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[Milly79]

Got enough gold for another assassin.... Kerrigan or Nova, GAF? Was thinking of Johanna too but I already have a lot of warriors.

I'd say Nova.

Not because I'm the biggest fan or anything, but Kerrigan is extremely hard to be good with and she's also melee. I'd give them both a try in try mode and just see what you like better, but Nova is definitely more friendly if you're somewhat new to the game (not sure if you are). Kerrigan relies on hitting a combo and doesn't scale too well into late game, imo. She's great at early ganking. She also has up to 4 extra abilites (Envenom, Sprint, Blood for Blood and Bolt of the Storm), which are almost mandatory for her.

 

[super-famicom]

Got enough gold for another assassin.... Kerrigan or Nova, GAF? Was thinking of Johanna too but I already have a lot of warriors.

Which assassins do you already own?

 

[Haly]

Kerrigan falls apart the moment team fights start because she can't survive 5 heroes and her kit forces her to dive.

Nova is very powerful if you're competent with her because of all the Jaina/Kael picks. They're food for her.

 

[Alur]

Nova is very powerful if you're competent with her because of all the Jaina/Kael picks. They're food for her.

Yeah it's a good time to be a good Nova in Quick Match. Seen a few good ones in HL too.

 

[subwilde]

Can someone equate the quick match system to the matchmaking in CS:GO? I know you can't see your "MMR" but what does that actually resolve to? Ive never played a MOBA before so maybe I'm just ignorant. Is quick match even a viable comparison to MM? Should I be in the mindset that quick match is casual and "hero league" is the competitive mode? I'm one of the highest ranks in CS so the idea of casual is not as appealing but then again I'm only level 20 or so haha

 

[super-famicom]

Yeah it's a good time to be a good Nova in Quick Match. Seen a few good ones in HL too.

There was an opponent Nova that went 25-1 against my team yesterday. We had 3 warriors and 2 specialists...

 

[Dance Inferno]

Yeah I was playing Jaina over the weekend and this one Nova absolutely wrecked me in Sky Temple. The early game was miserable because she would constantly gank me in lane and I couldn't really do much about it. I still need to figure out how to deal with a Nova as Jaina. I assume you can't solo lane in that situation because if you get jumped then you're as good as dead.

 

[Milly79]

Yeah I was playing Jaina over the weekend and this one Nova absolutely wrecked me in Sky Temple. The early game was miserable because she would constantly gank me in lane and I couldn't really do much about it. I still need to figure out how to deal with a Nova as Jaina. I assume you can't solo lane in that situation because if you get jumped then you're as good as dead.

Shouldn't be too hard... Just stay closer to your gate. Don't go to the middle and definitely not past it. Also easy to unveil her with E.

 

[Haly]

Can someone equate the quick match system to the matchmaking in CS:GO? I know you can't see your "MMR" but what does that actually resolve to? Ive never played a MOBA before so maybe I'm just ignorant. Is quick match even a viable comparison to MM? Should I be in the mindset that quick match is casual and "hero league" is the competitive mode? I'm one of the highest ranks in CS so the idea of casual is not as appealing but then again I'm only level 20 or so haha

Quick Match can be considered "casual MM" but it does use an internal MMR to put you up against "similarly skilled" players.

Quick Match:
No drafting phase (picking heroes), the engine puts together teams, usually worse than the kinds of teams players make but they try to pit two similarly capable teams against each other
Atmosphere is more relaxed
No visible rating or whatever so the pressure is lower
Duplicate heroes on both sides
Free rotation heroes available every week

Hero League:
Drafting phase (teams take turn choosing heroes, no duplicates)
Atmosphere is more tense
People gravitate toward what works well in any given meta so compositions are kind of stale
Visible rating so you'll feel a lot more pressure to perform
No free rotation available, you need to have heroes unlocked via gold or cash to play (at least 10), and you'll want to have a flexible stable so your team isn't stuck with no healers or no tanks

That said, it doesn't mean the players you see in QM will all be worse than the ones you see in HL. People who take competitive very seriously will gravitate toward HL but the upper echelons of QM will have players as skilled as the ones in the upper echelons of HL, only, you don't exactly know when you're there because the MMR is hidden. Sites like https://www.hotslogs.com can try to model your hidden QM MMR using their own algorithm and it affords a reasonable approximation of what bracket you're being matched up against.

 

[JC Sera]

What mentality do you guys play this game with? This past weekend I must have played at least 20+ games with the intention of winning and I went on a miserable losing streak that sort of sucked the fun out of the game for me.

Eventually I sort of transitioned into an expectation of losing all my games and had a lot more fun. I didn't win any more games than I did previously, but I didn't hate myself when I did lose.

Given that this is a very team-focused game I feel like it's counter productive to play the game expecting to win because your performance is so dependent on your teammates.

