Support Alpha (1.18) by Baceballgun1

Support Alpha (1.18)

By: Baceballgun1
Last Updated: Jun 8, 2016
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Build 1 of 1

Alpha

Build: Alpha Support/Tank

Ability Path

Infinite Reboot
Heroic Perk
Prime Directive
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Core Charge
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Termination Protocol
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Threat Meter

Threat
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High
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Threat Hero Notes
1
  No Threat
2
Adagio Adiago is kind of a chump. He can slow your chasing with his heal or provide his carry with massive amounts of damage if running crystal, but otherwise can't do much. If he runs weapon, he can do good damage later in the game, but by that point your team can probably do more. Have Crucible on the ready for his ultimate. Second or last target.
2
Alpha Offensive Alpha's job is to deal with squishy heroes and prevent their escape. As such, they usually aren't a problem as you have the tools in Sfiversteel, Atlas cauldron, and Crucible to prevent their slows when running away. Alpha's most problematic builds are glass cannons whose sole purpose is to eliminate squishy carries. Slow her when she gets low on health, usually a Termination Protocol will follow. Usually second target.
2
Blackfeather Blackfeather is really one hero you can't deal with. He isn't much of a problem anyways, unless he pulls something really sneaky and lunges in on your carry later in the game with high burst damage, so give some vision. If he proves to be extremely damaging, you may want to target him first, but he is usually second.
3
Skaarf Your prime target. Squishy, unreliable at close-range, and just begging to be slowed. Like Ringo, he will usually stay behind his teammates. If your team gets up close and personal with him, the dragon is slain. While chasing him, his Goop is ineffective to you as you can simply use Prime Directive to close the gap. Side-stepping his fireball to avoid it or to intercept it should be easy. If you choose to use Crucible on his ultimate, use it while he is exhaling to maximize effectiveness. It's duration is deceptively long. First target.
3
Ardan If he is running pure support, Ardan is a fishcake. The catch is that you MUST crucible out of his cult for your teammates. If possible, communicate with your team and make sure everyone gets out quickly and safely. If he is running Shiversteel, do the same to him when he is chasing your team. Usually last target.
4
Skye Skye isn't as much a threat to you particularly as she is to your teammates, like a ranged assassin. She can do hefty amounts of damage to your team, so be sure to soak up her Forward Barrage for the locked-on teammate if necessary. If she targets you, side-step it. First target.
4
Kestrel Kestrel is one of those heroes that are either hit or miss, no pun intended. She will prove a problem if your team cannot out-damage her. If she's running weapon, Atlas Pauldron will help with her basics, but otherwise not much will help. Keep an eye on how many Glimmershots she uses to predict the retreat. Watch out for her invisible stun trap when chasing, especially if she's running crystal. You can tank her ultimate no problem, even if it'll put you in reboot, take it for the team if need be. First target.
4
Catherine Just don't mess with Catherine. your abilities are too fast for her to stun you out of (with the exception of Termination Protocol), and she usually won't target you to begin with. The most you can do when she activates Merciless Pursuit is Shiversteel her or use Crucible (if you have it ready) for your teammates. Crucible that ultimate at all times. Last target.
5
Taka As an assassin, Taka isn't much of threat to you as to your teammates. He can be a bit of a pain in the very early game, but usually you can deal with him. When he goes invisible, scan for him using your Prime Directive or use a Flare. Don't be upset if you miss, it's very hard to land. If you do catch a retreating Taka, usually it's done for him. Some times first but usually second target, depending on the situation.
6
Ringo Everyone's favorite weapon-burst-squishy-carry hero. Experienced Ringo players will normally always stay behind their allies. Vision is especially important in order to quickly ambush and eliminate Ringo. Atlas Pauldron is a good way to limit his damage in a longer teamfight. First target.
6
Koshka Koshka is a real pain in the early game. As you are very weak getting out of spawn, her and her buddy may be able to easily kill both of your junglers, or your laner. Coordination with the jungle and lane are key to taking her down early on. Afterwords, she becomes less menacing provided you slow down or stop her from snowballing. First or second priority.
6
Glaive Glaive can prove to be disastrous to your team. Aside from high potential damage output, he can take care of your reboot no problem by putting you in a favorable position with Afterburner. However, later in the game he can be dealt with by using well-timed crucible activations for the knock back and Aftershock to deal with his naturally high health. Second target, usually.
6
Celeste Celeste usually discourages chases with her stars and stun, but you're Alpha. As your Prime Directive puts you in front her her while chasing, she will likely miss at least once or twice and be forced to take a Shiversteel. Be unpredictable in your movements. First target.
7
  No Threat
8
Lance Lance's tankiness is superb and can keep you off your target or him for a while. He's perfect for discouraging chases. In team fights, make sure your entire team isn't lined up for an unhealthy serving of a triple Impale root. Always the final target.
8
Vox Vox just deals a LOT of damage, but is somewhat squishy. If you can lure him into a trap and take him down quickly enough in a team fight, you will be in an advantageous situation. Usually first target.
8
Krul DO NOT let him stick to you. Burst damage and kiting are the only ways to go with Krul, so be patient. Use your Shiversteel and Atlas Pauldron to slow his assault on your teammates. If you are set in reboot by him, he can essentially use you for free health, so stay out of his way. First or second target.
9
Reim Reim is a pain to deal with. Some players will attempt to land a basic attack on you while you are chasing, which activates his fortified health, and potentially slow you down with a Frostburn, and root you with Chill Winds. While rebooting, Reim's Winter Spire will be able to achieve maximum damage on you, and you'll also become free fortified health. First or second target.
10
SAW Weapon SAW is a cannon and will single-handedly take down your entire team if given the chance. He will definitely eat your health reserves for dinner with his Serpent's Mask, so avoid rebooting near him. Direct the fight away from him to abuse his low mobility. If all else fails or the heat of the moment is preventing you from doing so, Atlas Pauldron all the way. Crystal SAW is less of an issue, but watch out for that Roadie Run, even when your chasing him. Help your teammates burst him down when he has few stacks or locked in Suppressing Fire.

