"Friendly fire...ain't!" - Tychus Auto-Attack Build by Wormwood

"Friendly fire...ain't!" - Tychus Auto-Attack Build

By: Wormwood
Last Updated: Jul 27, 2015
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Tychus

Build: Life-Drain Sustain Pain Train

Level 1
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Level 10
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Level 16
Level 20

Threats to Tychus with this build

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Threat Hero Notes
1
 Abathur Abathur's symbiote is only as threatening as his teammates allow it to be, so use your best judgement when facing somebody who's being possessed by Abathur. Be mindful that Giant Killer will not work on the Monstrosity because it is not a Hero. I don't recommend wasting time burning down Abathur hero clones either. Find out where his locusts are spawning from and kill him when you get the chance.
1
 Murky Annoying, yes. Threatening? No. Try to AA and grenade him until he uses Safety Bubble. When it expires, just nuke him with Overkill. Using Overkill will most likely cause him to bubble immediately, thereby making you lose the bulk of Overkill's damage.
2
 Chen As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of Chen. Since Fortifying Brew works as a stationary channel, it's easy to knock him out of it with a quick grenade followed by Overkill or focused AA. Flying Kick will make up any distance you want to keep between you and Chen, but unless it's been buffed by Pressure Point, you have little to worry about. It's probably best to get out of town if he uses Storm, Earth, Fire unless you're backed by your teammates.
2
 Malfurion Like most healers, Malfurion relies on allies in order to be really effective. As far as nukes go, you really only need to be wary of Moonfire if he upgrades it later on in the game. Obviously Entangling Roots should be avoided at all times, but it's easy to predict. His heals need time to build up, so take advantage early on if you're engaged during the teamfight. If you manage to burn him down early during Tranquility, you'll have removed a huge boon to the enemy team.
2
 Stitches Stitches is in a very bad place right now and can serve as a prime example for how well Problem Solver works. It's not really him you need to be concerned with--it's his buddies. If he lands a hook on you and he's surrounded by allies, you can usually kiss your butt goodbye. Like all Warriors, keep him at range. He can still eat you up and deposit you behind a wall or in the midst of his allies, so be aware of that.
3
 Gazlowe Gazlowe excels at zoning, which means you're biggest contention when facing him will be his turrets. Try not to focus him unless his turrets are dealt with. His Xplodium Charge is easy to predict and if you have to, so be prepared to use Run and Gun when he deploys Grav-O-Bomb 3000 so as not to get caught in the vacuum. Don't worry too much about Deth Lazor unless you're already low on health. If you see him charging it, throw a grenade or get out of range.
3
 Rehgar Like most healers, Rehgar relies on allies in order to be really effective. Ghost Wolf and Earthbind Totem make him the most difficult healer to chase. Throw a grenade at him if he's channeling Ancestral Healing.
3
 Sgt. Hammer Regeneration Master and Vampric Assault ensure you can sustain a heavy amount of AA damage even while being hit by her during Siege Mode. If she's camping near towers during Siege Mode, just throw a grenade or two and knock her back so she can't harass you in lane. Keep in mind that Artillery allows her to do more damage the farther you are away from her. Therefore, get as close as you can when engaging her.
3
 Sylvanas Sylvanas is more of an early game problem for you but will be easily overcome mid-to-late game. She can ramp up a fair amount of damage with her Withering Fire, but you'll be able to out-heal that damage with Regeneration Master and Vampiric Assault. While she can silence you, potentially cutting off your Overkill damage, silence has no effect on your ability to AA, so it won't be as much of a problem as it would be if you were relying on cooldowns.
4
 Li Li Li Li will out-heal the bulk of your damage until you've reached 13-20. Once you've obtained Giant Killer you'll really start to eat through her healing and Lock and Load will enable you to keep up with her if she gives chase. Also keep in mind that grenades apply a brief Daze effect instead of a Stun, you cannot interrupt Jug of 1,000 Cups by tossing a grenade at her.
4
 Brightwing With an AA build, you rely on keeping your enemy in range of your gun while laying on a substantial amount of damage. With Brightwing around, your job will become extremely difficult. Pixie Dust will not only block your AA hits, but will ensure you cannot give chase. Even with Lock and Load, your enemies will still be moving 5% faster than you when Brightwing buffs them. Throw in factors like Polymorph and massive healing and you're going to be stuck up poop creek trying to land some good hits. However, like most healers, Brightwing relies on allies in order to be really effective. It's best to appraoch her when you're backed by your team.
4
 Diablo As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of Diablo. Your biggest contention when fighting him will be his high CC game and his ability to close the distance between you with Shadow Charge. However, unless Diablo is backed by some teammates, you'll recover fast enough to put some distance between you and lay down some hurt. Overkill if you want to deter him, but save it until AFTER he's used his stuns just to ensure you aren't interrupted in the middle of channeling. Also, don't stand in Lightning Breath or Apocalypse.
4
 Johanna As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of Johanna. Of all the Warriors, Johanna will take the longest for you to kill. The good news is that Regeneration Master and Vampric Assault basically ensure that she'll never be able to take you down because she has no burst. Unless she's accompanied by teammates, Johanna is just an annoyance due to how long she takes to kill and her Shield Glare which will cause you to miss her when you attack. If you're going to use Overkill on her, wait until AFTER she's used Condemn otherwise you'll be interrupted mid-channel. Also don't waste your grenades trying to knock her away when she uses Iron Skin since she becomes UNSTOPPABLE for 4 seconds.
