Legion Commander
Tresdin
October 11th, 2012
-A wise man I've encountered before my journey begun once told me "Small details make great changes.". Slight format changes. October 10th, 2012 -I'm adapting well to this new town. Added anchors for better navigation. October 8th, 2012 -The town starts to grow and I need to adapt to it. Edited so that the guide is now 6.75b compatible. -Now I seek redemption from my past mistakes. Optimized Jungle build after some tests. June 3rd, 2012 -Somebody acknowledged me during my long journey. Published and fixed Good Allies and Bad Enemies section (thanks to Lycan for pointing that out and publishing it). Also added Medallion Of Courage, Ring Of Basilius and Kellen's Dagger as Optional items and Omniknight as a Good Ally and Bad Enemy (thanks to blqqk). May 8th, 2012 -I can now fix the mistakes I've made in my dark past. Changed the wrong placed Warlock's image in Bad Enemies section for the correct Chen's one. May 1st, 2012 -Arrived at this unsettled Thread. Everything seems so empty. Started writing the guide. -The food start to dwindle, water is rotten and my body starts to ache. Continued my journey to this unexplored territory. Finished writing the guide. -At last! I find some peace at a pleasant town. Seems there is life in here after all. Posted on Draft Guides. -It seems there are some things out of place in here. Nobody pays attention while I'm rearraging these things. Minor changes to format. -I have known people in here. It's not inhabited at all. They're nice and are willing to help me in my journey. Added N'aix to Bad Enemies section, Mjollnir as an optional item and Armlet as a suggested item, thanks to Knovanangel's suggestions. |
II - Introduction.
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III - ALT+TAB Guide.
Laning:
Common: (Any combination of these will be fine, just make sure you got the right kind and ammount of regeneration)        Optional:    Suggested: [ or ]Jungling:
Suggested: [ or or wait a sec after game starts and buy  ]Optional:
Suggested: [  or  ]   Optional:       Extension: [  or  ]
Suggested: [ or ]  Optional:   |
IV - Basic Strategy.
| The idea is simple. Get every kill that you can with your Ultimate. It gives the winner a formidable +10 permanent Bonus Damage. Well... How to do this, huh? It's really simple. Just be there at the right time. Participate in ganks a lot and be sure to get the kill (preferably with your Ultimate). YOU ARE THE CARRY! Yes! Later in game with your insane Damage and Attack Speed from Press The Attack you can right click anyone. In team clashes cast Overwhelming Odds, for nice Magical Damage. It doesn't hurt your Mana, it gives a nice bonus and it's AOE, so why not? Proceed to right click everyone. Either help or buff up your team mates or yourself with Press The Attack and at the end use Duel to finish an enemy off. If you find yourself chasing, then remember you can always use Duel to stop your enemy for your allies to catch up or to get the kill (always try the latter one, if you can). If you think you cannot catch up your prey, but you just need a hit, cast Overwhelming Odds on him/her. Either you kill the Hero or you get a nice Movement Speed Bonus. And it works on invisible units as well! Legion Commander can get tons of Damage with Duel, TONS. But bare this in mind or just carve it with a knife on your hands: DO NOT USE DUEL UNLESS YOU'RE EXTREMELY CONFIDENT YOU'RE GOING TO WIN!!!!! Even if it is against Techies, always remember the +10 PERMANENT Bonus Damage is given to the winner. +10 Damage maybe doesn't seem like much, but trust me when I say it adds up. Feed with Duel (especially to their carry) and there's little you can do then to make up for it. It's better not casting Duel at all in a match, than giving a 100-200+ Damage Bonus to your enemies. |
V - In Depth Strategy.
