Maps

I was all ready to write an article about which maps favor us zerg players and I came to a realization... we get screwed pretty good in this respect.  What I mean by this is that zerg players are without a doubt the most "reactive" race in SC2 and unfortunately no map is really made for us.  Here's some good map tips for strategies:

Big Maps (Lost Temple)
Get the fast expand up ASAP as the rush distance is going to be very large.  I usually do this even before my pool so a 15 hatch, followed by a 17 pool usually will give you an eco advantage in the long run.  Train a few spine crawlers if fearing the quick 3gate or marine strategy.  Don't forget your queens.

Smaller Maps (Metalopolis)
Not conducive to fast expands all the time, especially if your opp is aggressive.  Short rush distance favors some early aggression with lings.

Wide open Spaces
This is the flaw of many of the maps.  A good terran or toss player will take advantage of choke points to render speedlings all but useless.  Without getting that good surround, their effectiveness is grossly reduced.  Not many maps have wide open spaces so you need to coax your opponent with some trickery.

Ledges, High Ground, Island Expos, etc.
None of these help the zerg!  Terran can abuse high cliffs with a fast thor-ship or siege tank drop.  Protoss can ledge jump with blinked stalkers.  Zerg need to react but cannot really take advantage of these terrains. 

I'll get around to my visits tonight.  Last night we stayed out late after the contract meeting so by the time we got back to the hotel all I wanted to do was sleep.

Swarm on!