My name is FlashX. I am the ROAM player for Team SoloMid who are the current reigning World and North American champions. I have been playing Vainglory since September 2014. I am currently Vainglorious Silver in the Spring 2016 Season. You can check out my previous guide on ROAM Glaive
here.
This guide will focus on playing
Lance as a ROAM hero.
Lance is the newest ROAM hero hero to enter the Halcyon Fold. All of the patch notes for 1.18 can be found
Here. The last time a ROAM hero was introduced to Vainglory was
Phinn back in the 1.9 update.
Lance has a very unique kit which enables him to basic attack all 3 enemy heroes at once, root them all in place, knock them all back, and quickly reposition to set up for his next move.
I believe
Lance is effective as a ROAM hero because of his ability to both initiate and disengage from teamfights by utilizing
Impale. His ability to damage all 3 enemy heroes at once from his heroic perk
Partisan's Technique means that certain items will be massively more effective. He's an incredibly tanky frontline because of his
Gythian Wall which both reduces incoming damage as well as can completely ignore all debuffs. I hope everyone finds this guide both informational and easy to read. Enjoy!
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Position: ROAM
Role: PROTECTOR
"Lance depends on both his courage and his wits to protect his allies. With his unique polearm and shield combat style, he breaks enemy lines and creates opportunities for his friends. Lance can build crystal or utility items to excel in his role as a protector, or he can build weapon items to deal more damage during battle."
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Partisan's Technique
Slot: Heroic Perk
Lance's basic attacks damage every target along their path. However, his attacks are slow to land and attack speed is less effective on him.
Instead of energy, Lance uses stamina to activate his abilities. Purchasing items with energy and energy regeneration increases his stamina and stamina regeneration.
- Max Stamina: 100 + 30% Max Energy
- Stamina Regen: 25 + 50% Energy Regen
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Partisan's Technique is not a strong point for ROAM
Lance. However, understanding how to use it most effectively is important. Both
Stormguard Banner and
Shiversteel are particularly effective because
Lance is able to proc these abilities on multiple targets. This means that positioning in teamfights is very important for
Lance in order for him to get the most impact from his items. However, this needs to be balanced with staying in a position that also helps to protect his allies. Using
Combat Roll is an easy way to ensure that
Partisan's Technique is being used most effectively.
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Impale
Slot: A
Lance lunges forward and strikes through his opponents, dealing weapon damage and rooting them in place (max 1.6s).
- Overdrive: At max rank, ths ability also resets the cooldown of Combat Roll if Lance hits an enemy.
- If this attack hits at least one enemy, Lance will immediately recover from the ability.
- Deals reduced damage to minions.
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Using
Impale:
Impale is a very dynamic part of
Lance's kit. This ability can be used both
offensively and
defensively.
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Offensively:
Lance can utilize
Impale in order to punish enemy heroes who are caught out of position. Taking advantage of rotations up into the lane in order to root the enemy laner such that
Lance's allies can collapse on this target is how
Impale is used most frequently.
Impale can also be used to prevent enemies from trying to flee from a teamfight. A good example would be an enemy
Blackfeather who normally has to get very close to the minions in order to last hit thus allowing a good opportunity for
Lance to activate his
Impale.
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Defensively:
Lance offers a large amount of peel for his allies by using
Impale to root enemies who are chasing
Lance's allies. A good example would be if an enemy
Krul is trying to stick to an allied
Skaarf, Lance can activate
Impale to root the Krul so that he can no longer chase the Skaarf.
What to AVOID: Be patient when using
Impale.
Lance needs to be sure that when he uses
Impale that his allies are prepared to respond accordingly whether it is used
offensively or
defensively. If his allies are not in a good position to engage if
Impale is used offensively then Lance is at risk of being out of position. When using
Impale defensively, it is important for Lance to make sure that his allies are ready to either immediately reengage or retreat depending on the situation. Patience is key to ensure that
Impale also lands successfully.
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Gythian Wall
Slot: B
Lance smashes enemies back with his shield, dealing weapon damage and also stunning them if they collide with a wall or structure (max 1.6s). Afterward, he holds his shield steadfast, greatly reducing incoming damage from the target direction by up to 90%.
- Overdrive: At max rank, Lance ignores all negative effects (from any direction) while this ability is active.
- Damage reduction is 50% effective against turrets.
- Passive: Lance strafes around the enemy he has most recently attacked. While strafing, he reduces damage from the target's direction by up to 50%.
