Hello and welcome to my first Vainglory Fire guide.

My name is ScaPredator, usually addressed as Sca. I'm a Vainglory player based in SEA. I'm a jungle main though I've started to dip my toes into the carry pool. I started playing when Blackfeather got released, though it wasn't until February 2016 that I took the game seriously. My best rank so far SA Silver yet I haven't bothered ranking so much since reaching said point during Spring 2016. I've mainly been focusing on improving myself as a player and planning with my current guild.

I have played a plethora of heroes the game could offer, yet Skye remains to be the one of the few heroes I absolutely love to play as, the other being Glaive. CP Jungle Skye was the first hero I really made a mark on with my friends and the community alike. I noticed that she is a popular hero among the community as well, and I'm writing this guide so people can enjoy playing her as much as I do.

16/02/2017 - Start of Writing. Finished Builds, Threats, and About Myself.

17/02/2017 - Modified Threats. Finished "Why CP Skye?", Ability Breakdown, Item Breakdown and Game Phases.

18/02/2017 - Fixed grammatical and spelling errors, as well as some formatting. Completed synergies with Captains.

19/02/2017 - Fixed grammatical and formatting errors. Edited Builds section. Completed Synergies section.

21/02/2017 - Added Credits. Edited builds section. Completed Tips section. Fixed some formatting and added text colors.

Skye is a ranged carry, otherwise identified as a sniper. Like most ranged carries, she has a high damage out put offset by her low defensive stats. Recent updates had seen her played as a weapon carry as opposed to crystal, yet as of Update 2.1 her weapon path took a big nerf. Since then, Crystal Skye has made another rise into the meta.

Skye's well known for her insane amount of mobility provided by her passive and her second skill. She is able to zip in and around the battlefield with ease, almost negating her low defensive stats via the virtue of not able to be caught due to her mobility. She is classified as a hard carry, as she is most effective after getting two or three offensive items in her inventory.

Even though she is stated as a lane carry, she has actually seen a lot of play in the jungle as well (both professionally and casually) to good effect. Professional players around the world have found success playing Skye as a crystal carry.

Strengths

- High Mobility
Skye's mobility, as mentioned before, is her main trait and offensive weapon. Most heroes find it difficult to keep up with or run away from a Skye.

- High damage potential
Skye's damage output is arguably one of the highest in the game.

- Versatility
Viable both as a jungler or a lane carry.

Weaknesses

- Hard Carry
Skye needs to hit level 8 and have at least two offensive items in her inventory in order to have an impact on the game.

- Squishy
To offset her mobility and damage output, Skye's defensive stats are significantly low.

- Silences
A silenced CP Skye is practically a useless CP Skye. Having a Reflex Block negates this.

- Bodyblocking
A tank stacking shield with good positioning is enough to negate a great portion of Skye's damage output.

Passive Skill - Target Lock

Skye locks onto and reveals the target she most recently basic attacked. Basic attacks and Forward Barrage on that locked target grant her up to 2 move speed for 1.2 seconds. This speed bonus is dramatically reduced while moving backward. Target Lock lasts 3 seconds, and is lost when the target is more than 8.5 meters away.

The Target Lock is an important aspect of Skye's kit. Aside from the fact that two (!) of her abilities require Target Lock in order to be used, the boost of speed allows Skye to re-position herself effectively during fights.

A Skill - Forward Barrage

Skye fires a continuous stream of bullets while strafing in the selected direction for 3 seconds. Building weapon power makes the barrage slow approaching enemies by up to 40%. Reactivate this ability to stop firing.

Deals bonus damage to locked targets, and 40% damage to structures & bosses.

Damage Calculation Format: Base Damage + 210% CR + 10% Lock-On Bonus (+10% CR on Lock-On).

The Forward Barrage is Skye's main source of damage, though arguably is also the hardest skill of hers to master. Being able to land her A consistently on targets is invaluable because of the damage potential it has. It's crystal ratio is high and aside from having damage bonuses from the lock-on, it also provides Skye with a considerable speed boost if she needs to kite or chase.

