1. Introduction 2. Abilities and Heroic Perk 3. The Threat Meter 4. The Items 4.1 Core Items 4.2 Aggressive Core 4.3 Defense Items 4.4 Utility Items 5. Ability Use 6. Synergies 6.1 Jungle Heroes 6.2 Carry Heroes 6.3 Good Adagio Comps 7. Captain Game play 7.1 Early Game 7.2 Mid Game 7.3 Late Game 7.4 Aggressive Adagio 8. Links 9. Thanks for reading...

Heyo. I main Captain on Vainglory and have been doing so for about a year now. I don't think I'm the best support but I don't think I'm the worst either!

Adagio really is a strong hero! He can make fighting a real pickle for his enemies. He can devastate teams dependent on their re positioning with his ult. He can make sure his allies are healthy while keeping his enemies unhealthy with the same ability. He really is an amazing support. The fact that his difficulty level is hard only means he is awesome in my opinion. Usually if the difficulty level is hard, they are awesome when mastered!

Update Thoughts (2.3)

Adagio received some nerfs this patch, but trust me he is still an effective roamer. His range was reduced by 0.2 but he still has 1 of the best ranges in the game. His burst heal may have been reduced by 20 but trust me that means nothing if you can effectively use it with a good sustainer ( Krul, Ozo, Blackfeather, etc.).

I finally have a screen recorder that I can use to record Vainglory. I will try to make a video on how to use Adagio and his abilities soon. I still have school to do so it may come along at a slow pace but hang tight, it's on its way!

Please give me any kind of feedback you have in the comments. It really helps me figure out what you liked or didn't like about this guide and even to help me fix some mistakes. Thanks! :)

Adagio has a really nice set of abilities. They allow him to play the part of a defensive healer while also playing there part of an offensive sniper. His perk will come in handy in a team fight most of the time. Use them correctly and you could easily win a team fight!

Let's look at his Heroic Perk:

ARCANE RENEWAL(Roll over icon for stats and description) Seems useless at first, but it really has a lot of potential in team fights. The fact that all you have to do is attack a minion/treant/enemy hero/crystal miner/gold miner/kraken with arcane flame on it to regenerate energy is really useful in the team fights. While enemy Lyra is starting to lose her energy on her basic attacks and constant heals, you can spam your heal for days!!!! (NOTE: proper use of this perk is necessary. You can't just attack any enemy hero simply because they have arcane flame and you can't just spam your A expecting to regen the wasted energy off. I'll explain more in ability use.)

GIFT OF FIRE(Roll over icon for stats and description) This is a pretty effective tool for team fights or lane pressure. In team fights the arcane flame this applies hits the enemy heroes damaging them and giving you more energy for all the hits they take. In the lane you should hit a minion close to the enemy hero with this ability (making sure that you wont need until cooldown is up) to apply flame to them and mess up their farm. I'm sure a lot of people think that Imperial Sigil is more effective and why you should just pick Lyra for healing, but I will explain how they are both situational later. This is one heck of an ability for defense, offense, cc (crowd control), and making your ult super effective. (NOTE: Take note of the fact that when you use this ability on yourself, it slows down any enemy heroes who get hit by the arcane flame. I will try to explain how to use this in ability use.)

AGENT OF WRATH(Roll over icon for stats and description) This is certainly your snowball ability. It holds a powerful late game on Adagio, giving him a real power boost to his basic attacks. Why? Because early game no one has armor to stand up to Adagio when he has empowered basic attacks. Mid to late game is when you can start using this on your carry/jungle because by then, they should certainly have at least one t3 item. This ability is useful to spam right after Gift of Fire because, if you rolled over the icon and observed the stats, this does more damage if the selected target has arcane flame on them.

VERSE OF JUDGEMENT(Roll over icon for stats and description) The most effective ability in this kit when it comes to cc. Verse of Judgement packs a really good punch even with a captain build. It has a dreadful charging time on it that makes it easily the most predictable ability in the game, but find ways around that and you can make it one of the most powerful protector abilities. And if it wasn't good enough by itself, chained with a well placed/timed Gift of Fire it can stun enemies who, if you rolled over the icon you should know, arcane flame! Easily a winning ability when you can use it to its fullest at the right time. (NOTE: I will talk about some very important things with this ability later in the guide. I insist that you read it if you want to be able to use this ability effectively!)

These abilities have a very high team utility in my opinion. You need incredibly good synergy/team work to make these abilities work at their best. Adagio does not have "hard" next to his difficulty level for no reason however, so I advise you take plenty of time to practice with him, and his abilities!

I am putting a chapter about the threat meter here because I want to talk about the heroes I put in it, the ones I didn't, and the reason they are in the zones they are. I will just divide this into 3 different sections that I hope aren't to complicated or hard to read.



