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! I've been practicing Captain for a while , and I feel like I am finally ready to create my own guide.
Ardan is and has been my main for as long as I've been the captain role. I've always thought of Ardan as the best protector. His ability to protect allies, deal damage, and control the fight is powerful! His difficulty is easy, but if you take the time to master him you can make him seem far more powerful than a hero with a difficulty level of "easy". He can turn a fight that seems like a loss into a victory with just his vanguard. Enough talking, let's get started!
Update Thoughts (2.3)
Ardan didn't really receive any changes for 2.3. Nothing is to different for him but he does have a new match up that I think is pretty op. I will put it down in the synergies chapter.
I have found a screen recorder that I can use to record Vainglory gameplay and I will attempt to use it so that I can record my own helpful video on how to use Ardan's abilities more appropriately. It won't just be about ability usage for Ardan and I will try to make it as soon as possible. In the mean time, hang on tight, it's coming!
I appreciate any kind of feedback you have to offer. Whether its if you agree with things I had to say, you disagreed with things I had to say, or even just wanted to give tips or general feedback on how this guide helped you out, don't be shy about telling me in the comments. :)
In order to use his abilities better we must first take a look at them. If you can understand his abilities, then you can understand how to use them more effectively.
First lets take a look at his Heroic Perk:
JULIA'S GIFT(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This is one of the most useful protector perks(in my opinion). It means that he can heal while he takes damage, which is very helpful in the middle of a fight. It makes him tankier and harder to kill.
Now lets take a look at his abilities:
VANGUARD(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This is your most useful ability when protecting allies from harm. It can be used for more than that though. If an enemy hero is just out of reach you can use it to give your carry/Jungle a speed boost and catch up with them. It has a slow down effect that can be used in the middle of a fight to prevent enemy heroes from escaping certain death. This is by far the best ability for protecting team mates. I will explain more in the Ability use chapter.
BLOOD FOR BLOOD(Roll over icon for stats and description)
If your looking to do some damage and have some contribution in a fight, then this ability is certianly your most useful. In the early game this ability holds a powerful influence in fights. however you will start to see the damage fall off as the enemy heroes get more defense. Keep this in mind and use it to its full extent when you can. I will explain more in the Ability use chapter.
GAUNTLET(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This is Ardan's most amazing ability simply because of all the ways you can use it. It's primary purpose is to trap enemy heroes and hold them in place so that your team may deliver a defeating attack, but it has multiple hidden purposes that all help you greatly. I will explain more in the Ability use chapter.
All of the abilities listed above are highly effective to your team. Ardan is a team fighter who helps his team in all ways possible. Remember these abilities and their uses to give a stunning performance. Lets move on.
No captain is complete without their items. Without them, team fights would be lost due to different problems not being solved with an activation or a consumable. But there is something that I feel should be said here and now because I see this problem happening a lot.....
Spoiler: Click to view
A CAPTAIN SHOULD NOT BE LOADED DOWN WITH RED OR BLUE ITEMS!!!
As captain your prime goal should be to help your team survive by being tanky and focusing your abilities towards helping them, not by being just as fragile as they are and dealing mass amounts of damage that steal kills, objectives, and farm.
I'm not saying that by getting just 1 red or blue item you are a monster. Phinn and Catherine benefit a lot from a Clockwork to reduce their cooldown timers, or an Echo to cause some devastation with their slot C. But the point is, these items are focused to help with their effectiveness to their team. Reduced cool down means more stuns from Quibble or Merciless Pursuit. an Echo mean either a double pull from Forced Accord or a very long double silence from Blast Tremor. Echo also helps in the sense that if the enemy team reflex blocks the first attempt, you can always use the second to hit them for sure! The point is, some red and blue items are effective on protectors, but you should only be getting 1 at the most and make sure its for team utility purposes. I'm getting carried away, lets talk about the items now:
CORE ITEMS
Ardan has an inner circle. In it are the items that help him best. The items in this circle should always be bought.
FOUNTAIN OF RENEWAL(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This item should be in every protectors inner circle. It is a captains most valuable item by far. If used correctly it can change the tide of a fight so drastically that you and your ally/allies will come out with full health and the enemy hero/heroes should be dead. This is ALWAYS your first item as a captain. Getting it as soon as possible is the difference between winning a fight or losing it. Timing is key with this item. If used at the wrong time its effect will have been wasted, and you will be left with 60 seconds before you can use it again! (I will leave a link in the Link's chapter about effective Fountain timing.)
