What makes a matchup unbalanced?
Here are the factors I consider:
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Pregame factory RPS(Rock-Paper-Scissors). The factory is a likely pick on a specific map, but is sort of countered by another likely factory pick. I don't include matchups where I think you are simply choosing the wrong factory for the terrain, like going Spiders against Tanks on a flat map.
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Volatile and snowballing gameplay. This is when the result of the match is likely to snowball from the initial engagements, and the likeliness of a comeback is small. Some might put raider gameplay here, but I think raiding in Zero-K is pretty dynamic where you balance defense, expansion and offense in a Rock-Paper-Scissors way.
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No or little strategic depth. This is when there are few or no viable choices that you can make in this matchup before the match is likely to end. Some would put Spider mirrors in this category, but I would insist that this matchup has a lot of strategic depth once the Flea and expansion phase is over. You just have to survive the Flea phase and after that you are free to diversify by going for a second factory, a Crabe, Redback assaulting, or Recluse spam.
In order of unbalance
Gunship mirror
Gunship mirrors are volatile and snowbally. Gunship Cons are individually expensive and relatively slow compared to Locusts. Any defense cheaper than the Razor is easily scouted, and avoided or overrun by Locusts and Gnats. Even Stardusts are easily overrun by using Gnats to stun them.
Gnats are good at stunning defenses, the commander and even enemy Locusts, making every engagement more or less fixed where any retreat will leave stunned units behind that are picked off by Locusts.
Players struggle to expand across the map, defend the base and expansions.
Every Gunship con is a liability which can be countered by Locusts before they have time to expand and set up defenses.
While Tridents can counter Locusts in conjunction with defense turrets, Tridents are relatively slow and easily overwhelmed by Locusts and Gnats if they push out too far on the map. If you make too many Tridents, you will get punished hard by a land factory switch.
Gunship starts are mostly viable on any large and medium sized maps where you would consider going spiders. Gunship starts have a nasty tendency to dominate randomly generated maps where there is a lot of uneven terrain. Thus Gunship mirrors limits the scope of balanced Zero-K maps.
Map examples: Adansonia, Frostburn, Hourglass, RandomMapGen, EvoRTS-New_Iammas-v05
Gunship versus Spider
Gunships are clearly stronger against Spiders than other land factories because of 3 factors:
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1. Flea
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2. Individually expensive and slow spider cons
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3. Individually expensive and slow spider AA
Fleas are easily cleaned up by Locusts while Lotus turrets makes Gunship expansions almost unraidable for the Spider player.
Spider cons are slow and easily scouted and intercepted by Locusts. Locusts being one of the fastest units gives little time for the spider player to react even with the spider cons inbuilt radar.
Spider AA is individually expensive, and overextending them towards the enemy will leave them open to being overrun by Locusts and Gnats.
Map examples: Adansonia, Otago, Hide and Seek, RandomMapGen, Frostburn
Spider versus Cloakybot/Glaive factory
Spider players often have to rely on Fleas to slow down the enemy expansion by forcing the enemy to build turrets or keep raiders at home.
Glaives however, are one of the individually cheapest and fastest raider making them arguably the best raider at countering Fleas, while also having enough firepower to break light defenses. They also have repair to boot so even if any damage is done to a Glaive, it will be repaired after a maximum of 16.5 seconds.
Once the Glaives start raiding, the Spider player have to scramble defenses with their slow cons or try to catch the Glaives with Venoms without also being overrun by the Glaives. It is a tough balance to get right and on some maps it is just not viable to do like it is against other factories. Overbuilding on Venoms and Redbacks to counter Glaive harassment is also easily countered by Ronins.
Map examples: Otago, WanderLustv03, Hide_and_Seek
Airplanes versus Gunships
Airplanes will theoretically counter Gunships with Swifts. Swifts can outmaneuver any gunship unit, and with careful micro, by boosting speed at the right time, they can send of a volley of missiles and avoid most return fire. The build order for the Airplane player is also blind RPS as in starting with 3 Swifts is likely to get the first few units that the Gunship player make, while also severely slowing down the Gunship players expansion by forcing defense near the gunship plant. However, airplane cons are so expensive and fragile against land factories that no-one really consider going airplanes first.
Map examples: Adansonia, Otago, White Rabbit.
Spiders versus Jumpbots
Jumpbots have all the tools to deal with Spiders. However, early game they struggle to counter Flea harassment and have to do most of their maneuvers and unit choices blind without being able to use Puppies to scout when there are Fleas around. The Spider player can in turn easily keep track of the Jumpbot players every move, and adjust their unit composition, harassment and defense production by the time Pyros or Moderators would arrive at spider expansions.
However, if the Jumpbot player can get into the midgame without being crippled or severely outexpanded, Jugglenauts and Firewalkers with the the right support units, counter basically the whole Spider factory.
Map examples: Ravaged, Wanderlust, Vantage.
If you want to bring up a perceived matchup imbalance, be sure to provide at least one map where you think this matchup is likely.
