Dear DrmDestryr,
How can I get good with a hero if I keep losing quick matches?
-SnuSnu
Dear SnuSnu,
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.” – Michel Legrand
Losing is what makes us better. And this goes for everything in life. Every single thing. Through losing, you see your weaknesses and learn to avoid dangerous scenarios. Did you not grab enough xp from creeps early on? Did you push to deep into enemy territory by yourself? Did you follow someone into a trap? These situations rarely happen when you win. The stipulation, of course, is that you open yourself up to learning from the losses. If you fail to do that, you’ll just stay stuck in your rut, blaming everyone else for your self-inflicted problems.
Let’s take the robot prototypes from The Incredibles as the big example. Each version was capable of going only so far when paired against better and better heroes. When the robot met its defeat, it upgraded so that it could then beat the plateau it was stuck at and progress even further. Without the heroes to point out its defects, the robot would have never been able to become strong enough to almost kill Mr. Incredible.
Instead of treating losing like a negative, give your games purpose, win or lose. Go in ready to give it your all and be prepared to learn from the different situations you’re placed in.
-DrmDestryr
Dear DrmDestryr,
Any tips on pushing and not pushing?
-FerretLover
Dear FerretLover,
Pushing is probably one of the more confusing aspects of the game that, when done poorly, results in painful wipes and inevitable defeats. So what’s the secret? When should you push and when should you fall back?
Enemies
Are they all down? Is one down? Do you have a level advantage? How much time until they’re up? If you’ve blown through them because you have a great team comp or a three level lead and they are down a few heroes, keep pushing so long as you have a hero to soak damage. Fall back when they’re all up since they will have full mana and full health versus your dwindling supplies.
Creeps
Where are your creeps? They are designed to soak tower damage, keeping it off of your team which is pretty darn important where you’re also taking heavy enemy fire. Feel free to dance just out of range of the towers until the creeps go charging in to their certain doom. This saves your supports from having to shield and heal at a rate they were not designed to sustain.
OOM
Out of mana means get the heck out. You might think you’re all that and a bag of potato chips, but you’re not. It’s the supports that keep you in the game long enough to get your job done. When they announce they are out, you’re out too. During this scenario, feel free to either b yourself or grab mercs. Since it can be assumed the other team is busy cleaning up the mess you left them, you can more likely than not go for their mercs without having to worry about an ambush.
-DrmDestryr
Ask DrmDestryr is your weekly Q&A/advice column for Heroes of the Storm. Have a question for DrmDestryr? E-mail her your mental musings at drmdestryr@gmail.com or send happy twoughts her way @DrmDestryr.