Talent Alternatives Top
Level 1:
Centrifugal Hooks - has merit if the enemy team is shutting your early game down so hard you can't make use of Demolitionist. However, Zagara is very strong at level 1 and you should be pushing them out, not the other way around. Still an option to help damage towers/heroes from further away, not a terrible choice.
Demolitionist - A solid early game choice, if you get a lane with 1v1 you can push their towers dead before first map objective. Loses power as game goes on, stronger in a solid team where they can force the enemy into other lanes leaving you to 1v1 your heart out on their towers.
Level 4:
Envenom - Can be strong, but loses power as the game goes on and isn't worth the range loss for safe enemy poking. Possible second choice however.
Level 7:
Battle Momentum - Isn't a bad choice, lets you dump more pets out more often but that spends more mana and since this replaces your mana regen talent you'll be going back to the base for mana too often for my likes. Not a terrible choice.
Ventral Sacs - Honorable mention, great for a merc heavy / split-push heavy Zagara. Yet right around this level is when you start becoming the hero-killing Zagara. Strong talent, just not for this play style.
Level 10:
Nydus - Exactly like Ventral Sacs, strong talent in a merc/split-push build, just not in this play style.
Level 13:
Giant-Killer - Possible alternative if the enemy team is warrior heavy, can even beat Grooved Spines in that case. Not a bad pick, but lacks the raw burst (on a squishy) of Grooved Spines + Brood Expansion.
Level 16:
None of the other talents compared to Brood-Expansion for this play style.
Level 20:
Fury of the Storm - As you are a poke hero, it's not the worst choice you can make. Most of the damage you do will come from your hunter-killer though so this isn't a big of a boost as you might expect. Additionally, Zagara has low health and no escape, Bolt is good stuff.
The level 20 upgrade to maw is terrible barring a stars-align multi-kill in it to maw again right away, but that basically never happens.
General Tips Top
First and foremost you are a poke hero. You do not stand and fight unless you KNOW you will win then get away alive. Think of yourself as a Zelda Bottle full of win. You show up and dump your win all over their face then get out to refill your bottle. (Your win is your abilities, refilling is cool-downs if some don't get the reference)
Envenomed spines gives you both longer range and a poison, make use of them! Poke other ranged from out of range and force them out of a lane over time with hunter-killer and spine pokes. The poison DOES NOT stack, so spread it on every target in creep waves / merc camps.
Try to land the roach drop on people, it does a decent chunk of damage and generally functions as a great scare-tactic to force them to move.
Use Rapid Incubation often. Use it, use it and then use it some more. Even at full health just to gain mana. Stacks with Rconstitution, if you chose that as your first talent always try to use it on creep for the bonus!
After Brood Expansion dropping double hunter-killer on a support or squishy is either going to kill them if they face tank it, or force them to run back. Both are fantastic results, make sure to use them on proper targets and not their Chen happily chugging away.
Bolt of the Storm is your only escape and comes very late, learn to abuse it as hard as possible. Bolt to catch retreating enemies for kills, bolt through terrain for epic escapes and even in team fights bolt out of enemy abilities. If you're quick you can take zero or very little damage.
Early Game Top
Make solid use of your creep to provide vision in the pathways you could be ambushed from, once you're secure push hard making sure to target enemy towers to drain their ammo.
Use roaches on full creep waves and towers to boot, when using banelings try to run above or below the creep wave and baneling the center creep to maximize the splash.
Always hunter killer on an enemy hero and make sure to shoot each creep once to spread your poison to many targets, it doesn't stack so spread it for maximum damage output.
Focus on lane as hard as you can and try to knock out a tower early if they let you, it puts pressure on that lane for the rest of the game. Don't get dead trying, eyes on the mini-map and your creep tumors.
Mid-Game Top
If your team is still focusing heavily one lane-play and not yet stacking for big fights you should run around and start grabbing merc camps. Between the health globes, Rapid Incubation and Healing Wells you should NEVER have to go back. Always be out taking camps and poking enemy heroes, push a lane if no mercs are up.
Start dropping your creep tumors around the travel points between lanes to see where the enemies are moving and trying to set up ganks or take mercs. See if you can catch any poor soul on the opposing team running around alone with creep vision, ping him and then waste him if someone shows up to help.
If your team is stacking heavily this early play the late-game style.
Late Game Top
Still keep dropping creep tumours as vision in travel points between lanes. This is important, do not let it slip your mind.
Your job is to be merc'ing when there isn't a big team fight going down. If there is a team fight about to go down you need to be there to dump your win all over their faces. It's very important to watch the mini-map and know when a fight is about to break out, if your team loses a 4v5 while you were grabbing some Siege Giants on the far side of the map then you were likely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
You show up, double hunter-killer either their support or their squishy assassin then try to land the perfect Devouring Maw. Time your roach-drop so the impact hits the moment the targets get free of maw, and do the same with banelings. You can roach drop then baneling instantly after for both to catch the maw victims. Your team should be ready to use any area of effect attacks (Especially ultimate abilities, Shock and Awe comes to mind!)
As long as you get at last 2 in the maw while the hunter killers are chasing a third (Do not maw your hunter killer target unless its 3+ stacked up for the yummiest AoE burst ever) you did your job, back off if you're catching heat. If not, keep poking with the extra range and poison on your auto attack. Remember you are a poke hero, not a stand and fight hero.
The only exception, again, is 3+ stacked enemy heroes begging to be Maw'd into a Tychus nuke and Falstad Shock and Awe. It's worth your death to secure a big win like that, only if you trust your team to follow up with the necessary AoE abilities.
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