The 3 Hatch Muta/Ling build is a standard Zerg strategy that sacrifices power in the early game for a very strong mid-game. With just a handful of Roaches and Zerglings at your disposal you will often feel like you’re barely surviving early pressure from your opponent, but if you make it into the mid-game you’ll be able to secure an easy advantage.
Build Order
10 Overlord
15 Hatchery at Natural Expansion
14 Spawning Pool
16 Overlord
17 Queen (Spawn Creep Tumor upon completion)
19 Queen at Natural Expansion
21 Gas at two geysers
20 Two Zerglings
24 Overlord
27 Overlord and Metabolic Boost when at 100 Gas
36 Lair
38 Roach Warren
40 Overlord. When Lair completes, build third Hatchery.
That is the basic build order. If you’re not sure how to read a build order, check out our guide to reading build orders. Remember: Build orders are basic outlines for how the build should go. You should experiment with it on your own and find if there is something that works better for you. The best players do not copy build orders. They make them.
The build order will get you started with a solid economy, but it will be up to you to build up a solid defense. It will take practice to know precisely how many Roaches and Zerglings you will need to hold off early aggression from your opponent. You do not need to push straight to your Spire to start producing Mutalisks, but it should be something you keep in mind as you near the mid-game. The Mutalisks will be the key to your victory, but getting them too early or too late could set you at a severe disadvantage. Practice this build and find the timing that is right for you.
Part of that timing is also good scouting. Scout, scout, scout. Send your first Overlord to your opponent’s base and consider using a Drone to get a deeper look as well. If your opponent is going for very aggressive play, you may need to build extra roaches and a handful of Spine Crawlers to hold it off. If your opponent is going air units, you will need to either tech to Hydralisks to shoot down Void Rays that will quickly destroy your expansions if unchecked or tech to Corruptors with your Mutalisks to deal with Phoenixes.
Important Notes
- Mutalisks are extremely mobile. Use that to your advantage. Do not run them straight into a line of Photon Cannons and let them die. Do not take a large group of Stalkers head-on. Go around the cannons. Find new targets. Try to avoid taking losses. Just keep pressure on your opponent, never letting him feel safe. Your goal is to make your opponent clam up in their base and be afraid of expanding or moving out. While your opponent can’t secure a third base due to your Mutalisks, you will be able to expand wherever you please and build up a strong economy to fuel an overwhelming force.
- If your opponent has gone Phoenixes, well-controlled Phoenixes can kite Mutalisks around the map indefinitely and never take damage. However, Corruptors outrange Phoenixes and will put a stop to them.
- If your opponent has walled off your Zerglings, either out of his base or locking you into your own with pylons at your ramp, add more Roaches to your ground forces. Roaches will be more more effective than Zerglings at breaking down wall-ins.
- This strategy does not work very well on maps with very short rush distances such as Steppes of War.
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