Solo Lane: Middle Lane: Let me clarify that I highly recommend not to do this. Why not to solo Middle Lane? Your only escape mechanism is Overwhelming Odds and that's really nothing compared to real escape mechanisms, like Mirana's Leap, Furion's Teleportation, etc. It's true that Press The Attack can also help with it's IMBA regeneration and negative buffs removal, but that's all you've got. Remember that while you're stuned, silenced or hexed you cannot cast any spell, including this one, of course. I think it's pretty clear why you shouldn't Solo Middle Lane. Ganks will be focused on you, so an escape mechanism is a must for Middle Laning Heroes. Anyway, if you know what you're doing or you really don't know at all (I assume not, since you're reading this) and you end up Solo Middle then have good map awareness. Know when to go back and try to tower-hug as much as you can. Remember you're melee as well. That's another disadvantage for Solo Middle Lane Heroes. You'll often end up being harassed to death by a vicious Viper, Lion, Tinker or, in some cases, Lina. Storm is not much of a problem since his spells are almost melee range, but be sure to know when an Overload is comming. Long Lane:(Bottom Sentinel/Top Scourge) This is actually a viable idea, especially if you have a jungler on your team. These lanes are not ganked to often, since they're hard to gank if a team has junglers and/or really good Ward placement. The only drawback is (and you have to know this beforehand so you know if you're Soloing or not) that you might end up against a heavy harasser or most concerning, a Triple Lane. If you actually are against a Triple Lane, what you have to do is knowing when to harass. Overwhelming Odds is a great harassing tool, especially the more enemy units there are. Since Triple Lanes are only seen in real matches and not pubs, I assume you've got yourself a nice Support. If you run out of regeneration (Tangoes/Flasks/Clarities) don't hesitate to ask him/her to bring some, either with the Courier or by foot. Call for ganks. A lot of them. If the enemy goes way too much inside your territory it'll be an easy prey and you get some time to farm freely. To sum up, Soloing the Long Lane is not a bad idea, but you and your team have to know what you're doing. Dual Lane: Most common way to play in pubs and it's not a bad idea. It's true that you get less experience than Soloing, but you get yourself a really good Babysitter and way to go. The only way to Dual Lane is 2-1-2 (Top/Middle/Bottom), unless you want an empty Lane, which I believe you don't. Special cases might call for a Dual Middle Lane, like really countering a Carry (usually Storm, sometimes Viper), but it's not the point. The point is you get to choose whether you go to the Long or "Short" Lane (Top/Bottom, respectively). I'd recommed you go to the "safer" Lane, Bottom for Sentinel or Top for Scourge, which translates as the Long Lane. That way you get more confidence in your safety and are not paranoid about an anytime gank. Like this you can farm nicely and your Babysitter can take care or the rest, be it regeneration, harassment, denies or Courier management. So far this is the best Laning method for Legion Commander for guys that don't want too much trouble with Triple Laning or pub players. Triple Lane: This - is - the - way - to - go. If you have a reliable team, that means good Babysitters/Supports and they all know what they're doing, this is how you should Lane (if you're Laning of course). Always Triple Lane the "Short" Lane (Top for Sentinel - Bottom for Scourge, and I say "Short" because Middle Lane is actually the shortest). This way you can be sure that you're well protected, you can farm without concern (well, at least not a constant one) and, therefore, that less ganks will come at you. Always, always, always know what you're doing when Triple Laning. Your Support/Babysitter has to know when to give you Experience Points by backing or going out of range. If you can't manage that then you'll be heavily underleveled. And neither your team nor you want that. Jungle: This is actually a good idea, since Legion Commander is a good Jungler (I didn't say superb just so no one comes "trolling" around). Know Neutral Creep Stacking and Choking, this will be extremely useful. After Stacking and Choking just hit and use Press The Attack when you need to (I usually do when HP drops below half). Let Moment Of Courage do the rest. After you get some Levels you'll notice that Tresdin is indeed a good Jungler and you'll get your items and levels really fast. If you're in the need for it, get a Quelling Blade after you kill some Neutrals. Otherwise, if you feel you're doing fine, go straight to a Ring Of Basilius. Don't trade off some useful kills (and Damage) for some farming time. Be sure to know when to come out of the jungle to get a kill.
This is really simple. Just as I said in the previous section, be in the right place at the right time. That means, gank a lot and finish off the target with your Ultimate. This is the way to get your Late Game smooth and perfect. It doesn't matter if the enmy has 1 HP left, just cast Duel on him/her and get your +10 Bonus Damage. Don't be afraid to deliver only the last hit, since you're the one who should be doing that. Remember that it doesn't matter who kills the target, as long as you're Duelling him/her you'll get the Damage. Though it's better if you're the one who kills the enemy. Just keep ganking and finishing off Heroes and you're doing fine.
Ever heard of right clicking? You'll have tons of damage and your skills add up for a formidable DPS. Keep the Duel strategy, as more Damage doesn't hurt anyone but your enemies. Remember to use Duel on a fleeing Hero even if you know you're not killing the target in the given time, since it stops the target and gives your allies some time to come to aid. Still, be prudent when casting Duel. You don't want to give +10 Damage to anyone who comes around. Proceed to own and get your enemy team so angry that they just decide to do a mass Rage Quit. |
VI - Skills And Items Build.
