Adun [Synergies/Counters Added In] by TheHereticOne

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Adun [Synergies/Counters Added In]

By: TheHereticOne
Last Updated: Dec 26, 2015
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Adun [Synergies/Counters Added In]

Adun as a Hero

Adun was a hero I felt like doing because I wanted to see how I could make a hero that entirely relied on strategy and timing -- Long channels and unit warp ins. He has some overly heavy damaging abilities that are very hard to hit people with. Of course, he would also make an amazing pusher -- so long as minions are there, pushing along, as he cannot provide vision in any way or form with his units or his beams, and I feel like it makes it fairer this way -- All his abilities are global, so letting him cast through the fog of war would make him simply game breaking, as being able to hit the core without being able to be countered DOES seem overpowered, when I think about it.
Mainly, what I thought of Adun was a hero who didn't even get on the field, instead FULLY relying on his team to do the most of the work, and rather than physically being with them, instead giving them the means to win without him being right there, albeit being able to choose an ultimate that put him right there -- at a price. Being worth three deaths and having a 90 seconds death timer at level 20 is a pretty hefty punishment for over extending during his "Battle Commander" phase. Of course, the alternative is viable, albeit not dealing as much instant burst damage, and ALSO relying on good timing -- A 1.5 second channel that deals pretty good damage and makes the enemy very slightly vulnerable. 
Those whole kit is what my idea of Adun was ; a hero who almost never puts himself at risk. And I made a small list of pros and cons as far as his practicality goes :
Pros :
-Does not usually grant too much exp to the enemy team
-Constantly pushes at least one lane due to his trait
-Global Presence
-Very high damage
-Again, global casts on very high damage abilities
-Very helpful to help gather camps with his Zealots.
-Can enhance the team's damage with the vulnerability on Plasma Blasts
-Can provide all around utility with the CC in his Battle Commander form.
Cons :
-Cannot help directly for map objectives (Cannot gather coins, tributes, gems, etc.)
-Requires teammates to provide vision, and will therefore get less and less effectiv overall as more structures fall.
-Requires top notch timing
-Can be shut down by clearing waves quickly by taking vision away from him.
-His trait gets less and less effective as the game progresses, due to the importance of team fights over lane pushing later on.

Talent Tier 1 [Level 1]

Stationary Static Damaging Beam of Doom
Every second the Spear of Adun stands still, it gains 5% damage, up to a maximum of 75% extra damage, but loses it all instantly upon moving or being deactivated. The beam also gains +1% radius every second it stands still, up to a maximum radius bonus of 15%, it loses  1% per second while moving, down to a 0% bonus.

Beam Charging
Every 6 minion kills that happened near your beam (If the beam earned the kill or damaged the minion within 1.5 seconds of its death, it counts for 3) grants a stack of "Beam Powerup', which permanently increases the base damage (not the scaling) of your beam by 3.

Disruptive Pulse
Increases the duration of Pulse Bombardment's AP reducing by 2 seconds.

Field Medicine
Zealots can now earn regeneration globes. Every time a zealot gathers a regeneration globe, permanently increase the health regen of all current and future zealots by 0.5.

Talent Tier 2 [Level 4]

Heat Seeking Sensors
Retargetting the Spear of Adun on an enemy target will make the beam run after it automatically for 5 seconds, to then stop where it stands.

Power Saving
Pulse Bombardment's damage is now reduced by 50%.

Missing In Action
Zealots killed by coming in contact with the fog of war have a 100% reduced cooldown, and they have 10 seconds taken off their cooldown if they are killed by a non-heroic enemy.

Disapproving Glare
Enemy minions who were intially hit by Pulse Bombardment (Mercenaries Count, as does the boss) cause a primary pulse to activate 2 seconds after the channeling begins. It deals 75% of the damage of the final pulse, but only damages non heroic targets. Minions and mercs not hit by this initially take 50% of its damage only.

Talent Tier 3 [level 7]

Space Garrison
The number of Zealots on the field at a single time is increased to 4, charges keep generating at all times now, but zealots now only grant 50% of the exp they soak.