4
 Kerrigan One of the easier Assassin Heroes to deal with as Tychus, which is interesting considering their history. Her stun is very easy to predict and you can use Run and Gun to make a quick escape if she manages to pull you with Primal Grasp. Keep your distance if she uses Maelstrom and don't get caught between her and her Ultralisk.
4
 Tassadar That shield is a pain, but you can still heal off it with Vampric Assault. Don't stand in Psychic Storm and you should be fine. Even if he's rocking Archon, he won't be able to out-perform your DPS and healing.
4
 Tyrande Tyrande is interesting for a Support Hero because she can also procure talents that increase her AA damage. While I don't think it's enough to threaten your life, it can be annoying to work through--especially if she's the kind of Tyrande that's good at weaving in and out and hitting you where it counts all while staying just out of range. She's more powerful when she has a teammate or two at her side, so be wary of that.
4
 Uther Uther relies extremely on being within melee range as his opponents. Since Conjurer's Pursuit was nerfed, it's much harder for him to regenerate mana without taking his Hammer of the Lightbringer talent and hitting you whenever he's low. The best way to fight Uther is to do so at range and ensure he can't hit you with Hammer of Justice. Holy Radiance is basically his only ability that can reach you at range, but it does way too little damage and costs way too mana to be an effective tool of harassment. As with all Support heroes, he needs at least one other teammate in order to be truly effective.
5
 Azmodan The most difficult part about fighting Azmodan is whether or not he knows how to kite you. His health-bar is massive, so until you get Problem Solver, fighting him is going to be somewhat difficult. If you're laning against him, throw the occasional grenade his way and just heal off his minions with Vampric Assault. Be wary of using Overkill since he'll probably just shoot All Shall Burn at you and kite you.
5
 Nova Keep an eye out for her shimmering silhouette. If you see it, throw a grenade at it to reveal her. You can also reveal her if you happen to hit her while channeling Overkill. Unless you're using Odin, those are really the only two ways you can reveal her, so make sure you know how to use those grenades. Stay close to your teammates if she's using Triple Tap or pick up First Aid and/or Stoneskin if you're really desperate.
5
 Zagara Fighting Zagara is a bit like fighting Azmodan. She excels in kiting maneuvers and fallback tactics. If you steer clear of her Hydralisk, you should be fine. Also, if she's talented it, try to predict where Devouring Maw will erupt and maneuver out of its way. If you're prepared, you can usually avoid it before it hits you.
6
 Arthas As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of Arthas. Try to avoid being rooted by Howling Blast and keep a safe distance from his Frozen Tempest. Don't engage him 1v1 if he's spawning ghouls. I recommend using Overkill if he's getting too close, as it might deter him if he's getting too close. Grenades work well if you need to put some distance between you as well.
6
 Nazeebo Most of his abilities are easy to predict and therefore easy to avoid. The thing you're going to be most preoccupied with is his poison. I highly recommend you do not lane alone against him given how affective Voodoo Ritual is and how problematic grabbing Regeneration Orbs will become in the long run. It's not recommended that you engage him 1v1 if he has a Gargantuan.
6
 Raynor Winning a fight with Raynor will depend largely on what assortment of talents Raynor has taken. If he's rocking heavy AA utility like Seasoned Markman, Focused Attack, Giant Killer, and Nexus Frenzy, then you're going to be in for a fight. Unlike you, he does more damage per shot and doesn't need to wind up his gun for it to be effective. You need not worry too much about Hyperion, but if he's picked up Raynor's Raiders, then you're going to have a hell of a time trying to contend with him.
6
 Sonya As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of Sonya. At best you'll want to maneuver yourself in such a way that she misses her skill-shot spear and cannot walk all over you with Whirlwind. She's actually not as dangerous when she's isolated as when she's surrounded by opponents she can leech health from by whirlwinding in the midst of them. Keep her at range and mow her down. Don't underestimate her ability to chase as she gains extra movement speed the more she uses her abilites. If she has Leap, your best option is to toss a grenade and push her away if she jumps on top of you.
6
 The Lost Vikings I have not played enough games with or against TLV to be able to sum up how much of a threat they are to your game. I assume they might actually be a 9 or 10 since they're essentially 3 people in 1, but that's highly dependent on a player who actually knows how to use them and use them well. As much as I'd rather not tell you to simply use your best judgement, I'm going to tell you to use your best judgement
6
 Tychus Honestly, it's usually a matter of who get the drop on whom. If he's increasing his Overkill damage and using Odin, then he'll probably outplay you at the beginning of the game. However, you'll overcome him during the late game.
6
 Tyrael I think of Tyrael as more of a "support" than a Warrior given how his abilities are made to aid his teammates in addition to serving him. I actually believe he's balanced around that aspect since I don't believe he generally does well when he's by himself. I've put him in the middle difficulty just because he really is a beast when he has teammates on his side but seems to fall short if nobody else helps him. However, he may be able to out-sustain your healing with his own healing. His Vampiric Strike does 10% more healing than your Vampiric Assault (Tyrael has a much slower rate of atttack) and his own Regeneration Master talent could rival yours if he's been allowed to farm more orbs.
6