Laning:
Reasoning: Overwhelming Odds is your only way to deal damage from afar and your only "escape mechanism", therefore you take it first. Press The Attack helps both, the offensive and defensive. Only one level is great for Regeneration or Attack Speed. If your team is going for a First Blood attempt, get a level of Overwhelming Odds or Press The Attack, depending on your target. If you find yourself chasing that target, get Overwhelming Odds, if your team has Disables then go for Press The Attack. Either way max Overwhelming Odds first then. You can harass pretty good with it and get the farm you need with a nice Movement Speed bonus. The choice between Press The Attack or Moment Of Courage is yours. If you're getting harassed a lot with skills then Press The Attack will "heal" you just fine. If you're getting harassed by some melee Heroes (like a Magina with Mana Break) then Moment Of Courage will be your main counter. Maxing Moment Of Courage first also provides a great synergy with Duel later on. They work together, meaning that you can proc Moment Of Courage while in a Duel. Duel is gotten as soon as you can. The choice to level it or not is also yours. 0.75 seconds more is the only thing it gives when levelling it. If you think that will help you, be my guest. If you see you're getting your +10 Damage just fine with only one level, then by all means skip it. This is a hard Hero to write a Skills Build guide, since it really depends on what you're up against and how you are doing. Be creative, experiment and always remember to adapt to each game. Jungling:
Reasoning: This build is simpler, as jungling gives you less choices when choosing what to level. Press The Attack first, so you can use the regeneration when needed. Max Moment Of Courage then. It procs quite often and it's Lifesteal percent is no joke. It'll keep you alive without spending Mana. Again, be creative. Take a level of Overwhelming Odds if you think it can help, but be aware of your Mana pool. Early game you'll find yourself with really low Mana, which then seems to be less of a problem as game carries on, for Tresdin Intelligence gain is not bad at all. Delay Duel if you think of spending quite some time in the Jungle without any threat or if you're not interested in early kills (I don't recommend this anyway, kill as much as you can). |
Laning: Any combination of these items will be fine. Just make sure you have the right amount and type of regeneration. Common: [ or ]Jungling: Suggested: [ or or wait a sec after game starts and buy ]Optional:
Suggested: [ or ]Optional: Extension: [ or ]Reasoning: -Phase Boots or Power Treads? It's a matter of choice. I usually end up buying Power Treads, but that's me. Phase Boots give you nice Damage, which will be negligible when compared to the stacked Damage of your Ultimate. The real reason behind Phase Boots is the Phase ability. You can catch up a fleeing Hero with them, ignoring any units in your way. Now Power Treads, and this is why I choose them, give your Attack Speed, 8 to any Stat and the possibility to change that Stat Bonus. It's true that you get Attack Speed with Press The Attack, but the switchable Stats Bonus is too good to be ignored. So, basically, it's up to you. -Chainmail is the cheapest component of your real core: Assault Cuirass. It gives a nice armor bonus as well. -Magic Wand might be the best item around. I never play a game without one. -After quite some tests I've came to the conclusion that Armlet Of Mordiggian is indeed a needed item (or core) for Tresdin. With Press The Attack and activated Armlet you Attack Speed is insane (not to mention if you have Hyperstone). Press The Attack and Moment Of Courage almost compensate the lost HP. But you'll often find yourself having to go back to fountain or requesting for some regeneration items/skills. Urn is a great item to help you avoid that. -For the Extensions, either take Platemail or Hyperstone. If you want more Attack Speed than the one with Press The Attack then feel free to get a Hyperstone, otherwise get Platemail. -If you farmed really well get a Sange. You'll upgrade it to a Heaven's Halberd later, which is extremely useful. -For the Optionals: If you find yourself being hit a lot in lane get a Poor's Man Shield. -Vanguard if you plan to keep farming until Gold comes out of your mouth, there are enemy Summoners or you're low on Gold and need to survive against those DPS guys. -Urn Of Shadows if you're ganking well and need the Mana Regeneration and Heal/Damage. Works insanly well with Armlet. -Maelstrom is quite a mess maker coupled with Press The Attack. If you are going for a Mjollnir instead of Assault Cuirass, or you're swimming in money, then by all means get it. Be sure to upgrade it to a Mjollnir later. -Kelen's Dagger is an item that, if you have the money to spend on it, is really useful. You should get Threads instead of Phase Boots in this case. Remember that I, personally, don't recommend Tresdin as an Initiator or Disabler. An almost-no-disable-at-all skill, such as Duel, that disables both you and your opponent BUT gives +10 permanent Damage to the winner, is not one to be considered a disable, again, in my humble opinion. For the purpose of isolating heroes there are much better options, such as Clockwerk, Rexxar or Pudge, that don't give your opponent a better reward (aside from the usual Gold and Experience Points) in case they die. I recommend Duel as a last hitting tool meant to ensure a swift late game (doesn't have to be a last hit though, as long as the hero dies within the Duelling time and you don't). -Medallion Of Courage is a really useful item. If you find yourself with either great quantity of Gold or with terribly low quantity then get one of these. Gives Mana Regeneration, which you need, and it's Armour reducing skill is a great addition for Duel. Get it as a Core item if you're low on Gold, otherwise it's optional.
