Gank Thirsty Glaive (2.1 Jungler) by l3ongo

Gank Thirsty Glaive (2.1 Jungler)

By: l3ongo
Last Updated: Feb 1, 2017
6 Votes
Build 1 of 1

Glaive

Build: Reliable WP Jungler Template

Ability Path

Hunt the Weak
Heroic Perk
Afterburn
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Twisted Stroke
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Bloodsong
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Threat Meter

Threat
Low
High
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Threat Hero Notes
1
  No Threat
2
Skaarf
2
Celeste
2
SAW
3
Ringo
3
Adagio
3
Vox
4
Petal
5
Skye
5
Gwen
6
Blackfeather
7
Ozo
8
Lance
8
Alpha
9
Krul
10
Reim

Intro Top

Hello! I am Bongo (stylized as l3ongo) and welcome to my guide for one of the Fold's most reliable Junglers, Gank Thirsty Glaive!

About Me:
I am an avid player in the NA server. I am a member of the "Useless Noobs," one of the most involved guilds in NA. I am currently ranked in the Simply Amazing skill tier.

I don't consider myself an expert, by any means. However, Glaive is my most played hero, and I have had immense success with him in the jungle using this methodology. In my opinion, he is among the top picks for the jungle as a weapon power hero, having relatively few counters while being able to counter many enemy Carries and Junglers in the current meta.

In this guide, I explain Glaive's skillset, the items he should be building in game, and the midset of a Glaive player in each stage of the match.

Skillset Top

Heroic Perk: Hunt the Weak
Glaive's critical strikes cleave a cone in front of him.

Explanation:
It's pretty simple. Hunt the Weak turns his auto into a sweeping strike with the ability to deal damage to multiple targets. This is huge, because once late game rolls around and Tyrant's Monocle is firing on all cylinders, Glaive will be sweeping critical hits very regularly, dealing great damage to anyone without the proper counter build. This circles back to how Glaive is effective in utility, as well as damage output.

Slot A: Afterburn
Glaive rockets in the target direction, damaging all enemies along the way. His next basic attack is replaced by a frightening blast that knocks his target back 5.5 meters.

Explanation:
  • His signature ability, definitely take the overdrive. (*But not first!*)
  • With the addition of the jungle shop treant, it is best to start with Glaive's A ability. It is effective in initiating and controlling the early skirmishes.
  • Use his A to knock the enemy carry towards your turret when going up for the gank. Wait until the enemy carry is most vulnerable, then coordinate with your teammates on taking them out!
  • Afterburn is also useful for escaping hairy situations. You can use it to cut through a number of walls on the map.

Slot B: Twisted Stroke
Passive: Increase critical strike chance and AOE cleave damage of basic attacks.
Activate: Instantly execute a critical strike. This deals weapon damage and is treated like a basic attack, but can deal bonus crystal damage if you have any crystal power. Cleave deals half damage to minions.

Explanation:
  • His B is a guaranteed critical strike
  • With each upgrade, Glaive's critical chance increases. Take the overdrive for 25% increased crit chance. This means with one Tyrant's Monocle, 65% of your basic attacks will crit. Don't forget about his heroic perk...
  • Use when taking out jungle minions, even though it's not as strong. It will make your rotation slightly faster and doesn't cost much energy, which is always a good thing. Keep in mind how much energy you have when doing this.
  • Has great combo synergy with his A ability

Slot C: Bloodsong
Passive: Glaive will generate Bloodsong stacks from basic attacking or from receiving basic attacks. Each stack grants him bonus lifesteal. Max 20 stacks.
Activate: Swings Glaive's axe in a 5.4-meter circle, dealing massive area damage based on number of Bloodsong stacks used. This removes all stacks. Glaive also gains full stacks of Bloodsong whenever he dies.

Explanation:
  • Largest AOE ability Glaive has in his kit.
  • Lifesteal is based on number of stacks, base damage and damage per stack is based on crystal ratio
  • The reason I opt not to overdrive is simply because Bloodsong is far more viable in a crystal build. We are focusing on WP and critical damage.
  • Use sparingly! When the enemy is out of basic attack range and you have max stacks, then use it for the extra damage or kill.

Itemization Top

Here I will go over why I recommend the items listed above, and in what scenarios you should buy some of these items.

Offensive:

Sorrowblade
  • There's not a whole lot to say, but Sorrowblade will provide the foundation of Glaive's damage output
  • Rush Sorrowblade first to gain the upper hand in early/mid game skirmishes

Tornado Trigger
  • Glaive's attack speed is the part of his arsenal that needs to be the most reactive, based mainly on enemy comp
  • With that said, Tornado Trigger is the "go to" attack speed item, providing the most attack speed of any in that category
  • More speed = more attacks landed = more chances for critical strike = more overall damage output
  • Tornado Trigger adds 20% critical chance & damage. In combination with Tyrant's Monocle and the overdrive of Twisted Stroke, Glaive will land crits 85% of the time. Whoa.

Tyrant's Monocle
  • Tyrant's Monocle is the other item that is a staple, however not completely necessary...
  • I say this^ because in some games, you will find that you won't even get to build it
  • In that case, run with the Lucky Strike, because damage and attack speed are far more important in the early stages
  • Occasionally I will build two Tyrant's Monocle's if defense and maiming the enemy isn't as much of a priority

If you keep reading this section, I will go over points on alternative attack speed options.