B Skill - Suri Strike

Active: Skye dashes to a chosen location near her locked target as a volley of missiles along a line between her and her target strike down. Multiple missiles can hit the same target, but subsequent hits deal 20% damage. This ability can only activated when Skye has a locked target. Activating this ability resets a portion of the cooldown on Forward Barrage (40% - 55% - 70% - 85% - 100%).

Passive: Each ability point in Suri Strike increases the duration of target lock (1 - 1.5 - 2 - 2.5 - 4).

Damage Calculation Format: Base + 100% CR. Deals reduced damage to minions (base + 30% CR).

The Suri Strike, like the Target Lock is also a essential part of Skye's kit as it also grants Skye the immense mobility she is notorious for. Though the damage from the missiles are massive, the main function of Suri Strike for Skye to re-position herself during fights. This allows Skye to attempt many maneuvers other heroes can only think of as she can dance around enemy heroes or relentlessly pursuit her target.

Ultimate Skill - Death from Above

Active: Skye fires a salvo of missiles at a chosen location near her locked target. After a 1.3 second delay, the missiles rain down on that location for (2 - 3 - 4) seconds, stunning enemies for 0.5 seconds. Enemies still in the area afterward are slowed (55% - 60% - 65%) and take crystal damage.

Aiming directly on your locked target rains down the missiles in a cluster, while aiming away rains them down in a line across the target's path.

This ability can only be activated when Skye has a locked target. Deals 40$ damage to structures and bosses.

Passive: Each ability point in Death from Above increases the range of target-lock (1.5 - 3 - 4.5).

Damage Calculation Format: Base + 50% CR.

Skye's ultimate has seen some changes that it is more about the utility it provides rather than the damage. It is not the most reliable of stuns, though it's ability to deny an area is fantastic. It shapes the battle field for Skye's team as a Gauntlet would. Lining the ultimate up can draw a line between you and the enemy or separate a key target away from their team, while the cluster can cancel channeled ults or be chained with another skill.

Jungle Items

Frostburn is the most popular starting item for Crystal Skye as a jungler. Other than being a cheaper item than Shatterglass, it provides a decent level of utility for Skye herself and her team. It is exceptionally useful against melee carries or mobile carries

Broken Myth is a staple item for most CP heroes as it provides pierce and the damage scaling. It's good as a second item when you expect the fights to be long-drawn as you can make full use of the BM stacks.

Reflex Block or Aegis is crucial for a obvious reasons.

Halcyon Chargers has been a popular item for Crystal Skye ever since it's introduction. Skye's energy consumption is an important aspect and this item can help her stay in fights longer therefore dishing even more damage.

Eve of Harvest helps Skye sustain against targets with immense burst damage. It's a good second item pick up against the likes of Taka and Koshka, but you will be sacrificing damage for sustain.

A Metal Jacket is often the last item in a Skye's inventory which should be useful against split-damage compositions.

As usual, Crystal Infusion is important for the damage and cooldown benefits.

Lane Item

Shatterglass should be a Skye's first item as a Carry because of the raw CP it provides, allowing Skye to deal as much damage as possible. Some people prefer Frostburn over it as the first item though, which is a viable path if you are against melee carries.

Eve of Harvest is the second core offensive item on Skye. Broken Myth is not as effective if Skye can't sustain herself during fights because of the high number of stacks on it now.

However, Broken Myth is a very suitable third item. After picking up Eve, Skye should be able to stay in fights longer therefore increasing the value of Broken Myth on Skye.

Reflex Block or Aegis for obvious reasons.

Travel Boots for obvious reasons. This will later be upgraded into the Halcyon Chargers.

You can opt for either Frostburn or Shatterglass as your last CP item (depending on which one you didn't buy as a first item) or an extra defense in the form of Metal Jacket. Sometimes, Skye players only buy a Piercing Shard as a 4th item to negate some of the extra shield teams tend to have.