 Valla As I said with Raynor, winning a fight with Valla will depend largely on what assortment of talents she has taken. If she's rocking heavy AA utility like Rancor, Giant Killer, and Nexus Frenzy, then you're going to be in for a fight. Even though she won't be able to compete with your attack speed, she does more damage per shot. That being said, she needs to sustain for a bit because of how her Hero Trait works. Strafe is useless against you since you'll heal right through its damage if you AA her. On the other hand, you most defintely want to avoid being hit by Rain of Vengeance as she'll stun and kill you before you ever get a shot off. Also be mindful that she can invest in Blood for Blood, allowing her to hit you for 10% of your max health and heal her for twice that amount. That could change things up really fast.
7
 Anub'arak As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of Anub'arak. Anub'arak is high on this list because of Locust Swarm. Locust Swarm is your greatest fear when fighting Anub'arak. Locust Swarm rivals your Vampric Assault and Regeneration Master in terms of healing--especially when Anub'arak is surrounded by enemies to leech off. Don't just sit around and AA him while he does this--get out and wait it out.
7
 E.T.C. As will be the case when fighting all Warriors, Problem Solver will make quick work of ETC. Guitar Solo makes ETC fairly hard to kill, allowing him to soak quite a bit of damage--especially if he pick up Prog Rock. Your ability to sustain Minigun fire on him will run up against a wall if knocks you away with Face Melt. When facing ETC, it's a good idea to save Run and Gun until after he's used Powerslide. After all, you don't want to get caught up in Most Pit which usually follows a quick powerslide into you and your teammates. Keep him at range as best you can and deter him from chasing with Overkill.
7
 Muradin While Problem Solver is the bane of all Warriors, Muradin remains the highest contender of all Warriors simply because of his stun utilities and how efficiently Second Wind heals him. Since he's melee, you obviously want to keep him at range at all times--especially during Avatar. It might also be necessary to save Run and Gun for when he uses Dwarf Toss, allowing you to keep your distance from him. Stormbolt, Haymaker, and Avatar make Overkill difficult to pull off. Stormbolt in particular can be easy to avoid if you're hiding behind minions or teammates. If he's not preoccupied with stunning you, have at him and let Problem Solver do its work.
7
 Thrall He's going to want to root you with Feral Spirit, so be wary of that. Chain Lighting isn't really a problem as you'll heal right through it. Like every other melee hero, keep him at range. Don't underestimate the potency of his Frostwolf Resilience either, but you should be able to out-sustain it in the long run if you've managed to out-wit his other abilities. While he gains movements speed during Windfury, he'll need to close in in order to use it, which means you can dart away, grenade him, or make him run through minions to get to you. Your biggest worry is Sundering since you'll be stunned and possibly trapped.
8
 The Butcher I don't place Butcher on the same level of difficulty as other Assassins simply because he's a melee hero and you've enough utility to escape him if he rushes you. You can deter him with Overkill and dart away with Run and Gun if he brands or slows you. Honestly he only really becomes a huge problem when he gets Lamb to the Slaughter. You won't be able to out-heal or out-damage him for the four seconds you've been hitched to that post. Your only defense at that point will be your teammates or to pick up Bolt of the Storm.
9
 Jaina Regeneration Master won't cut it when you're facing heroes with heavy nuking abilites. Jaina makes this especially hard since Frostbite will allow her to kite you into submission. Use minions and Warrior to block incoming Frostbolts and always be wary of the AoE indicators when she uses Blizzard. Cone of Cold needs to be used at close range, so if she gets that close, try to burn her down with Overkill, but keep on moving in order to make her work for a Frostbolt skill-shot. Grenade her if she's chasing at low health or to secure kills if she runs too far out of range.
9
 Kael'thas Regeneration Master won't cut it when you're facing heroes with heavy nuking abilites. Kael'thas is no exception and can easily out-ranged you at all times. Always be wary of the AoE circle when he casts Flamestrike and nuke him with Overkill if you're able to get close enough. You run the risk of getting stunned by Gravity Lapse when you get close, but since it's a skill-shot you can make him work for it by moving around during Overkill. If he's using Pyroblast on you, you might want to think about picking up Stoneskin.
9
 Zeratul Cloaked heroes are like cancer. Early detection is usually the best cure. This is true for Nova and especially true for Zeratul. Zeratul is actually interesting in that his talents open him up for sustain, damage, or ability power. A good Zeratul may be able to burst you up and mow you down before you ever get a chance to heal and retaliate. This is why it's crucial to keep an eye out for his shimmering silhouette and grenade it. Stick with your teammates to discourage any incursion that an enemy Zeratul might try to to make.
10
 Falstad Regeneration Master won't cut it when you're facing heroes with heavy nuking abilites. Therefore, you'll be hard-pressed to kill Falstad during all stages of the game. He has immense range and can quickly put you down before you have a chance to ramp up your damage on him. Barrel Roll means Falstad can weave in and out of a fight with you, making it hard for you to gain any kind of advantage. Be ready to dodge his Hammerang and don't let it hit you when it reverses transit. If he casts Lightning Rod, do your best to stay out of its circle of influence. Use Run and Gun in order to weave out of threats like Hinterland Blast. Don't chase with Overkill until AFTER he's used Barrel Roll, otherwise he'll be out of range and you'll have wasted the cooldown.
10
 Illidan While not as bursty as some Assassins, Illidan is an AA master who can potentially out-sustain your own life-steal and health regeneration with his life-steal affects in addition to a First Aid talent. He also has 2 gap-closers (3 if you he picks up The Hunt), which means that you won't get much mileage out of Run and Gun while he's hitting you. If you can sweet-spot a quick grenade, it might help increase the distance between you, but only slightly. While Evasion will kill your AA game on him, you can still use Overkill to bypass it. If you can't escape him, the best deterrence is Overkill and seeking refuge among your teammates.

