Queen

This article refers to the Zerg unit. For the progamer with the same name, see Queen (Player).

[e][h] Queen

Unit Information

Type:

Medium Air Unit

Built From:

Larva

Requirements:

• Queen's Nest

Cost:

 100  100  31.5  2

Hotkey:

Q

Unit stats

Defense:

120 0

Energy Maximum:

200 (+50 Gamete Miosis)

Starting Energy:

50 (+12 Gamete Miosis)

Sight:

10

Speed:

4.963

Description

The Queen is a fast Zerg air spellcaster unit. Morphing it requires a Queen's Nest which requires the Lair tech.

The Queen functions as a support unit, as it itself has no direct attack ability. All three spellcasting abilities of the Queen fire a projectile rather than having an instantaneous cast time. Notably, Spawn Broodling will have no effect if the Queen is killed before the projectile hits its target.

While it had seen some use during the KeSPA progaming era, it rarely sees play in the current competitive metagame. The Queen's Nest is still built by all Zerg players in order to unlock Hive tech, but it is typical to produce zero Queens despite this.

Upgrades

All upgrades are evolved at the Queen's Nest. The Queen comes with Infest Command Center and Parasite at stock.

Ensnare

100      100      50 (fastest) Unlocks the Ensnare ability on the Queen.

Spawn Broodling

100      100      50 (fastest) Unlocks the Spawn Broodling ability on the Queen.

Gamete Meiosis

150      150      105 (fastest) Increases Queen starting energy by +12 to 250, and maximum energy by +50 to 250.

Abilities

Infest Command Center

Cost: - Autocast Range: 0 Infests heavily damaged (< 50% hit points) Terran Command Center to make an Infested Command Center.

Parasite

Cost: 75 Range: 12 Duration: Until removed or unit dead Targets an enemy or neutral unit. The player gains line of sight for that unit for the rest of the game.

Spawn Broodling

Cost: 150 Range: 9 Instantly destroys a ground unit (except for Probes, Archons, Dark Archons, and Reavers) and creates two Broodlings at the target location.

Ensnare

Cost: 75 Range: 9 Effect-Radius: 4 Duration: 25.2 s Slows the movement speed and attack speed of units caught in its area of effect. Exact percentages vary with the unit.

Competitive Usage

Queens see virtually no play in the current competitive metagame. Zerg players typically require much of their gas to be spent on Lurkers in the midgame. For the lategame, Defilers are much more powerful than Queens, and Zerg players will use Defilers as the primary spellcaster. Compared to the Queen, the Defiler is able to obtain ample energy with Consume. Its abilities have an instant cast time and have a much greater effect in battle. The Defiler also benefits from ground carapace upgrades, which are researched regularly in ZvT and ZvP.

Compared to spellcasters of other races, High Templars have greater damage potential than the Queen, and are still useful once their energy is spent because they can become Archons. The Science Vessel's Irradiate ability is half the energy cost and has an instant cast time compared to Spawn Broodling.

versus Zerg

Queens don't see play in ZvZ due to the matchup being all about mass Zergling and Mutalisk. Gas in this matchup is used to build more Mutas or Scourge, or upgrade air carapace. While the Queen's Ensnare ability might seem like a possible tech on paper, in practice this doesn't work. Teching to Queen then waiting for its energy to charge is too slow, and the initial 300 gas investment (Queen's Nest + Ensnare tech + Queen) would be better spent on more Mutas. Ensnare can also unfortunately miss due to its projectile cast time.

versus Terran

ZvT is the matchup where Queens are most seen, but they are still almost never used. They become useful in the unusual situation where Terran goes mech instead of bio, and the entire map is about to be mined out. In this case, Queens are able to break a stalemate with Spawn Broodling by targeting Siege Tanks. As the current metagame prioritizes Terran bio versus Zerg, the Zerg player will instead attempt to tech to Defilers instead of using Queens.

In ASL S17 (2024), Semifinals set 3, Hero (Zerg) used Queens with Ensnare against Sharp (Terran) in response to an unorthodox build. Sharp had gone proxy 8 Rax into a 1-1-1 (1 Barracks, 1 Factory, 1 Starport) build, going Vulture (to protect against a Zergling counterattack) then Wraith. The Queens were able to target the Wraiths with Ensnare. This allowed Mutalisks to engage the Wraiths, as Ensnare cancels the Wraith's cloaking. In the lategame, the Queens were able to Ensnare a bio army, hindering it against lategame Ling+Ultra.

The Queen's Infest Command Center ability is a gimmick. While a few maps in the past had a neutral Command Center for Zerg to infest, current competitive maps don't feature this.

versus Protoss

Queens don't see play in the current ZvP metagame, as the Zerg player's gas is better spent on Lurkers. Just like ZvT, the Zerg player will opt for Defilers over Queens in the lategame, as Dark Swarm is a superior spell when combined with upgraded Zerglings.

Notable Games

ZvT

• Jaedong vs Fantasy, Sin Chupung-Ryeong, 2008-09 Shinhan Proleague. Excellent use of Ensnare in combination with Dark Swarm.
• Crazy-Hydra vs Sea, Circuit Breaker, 2011 Shinhan Bank Winners League R4. Overwhelming Broodling use.
• herO vs Sharp, Retro, 2024 ASL S17 Semifinal A Set 3. Hero used Queens in response to an unorthodox 1-1-1.

ZvP

• ZerO vs Bisu, Heartbreak Ridge, 2009 Bacchus OSL. Used Spawn Broodling to snipe High Templar.

ZvZ

• Great vs Hydra, Dante's Peak, 2010 PDPop MSL 2010 Grand Final Set 1. Perfect Ensnare timing, into ZvZ Hive play.