GREEN ZONE

These threats I wont even talk about to much. Anyone I put in the green zone shouldn't be to much of a problem. They are the ones who can't interfere with your ult to much. They can't really pose a threat to your team utility, or they can't handle how easily you can heal off your team's taken damage. For instance, a Flicker cant really mess with an Adagio at all! 1) Because by now everyone has pretty much figured Flicker out and his tricks are now left for the lower tiers, casual, and blitz. I'm sure some of you are wondering how Ardan, 1 of the top 3 protectors, could be in green. Well Ardan doesn't really threaten Adagio. Healing is certainly better than a barrier in a lot of situations and Agent of Wrath is better because it can be applied to a team mate who already does a lot of damage rather than Blood for Blood which only works on Ardan. Ardan also has an ult that is suicidal to attempt on an Adagio as his ult will just fill up the whole Gauntlet either stunning Ardan and his allies or just forcing them out of their own Gauntlet period. Overall, green zone should be either easy to beat, or at least pose little threat to you.


YELLOW ZONE

The heroes in this zone should make you a little wary. They can mess with your abilities than green zone can. These guys have abilities that can really destroy you when you attempt to do Verse of Judgement. Or they can mess with your healing, and make your healing worthless through either a Poisoned Shiv or huge amounts of damage that the heal cant keep up with. For instance, Rona. A fed and well kept Rona can deal damage faster than you can heal. A smart Rona will wait for you to do Verse of Judgement and then chain all of her abilities on you and just destroy you. These guys can make your heal worthless if your not careful! A bit of team work is required here if you want to win some fights or else the victory rate will be 50/50.


RED ZONE



These guys are your worst enemies!!! You should be on constant alert with them. They are a threat to you in one big way: they all can cancel your Verse of Judgement or at the very least cripple you while your team suffers. It is best advised to get a reflex block/crucible/aegis against these heroes to combo with your ult. A really rough time though will be if you end up against a Catherine. A really smart Catherine will silence you so you cant block a chained stun. Against a Catherine as Adagio it is best to get the normal Crucible to use on her silence and also a Reflex Block or Aegis so that you can use it if she tries to stun you. I should know, almost every time I pick Adagio whether it is blind or draft I end up against a Catherine 90% of the time (true story). With these guys, always load your inventory with a double reflex block, one for your team and one for you, or wait and see what they do. If you figure out their tactics, you should be able to avoid anything serious.


CATHERINE


Catherine holds a nice place in this threat meter because (in my opinion anyway) she is your ultimate threat! She can stun you which prevents you from helping your team (if you are Adagio as a roam, its very likely your team will depend on you) and she has a silence that does the same thing. Both have pretty low cool down timers. In the middle of a team fight its very hard to time her stun/silence so blocking can be really tricky. I would have actually labeled another hero as a worse threat but I'm seeing Catherine start to make a comeback into the ranked/casual games. Luckily, I seem to end up against a Catherine as Adagio a lot (no lie. Even in blind picks I have terrible luck.) and I have developed some useful tactics to ignore if not counter her.

For a start, your going to have to try and use your early game leverage to its limit. Catherine is a heavy late gamer, meaning she has a very poor early game. Her energy costs are massive, her defense is next to none, a single mistimed/aimed stun can kill her, and even just being present can get her killed since she is fairly vulnerable at first. Taking advantage of this can really help in the long run. Another thing to do is to adapt. By adapt, I mean pay very close attention to her. Learning any mistakes she makes can help a lot. Kind of obvious but just thought I'd throw it out there.

The biggest thing you can do with Catherine is learn! If she just charges after you at the start of every team fight then use a Reflex Block when you engage. If she baits out the Reflex Block then try not to use it till you are sure she will attack you. If she uses her silence to bait out your Crucible so that she can cancel your Verse of Judgement then a good idea would be to get an Aegis so that you have twice the block. Does she snare you with vision? Then buy flares and sniff out the scout traps. All it really comes down to with a Catherine is to keep 2 blocks in handy and to adapt and learn! Seems useless and you might already know this, but I know that for some of you will be letting loose a sigh of relief now that you can play Adagio even with a Catherine on the enemy team! (NOTE: 1 of the biggest leverages Catherine has in the game is vision! It makes it easier for her to rush right in and stun who she wants. I suggest that, even if you don't buy flares, you should at least look in every bush or every corner that would be a good place for some vision.)

anyone I did not mention is either ineffective against Adagio, is 50/50 when it comes to dealing with them, or I haven't taken the time to observe their effects on Adagio. I hopefully will add more to the threat meter.

