StarCraft: Brood War/Zerg Mission 9: The Reckoning


 * Location
 * Char


 * Difficulty
 * 4 out of 10


 * Mission Objective
 * Destroy the Protoss base within 30 minutes (do it within 25 to unlock the secret mission).


 * New Unit
 * None


 * New Enemy Unit
 * None


 * Special Structure
 * Stasis Cell (indestructible)

Getting started
Start by building lots of drones. You want to thoroughly exploit your resources since you don't have time to conquer more and you won't mine it out in 30 minutes either. Because you have just one geyser, gas will be your limiting factor for most of the mission. Finally, because you have limited time, you will need to start upgrading as early as possible. Start by buying Ventral Sacs (Overlord transport) and Pneumatized Carapace (speed). Zerglings with Adrenal Glands (attack speed) are also great for demolishing buildings. Finally, send your guardians to the plateau with the stasis cell to clear it out. These photon cannons are inaccessible except by air, and you don't want to leave them for last.

The only land route to the Protoss base takes you past a Terran base, including some inconvenient Siege Tanks and Bunkers. You could airdrop your units, but we'll do one better. Airlift a drone over to the west side of the Protoss and build a Hatchery, followed by a Nydus Canal. Order your hatcheries to rally to this canal, so that reinforcements will go straight to your new base. Now you're ready to attack.

The Attack
It will take at least 5 minutes to destroy the base, and more if your first attempt fails and you need to build another wave. Try to attack around the 10-minute mark, or even earlier if you want the bonus mission.

Hydralisks are good against most of the Protoss units, but Zerglings are cheap and come in bulk. Get two groups of each before you launch your assault. Also, get at least 6 Scourges. The Protoss have a Carrier and you don't want to mess with it. Your Zerglings are expendable, so have them swarm the Reavers, Archons, and High Templar so that your Hydralisks can do some real damage (Your starting Ultralisk is also good for this, but vulnerable to Mind Control). Also, remember to bring Overlords for detection. The UED loves to blind your Overlords, so make sure they can still see. As you attack, keep cranking out hydralisks and zerglings at your home base. Protoss resistance is stiff and you'll need several waves. It's okay to pull away defenders from your base, as the Terran attacks are pathetic.

If you keep losing your attack force, try a "defensive" attack. Burrow lurkers in front of your proxy base and also a sunken colony. Send a couple of units to draw out the Protoss (your guardians work well) and kill them as they approach, then charge once you've thinned their numbers. The only caveat is that High Templar will slaughter your tightly-packed defenders.