Contents Top
1. Intro
2. Core Strengths
3. Item Build Explanation
4. Scaling/Power Spikes
5. Other Tips and Tricks
Hello and welcome to a new series that I am working on, called "Misunderstood, not Underpowered!" where I go in-depth on some heroes which have fallen out of favour but still deserve to have their potential understood and their true strengths brought out in-game.
This is Guide 1, featuring Ozo.
Please note that I will not explain his abilities - I assume that you already know what they do.
Enjoy!
Core Strengths Top
This section is probably the most important; if you leave this guide with just one thing learned it should probably be this part right here.
So what does Ozo excel at? What separates him from all the other heroes?
Ozo excels at in-combat sustain, surprising opponents when they believe that he is done for. But so what? Other heroes can do the same, such as Krul and Baptiste.
What separates Ozo from other sustain-heavy heroes is his
mobility.
Let's compare Ozo to Krul: Krul has ridiculous amounts of lifesteal, but Ozo's superior mobility means that he has much more
backline pressure. Through the long range of Bangarang and multiple bounces of Acrobounce, Ozo can reach the backline with ease, while Krul may be prevented from doing so due to the enemy's tanky frontline.
Against enemies with low mobility, Ozo can easily chase them down or escape from them using Acrobounce after he is finished sustaining.
Ozo also excels against enemies with low burst damage, such as Vox, as he can sustain more easily with his consistent heals.
Ozo is certainly a situational pick in drafts, but you should lock him in if your teammates can provide heals or barriers, or if the enemy lacks crowd control or mobility. However, Ozo is not a very suitable first pick in drafts, as he can be counterpicked with relative ease.
Item Build Explanation Top
As a hero, Ozo trades damage for sustain and mobility. Since his sustain is pretty darn low without items, Ozo has a weak early game. This is why the starting items include Sprint Boots, allowing Ozo to escape from early game fights/invades.
Aftershock is quite powerful on Ozo due fact that it synergizes with his Three Ring Circus ability. It is essential to autoattack between each hit of Ozo's A ability, otherwise you will miss out on plenty of damage, and that is damage which Ozo needs.
In tandem with Aftershock, Clockwork is also great on Ozo, as he is heavily reliant on Three Ring Circus for survival. These two items give Ozo decent CP damage and plenty of cooldown reduction.
Broken Myth allows Ozo to deal higher damage to tankier enemies in the late game; they will likely build Aegis to counter Ozo's ultimate, so Broken Myth suits nicely.
Aegis is a must-have on Ozo, as he reaps greater benefits from the active thanks to his heroic perk. It also helps him to survive on a knife's edge, allowing him to lifesteal further and can even be used to negate the crowd control that shuts him down hard.
Journey Boots adds to Ozo's fantastic mobility, allowing him to thrive at what he already does well.
Slumbering Husk is great for countering high burst damage which Ozo is typically vulnerable against.
Metal Jacket is situational; useful against WP carries such as SAW and Baron (seriously, who plays Ringo anymore these days?).
Fountain of Renewal is great against mostly CP compositions, and the active is really useful in a pinch.
Finally, Shiversteel is great against highly mobile enemies, ensuring that Ozo can keep up with them while giving him a nice chunk of health and attack speed.
Scaling/Power Spikes Top
As mentioned before, Ozo has a weak early game due to his lack of early sustain. However, he has a strong mid and late game as his sustain abilities start to kick into high gear.
Ozo's main power spikes are:
- When he reaches Level 6
- When he acquires his first item, Aftershock
- When he acquires Aegis
Ozo should usually look for fights when he reaches these power spikes, and he can force fights easily due to the exceptionally long range of Bangarang.
Other Tips and Tricks Top
- Acrobounce grants Ozo 1 gold per bounce whenever he uses it. This may seem like virtually nothing, but can equate to a small difference over the course of a game.
- Acrobounce will grant a Ozo a burst of movement speed if he bounces at least twice. This can be abused often; it is effectively a free sprint.
- It isn't always a great idea to initiate a fight with a maximum range Bangarang. This is because your allies may be too far away to follow up on the crowd control it provides, and you may be bursted down quickly.
- Always remember to autoattack between Three Ring Circus hits, as the Aftershock proc will deal some serious damage over time.
- The second hit of Three Ring Circus dashes though a target; this can be used on a lane minion for a swift escape.
- Remember that Three Ring Circus applies on hit effects. This includes lifesteal, crits, Poison Shiv, Spellsword, and more.
Conclusion Top
Thank you for reading my first instalment of the "Misunderstood, not Underpowered!" series. I hope you learned a thing or two about Ozo and may be able to apply it next time you play as or against him.
Remember to comment, vote and all that fluff.
Until next time!
Ninja7910
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