With Adagio, you should be getting a mix of tank and team wide support with your items. A good Adagio will have enough health to heal his team efficiently, enough defense to be able to tank most enemy damage, and enough team wide defense to keep them alive too. If you have observed an Adagio who is keeping his team alive well and is almost impossible to kill by himself, then they probably got their build spot on with what I said.



CORE ITEMS


Adagio should have core item's similar to Lyra with the exception of 1 item. He needs to focus on items that jack his health up so he can heal a lot more. He can get other item's earlier if he want's, but that is situational and I will talk about it when I get to those item's. Here are the core item's you should get in the order they are presented in:

FOUNTAIN OF RENEWAL(Roll over icon for stats and description) This is a must for all protectors, with the exception or Lyra. This item has a great use with Adagio since 1) His heal can only hit one ally at a time and this hits both. 2) He can heal one ally with both Gift of Fire and Fountain of Renewal giving them a super heal! Timing with this item is crucial. Use it to late and your allies die because they didn't receive it in time. Use it to early and your allies won't receive enough of heal. I will leave a video in the links chapter on how to use this item.

CRUCIBLE(Roll over icon for stats and description) This item is usually bought second with Adagio if you can help it. It offers him more health or his heal, and a team wide reflex block for those annoying cc attacks. Try not to use this item if your getting hit by a single target stun/root. Chances are, as the protector, you should be able to tank some of the damage that comes your way. Get an Aegis if your getting attacked by a Merciless Pursuit, but don't waste the team wide Crucible on yourself!

WAR TREADS(Roll over icon for stats and description) This item is usually bought third, but under certain circumstance could be bough fourth or fifth. Never save it till last though! This is because Adagio doesn't have the best movement speed in the game. He has a very slow start, and even just Sprint Boots can help him out greatly. It is always best to build into this item as a core because of all the health it gives you and the movement speed as well. Remember that this item is also useful for your team. You should only use it for your team if either the enemy team is getting away from you or the enemy team is winning a team fight and chasing you. You can also use it to get to objectives faster, but you should make sure that you won't have to use this item to soon after that.

NULLWAVE GAUNTLET(Roll over icon for stats and description) I put this into the core for Adagio because it is super helpful to his Verse of Judgement. I can tell you this as an Adagio player that Verse of Judgement is predictable. It will be blocked 99% of the time you attempt to use it. Getting Nullwave Gauntlet is a big help to you as i prevents a Crucible from coming out. I put this down as a fourth item, but you can delay or it if the enemy captain isn't doing so well with his/her Crucible timing. You can also speed it up if you feel that most of your attempts at using Verse of Judgement are being blocked. It's a very "on my own time" item. You can get it whenever you feel it is necessary. Though it does make your life easier.

AGGRESSIVE CORE ITEMS

These are the items you should get if you want to take the damage path. (NOTE: I will explain a few things about the damage path in the Captain Game play chapter. I recommend you read what I have to say since I feel it is important.)

ALTERNATING CURRENT(Roll over icon for stats and description) You should definitely get this if you want to do damage with adagio. You might think it slightly worthless when you first get it, but then I encourage you to try it with Agent of Wrath. The combination is devastating, applying a lot of damage to the enemy team. This is especially useful against carry heroes and/or squishy jungle heroes. (NOTE: This is mostly to replace Stormcrown. If you wish to replace something else for this item, you may do so but Stormcrown is my recommended swap.)

SHATTERGLASS(Roll over icon for stats and description) Get this if you want to deal even more damage. The added Crystal Power should make your Agent of Wrath even more deadly, while also adding a better ratio to your heal per second, burst heal, and arcane flame damage on Gift of Fire. (NOTE: Getting this item will mean replacing a second captain item. I will explain how you should get this item later.)

HALCYON CHARGERS(Roll over icon for stats and description) The aggressive path calls for this item over wartreads because aggressive Adagio can use the cooldown, energy regen, and extra energy to his advantage. You can still use wartreads if you want, but I recommend these for the reason I said.

DEFENSE ITEMS

Other than the defense items in the core, these are some items you should think about getting.

ATLAS PAULDRON(Roll over icon for stats and description) This item is okay with Adagio. It isn't on his core, but you should get this item second or third if the situation calls for it. Generally, you will probably always be getting this. What you need to determine is when you need to get it. If you are up against a Ringo or WP krull who could pose a threat, you should think about getting this third. If you are up against a something like a Rona, you don't need to rush it to fast since 1) most Rona players will be spamming their Foesplitter and Red Mist so all you can really do with an atlas is delay the build up of rage and 2) Rona is pretty 50/50 with Adagio, so unless she is posing an even worse threat than normal, you don't really need the atlas. As I said, you should always buy this though, no matter how "worthless" an enemy may seem!