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Using
Gythian Wall:[/b]
Gythian Wall is also an extremely dynamic part of
Lance's kit. Not only does it make
Lance incredibly tanky due to the damage reduction but it also enable Lance to keep his allies safe by knocking away the enemies and when possible, also stunning them.
Gythian Wall will ideally be used to provide peel for Lance's allies as they either retreat or return damage from afar.
What to AVOID: Because
Gythian Wall can also stun enemies, it is important for
Lance to also also make sure he is using this ability most effectively. Whenever possible, try and position yourself in a manner such that will allow you to knock enemies into a wall so that they will in fact be stunned also. However, be careful to make sure that a change in positioning might also leave your allies exposed.
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Combat Roll
Slot: C
Lance rolls in the target direction. His next basic attack within 2s will strike quickly, dealing bonus crystal damage. |
Using
Combat Roll:[/b]
Combat Roll can first be unlocked when
Lance reaches level 6.
Combat Roll is very important in terms of how
Lance is able to position during a teamfight. Escaping enemies can be engaged upon using
Combat Roll immediately followed up by
Impale. Enemies next to a wall can easily be stunned by using
Combat Roll to move to their side and then activating
Gythian Wall to knock them into the wall. If
Lance is out of position and needs to escape,
Combat Roll can be used to evade enemies by rolling through most walls.
What to AVOID: Because
Combat Roll has a very short cooldown,
Lance just needs to be careful about how he manages his stamina such that he has enough for multiple
Combat Roll's if necessary. Avoid rolling in a direction that will endanger
Lance's allies. It is most likely always better to
Combat Roll as a tool to protect your allies.
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Fountain of Renewal
Fountain of Renewal is the quintessential first item for all ROAM heroes. Offering both defense and utility,
Fountain of Renewal is best utilized when allies are low on health during a team fight. Active: heals you and nearby allies for 2 health for each % missing health per second for 3 seconds.
Lance already has significant damage reduction from both his passive and active use of
Gythian Wall and in combination with
Fountain of Renewal will make
Lance incredibly hard to bring down! |
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Warhorn
warhorn pairs extremely well with
Lance. Active: Grant +2.75 move speed to all nearby teammates. Lasts 1.0s for each hero affected. Warhorn enables
Lance to quickly navigate the map with his allies and engage upon unsuspecting enemies. This can provide
Lance with a extra speed boost in order to get in range to land an
Impale onto unsuspecting enemies or position to activate
Gythian Wall knocking enemies into a stun! |
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Crucible
Crucible is best utilized against teams with area of effect (AOE) abilities. Active: Trigger Reflex Block for you and nearby teammates. This item can also be activated to provide a simple health barrier if an ally is close to dying. Crucible will also give
Lance an additional 600 bonus health to make him an even tankier front line. Examples: Blast Tremor (Catherine), Verse of Judgement (Adagio), Dragon Breath (Skaarf). |
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Atlas Pauldron
Atlas Pauldron is best utilized against teams with high attack speeds. Active: Reduces attack speed of nearby enemy heroes by 65% for 5 seconds in a 4-meter range.
Lance can activate either his
Combat Roll or his warhorn in order to get close to these enemies so that he always uses
Atlas Pauldron effectively. Examples: Ringo, SAW, Adagio. |
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Shiversteel
Shiversteel is a strong item choice for
Lance later on in the game because of it's effectiveness with
Partisan's Technique. When activated,
Shiversteel enables
Lance to slow all 3 enemy heroes simultaneously if they are positioned in a straight line. This will provide even more peel for
Lance's allies as they kite back the enemy team! |
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Journey Boots
Journey Boots are not necessarily an essential part of
Lance's kit. However, having the additional health, armor, shield, as well as the reduced speed activation cooldown makes it a viable option for
Lance because his allies are reliant upon him withstanding massive damage as the frontline as well as making sure he can land his
Impale whenever necessary! |
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Contraption
With the recent changes to the scoreboard that prevents teams from seeing both items and last hits until vision has been gained, I believe that
Contraption may become a very useful tool. Charges should be focused on deploying
 Scout Traps while
Lance and his allies still continue to purchase
 Flare Gun's. Used in this manner,
Lance and his allies will get the most out of having a contraption and the additional cooldown reduction will help
Lance to use his abilities more quickly! |
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Crystal Infusion
With the 1.18 update, players are no longer able to purchase both
Crystal Infusion and weapon infusion]. Players must now make a choice as to which infusion they feel will offer optimal performance. For [[Lance, I would recommend purchasing a
Crystal Infusion due to the cooldown reduction as well as increased root duration on his
Impale. A
Crystal Infusion will enable
Lance to use all of his abilities more frequently as well as with increased effectiveness! |
Using these different items depending on the situation will surely give you an advantage in team fights. A good
Lance will focus on counter-building the enemy team thus allowing him to offer the most utility and defense to his own team.