Weathered Veterans
Your Zealots now take 50% less damage from non-heroic sources, and crowd control effects have their duration reduced by 75% against them, no matter the source.

Outer Space Support
"Spear of Adun" now causes up to 6 targets around it to be fired at by small plasma batteries that shoot a laser each second that deals 6 (+2/level) damage. When a battery has shot 10 times, it takes 5 seconds for it to come back online. Cancelling the beam resets the shots taken by each battery back to 0.

Advanced Armory
Your trait's minions now get a shield equal to 50% of their maximum health that does not regenerate or heal back up. Your (W) Zealots get a shield equal to 25% of their maximum health that regenerates for 10% of its maximum value per second if they have been out of combat for 3+ seconds.

Heroic Talent Tier [Tier 4] [Level 10]

Plasma Blasts
Globally, Adun can fire a plasma blast that deals 45 (+20/level) damage over a small area after casting for 1.5 second. The plasma blast makes the target vulnerable by 10% for 5 seconds, this effect stacks up to 3 times and refreshes the effect as well as adding +1 second to it every time it stacks, making the target have a maximum of 30% vulnerability for 8 seconds. Being hit by a plasma blast makes you take 45% more damage from Plasma Blasts for 8 seconds, stacks twice and refreshes when it stacks. Keeps refreshing even when it does not grant stacks anymore. 

Battle Commander
Adun descends unto the battlefield aboard a massive ship for up to 30 seconds, and gets new abilities. Dying in this form gives Adun a 50% increased death timer, and also grants three hero takedowns. If this ability times out, Adun gives no exp and does not count as dead, and will be able to resume activities 3 (+0.5/level) seconds after warping out.

You can cast this globally to anywhere you have vision.

The battleship form does not allow you to cap camps or shrines or sky temples, but it does prevent enemies from capping it further.

Talent Tier 5 [Level 13]

Power Spending
(You can only take this Talent if you took "Power Saving")
Pulse Bombardment now gets 4 smaller pulses that each deal their full damage, and are 0.5 second away from each other. Each pulse re applies the ability power reducing, refreshing the duration. The effect does not stack, however.

Field Commander
Non Heroic allied units nearby your Zealots will now have 30% extra damage and attack 10% faster.

Static Energy
"Spear of Adun" now makes enemies take 15% increased damage from ability damage for 3 seconds once the beam stops damaging them.

Battle Supplies
Adun targets a structure and drops off an ammo box and a probe. The Ammo box restores 15 ammo to the structure, and the probe restores 2.5% of the building's health per second for 10 seconds. The Core is healed for 1% of its health per tic only. 25 second CD.

Talent Tier 6 [Level 16]

Auxiliary Generators
If Adun gets to 0 mana, he gains +35 (+2/level) mana regeneration for 5 seconds. This effect has a 220 seconds cooldown.

Field Scouting Training
Zealots now grant vision around them, and can no longer die to the fog of war. They now also move 15% faster.

Heavy Armament, Activated.
You can reactivate the Spear of Adun to make it go at 110% of a hero's walking speed (he'll be 10% faster than a hero walking) and make it deal 45% more damage for 8 seconds. After these 8 seconds, the beam automatically deactivates and starts up a 50 seconds cooldown.

Locked In
After 4 seconds of channeling, Pulse Bombardment locks its bombing zone in, preventing targets from leaving. Mobility abilities cannot be used while in that zone (IE : Blink, Vault, Run and Gun, etc. Cannot be used to get out) while it is locked.

Storm Tier

Orbital Barrage
You do not channel your plasma blasts anymore (they channel themselves, and for 1 second only now), and they can now all be cast simultaneously.

Battle Drones
Your "Battle Commander" form can now be cast through the fog of war. You channel for 3 seconds before getting in that form, and 2 drones that each possess 500 (+80/level) health and do 15 (+8/level) damage every second land immediately while you channel your arrival. They stay until your commander form is finished or until they die. You can re activate the ultimate while channeling to land immediately.