Tychus

Build: Sizzlin' Stim Pack Attack

Level 1
Level 4
Level 7
Level 10
Level 13
Level 16
Level 20

INTRODUCTION Top

This build is for anyone who wants to maximize the AA damage done by Tychus while also providing him with the boon of passively sustaining himself under fire through Regeneration Master and Vampiric Assault. Unlike an AA master like Raynor, Tychus cannot incrementally increase his Basic Attack damage with Seasoned Marksman nor do his basic abilities include a defensive heal like Adrenaline Rush. In order to compensate for a lack of offensive abilities, we'll have to fall back on his defensive abilities. This is why we choose Regeneration Master and Vampiric Assault.

This is a slow-rising build and you really won't start seeing a high amount of damage on the Stat charts until you've acquired Problem Solver at Level 13. With talents like Rapid Fire and Nexus Frenzy, you're going to see a massive spike in Hero Damage via Problem Solver as you'll be hitting your opponents at an extremely high rate. On top of that, you also have Lock and Load which is taken at Level 16. This talent works in similar fashion as Valla's Hatred. Lock and Load substantially reduces stutter-stepping while also giving Tychus a greater opportunity to chase or flee.

If you have any questions or comment about this build, please leave them in the section below. If you enjoy this build, don't hesitate to vote it up! Thank you!

BASIC ABILITIES OVERVIEW Top

- Overkill

A 5-second medium-range nuke that you can reactivate to select new targets. Note that you can sometimes reveal cloaked heroes as this ability also does "damage to nearby targets" in addition to your main target. You can kite people with this ability to, making it a cool deterrent or chase ability.

While this build focuses on AA Tychus capabilities, you really won't see his AA damage spike until he's picked up Problem Solver. Until then, we're going to have to settle doing most of our killing with Overkill. You will have to rely Overkill for the most part as the bulk of your single-target damage. It will not be until you've taken up Problem Solver and Lock and Load that you'll be relying less and less on this ability for the bulk of your damage as your auto-attacks will be much more devastating at that point.