ATLAS PAULDRON(Roll over icon for stats and description)
Atlas is Ardans second best friend, only being beaten by fountain of renewal. Always buy this item second if you can. Atlas's active helps tremendously against heroes such as Ringo, Vox, SAW, Rona, or typically anyone with high attack speed and damage combined (NOTE: Ringo, Vox, and SAW are being played a lot right now, so you may find yourself buying this item a lot!). You have all sorts of ways to use this item with Ardan. I will explain more about it in the ability use chapter.
CRUCIBLE(Roll over icon for stats and description)
Crucible can actually be skipped if you want as its activation is more to deal with debuffs that are a problem, but I recommend that it always be bought with Ardan! This is usually your 3rd item unless their is a stealth hero on the enemy team. His Vanguard can only be used on 1 person at a time, which is ok for squabbles with the enemy team but can be very tricky for team fights. Crucible lets him protect more than just 1 ally, and it even provides more protection for the ally who got your Vanguard. (NOTE: the reason I don't have it up for the stealth core build is because all the stealth heroes work so fast that you probably wont have time to block their attacks. You can trade out atlas for a crucible, but you need that contraption as your 3rd or 4th item so getting both before mid game is almost impossible.)
WAR TREADS(Roll over icon for stats and description)
Some people call this war horn because before this item was called war treads, it was called war horn. So when someone tells you to get war horn, just remember this item. This item should always be bought 3rd or 4th. Ardan has a lot of speed on his own just getting this item, so you don't really need to use this item for your own personal speed much. The use of this item should be centered to helping your team get places faster. Primarily, it should be saved until the enemy team is attempting and escape and are out of reach of your team. It is also effective for speeding to an objective, such as getting to the kraken faster after you've aced the enemy team. Just remember 1 thing with this item: Your teams speed boost, not yours!
Contraption(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This item deserves a spot in the inner circle because it is best when pitched against a Flicker, Kestrel, or Taka. This item should be part of your core and bought 3rd or 4th when 1 of those 3 heroes (or 2 or maybe all of them!) are on the enemy team. Contraptions passive/activate (you should know this from scrolling over the icon) allows you to either pop a flare in the targeted location, or to place a scout trap underneath you. You should always get this then leave an item slot open for 5 flares, but if you have to you can just ignore the flares and get another item. This item is not in the normal core items list but it should always be bought! Vision is a vital part of winning a game. I will talk about it more later, and leave a link to a video that will help to understand vision and how to use it properly.
AFTERSHOCK(Roll over icon for stats and description)
Ever notice how with Ardan you actually only need 5 items and you get really tanky? Ardan only really needs his core and then Contraption to get places. The 6th item slot is usually left to 5 flares or a situational utility/defense item. However, if you want to add a little more sting to your Vanguard and Blood for Blood, you can get an Aftershock so you really contribute to the team fights. The cool down gives you more availability on your abilities, and the Crystal Power gives your abilities more "oomph". The passive is the fun part. If combined with your Blood for Blood, you will leave the enemy team (especially the squishy carry) stumbling backwards wondering what hit them! This is a really good item to put in your belt if you don't know what to do with your last slot. You can build it in your core if you want to go the more power way.
BROKEN MYTH(Roll over icon for stats and description)
The same rules apply to this item as do Aftershock, but this is so you can scale more damage with its passive. I don't really recommend this item as it isn't really anything more than a damage tool, but if your bored or want to contribute in a fight a lot more it could be fine. Its all up to you. I don't recommend getting this item in a ranked match if you already have Aftershock or vice versa, but it would be fine in a casual if you want to have some fun. You can build it in your core if you want to go the more power way.
OTHER DEFENSE ITEMS
These defense items aren't to important as primary's, but they could come in handy depending on the situation:
AEGIS(Roll over icon for stats and description)
As a captain, I try not to get this item. You get 75 extra shield from Fountain of Renewal, so you really dont need the 125 shield from Aegis if you can help it. But situations will arise where a CP (Crystal Power) carry or jungle will be on the enemy team and they will deal to much damage for you to handle with just 75 extra shield. For a quick summary, try to see if you can go without this item. If they have a CP dealing damage that you cant take, just get it. It's not worth dying because you want an extra space in your inventory!