METAL JACKET(Roll over icon for stats and description) This is an okay buy for Adagio since its extra armor should stack nicely on to an atlas, and even if you don't get an atlas it still gives you armor. I would recommend getting this AND an atlas if you feel their is to much WP damage for you to take. This is a situational item which you should only get either if you don't feel the need for an atlas or if you do feel the need for double armor.

AEGIS(Roll over icon for stats and description) Normally, I try to avoid buying an Aegis. Nothing against more shielding, but I usually just depend on a Crucible for the extra shielding. However, with Adagio this item is supreme for avoiding stuns to your ult without wasting Crucible. The extra shield is also useful if you end up against a Koshka, cp Skye, or even cp Alpha. Certainly a go to item if you end up against someone who wont stop either targeting you for their stuns or damaging you with their CP build.

UTILITY ITEMS

STORMCROWN(Roll over icon for stats and description) This item is pretty good for Adagio to snowball with. I always get this with Adagio, but I try to play a more aggressive snowballing type Adagio. Stormcrown is strictly for when you want to play a little more aggressive. It is also really good for taking out objectives faster. When this is combined with Agent of Wrath, you can shred the enemy carry. If you want to play passively, I don't totally recommend this item. You could get it fore wave clear or objectives, but if you are using Adagio in the captain role it is certainly more for snowballing. If you do wish to get this item, get it as your fourth.

CONTRAPTION(Roll over icon for stats and description) You should always get this item for Adagio. It is good for his cool down timers, and his overall vision. You should get this item fifth or last as it isn't a high priority. If you are dealing with a stealth ( Taka, Kestrel, Flicker), however, you could get it as low as your second item. I recommend it as your third though!. If you see an Adagio (or any protector for that matter) get a Contraption first, know matter how much vision you have to look for remember that they set themselves up for a rough start since you got Fountain of Renewal first! If this happens, just buy plenty of flares to root out their vision. I recommend practicing on getting by with only a contraption for vision. Starting off though, you can get a contraption for 3 scout traps and save an item slot for 5 flares.

SHIVERSTEEL(Roll over icon for stats and description) Traditionally, this isn't a usual item for Adagio. He has his own built in slow down (I'll explain this in ability use) on Gift of Fire. If you feel the need though, you can get this item. It's activation is pointless in most situations though, since you can just use an already accessible ability. Beginners who are having trouble with the slow down tactic can buy this if they want. Just don't do it if you can easily catch up to the enemy team. This is a situational item meant for when your team isn't sticky enough, not for making your team overkill sticky!

That about sums up my items chapter. I might add to it since I feel this is slightly incomplete. Hope it was helpful.

Adagio has a set of abilities that they in themselves are easy to use. Mastering these abilities is the hard part. You have to know when to do them, how to do them, and who to do them on! A misfired ability for Adagio could literally mean the whole team fight since his abilities have a heavy team utility.

I apologize for not having a way to record game play. It would make explaining this a lot simpler. I will try to describe these as best as I can, while also looking out for video's on these subjects.

ARCANE RENEWAL

This isn't an ability, but it deserves a spot in this chapter because it needs to be used properly. As Adagio, this perk is your difference between keeping allies alive or making them die. Adagio is incredibly energy hungry. Even with a Stormcrown and Contraption combined he can use all his energy up in no time. Proper use of this ability can keep you from having to get an Energy Battery or Clockwork. To properly use this, you must decide when is the best time to cast an ability. For instance, is it a good time to cast Agent of Wrath on your carry so they can push minion waves farther up to enemy turret? Or should you use it when the enemy carry has attacked your carry and you already have applied arcane flame to the enemy carry? You need to be really careful with this perk. Don't just spam your heal or your damage amplifier simply because of this perk. Think it through. Decide when would be a good time. Make sure that someone has arcane flame on them before you absolutely spam your abilities!


GIFT OF FIRE

This is the ability I see most misused on Adagio. Many people think that just because their carry/jungle is hurt they should just spam this ability on them. Well that isn't always the case. For starters, think about this: Is your carry/jungle probably gonna recall back to base? Can they at least farm a medic/treant to get their health back?
One thing that you will see a good Adagio use is the little trick to this ability. When done on himself, it slows all targets that were hit with the arcane flame. Finding clever ways to use this to your advantage can win you team fights. A good time to do this is if the enemy team tries to walk into the same bush your team is in so you ambush them. Most of the time, the enemy team will try to run and put some distance between you and them that they can fight in. This little trick prevents them from doing that. Chain it with your Agent of Wrath, and you can surely start chunking them down.
It is also vital to remember that this ability applies arcane flame to surrounding targets. Find anyway you can to apply this affect. This is why you shouldn't just heal your krull or Ozo when they are hurt but not near the enemy team. You need to find ways to use both sides of this ability to your advantage. For instance, if your Ozo is engaging the enemy team and uses his Acrobounce or bang-a-rang, then would be a perfect time to use this since the arcane flame would probably hit everyone.
Timing and tactics have to be put into use with this ability. You can use it when no one is around if you need to, but try to make sure that in a team fight, you use it to its full potential.