Upgraded Arsenal
"Spear of Adun" now only takes a 1 second channel and deals 5% more damage every second it's been dealing damage, up to a maximum of 25%, decays by 5% every second it isn't dealing damage.
Your zealots now grant the full exp they soak and take 15% reduced damage from all sources, as well as dealing 150% extra damage to non-heroic sources.
Pulse Bombardment now makes enemies vulnerable for 10% extra damage taken, and deals 25% extra damage to enemies that were marked by the initial mark.

Orbital Scanners
Activate this ability to allow yourself to cast your abilities despite the fog of war for 10 seconds. Enemies are revealed, exclusively, to you for the first 4 seconds.
Cooldown : 180 seconds.

Synergies and Counters

Synergies

 Zagara : Very simply put, the Broodmother can grant you insanely precious vision that allows you to cast your abilities and prevents your zealots from being pushed around to die. She's not only all-around great, but matched with you, you'll be a real force to be reckoned with, and creep with have never looked as dangerous.

 Abathur : This was never a thing about team comps, but about individual synergies. His mines can grant precious visions all the same as Zagara, but also, his locusts are precious upon a lane, and if your beam or zealots are absent for a little, you can be sure that Abathur will be golden to keep the lane pushed down, as you left it.

 The Lost Vikings : The vikings can all push different lanes and continuously grant vision to you -- they're all around the map, they're always pushing or granting exp, can clear enemy waves pretty efficiently so that you don't have to worry about the minions dying before getting to the towers. What more can you ask for? They ARE pretty weak by themselves, but you can set yourself to be able to make heroes afraid to take them on, unless they're not afraid of the massive damage you can put out.

 or  Zeratul or Nova : "Why the stealthies?" you may ask. I will tell you why : It's only because they are stealthed. Zeratul can blink around and provide vision in a snap, and Nova's decoys can do the same. They can stand around and some heroes can do ab-so-lu-te-ly NOTHING to reveal them without the right talents, and so, free vision for you.

 E.T.C : Apparently, he brings the "Mega Death". This is especially true with his heroic ability, Mosh Pit. He can lock down heroes while you're channeling your E ability, which most heroes have the time to get out of. Your E ability is just a MASSIVE amount of damage out, but it takes 5 entire seconds to channel. A hero slowed by 20% could get out of it, and so a massive lockdown is more than welcome to help the cause of brutally murdering other people.

 Murky!!!! : Now think ; if E.T.C is so good with his Mosh Pit to help you land your E correctly, Murky's Octo Grab should be pretty darn good to help you cast your beam or your E on one person you're trying to kill, even if he misses his pufferfish or doesn't have it up. Other than that, assuming you're in draft, it's taking a hard counter against you out of the equation, and that's always nice.
These Heroes are the ones that are the best to help you in your task -- individually. I wouldn't recommend putting an Abathur in the same team as Adun. Needless to mention, strong lane pushers will definitely be helpful, however they don't synergise in any other way than pushing lanes, and so aren't especially worthy of being called "Combo heroes".

Counters
 Murky : This little fellow is amazing with you, but he's also very good AGAINST you, and here's why : He's easily your worst counter. Your abilities all rely on lanes giving you vision and enemies standing in your abilities. Your E will kill Murky instantly, sure. If he doesn't Bubble. And even if he doesn't, well GOOD JOB! You wasted a 35 seconds cooldown for a MURKY. This little fellow can easily shut you down by killing your zealots and keeping the lane minions down, and OUT, as well as being an unviable target for your beam. The mana and cooldown you're putting is not worth, and he can bubble away too easily. Really, an awful opponent for you.

 The Lost Vikings : Again, very good picks against you : They mostly have global map presence at all times, so a good viking can keep your minions down to the towers at all times if they aren't countered, which handicaps you by making you unable to catch enemies fleeing towards their lanes, as you don't have vision of them unless there's a Zagara out -- which they can counter the vision of at around level 13-16, because talents. All of them are good at avoiding your abilities -- Erik moves too fast, Olaf has a lot of health for a third of a hero, Baelog is the most vulnerable. And yet all of them have a big speed boost to get out of trouble, and an invulnerability. Nothing more frustrating than seeing your long cd abilities go to uselessness because someone decided to go invulnerable.

