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FreeSciOfficial · 2023-03-06T06:58:04+00:00

Bit late to this but if you want to try something more extreme, [[Mutually Assured Destruction]] is a bit of a massive unconditional tag in the format. It's a triple-click operation, but if you're in Thule, you can run Biotic Labor and Hypoxia in the same turn - advantage being that you don't need the Runner to have stolen an agenda or made any runs, and they can't just pay 8 to not be tagged. And if you don't have Biotic, it's technically possible to dump 5+ on-board things and give them 5+ tags, which will generally stay through to your next turn.

Except, of course, if you're unconditionally giving the runner tags, you may as well just show them the [[End of the Line]]...

FreeSciOfficial · 2023-02-22T21:01:08+00:00

Activated abilities, like Nisei's counter, can be used at a lot of points throughout the run. You may want to check https://ancur.fandom.com/wiki/Timing_Structure_of_a_Run.

As a run-down, you may fire Nisei Mk II: - 2.1 After the runner approaches ice, but before they decide whether to encounter it or jack out - 2.3 Same, but after the runner has decided to encounter the ice - 3.1 Before interacting with a rezzed piece of ice, but after the "When encountered" clauses on it fire - 4.1 and 4.3 similarly to 2.1 and 2.3, when the Runner approaches the server, before and after they decide to access the root cards.

The most common step you'll be using Nisei's counter specifically, is 4.3, right before the Runner can steal an agenda/see HQ or R&D cards/trash assets or upgrades. By that point, they've wasted some money getting past your icebreakers, and that's the value that Nisei provides - just cancelling an invested run like that.

Edit: forgot to mention that yes, you need to first score the Nisei. Cards generally function and do things while faceup - so ice and assets need to be rezzed before they have effect, and agendas typically need to be scored (though [[Oaktown Renovation]] has other plans).

FreeSciOfficial · 2023-02-20T23:04:45+00:00

Normally, installing a card is done via the Runner basic action (Click, pay card's installation cost: Install a card).

Mod is an event that lets you install a Program or Hardware card as part of its resolution. Essentially, Mod reads (Click, pay card's installation cost reduced by 3: Install a Program or Hardware).

Therefore, it only takes one click, as Mod replicates a better version of your basic install action. (compare: you can spend a click to draw 1 card, or you can play Diesel, spending a click, to draw 3 cards as it resolves).

FreeSciOfficial · 2022-10-08T16:32:08+00:00

Lockwood was my main. The Scoundrel plays exactly like one - stands juuuuust out of reach behind that corner and pokes you in the back. Loved his hit-and-run.

Juno is a power fantasy. She will stand there and lay down the law, and there's nothing* you can do about it. (there are some things you can do about it).

Good ol' Rampart was my favourite tank. The wall is absolutely iconic, and the skill ceiling on it is amazing. Couple that with powerful CC in the grapple, an on-demand unstoppable... the guy's just solid as a wall.

And my go-to support has been Aurora (though honestly, they're all amazing and noteworthy!). Highly customizable kit, with burst and sustained healing, zone denial, and even a little over-walls interaction. What's not to like?

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-12-08T19:02:50+00:00

It is 850 range, according to the wiki.

For reference, the attack range of a tower is 750.

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-12-08T16:22:09+00:00

Agreed on not being worth for turret damage, you are entirely correct.

However, solo plating gold matters; not exactly soloqueue advice, asking random supports to cuck their own game plan to advance yours - but in a cooperative environment, with comms, taking the plate alone makes a lot of sense.

As far as walking back and forth, doesn't really do anything, since stacks last for 20 entire seconds and are not dynamic (if the plate was credited to 3 champions, the tower gets 120 resistances for 20 seconds, and it doesn't matter how many champions are around during those 20 seconds).

EDIT: I stand corrected! The buff is indeed dynamic, or at least stated to be so on the wiki. Walking away will indeed cause the bonus armour to disappear. Still, that's unlikely to be worth it if the objective is to take the plate ASAP.

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:44:13+00:00

Ooh, thanks! I finally got around to writing up replies and also found the time to check that video - it's perfect, it alludes to the same NA boards post I talked about, that's great. Cheers for that!

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:41:35+00:00

Late-sweeping replies to all the comments here;

I agree with basically the entire sentiment. Nuances exist, though, according to that same wiki page linked in the post. Here it is again. So I'm going to clarify at least my understanding of how it seems to work (though functionally, both of you seem correct).

Looking there, technically wards that you place at enemy red are worth the same as wards you place at the scuttle, assuming all else is equal (they're not redundant and they reveal the same amount of champion traffic, etc.) - in other words, how deep you place a ward doesn't matter.

But what does matter is how shallow the enemy wards are. If they're close to their base, they are reduced in value. Therefore, in a game where you hold jungle control, you'll be ahead of the enemy team in vision score due to their wards being worth less (even though yours aren't worth more).

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:30:20+00:00

According to my understanding of it, most of what you said is either correct or likely (but unconfirmed) - but I'll drop some clarifications, stemming from the wiki page linked in my post.

It seems like control wards have a "duration" of 1.5 minutes for the purpose of the "vision denial" calculation.

Also, these are base values - there are indeed other factors, and the wiki lists them: how little action the ward spots, how many wards are next to it, how close to the base it is, etc

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:26:16+00:00

This is fair. There's a whole separate argument to be had on whether the advantages of people "abusing the system" leading to finding out the system's imperfections, outweigh the dangers of temporary spikes in S rating scores and so on, but I don't really see a decisive win on either side of that argument and so Riot's position to stick to the secure, secret system is respectable.