- Frag Grenade

The best things come in small packages. A grenade serves as a medium-to-long-range nuke that deals about a fifth of the amount of damage that a full blast of Overkill does. It will also knock enemies away.

Although we have not picked up any upgrades for the grenade with this build, its utility should not be overlooked. It's great for finishing off enemies who might otherwise have survived your most recent Overkill sweep. It also provides minor deterrence for anyone trying to chase you or harass you from a distance like Sgt. Hammer. It's also your best means of finding out where cloaked heroes are hiding by tossing it at their shimmering silhouettes.


- Run and Gun

This ability allows you to dash a short distance forward and wind up your Minigun. The secondary attribute is often overlooked in light of cool-down builds that focus more on Overkill rather than AA.

This will probably be the most useful skill in your arsenal as you cannot maximize your damage without first winding up your Minigun. That being said, use good judgement before just dashing into every fight with this ability as you might need it later to evade danger. Also keep in mind that its usefulness works in tandem with Rapid Fire and Lock and Load, the latter of which will allow you to make a faster escape if being chased or avoid stutter-stepping.

HEROIC ABILITIES OVERVIEW Top

- Commandeer Odin

This ultimate puts you int he driver's seat of a long-range super-powered juggernaut of a machine. The Odin deals increased Damage, has 100% increased Basic Attack range, and uses different Abilities. It lasts for a generous 23 seconds, the duration of which can be extended at Level 20 with Big Red Button.

Be smart when activating Odin as it needs time to build up and get into position. Whatever you do, do not activate it in the midst of a team-fight as your opponents will most likely stun and focus you down rather than have to deal with how much damage you can rain down on them.

For more information about how Odin fits in this build, Refer to TIER 4 TALENTS (Level 10).


- Drakken Laser Drill

With this, you summon a stationary Laser Drill that will attack nearby enemies and deal damage-over-time. This ability can be reactivated to assign a new target and will also remain in place even if you've died.

For more information about how the Laser Drill fits in this build, Refer to TIER 4 TALENTS (Level 10).

TIER 1 TALENTS (Level 1) Top

NO - Armor Piercing Rounds

You'll probably see a lot of players picking up this talent because of how effective it is early game. It also gives him amazing trade potential in lane. I do believe it is the best choice for early game Tychus and to any builds that focus on Frag Grenade and Overkill in general. However, this build is focusing on late game here with a heavy emphasis on survivability and health sustenance. A Frag Grenade and Overkill Tychus can be affective, but is heavily reliant on cool-downs. Moreover, Overkill completely shuts off when Tychus is stunned.

NO - Shredder Grenade

Makes it easier to hit people with Frag Grenade, I suppose, and allows you to hit more buildings with Melting Point. Also makes it easier to hit cloaked enemies if you're not good at sweet-spotting them with the radius of normal grenades. It does very little for a build focusing in auto-attacking, so we're going to skip it.

MAYBE - Dash

Admittedly, adding a quarter to the original distance you travel via Run and Gun is not much. I only recommend it because Run and Gun compliments the AA build in terms of putting yourself into a position to start hammering on your opponents with an instantly wound-up Minigun. Think of this in terms of gaining 15% extra speed when you pick up Lock and Load at Level 16. Dash may seem lackluster at first, but it has some minor payoff later on in the game when you're rushing into combat and unleashing a payload of hurt.

YES - Regeneration Master

The amount of health regeneration you'll achieve with about 20 or so stacks of this talent alongside Vampiric Assault will make you that much harder to kill while you sustain your damage on your enemies. On top of that, you can stay in the field longer without having to go back to a healing fountain if your health drops too low. As a bonus, this talent will make it much easier for you to solo mercenary camps without being eaten alive.

Exercise caution when taking this talent as it has become necessary for you to pick up Regeneration Orbs on a regular basis in order to increase its efficacy later on in the game. I recommend going in lane with a Support or a Warrior to ensure you remain unmolested while you collect your orbs. Also remember that mercenary camps, bosses, and some objectives will drop orbs for you as well. Always be on the lookout!

NO - Scouting Drone

If this talent might be worth picking up if it revealed cloaked enemies. Unfortunately, it's both easily destroyed by enemies and becomes useless when lane phase ends. It adds nothing to your personal offensive or defensive capabilities and is therefore out-shined by the other talents in this tier.

TIER 2 TALENTS (Level 4) Top

MAYBE - Focused Attack

Pick up this talent if you've chosen to maximize your auto-attack damage at the cost of being able to sustain some rapid health regeneration through Vampiric Assault. If you have good supports providing you with effective healing and shielding, then taking the extra AA damage might not be such a bad idea. Basic Attacks reduce the cool-down of this talent, so this ability will be of massive benefit when combined with abilities like Bloodlust and Adrenal Overload.

