I was recently watching one of my favorite streamers (shout out to @KyleFergusson) when I was struck by the power of a simple statement that he made. It was early in a game and he said, “I’m just trying to be as scary as possible”. It was such an offhanded comment that at first I didn’t grasp the full meaning. After hearing him make similar comments in other games, I finally started to realize how profound the idea really was.
Everyone has heard the expression ‘You never get a second chance to make a good first impression’. This applies just as much to Heroes of the Storm as it does to the real world. If you get out of position and die a couple of times early in the game, the opposing team is going to mark you as the weak link and continue to focus on you. Likewise, if you dodge the first few opponent’s skill shots and stutter step like a pro, your opponents are more likely to respect your play and think twice about engaging you. With that in mind, lets look at ways that you can seem scary and make a good first impression.
Don’t Die!
This is my favorite pieces of advice and I simply cannot say it enough. Nothing is going to mark you as the weak link faster than a few early deaths. Emboldened by these early kills, the opposing team is going to continue to focus on you and you are likely to become their first target in team fights. Your teammates will also notice these early deaths, and they may be less likely to lane with you or to follow your pings. Remember, the early game is about soaking experience and this means staying alive.
Be Positionally Aware
Good players understand the importance of positioning. They know how to position themselves, and just as importantly they know how to take advantage of players who do not position themselves correctly. Just like dying, this is a red flag to good players and once they realize that you are frequently out of position they will quickly take advantage of it. If you often find yourself getting ganked by the opposing team, your positioning is probably one of the reasons (another may be that you are running around by yourself when you shouldn’t be). I will write a full article about position next week, but three keys to good positioning are safety, movement, and map awareness.
Don’t Use Defensive Abilities Offensively
Many Heroes have abilities that are best used as escape tools. Some examples are Haunted Wave for Sylvanas or Vault for Valla. When you use one of these abilities to engage or do damage, you put a huge target on yourself. With these abilities on cooldown, you are much less likely to be able to escape if the enemy team dives on you. Even if you don’t die immediately, you are marking yourself as a weak player and your opponents will take note of it. Don’t make this mistake!
Hit Your Skill Shots
Stitches may be the poster boy for this section. Hook is probably the most obvious ability in the game when it comes to people being able to tell if you are hitting your skill shots or not. While not every skill shot is as obvious as Hook, people still notice whether or not you are hitting with them. When you are on point with your skill shots it can be very intimidating to the opposing team. The reverse is also true. When you frequently miss your skill shots your opponents will be much more confident when playing against you. Take your skill shots seriously and strive to master them if you want to strike fear into your opponents.
Anticipate
This is a very broad topic and there are many examples. Since were were just discussing skill shots, lets start there. If you pay attention to how long it has been since an enemy hero used an ability, and you pay attention to their positioning, it can be very easy to see that next skill shot coming. It is also quite common for a player to stop moving right before they cast a skill shot, so look for that as well. It is a great feeling when you sidestep just as that enemy Anub’arak tries to hit you with Impale, and it can really undermine their confidence when you regularly avoid their skill shots. Another example is anticipating the movements of the enemy team and acting accordingly. A mistake I often see involves players who get tunnel vision while pushing a lane, and never seem to consider the fact that the enemy team knows their location and is very likely to move in behind them at some point. Watch the map, and try to think ahead about where the enemy is likely to come from, and what you will do when they do. The last example is anticipating map objectives. Don’t wait until after the objective spawns to decide what you are going to do. Know when and where the objectives are likely to spawn and be ready for them in advance. On Haunted Mines, that means being at the mine entrance and ready to enter as soon as it opens. On Sky Temple, that means being at the Temples when they power up. The time you save by being proactive on objectives instead of reactive can determine who comes out on top.
When To Be Bad
Now that we know some of the ways that a player can inadvertently make themselves into a target, lets talk about how to use that to your advantage. If I am laning with a Nova or Zeratul I will often try to look bad in order to lure an opponent into a vulnerable position. You can also try this trick to draw unsuspecting opponents towards teammates who are hiding in bushes or fog. Another use can be to overextend on purpose to try and distract the opposing team from whatever else your team might be doing. Maybe your team is taking the boss or moving in to flank the opposition. Making sure that you are very visible in another location can keep the opposing team from noticing. Just be sure you are ready with an escape plan for when the opposing team comes for you.
Be Scary
As Tony Stark said in Ironman, “Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?” Being scary early in the game you will get your opponent to respect you. Being really scary you might even get them to fear you. Focus on solid play and move with confidence. You want to let them know from the start that you are not going to be an easy opponent. This can earn you some extra time and space, which will make the game much easier. Good luck and have fun!
Source: BlizzPRO
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