How to Get Hard with the Vanguard: A Guide to Support Ardan by ArcticJelly

How to Get Hard with the Vanguard: A Guide to Support Ardan

By: ArcticJelly
Last Updated: Feb 24, 2015
53 Votes
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Ardan

Build: Tank Support

Ability Path

Julia's Gift
Heroic Perk
Vanguard
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Blood for Blood
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Gauntlet
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Item Choices

Starting

Ironguard Contract
Halcyon Potion
Halcyon Potion
Scout Trap

Early Game

Dragonheart
Sprint Boots
Chronograph
Ironguard Contract

Mid Game

Shiversteel
Chronograph
Reflex Block
Ironguard Contract
Travel Boots

Core

Shiversteel
Crucible
Aftershock
Atlas Pauldron
Journey Boots

ALTERNATE CORE (Offensive)

Shiversteel
Crucible
Aftershock
Breaking Point
Journey Boots

6th slot items

Flare Gun
Halcyon Potion
Scout Trap

Threat Meter

Threat
Low
High
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Threat Hero Notes
1
   No Threat
2
 Catherine The woman whose actions you will never forgive. Luckily for you, you counter her abilities. Her stun might put you at a disadvantage in a team fight but she's not going to focus you in a team fight - she'll be focusing the carry and not the tank.
3
 Ardan As long as you are smarter than the other Ardan, you should have no problem facing against him. Be sure to have a crucible mid to late game so you can use it to escape his Gauntlet. Do not focus him first in team fights - always focus the damage dealer such as SAW, Ringo, Petal etc.
3
 Joule Joule shouldn't be too much of a problem. You have many gap closers that will help you chase her down and to run away if you are being chased. Try to avoid getting in the line of her laser - it's her scariest feature.
4
 Skaarf Skaarf can dish out the damage on you especially, since his Fan the Flames perk deals damage depending on the % of your maximum health. Focus him first in team fights. However, Ardan's heroic perk will counter Skaarf's heroic perk.
4
 Krul Prevent Krul from sticking around too long. By letting him stack his stacks on you or your ally, you are putting yourself and your teammates at a disadvantage. Use your first ability on your ally if he is being attacked by Krul. This will allow him to run away, preventing Krul from hitting him and potentially killing him. Other than that he should be an easy target to pick off.
5
 Ringo If up against a Ringo, be prepared to build an Atlas Pauldron. You have 3 gap closers. Use them to your advantage and Atlas' the enemy Range with ease. If against a CP Ringo, take more caution because his abilities will hurt.
5
 Adagio Adagio can be played both ways. If Adagio builds WP, be sure to get an Atlas and abuse your gap closers to get close and Atlas him. Likewise, build Crucible for his ult to avoid a nasty stun.
5
 Glaive Glaive can build just as tanky as you can. His only downside is he is a warrior, not a tank. He will have more DPS than you so be careful to not position yourself in the wrong area where you can get killed (e.g too far into the lane).
6
   No Threat
7
 Taka Taka might hurt. Since Ardan is prone to large bursts of damage, you might want to be careful; always be with your jungler.
7
 Petal Petal can gradually eat away at your health if you are not careful. Position yourself correctly in a team fight and you'll have the upper hand. Be sure to have a Crucible on hand for when she uses her exploding munions of death.
8
 Koshka Most Koshkas you will see will build pure CP and defence. CP burst is not a fun time for Ardan. Koshkas buffed attacks can pack quite a punch. With the right timing, counter her ultimate with a crucible and you'll avoid a bad time. Focus her first in team fights along with the other damage dealer (if any).
9
 SAW CP Saw will ruin your day. If you can manage to stun him and atlas, he shouldn't be too much of a problem. However, his abilities will slice through you - larges bursts of CP are Ardan's main fears.
10
   No Threat

Top

INTRODUCTION



Hi, Jelly here. I myself have played over 300+ games and as the result, I've achieved the Pinnacle of Awesome skill tier and learned a thing or two about Vainglory. Most of those games I have taken the role as a protector, or "tank" if you must. Playing Ardan was very exciting for me, because it meant that I could transfer my knowledge of playing Catherine into Ardan - both which are similar in play style.

In this guide, I will go over the following:
  • Brief Overview
  • Item Overview
  • Skill Overview

Brief Overview Top

Ardan is an excellent melee protector that can lock down enemy heroes whilst keeping his allies alive. His skillset allows him to gank and initiate team fights with ease. Though he is a recent hero to the Fold, he has a lot to offer with his unique abilities and potential; with these he can offer new team compositions and strategies never seen before. Ardan is also flexible in terms of what role he is. Depending on the build, Ardan can build tanky, weapon carry and CP semi-carry support. In this guide, I will only outline the build I use in all my games with Ardan (tanky support). With this build Ardan will treat his allies like he treats his children Vox and Celeste - with the heaviest and utmost protection.