The Jist/General Tips Top

The jist of this build is simple; the play-style is similar to Ardan with a more offensive take. Use your Prime Directive and Shiversteel to slow fleeing enemies to secure the team's kill. Core Charge is also a great tool for chasing, but don't be afraid to use it as much as possible during team fights to maximize your damage. DO NOT use Termination Protocol when engaging enemies, I cannot stress this enough. Your only use of it is when you are about to die anyways to deal some final extra damage before your Infinite Reboot kicks in. This ability severely improves Alpha's ability to stay alive. Normally, Alpha is a prioritized target when in reboot, but with a tank set, she can essentially get 'two lives' or divert the enemy's attention long enough for your team to score a kill or two in team-fights. Alpha can chase an enemy while on low health to allow the team to get a kill without Alpha being killed. If not obvious already, Alpha's high point is chasing and slowing enemies for the team.

Abilities Top

Infinite Reboot



Slot: Heroic Perk

Instead of dying, Alpha initiates a reboot sequence upon receiving lethal damage, gaining 325-1800 reserve health (based on level). For the next several seconds, enemies can continue to attack her and deal damage. If her reserve is not destroyed during this time, she will reboot to ample health at the same location.
The cooldown for this ability is displayed in place of Alpha's energy bar. Once this bar is full, Infinite Reboot is available. This bar will slide back to zero during the reboot process, indicating the remaining time left before she is restored to health. - Keep in mind that Alpha does not use energy, so thats one less thing to worry about. As long as you reboot in a safe area, you'll be fine. Don't think this ability gives you a free pass to goof up and charge straight in; you will be immobilized and killed quickly.


Prime Directive



Slot: A

Alpha scans for enemies along a path. If she scans an enemy, that enemy is slowed and Alpha instantly dashes behind them, dealing damage to the target and all enemies within 4.5 meters (65% damage to minions). This also removes the negative effects of Core Overload (without removing the positive effects), dealing increased damage based on the number of stacks removed. - Great in conjunction with Core Charge and Shiversteel, this is your main chasing tool. Don't feel bad if you miss, as it is quite difficult to land.


