Dear DrmDestryr,
Do you ever solo quick match? What’s it like?
-Gaggles
Dear Gaggles,
For one thing, it’s not as scary as I imagined. From what few recollections I have of DOTA 2, even looking at the screen was enough to shatter my ego for weeks on end. In Heroes, I never once ran into a mean person. There were definitely a few I muted under the assumption they were going to start getting nasty if we lost, but I otherwise had no problems.
That being said, Quick Match also left me with a great list of things I learned. So next time you queue up, ignore the friends and dive in with just yourself.
Team Comps are Better
Hands down, team comps tend to be much more evenly matched. Got no tank and no healer? Neither does the other team. Only in a few instances was this rule broken, but the matches ended up being equal because we were all about the same skill level.
No One Covers Your A**
When you play with friends, you will be on one another, saving each other from near death experiences. This doesn’t happen in QM. If you are out of place, you’re going to die. If push to far forward alone, you will die. No one is coming back after you. Great QMs are nothing if not geared toward total teamwork and cooperation, but if you’re out there trying to be a rock star assuming everyone will come to your rescue, you’ll only end up coming off as a nub.
You Learn to Love the Minimap
Love it or hate it, the minimap is a vital component of the game. It is a tool designed to make play easier through interaction. You can see your entire team on there. You can see when enemies are missing. You can see where specific enemies are. You know which mercs were grabbed. You can use it to set long distance rides. The possibilities are as obvious as they are useful. When you’re on your own, knowing how to use the mini gives you advantage in terms of positioning for fights, defenses and advances.
You Learn from Others
Eventually, you can even start to point out who’s good and who’s not without resorting to ‘tab’. This means you now understand the reason they’re good or bad, and this makes all the difference. Once you understand the reason behind everything, you can use the information to make yourself a better player.
-DrmDestryr
Dear DrmDestryr,
How’d you enjoy Tychus?
-Stibbles
Dear Stibbles,
I enjoy him a lot (says the player that tries to find the good in everything)! He’s gritty, phallic and downright damaging. While squishier (much squishier) than his armor would imply, his damage more than makes up for it. After playing with him a bit in coop, I got to spend a lot more time with him this weekend in QM.
He’s the Hard Valla
So they don’t match one-to-one, but what heroes do? The important thing is that both he and Valla are played very similarly. Valla stacks Hatred upon continually doing basic attack damage. Tychus stacks damage by continually doing basic attack damage to one hero. Valla has Vault. Tychus has Run and Gun. They both have incredibly fast attack speed when compared to other heroes. The biggest difference is talent building. Valla is pretty straightforward, but Tychus is all over the place, making him infinitely more adaptable to situations. So if you’re on the lookout for a higher damage ranged assassin, Tychus is a good choice.
He Requires Imagination
Overkill targets one enemy but sprays surrounding enemies. While it’s going, you can move around and retarget. His Frag Grenade can either push back or forward. Run and Gun is your escape and your chase. Drakken Laser Drill is both offensive and defensive and can be retargeted. Odin is the mecha suit we all dreamed of piloting. Each one of these has at least two uses. It’s up to you to figure out placement and combinations for ultimate damage.
He Requires Awareness
Your means of escape are limited. You are a trundling marine with a laughably small dash (unless talented otherwise). If you push too deep by yourself, expect to get ganged up on. While he is absolutely needed for team fights, if you find yourself in a position to push, be extra cautious. As soon as the enemy team disappears from the minimap, you should b as hard and fast as you can.
At the moment, this is the build I have the most fun with.
-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. Want to hang out? Check out the ITN PreShow with DrmDestryr! streamed weekly starting at 6 PM Eastern on Thursdays at twitch.tv/amovetv.