AGENT OF WRATH

I don't have much to say about this ability. It doesn't require the same amount of timing as Gift of Fire. What it does (you should know this from rolling over the icon) is it basically empowers the targets basic attacks for a short duration. This is best used with objectives or targets with arcane flame applied. What is important though is who you use it on.
In the early game, you should really just use this on yourself. It sounds selfish, I know, but it does nothing for your allies who only have 2 starting items in their inventory. The effect is increased on Adagio himself, so early game is your selfish period for this ability. You can literally take chunks out of the enemies health with this on yourself early game. It is effective for snowballing and pushing lane.
Around mid game is when you should start giving this to the carry/jungle. Which one to give it on depends on what heroes they are using, and how much damage they are doing. For instance, you might think a WP Ringo might greatly take advantage of this ability, but through my experience it actually doesn't do a whole lot for him. However, A WP Rona really takes advantage of this. The first time I figured that out, the Rona I was with dealt so much damage that we destroyed 4 turrets and the vain crystal in under a minute!!!


VERSE OF JUDGEMENT

This is your most effective ability in a team fight. It has the longest stun duration in the game. You don't really need to know when to do it. You can find that out easily through a few trial and error runs with it. Whats hard is figuring out HOW to do it if you are up against anyone who's in the red on the threat meter.
Understanding how those enemy heroes work is important with this ability. Each of them usually stuns a different way. A Lance will stun you against terrain, so you will need to figure out how he positions himself. A Phinn will use Quibble so you should probably do it if he gets close to you. Overall, you need to observe what the enemy heroes do to cancel your ult. To be honest though, you should just use your Aegis or Reflex Block whenever you use this ability.
It is most effective to use this ability when arcane flame is applied to the enemy heroes as they will be stunned when they Verse of Judgement hits them. This is where Nullwave Gauntlet is useful as it should prevent the enemy protector from using Crucible. Most teams depend on the protector to use a Crucible when an ability like this is used, so it should work a lot of the time. A tactic you should practice with this ability is to use your boots to dash right into the middle of the enemy team. When your in the middle of them, use gift of flame on yourself so that the enemy heroes have arcane flame and are slowed down. The last part is to do Verse of Judgement, hopefully stunning at least one of them. This tactic should be thought out before done, as the enemy team may just melt you if you try to get close to them. This is also a very common tactic, so the enemy team might just scatter when they see you barreling at them. Appropriate timing is needed with this tactic. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. Just a little extra something for you to put up your sleeve.


I hope I explained this all well enough. I am sorry for not being able to show you through a video. I will try to find a video to help understand what I am saying better.

Adagio has a set of abilities that do much better with others than some. I am going to try and give you at least 4 examples of both carry's and jungle's that do well with him, as well as giving you some example comps.


JUNGLE HEROES

OZO If you know about Adagio or Ozo you knew this was coming up. Ozo and Adagio are a legendary duo. Ozo has a perk that is super effective with Adagio as well as Lyra. I think he pairs better with Adagio though, as Imperial Sigil is stationary, and Ozo is usually all over the place. Imperial Sigil has a better heal than Gift of Fire, but Gift of Fire moves with its target, gives healing over time which is effective for Ozo, and it applies arcane flame that damages enemies so Adagio can contribute his bit to the fight. His heroic perk is called Carnie Luck. It gives a 15-30% additional heal/fortified health/barrier to him. He and Adagio work together amazingly, and I encourage anyone reading this to try the duo out. It is effective, damaging, tanky, and definitely fun!

RONA Rona already has a good self sustain. Especially if she uses Red Mist efficiently. She already has a lot of damage on her basic attacks and her Foesplitter. A Rona with an Adagio support is incredible! Adagio can add a heal to her self sustain, an ability that empowers her Foesplitter even further, and a stun that she can use to her advantage. These 2 can really do damage if they work together really well. A tactic that makes them really amazing is when they combine the slow down on their A abilities. Many think Rona has fallen off the meta for some reason, but really, she still has a lot of untapped potential!

