Poor Rona. Any time she tries to go 'into the fray' she leaves herself critically exposed to the slow effect of Gift of Fire and the only way out is to kill Adagio.
2
Ardan
Ardan can sometimes use Gauntlet in a manner that creates a false sense of security for his allies. If Adagio gets caught in the center, he can simply us Verse of Judgement to either scare away Ardan and his allies or land a stun that will allow Adagio's allies enough time to escape the Gauntlet.
3
Lyra
While Lyra certainly has an incredibly strong heal as well, she lacks the sustained energy that Adagio gets through his Arcane Renewal. In a very prolonged team fight, Adagio will surely be the one who is still healing until the very end of it.
4
Lance
Almost all of Lance's damage output comes the sequence of impale-basic attack-gythian wall-basic attack-combat roll-basic attack. After this sequence has finished he will not have finished the kill and Adagio can simply bring his allies health back up to nearly full.
5
Catherine
Having a stun with the shortest cooldown on the Halcyon Fold makes Catherine a relative threat for Adagio especially when trying to land a Verse of Judgement. However a talented Adagio player will surely use a block so that Verse of Judgement lands successfully.
6
Petal
Because Adagio has no way of quickly killing Petal's Munions (as opposed to a quibble from Phinn for example), Petal is a relatively large threat for Adagio.
7
Reim
Similar to Krul, once Reim gets on top of Adagio it is virtually impossible to run away because of Reim's Frostguard perk. Not to mention whenever Adagio uses Verse of Judgement he's a sitting duck for Reim's Valkyrie.
8
Fortress
I expect Fortress to see a large comeback in the 1.23 meta. Similar to Taka, Fortress has 2 different ways to apply a mortal wound which can be very challenging for Adagio.
9
Krul
Krul is a huge pain in the ass for Adagio. His 'Shadows Empower Me' perk makes the immobile Adagio very hard to run away and whatever increased damage Adagio provides with Agent of Wrath is completely negated by Krul's Spectral Smite Weakness Stacks.
10
Taka
Taka is a huge threat for all squishy heroes. While Adagio in this build may not necessarily be squishy, Taka's mortal wound will significantly reduce the amount of healing because of his X-Retsu.
My name is FlashX. I am the ROAM player for Team SoloMid who are the current reigning North American SUMMER Champions (I know the above pic says Winter). I have been playing Vainglory since October 2014. I am currently Vainglorious Silver in the Autumn 2016 Season. It's been awhile since I've written a guide and I look forward to creating new content as well as updating old content to reflect Vainglory for the current 1.23 patch.
This guide will focus on playing Adagio as a ROAM hero. Adagio has shifted in and out of the meta for quite some time, but recently has undergone balance changes to shift him from being played in the LANE to being played as a ROAM, which was his intended role when he was originally conceived. Recent changes incorporated a health ratio in which Adagio's Gift of Fire has increased healing proportional to how much bonus health he has built which is a core component of all ROAM builds. Specifically in 1.23, the health ratio was raised from 8% to 10%. All of the patch notes for 1.23 can be found Here.
I believe Adagio is effective as a ROAM hero because of his ability to keep allies alive and create sustained team fights by using Gift of Fire. Adagio also has perhaps the single greatest form of crowd control in Verse of Judgement which will not only deal massive damage but will also stun enemies for 2.2 seconds when they burning with Arcane Fire. I hope everyone finds this guide both informational and easy to read. Enjoy!
"The master manipulator of large scale battles, Adagio brings incredible teamfight presence with huge area of effect damage and team saving abilities. He almost seems too good: He can heal. He can amplify damage. He can stun and nuke the entire enemy team ... but none of these can be achieved easily without team wide coordination. Adagio is extremely flexible and can start as a laner, jungler or ROAMER."
Whenever enemies burning with Arcane Fire take damage from any source, Adagio regenerates 25% of that damage as energy.