Spoiler

Rehgar is just like Abaddon right?

But seriously in going from dota to this, I find this is much more casual and laid back
It feels like using your abilities have much less impact and its much harder to tell when you fuck up, and a lot of fuck ups can't be avoided (can't ward against ambushes here mother fucker)
so I have a pretty give no fucks attitude
in a pub you can win if you just continually push, like it takes half a minute to get the camps taken over with a friend, and if you ping the relevant camp most people seem to understand
and if you do begin to lose, hey the game is over in 5-10 minutes anyway, try your best in hope of a turnaround but don't let yourself be to disappointed in defeat, because its much harder to pin point how exactly things went wrong

Just take satisfaction in ending their winning streaks because they got to cocky!

and hey even if you do lose, you still get shiny stuff in the end which will go towards a new hero, with all new and shiny mechanics

Spoiler

seriously play rehgar hes super fun always learning new thing about him

 

[Dice]

It certainly isn't doing you any favors towards winning

Well, that is another difference in my attitude. There are some teams so bad that I don't even want to lose with them, let alone try and secure a win that I don't think they deserve after all their poor decisions. I find it fun when my team understands the basic concepts and is being sensible and trying to do well. If that isn't happening, I get zero satisfaction from winning (just a lucky chance at that point) and thus don't give a crap about losing.

If the game isn't being played in a manner mindful to it's design, it isn't actually being played and the whole experience is pointless to me and the results don't matter. It's like endeavoring to sweep the floor and then simply brushing the dirt around rather than collecting it into a dustpan. So that's just another reason to play with gaffers if ever possible. Then winning or losing is fun because people here actually try to "get it" and discuss it if they don't, and if all of us are missing the mark we figure it out together.

Kerrigan falls apart the moment team fights start because she can't survive 5 heroes and her kit forces her to dive.

If they are grouped like that, use your spikes (spawning zerglings helps too). If they don't disperse, they'll learn after all the damage they take from that and the stun. You can also pull people out with your claws. This does take some level of proximity on the edge of the fight, but if you pick block at the start it should give you the momentary defense you need to handle it. Ultralisk can also do well to perpetuate a breakup that is in motion, but don't throw it into a deathball. Once everyone is broken up she is a killing machine!

 

[Star Falcon]

I'd say Nova.

Not because I'm the biggest fan or anything, but Kerrigan is extremely hard to be good with and she's also melee. I'd give them both a try in try mode and just see what you like better, but Nova is definitely more friendly if you're somewhat new to the game (not sure if you are). Kerrigan relies on hitting a combo and doesn't scale too well into late game, imo. She's great at early ganking. She also has up to 4 extra abilites (Envenom, Sprint, Blood for Blood and Bolt of the Storm), which are almost mandatory for her.

Which assassins do you already own?

Cheers guys. I've played about 450 games so not that new anymore but still lots to learn. I have the following:

Illidan, Zeratul, Valla, Jaina, Raynor

Prettty good points about the vast number of mages at the moment and usefulness of Nova for dealing with those. Kerrigan is tricky but I seem to do okay with her (through free to play) - I find her more enjoyable and easier to play than Zeratul but overall would say i'm better with Illidan still. Leaning towards Nova but will play a few more games then decide - thanks!

 

[kirblar]

If you are playing Kerrigan, Uther is your best friend. I wouldn't really consider playing her in a competitive game without scooping him up as well.

 

[Haly]

With Jaina/Kael/Anub being the top tier picks these days, Kerrigan just can't do her job without extreme risk to herself. She'll never be able to catch them out and then she just melts the moment she's in range.

I really wish they gave her some of her tankiness back. Thrall suffers from the same problem and, to a lesser extent, Sonya. But Sonya is much tougher than Kerrigan is so she still sees play. And Leap is just 10x more consistent than Kerri's combo.

 

[kirblar]

Kerrigan just sees less play because of the high skill level necessary to make her work- she's still very, very good.

 

[super-famicom]

Cheers guys. I've played about 450 games so not that new anymore but still lots to learn. I have the following:

Illidan, Zeratul, Valla, Jaina, Raynor

Prettty good points about the vast number of mages at the moment and usefulness of Nova for dealing with those. Kerrigan is tricky but I seem to do okay with her (through free to play) - I find her more enjoyable and easier to play than Zeratul but overall would say i'm better with Illidan still. Leaning towards Nova but will play a few more games then decide - thanks!

Hmm, maybe try Falstad? I haven't played as him yet, but his ability to fly around the map would come in pretty handy for some objectives.

 

[Robottiimu2000]

Don't you just love it when real life comes and fucks with your Heroes-routine?

I think this thread needs to know that I am almost close to solving my apartment issue(s) and it's making me feel much, much better mentally. I couldn't possibly be happier about it.