Since this talent modifies your Basic Attacks, you will achieve higher critical strikes on heroes with a higher pool of health when combined with Problem Solver. That being said, I usually don't take this talent because of its invariability. Picking up Focused Attacks is more viable on a hero like Raynor who can modify it with stacks of Seasoned Marksman. Since Tychus boasts sustaining himself with Regeneration Master, it seems more appropriate to me to stack his regenerative effects with Vampiric Assault.

YES - Vampiric Assault

Aside from Regeneration Master, most of the talents in this build focus on strengthening the attack speed and damage of Basic Attacks. When you add Vampiric Assault to the mix, Tychus can actively regenerate his health while putting a beating on his opponents

Note: Vampric Assault does not work in Odin!

As a bonus, clearing Mercenary Camps is made much easier as you can heal through much of their damage. Note that you'll probably need Rapid Fire in addition to 15-20 stacks of Regeneration Master before you can comfortably clear Bruiser camps.

Vampiric Assault will also allow you to be an effective tank killer when you pick up Problem Solver at Level 13. The 0.5% of damage to maximum health is counted toward your Basic Attack damage, which means that you will do do more damage per Basic Attack against Heroes with a larger pool of health. The more Basic Attack damage you do, the more you will heal.

Example:
Level 20 Nova has 2790 health.
Level 20 Stitches has 5430 Health.

In addition to your regular damage, you deal about 14 damage per hit to a level 20 Nova with Problem Solver. This damage translates to an extra 2 health per hit with Vampiric Assault. If Tychus is attacking at a rate of 4 attacks per second, this healing translates to 8 health per second.

In addition to your regular damage, you deal about 27 damage per hit to a Level 20 Stitches with Problem Solver. This damage translates to an extra 4 health per hit with Vampiric Assault. If Tychus is attacking at a rate of 4 attacks per second, this healing translates to 16 health per second.


NO - Spray 'n' Pray

A talent that may be valuable in terms of builds that are heavily cool-down reliant and like to focus on nuking enemy heroes with Overkill. This is not at a bad talent by any means, but not what this build is focusing on.


NO - Melting Point

Grenade builds often take this because it does some amazing damage against enemy structures in addition to minions and enemy-controlled mercenaries. Note that the extra damage it does will not work on mercenaries unless they've been converted by enemies first. Like Spray 'n' Pray, this talent is effective in some cool-down builds but does nothing for us in terms of our auto-attacking.

TIER 3 TALENTS (Level 7) Top

NO - Quarterback

Another talent that makes a nice addition to any build that focuses on Frag Grenade and is especially effective when paired with Melting Point. However, it does nothing for our auto-attack game, so we skip it.


YES - Rapid Fire

More Minigun stacks means a higher rate of fire. A higher rate of fire means more healing through Vampiric Assault and more health removal via Problem Solver. It's a welcome addition to your AA arsenal in all respects. Note that you still need to wind up your Minigun to make full use of this talent.

That all being said, Rapid Fire will not affect Odin considering you've temporarily holstered your Minigun at that point. If you'd rather bolster Odin, then I recommend picking up Sizzlin' Attacks.


MAYBE - First Aid

A lack of healing on your team makes this talent extremely valuable. It also serves preemptively if the enemy team boasts Assassins who may threaten to nuke you into oblivion later on in the game. First Aid also works well in tandem with Stoneskin. Sadly, taking this talent will also mean losing the extra stacks of Minigun achieved by Rapid Fire. Look at First Aid as emergency options; otherwise stick with Rapid Fire. If you regret not choosing First Aid as the game goes on, you can always pick up Stoneskin at Level 16.


MAYBE - Sizzlin' Attacks

I haven't tested the amount of damage this provides as opposed to Rapid Fire. While this talent is impressive in terms of how much damage it gives, one should keep in mind that the buff only lasts for 5 seconds and has an added defect of causing you to lose a substantial amount of your mana in the meantime. In order to make the best use of those 5 seconds, you'll want your Minigun to be wound up before-hand, so it might be necessary to use Run and Gun before-hand.

I personally don't take this ability because of its 5-second duration in addition to the mana loss you sustain while using it. A lot of bad things can happen in 5 seconds and you're not always guaranteed to keep a bead on your target for 5 seconds. This ability also has a 25-second cooldown, so if you fail to land a substantial amount of hits with it when you use it, you pay for it by waiting almost a half a minute before you can use it again. Rapid Fire is much more reliable in retrospect.