Defensive:

Aegis
  • Aegis is the most viable defensive item, as it succinctly follows Reflex Block, which is a must 90% of matches
  • I recommend completing this as your first defensive T3 item, before you buy anything towards Tyrant's Monocle (and occasionally before finishing your attack speed item)

Atlas Pauldron

Other Defensive options:
Fountain of Renewal
  • Fountain of Renewal is a good option when the enemy WP hero isn't very effective, or when the enemy is double CP.
  • Fountain is the ultimate utility item - you can never have too much health regen
  • It does in fact provide some added shield & armor, as well as 200 max health!

Metal Jacket
  • I tend to use Metal Jacket when the enemy doesn't build much attack speed, or when they go double WP
  • Keep in mind, in this scenario^ you should generally still buy Aegis, unless your Captain is a god with Crucible or the enemy doesn't have stuns/roots (never happens)

Slumbering Husk
  • This item is very situational, and personally I use it in about 1% of matches I play {wiki=glaive]
  • You should buy Slumbering Husk only when facing Joule, Taka, Ringo, Alpha, and other high-burst damage heroes


Boots:

Halcyon Chargers
  • Halcyon Chargers provide added energy and reduced cooldown, which I like to have in late game when I'm spamming Glaive's abilities
  • The longer sprint duration is great for escape or hard push, in addition to Afterburn

Journey Boots
  • Journey Boots are not as expensive, and in the right scenarios, the passive movement speed is valued higher than extra energy (for example a good ol' fashioned snowball)


Alternative Attack Speed:

Poisoned Shiv

Bonesaw
  • Bonesaw is appropriate when the enemy is building armor against you, and early
  • This scenario^ is common when your team has a big advantage in the early stages of the game

Breaking Point
[/oclumns]

Mindset of a Glaive Player Top

Glaive is a hero that, if played properly, will likely put your team as a whole ahead of the competition. This means that the Early game is key, in the Mid game he shines, and in the Late game his impact diminishes (especially if he is properly countered.)

The following sections will breakdown the ideal scenarios for each stage of the game, honing in on specifics. If you are serious about improving your Glaive gameplay, READ THE NEXT THREE SECTIONS CAREFULLY.

Early Game Top

SEMC has introduced the Jungle Shop treant in Update 2.1, in an effort to induce teams into early game team fights. Before attacking the shop treant, try to take out either the middle treant or the front minions with the aide of your teammates to set yourself up with some gold, in the scenario that you die. Hopefully you won't.

After the treant is claimed, focus on getting through your jungle as quickly as possible. You don't necessarily need the help of your Captain in the first rotation. Following the first rotation, take a quick trip up to the lane for a potential gank attempt. If nothing's doing, head back down to the shop treant. There is a technique that makes taking the treant more incognito. You must lure it out into your team's shop bush, then Afterburn it towards your front jungle minions. If timed properly, this will help you get an edge on the enemy Jungler.

This is your bread and butter for the early game, until the shop spawns. Treant --> Jungle Minions --> Check lane --> Repeat. After the shop spawns, get your boots and if you can, pick up Heavy Steel and Six Sins.

Mid Game Top

Essentially, your objective is the same. Rotate through the jungle. Check the lane regularly. If your carry needs help, STOP FARMING AND GO.

Buy Sorrowblade ASAP; you will see that ganking enemy Carries becomes very easy, as you will be chunking them for massive damage if they haven't purchased armor.

If your Carry and Captain are reliable players, and you notice that the entire enemy team is fighting them in lane, steal the enemy jungle camps. This is how Glaive gets ahead of his counterpart. Be wary of scout traps, and if you notice that the lane became less crowded or you pop a trap, gtfo. The gold you would get from enemy fronts is not equal to the gold the enemy would get from taking you out. Not to mention that they will likely take your farm in the jungle as well.

If you are up against anyone with a stun or root, be sure to buy a Reflex Block by the time they hit LVL 6. Sometimes you will need to prioritize this over buying Blazing Salvo. If you are having difficulty with the enemy, consider buying added shield or armor before completing your tier 3 attack speed item as well.

Once a turret has gone down (on either side), you must be conscientious of your team's Carry. The role of the Jungler is honestly just an extension of support. Unless you are snowballing the enemy, you must stay vigilant of where your Carry is, and how easily they are accruing gold. Hopefully you are a good teammate, and will let your Carry take your treant for health regen every now and again. I advise staying with your teammates most of the time in this period.

Late Game Top

By now, the Kraken has spawned and it's more than likely that a few turrets are down. Hopefully you have acquired a completed attack speed item, Aegis, and Travel Boots. One thing that is important to note: If the entire enemy team has built passed Sprint Boots, you need to pick up Travel Boots in your next shop. Speed is an undermined element of VainGlory, but you won't win if you are a step behind all of your opponents.

Glaive's effectiveness tapers off as each minute ticks by. Given that you have completed all offensive items, it's more than likely someone on the enemy team will build defense to counter you. It's also likely that they will have an Atlas Pauldron to kill your attack speed.

You must be a team player. Glaive thrives in being a huge damage dealer, who isn't the primary target for the enemy (usually). Focus on landing cleaves, attacking multiple enemies. Knock your opponents into walls and coordinate with your team. Glaive is a team player, and that's the mentality you must have when entering this stage of the game.

Conclusion Top

If you've read this far, congratulations! Go play *Glaive* right now and see how you fare! My hope is that not only did you learn how to improve your play with my favorite Jungler, but that you will also be able to apply this knowledge in other areas of the game, using other heroes as well. There is a huge difference is skill between Tier 1 and Tier 5, between Tier 5 and Tier 7, and Tier 7 and Vainglorious. This should illustrate how much knowledge is needed to improve your game. Thanks for reading, and if you found this helpful, give me an upvote! I appreciate your appreciation. See you on the Fold!!!

*I will be adding a section on Glaive's synergies, as well as his counters in the near future.
Cheers,
-l3ongo

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