first : the videos from Spaßvogel are very inspiring to the feel you can get when playing her
(Frogsaron linked the “Maiev Guide” one, it’s also from Spaßvogel)
although he plays only the “cruel chains” build and it was at an era before she got a rework, it’s still up to date for the Maiev feeling
She does not essentially require a setup for her to work eventhough she won’t do much on her own vs ranged like lunara/raynor
Playing Maiev requires to get accustomed to the Q spam landing otherwise you’re gonna miss some nice dmg and a lot of value (cause it puts your enemies in an undesired stance). This literally just comes with practice and quick cast so you’re gonna stare at the shape of the Q several times in the begining^^
quickly, what she brings :
- displacement (tied to your game experience to know who to displace, where and when)
- Contextual AoE
- Chase/Ambush
- “Nullification” of an enemy with the disc
- the cage (speaks for itself)
- very good single target dmg, don’t underestimate it she can duel a lot of heroes
- wave clear, it’s very fast with a rotation of her abilities
- poke
advices :
- first I highly recommend to use quick cast for everything, otherwise it might be impossible to really play her. Maiev is a hero that is constantly moving in all the directions and launching her skillshots in the other all directions
- don’t try to land Qs un-ending-ly, instead try to land Qs only if you’re safe. Which means poking, and if you dive, with or without E, land 1 or 2 Qs while going out (however it is, if it’s with another E, running with D, …)
- think “how can I disrupt the enemies the max possible”. You can really play a game where you mess with their focus, like you launch your E to them but sometimes you blink-in, sometimes not. Sometimes you Q them, sometimes you tether them, etc etc, there’s a ton you can do. Up to you to choose what’s the best to get to the win, the goal being also to bring value by displacing them or AoE them when favorable
- both her heroics are value-full and usually there’s always one that suits better your game so try to evaluate when 10 pops which one you feel is gonna be the best asset for this game. If you’re like “we need to get to them” obviously it’s looking like a cage game, if you’re more like “man this varian is such a problem” use the disc (sort of a cocoon). There’s more scenarios for both heroics ofc but that can be a general feeling to start
- talking about the disc, it’s very good to protect from divers and save your allies (or yourself) like from a zeratul/butcher etc. Also very usefull to simply get rid of the tank that really prevents your team from doing their stuff, like a muradin or johana. Also “Gather quickly we stand as o…” shush, mosh pit, etc etc. Can be used on vehicles but it’s more a meme, can also be used on molten core ragnaros
it’s also simply an awesome catching tool, like a void prison that you can launch to a single enemy. Really this ult is amazing - try to not waste your D, in the begining you tend to spam it as a reflex whenever something is directed to you. The best is to use it to avoid the key skillshot that would put you in the worst situation possible, like a muradin’s Q that can be followed by a malfurion’s root or any stun-lock, then followed by the focus of too much dps. What I mean is, sometimes you can simply dodge a skillshot by running or blinking so it’s best to save the D if you are “trapped” in an unavoidable situation. Also the D can make you avoid stuff like Garrosh’ E, Valeera’s openers, things like this, so when you’re playing and if you have the feel that the enemy is gonna do it like now, just press D. I mean it’s the rule for every ability targeted at you that is not telegraphed like hanzo’s dragon’s arrow or hammer’s BFG, but else you won’t have the span to time it
- you can launch your E in the opposite direction of the enemies, tether 1+ of them, then E again to blink to the spirit position. It will break the tether and pull the enemies in the direction where the spirit was. It’s kind of a classic/basic stuff but it will opens your vision for more scenarios. You can do a ton, you can use the tether with or without the spirit, you can not inevitably break the tether and simply use it to proc pursuit of vengeance or to disturb your enemies when your goal is simply to aa/Q them in melee range.
You can launch the spirit in the direction where your team is flee-ing, tether the enemies and run in the opposite direction, break the tether and then blink to the spirit, meanwhile always trying to spam some Qs… that’s kind of Maiev’s typical gameplay
For the builds it’s very adaptative actually. Usually people prefere the classic “cruel chains” build
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/talent-calculator/maiev#gnLE
But you can make a build with Naisha at 1 if you feel you’ll be able to AA in melee without suffering too much damage
I like to use pin down at 4 for max AoE dmg IF the enemy team is convenient for it to work
Otherwise my favorite build that I use maybe 75%+ of the times :
https://www.heroesfire.com/hots/talent-calculator/maiev#l2LJ
I love it because it has strong single target dmg, ambush-burst, enhanced mobility. I love the AoE burst of Vengeful Knives, really this talent is so strong and combined with ruthless spirit, bwaa. And I love & always go shadow strike at 20, it’s always the perfect tool for me, catch anything in the late game or shred tanks with team follow-up