METAL JACKET(Roll over icon for stats and description)
Same principles apply to Metal Jacket as do Aegis. The 85 armor combined with the activate from atlas should be enough to cover you in terms of a WP (Weapon Power) carry or jungle on the enemy team. But suppose you cant survive long enough to use that atlas? Or that the enemy team goes double WP (when both the carry and the jungle use red items)? Then get Metal Jacket! Again, its not worth dying just because you want an extra slot open in your inventory!
OTHER UTILITY ITEMS
These utility items are completely situational. They have their own uses depending on whats going on. Have a problem with enemy heroes getting away and you don't have your Gauntlet? Then get a Shiversteel to solve the problem!
Shiversteel(Roll over icon for stats and description)
If you are up against an enemy hero who frustratingly is preventing the ace by getting away every time, then Shiversteel is your solution. As Ardan, you can use this item to its full potential since you are melee (You should know from rolling over the icon that melee heroes slow down enemies for 6 seconds rather than the usual 4). Using this against a speedy Koshka or a pesky Skye is your best idea. Especially if they are preventing that ace!
STORMCROWN(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This item is really situational with Ardan. It's not the best pick if you simply feel like your damage isn't their. This item is for obtaining those objectives faster (EX: turrets, gold mine, crystal mine, etc.). It is actually pretty effective against enemy heroes (specifically the carry!), but if your team is ahead when it comes to winning fights don't bother with the extra damage. As I said, mainly for quicker objectives. (NOTE: You should know from rolling over the icon for Blood for Blood that Blood for Blood is a bigger version of a basic attack. That means that this item pairs extremely well with it!)(ANOTHER NOTE: Stormcrown is also a great snowballing item for Ardan. If your team is pulling ahead, this item is excellent for staying there. For instance, trying to use a normal full build to solo the gold mine as ardan can take 40 SECONDS. A Stormcrown can reduce that to 10 SECONDS!!! Imagine that on enemy heroes!)
NULLWAVE GAUNTLET(Roll over icon for stats and description)
This is an item that should really be ignored unless the terms for this item come up. Those terms are: that the enemy captain be very good at timing his/her items. If you are against an enemy captain who is thwarting all your plans with carefully timed fountain's, crucibles, and atlas's, then build this as soon as possible!(NOTE: Nullwave has been worked on since it came out. The item silence is delayed before it takes effect. If you noticing the enemy captain reflex blocking the silence, then bait out is reflex block before you use this item.)
That's all for the items. You should now have an understanding of their uses, effects, when they should be bought, and when they should be used. I will look for videos about these items and their uses to link in the links chapter.
Here I am going to list a bunch of different uses for your abilities. I don't have a way to record my screen or matches so I can only try my hardest to describe these ways or look for videos with these performances. Here goes with describing:
VANGUARD
If an enemy hero is getting away and your ally can not reach them, you can use Vanguard as a speed boost.
If you need to catch up to an ally and you know you wont have to fight soon you can use Vanguard to speed up next to them.
If an ally is next or in the middle of the enemy team you can Vanguard your ally so that the enemy team is slowed down.
Vanguard takes you straight to your ally, meaning you can jump terrain. You can use it to reach allies being chased on the other side of terrain or to simply catch up with them.
If you are able, you can use your Gauntlet to stun enemies and steal objectives at the same time.
If your ally/allies are trying to get away from enemies you can use your Gauntlet to keep the enemies from following your ally/allies.
You can use Gauntlet to jump terrain. I only recommend this if you are the last one alive on your team and trying to prevent an ace.
You can place it around objectives to prevent them from getting stolen or stopped.
You can place it around your turrets to prevent the enemy heroes from running up to them.
You can use it to trap enemies around your turret (once got a triple kill like that)
TIMING WITH YOUR VANGUARD
Your Vanguard seems pretty easy at first. When an ally is low on health you just spam it on them. The general use is easy, yes, but the full potential of Vanguard is actually really tricky. Again, I don't have any way to record my screen so I cannot help you as much as I could, but I will try my best.