Arcane Renewal is not necessarily a perk that makes Adagio strong in the ROAM position, but understanding how it works is incredibly important. If Arcane Renewal is used effectively, Adagio will NEVER run out of energy. "Whenever enemies burning with Arcane Fire take damage from any source, Adagio regenerates 35% of that damage as energy." Whenever Adagio uses Gift of Fire (explained below) he will ignite all nearby enemies with Arcane Fire for 5-7 seconds. During this time, it is important that Adagio and his allies try and deal damage specifically to the burning targets so that Adagio will regenerate energy. Repeating this process is important for maximum damage output and maximum sustain for Adagio and his allies during a team fight.
- Offensively: Adagio can utilize Gift of Fire in order to punish enemy heroes who are caught out of position. If Adagio uses Gift of Fire on himself, nearby enemies will be slowed by 70%. This allows his allies to reposition and quickly engage on the enemies who have been slowed.
-Defensively: Adagio has the largest single target heal in Vainglory. Gift of Fire can be used frequently to help keep allies alive and able to continue fighting during prolonged team fights.
What to AVOID: Avoid using Gift of Fire when there are no nearby enemies who will receive Arcane Fire that will allow Adagio to regenerate energy unless absolutely necessary (an ally will die without receiving the heal) or unless Adagio is already at 100% energy or has substantial amount of energy regeneration from core items such as Contraption or Stormcrown. Gift of Fire has relatively high energy cost and when not used efficiently Adagio will quickly run out of energy and be rendered almost useless during a team fight.
Temporarily boosts an allied hero's next several basic attack for 6s.
Deals bonus damage to enemies afflicted by Arcane Fire.
Bonus damage is increased if Adagio casts this spell on himself.
Resets basic-attack cooldown on activation.
Using Agent of Wrath: Agent of Wrath is another incredibly important asset for Adagio and should always be used in conjunction with Gift of Fire for maximum effectiveness. Most often Adagio will want to use this ability on an ally who relies upon their basic attacks rather than their abilities for damage output. Adagio receives increased damage when casting this ability on himself so at times it may be beneficial to do so in order to poke away at enemies heroes so long as he is maintaining his energy through Arcane Renewal.
What to AVOID: Avoid using this ability when targets are not burning from Arcane Fire. It is imperative that Adagio maintains enough energy for Gift of Fire as this is his most essential part of his kit. If Agent of Wrath is used too frequently and on enemies without Arcane Fire, Adagio will be unable to maintain his energy for when he needs it the most.
Adagio channels for 2s then deals heavy damage to all enemies in a wide ring around him. Enemies burning with Arcane Fire are also stunned.
Adagio temporarily gains fortified health while channeling.
Using Verse of Judgement: Verse of Judgement is perhaps the single greatest form of crowd control in Vainglory. Not only does it deal a massive amount of damage, but it can also stun enemies for 2.2 seconds which is the longest stun duration for any ability. To use this ability most effectively, Adagio should use Gift of Fire on himself when nearby enemies to slow them by 70% and set them on fire, and then immediately cast Verse of Judgement so that they cannot run and will be stunned. Preferably use this sequence when 2 or more enemies are standing together. The easiest way to achieve this is to activate Sprint Boots to quickly get on top of enemies.
What to AVOID: Avoid using Verse of Judgement when enemies are not burning from Arcane Fire. If they are not burning then they will not be stunned which is essential when playing roam Adagio. It is also important to note that because Verse of Judgement is a channeling spell that it can be interrupted and thus cancelled. If the enemy team has abilities such as Catherine's Merciless Pursuit that Adagio purchases a Reflex Block to ensure that Verse of Judgement does not get interrupted.
Even though the 1.23 update is still incredibly new, and we have yet to see Adagio's effectiveness in professional play, he has certainly found a footing in ranked queue and pairs incredibly well with naturally tanky heroes. This is because Gift of Fire can sustain allies through prolonged team fights.
