes, then they may be doing a push with Immortals so switching your composition to sLings would be preferable. At a slightly later timing of about 8 minutes and on it may be to fortify a 6WG push with Immortals so a Hydra tech switch would be preferable. The 6WG push generally does not get gas at the expo so if they are getting the gas AND going the Robo it may be fair to assume 2base Colossi play. Excluding the above timings, a Robo would usually mean the P turtling until they have a comfortable number of Colossi, and then pushing out so a Spire would be very advisable in this case. Roaches are quite effective at dealing with smaller number (2-3 max) of Colossi at a time with some Hydras, but if you scout double Robo or if the P is able to get more than that then you really need to add Corruptors. I generally get around 2-3 Corruptors per Colossi and have the rest of my army composed of about 2/3 Roach and 1/3 Hydras; sLings are a waste of supply at this point unless you plan on doing some small counter-attacks. That said, the bigger question at this point is not unit composition vs. unit composition but economies. There's a massive difference between being up 3 base to 2 and 3 base to 4, so it's really up to the Z to deny the P's 3rd with the income that their own 3rd allows for them. If you're able to starve or even significantly delay the P, then your battles should seem like you're just overwhelming the P and the Roach/Hydra army can spend more time attacking then maneuvering while the Corruptors force the Colossi back. If P manages to secure their 3rd, then you'll have a difficult time getting near the P ball without having your army melt and your Corruptors will die trying to kill the Colossi; you would basically need to rely on counter-attacks or tech to T3 because your army won't be able to take on theirs head-on efficiently. This situation would also rule out trying to suicide your army on theirs and reinforcing with your larva since the margins will be very favorable to them and not you.
Hello D1ce, I'm wondering when the best time to switch to roach is against P and which upgrades are the most important? Also, as soon as I see a robotics bay should I put up a Spire and get corrupters or stick to roach? How many corrupters for each col is best? I'm MSGing you because you're the only good Z player I know on these forums, thanks in advance!