Suppose that your ally, Ringo, has just drained the enemy laner, Skye, but she is getting away. She only needs to be hit by a few more basic attacks, but your Ringo only has 50% of his health left, and attacking her would mean fighting underneath her turret. When you dive her, should you wait for Skye to attempt a Forward Barrage? Should you wait until the turret starts attacking Ringo? Should you just Vanguard Ringo right at the start of the dive? To be honest, all of these answers depend on the situation. The safest method would be to just Vanguard your ally right at the start of the dive. Though lets say that this is a cp Skye who chose Frostburn as her first item. Then it would probably be a better idea to wait for her Forward Barrage as Ringo will need that speed boost from Vanguard and the barrier to soak as much of that damage as possible. If it is a WP Skye and she does her Forward Barrage, there really shouldn't be to much to worry about. With the nerf to her wp side of Forward Barrage, Ringo should be able to take the damage from it with out to much thought. In that situation just think about the turret effecting him.
TIMING YOUR GAUNTLET
It's just like Vanguard. The general use of Gauntlet is simple. But to reach its full power, we are going to have to worry about timing. I see so many Ardan players who just fire their Gauntlet up simply because they are about to engage a team fight. Should you fire your Gauntlet up simply because you are about to engage? What some people would answer:"Sure because it will trap them and we will totally ace them!!!". What I will answer: "Maybe sometimes but for the most part, ARE YOU ASKING TO LOSE THE FIGHT?!?!". Using Gauntlet at the start of a fight may be helpful sometimes. Again, all depending on the situation. But for the most part, you should try to hold on to your Gauntlet until the window of opportunity appears. The window of opportunity could look like a few different things. Maybe the enemy team is drained and its clear they will start their retreat if they get damaged anymore. Maybe they've spread themselves out and it would be easy to separate them. Or maybe one of them just hit the kraken by accident and you can hold them down while your kraken buddy helps out a bit (just keep in mind that if that hero dies, your "kraken buddy" will probably betray you and start coming after you). All in all, just hang on to your Gauntlet until the time seems right. (NOTE: If they attempt to pick a fight in your jungle, always try to trap them around your crystal miner. The crystal miner packs so much damage that he practically counts as a 4th hero, and will surely aid you into a victory.)
These are as many uses as I could think of. I'm sure there are more that I didn't list. Try to come up with uses of your own to get the most out of your abilities!
I have mentioned it before, but your Prime goal is to keep your allies alive and help them in any way possible. This even means dying for them if necessary. I see many Captains take off without their allies when they could have helped somehow. A strategy I have to use often is distracting the enemy team so that your allies get away alive. This usually ends in me dying because I cant 1v3 the enemy team, but I accomplished my goal, which was to get my allies out alive. As the Captain, you should be prepared to use tactics like this. I'm not saying kill yourself whenever you can, but if it is the last resort that will work then do it. It's a lot better to sacrifice yourself and have your 2 allies defend the turrets/vain crystal than it is to give them an ace because you didn't want to wreck your KDA (Kills/Deaths/Assists). If you are captain you should only be worried about your assists if anything on the KDA.
ROTATION'S AND FARMING
Rotating through the jungle is necessary for your jungle to gain gold and experience. The lane is necessary for your Carry to gain gold and experience. FARMING IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A CAPTAIN! As a captain one of your responsibilities is to make sure your jungle and carry get farm without you taking any. You get the gold and experience for just being around them when they get it. Your CS (Creep Score. It is the amount of minions/monsters you farmed) should not exceed 20 by the end of the game. There are moments when you will have to protect the lane for your carry when he is back at base shopping. If the enemy minions start to push to your turret, then stand in front of them to keep the turret from killing them. Your Carry needs all the farm he can get and your making sure that it doesn't die on the turret will help him tremendously! (NOTE: You can help the jungle get farm, but it is not always a great idea to help the Carry.Lane Minions are harder to last hit than jungle monsters, and your draining them so the carry can last hit them could just make it harder for him to time the last hit.)
EARLY GAME
At the start of the match you will want to get that Oakheart and the Light Shield as well as 2 halcyon potions and a Flare. The 2 potions are because your perk is not so effective early game and you are bound to run on low health a couple of times. If you are going up against a Taka, Kestrel, or Flicker however, you will want to start with the 2 flares so that you may have an extra flare to find them.