Item and Skill Overview Top

Leaving the Shop:
Start Ardan off with two Halcyon Potion, Ironguard Contract and a Scout Trap and head to the jungle. Choose Vanguard first. (This is important if you want to protect your allies during a fight)

First Purchases Back:
Level your Blood for Blood at level 2 when you get it. Once you have accumulated enough gold, go ahead and purchase an Oakheart, Sprint Boots and a Hourglass. Buy scout-traps, Halcyon Potion and Flare Gun when necessary.

Mid Game:
Upgrade your Oakheart into a Shiversteel and purchase a Reflex Block. The extra health will provide a stronger health barrier for your team mates when you cast Vanguard on them. Upgrade your Hourglass into a Chronograph. Upgrade your Sprint Boots into Travel Boots when you feel it is necessary to do so. (I would do this once I have Shiversteel, Crucible and Aftershock or Atlas Pauldron. Remember to sell your Ironguard Contract to make room for a core item.

Late Game:
Upgrade your Reflex Block into a Crucible. By now you should have gotten enough money to buy Atlas Pauldron. If the enemies are not building any attack speed and their build consists of burst damage, rush for Aftershock instead.

Journey Boots should be the last item to be upgraded.

SITUATIONAL:
If the enemy team has built weapon and attack speed items, you MUST get Atlas Pauldron before your Aftershock.

If you feel that you are comfortable with the play style and can play very aggressive, get a Breaking Point as your last item if you have the money to do so.

IMPORTANT:
Note that in the final build, there are only 5 slots out of 6. This is because the 6th slot should be reserved for consumables. Consumables will help your team out a lot. Seriously. Use them.

Use Scout Trap early to mid game but don't waste too much money on them. For a guide on how to place mines in strategic locations, see this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8gXD9CsF4
(credit to Gadianton)

In the late game, buy Flare Gun. This item will help your team tremendously; it will give you and your allies vision on the enemy team, insight on where to move, and will ultimately give your team the upper hand.

Top

Let's review Ardan's skillset, shall we?

Heroic Perk: Julia's Gift Top

Ardan heals for a percentage of his missing health every time he takes damage. This perk will effectively counter Skaarf's Spitfire because it mitigates most of the damage from the burn with his heal. A fairly all rounded perk, no complaints here. Negates the need for a Fountain of Renewal, but it can be bought for team support.

Slot A: Vanguard Top

Ardan dashes to an ally, damaging and slowing nearby enemies while granting the target a burst of move speed and a barrier that scales with Ardan's bonus health. Any time the ally takes damage, Ardan gains vengeance. This ability can be used on Ardan, but the barrier, speed boost and vengeance gain is only half as strong.

I personally find this one of the best 1st slot activities in the game. This ability synergizes amazingly with many other heroes for example:
  • Cast Vanguard on Adagio to initiate. This will speed Adagio up, allowing him to get into the enemy team, slow, and pop his ultimate.
  • Cast Vanguard on Koshka to get more damage done on enemy and save utility items. This will allow Koshka to make more of what she has, so she can get a kill without wasting her boots and first ability to chase.
Overall I think it is an amazing ability. It can be used to well in many different strategic situations.

Slot B: Blood for Blood Top

Ardan leaps and punches his target. This deals crystal as well as weapon damage (that can crit) and applies basic-attack effects. blood-for-blood] can only be activated when [[ardan has 100% vengeance and will consume all of it.

Similar to Catherine's stun, it acts like a CP skill damage attack and a basic attack. What does this mean for us? Well, you have options. I personally like to build Shiversteel and Aftershock. The reason for this is because when you hit someone with Shiversteel activated and Aftershock active, it will slow the enemy AND deal slice damage. Plus you get the lifesteal which will help you sustain even more longer in team fights.

Slot C: Gauntlet Top


Ardan throws down the gauntlet, projecting a perimeter around the target area and gaining full vengeance. Enemies who cross the perimeter are stunned and take crystal damage. Successfully stunning an enemy grants Ardan vengeance. If Ardan leaves the perimeter it is immediately destroyed.

The Gauntlet is an ultimate like none other. It can be used quite strategically - for example for keeping enemy heroes out of stealing the Kraken or Gold Mine.

Usually when laying down the gauntlet you want to try keep their ranged carry (SAW, Ringo, Petal, Adagio etc.) inside the circle and their tank outside the circle. This isn't always an easy thing to do, so try your best and aim it correctly. The reason for this is because:
  • You will lock in their enemy carry and shut him down before he can get out
  • The enemy tank will not be able to support his carry because he will not be able to get inside the circle without activating crucible or reflex block.
By doing this you will put your team at the advantage and most likely ace the enemy team.

People make a mistake of trapping all 3 enemy heroes in the same circle. The problem with this is, obviously they have to stay in the circle. Their only option is fight or flight and usually it is fight. By locking all 3 in the Gauntlet you risk yourself and your team an easy death. By locking all 3 enemies in the Gauntlet, your team will be psychologically obliged to go in the circle and attempt to kill them.

A good tip to perfectly landing the Gauntlet is to count how many finger spaces the radius of the Gauntlet is. By getting a rough estimate of how many finger spaces your destined location of Gauntlet and your enemies location you will have the upper hand.

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