Fountain of Renewal and warhorn are ESSENTIAL parts of
Lance's kit. In all situations they are considered effective because there is not a significant amount of counter play to them. Utilize
Fountain of Renewal when
Lance or his allies become low in health, and use Warhorn to either engage or disengage from a team fight.
Playing the EARLY GAME: (t = 0:00 - 8:00)
1.
Starting ITEMS:
Ironguard Contract, HALCYCON POTION,
Flare Gun - Buying 2 potions is unnecessary because
Lance will receive health back from the passive ability of the
Ironguard Contract (
If a minion has attacked you, you heal for 120 health and your ally also earns 30% bonus gold). It is especially important when clearing the jungle that
Lance takes the first hit damage from jungle minions for optimal clear mechanics. This will maximize the amount of gold
Lance and his allies are able to earn.
2.
Clearing the jungle: When the game begins,
Lance should position himself to stand to the left of where the large double minions will spawn in the jungle. Immediately
Impale through both minions and then begin to basic attack them while
Lance's ally kills the large medic minion. Before Lance's jungle carry kills any of the jungle minions, Lance should begin moving towards the inner healer minion. This is so that the jungle carry will reach level 2 after the first rotation through the jungle. Be careful to not leave the jungle carry too soon or else they may take too much damage. However, most damage can be mitigated through the health they receive from killing the healer minions.
3.
The first engagement: In most situations, both jungles will have finished this mirrored rotation at relatively the same time. (Note: On some occasions, the enemy team may revert to a backwards rotation in which they start from the small double camp and rotate back towards their respective base). At this point, an engagement is likely to occur. Use the flare purchased at the begging of the game in a manner such that it reveals the enemy shop bush.
Lance and his ally will only want to engage the enemy jungle at this point if they feel they can win the fight. If not, it is a VERY good idea to rotate up to the lane and attempt to gank the enemy laner by using
Impale to root the enemy laner in place so that he can not run.
4.
To Invade, or not to Invade? If you end up winning a fight in the jungle, simply purchase a potion and head for an invade. The enemy team likely has very weak early game heroes and will not be able to win a second engagement either. Just be careful to not take too much damage from the jungle minions if the enemy team is positioning for a re-engagement. If you decided to go up to lane for a gank, whether it was successful or not, you should return to your jungle to clear it immediately. Note: If the enemy team has a much stronger jungle, they may have invaded and it is important to utilize flares to see if they have indeed invaded. If so, they simply rotate into the enemy jungle and take their camps instead.
Playing the MID GAME: (t = 8:00 - 15:00)
Lance begins to ramp up in the mid game. He hits his first major power spike once he completes his
Fountain of Renewal and his Warhorn, a second major power spike when he reaches level 6 to unlock his combat, and a final power spike when he reaches level 8 in order to overdrive
Gythian Wall so that he now has a massive amount of damage reduction making him incredibly tanky. All of this will happen during the mid game. Lance's decisions here should be reflective of his allies versus the enemies. If his allies are strong in the mid game, Lance will want to be aggressive, using his
Impale to capitalize on enemies so that objectives such as turrets or the gold miner can be secured. If Lance and his allies have a weaker midgame, saving
Impale and
Gythian Wall as tools for a disengage in that enemies are rooted away from Lance's allies should be encouraged.
Playing the LATE GAME: (t = 15:00 - End of Game)
While
Lance should have built an immense amount of both defensive and utility items at this point, the enemy team has also scaled significantly in their damage. Choosing fights selectively is very important at this stage in the game. Enemies have should built enough defense, or even reflex blocks, such that
Impale is not as devastating as it has been during the early and mid game.
Lance will want to make sure that he is keeping his allies safe by using
Combat Roll to reposition in order to activate
Gythian Wall so that it is used most effectively.