I do recommend this ability if you want to increase Odin's damage. Odin already deals some major damage and does so at 100% its normal range, making Sizzlin' Attacks ideal. So if you'd rather give Odin some extra hurt at the cost of the attack speed allotted to your Minigun, I recommend picking up Sizzlin' Attacks.

TIER 4 TALENTS (Level 10) Top

NO - Commandeer Odin

Since we've taken Rapid Fire, you'll actually see a slight decrease to your damage terms damage-per-second. Basically, the only novelty that Odin is worth to this build is the two extra abilities it has in addition to the 100% increased range (which can be extended to 120% with Nexus Frenzy). It's also noteworthy that your attacks in Odin are also affected by abilities like Bloodlust and Adrenal Overload.

Aside from temporarily losing the increased damage-per-second that your receive from Rapid Fire, The other reason I don't take Odin is because it does not benefit from Vampiric Assault, Problem Solver, or Focused Attacks. You simply lose too much utility. If you've chosen to take up Sizzlin' Attacks instead of Rapid Fire, then I might recommend picking up Odin. Otherwise, take the laser drill.


YES - Drakken Laser Drill

Because of the loss of damage-per-second in Odin, going with the laser drill is our best option here (and it is not without its own advantages). As powerful as Odin is, it still makes makes you a huge target in the field and offers you no extra health or protection. The laser drill has its own health-bar and must be targeted separately from you if it's going to taken down, meaning your enemies will be forced to deal you, your teammates, and a giant laser. A smart tactic is to create a you or the drill situation for your enemies. Try to force your opponents to divide their attention when you deploy the laser drill. It can be retributive if you happen to die amidst a team fight as you can still use it even after you've died.

Aside from how relatively easy it is to destroy the laser drill, another detriment is that you can't move it after you've placed it. It's completely useless as an offensive weapon if your opponents wise up and step out of its circle of influence. You can extend its range at Level 20 with Focusing Diodes, but you'd also be trading it with Nexus Frenzy which I believe is essential to this build.

TIER 5 TALENTS (Level 13) Top

YES - Problem Solver

Bread and butter. With the attack speed you've put on with Rapid Fire and Nexus Frenzy, you'll really be eating away at your opponents' health pool with this talent. Some Warriors won't be able to match you in terms of both survivability and damage since you're dealing damage to percentages of their maximum health pool in addition to your static damage. There's really no other AA skill in your arsenal that's going to compete with how affective this talent is.


NO - Lead Rain

This talent is essential to any Overkill nuke build for Tychus, but won't be picked up because it does nothing for our AA capability. Problem Solver is just too good to pass up in this tier for us to even consider the other talents.


NO - Stim Pack

The extra attack speed and and movement speed would be a great addition to this build! Moreover, this talent is attached to Run and Gun, therefore winding up your Minigun. Ideally you could initiate combat with Run and Gun and do some major damage instantaneously over the 3-second duration. Add Sizzlin' Attacks to the mix and you'll send your enemies packing. Unfortunately, all of this would come at the loss of Problem Solver which is much more reliable damage in the long run.

Note: The main reason I don't go with a Sizzlin' Attacks + Stim Pack build is that they makes you cool-down reliant. If you want to be a Tychus that runs around blowing coold-downs all day long, then you might as well just stick with upgrading Overkill, Frag Grenade and Odin.


NO - Relentless

Another talent that is undeniably good. However, taking it still means we sacrifice Problem Solver. I don't even recommend taking this talent as a means of extra defense. Problem Solver is essential to making this build effective and meaningful on the battlefield.

TIER 6 TALENTS (Level 16) Top

MAYBE - Executioner

At first glance, this talent looks to be ideal for any AA build as it does increase the effectiveness of your Basic Attacks. However, when you take into consideration the brevity of the slows, roots, or stuns in this game, the talent starts looking more and more lackluster. For instance, if Uther drops a Hammer of Justice on a nearby enemy, you're afforded a 1-second window of extra damage (granted the window increases by 2 more seconds with Burden of Guilt).

40% extra damage is a lot, no doubt. However, it is an unreliable bonus that is subject to the performance of your teammates as Tychus has no innate slows, roots, or stuns of his own. Even Lead Rain, which applies a stacking slow, is useless in this respect since the damage applied by Overkill is not consider Basic Attack damage.


YES - Lock and Load

As was explained back in the Introduction, Lock and Load will allow you to actively chase your opponents as you attack them. If you've played Valla, then you know how this works. Valla's auto-attacks are aided by Hatred and Hot Pursuit, giving her increased movement speed therefore and allowing her to keep her targets at a close enough range to hit them. Lock and Load works on the same principle, allowing Tychus to give chase while at the same time substantially reducing the amount of stutter-stepping he does while performing his auto-attacks.