Core Charge



Slot: B

Alpha lunges forward, landing a basic attack on her target and fracturing the ground for additional crystal damage in a small area. Each time she uses this ability, she spends 2.5% of her current health and gains Core Overload for 5.5 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
Basic attacks reduces the cooldown of Core Charge by 1 second.
Core Overload: The health cost of Core Charge goes up by 2.5%, but also increases the damage of subsequent Core Charges and causes her basic attacks to heal her. Basic attacks refresh the duration. - Core Overload isn't really a problem, and is rather beneficial due to the damage increase. Useful for closing smaller gaps between enemies, farming, and between basic attacks.


Termination Protocol



Slot: C

On activation, Alpha begins a self destruct sequence. At the start of this she gains a burst of move speed as well as 400-1000 barrier (based on her level). Immediately afterward, she rapidly loses move speed as her Halcyon core approaches critical mass.
After 3 seconds, or immediately upon her barrier being breached, Alpha explodes. This explosion deals heavy crystal damage to all enemies within 4.5 meters and is lethal to herself.
This ability can only be activated while Infinite Reboot is available. Upgrading this ability reduces the cooldown of Infinite Reboot. - While giving this all three points seems like a good idea because of the cool down reduction of Infinite Reboot, it is more than made up for with Contraption and Aftershock, thus making the overdrives on her A and B much more useful. As stated above, only use this ability if your going to die anyways. Usually, profitable opportunities to use it in chasing and team fights are not present in a match.

Situations; Early Game Top

Alpha is an extremely weak hero in the early game. Halcyon Potions are a must in order to use Ironguard Contract for your teammates effectively. This is obvious, but try to farm as much as possible. Decision making is key here; Do you help your laner fend off enemies from the jungle and waste precious farm time? Place scout traps early game in the lane bushes to help your laner, and perhaps ultimately save some farm time. Sometimes, just your presence or a light poke is enough to ward off an aggressive enemy laner. Respect your opponents, if a brief early jungle shop squabble breaks out, the health of your friendly jungler is a priority. When they go on the attack, you go on the attack. If they are ambushed, do your best to get the enemy off of him/her (Try using Prime Directive's slow when behind the attacker). That being said, don't pass up an opportunity to steal camps from the enemy jungle.

Team Fights and Chasing Top

As always, first destroy the immediate threat to your team. If an enemy Taka decides to engage, target him first. If the enemy laner, such as Ringo or Celeste goes in too much, take em' down. As always, leave the support for last. If your winning the teamfight, save your Prime Directive for the retreat. Squishes first. Afterwords, use your Shiversteel slow them, and just basic attack/ Core Charge until your teammates catch up or you finish them off. For prolonged chases, use Prime Directive whenever possible or when boots or speed boosts are used. If you end up losing the teamfight, use your Shiversteel to protect your allies. If your behind an enemy who is chasing an ally, use Prime Directive to slow them and continue running. As always, use Fountain of Renewal/ Crucible when the time is right.

End Game Top

Always stick with your teammates. In the end game, vision is key. If you have pushed past the 3rd enemy turret and in to the enemy base, retain control of the map. Place scout traps in the lane and in the jungle (even outside of bushes) with your Contraption to gain vision and execute ambushes on the enemy. If you end up capturing Kraken, make sure both minion mines are captured and push with your teammates. If you are pushed in to your base, don't give up! As stated before, retain control of the map with your Contraption by using flares and scout traps. Try to keep on an enemy Kraken as much as possible, thats where your useful for the damage buff from Contraption. Don't be afraid to join your allies in chasing if you know the turrets will take care of the rest of Kraken.

The End Top

I hope you have enjoyed this explanation. Any comments, tips and criticism is welcome. I'm still currently working on this, so please don't be afraid to add any missing information in the comments.

Thanks!

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