KOSHKA I have been seeing this comp used a lot lately, and while I haven't tried it myself it seems to work every time. Basically, how it works is Adagio applies a gift of flame to Koshka while she does Pouncy Fun, giving her a heal and damaging and applying arcane flame to enemy heroes. He also makes her a lot less vulnerable with his Gift of Fire. His Agent of Wrath works really well with the passive on her Twirly Death. Their ult's actually synergize really well together. They are the dream team. Their abilities work really well together. Just make sure you have team work since this will backfire miserably without it!

BLACKFEATHER This really was a hard decision between Krul and Blackfeather. In the end, I chose Blackfeather. Here are the reason's why. He get's a barrier from his On Point which allows any healing from Gift of Fire to hit him fully and without interference from enemy damage. His basic attacks, thanks to his heroic perk Heartthrob, can deal CP damage which is hugely effective with Agent of Wrath. Blackfeather also has a slow down on his On Point that can make it easy for Adagio to apply his slow down, or use his ult. Blackfeather is an in-your-face hero, so Adagio can usually always rest assured that his arcane flame hit an enemy hero. If you find a way to work things out with your Blackfeather, he can get an atlas (he already should) and then you can double atlas the enemy carry. These 2 can synergize really well together. They are definitely meant for killing off the enemy team. Most effective for an all out assault tactic!

CARRY HEROES

PETAL I don't see very many Petal mains taking her to the lane, but when they have its really worked nicely with Adagio. Petal has some good self sustain if she gets an Eve of Harvest which will always work nicely with Gift of Fire. Her munion's are also a really good way to apply arcane flame to enemies. Most Petal player's will probably, and should, build a Frostburn first so she is helping both herself and you catch enemies. Good carry when you use her in the lane with Adagio.

RINGO To be honest I think Ringo can work with anyone. There are just some that are better than others. Adagio is an okay protector for Ringo to work with. His healing can help Ringo out a lot, since Ringo is basically all damage. Agent of Wrath doesn't do a whole lot for WP Ringo, but every little bit counts. Ringo really isn't a bad carry for Adagio to pair with, they can lane push like nuts. Practice with these 2 and you should probably be able to push the lane ridiculously.

SKYE Skye can work really well with Adagio because her poke is just as crazy as his. A CP Skye should definitely be able to help poke down enemies and keep them drained. You can heal off any damage she takes and she can just keep shooting. Forward Barrage and your own empowered basic attacks combined should lead to a good start in the lane. Just make sure she doesn't go to far ahead of since she is far more mobile than you are.

VOX Vox can work really well with Adagio since, if he is CP, he can poke down enemies without getting to close, and his basic attacks deal CP damage ideal for Agent of Wrath. Wait for It has a silence that can come in handy for Adagio to use his ult, as the enemy team wont be able to use Reflex Block or Crucible. Vox can really take advantage of Agent of Wrath, and they can both cause some serious early game damage to the lane. Be warned though that these 2 can fall pretty fast to a hero like Catherine or Krul!

GOOD ADAGIO COMPS

Now that we have talked about some heroes who go really well with Adagio, let's see some example comps that I have found to be really devastating. Whether it be objectives, team killing, early gaming, or late gaming, these comps should be able to work really well when practiced.


Captain Adagio, CP Ozo Jungle, WP Ringo Carry

Captain Adagio, CP Skye Carry, WP Rona Jungle

Captain Adagio, CP Petal Carry, WP Blackfeather Jungle

Captain Adagio, CP Koshka Jungle, WP Vox Carry


You don't have to use these comps, I thought I'd just put them up their for examples and something to mess around with. Try and find comps that work out for you. Be creative and make something that you can work with :)

The captain has the most important role in the game, and that is to keep his/her team mates alive while ensuring that you win. To do this, you must use different tactics, game plays, and even comps. Most of the protectors have different play styles in a match. This is personally what I do with Adagio. If you don't like it or it doesn't work for you or any of that, no problem. You find what works for you. :)



EARLY GAME 0-5 Minutes


The items you should be starting with are Oakheart and Ironguard Contract. You might ask why start with the contract when you can heal damage off and the answer is simple, with only an Oakheart to contribute to your healing, it really isn't at its best. Spending energy on a heal that's only really superficial at the moment is not a great idea. The alternative start items, Energy Battery instead of Oakheart, is what you should be getting if you are having troubles conserving your energy early game.

You should go straight to your front jungle minions (the ones closest to the shop) and wait in the tribush. Because of the elder treant spawning where the shop would be, teams tend to go straight to the kraken pit to get a good look around. Use your flare to check the enemy side of the shop. (NOTE: Your carry and/or jungle should sit either near the top of the tribush or in your mustache bush. The reason for this is that a tactic that is popular is while the enemy team is distracted with the treant, the carry/jungle sneaks around the top and farms off their back jungle minions. Keep this in mind.) You shouldn't engage the elder treant unless the enemy team isn't around. If they engage it, see if you can stick around and last hit it or, even better, get a kill in. DO NOT STICK AROUND TO LONG!!! A lot of people start playing ping pong with the treant, making it go back and forth between teams. Usually when this happens, someone on the enemy team takes advantage of this and pushes lane and/or farms your jungle. Try not to be around for more than 30 seconds to a minute.