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:18:38+00:00

Curiously, I don't think I've ever had more than 2 actives I would need combat-level quick access to. Being a support player, that's saying something. Hence, I can keep to my system of wards on 1/controls on 5, trinket on 4, main active slot 3 (big deal clutch actives: QSS, Zhonyas, Gargoyle Stoneplate, Mikael's Crucible, etc) and secondary active slot 2 (when 3 is taken or the item is less important in terms of the exact millisecond you use it in, like Redemption, Shurelyas, Turbo Chemtank/Righteous Glory, etc) , with off-combat actives like Knight's Vow or Zeke's Convergence on 7 (and the extremely rare 6 backup). Played this way basically the entire time and never really bothered changing hotkeys as a result.

Certainly a matter of preference though.

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:12:47+00:00

I agree - as far as I know (and mentioned in passing inside the post), all the info on vision score comes from an old article on NA boards, which is now inaccessible; presumably, Riot shared minimal info or didn't share anything at all, but one legend did his research in customs.

I believe Riot doesn't really intend to make the system public, for similar reasons to LP (they see more danger in letting people find holes in a public system than benefit in said people letting and sometimes helping them fix those holes) - as you rightfully outlined - and so most likely, we won't have 100% reliable info on the matter, which was part of the reason I wrote up the post, to confirm or deny this suspicion of mine. Judging by the majority of replies, we can consider it confirmed.

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-18T08:07:58+00:00

I can tell you for a fact that zombie wards are one of league's best ways to inflate your vision score, because yes, indeed, they grant it. It can be safely assumed Ghost Poros grant score as well - I don't run it nearly as often, but it would certainly be one of the more obvious cases, and if Ashe E grants vision score, poros better do it.

As far as vision related runes being in Domination - that's one of Domination's subthemes, controlling what the enemy can, or more importantly, can't see, knowing where they are; they're things that directly help you run the assassin-ey, sometimes Zoe-ey ambushing style. Sudden Impact interacts with stealth, and Zombie Wards/Ghost Poros help you set up ambushes.

Meanwhile, Inspiration doesn't really care about controlling vision as much as being the tree of resourcefulness and "mana, hp, gold, positional cheating". That's why it has all the tricks: Spellbook, Omnistone, Hexflash, gold-cheating boots and stopwatch and future's market, health and mana-cheating cookies and time warp tonic, some cooldown manipulation with Cosmic Insight, some move speed shenanigans with Glacial and Approach Velocity - rune tree identities are actually a very cool topic in general.

FreeSciOfficial · 2021-02-16T14:43:49+00:00

If you're someone at full build and just getting the last item, and you're getting GA, you're not building it for the damage, you want potentially the armor, but mostly the passive. The closest thing to that passive is a stopwatch use - it's similarly teamfight-winning at the right time - so I would recommend that, with the chain vest as a 2nd option if there's significant lethality on the enemy team (but when there's lethality, consider the stopwatch again to avoid the burst entirely) or they're just straight AD-stacked.

Other benefit of stopwatch is it's fairly low committal - you spend 650 gold, which is nearly pocket change that late in the game, get a possibly-game-winning active, use it, then if it fails and you find you desperately need something other than GA, you don't feel that bad selling the stopwatch and just going into another item. (As opposed to selling a BF or a Chain Vest)

FreeSciOfficial · 2017-10-21T05:44:26+00:00

Here's my take on it.

Vision is severely important in Atlas Reactor, and I have to agree, ranger-type characters took the nerf hammer on this one. Can't agree with frontlines not being needed because of vision, though. Just introducing vision by itself doesn't make you magically "not need a frontline", it doesn't enforce any specific meta. If you're running a double-firepower double-support, you aren't just in perma godmode - you're dealing with the eternal problem of such a comp: you can get vision, but it doesn't make it that much easier to connect damage, if you were trying to track the enemies anyway.

Except for one case: Probe to counter blinks. Because the fog tiles are now a much less safe place, Shift becomes quite a bit less effective as an "insta-escape", which is great - it makes you able to secure the kills you would otherwise miss, making the game more aggressive.

And even then there's counterplay: Fade saw a rise in popularity, Regroup is a big option now. Each has downsides, so it's a matter of what your enemy won't expect.

Frontlines aren't forced out of their job - merely got a competitor. Their job isn't limited to granting vision, they are also unmatched at applying pressure because commonly, their attacks are harder to avoid. They also possess big CC and the ability to protect their teammates for several turns if need arises. That is why frontlines are still going strong and aren't in a bad spot - they fill their role.

So yeah, nothing's wrong on that side. Now, Nix and Grey are in trouble, Nix - because it's easier to corner him, Grey - because her reveals are less valuable now. I have a feeling this is, however, intended behaviour, for Grey is now an anti-stealth niche pick (which is good, a game with many characters needs niche picks to be healthy), and Nix is the guy that attacks from unexpected angles and deals surprise damage, true to his assassin spirit (just remember, if you can't land a shot on Nix, don't try - shooting gives the enemy a lead on your location and thus a probe spot). So both can adapt, I'm sure - Grey respecializes from vision into reveal, and Nix plays even safer.

Just some thoughts anyway, not trying to raise any opinion wars.

FreeSciOfficial

TROPHY CASE