Suggested: [ or ]Optional: Reasoning: -Assault Cuirass is your main core. Get it as soon as you can. The aura works while Duelling and it gives lots of Armor and Attack Speed. -Heaven's Halberd is your next item. Disarm the target and proceed to own with Duel. Note that the Evasion does not work when Duelling. -Black King Bar is the ultimate defense when in team clashes. Don't rely on it too much though. Use it with caution and before using Duel. -Mjollnir is a great item to replace Assault Cuirass. Static Charge and Duel do work together, producing Chain Lightnings when being hit. It's also a great AOE source of Damage with Press The Attack. Thanks to Knovanangel for pointing this out.
     Reasoning: -Get Hood Of Defiance and/or Blademail if you find yourself tanking too much. Don't get Blademail for the sole purpose of Duelling. It's really cheaper and wiser to last hit with Duel instead of Duelling a full HP Hero. Beware of Baldemail if you're against it though. Never Duel a Hero with it with Full HP. If you see a Hero with Blademail then wait and last hit with Duel or don't Duel at all. -Lothar's Edge is a good way to catch up to anyone for a Duel. This is if you're going for a chaser build. Don't rely on it's invisibility too much unless you're in a pub (I wouldn't anyway). -Abyssal Blade serves almost the same purpose as Heaven's Halberd, but it's more useful when your Duel is unavailable or in Team clashes. Bare in mind that the passive won't work with Duel. Stun before Duelling in this case. Also note that this item costs 2800 Gold more than Heaven's Halberd and almost serves the same purpose, while you waste a good passive when Duelling. Anyway, you also waste Heaven's Halberd's Evation when Duelling, so opt for this one if you farmed well and you find the Stun (both, passive and active ones) really useful. -Sange And Yasha: For chaser build. Though I highly recommend you upgrade Sange to Heaven's Halberd instead. |
VII - Good Allies And Bad Enemies.
          Reasoning: -Admiral deserves a special mention here as his X Marks The Spot can get you in a really good position to Duel the Marked target. -Who doesn't benefit from this shinny little... guy? No seriously, Wisp, Pit Lord, Ezalor or Furion are Heroes than can either be anywhere anytime or take you anywhere anytime (except Furion in this case). This is a huge benefit if you can take advantage of a surprise gank with your Ultimate. -Chen, Chen, Chen. Ahhh... Penitence + Duel + Hand Of God = Unkillable Killing Machine. -Her mid range Ensnare is a pretty good way to catch up and Duel anyone. It goes through Magic Immune units as well. That and her Illusions + Duel = GG. -Rambo Ulti + Regen to you + Duel = GGer. -Duel + Mystic Flare = GGest. -Same as Chen, but, like Matrix, Reloaded. Physical Invulnerability or Magic Immunity is no joke, especially if you're Duelling someone with either of those. And guess what? Yeah, that's you. And... His healing hurts. Yep, all that. -Pretty much any Hero with reliable Disables would do, honestly. And also any hero that can win easily one versus one against any other, like Troll Warlord, Barathrum, etc. They're really helpful if you've got them aiding you when Duelling. |
    Reasoning: -Frankly I haven't got any real threat so far, aside from this little pest. His Decrepify + Netherward is a terrific combination. Hope not to get Decrepified before Duelling or you'd have wasted you Ultimate. -His Disables, especially Deafening Blast, can be a real pain if you didn't take care of him earlier. -As he can be a good ally, he can be a bad enemy. The same combo I wrote earlier but against you and you're as good as dead. -Try not to Duel her while the Spirits are summoned for the love of IceFrog. -Duel doesn't disable Feast, which means he's healing and you're dying. This one is also a real threat. -Have you read why is he a Good Ally? Then all I can say is... Don't follow the light and stay awake if you happen to encounter this one. These are the only ones I can think of as a "threat" (aside from Oblivion and N'aix, whom I consider a real threat, maybe Omnikight as well), but it depends really on your team. It's a simple circle. If your team goes well, you go well and your team will go well. Otherwise you're screwed. As a general rule, any Good Ally is a Bad Enemy. Those who help you in Duel time can also help your opponent, if they're enemies. |
VIII - Replays
| Hope I can get some competitive ones. So far I have pub ones, but I rather not post them, since they're pretty unreliable. |
IX - Final Words
| Just thank you very much. For taking the time to read and trust me. Really, thanks a lot. Hope you enjoyed the reading as much as I didn't (nah, just kidding). Also thanks to IceFrog and his predecessors for this awesome game and the guys at the forum for being so cool and available anytime. Thanks to Knovanangel for pointing Mjollnir and Armlet out and suggesting N'aix as a Bad Enemy, to Lycan for publishing it and pointing some format stuff out and, finally, to blqqk for some great reminders and suggestions. |
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