IMPERIAL SIGIL|MAXIMUM HEALING
Lyra pairs extremely well with ROAM Adagio. They have an incredible amount of synergy together in terms of their abilities, specifically their healing. The combination of Imperial Sigil and Gift of Fire can be incredibly annoying for enemies. In one moment an ally can be nearly dead and just a split second later be full health from the combination of these two abilities. If the enemy team does not have a mortal wound to cause reduced healing or they do not have a tremendous amount of crowd control to prevent Adagio and Lyra from using their heals then the enemy team is going to have a rough time!
WHAT IS THAT HEALING
Ozo pairs incredibly well with ROAM Adagio because of his increased healing from his heroic perk Carnie Luck. Ozo receives an additional 15-30% healing (barrier and fortified health too) from all sources meaning that Gift of Fire is particularly effective on him. While Ozo is hard at work absorbing a ton of damage in the center of the fight, Adagio can casually stay in the back lines and continually use Gift of Fire to keep Ozo alive!
Fountain of Renewal Fountain of Renewal is the quintessential first item for all ROAM heroes. Offering both defense and utility, Fountain of Renewal is best utilized when allies are low on health during a team fight. Active: heals you and nearby allies for 2 health for each % missing health per second for 3 seconds. While Adagio can rely upon Gift of Fire for a vast majority of his burst healing, Fountain of Renewal can come in handy when multiple allies are low in health and quickly give them enough to get back into the fight. Fountain of Renewal also provides +200 Max Health which increases the heal from Gift of Fire by 20 (200 x 10%). While this might not seem like much, in combination with the rest of the items below, it adds up to have a significant impact!
War Treads War Treads pair extremely well with Adagio. Active: Grant a sprint to all nearby teammates for 2 seconds. War Treads enables Adagio to quickly navigate the map with his allies and engage upon unsuspecting enemies. This can provide Adagio with a extra speed boost in order to get on top of enemies for the Gift of Fire and Verse of Judgement combination to stun enemies during a team fight. Additionally, War Treads provide Adagio with +500 Max Health which increases the heal from [[gift of fire by 50.
Crucible Crucible is best utilized against teams with area of effect (AOE) abilities. Active: Trigger Reflex Block for you and nearby teammates. This item can also be activated to provide a simple health barrier if an ally is close to dying. Additionally, Crucible provides Adagio with +600 Max Health which increases the heal from Gift of Fire by 60. Examples: Blast Tremor (Catherine), Verse of Judgement (Adagio), Dragon Breath (Skaarf).
Atlas Pauldron Atlas Pauldron is best utilized against teams with high attack speeds. Active: Reduces attack speed of nearby enemy heroes by 65% for 5 seconds in a 4-meter range. While Atlas Pauldron provides no additional health to increase the effectiveness of Gift of Fire, it will be particularly important when playing against enemies who rely heavily on their basic attacks for damage. Examples: Ringo, SAW, Adagio.
Shiversteel Shiversteel also provides a huge benefit for Adagio. Active: For the next 4(6 if you are melee) seconds, your basic attacks slow enemy heroes by 40% for 1.2s. This allows Adagio the ability to basic attack fleeing enemies so that he can get in range of them to slow them further using Gift of Fire. Additionally, Shiversteel provides Adagio with +500 Max Health which increases the heal from Gift of Fire by 50!
Contraption
Contraption is a very useful items in many ways. Primarily, it is very effective at providing vision throughout the entire game. Charges should be focused on deploying [[scout traps while Adagio and his allies still continue to purchase Flare Gun's. Contraption also provides Adagio with 40% cooldown speed and +3 energy recharge which enables Adagio to use his abilities much more frequently. Additionally, contrpation provides Adagio with +350 Max Health which icnrease the heal from Gift of Fire by 35!