Adagio should go straight to the lane with his carry, since he holds good pushing power in the early game. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HELP YOUR CARRY FARM OR TAKE HIS MINIONS!!! Most carries like to farm unaided, simply because if the protector comes in and starts draining minions it can be harder for them to time a last hit on that minion. This can be super annoying, and cause some dysfunction between the carry and the protector. You shouldn't take his farm because that is not your responsibility! The carry needs his farm as most carry heroes do not have great damage at the start of the game. You stealing his/her farm is just gonna delay how long it takes for them to get to their power spike! If you are worried about getting gold and experience, don't panic. You get gold and experience just by being present when your carry takes a minion.

At around the 4 minute mark you should have around 1800-2400 gold depending on how well you have been pushing or farming. You should definitely have enough if you managed to get first blood. When the shop spawns, you should tell your carry your going down to it and then get a Fountain of Renewal. If you are up against a stealth hero ( Taka, Kestrel, Flicker) get either a Flare Gun or flares and scout traps. If you aren't, then definitely get a pair of Sprint Boots and another Oakheart. You will be using this to either build into a Crucible or a Flare Gun.


MID GAME 6-14 MINUTES

This point in the game is when things start getting interesting and fun. Everyone should have at least 1 fully built item. For you, it should be at least a Fountain of Renewal. Mid game is usually when power spikes start happening. You, as a captain/protector, need to be thinking these power spikes through. What should you do if an enemy Ringo is building WP, just got a Sorrowblade, and is now building in to attack speed? What if a Krul is at level 6 and is using his From Hell's Heart a lot to kill your team? You need to figure out if it is a good time to proceed with the normal core build, or if it's time to mix some things up to keep up with the enemy team. If you are facing down a Ringo with WP you should start building into an Atlas Pauldron as your third or fourth item. A Krul using his ult can actually be settled with the normal core build as it has Crucible up as the second item. You need to think logically and strategically in the mid game, as this is when counter building is very crucial.

Mid game is a good opportunity to start making idea's into plans. This should all start with objectives. Many people will tell you that objectives only take the form of turrets, minions, gold mine etc. But really objectives can be anything to do with your plan. Maybe an objective for your plan would be to make sure 1 particular hero on the enemy team is to be put behind through killing them or bullying them out of their part of the map. Or perhaps it could be to freeze the lane so there will be some bought time before their is a push up to your turret. It could even be something like eliminating the enemy jungle because you want to make sure you have an advantage over them. Anything can be your objective. The thing is though, you need to plan your objectives and how you will get them carefully. Suppose getting the gold mine and racing ahead of the enemy team gold wise is your objective. The only problem is the enemy team has a CP Alpha who would make last hitting it a problem. In this case you should think about your options. Should you wait to kill her before you get it? Should you lay vision down and make sure she's not near you when you take it? It's all situational, it's just up to you to figure out which would be a good solution to your objective. Be careful about it since these objectives are leading up to your potential victory!

Fighting in mid game will be tougher. The enemy captain should have at least a Fountain of Renewal, the enemy jungle/carry should have something like an Aftershock or Sorrowblade. A hidden obstacle as well is the hidden fourth player: The crystal miner. Fighting in an enemy jungle with their crystal miner up, even late game, is risky. It packs the same amount of damage as one of the enemy heroes. You need to be planning your fights carefully. It also depends on who your heroes are. If you have a Rona, a bush would be a good ambush point. However, if you have an Ozo or Koshka, you might prefer those tight spaces where their Area of Effect damage is at its best. You should always be trying to bait the enemy team to your crystal miner if the opportunity strikes. Just take your time with these fights. No one is rushing you to go out and get yourself killed.


LATE GAME 15 MINUTES +

Things will be hectic from here on out. Fights will determine who wins or gets a substantial lead. Every mistake you make could lead to another turret lost. I'm making this sound a little scary but it's true. You can't make many mistakes at this point because the pushes will be real. Everyone will have at least 4 of their items built by now. The damage will be devastating, the fights will be intense, the defense from both protector's will be able to turn fights around.

Vision is absolutely necessary at this point. You might have tried to put it off in the first 2 parts, but this part screams "no vision, no advantage!". You don't even need to be able to hold your scout traps in place just so long as you have flares to find enemy heroes and their scout traps. Keeping track of the enemy team is really important in this phase, as an ambush could easily cost 2-3 of your turrets or even the game! You should definitely have your Contraption by now. I will put a video in the links chapter on how to use vision.

