Introduction Top
I'm a guy playing on SEA server, a Ringo, Krul, Celeste and Catherine main and tier 6 (Pretty Good) silver and pushing. This is my guide based completely on personal experience on how to play Krul, with some micromanagement skills about him that I use to keep pushing.
Abilities Top
I won't screw over with the in-game stats so I'm going straight into details and tips.
Passive
Really useful when ganking or camping in a bush waiting for enemies to enter. Always remember that the passive slow stays applicable for 2 seconds after leaving brush, so always try to run straight to the enemy carry because you have enough time to do so. The slow is also as strong as Shiversteel's, so you can apply slows on 2 enemies if they are close enough.
A
Simple targeted dash that gives you a shield. Overdrive this ability because the damage and shield increase is broken. This ability is one of your 3 gapclosers in your kit, and the only targeted (unmissable) one. Use this ability as your engage if your passive is unavailable, your support isn't engaging or you are not yet tanky enough to walk up to the enemy team. The shield when overdrived allows you to absorb 530 damage, so use it to absorb burst damage. Note that the dash causes you to dash to the target's location AT THE TIME OF the ability activation, so use boots or your ult if your target is sprinting or Vanguarding or Warhorning etc. away to maximise the efficiency of this ability. PRO TIP: Wait till your target has stopped to cast an ability or autoattack to use A because it is most efficient. PRO TIP: Use this ability when you are at your lowest movement speed (MS) because the dash is only a bit faster than your normal MS. Thus, using A when you are sprinting will effectively reduce the effectiveness of your sprint.
B
Best execute and Kraken secure in-game. This ability is extremely good in extended fights, as it gives you lifesteal when attacking a marked target and reduces marked targets' attack speed (AS) and crystal power (CP). Always smite at the greatest possible stacks or the least number required to kill your target. You will need practice in order to determine the "killing stack" on different targets at different amounts of health, but when in doubt, always smite later than your estimate. PRO TIP: I recommend practising smiting in a custom game on Kraken. The consequences of failing a smite on Kraken when it is contested may be fatal, so it is of paramount importance that you know when to safely smite-kill Kraken. The ideal securing combo would be A-B, not B-A, as A has a long cast time and B has an almost instant cast, giving your opponents very little time to steal Kraken.
C (ult)
The best way to use C is to deliberately miss your ult to circumvent it around the enemy tank, then position behind the enemy priority target, usually with boots, for a 2+ second stun. In higher elo this tactic tends not to work as Reflex Block is usually used but it is a useful tactic to bear in mind. This ability is best used as a pick to signal an engage on a target or as follow-up CC on a priority target, optimally using the aforementioned tactic to extend stun duration. PRO TIP: In a teamfight, it is not unwise to use your ult as your first gapcloser, as it is the only missable gapcloser in your kit (sprint is not targeted). If possible, use your ult to interrupt a sprint or a channel like Adagio's, Koshka's or Joule's ult. Optionally, you could use the aforementioned tactic to apply a massive stun to a channeling enemy because their movement is easily predictable.
Explaining My Build Top
I won't bore you with too many details.
Obvious start.
Also obvious first buy. If your support doesn't steal your creeps you can get a Swift Shooter on top of the Blazing Salvo you just bought. Get a few potions if you can afford it.
In case you thought this was a mistake, yes, 2 BSes (haha) because applying B stacks is everything. Used to go Lucky Strike but realised this was a better option as Lucky Strike costs 200 gold more than Blazing Salvo and is generally less efficient on Krul. Make sure you have 3 potions in your inventory every time you leave the Shop.
Shiversteel next, but there are variations. If you are constantly being invaded/fighting consider a defensive item, one of The Defensive Three (Reflex Block, Kinetic Shield, Coat of Plates). However, note that Shiversteel gives 500 health, so it's also a decently good defensive item itself. If you feel that sticking onto enemies is not a big problem then consider finishing your Tornado Trigger. Remember the 3 potions, helps to sustain your Mana or heal you up during fights. Also get Boots, but DO NOT upgrade them as it will be a waste of money.
At this point the enemy laner and jungler have probably finished their first item, so you should grab some defensive items. I always go for two out of Three before getting any other offensive items.
As the game goes on you will need to see if you require damage in long teamfights (Go Breaking Point) or applying more B stacks for lifesteal and sustain (Go Tornado Trigger). It is uncommon but you may need to finish your defensive item(s) first if the enemy team is going full damage/ has too much single-target damage and is focusing you.
Finish your defensive items and remaining Blazing Salvo upgrade. At 5 items you need to look at the enemy builds and team composition to see if you require defensive stats, more Reflex blocks or damage. At my level I almost always take Bonesaw as the enemy has a lot of armor, which I define as 2 Metal Jackets/Atlas Pauldrons in any combination. If the enemy has a lot of CC and your laner cannot cope, then take Crucible. I define this as the enemy team having 5 or more stuns and silences altogether. If the enemy is stacking a lot of health, take Aftershock (noobs won't understand until they read the description of
Aftershock).
Don't forget to upgrade your boots, get both Infusions, and activate Shiversteel (I can forget)!!!