 Tassadar : When ISN'T that guy annoying? Certainly not as Adun -- Prescience, Phase shift... So many ways to be invulnerable. Also has Archon form to give him a shield boost, and with pretty damn hefty shields on heroes, he can't keep others alive as well as other healers, but his shields can be cast at full health -- try to heal a full hp hero, you get a cd and wasted mana. Tassadar has that going for him, and can completely mitigate the first seconds of your beam, and it's really annoying. Just.. Don't wanna deal with that guy, and I feel ya.

 Stitches!... Wait -- Stitches? : Yep, STITCHES. The sole reason he's in this is because hook and hook and hook and hook. Have an ally going around with three zealots? A great hook makes all these zealots get in the fog, aaaaaaaaaaand they're gone. Also, it prevents you from casting a beam, and makes you unable to keep on dealing damage through the fog of war. All around annoyance, Stitches isn't exactly a full on loss for the enemy team either, if picked as a counter play to you. He is indeed pretty immobile though, so in some ways you could counter him, but with his bile ultimate, he can just run around and avoid your beam for seventy seven point seven seven seven days.

 Mobile Healers : Here's a picture of Rehgar! In my mind, he represents the more mobile supports -- Brightwing, Kharazim, Rehgar... And Li Li, to an extent. All of them pretty solid (some are situational, but still solid), and all of them more than capable of avoiding your abilities. I'd say Kharazim, who's able to buff his allies' speed at the start of the game and give a MASSIVE boost with his dash later on, is probably the worst, but hey, I kinda like Rehgar's model more.
In other words : Supports that are able to dodge your abilities and make allies dodge your abilities will be SUPER annoying.

 Sylvanas : Indeed, the Banshee Queen is pretty good against you. Stuns structures, stuns minions... Keeps your damn lanes pushed down and yet again LIVES TO SEE ANOTHER DAMN DAY. That's right -- Her banshees can make her avoid anything and everything you throw at her, and without a Zagara, you have absolutely no hope of catching her off, and even then she would have to blink onto creep without Windrunner as a talent. Definitely someone you'll have a hard time playing up against.

Kit Review

Armies from Aiur
A very strange trait, though maybe foreseeable due to the fact that Adun cannot have a body pre lvl 10, this trait changes minions on one lane to a better version of themselves. A MUCH better version of themselves. The more pushed a lane is, the more minions spawn, up to 3 different minions per lane. It detects which lane is the most pushed and helps it, but can't push the same lane twice in a row, unless the core has been damage on that lane or the lane has lost a building in between the last and the current spawn. The minions aren't a negligeable force -- The zealot offers a lot of tankability. 10% damage reduction on EVERYTHING, and 70% extra health over a warrior minion, as well as 20% extra damage, yes, thank you very much!
The "utility" minion is a sentry. More damage, more health than the minion it replaces (the mage minion), but would you look at that : for 3 seconds, it grants nearby minions 25% damage reduction, every 8 seconds. That is VERY strong. Toggle that in the towers and your zealot will be soaking a TON of tower shots. Starts spawning when the lane's fort is killed.
Finally, the most powerful -- and the last -- of the minions (replaces the last archer minion, start spawning when the lane's KEEP is down), the Dragoon.
Same range as a tower, 45% more damage, 5% damage mitigation, 15% more hp and 20% attack speed. That thing, with the warriors to cover it, will DESTROY a lane. Same range as a tower means the catapults barely outrange it, and it can avoid the first shot they take at it. And it deals pretty high damage at a very fast rate, for a minion. That trait permits you to be constantly pushing down a lane, which means the enemy will eventually have to take care of your minions, else they'll lose the game to them. Your minions aren't timed either, unlike abathur's locusts.

Spear of Adun
Adun channels for a long *** time then gets a beam that drains his mana over time but deals a truckload of damage, that he can retarget at an extra mana cost. Pretty high cooldown, but the beam, if you can get some vision on an abathur, will kill it before the little sluggernuck knows what happened to him. Structures take a LOT less damage from this, but you don't have to worry about them escaping -- only about running out of vision or mana to target it. Because Adun cannot cast ANY abilities without vision, as he can't cast through the fog of war. Bummer, right? But Adun does NOT have a body, so he can't really grant much exp to the enemy team by dying -- at least before lvl 10.
Pretty straightforward : Deals damage, costs mana.

