Who Am I? Top
I am EwokVillage. I have a history of games under my belt namely Smite (a 3rd person MOBA). I played that game for 2+ years picking up MOBA knowledge along the way. I joined a short lived competitive team SFNA (SmiteFire NA) before the team fell apart. Heroes really intrigued me with the constant team-fights and action for 20-40 minutes. Due to how easy it is to pick up, I find a lot of players dont value how skill can translate into a game like this, even though it is team-fight, objective oriented. Hopefully my guide will help you become a better Hammer. Merry Christmas!
Please up-vote this guide if you would like to see more and/or recommend I make one for another Hero.
~Thanks
Level 1 Top
Advanced Artillery
You will want to select this in a majority of builds as it really helps your lane push
Lethal Blast
you want to avoid anything that tempts you to use this ability as it is a useful and necessary tool to avoid oncoming enemies.
Resistant
Situational. For the Mine build I would not select this.
Ambush
I have seen a lot of Hammers recently selecting this. I do not feel like the cloak really helps you hide as you usually will have to be 1st in lane (which is unlikely due to your lack of a mount). Since this build revolves around your mines and range, I would rate this situational
Regeneration
Avoid this ability. Your strength is your distance. You will take damage trying to scavenge multiple globes.
Level 4 Top
Focused attack
Combined with Ambush this will make your first hit do a lot of damage however, you will suffer some survivability.
Vampiric Assault
I use this with a majority of Sgt. Hammer builds. The HP regain can really keep you from using a fountain (as Hammer isnt super mana dependent) and keep you in lane longer.
Maelstrom Shells
Situational, however for the mine build I like Vampiric better.
Excessive Force
Once again, avoid anything tempting you to use this ability for damage dealing
Level 7 Top
Slowing Mines
Slowing mines may not seem like a fancy talent however, it serves many purposes. This can help you get away from an oncoming gank OR help you secure an extra 1-2 AA's in siege or non-siege mode.
Cooling Engines
This ability solely determines on your comfort-ability with the enemy heroes. If they have a lot of high burst, gap closing heroes, this is a solid choice.
First Aid
For this build, this should be avoided.
Level 10 Top
Blunt Force Gun
I am not a fan of this ability. It is very niche and the level 20 upgrade is very situational (i.e. keeping a shield down on your enemies Core)
Napalm Strike
This ability tends to be mis-used a lot! It has a residual that continues to damage and initially hits for quite a bit. Great for Tribute guarding, Seeds/skull getting, or team fighting.
Level 13 Top
This level is the most situational
Giant Killer
Matchmaking is a joke at the moment. I have gone against team with 3 tanks, where this ability would become of use
First Strike
In another build, combined with Ambush and Focused Attack, sure. Not for this one though.
Bullhead Mines
Just because it is a mine build does not mean this will help. Often this ability will push enemies out of range of your AA's preventing you from securing a kill.
Barricade
In the tight recesses of the jungle is where this ability shines. You can prevent enemies from Merc stealing and/or keep them away from your team.
Level 16 Top
Executioner
This is situational. Mine Field is the better pick but, your slowing mines will help you if you choose this ability
Mine Field
This is what makes your build shine! 5 mines against most squishy assassins is half their health, slowed, and primed up for siege activity!
Hover Siege Mode
Another build option (distance)
Graduating Range
Better options in this tier
Stoneskin
Least desirable.
Level 20 Top
Fury of the Storm
Not worth the sacrifice in Napalm for this tier
Resurgence of the Storm
The common answer, you shouldn't be dying
Orbital BFG
N/A
Advanced Lava Strike
The additional range and damage is huge!
Early build and tactics Top
What Sgt. Hammer lacks in maneuverability, she gains in range and damage. She has the ability early on to splash damage enemy minion waves while providing some damage to the enemy heroes. Usually, your enemy will react in 1 of 2 ways. Once you siege up they will play
passively out of your range or they will jump you. If your enemy plays
passively you can push your minions fairly easily without consequence. However, good players will not let Sgt. Hammer have free reign on their lane. If your enemy becomes aggressive you need to adjust your play style.
Against an
aggressive enemy the worst thing you can do is sit in
. Many Hammer players seem to forget they can AA (Auto-Attack) while out of siege. In fact I would suggest most Sgt. Hammer players begin their lane phases using basic AA's until you find out the type of play style your enemy will have.
I try to avoid placing
where the enemy minions will eat them. I will typically choose a side of the lane (usually with grass) where I make my haven. I will weave in and out, AA, siege, un-siege, and lay mines in the grass. You can group all your mines together in a tight space by pushing your Spider Mine telegraph as close to the boundary as possible. This avoids Spider Mines revealing themselves and allows you some defense against an aggressive opponent.
Never once will I use Concussive Blast
on enemy minions. This tool needs to be used early game for survivability. There are a few cases you can use it to push your enemy (i.e
) into tower range after they jump over you. At this level your Thrusters
can be used once every 30 seconds so you need to keep
on cooldown in a sticky situation.
Early game is also the time to see how your opponent is building. Are you laning against
? Did he choose
or
? If he chose Overload, you know you can not sit in siege mode for extended periods of time. If he chooses Psi-Infusion you may want to use a Concussive blast on the enemy minions to scatter your minions, limiting his refunded mana.
Mid-game build and tactics: The Do Nots Top
This portion of the game is why I wanted to make this guide. It is likely the way you have played Sgt. Hammer is wrong. So before I get into tactics, let me list the 'DO NOTS' of Sgt Hammer.
Do Not
-Sit outside of a team fight in Siege mode, waiting for your team to 'bring them into your siege range'. This is a horrible excuse to not be providing consistent damage and NOT helping your team.
-Place Spider mines
that are useless. It happens often where retreating Hammers (or advancing) place mines in dead-zones. Remember, there is a second delay when placing them before they 'activate'. Also remember, buildings, minions, camps can aggro mines. Be smart.
-Initiate with Concussive Blast
. The damage isn't worth you wasting a get-away ability. You depend on it, YOUR TEAM depends on it.
-Go into a team fight with Thrusters.
Take the extra 3 seconds of travel time and keep your Thrusters off CD.
-Get tunnel vision. It is so easy to pew pew in lane away at enemy towers and forget the tribute that just spawned. Remember, you do NOT have a mount. The second you see the Tribute spawn, you need to leave to make it therein time. One seconds delay, you could be too late.
-Place Spider Mines
in plain sight against ranged enemies. They AA them away and you wasted your mana, they wasted nothing.
-Become a tank. Wait....you are a tank...but don't BECOME a tank.... make sense? You are not Stitches. You are not a DPS sponge. You are 95% about positioning. Every map has spots you can position behind a ridge, bridge, corner to become effective and minimize your damage.
Mid game is all about having an escape plan while providing consistent damage from afar. I like to Mind F*ck my opponents. I tempt them with the thought of killing me, they realize those aren't cookies on the ground, 1/2 their HP disappears and my AA's/ Napalm Strike Finish them. Remember, you can place Napalm Strike to MAKE THEM walk into your mines! The cooldown is so low, you aren't wasting a ton on it.
Pay attention to your mini-map. It tells you so much about the game and where you need to be. Your damage and abilities are too valuable to sit alone in lane all game.
I usually always sit on top of my mines once objectives start becoming a priority. I see many players place them in front or behind them. The range of aggro for the Spider mines isn't impressive. Sit on them, and your enemy may not even know you laid them. In addition, if they waste a jump (i.e. Kerrigan) she lands on 5 mines, is slowed, gets 2-4 AA's + a Napalm Strike.
Napalm Strike does have a launch delay so remember to always lead your enemy.
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