Stormcrown Stormcrown is a very useful items in many ways. Primarily, it provides a significant increase in damage to objectives which can be very useful when pushing lane, securing gold mine, or even stealing a Kraken. Stormcrown also provides Adagio with 30% cooldown speed and +4 energy recharge which enables Adagio to use his abilities much more frequently. Additionally, Stormcrown provides Adagio with +200 Max Health which increases the heal from Gift of Fire by 20!
Crystal Infusion Crystal Infusion should always be the chosen infusion for ROAM Adagio. The primary reason being that all of his abilities have crystal power ratios as well as the cooldown reduction so that Adagio can use his abilities at a quicker pace!
Using these different items depending on the situation will surely give you an advantage in team fights. A good Adagio will focus on counter-building the enemy team thus allowing him to offer the most utility and defense to his own team. Fountain of Renewal and War Treads are ESSENTIAL parts of Adagio's kit. In all situations they are considered effective because there is not a significant amount of counter play to them. Utilize Fountain of Renewal when Adagio or his allies become low in health, and use War Treads to either engage or disengage from a team fight.
1. Starting ITEMS: Oakheart, HALCYCON POTION, Flare Gun - Buying 2 potions is unnecessary because Adagio will receive health back by casting Gift of Fire on himself.
2. Clearing the jungle: When the game begins, Adagio should position himself to stand directly on top of where the double large minions spawn at t = 25s. Adagio should immediately cast Gift of Fire on himself and begin to basic attack the minions.
3. The first engagement: In most situations, both jungles will have finished this mirrored rotation at relatively the same time. At this point, an engagement is likely to occur. Use the flare purchased at the begging of the game in a manner such that it reveals the enemy shop bush. Adagio and his ally will only want to engage the enemy jungle at this point if they feel they can win the fight. If not, it is a VERY good idea to rotate up to the lane and attempt to gank the enemy laner.
4. To Invade, or not to Invade? If you end up winning a fight in the jungle, simply purchase a potion and head for an invade. The enemy team likely has very weak early game heroes and will not be able to win a second engagement either. Just be careful to not take too much damage from the jungle minions if the enemy team is positioning for a re-engagement. If you decided to go up to lane for a gank, whether it was successful or not, you should return to your jungle to clear it immediately. Note: If the enemy team has a much stronger jungle, they may have invaded and it is important to utilize flares to see if they have indeed invaded. If so, they simply rotate into the enemy jungle and take their camps instead.
Playing the MID GAME: (t = 8:00 - 15:00)
Adagio begins to ramp up in the mid game. He hits his first major power spike once he completes his Fountain of Renewal and his War Treads, a second major power spike when he reaches level 6 to unlock his Verse of Judgement, and a final power spike when he reaches level 8 in order to overdrive Gift of Fire so that he now has a massive amount of healing making him incredibly tanky. All of this will happen during the mid game. Adagio's decisions here should be reflective of his allies versus the enemies. If his allies are strong in the mid game, Adagio will want to be aggressive, using his Gift of Fire to capitalize on enemies so that objectives such as turrets or the gold miner can be secured. If Adagio and his allies have a weaker midgame, saving War Treads as a tool for a disengage is encouraged.
Playing the LATE GAME: (t = 15:00 - End of Game)
While Adagio should have built an immense amount of both defensive and utility items at this point, the enemy team has also scaled significantly in their damage. Choosing fights selectively is very important at this stage in the game. Enemies have should built enough defense, or even reflex blocks, such that Verse of Judgement will frequently be blocked so team fights need to be played with more caution.
What to avoid:
1. Avoid taking last hits. Adagio's allies should always be the ones who get the last hit. Adago will earn 75% of all gold that his allies earn from ambient gold. 2. Avoid overextending. While it is important for Adagio to be the frontline for his team, he needs to make sure his allies are in a position to help Adagio should he be engaged upon. If caught out of position, Adagio can use Gift of Fire on himself thus slowing enemies and hopefully allowing Adagio to run away. 4. Be patient with Verse of Judgement. Sometimes it may be ideal for Adagio to wait to activate Verse of Judgement and hopefully enemies will use their reflex blocks on other abilities thus allowing Adagio to land Verse of Judgement successfully.
