Steelb_l_ade
07-04-2008, 13:29
~Swordmaster Powers~
Combat Mastery Information
Combat Mastery is an essential spell for a Swordmaster as he is a low health hero that must close in fast to enemies, do his damage and then retreat very quickly. Swordmasters are very susceptible to being nuked by high damage spells and ultimates and therefore this skill is one of the most important to focus on. When an enemy starts channelling powerful magic or uses AOE if you cannot interrupt it simply use Combat Mastery to slide directly away from the enemy possibly saving you from the effects of the spell. Combat Mastery can also be used to escape nets and other immobilization magic making a Swordmaster very difficult to pin down. It can also be used as a quick "speed boost" if used well to allow you to pursue or escape from enemies.
Counters
Combat Mastery does not allow the Swordmaster to move through targets and if the path of Combat Mastery is blocked the Swordmaster will stop so attempt to surround him with cheap summons or block his escape routes.
Combat Mastery cannot be used if the Swordmaster is stunned so use Storm Hammers rather than Gladiator's Nets to stop him from escaping.
Spectral Blade Information
Spectral Blade is an often overlooked power that can be very useful to a Swordmaster. Because a Swordmaster will usually defeat his enemies by battering them with Blade Fury, because of the exhaustion Blade Fury causes it often means an enemy will simply run when badly injured and in his exhausted state a Swordmaster cannot pursue. This is where Spectral Blade comes in the most use as it is very useful for cutting down fleeing enemies. Although the damage caused by Spectral Blade is fairly low, its ability to follow an enemy until it hits means its perfect for defeating heroes fleeing on very low heath. Spectral Blade costs a lot of mana and should therefore be used sparingly, the best times to use it are when first entering combat to soften up a target before attacking it and then by the time the enemy are fleeing it will be cooled down again to kill them while they run.
Counters
Spectral Blade directly targets a unit and so can be blocked by the Spell Shatter ability found on Spellshatter Armour and the Disruptor's Magic Resistance ability. Because the sword itself isn't that fast it is possible to outrun it with very fast heroes such as Dudjin'Kai using Burst of Speed while using items such as Healing Salves to survive the hit when it eventually comes. The damage caused by Spectral Blade can also be reduced by items such as the Silver Seal and Magic Resistance upgrade on armour.
Blade Fury Information
Blade Fury is an absolute must for any Swordmaster as it is your primary damage dealing ability. Blade Fury should be levelled to maximum as fast as possible to maximise its benefits and reduce its shortcomings. At max level Blady Fury allows the Swordmaster to attack faster than any other hero and with the right combination of items this alone can take down any hero in the game. However, Blade Fury is not without serious disadvantages as after use the Swordmaster will become exhausted making him very slow for a short period. This makes chasing fleeing heroes or escaping very difficult. Use Blade Fury in combination with Combat Mastery in that you should rush in, attack an enemy at greatly enhanced speed, then when you become exhausted use Combat Mastery to back off, throw a Spectral Blade, then when the exhaustion ends repeat the process. This is a very effective way of fighting for a Swordmaster and with the right weapon can be devastating.
Counters
The effectiveness of Blade Fury can be seriously reduced by waiting for the Swordmaster to cast it and then stunning him during the duration, leaving him exhausted at the end. Also, attacks that greatly reduce attack speed like Shrink or Rending Claws can bring his attack speed right back down thus negating the effects of Blade Fury.
Counter Attack Information
Blade Fury alone is not enough to allow a Swordmaster to overcome other melee heroes however his Counter Attack can easily tip the balance in his favour. Counter Attack costs no mana and can be activated/deactivated at will. Counter Attack only works against enemy melee units and is of no use vs ranged heroes or enemies but it can make the Swordmaster very difficult to defeat if used properly. The chance to counter is % based on every hit, therefore the more hits a Swordmaster takes the greater his chance to counter so the faster the attacker is at hitting the better counter attack is. Aim to take out enemy melee heroes that rely on fast attack speed such as Ravagores and avoid slow hitting, high damage heroes such as Hill Giants or Pit Daemons. Thanks to Counter Attack a Swordmaster is difficult to surround with melee units as he will be countering all over the place making him almost impossible to pin down. He can the deactivate it when in the right position and use Combat Mastery to escape.
Counters
The easiest way to counter Counter Attack is simply to kill the Swordmaster with ranged heroes or high damage magic. For melee heroes use items such as Storm Hammers and ranged summonables like Drak'Thul or Marrabesh.