The first thing you should do is go to the center of the jungle and wait for the elder treant (NOTE: If you have late gamers, and the enemy team has early gamers, take extra precaution. Hide in the tri bush, not the shop bush, and don't engage them! Just go for a last hit if you can.). When it spawns, pop a flare and check to see where the enemy team is. Try and angle the flare so that it hits there shop bush and there front minions. if they aren't there, try to get the elder treant. If they are there and waiting to get it themselves, let them engage it first (NOTE: Do not spend more than 20-30 seconds waiting for them to engage. If you wait to long, you will miss farm, the enemy carry pushing the lane, or even the enemy carry/jungle taking your farm!). If you are getting the treant and the enemy team comes up to steal it or engage you, disengage and just wait on the sides for a last hit. The last thing you need is for them to take your jungle because you got killed trying fruitlessly to get the treant. If you do the whole thing over with early gamers however, you can try to get kills on them and take their jungle. Be careful when doing this! If you overstay your welcome in their jungle, they may pull out and start taking your jungle!
After the treant, help your jungle with 1 rotation through your jungle (the enemy jungle if you took the aggressive route). When you are done, go up to the lane and sit in your mustache (the bottom bush in the middle of the lane) and watch over your carry. By doing this, you will be able to make sure he does not get hurt, that the enemy captain and/or jungle do not do much damage to him/her, and you will be able to earn gold from the minions your carry farms.
At the 4 Minutes mark the jungle shop will spawn. At that point you should anywhere from 1800-2300 gold. Go down to the shop (pinging your laner that you are doing so) and buy your Fountain of Renewal. If you have at least 300 gold leftover get your Sprint Boots. If you are up against a stealth and have around 600 gold leftover though, you might want to consider getting a Flare Gun.
MID GAME 5/7 MINUTES - 14
At mid game things should start getting a little tougher. This is the point where everyone has at least 1 T3 item, vision will be a little better, and objectives will start becoming valuable. This is when you should start considering counter building (Building an atlas against a Ringo, building a contraption against a cp Kestrel, etc.) against the enemies posing problems to your team. Team fights are more likely to start breaking out, which means that you will need to start preparing and being ready for them. In mid game, the early gamers will still hold some power and the late gamers should start getting theirs. You need to try and keep track of this so that you know who to lock down on in a fight. You should also start planting vision through out your jungle, the shop, the lane, and the kraken pit.
The first turret to be destroyed usually happens around 8-10 minutes. What you need to be cautious about when doing this is making sure you don't get your turret destroyed. Often, my team loses our first turret after we get theirs (essentially trading turrets and making the whole victory worthless) because we do not go about it well. You need to think about how you will get their turret and then fall back to defend yours. It often works like this: You push the lane and drain the enemy team. They retreat and you get their turret. You then go down to the gold mine, or recall back to base, and start shopping or taking gold mine while the enemy team comes back and starts pushing the lane themselves. If you are to busy getting the gold mine or shopping, they will get your turret and make the thing worth no ones time. If you destroy their turret, make sure that your minions are pushed, that their are at least 2 of you ready to protect the turret, and that if they do try to push while you get the gold mine, your carry is ready to disengage and defend the lane.
Mid Game is tricky because some heroes will start falling off (becoming less effective) and others will start getting stronger. If you can hold strong and make the right decisions mid game, you will be set for late game.
LATE GAME 15 MINUTES AKA KRAKEN SPAWN
This will be the hardest part of the game. The kraken will have spawned, 1-2 turrets should have been destroyed by now, heroes who were strong become weak and heroes who were weak become strong, and everything revolving around your team winning now completely falls on you, the Captain. If you are doing really well, you will make sure that your early gamers are just as strong as they were early game. By now, everyone will have finished their builds. Items, abilities, and timing will become everything right now. The Captains will be the ones who decide whether they have lost a battle or won one.