Excellent stuff! Nice to hear things are working out for you!

 

[Eric WK]

I let Jesus take the wheel.

This is now my favorite GAF post.

 

[Star Falcon]

Hmm, maybe try Falstad? I haven't played as him yet, but his ability to fly around the map would come in pretty handy for some objectives.

I tried him out when he was free to play - the fly mechanic was cool but other than that wasn't too sold on picking him up.... yet! Nova and Kerrigan are the most fun ones I've tried that I don't own yet, but yeah leaning towards Nova

 

[Maledict]

Kerrigan just sees less play because of the high skill level necessary to make her work- she's still very, very good.

Yep - on certain maps she remains a monster. Dragonshire, cursed mines and tombs she is just horrific at killing people constantly.

Also, have to say as Kael I find her a terror to deal with. Jaina's easier thanks to the slows, but with KAel unless I can stun her and we deal with her I'm probably dead and her combo makes that very hard to pull off. Plus, her bloody ultralisk does sooooo much damage and forces you out of the fight.

 

[pigeon]

What mentality do you guys play this game with? This past weekend I must have played at least 20+ games with the intention of winning and I went on a miserable losing streak that sort of sucked the fun out of the game for me.

Eventually I sort of transitioned into an expectation of losing all my games and had a lot more fun. I didn't win any more games than I did previously, but I didn't hate myself when I did lose.

Given that this is a very team-focused game I feel like it's counter productive to play the game expecting to win because your performance is so dependent on your teammates.

It helps to know I'm terrible at MOBAs. Takes a lot of the pressure off!

When I play I try to just focus on doing well with my hero. Use the combo right, pick the right target in a teamfight, get a kill in a situation where we otherwise wouldn't get one. The other thing I work on is map awareness -- even in a game we're losing, if I can identify where the opponent is likely to be and where they're likely to be heading, I can do better for my team and also sharpen skills that will help me win in the future.

I also yell at the computer when my team is doing something idiotic, but I don't type it in. The most visibly annoyed I get is pinging danger at people before they go into a 5v1 and die.

 

[IndustryX]

Any gaffers want to add me and party up?

I play Valla, fairly new to MOBA's but I'm pretty decent at this game and have no problem playing as a team and constantly communicate in game.

if you'd like to add me my battle.net is IndustryX#1370

 

[subwilde]

Quick Match can be considered "casual MM" but it does use an internal MMR to put you up against "similarly skilled" players.

Quick Match:
No drafting phase (picking heroes), the engine puts together teams, usually worse than the kinds of teams players make but they try to pit two similarly capable teams against each other
Atmosphere is more relaxed
No visible rating or whatever so the pressure is lower
Duplicate heroes on both sides
Free rotation heroes available every week

Hero League:
Drafting phase (teams take turn choosing heroes, no duplicates)
Atmosphere is more tense
People gravitate toward what works well in any given meta so compositions are kind of stale
Visible rating so you'll feel a lot more pressure to perform
No free rotation available, you need to have heroes unlocked via gold or cash to play (at least 10), and you'll want to have a flexible stable so your team isn't stuck with no healers or no tanks

That said, it doesn't mean the players you see in QM will all be worse than the ones you see in HL. People who take competitive very seriously will gravitate toward HL but the upper echelons of QM will have players as skilled as the ones in the upper echelons of HL, only, you don't exactly know when you're there because the MMR is hidden. Sites like https://www.hotslogs.com can try to model your hidden QM MMR using their own algorithm and it affords a reasonable approximation of what bracket you're being matched up against.

Wow very appreciated man thank you! Perfect explanation. HL sounds kinda scary to me now since I mainly play as Nova(I'm an awper in CS so it comes with me ). I feel like Nova would be one of those characters that would get banned lol! Amazing how different this game is yet I can use some of the basic principles of high level awp play that I do in CS. From the 50 or so games I've played you can really see how positioning, movement, and choosing the right time to strike all come into factor. I guess you don't know until you try and I'm loving it!

Btw, on that note of banning heroes in HL, it's probably a good idea to get comfortable with multiple characters right? Haha

 

[Raven77]

Okay people, I am new to MOBA's but have been working my way through this game. I currently own the following heroes:

- LiLI
- Malfurion
- Jaina
- Sonya
- Valla
- Zagara
- Zeratull
- Raynor

I have over 10k in gold. Who should I buy??? I just want something powerful with staying power (as in its powerful but also really fun to play and wont get nerfed in a week). Suggestions?

 

[JC Sera]

Okay people, I am new to MOBA's but have been working my way through this game. I currently own the following heroes:

- LiLI
- Malfurion
- Jaina
- Sonya
- Valla
- Zagara
- Zeratull
- Raynor

I have over 10k in gold. Who should I buy??? I just want something powerful with staying power (as in its powerful but also really fun to play and wont get nerfed in a week). Suggestions?

