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Terrans are a strong race in Starcraft II. One of the factors is that a Terran player can expect to have an easy transition between his tech. Buildings can be adjusted or re-equipped to suit the needs of the player.

Zerg on the other hand don’t have this kind of luxury. Transitioning between builds is hard to do especially when you have to deal with the Terran wall in that is there to keep drones and zerglings out of the base. If you’re lucky you can get the early drone in the base to snoop the early builds, but most of the time you can expect to lose the drone to a marine.

It’s not like playing against Protoss where you can Micro a drone around and often avoid Zealots and probes while continuing to scout out the base. Playing against a competent Terran player often means sacrificing a drone, often for very little information in some games.

Your next option for scouting is often the overlord. But depending on where you have spawned often your overlord may not get to the opponents base in a time frame that gives you valuable information while still allowing you to adjust you build. And more then often you are forced out by marines and run the risk of losing your Overlord, which may result in Supply block.

So what can you do to gather valuable information in a short time frame?

If you can’t seem to get the type of scouting that will benefit your build then the next thing you can do is force the other player’s hand.

A very good option is to fast tech to Banelings. A Zerg player can pump out a decent amount of zergling in a very short time frame, and with the speed boost you can get to the other players base quickly. The reason for banelings is twofold.

First you’re getting rid of the wall, and if you economy is doing well, you can often fallow up your baneling bust with some zerglings. This can often bust a wall down and easily kill any marines and maybe some SCV’s depending on the strength of the other player’s army.

But secondly you are getting a chance to peak in the other player’s base. Make sure to take the effort to push the zerglings past defenders to get some scouting in before deciding on targets. If you can’t seem to break the wall, use it as a diversion to get an overlord in so you can at least see what it is he is doing.

Depending on what you saw, you can easily adjust your build.

Saw a bunch of barracks with a Reactor? Continue to push with Banelings and speedlings. Is he getting marauders and tanks to steel him against your Zergling/Baneling push? Make the jump to Mutalisks to punish him for not keeping a marine ball.

In ZvT, it’s very important that the Zerg player is the one dictating where the battle is going because you need that edge it gives you to adjust your build and grow. Don’t be afraid to try to Contain Terran players early. If you’re not trying to bust his wall and see what he is doing, then camp outside his wall and prevent him from attacking you.

Getting into a Terran base can be hard, but containing him is a bit easier on some maps, especially when forced to come through a choke. Just as zerglings need wide open spaces, Banelings need chokes to force bunch infantry groups in the early game. Keep this in mind and keep your zergling and baneling ball at the base of a ramp. This forces the Terran player to stay put or lose unit’s who drag ass on the ramp.

Just be mindful that the Terran player may try to make the first move in the form of a rush/cheese build. In those instances be on your toes, and keep an eye out around your base.

Don’t forget that Derwish has his Art of Cheese Series in the Strategy Section. There you can find common cheese builds and what you can do to counter them. Or pull them off for that matter.

So remember to be a little aggressive here and then because it can pay off. And don’t let the Terran wall in intimidate you into playing the waiting game, because it won’t help you in the long run.