Lastly: I have tried selling my Boots for another defensive item several times. This is not advised unless the enemy team has massive damage to nuke you to oblivion before you get your BP and B stacks going, for example full CP Skaarf, full CP Koshka and Phinn. The use of Boots on Krul is to act as a gapcloser at his disposal to catch up with any enemy trying to sprint away, but if your team has a Phinn or Ardan, which both have excellent CC to trap an enemy hero, then Boots will see less use and thus be less efficient.
Gameplay Top
Krul is generally the weakest early game Jungler, with the worst clear and lowest burst out of all junglers. Almost every other Jungler+support will be able to outduel a Krul+support, so it is recommended to play safe early game until you get 2 Blazing Salvos. If you go the left-right clear, you should be careful of enemies hiding in your shop bush beside your 4th camp. Junglers like Koshka and Taka have faster clears and they can interrupt your 4th camp clear and possibly steal the creeps.
After your first clear, you can gank lane. However, the following conditions must be met in order to execute a successful gank:
1. Enemy laner cannot be a level 2 or above Kestrel.
2. Proc your passive (hide on bush for 2 seconds) before you gank.
3. The enemy laner must be standing beyond the halfway mark of the lane.
4. The enemy laner must not be running back to his tower/away from you. If he is, walk through the whole bush to check for scout traps. If there are scout traps, abandon your gank and resume farming. If there are no scout traps, you can continue waiting for an opportunity to gank.
(Optional, but I always follow these tips)
5. If applicable, wait for the enemy laner to use his dash or CC before attacking.
6. If applicable, wait for the enemy laner to stop moving (SAW's B, autoattack, Celeste A) to attack.
You should not use A to close the initial gap as your passive is enough. A should be used to pursue the enemy laner as he is retreating.
In the mid-game, always itemise to protect yourself from the greatest source of damage. At this point you should have some defensive item components and Shiversteel, so you should be able to survive if you dived into the enemy backline.
General Tips Top
Ok some random tips and info here about Krul (obviously) and Krul-related stuff.
1. Only hero capable of having full health after first clear.
2. If you are low on health but high on Mana after a fight, just go to a health jungle camp (solo camps) and autoattack the creep and smite before the last auto needed to kill it, and generally you will regain half your health. Do not use A when dping this as it reduces the amount of health you regain from the smite.
3. Always remember that your A gives a shield, so calculate that in when you are towerdiving.
4. Stutterstepping/orbwalking/kiting is ESSENTIAL as Krul, or any other autoattack reliant champion for that matter, so practise stutterstepping as much as possible. Always stutterstep towards where you are going nest, e.g. the next jungle camp or the direction the enemy hero is going, as stutterstepping increases your net (total) movement by cancelling the part of the autoattack animation after the damage has been registered, ending your autoattack early and giving you a tiny fraction of time to move before your next autoattack is ready. This is the singular, most absolutely essential skill that Krul players need to master, as late game it allows you to move as fast as the enemy hero when Shiversteel is activated.
5. Your A can be used on a jungle creep or lane minion to get away from a sticky situation, in addition to giving a shield.
6. The shield on A is generated when the dash ends, so make sure you do not die if you intend to turn on your chasing enemy.
7. Talking about turning on chasing enemies... Most people do not expect a dying Krul to turn and fight them, but here's how to do just that. Make sure no other enemy is around and the enemy hero you are facing has no CC (if not you can't autoattack). Preferably run until you enter a bush, then use A on the enemy hero, giving yourself a shield, which will protect you from a bit of damage. Then, spam autoattacks on the enemy hero and you will passively gain lifesteal, slowly regenerating your health, and smite if more regen is needed. After that, simply chase the enemy until he dies or you die :).
8. Smiting a tower does a ton of damage.
9. DMK3 imo is the best skin out there!
10. You can solo Gold Mine and Kraken! Of course, don't do that unless all enemies are dead or your teammates are delaying the enemies from checking Kraken.
11. Krul vs. Ringo late game is the most entertaining 1v1 to watch. Everything boils down to whether the Ringo can build enough BP stacks to kill Krul before Krul does the same!!!!
12. Don't be afraid to start attacking Gold Mine/Kraken to force a fight with the enemy. Once you get a few autos off onto Gold Mine/Kraken, your lifesteal will negate all damage from it. Plus, the enemies can't steal Gold Mine/Kraken from you as long as you smite properly. Therefore, they are forced to fight you or give up a major objective. This is a great tactic to bear in mind, and this is generally used to force an advantageous fight.
13. Crystal Infusion is better than Weapon Infusion for 2 reasons: Firstly, your lifesteal-per-auto and your lifesteal-on-smite are both increased by crystal power, while weapon power only increases your autoattack damage, which will eventually build up anyway and the enemies will probably have bought a ton of armor already, reducing the effectiveness of additional WP.
Conclusion Top
Fun champ! In Patch 1.12 SEMC buffed Krul's early game sustain via B's passive on-hit lifesteal, but he is still the weakest jungler early game. If you like Krul's playstyle, namely being the late-game hyperscaling unkillable and unescapable carry of every laner's nightmares, play Krul by all means. Of course you need to be carried through early game first.
If you like Krul, you probably like or will like Ringo too. He has quite similar gameplay, scaling very well into late game and relying on Breaking Point to deal damage in big teamfights. He is currently very strong in this meta (1.12), only really losing to SAW, with all other matchups based on skill difference.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my guide on Krul and learned some of his micromechanics! Thanks for viewing this guide, and you can send me a friend request if you'd like a ranked partner! (No real life contact though)
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