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Matchup guide - ZvT

Zerg vs Terran: counters and game plan

Every common Terran plan in ZvT, the Zerg answer, and one current opening. Open the live tool to tag scouted units and tighten the read mid-game.

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Economic defense

Opening: Hatch-first into queen/ling map control

Hatch, gas, pool, queens, speed, third, then ling/bane with tech based on Terran pressure.

Goal: Drone hard while queens and lings absorb Reaper/Hellion pressure without bleeding drones.

First five minutes

  • Overlord checks natural and first tech.
  • Queens anchor every creep edge before Ling/Bane leaves home.
  • Third base safety matters more than early counter damage.

Scout for

  • Fast Factory add-on
  • Armory before third CC
  • Extra Barracks before 5:00

Transition: Ling/Bane/Hydra is the default; add Mutas for mobility, Roaches for Hellbat pushes, and Vipers against entrenched mech.

More current ZvT builds on Spawning Tool (SortOf, Lambo, and Serral ZvT listings)

Terran plan: Marine, Marauder, Medivac

Bio medivac

Fast stim timing, drops, and mine connections.

Ling bane into Lurker or spellcaster control

Core:

ZerglingBanelingQueenOverseer

Tech switches:

LurkerHydraliskInfestorViper

Upgrades: Baneling Speed, Melee weapons, Carapace, Lurker range

Fight it right

  • Take fights from creep with Banes pre-split into several angles.
  • Keep Queens and Spores positioned so drops never get a free mineral line.

Do not drift into this

  • Do not flood Banelings off creep without a surround.
  • Do not fight bio mine in a single clump.
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Terran plan: Tank, Thor, Hellion

Mech shell

Slow pushes that become impossible when the air and tank count stacks.

Ravager bridge into Viper-based control

Core:

RoachRavagerQueenOverseer

Tech switches:

ViperLurkerBrood LordSwarm Host

Upgrades: Missile attacks, Burrow, Lurker range, Flyer carapace

Fight it right

  • Use Corrosive Bile to break the first tank line before it leapfrogs.
  • Abduct tanks, Thors, and Liberators into your army instead of diving.

Do not drift into this

  • Do not max on pure Roach after Thors and tanks are established.
  • Do not skip Overseers against mines, Ravens, or burrowed positions.
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Terran plan: Starport tech, BC, Liberator

Battlecruiser or sky

Teleports, range control, and late-game air armor scaling.

Queen anchor into Corruptor Viper

Core:

QueenSpore CrawlerOverseerHydralisk

Tech switches:

CorruptorViperInfestorBrood Lord

Upgrades: Flyer attacks, Flyer carapace, Hydra range, Neural Parasite

Fight it right

  • Queens buy time. Corruptors finish the job once numbers are stable.
  • Abduct expensive air into Spores and Queens instead of chasing.

Do not drift into this

  • Do not make only Hydras into high-armor capital ships.
  • Do not leave Spores unrooted at the edge of each mineral line.
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Terran plan: Medivac, Mine, Hellbat

Mine, drop, or hellbat

Worker damage that hides a normal third-base follow-up.

Queen spread with fast detection habits

Core:

QueenZerglingSpore CrawlerOverseer

Tech switches:

BanelingMutaliskHydraliskInfestor

Upgrades: Zergling Speed, Baneling Speed, Melee weapons

Fight it right

  • Creep between bases turns drops into normal fights.
  • Leave a small Ling pack near likely unload paths.

Do not drift into this

  • Do not chase a Medivac off creep with Queens if the front is exposed.
  • Do not skip Spores when the Factory unit count is hidden.
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Counter any Terran unit

Deep-dive pages for each Terran unit you might scout in ZvT.

MarineMarauderReaperHellionHellbatWidow MineCycloneSiege TankThorVikingMedivacLiberatorRavenBansheeBattlecruiserGhost

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