In the late game, you should definitely be focusing on tactics and how to set up your fights. Your goal in the late game is to try and get the kraken. I'm going to tell you about 2 different ways to win:
1) Kraken. The kraken is definitely the most important tool when it comes to causing devastation in a push. It tanks the turrets and helps you beat them down. If your are aiming for the kraken, its best advised to get an ace first. You can also at least kill 2 members of the enemy team since the last surviving member probably wont want to come near you, and even if they do your team should be able to take them down easily. Another thing I like to do is simply take out the problem on the enemy team. It is kind of risky since there are still 2 members of the enemy team left alive but, chances are, the other 2 wont go near you without the person who was carrying their team.
2) Pushing. This tactic is better suited for when you are ahead of the enemy team. If you are behind, I don't really recommend this tactic as it can be kind of risky. If you are ahead it is okay to do this. Being ahead means that the enemy team will be afraid of you and you will have advantages in team fights. These are perfect for pushing a lane since you will probably be able to approach a turret and have them hide behind it. I have won a lot of games where my team didn't need the kraken. The key to it is to just simply push ahead and start the lane pressure.

Late game for Adagio is rough. His heal is at it's peak but the enemy team can deal a lot of damage. His Verse of Judgement can be easily predicted now. He is a tank by now but his immobility might start to show a little bit. At this point you should start trying to make sure your Gift of Fire always hits both allies and enemies. Not necessarily for the damage but simply to get the arcane flame on them. You need to determine who gets your Agent of Wrath the most. The key to your success is if you can hit the stun on your Verse of Judgement. Unless I am mistaken, Verse of Judgement has the longest stun duration in the game. The ability to stun the whole enemy team and then start shredding them while they can't do anything is powerful. Use your Verse of Judgement whenever a good time arises and, if you hit it, you will probably win the game.


AGGRESSIVE ADAGIO

Aggressive Adagio plays a bit (maybe a lot) differently from the normal Adagio. You will need to play more aggressively with your team mates, relying less on your items like Stormcrown or Contraption so that you can make plays with your damage.

AGGRESSIVE CAPTAIN Adagio IS DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL!!! You aren't just shedding off a bit of defense in your build, your also doing it in your play style. I do not recommend this path if you want to have a lot of defense in your play. THE EVEN MORE DAMAGE PATH IS REALLY RISKY SINCE YOU ARE GIVING UP 2 DEFENSE ITEMS. DO IT ONLY IF YOU KNOW IT WILL WORK!

I won't go into specifics like early game, mid game, etc because you will play just about the same except for some slight changes. You will start the game with a Crystal Bit instead of an Ironguard Contract because you will need to build into Alternating Current second. You don't have to, that's just what I do personally. On the first shopping trip you should still be buying a Fountain of Renewal (I did call this aggressive CAPTAIN build, not carry.) but you should get a Heavy Prism. Your Sprint Boots will be your next buy before you get the rest of Alternating Current.

Your Agent of Wrath will no longer be for you allies mid-late game because now you will use it on yourself. Agent of Wrath combined with your Alternating Current should be all that is necessary to do a significant amount of damage to the enemy team. I would only choose the more damage path if you feel it would help you win. The replacing of another defense item is risky, as the enemy team might be able to kill you faster. Just remember that Alternating Current should always be replacing Stormcrown, and Shatterglass should always be replacing Nullwave Gauntlet/ Contraption. You can mess around and experiment with what items to replace by your own preference, but I recommend replacing items according to the enemy team.

This path is for team fights. While the original path is more suited for objectives, this one is for contributing to team fights and helping to wipe out the enemy team. I do not advise you to treat this as a carry/jungle build. This is simply meant for a different option as a way to win. I prefer the objective path personally as it revolves more around defense and strategy around objectives rather than aggression and strategy around getting aces. Choose what you like and what suits you and have fun. If it works it works.

Here are some links to some video's that I have found to be helpful and I hope you do too!


HELP WITH FOUNTAIN OF RENEWAL

HELP WITH VISION

HELP WITH ROAMING

ROAM GUIDE

MY ARDAN GUIDE

Ardan the Protector 2.1 Guide

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you found this guide helpful for playing Adagio and playing the Captain role in general.

My IGN is Prodigy955 and my rank is Credible Threat Bronze.

Woodworking for his amazing video's on how to play the captain role.

Desperation for his Roam Guide which helped me so much when he made it.

Flashx for his streams and guides that helped me out.

ZngXng my team mate for helping me along the way.

Goob3r my brother for helping as well.

And every one else who has helped me with playing the captain role.