Combat Mastery Information
Combat Mastery is an essential spell for a Swordmaster as he is a low health hero that must close in fast to enemies, do his damage and then retreat very quickly. Swordmasters are very susceptible to being nuked by high damage spells and ultimates and therefore this skill is one of the most important to focus on. When an enemy starts channelling powerful magic or uses AOE if you cannot interrupt it simply use Combat Mastery to slide directly away from the enemy possibly saving you from the effects of the spell. Combat Mastery can also be used to escape nets and other immobilization magic making a Swordmaster very difficult to pin down. It can also be used as a quick "speed boost" if used well to allow you to pursue or escape from enemies.
Counters
Combat Mastery does not allow the Swordmaster to move through targets and if the path of Combat Mastery is blocked the Swordmaster will stop so attempt to surround him with cheap summons or block his escape routes.
Combat Mastery cannot be used if the Swordmaster is stunned so use Storm Hammers rather than Gladiator's Nets to stop him from escaping.
Spectral Blade Information
Spectral Blade is an often overlooked power that can be very useful to a Swordmaster. Because a Swordmaster will usually defeat his enemies by battering them with Blade Fury, because of the exhaustion Blade Fury causes it often means an enemy will simply run when badly injured and in his exhausted state a Swordmaster cannot pursue. This is where Spectral Blade comes in the most use as it is very useful for cutting down fleeing enemies. Although the damage caused by Spectral Blade is fairly low, its ability to follow an enemy until it hits means its perfect for defeating heroes fleeing on very low heath. Spectral Blade costs a lot of mana and should therefore be used sparingly, the best times to use it are when first entering combat to soften up a target before attacking it and then by the time the enemy are fleeing it will be cooled down again to kill them while they run.
Counters
Spectral Blade directly targets a unit and so can be blocked by the Spell Shatter ability found on Spellshatter Armour and the Disruptor's Magic Resistance ability. Because the sword itself isn't that fast it is possible to outrun it with very fast heroes such as Dudjin'Kai using Burst of Speed while using items such as Healing Salves to survive the hit when it eventually comes. The damage caused by Spectral Blade can also be reduced by items such as the Silver Seal and Magic Resistance upgrade on armour.
Blade Fury Information
Blade Fury is an absolute must for any Swordmaster as it is your primary damage dealing ability. Blade Fury should be levelled to maximum as fast as possible to maximise its benefits and reduce its shortcomings. At max level Blady Fury allows the Swordmaster to attack faster than any other hero and with the right combination of items this alone can take down any hero in the game. However, Blade Fury is not without serious disadvantages as after use the Swordmaster will become exhausted making him very slow for a short period. This makes chasing fleeing heroes or escaping very difficult. Use Blade Fury in combination with Combat Mastery in that you should rush in, attack an enemy at greatly enhanced speed, then when you become exhausted use Combat Mastery to back off, throw a Spectral Blade, then when the exhaustion ends repeat the process. This is a very effective way of fighting for a Swordmaster and with the right weapon can be devastating.
Counters
The effectiveness of Blade Fury can be seriously reduced by waiting for the Swordmaster to cast it and then stunning him during the duration, leaving him exhausted at the end. Also, attacks that greatly reduce attack speed like Shrink or Rending Claws can bring his attack speed right back down thus negating the effects of Blade Fury.
Counter Attack Information
Blade Fury alone is not enough to allow a Swordmaster to overcome other melee heroes however his Counter Attack can easily tip the balance in his favour. Counter Attack costs no mana and can be activated/deactivated at will. Counter Attack only works against enemy melee units and is of no use vs ranged heroes or enemies but it can make the Swordmaster very difficult to defeat if used properly. The chance to counter is % based on every hit, therefore the more hits a Swordmaster takes the greater his chance to counter so the faster the attacker is at hitting the better counter attack is. Aim to take out enemy melee heroes that rely on fast attack speed such as Ravagores and avoid slow hitting, high damage heroes such as Hill Giants or Pit Daemons. Thanks to Counter Attack a Swordmaster is difficult to surround with melee units as he will be countering all over the place making him almost impossible to pin down. He can the deactivate it when in the right position and use Combat Mastery to escape.
Counters
The easiest way to counter Counter Attack is simply to kill the Swordmaster with ranged heroes or high damage magic. For melee heroes use items such as Storm Hammers and ranged summonables like Drak'Thul or Marrabesh.