1. Skill Skipping - In all of my guides, the suggested path for choosing abilities ALL involves skill skipping. What is skill skipping? A unique opportunity presents itself when all heroes reach level 5. The average player will simply choose an ability which most commonly is level 2 of their less important ability ( Petal's Trampoline! 'jump' or Taka's Kaku 'box' are good examples). These abilities do NOT provide a large benefit to the heroes. In this guide I utilize skill skipping to achieve a level 4 Gift of Fire and a level 1 Verse of Judgement when I reach level 6. How does skill skipping work? When you reach level 5, DO NOT SELECT AN ABILITY TO LEVEL UP. This is NEVER a disadvantage. Some players may find it unsettling that they have the option to improve one of their abilities but are choosing not to do so. However, once you reach level 6, you will be able to upgrade an ability to level 4 as well as getting your C Ability ( Verse of Judgement) to level 1. This differs from normally having a Level 3, Level 2, and Level 1 ability when you reach level 6. However, if you do engage in an important team fight at level 5, it is okay to upgrade an ability at this point. Obviously it will help slightly. For Adagio, this is his Gift of Fire. At level 6, Adagio should have a level 1 Agent of Wrath, Level 1 Verse of Judgement, and Level 4 Gift of Fire. The additional healing output can make a huge difference when Adagio reaches level 6.
2. Voice communication. While Vainglory does have userfriendly ping options which can to a degree communicate what to do between allies, voice communication is standard for any team based eSport. Being able to decide what actions to take in the upcoming 5 seconds before a teamfight such as who to focus, is incredibly important. When using Verse of Judgement to initiate the fight, Adagio should communicate who the priority focus is and how her allies should follow up after the enemies have been silenced. My team prefers to use an iOS/PC app called Curse.
3. Be Patient. - Sometimes the enemy team may not be positioned in away that will allow Adagio to ignite them with Arcane Fire at the start of a fight. It may be more important to wait until 2 or more enemies are positioned in a way in which Adagio can ignite them with Arcane Fire such that Verse of Judgement will stun at least two of them. Selecting teamfights located in the jungle may make this task easier as enemies are more often clumped in tight choke points.
4. Positioning. Positioning in team fights is very important. Similarly to how all ROAM heroes should be played ROAM Adagio will want to be the frontline for his team and absorb as much damage as possible. Often, this enables Adagio to use Gift of Fire on himself such that enemies are heavily slowed which should give Adagio and his allies a significant advantage during a teamfight.
THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to read and study my 1.23 ROAM Adagio guide. Every situation is different and depending on what situation you are in will dictate exactly how to utilize this guide to your best benefit. This is by no means a definitive guide on how to play Adagio but purely my interpretation of him as a hero in the ROAM role. I hope everyone is able to learn a thing or two in order to improve your own gameplay. Please feel free to comment with questions, criticism, or any feedback whatsoever so that I can continue writing guides that will best benefit the Vainglory community in the future.
If you're not following me already, here are the links to my social media channels to stay up to date with everything going on in the Vainglory community and with @TeamSoloMid
VaingloryFire is the place to find the perfect build guide to take your game to the next level. Learn how to play a new hero, or fine tune your favorite VG hero’s build and strategy.
Adagio as a ROAM hero.
Contraption or
Stormcrown.
Sprint Boots to quickly get on top of enemies.
Catherine's
Merciless Pursuit that
Reflex Block to ensure that
Imperial Sigil and
Carnie Luck.
Flare Gun's.
Forward Barrage,
Spitfire, or
Malice & Verdict for example). Additionally,
Oakheart, HALCYCON POTION,
Petal's
Trampoline! 'jump' or
Taka's
Kaku 'box' are good examples). These abilities do NOT provide a large benefit to the heroes. In this guide I utilize skill skipping to achieve a level 4
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