Should I have unlocked before I play competitively/ how many heroes should I have invested a good amount of time in.
I’m not asking how long it should be before I play comp. only because I can do it now. I just want to be semi prepared.
I’m sure my rank will reflect it
If you’re a good person youd have 2 tanks that you can play, 2 ranged assassins, and 2 healers. That way you can fill if team needs.
If youre a classic sl player just learn sgt hammer and nothing else
2 roles, 4 heroes on your main role, 3 on the other.
In general, a good idea and good practice is one per role. My golden rule has always been to have three; bans and other peoples’ picks can narrow down a list of heroes quickly. For instance, playing Tracer into Blinds sucks. So, you might want to be skilled or at least learned with two others in any given role. Variety is better, of course.
I’d use the Favourites option to select at least two per role like Shadow said: 2 tanks, 2 assassins (pref ranged as he said), and 2 healers. Of note in there, ETC, Raynor and Uther are all cheaper heroes to buy, and are fairly easy to learn.
Also be prepared for SALT. Bronze/silver is a cesspool.
This too. The best hero you can bring to a MOBA competitive queue is your patience. Knowing when enough is enough, when to exercise the right to remain silent, and when to stick to what you know rather than trying to make up for sloppy plays or players.
I’ve won games on the back of just soaking up exp regularly and contesting obj with allies.
I have 8 characters that I have favorited that I play in ranked.
That being said, I usually don’t end up having to tank. So I would say 6, 2 for each role, minus your least favorite role. Obviously, the more heroes you know the better, but you did ask for a minimum.
In reality if you can do 2 in tank or healer AND be a ranged assassin main thatd be fine. It can put your team in a rough spot if you refuse to tank though
Seems to be a trend thank you all for the input.
The only I can’t identify is what Is considered a solo lane hero.
Or is it any hero you decide to solo lane as.
Plus does that mean the other 4 are always rotating?
A solo laner usually means bruiser. So Imperius, Thrall, Dehaka, et cetera.
Solo lane isn’t really as clearly defined, due to not actually being a role, but it generally means having good health sustain, and decent waveclear (less important). Solo laning is about grabbing your xp while keeping the other guy from grabbing his.
Some melee assassin’s, like Alarak can solo lane, and most tanks can be talented for solo lane. I think some healers like Reghar can solo lane, but that’s rare.
As for whether the 4-man rotates, in my experience, usually not. They probably do in higher ranks, but I wouldn’t worry about it yet
EDIT: forgot to mention that ranged dos can solo plane too.
Other can explain but if you dont play a solo laner thats not an issue. Of all the roles its the least important to have a hero in.
Ranged assassins like Falsad, Fenix and Zagara can solo lane, too.
The 4 man splits from min 1 to soak every lane where the solo lane isn’t and they get camps. Sometimes, they finish a camp, but can time it accordingly to the timing and map objective.
Here’s a good read: Camp Timings and XP Resource - Google Sheets
When you split from your team to handle one or two lanes, it means you’re the solo laner. There is no limit to who can solo lane, but there are heroes that do it much better due to being able to sustain themselves in the lane, being able to double soak (caring for 2 lanes of exp instead of 1), or just straight up bully the other hero out of their lane (imperius).
Typically this role is for bruisers, but you can use some odd ball characters like Zeratul, Murky, etc. I’d recommend watching some top tier play like FanHOTS or other Master/GM players when they do solo lane because it really is an extremely important role that has some complexities.
Would you consider Deathwing a solo laner then?
I feel like his wave clear is really good.
As far as denying the enemy it seems hit or miss
And he sucks at camps
Id find at least 1 or 2 favorites in each role before starting.
Hes not the best. You have a hard time sustaining your self in the top lane but any time thats not an issue his global teleport can make up for it.
He’s my favourite hero but I’m not fully sure exactly what kind of role I need to play…
He definately seems like the fight initiator though
Yes, hard to gank, enough sustain, clears waves efficiently. He doesn’t need to do camps, his 4 man can do it for him.
He gets super rekt by alot of top laners so you gotta play it safe and just oneshot waves with Q all day. once the teamfights start tho he really gets to shine. I would take him in maps where teamfights happen often like cursed hallow of volskya and avoid him in maps like dragon shrines and braxis. (altho if you get to go bot in braxis hes ok)
I think Lucifer is more in line with what is actually useful versus this fantasy that everyone loves to spout that you have to play a couple for each role. Learning different roles and heroes takes time and practice. And practicing too many, actually often dilutes the quality of your practice and maintaining a higher standard. You can have some back up heroes, but don’t think it’s actually going to help you long term if you’re not good at them.
The skills to be good in one aren’t always easily transferrable and can actually teach you bad habits in another. It’s better to be focused in a couple good things you’re at rather than being under the delusion you’ll be good at all roles, because you probably won’t be.
As a healer, I just do not care about soaking all that much, but it IS important for most other roles. I’m super aggressive as a healer because I know I always take it to the line if I can. As an assassin, I play that way, I’ll just end up dying because I don’t know where that line is for the person that is healing me.
I’ve really been enjoying the Anduin I get in brawl