Highly mobile, fast and deadly in large numbers, the Mutalisk is the bane of any player. Terrans quiver in their dusty space boots, Protoss hide inside their tightly packed bases and even other Zerg players have been seen cowering for cover behind spore crawlers.<\/p>\n
What makes this unit so frustrating to deal with can be summarized in only two words: map control. Map control is critical for any Zerg player; it is what allows him\/her to gain that ever-so-important economic advantage over the opponent.<\/p>\n
Vital statistics<\/strong><\/p>\n Cost: 100 minerals, 100 vespene gas, 2 supplies<\/p>\n Requires: Lair, Spire<\/p>\n Abilities: Ground and Air attack<\/p>\n Build time: 33 seconds<\/p>\n Speed: 3.75<\/p>\n Hit points: 120 hitpoints<\/p>\n Armour type: Light, Biological, 0 (+1 per upgrade level)<\/p>\n Damage: Bouncing attack, 9, 3, 1 (+1, 0.333, 0.111 per upgrade level)<\/p>\n Attack cooldown: 1<\/p>\n Range: 5<\/p>\n How to use it<\/strong><\/p>\n This incredible map control is due to the Mutalisk’s absurd mobility. They are fast and maneuverable units; they get around the map extremely quickly, and dart in and out of bases. With a pack of Mutalisks flying around, it is very difficult for an opponent to do anything. The second an opposing army moves out to attack, you’re in his base with your Mutalisks, forcing him to retreat. As soon as his army gets back, you simply fly out again with zero losses. Mutalisks force your opponent to build a ton of static defenses, but even then it is often easy to find little holes to exploit. It is very difficult to expand, as Mutalisks are constantly flying and checking things out, attacking any attempts at expanding. Mutalisks absolutely decimate worker lines with their bouncing attack, so catch an opponent off guard and you can deal a very serious blow to his\/her economy.<\/p>\n While all this harass is keeping an opponent pinned to his base and scrambling after your Mutalisks, it leaves you, the Zerg player, free to expand and cut back on your army in favour of workers. A powerful economy is the most potent weapon a Zerg yields, with a commanding economy a Zerg can very quickly produce and reinforce an army with a large stockpile of larva. Meanwhile, your opponent is sinking valuable resources into static defenses and expanding a lot later than he\/she would like to.<\/p>\n Try to keep your Mutalisks constantly moving and attacking. They are slow to accelerate, but do not decelerate before attacking if given a specific target. Thus with good control, you can pick off stray units with deadly mobility – often a good idea to pick off units rallied from a base to reinforce an attacking army.<\/p>\n Let’s take a look at the matchups:<\/p>\n vs Protoss<\/strong><\/p>\n A combination army of Mutalisks and Speedlings has become extremely popular at the top levels in ZvP. With Stalkers being Protoss’s only anti-air unit between both Gateway and Robotics Facility, this combination can be extremely deadly. While Stalkers do okay vs Mutalisks, with Speedlings attacking them as well they become very ineffective. Just remember if a Protoss manages to get Psionic Storm, you’re going to have to make a switch to Roaches.<\/p>\n vs Terran<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a really essential unit vs Terrans. Without the Mutalisk, both Medivac drops and Banshee harass is going to have you pulling your hair out. Mutalisks have the power to both stop Terran harassment dead in its tracks, and allows you to harass them instead. However, you never want to engage a Terran army directly with Mutalisks, they fare terribly against Marines with Stimpack, and need to engage as part of an army, usually of Roaches\/Speedlings and Banelings. They are also ripped to pieces by Thors thanks to their ranged attack which does extra damage to light air units, as well as splash damage. <\/p>\n vs Zerg<\/strong><\/p>\n Mutalisks have fallen out of favour in ZvZ, due to the Hydralisk being such a strong counter. However, top pros still recognize its value. This is a great unit to open with in ZvZ, after surviving the often chaotic early game. It gives you the map control to expand while preventing your opponent from expanding. It can be extremely valuable to make only 6-8 Mutalisks – force him to make Hydras, static defense and deal with harassment while you simply tech switch to a Roach-heavy army.<\/p>\n What to do against Mutalisks<\/strong><\/p>\n You’re going to need a little static defense, although don’t go crazy! The best thing to do is not panic. Protect your workers with static defenses, and check if your opponent is getting greedy. Often the best thing to do is not get flustered and just move out and kill him – ignore the Mutalisk counter-attack, losing a Barracks or two is not a big deal – don’t panic!<\/p>\n Mutalisks melt in a good Psionic Storm. If a Protoss drops a storm, you better high-tail it out of there!<\/em><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n Harassment and map control is the name of the game here. It’s a unit every player hates dealing with, and it should be one you’re using every game.<\/p>\n Many people think Mutalisks are terrible against Thors, but with proper control they fare rather well. Check out this video tutorial.<\/p>\n \n![\"MutaPSI\"](\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/mutas_771469650.jpeg\" "\\"MutaPSI\\"")
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