Ability Path
Item Choices
Very Late Game/Max Build







Threat Meter
Threat | Hero | Notes | |
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1 |
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Ringo | Ringo is probably the easiest laner to go against as SAW. He just simply can't outgun you if you have full spinup. However, be aware that his Achilles Shot drastically slows your Roadie Run (and you!). This makes it really hard to run away if he coordinates his Achilles Shot with a gank. Stay close to your turret until you know where the enemy junglers are or have bush vision. If a jungle fight breaks out, take advantage and bully the enemy Ringo. Protips: Ringo can be very sneaky in team-fights, know where he is and light him up whenever he gets in range of your spin. Additionally, don't stay near him with low health. You are just asking for him to use his Hellfire Brew! |
2 |
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Petal | AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! But really though, just kill her pets and she will be no threat. Also, always Roadie Run away from her if you have to retreat, her pets will chase you down if you try to walk away. And if she uses her ult, stay calm and shank one of the pets and roll away. Protips: Petal can be very annoying and powerful in the early game, don't give her a chance to snowball the game. Also, your turrets will not protect you from her pets. |
3 |
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Fortress | Fortress used to be very threatening to SAW while he was still meta, now he's kinda meh. He can still do massive damage if he tanks up and gets close. Watch out for his wolves, they can do a lot of damage if you don't get rid of them quickly. I would wait for his wolves to wear off before engaging. Protips: Watch for the power spike when he gets aftershock. |
4 |
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Ardan | Ardan alone isn't much of a threat to SAW, (especially since 1.19) but an Ardan with an Atlas is. His natural tankiness allows him to dive on you and get away safely after he pops the Atlas. After you're Atlas Pouldron'd he may not even have to escape. He may just keep punching you. Don't waste time shooting him unless he's the only one in range. Protips: Reflex block makes it extremely easy to not even acknowledge his gauntlet. Don't let it intimidate you. Also, if Ardan comes up right on you expect the Atlas and get ready to reflex block it. |
4 |
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Koshka | Koshka has been harassing SAW with her agility even before they both arrived at the fold. Her ult poses a huge threat to your Spinup, but it's pretty easy to counter. After seeing it a few times you can reflex it easily. Koshka no longer needs to tank up to be deadly. She can burst and retreat much more effectively now. Light her up when you can and consider a reflex when she's about to finish you. Protips: She can turret dive on you very easily, be careful. |
5 |
No Threat | ||
6 |
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Kestrel | Kestrel is easy to lane against as long as you maintain a wall of friendly minions between you and her. Her Glimmershots can't penetrate multiple minions if she goes WP and she will be forced to basic attack you if she wants to poke. Keep your distance from her if she goes CP. Be aware of her Active Camo. Don't go near where she disappears, she will nuke and stun you without a doubt. Keeping the fire on her prevents her from disappearing when she goes CP. Protips: Don't stay in enemy view range if you're low on health once she reaches level 6. Her ult will easily pick you off. And don't ever retreat in a straight line, anticipate her ult always. Once she reaches 200 bonus weapon power incoming damage won't stop her from cloaking anymore. DO NOT go in for a shank if she is building weapon power unless you are right next to her. 95% of the time she will simply cloak and leave you with nothing to stab. If you do need to stab her make sure you don't select her until the last possible moment. If she cloaks while you have her selected you will target the closest minion and most likely roll yourself right into the enemy turret. |
6 |
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Taka | Taka isn't scary if you know how to deal with him, but he can still be threatening if he gets ahead in farm. Always have scout traps in BOTH lane bushes whenever possible. Its pretty funny when you can light up a visible bush Taka. You can typically kill or near kill a Taka that comes at you when you're at full spin, (with proper defense) so make sure you have your stacks when in dicey places. Protips: Shield up if he starts to build toward a Shatterglass. Successfully using Reflex Block to block the mortal wound from X-Retsu can mean life or death. Also, always assume Taka knows where you are and is on his way, ALWAYS!!! |
6 |