What to avoid:
1. Avoid taking last hits. Lance's allies should always be the ones who get the last hit. Lance will earn 75% of all gold that his allies earn from the passive of
Ironguard Contract (as long as he is within range).
2. Avoid overextending. While it is important for Lance to be the frontline for his team, he needs to make sure his allies are in a position to help Lance should he be engaged upon. If caught out of position, Lance can activate his
Combat Roll as a means of running away from the enemy as well as
Gythian Wall in order increase his damage reduction. Lance's allies will have to make a decision as to whether they should stay and help fight or use the time to retreat.
4. Be patient with Imaple. It is hard to predict how the enemy team will respond or where they might be lurking. If used to engage, be sure to know if the enemy's allies will be coming to their assistance by using a flare gun to check surrounding areas. Once enemies have built
Reflex Block, Lance will need to pay attention to whether or not enemies will be able to block the root.
1. Skill Skipping - In all of my guides, the suggested path for choosing abilities ALL involves skill skipping. What is skill skipping? A unique opportunity presents itself when all heroes reach level 5. The average player will simply choose an ability which most commonly is level 2 of their less important ability (
Petal's
Trampoline! 'jump' or
Taka's
Kaku 'box' are good examples). These abilities do NOT provide a large benefit to the heroes. In this guide I utilize skill skipping to achieve a level 4
Gythian Wall and a level 1
Combat Roll when I reach level 6. How does skill skipping work? When you reach level 5,
DO NOT SELECT AN ABILITY TO LEVEL UP. This is NEVER a disadvantage. Some players may find it unsettling that they have the option to improve one of their abilities but are choosing not to do so. However, once you reach level 6, you will be able to upgrade an ability to level 4 as well as getting your C Ability (
Combat Roll) to level 1. This differs from normally having a Level 3, Level 2, and Level 1 ability when you reach level 6. However, if you do engage in an important team fight at level 5, it is okay to upgrade an ability at this point. Obviously it will help slightly. For
Lance, this is his
Gythian Wall. At level 6, Lance should have a level 1
Impale, Level 1
Combat Roll, and Level 4
Gythian Wall. The additional base damage as well as the reduced cooldown are very helpful during teamfights.
2. Voice communication. While Vainglory does have userfriendly ping options which can to a degree communicate what to do between allies, voice communication is standard for any team based eSport. Being able to decide what actions to take in the upcoming 5 seconds before a teamfight such as who to focus, is incredibly important. When using
Impale to initiate the fight,
Lance should communicate who the priority focus is and how her allies should follow up after the enemies have been silenced. My team prefers to use an iOS/PC app called Discord. Teamspeak or Skype are also good alternatives.
3. Be Patient. - Most
Lance players may panic in a teamfight and try and use all of his abilities immediately. However, this may not be ideal. If the abilities are not used correctly, and in unison, this could be detrimental to both
Lance and his allies. Wait for the perfect scenario to use
Impale. If enemies are too far,
Lance may need to position closer, keeping in mind that his allies also need to be positioned correctly to follow up the engagement. Landing a successful
Impale can often have massive positive effects on a teamfight.
Lance should be patient enough and wait for an opening that will almost ensure he will land it successfully. Using
Impale on one of the enemy carries can often ensure they will be rooted as well as enable
Lance's allies to gain a better position to follow up the engagement.
4. Positioning. Positioning in team fights is very important. Similarly to how all ROAM heroes should be played (with the exception of Roam CP Adagio),
Lance will want to be the frontline meat shield for his allies. His goal is to absorb as much enemy damage as possible while
Lance's allies are attacking the enemies.
Lance is much tankier than the average ROAM hero due to both his passive and active damage reduction from
Gythian Wall. Key items to his kit are
Fountain of Renewal, Warhorn, and
Crucible. All of these items will greatly increase the effectiveness of his ability to stay in the front and absorb damage while his allies are dishing it out.
THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to read and study my 1.18 ROAM
Lance guide. Every situation is different and depending on what situation you are in will dictate exactly how to utilize this guide to your best benefit. This is by no means a definitive guide on how to play
Lance but purely my interpretation of him as a hero in the ROAM role. I hope everyone is able to learn a thing or two in order to improve your own gameplay. Please feel free to comment with questions, criticism, or any feedback whatsoever so that I can continue writing guides that will best benefit the Vainglory community in the future.
If you're not already, follow me on Twitter
@TSMFlashX and be sure to catch my streams on Twitch
@FlashX.
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