Early Game

Start the game by buying two Crystal Bit and a Halcyon Potion. You should start your first rotation from the fronts so you can contest the Ancient Treant. In the early game, Skye should look to avoid head-on engagements and focus on farming her own jungle then going to the lane to either gank or pressure the lane. Solo invades are quite risky especially against melee junglers like Glaive in the early game, before Skye has maxed her Suri Strike. You can focus on counter-jungling, but don't venture too deep into the enemy jungle.

You can have your captain sit in lane in order to gain more experience in the jungle.

Mid Game

By mid game, Skye should have her Frostburn up and has maxed Suri Strike. By then, you can decide whether to keep pressuring the lane or start looking for more invades in the jungle. By the time Kraken has spawned, Skye should look to finish her second item, which is usually between the Broken Myth or Eve of Harvest. as well as one or two defense or utility items. Always infuse during Kraken spawn.

Late Game

Skye at this point should be at her strongest. She is incredibly strong at this stage of the game. Depending on how the game has panned out, Skye should be focusing on the main threat on the enemy team. Be mindful of the heroes that pose a threat to Skye such as Vox or Taka. Don't wander alone and never forget to buy Crystal Infusion!

Early Game

As a hard carry, Skye is incredibly weak in the early game. Until she gets her first T3 offensive item, which is normally a Shatterglass, Skye should focus on getting a lot of farm in the lane. Starting off with a Weapon Blade helps her in trying to farm up. The other starting item is normally a Crystal Bit or a Light Armor/ Light Shield along with a few Halcyon Potion if you are expecting to be pressured in the lane.
If the enemy team manages to launch a three-man invade into your jungle, it is worth to rotate down the enemy bush and go steal their jungle farm then teleport back.

Mid Game

Skye's farming after getting the Shatterglass should ease in difficulty. Around this time, Skye should look to rotate a tad more often than before to help her team out in jungle fights. I feel as if Skye wouldn't need to worry about the lane being pushed because of the spike in her clearing speed. Again, ready a Crystal Infusion by the time Kraken spawns.

Late Game

After Skye has completed a bulk of her build, she can start playing more aggressively with her team. Abandoning lane is fine, coming up only to push and clear. Sticking together with your team is very important in the late game. Again, be mindful of the heroes who counter you. During team fights, Skye should mostly be kiting backwards if she is continuously dived on but try and keep close with your team because your enemies should attempt to drive you away from your junglers. She should also look to get the kills as much as she can, but try not to push it.

Foreword: These ratings are generated with the assumption that Skye is the crystal damage dealer in the team.

With Captains

Synergy Rating: 9/10
Ardan is arguably one of the best supports to pair with Skye. He can use his Vanguard to give Skye a speed boost to chase or kite and protect her from burst damage. Using his Gauntlet, Ardan can allow Skye's skill to have a greater effect (the AOE damage).


Synergy Rating: 8/10
Lance's heavy CC kit can be used offensively to focus down a target, like Impale or Gythian Wall stun into Forward Barrage or Death From Above. Lance can also root or stun to buy Skye time to kite.


Synergy Rating: 7/10
Catherine can use her Merciless Pursuit or Blast Tremor to lock-down a target for Skye to chase or she can disrupt targets trying to engage Skye.

With Carries (As Jungle Skye)

Synergy Rating: 9/10
With Skye, Blackfeather's ability to lock-down targets compliments Skye, who can also help Blackfeather in the same regard. The two compliment each other in attack with their high single target damage and mobility. Skye can slow people down with her barrages and her ultimate while Blackfeather allows Skye to chase a target with the rose trail buff. They also have similar powerspikes in the game


Synergy Rating: 9/10
Skye's synergy with the gunslinger Gwen is as symbiotic as hers with the charming Blackfeather. Gwen has a slow and a stun, as well as a large amount of single target burst damage. Coupled with Skye, the two can form a formidable duo in attempting to pick targets.


