Longer W on first lvl with AAS on 7 and AoE ult on 10/20 with W talents and 13/16 lvl and bribe on 4 lvl.
My usual build is:
Covert Ops, Rapid Projection, OitC, Precision Strike, Double Tap, Crippling Shot, Precision Barrage
If we have auto attackers on team:
Covert Ops, Holo Stability, AAS, Precision Strike, Double Tap, Lethal Decoy, Rewind
this is what this build can do: AAS build Nova with Lethal Decoy and Rewind. - YouTube
Although that Rehgar was a bit AFK… (this is from the days I was still trying to figure out what build works best when, so I took it without my team having any auto attackers)
Then I occasionally go Snipe build if the enemy team is too beefy for me to burst down:
Covert Ops/Advanced Cloaking, Rapid Projection/Bribe, Perfect Shot, Precision Strike/Tripple Tap, Psionic Efficiency, Explosive Rounds, ult upgrade.
It may look like numbers, but I don’t think it adds up.
Man long shot is my go to and the only talent I pick at level 1. I don’t even think twice abt it.
I play nova as a utility support and long shot is so important as it makes her W (which is a very important ability) more accessible and readily available cause you don’t need to be right next to enemies. Long shot allows you to get the final shot on low health enemies, slow ppl down so allies can engage or kill, lower their armor, peel for your allies, etc. It is THE support ability in Nova’s kit.
I’ve tried covert ops cause the slow is quite good on paper but the loss of range hurts too much for me and for a sniper with low range doesn’t make sense to me.
You say it isn’t novas job to finish targets but it kinda is. She maybe isn’t as good as illidan or genji but she has increased movement speed, long range, big burst, and both ults can secure kills from huge range. She is really good for finishing targets off.
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Since we’re talking builds, my go to build is usually Longshot, bribe, Q, PS, Q, Q and rewind. This is by far the build I’m most successful with. I like to pressure frontlines a lot with Nova instead of going for squishies. With Q build you do that really well and just roll over the enemy team once the tanks are unable to do anything. With Q build I always get top damage and most kills, and still getting good amount of soak. I played the other builds before, was never really successful like I am with Q, even though I won most games with them as well.
my favourite build is:
Longshot / either Covert Mission or Holo Stability depends on the map / Anti-Armor Shells / Precision Strike / Double Tap / Crippling Shot / Precision Barrage
Longshot is awesome for chasing targets cause of the range it has or also for slowing enemies that are chasing your teammate. double tap makes it even better cause you slow 2 targets rather than 1 or use both on same target 1 after another while you have Crippling Shot for armor reduction! Nova get’s the job done any time anywhere! 
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Exactly. Like a lot of heroes nova’s build path is defined by her level 1 choice. Both are viable when picked in the right circumstances.
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Anti Armor as a talent is fine, in fact its one of the better ones, it keeps you moving, poke on the target you want, not picking this talent for certain assassins too is a big loss in damage and being flexible, OiTC main issue is that you stay too exposed that you would risk yourself getting killed.
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I see Nova as having 3 viable build paths.
You can build snipe, it’s reliable sustain damage, it’s wave clear for late game, it’s helpful in team fights, it’s her default build and good for learning her.
You can build gank/burst/cov-ops and play a lone - wolf style. Focus on roaming, stealing enemy camps with bribe and ganking solo heroes who over extend.
You can build a team support sniper. Double slows, Anti-Armor, Long range finisher. Let your sustain do the hard work and clean up at the end.
If I can be bothered ill add the talents I think work for these builds later.
Snipe build:
Level 1: advanced cloaking, or longshot.
Level 4: holo stability, or rapid projection
Level 7: perfect shot
Level 10: precision strike
Level 13: psionic efficiency
Level 16: explosive rounds
Level 20: precision barrage
Cov-ops build
Level 1: covert ops
Level 4: bribe
Level 7: OitC
Level 10: triple tap
Level 13: double tap
Level 16: crippling shot (I never take the holo talent here, is it good? IDK.)
Level 20: rewind, or fast reload if the enemy has no triple tap answer.
Support sniper
Level 1: longshot.
Level 4: rapid projection
Level 7: AA shells
Level 10: precision strike
Level 13: double tap
Level 16: edit: Either explosive rounds or lethal decoy
Level 20: precision barrage
There!!
I see that I never take the second holo talent, or the useless armor talent, but otherwise quite good talent diversity here.
Be keen to debate if these builds are good, could be improved etc.
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Gee how much Nova mains are out there?
Were are the li mings main that need to tell us orb build is the trap talents!!
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Only trap talent mentioned here can be Covert Ops.
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Certain things should never be considered.
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Holy Hell, WHY?!
W + AA + Q + decoy damage deals:
834 dmg with just AAS
929 dmg with AAS + Crippling Shot
1062 dmg with AAS + Lethal Decoy
1365 dmg with AAS + Lethal Decoy, if you also use your Ghost Protocol (enough to 100-0 a hero like Valla)
804 dmg with OitC + Crippling Shot (and extra 202 for every additional basic attack, so you get more value out of OitC, compared to AAS after just 1 more basic attack)
Exactly seeing people take this combo of talents triggers me to write such threads!
Longshot is absolutly the least situational of the talents, and adds tons of value during a TF, and even for picking out laners when you on the rare occation don’t have to soak up lanes for your (What can only be assumed to be) crippled team mates, it also lessens your dead time during a teamfight at tunnel maps where you gotta be more aware of bruisers and tight spots.
Covert ops often got WAY to situational and the “After 4 seconds” part of the talent does not help.
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So you mean to say you are constantly attacking stuff as Nova, not flanking and setting up ambushes?
I really don’t understand why are people so afraid of this “after 4 seconds” part, when Nova’s playstyle is basically to set up a gank/ambush, exhaust her abilities and move to set up another one.
Constantly doing something*
Running from lane to lane soaking mostly, and hitting camps.
Would probably be ganking more if people were not so horrible at the game on my smurf 
(Which currently sits in Diamond)
It’s not that Covert Ops is a bad talent on paper, it’s just that it is situational, has limits and doesn’t add mad values compared to both the other talents.
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Im rather looking for both.
If you can win the game with ganks, sure. If not and TFs/obj are also relevant, the uptime of this talent is atrocious. So Im supposed to lose damage for slow? Meh, other heroes can do it at lower/no opportunity cost. Now imagine enemy offlaner is Blaze. Yeah, slow stronk.
Covert Ops is major trap talent if picked brainlessly and while you can say this about many talents (Advanced Cloaking) Longshot is defitenitely complete opposite.
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combo first Precision Strike on the target then W asap lowering it’s armor > followed by 1 AA + Q > dead. i don’t ever pick the decoy damage talent tbh
How exactly do you lose DAMAGE for slow? I read the description of the talent several times and didn’t see anything about damage. Only range.
And do you mean to tell me you stay out of enemy’s range, use W + AA + Q then keep staying out of their range till you can W again?
I really don’t see how is Longshot any useful in TFs, as it only increases the range of your 1-st AA. You still need to move closer for your follow up AAs. It’s quite useless for TFs I must say.
You can achieve that with OitC too, I must say. Without having the anti-synergy of your talents.
In order to get value from Covert Ops you cant use abilities or AA for several seconds (depends on build and GP but still).