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Vox | Unlike laners like Skye and Kestrel, being near minions when against Vox is deadly. He can farm and light you up at the same time if you get in resonance range (aka minions or heroes that have resonance). Vox will become more deadly with that *cough* OP *cough* resonance as the game goes on. Keep your distance and hold your ground (not near resonance!) and hit him with suppressing fire when safe. Build defense early to keep yourself alive. Protips: Do not ever be near your teammates in a teamfight against a cp Vox, EVER. Sneak up on him and give him the heat when he least expects it. Also, don't chase him in a pack. Anticipate a power spike from both CP and WP Vox in late game. |
7 |
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Ozo | Ozo can be very dangerous to SAW if he can move around well. His Aerobounce is very easy to land on a spun up SAW. His burst can nuke your health really quickly. Like Rona, he can survive your hits and heal more than you can dish out if he builds lifesteal. High defense will counter this. Luckily, his ult is comically easy to reflex. You can see/hear it from a mile away! Protips: Staying away from things Ozo can bounce on will hinder his ability to Aerobounce. Also, watch out for Ozo buff comps like Adagio, Lyra, Ardan, and Phinn. |
7 |
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Phinn | Phinn can be troublesome if he plays his support role well. His Polite Company provides MASSIVE protection for his whole team if executed correctly. Smart enemy carries will take advantage of their fortified health and charge at you. The other threat that Phinn poses is, of course, his Forced Accord. The casting for this ability is rather lengthy so with practice reflexing blocking it will be easy. Have your boots + Roadie Run ready at all times in case of the event of being dragged toward him. Protips: Don't ever be close enough to Phinn to be hit by his Quibble. Also, keep vision on Phinn in teamfights, it's a lot easier to reflex his anchor if you see him tossing it. Lastly, if you fail to reflex his Forced Accord (it happens, don't feel too bad about it) be sure to use it to block his Quibble that is sure to come shortly after. |
7 |
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Skaarf | Scaarf can be really difficult to lane against if he knows what he's doing. His spitfire is hard to avoid but manageable. Stay on your toes and don't keep your stacks up if you don't have to so you can be ready to dodge his Spitfire. Save your Roadie Run for when he drops that goop on you. If you keep Scaarf busy he won't be able to farm well. Don't help him by being on top of your minions, he will be able to kill two birds with one Goop (hah, get it?). Also, don't attack him when he is casting Dragon's Breath unless you are really confident you will be able to kill him. If you choose to run away from Dragon's Breath don't retreat where your allies do, make him waste time thinking where to turn. Protips: Shield up early and watch for those Dragon's Eye stacks. Also, never underestimate his damage. Even with shields he can pack a punch in the late game. |
7 |
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Samuel | While not exactly in the meta, Samuel could still be a threat to a spun up SAW. His Malice and Verdict can do some serious pokes without a proper minion shield. Jungle fights against Samuel can be very ban if your Roam isn't blocking Malice and Verdict. Try not to let him heal from his perk as much as possible. If laning against him, you might want to start off with a Book of Eulogies. Protips: Don't let him bait you, he can very easily run away. Only get in his range if you can get close enough. Try to predict where he will fire Malice and Verdict. Reflex for his ult. |
8 |
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Adagio | Adagio can be very dangerous for SAW in the right hands. Him and Lyra have more range than any other hero. This makes it challenging to stutter on him. He is only threatening when he is playing a carry, ignore roam Adagio unless he builds CP. He can pack a punch regardless if he goes CP or WP (crit Adagio is scary but falls of hard in the late game). Lay down Suppressing Fire on him whenever you can. Protips: Watch for Arcane Fire, he can hurt you a lot more while you're burning. Reflex block does wonders when he tries to nuke you with his ult. |
8 |
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Glaive | This bruiser needs no introduction. Glaive is no joke being a staple in the meta of many patches. Sporting the highest HP of any carry and having natural lifesteal, he can be really tough to take down. On top of this, his Afterburn is one of the scariest abilities in the game (reflex!!!!!). Bonesaw helps tear through any armor he might have to cut away at that health. Protips: Reflex that Afterburn, you just gotta. Avoid jungle confrontations, he is much less dangerous out in the open. |
8 |