Your objectives at this point have slightly changed. Now you must start executing the problems and taking riskier objectives. Depending on how you play, your objectives will be different. Let's say your objective is to get the kraken and push the lane. To do this, you must kill at least the enemy hero who's giving you and your team the most problems. Think about it carefully. The problem may seem like that Koshka, but it might actually be the Lyra making sure she's nice and healthy all the way through. Or it could seem like the Lance but it could be the Petal taking advantage of his roots and stuns and is using them to hit multiple targets with Spontaneous Combustion. Think about how you will take care of the problem and try it. If you are successful and engage the kraken, you should have either your jungle or your carry (who ever's more capable) sit in their bush to watch out for them. If one of them comes over to investigate or last hit it, try to engage on them and get rid of them before they could last hit it (NOTE: Pop flares by their side so that you can see them ahead of time. They might not go through their bush to check or last hit the kraken.).
If you are pushing down their lane you must learn when to engage and disengage. Just because the kraken is alive it does not mean you should stay with it. A good method to use is if all the enemy heroes are back up and the kraken is below 25% health, disengage. It's better to get at least one turret and then retreat then to go for all their turrets and get aced.
In late game, you should try to focus on getting objectives. The objectives will vary, depending on the situation or player. In the late game you must play carefully and think out every action. If you time everything well, play well, and use good teamwork, you can easily win.
If your going to play the captain role, you should know which hero synergies are better with your protector. Picking a Phinn to go with your ally who picked Skye will not always be a good idea since Skye will probably leave Phinn in the dust a lot thanks to her heroic perk.
Ardan syngergizes (pardon me if that's spelled wrong) best with the squishy heroes who can deal a lot of burst damage in my opinion. He can also pair really well with slightly tankier (pardon me on that to) heroes who already have a lot of defense for him to use. To be honest, I think Ardan can synergize with any of the heroes. The heroes listed, however, are his best matches in my opinion. (You may or may not agree with my synergies. Again, this is my opinion and personal suggestion. You dont have to take this to heart if you dont think it agrees with you :) )
JUNGLE HEROES
Here are four of his best friends for jungle in my opinion.
KOSHKA
Oh the fun these two can have together. Ardan is actually a bit of a late gamer. His power spike doesn't really hit till mid game. Koshka is an early gamer. She still has considerable damage late game, but her defense becomes weaker. She is left more vulnerable in team fights. Koshka can carry Ardan to his power spike in the early game, and Ardan can keep her safe and sound in the late game. His Vanguard makes her stickier, as well as protect's her. Her most vulnerable point is when she uses her ult. Ardan can just Vanguard her and keep her safe for that period. His Gauntlet will also keep enemy heroes in one place, making the most of her AOE (Area of Effect aka Crowd Control/CC) and making her all the more stickier! These two are a perfect match in my opinion. She is the claws, he is the shield. What more could possible more devastating all through out the game?
OZO
I can imagine what some of you are thinking. "Oh my god. Like, aren't Lyra and Adagio better picks with him or, like, whatever?". I agree that the buffed healing from Adagio and Lyra are awesome with Ozo, but I have found Ardan to be an epic pick with him. Do not underestimate them. I have actually won more matches as Ardan with Ozo than I have as Adagio with him! Ardan has a Vanguard that I have already said is perfect for diving enemy heroes. Give that to an Ozo with an ult and you have a mega gank! The protective barrier allows for Ozo to heal off what the barrier is taking, and if he is hurt to much you can still use a Crucible or Fountain of Renewal to help out. Gauntlet is perfect for Ozo to execute all three parts of his Acrobounce and Three-Ring Circus. Ardan helps Ozo become stickier and harder to kill. Especially if Ozo has built slightly tanky (oh the spelling). These two are a diving and fight initiating team.
BLACKFEATHER
These two are awesome together. They can dive and fight really aggressively, leaving their mark on the battle field very deeply. Blackfeather has a really good self sustain/heal that serves him well when combined with Vanguard. Blackfeather is already super sticky by himself and Ardan just adds to that devastating power! The barrier Blackfeather gets from his On Point combined with Vanguard is amazing. The speed boost on the rose trail left from Feint of Heart combined with Vanguard is epic. The slowdown from Vanguard can spare Blackfeather from using his On Point and let him save it for a better time. These two are a beast of a team for stickiness and survival. Their abilities sync incredibly well together. If your Blackfeather builds at least 2 defensive items and the correct offensive items, you can be unstoppable!