Rehgar

 

[Alur]

Btw, on that note of banning heroes in HL, it's probably a good idea to get comfortable with multiple characters right? Haha

If you solo queue HL you need to have at least two heroes (ideally more in some categories) in each role that you can play decently because you never know where you'll be in the drafting order, and certain heroes may just be completely countered out by whatever is already picked.

I have over 10k in gold. Who should I buy??? I just want something powerful with staying power (as in its powerful but also really fun to play and wont get nerfed in a week). Suggestions?

Level whatever is free to 5. See what you like and get that extra gold. I wouldn't spend 10k gold on anything til you are sure you are gonna like it.

On that note, if you are concerned about power level I wouldn't spend anything until the patch notes come out on June 23rd and/or the patch hits June 30th and we know who's getting changes.

 

[Kioshen]

#therecanonlybeone #freeabathurplz

So long gold gain, I hardly knew ye.

 

[Haly]

Btw, on that note of banning heroes in HL, it's probably a good idea to get comfortable with multiple characters right? Haha

For the the time being there are no bans. But it's something they're considering.

 

[-Digits-]

I think I spotted the reworked demonic Tyrael in that trailer and he's looking dope. Don't care much for angelic Diablo so far.

 

[subwilde]

If you solo queue HL you need to have at least two heroes (ideally more in some categories) in each role that you can play decently because you never know where you'll be in the drafting order, and certain heroes may just be completely countered out by whatever is already picked.



Level whatever is free to 5. See what you like and get that extra gold. I wouldn't spend 10k gold on anything til you are sure you are gonna like it.

On that note, if you are concerned about power level I wouldn't spend anything until the patch notes come out on June 23rd and/or the patch hits June 30th and we know who's getting changes.

For the the time being there are no bans. But it's something they're considering.

Well then...LOL.

What about the team league? Do teams have certain roles delegated to players? Or is it more free form like how you describe Alur?

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

1800 mmr?

Hey man, don't laugh at numbers like that, mine's gotta be somewhere around there. I've got probably 300 losses just because I refuse to stop solo queueing as Abathur

 

[Milly79]

Hey man, don't laugh at numbers like that, mine's gotta be somewhere around there. I've got probably 300 losses just because I refuse to stop solo queueing as Abathur

You don't come in here and state it's always your teammates fault though.

 

[Orochinagis]

Hey man, don't laugh at numbers like that, mine's gotta be somewhere around there. I've got probably 300 losses just because I refuse to stop solo queueing as Abathur

I feel you bro, I feel you

 

[Rhaknar]

Medic Uther bought

Man I'm gonna have a lot of new skins and heroes when I decide to play again >_>

Spoiler

And then continue to only use Li Li

 

[Alur]

Medic Uther bought

Man I'm gonna have a lot of new skins and heroes I'll never play >_>

Corrected.

 

[Rhaknar]

Corrected.

That is incorrect, I even played a bit of Kael. No Johanna yet tho

 

[patchday]

Yo, my account doesn't have a "stimpack" symbol on it. So am I not going to get the xp bonus?

 

[Pyros_Eien]

Yo, my account doesn't have a "stimpack" symbol on it. So am I not going to get the xp bonus?

Stimpack is stimpack, it's not related to the current event. You do get a free stimpack at lvl 10 though, and it stacks with the event. You'll see you get more xp at the end, just hover on the xp to see the break down.

 

[Yoshichan]

666 games

no wonder I didn't play more today

 

[Dice]

 

[patchday]

well this sucks the game has bugged out and not awarded me my stimpack for some unknown reason (you get a free one as part of the event) and I cannot figure out how to contact support. ugh.... makes me not want to play

[edit] Ok I misunderstood, they not giving us a free stimpack just bonus xp

 

[Alur]

Doooo it. You won't regret.

 

[Dice]

I did it.

Baller status obtained.

Thrall and Sylvanas will have to wait for weekly sale.

 

[ChoklitCow]

I'm glad you all brought up Nova in regards to the crazy Kael play now. I've been watching so much competitive play that I forgot I mainly play quick match and I can finally get my revenge against this late game bastard.

 

[Haly]

Pro Gazlowe

 

[Rhaknar]

I aprove

 

[Duress]

Shitters and babies

 

[Dice]

dem 270k coop games rn lol

 

[Alur]

Speaking of pro Gazlowe, play some games with GAFer Gundy.

He's the best Gazlowe I've seen running around in Quick Match. Very good stuff.

dem 270k coop games rn lol

Feels good man.

 

[Dance Inferno]

I jumped on today and won my first QM.

I immediately jumped off and played some Witcher 3. No need to tempt fate.