This replay is a great match-up between two famous Zerg and Terran players. In it, the Zerg player is able to
really turn the tables on the Terran player with a strategy known as the Baneling Drop.
This player ends up loading a pack of Overlords with Banelings and selectively dropping them on the Terran
players vulnerable units.
In this particular game, the Zerg player is most successful at killing Infantry, but it is also highly effective
against other units such as SCVs.
Note that this strategy does require decent unit control. While the players in this video display extremely high
Starcraft 2 APM (actions per minute), know that
this strategy is somewhat forgiving if your APM is not very high. A Terran player without Vikings cannot kill
Overlords very quickly, so you do have a decent amount of time to get your Banelings out.
With that said, here is the video (video is in 2 parts, see below for strategy and comments):
Part 1:
Part 2:
Strategy, Comments, and Important Match Times (using the youtube video time, not the match
time)
In the first video:
@1:55-2:13 - It is my impression that the Terran player had no intention of Bunker rushing, but
when seeing that the Zerg player opted to build his second Hatchery before the Spawning Pool, I think this
was a good choice. This is an example of being adaptable. It is highly unusual to "cheese"
at such a high level of play, but the Zerg player really left the Terran with no choice given how early he went for
that second Hatchery.
Also note how quickly the Zerg player pulls a few Drones out to kill the SCV (not the Bunker at first). Great
defense - he was able to stop the rush without losing many minerals.
@5:11-5:50 - Note how the Zerg player uses a very small push (just a few Roaches) to sneak off
and make a third expansion. It is so much easier to expand the map when you are pressuring the enemy player.
In the second video:
@1:55 - The Zerg player effectively counters the Thorship build with a unit drop. Since Thors
are actually not very good at killing armored air units, the Overlords are able to survive easily in order to drop
off the units on top of the ramp.
The Terran player's Thorship was slower than a standard build which
allowed the Zerg player time for all that research.
The Zerg player also opts for a Baneling drop in the Terran player's mineral line at the same time. Managing two
drops simultaneously is incredibly tough to do, but it is practically guaranteed for your Banelings to kill some
SCVs since the Terran player's attention is on the Thor area and Banelings only need a second to act.
Baneling drops can be very effective versus SCVs, but it would have been much more effective if two Overlords
were used. A lot of SCVs escaped with just a few health!
@3:03 - Here is the first example of the Baneling drop. The Overlords essentially become air
units that drop bombs. The player drops Banelings all over the Infantry and takes them out very quickly.
@6:57 - Another example of the Baneling drop. The Zerg player literally melts the Infantry with
Baneling drops. Another great thing about this is as the Terran player tries to run his Infantry away, the Roaches
and Zerglings pick off all the Thors without much problem.
You can also see at this point how effective Terran air can be against this build. Terran players faced with
Baneling/Roach builds can add a few Vikings (to pick off Overlords) and Banshees to pick off Roaches.
Conclusion
As demonstrated in this replay, the Baneling Drop strategy is an effective way for Zerg players to combat light
Terran ground units. It can also be used versus Siege Tanks and Hellions to take the bite out of mech builds.
Finally, you can use Baneling drops to devastate the mineral lines of any race!