Synergy Rating: 8/10
Skye's partnership with Ringo was once a scary sight. It had it's lull, but now with Ringo back in the spotlight the two should see more game time together in one side. Ringo's newly buffed Twirling Silver allows him to catch up with targets and kite better. This, coupled with slows from Skye makes the two a deadly combo in attempting to burst down targets.


Synergy Rating: 7/10
Baron is notorious for his incredibly low mobility until he reaches level 8. With Skye slowing down targets and the both of them having massive zoning capabilities thanks to Porcupine Mortar, Death From Above and Ion Cannon, they promise to be a menacing tandem on the fold.

With Junglers (as Lane Carry Skye)

Synergy Rating: 9/10
Skye and Blackfeather's synergy remains at the same level even if they were switched roles. As a jungler, Blackfeather is known for his ability to enable his carries by giving the rose trail along with buying utility items such as Shiversteel to provide CC. Skye can use this to her advantage and eliminate most targets.


Synergy Rating: 8/10
Just as when he was a Captain, Lance as a weapon jungler also works well with Skye in the same regard. Lance can negate Skye's poor early game by being the aggressor, buying her and his team more time. During fights, Lance can utilize his high damage abilities to peel or lock-down targets for Skye. Land that sweet Impale and Death From Above combo for a winning formula.


Synergy Rating: 7/10
Like Blackfeather does, Krul can also be a good 'enabler' type jungler for Skye to flourish. Though not much in the offensive department, Krul's true value lies in his ability to stick onto a target and remove their impact on the field. The CC he brings to the table is also nice for Skye to take advantage of, though Krul is mostly there to negate Skye's chasers as she kites backwards and around.


Synergy Rating: 7/10
Alpha's main purpose in most set-ups as a Weapon hero is to serve as a distraction. Her innate healing forces her and Skye's enemies to prioritize which target first since the two thrive on drawn-out fights. Alpha also has an AOE slow she can use to lock-down or peel.

This section will cover tips on gameplay as well as when using some of the skills.

General Gameplay

- Though predominantly a late game hero, Skye's early game in the jungle is still quite strong compared to most heroes.
- Grabbing an early Energy Battery is a good idea for Skye because of her energy consumption.
- In the early game, you should rely on your Target Lock passive to kite and re-position often as your Suri Strike's cooldown will still be high.
- Be mindful of her high cooldown during the early portion of the game.

Forward Barrage

- It's good to not randomly throw out barrages during fights, rather waiting until you're sure you can land a big chunk of it on your target.
- Forward Barrage's weakness is being bodyblocked. Make sure you position yourself properly before you use it. Things like Petal's munions and Fortress' wolves also block your barrage effectively.

Suri Strike

- For maximum effect, tap on the edge of the target area so all the missiles hit the target.
- Skye can effectively cut off any avenues of escape by using Suri Strike to block the enemy's path. Keep in mind doing this against melee heroes is not recommended.
- Do not use Suri Strike preemptively. Use it when you are in a tight spot, rely on your Target Lock's speed boost to kite around.
- Remember that Suri Strike removes cooldown from your Forward Barrage.

Death From Above

- Death from Above is a fantastic zoning tool during team fights. It can separate an enemy team or cancel off an engagement tool like Ardan's Gauntlet, Fortress' Attack of the Pack, or even a classic use of Wartreads. It can also stop the enemy from disengaging a fight.
- You can try and bait melee heroes onto you and then drop your ultimate onto yourself in cluster, before kiting backwards.
- Chaining it with another form of CC is almost recommended due to the unreliable accuracy of the skill.

I would like to thank Super Evil Mega Corp for making such a fantastic game and my friends who I can't mention one by one in motivating me to create the guide and helping the creation of it. I also would like to thank the readers for spending their time on this guide and I'll see you on my next piece!

-Sca