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Lance | Lance's natural tankiness and high weapon damage can make him nearly untouchable in lane (especially in the first several minutes of the game). The best way to deal with him is deal damage when you can or ignore him to take out squishy carries. If you can dodge his Impale effectively it will go a long way. He is the tankiest hero in the game, Mad Cannon can melt him better than it can melt any other hero. Protips: Reflexing Impale may not seem important, but it can help a lot. Try to stay at the top of the lane at all times so he can't impale you from the bushes. |
8 |
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Reim | Reim is an old man, and he plays like one. He does have slow attacks, but he can be really threatening if he isn't afraid to engage you. His fortified health lets him soak up your shots. He can out-sustain you in a fight if he is on you. Keep your distance and rain hell on him when he doesn't have fortified health. The major threat is his ult, it can put you in a bad situation easily. Hang back and let more mobile members of your team get the aggro. Protips: Watch out for when he sprints with boots. That can put you in a bad situation really fast. Also, keep an eye out for Reim buff comps like Ardan, Fortress, and Phinn. Bonesaw and T2+ boots are a really good counter to Reim (so is Aegis, of course). Make it a priority to get those items after Sorrowblade. |
9 |
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Alpha | Alpha can be very difficult to deal with if she tanks up and sticks to you. Thankfully, she is easy to melt with full spin stacks. Be careful when firing on her when she is up close. You do not want to be near her when she self destructs. Try not to focus her if there is another high damage carry on her team. Protips: A smart Alpha will Atlas you whenever she can. When she comes up on you expect her to use it. Don't run away from Alpha in a straight line, anticipate her Prime Directive. |
9 |
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Blackfeather | Blackfeather can be annoying to lane against. His barrier from On Point basically gives him immunity from your shots. Time your pokes to hit when he doesn't have his barrier or it will be a wasted effort. Additionally, drop Suppressing Fire from a distance so he can't hit you with On Point and get that barrier. Getting a health advantage over Blackfeather will cause him to settle down if he is constantly poking you. Protips: Blackfeather will typically build an Atlas and dive on you to use it, anticipate this. Punish him when he can't get his barrier as much as possible. |
9 |
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Catherine | Catherine can be a very annoying (and deadly) threat to SAW if she's played right. Her stun can shut you down, luckily you see it coming from a distance most of the time. Roadie Run or a reflex block can stop her stun fairly easily. Her Stormguard bubble makes shooting her a very bad idea and she's basically untouchable while it's activated. Don't waste your time lighting her up unless you need to build stacks. Her ult can be a huge problem if she lands it before you are about to activate Roadie Run. That Blast Tremor will silence your Roadie Run and make your a sitting duck! The best thing to do if you get hit with it is try to build stacks quickly or fall back until the silence is over. Protips: DO NOT try to shank her with your Roadie Run when she has Stormguard activated!!! All that damage will be knocked right back to you and she will be basically untouched. Also, every time you shoot her bubble it's lifespan gets shorter. |
9 |
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SAW | Going against another SAW can be somewhat problematic with the crit build. If you see the enemy SAW building towards a Serpent Mask, (gross) start building armor. Additionally, if it see him building towards a Tornado Trigger, start laughing. A lifesteal SAW will be able to outgun you if they start spamming weapon power and lifesteal when you're in the early stages of building crits after Sorrowblade. This brash build style won't hold up once you have established those crits and armor shred (and your own armor). When duking it out in lane don't be aggressive. Set him up for a gank by freezing the lane and let him push. Begin pinging once he gets close. If the enemy SAW started out with the Book of Eulogies (wussy) he will have an advantage over you in lane. Don't feel you have to assert your dominance over that default skin SAW. Just let your team deal with him until you can outgun him. Good luck my friend, this is what you have been training for! Protips: Consuming a potion right at the start of the SAWUDDEN DEATH (both SAWS firing at each other until one or both die) will greatly increase your chances of survival. Make sure you know if the enemy SAW is going CP or not or you'll be in the big surprise when he activates Suppressing Fire or shanks. An infusion is a great way to surprise the enemy SAW with much more damage and fire rate. Not building boots early is a viable option since he will be just as slow as you in lane. |
9 |