Reinforcement Warp-In
So, a zealot with high health and without a duration but with low damage. Allies can ping the thing to have it follow them, or they can decide to not ping it and it'll push down a lane -- And wreck it pretty badly. You can have 3 of those on the field, and so they're pretty damn helpful to take down merc camps, or to push lanes. Also, they soak. This is insanely good, but a diablo only has to push it into a bush and POOF. Zealot's gone. Those guys do NOT provide vision and they die when in contact with the fog of war, potentially making the fight over a watch tower worth it. They give the exp of 4 warrior minions when they die, But it's not too great, given the many, many benefits they give.

Pulse Bombardment 
Adun channels for 5 seconds... Wait, 5 seconds? That's a HUGE time. Everyone has the time to steer clear from it. When you cast the zone at first, the enemies are marked with something that'll make their abilities do less damage upon taking damage from the spell. That spell does a truckload of damage. We're speaking some 2,050 damage at level 20, which is insane for one spell. If the enemy team is caught in it at that stage of the game, it's catastrophic. On the other hand, if you lose vision of the center of the area, the casting interrupts and you get a 35 seconds cooldown on it, and it's a 5 freaking seconds cooldown. You don't need blink or bolt ot divine shield to escape its damage -- you just walk right outta there. The area isn't too big either -- a bit smaller than Artanis' suppression pulse, which is pretty big, but make it smaller, remove the blind and make it cast for 5 seconds, people can walk right outta there and walk back in for a second then walk back out and still be safe. It's not counting the heroes that can stay in there until the last second and go invulnerable or instantly get out -- Like Murky or Zeratul. Or an Uther. Johanna, to an extent. And all characters with bolt of the storm.
Of course, lock people down in that and they're just dead and deader -- your team gets the damage done to them, I'm sorry pal but your healer won't be helping you much through that damage.

Plasma Blasts [Heroic]
So, a couple charges, good damage, high cooldown per charge, gives vulnerability on enemies. If you're hit by a plasma blast, you take 45% extra damage from that spell. And that stacks twice. And since every blast does 745 damage at level 20 (the casting time is kinda long though, and the area is very small, so you can get out of it pretty damn easily), a blast would do around 1,425 damage at level 20 with the 90% boost. Assuming you get hit by three blasts, you'd be taking some... 3,240 damage for three ability casts. Ouch. But, that's assuming you take all three blasts -- And given that the area is damn small and the casting time is pretty high for the area it affects, then you should be fine. Also, it applies a vulnerability effect to those who are hit by that. So yeah, great ult, but you can't cast anything while channeling the blasts, and your blasts are most effective if used in conjunction.

Battle Commander [Heroic]
You get a new kit of abilities -- You're a sustain fighter with pretty high hp and all around utility : A displacement, a force wall that speeds up your allies instead, and a high damaing ability. Even if you stand still you deal damage to enemies, due to your new passive trait that fires at enemies around you. Although you cannot capture anything, or gather coins, gems or tributes. Or skulls, for all it would matter. You don't cap dragon shrines and the like any further, BUT your presence on them do prevent your enemies from capturing them any further, so you can effectively block your enemies out of capturing the dragon shrine at the last minute while your teammates get the knight. Very powerful, BUT, the drawback is : Heftier death timer, and you grant three kills. That's right, three kills. You have nowhere as much health as Cho'Gall, and you're worth three deaths. And you get a 50% increased death timer. At level 20, you'll get 90 seconds out of battle. And this ability recharges 100% slower when dead. as well as having an already pretty high cooldown. High risk, high reward ability in my opinion. Play it wrong and you're on ice for a LONG time, and you gave a lot of exp to your enemies. Some people don't even die three times in a game, and you could potentially die much, MUCH more than that, so caution is really needed there.

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matheod (5) | November 17, 2015 4:10pm
Good concept :)

Just a remark : the ray should do less damage to building.
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