NO - Concussion Grenade

The knock-back is substantial and offers a fair amount of deterrence to enemies who like to chase you. If you're good at tossing, you can help your team set up kills by knocking some enemies into your teammates' position. The benefits of this ability will not outweigh what you can get with Lock and Load. Hell, Stoneskin is an even better deterrence than this ability, so even if you weren't focusing on AA utility this ability wouldn't be worth picking up over a free shield.


MAYBE - Stoneskin

Another defensive emergency talent that is taken if you're desperate for some hard defense against burst damage. As mentioned before, this talent works very well in tandem with First Aid and will frustrate many Assassins who are hoping to kill you quickly. The downside to this is that losing out on Lock and Load means you can't easily give chase or keep a bead on your enemies with your auto-attacks.

TIER 7 TALENTS (Level 20) Top

NO - Big Red Button

As I've said before, all AA utility you lose when using Odin means that I do not recommend taking Odin and therefore will not recommend upgrading him with this.


MAYBE - Focusing Diodes

If you've picked up the laser drill and want some hardcore zoning material, this upgrade is right up your alley. The drill will also increase the damage it does the longer it stays on a target, so unless your opponent deals with the drill quickly, they're going to be hurting in the long run.

In spite of this range, the laser is still easy to take advantage of. Zagara, for instance can still spawn Hydralisks, Banelings, and Roachlings against you while Azmodan can throw orbs and demons at you and your drill from a safe distance.


YES - Nexus Frenzy

This talent puts the chocolate drizzle on top of your AA ice cream sundae. Everything from the healing done by Vampiric Assault to the rate at which you remove 0.5% of maximum health with Problem Solver is affected by Nexus Frenzy. It's a passive buff, which means there are no cool-downs associated with use it. All-in-all it's a great way to finish off your AA build!


MAYBE - Bolt of the Storm

Need to blink away in a hurry? This will do the trick! You'll miss out on the buff granted by Nexus Frenzy, but in some scenarios, desperate times may call for desperate measures.

CONCLUSION Top

Tychus is an odd hero in that he has so much AA utility built into his Minigun and yet Odin receives none of it. More often than not, I think you're going to see builds usually bypass his AA utilities and talent for increasing the effectiveness of Overkill and Frag Grenade. Although he is an Assassin, it's funny that Tychus seems to excel at destroying structures over killing enemy heroes.

Overkill is a nice nuke, but its need to be channeled and the range at which it is used still leave Tychus wide open for attacks. Compare this to ranged Assassins like Jaina and Kael'thas and you begin to see the flaws in Tychus's overall hero makeup. So if he's not like Jaina and Kael'thas, then he must be more like Raynor and Valla, right? Why is he more effective when built as the former two (Jaina and Kael'thas) as opposed to the latter two (Raynor and Valla)?

One might be tempted to say that he makes up for all of this because of Odin. I might agree, except that Odin only lasts for so long and Tychus still needs to rely on other utilities between Odin cool-downs. What you should realize is that Odin silences Tychus in terms of every other talent he's picked up (with the minor exceptions of defensive talents like Regeneration Master, First Aid, and Stoneskin). None of Odin's abilities benefit from your talents and none of your basic attacks in Odin are modified by your talents.

And what about every time you're not inside Odin? Even then you're always going to be waiting for cool-downs and further hoping that you aren't nuked down or stunned during Overkill because of the range at which it works. Therefore it becomes appropriate to supplement your defenses by taking First Aid and Stoneskin. But this almost becomes necessary in most cases because Tychus is so easy to kill. Think of this as opposed to Raynor who also has First Aid, but it's been worked directly into his Basic Abilites as Adrenaline Rush. In other words, Tychus has to sacrifice certain talents that go to increase his AA damage as a means of simply staying alive.

While I've had fun with the build I've posted here, I'm still seeing holes in how effective it is in comparison to builds like the popular "Nade Tychus" build by CrsGazwaz found here.

So let's take a look at this build in terms of popular AA Raynor builds. A Raynor that seeks to kill heroes quickly and efficiently naturally include picking up the percentage of maximum health talents like Giant Killer and proceed to work on hitting their opponents as many times as possible by increasing attack speed with Inspire and Nexus Frenzy.

This Tychus Build works on the same principle: buff your auto-attacks and right-click to win. If you need to heal, you can fall back on talents like Regeneration Master and Vampiric Assault. Your healing will also allow you to stay in lane for longer periods of time and eventually clear mercenary camps all by yourself.

Remember that you become even stronger with Bloodlust and Adrenal Overload, so if you have an allied Abathur or Rehgar be sure to let them know what kind of build you're using.

PLEASE COMMENT AND VOTE! Top

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