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Celeste | Celeste can be very problematic if she is good at poking you with her Heliogenesis. Avoid where she plants her stars, they are deadly. Don't be a fool and drop your Suppressing Fire standing near one of her stars. Be aware that she has a stun up her sleeve as well. Since Celeste is a mage and relies heavily on her abilities for her attacks/pokes. Using Roadie Run to poke her is a reasonable tactic, but be aware that you will be without that escape if you don't land the stab. I would recommend having boots on the ready if you use this tactic. Boots also work well to catch her off guard and light he up a little bit. Protips: Celeste needs to anticipate movements to be successful, making unusual movements will throw her off. Also, always assume she is waiting for the right time to use her ult, because she is, never retreat from her in a straight line. |
9 |
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Rona | Rona is the queen of sustain and getting all up in your face. Rona is difficult for SAW to deal with. Once she's on you its hard to get her off (even with Roadie Run). The best way to deal with her is to armor up to T3 so you can shut down her lifesteal. Keep your distance at all costs. She is a really good SAW counter, be careful when facing her. Protips: Anticipate her jumping on you and use it to trap her in a gank. A well timed shank can nuke right through her sustain and finish her off. |
10 |
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Joule | Going against a Joule is one of the biggest headaches for any SAW player. While Joule is not so good in the meta, she is EXTREMELY good against SAW. Her natural tankiness from the front is a nightmare for the non mobile SAW. Thankfully her Rocket Leap is fairly easy to reflex (get it ASAP!). Watch out for her ult, if she is hopped up on CP and catches you stuck on full spin stacks with it you're as good as dead (even with Aegis). Protips: Prioritize getting Reflex Block so she can't shut you down with her Rocket Leap. Shield up early to stand a chance against her Big Red Button. And most importantly, don't leave yourself open to get blasted by that beam! |
10 |
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Krul | Krul is one of the the most annoying enemies for SAW to deal with. SAW's low mobility makes him a prime target for the lifethirsty krul. His ult makes him very unpredictable once he reaches level 6. Even if you have vision in your bushes its wise to stay close to your turret until you know where he is. Keep in mind that Krul is not afraid to chase you under your turret. With quick reflexes and good positioning you can overcome Krul. Protips: Reflexing his ult is the holy grail of reflex skill. Reflex can also block some of his stacks from giving you weakness, which can make a huge difference. A good way to assure he won't be able to use his ult on you is positioning yourself so your roam is in between you and Krul in a teamfight. Watch out for a Krul that throws his sword backward to get that long stun, you will no doubt die if he manages to land the full stun on you. |
10 |
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Lyra | Lyra can be a monster in lane and there is little that can be done about it. She can do massive damage with her auto attacks that can be casted even when you're out of her range (not OP at all!!). I suggest you get as many shots on her instead of running when she targets you (you're gonna take both shots anyway). Run out of her Sigel when she drops it on you ASAP. Protips: She is very difficult to lane against starting off, but if you keep on the farm and shield up early she will become less of a threat as the game goes on. The only way she can compete with your damage later on is if she doesn't buy armor. Even with armor she can still be melted really quickly. Even if she roams your should still target her, she's just that good. Once you have those Akimbo Monocles and decent defense, punish her for all that hell she gave you in the early game. Lastly, don't keep her on the border of your range, stay close to her, (but not bulwark radius close!) the less she can kite you the better. Due to Lyra's ability to keep tanky carries alive for much longer, it is worth it to build sustain items like Breaking Point and Bonesaw. |
10 |
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Skye | Skye is probably the biggest counter to SAW in the game. Her mobility makes it nearly impossible for her to be trapped in your line of fire. Watch out for a WP Skye, she can build Breaking point stacks on you very quickly and will become more deadly as the fight goes on. Skye is fairly simple to lane against, just stay behind your minions and her Foward Barrage won't be able to hit you. Watch where she is locking her targets and anticipate that Suri Strike. If she gets a good position with Suri Strike she will light you up like a firecracker with that Foward Barrage shortly after. Protips: Make sure you hold your ground and stutter when she tries to kite away from your range. Shield or armor up early to shut her down in the early/mid game. Watch for sneaky uses of Foward Barrage. Don't pick SAW in draft if the enemy has picked Skye. |
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