RONA
These two are the ultimate warrior - protector team I first started using with my brother, Goob3r. If Rona uses a wp path this patch, she can deal amazing amounts of damage in no time flat. Her ability to just jump in the middle of the enemy team with Into the Fray, hit them a few times with Foesplitter, and then use Red Mist all in about 2 seconds is stunning. Her problem, however, is that 1) She is often to slow to keep up with enemies and confirm the kill and 2) she can often be killed ver fast if she is either reckless or against the wrong team. Ardan comes in handy to cover up these flaws. If he uses Vanguard when she uses Into the Fray they can both slow down the enemy team (yes the slow down from both will stack) and almost ensure hits with her Red Mist. He can make her sticky, and hard to kill. I would advise getting vision with a Rona as your jungle since it will help her a lot with being able to dive. These two can be a really amazing force if the one playing Rona can use her kit well, and you both work on the same page!
GRUMPJAW
Grumpjaw may have had a rough start like Ozo, but now he holds some pretty good potential as a jungle. While most prefer his WP path, his CP path is dangerous because it turns him into a devastating turret diver who can drain you horribly with just 1 Grumpy. Ardan is perfect with a CP Grumpjaw because they can both dive, slow down, and control positioning really nicely. An extra perk they have is their ultimates. The problem with both of their ultimates is that they can be easily blocked with Reflex Block or Crucible, but if you work together you can use Gauntlet to bait out blocks so Grumpjaw can use his Stuffed, or vice versa. A good Grumpjaw will also attempt to bait out a block by making Grumpy look like Stuffed. These 2 are an amazing diving comp, very good at messing up positioning and tanking damage. Definitely try out this duo if you want a lot of aggression on your team!
CARRY HEROES
These are four of his best friends for the lane in my opinion.
RINGO
There is no point denying it, Ringo is arguably the strongest carry right now. His WP path offers devastating basic attack damage, while his CP path gives him a very spammable and hurtful ult and abilities with a sting you wont forget! The big problem Ringo has is that as the game wears on and turns to late game, he has shown what he can do and therefor is the prime target for all the attacks. I'm sure a Ringo main could tell you how much they are either dead or drained late game. Ardan can give him the support he needs to stay alive in the fight.
SKYE
Skye received a nerf to her Forward Barrage in update 2.1. It hasn't hurt her WP path in the sense of her basic attacks, but it has hurt her ability to get away while still dealing damage! Therefore, you will see many people play Skye with her CP path. I have no arguments with this. The only problem for Skye is that it is harder for her to get involved in a close range battle with CP (maybe its not. I'm just expressing the problems I have.). Ardan synergizes incredibly well with her. He keeps her healthy, protected, and sticky. His Gauntlet helps to ensure a good shot from her Death From Above and his Vanguard gets her out of a lot of sticky situations. My team mate uses Skye all the time so I should know. :)
Vox can be just as devastating as any Ringo, but he is easily far squishier. Ardan is a real big help to him. I once 2v3ed an enemy team (AFK jungle :() with a Vox and we actually almost won! With his Wait for It, Vox can bring a very large advantage to his team, performing a silence that will keep them down long enough for you all to do some considerable damage! 2 of his abilities kind of center around his basic attacks ( Sonic Zoom, Pulse ) which gives him a very good advantage for getting extra damage in. A good Ardan and a good Vox should be able to pair extremely well together.
I have nothing against a laning Petal or a good Samuel, but I personally feel these guys are the best.
BEST COMPS IN MY OPINION
These are the best teams in my opinion. whenever I have ended up in teams like these, I have received some very good results:
These are just my personal favorite kinds of comps, you don't need to use these if you don't want to. You be you and find what comps you like the best! :)
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Ardan
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Phinn
Catherine
Clockwork
Echo
Quibble
Merciless Pursuit
Forced Accord
Blast Tremor
Ringo
Vox
SAW
Rona
Flicker
Kestrel
Taka
Koshka
Skye
Forward Barrage
Frostburn
Lyra
Lance
Petal
Spontaneous Combustion
Adagio
Acrobounce
Three-Ring Circus
On Point
Feint of Heart
Into the Fray
Foesplitter
Red Mist
Grumpy
Reflex Block
Stuffed
Death From Above
Buckshot Bonanza
Aces High
Skedaddle
Wait for It
Sonic Zoom
Pulse
Samuel
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