Dear DrmDestryr,
So you finally got Sylvanas, huh? What’s your thoughts?
-ReckU
Dear ReckU,
My first thought was that there are a lot of people out there playing her wrong. While she does shoot a bow like Tyrande and kind of move like Valla, she is by no means a front line assassin nor a dealer of the heals. I mean, just knowing she’s a specialist should clear this up, right?
All in all, I feel like my days of practice have led to this momentously wonderful hero.
She’s NOT an Assassin
Don’t jump on Sylvanas thinking you’re going to get away with sweet kills all by yourself. You are extremely squishy, and without your Withering Fire, you do relatively little damage. That being said, plan on using Withering Fire to either finish off escaping heroes or damage those that venture too close to the team.
What’s more, with your Black Arrows’ trait allowing you to stun minions, mercs and towers, you are the default crowd control. Your job is to keep the team from taking unnecessary damage from everything. You’re also in charge of both grabbing mercs and stopping them. Plus, someone needs to be on top of the push-happy Abathur.
Learn Wailing Arrow
Possession is a very cool level 10 if you’ve been given clearance to push to your undead heart’s content. However, since you’ll mostly be a part of team fights, Wailing Arrow is essential. It’s a silence. If hit, enemies can’t use their abilities for 2.5 seconds. This means you have the power to both start fights and turn the tide of battle. Assuming you’re with a great group of people, everyone will immediately go as soon as you’ve let fly your arrow. Promise yourself and your team that you won’t loose it just because you were in a one-on-one you were obviously going to lose.
Know When to Grab Mercs
Like all other heroes besides Murky, you have to be a part of team fights. Your ability damage output is too precious. On the flip side, if you’re the only specialist, one of your main tasks is to grab mercs. This is absolutely no problem for Sylvanas because even with low health, you can lock down an entire knight camp and take no damage as you whittle their health down to nothing. Even still, you can’t ignore objectives or team fights because you were too busy doing your own thing. The best time is immediately after a team fight. Everyone will be refueling and objectives will still need a minute or so to spawn. Give your team an advantage by putting on the pressure.
As far as builds go, this is my favorite. The only note is that my level 13 changes drastically based on the team I’m up against and how well we’ve been doing. It allows you to fill in any weaknesses or add damage based on the situation.
-DrmDestryr
Dear DrmDestryr,
Heroes of the Dorm was awesome! Did you watch it?
-FanGrl45
Dear FanGrl45,
Those were some fierce games, especially between ASU and Berkeley (my pretend money was on Berkeley). While sweet and totally cool, we should always take these games as learning experiences! After all, those guys beat out everybody else to get on that stage, meaning they must know something.
Don’t Get Yourself Isolated
Now that Diablo has become the meta pick thanks to ASU, it’s important to remember not to get yourself isolated like their Diablo did many times. How many team fights were there when Diablo got surrounded, and Berekeley swarmed him so that not even a heal could reach his soon-to-die body. In the end, this was the mistake that cost ASU the win. It just goes to show that solid team grouping can make or break a game.
Have Clear Objectives
Another great strategy seen on both teams was their focus on one objective followed by a retreat. Each team would go in and grab a tower and then back out. They’re experienced enough to know that the fight is not in your favor when all enemy heroes have respawned, and you’re trying to push while soaking tower damage.
Don’t Chase
Just because a hero is almost dead doesn’t mean you’ll do anyone any good running after them, especially if you have no idea where the rest of the team is. Certainly great to do when the escapee is the last left alive, if that’s not the case, let them get away. You’ve successfully gotten them out of the fight whether they’re dead or not. Don’t do the same to yourself because you fell for 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. Want to hang out? Check out the ITN PreShow with DrmDestryr! streamed weekly starting at 6 PM Eastern on Thursdays at twitch.tv/amovetv.