HoN Banning Draft (BD) Hero Picking and Bans Guide

Overview

Banning Draft (BD) is a new game mode in HoN where two captains first ban four picks from a pool of 24 random heroes, then alternate 10 picks from the remaining pool of 20 (in 1-2-2-2-2-1 fashion).  BD is generally regarded as the most balanced game mode available (least amount of luck involved), so the better team of players should win in this mode more than in any other mode.  This, of course, is only true if your captain makes the right picks and bans.  This process can be rather complicated, but if you understand the concepts of premium heroes and counters, it becomes simple to make the best possible choices.

Premium Heroes

It is important to understand that there are certain heroes in HoN that captains will try to first pick every single game.  These “premium” heroes are generally dominating AOE heroes that can turn the tide of any team battle.  In BD, the team that gets to ban the first hero also gets the first pick after bans.  If you don’t have the first pick, then realize that the other team will get one of these heroes with their first pick if you don’t ban it.  These heroes are (in rough order of importance): Tempest, Jereziah, Behemoth, Demented Shaman, and Magmus.

Second Bests

Here are some versatile heroes that are going to be in high demand after the premium choices are gone:

• Plague Rider: dominates team battles and ganking with a slowing, splash nuke and slowing, splash nuke ultimate, and gets a free deny and mana every time Extingiush is up.  Statistically the winningest hero in HoN.
• Pestilence: incredible ganking power with speed boost and stun abilities; dominant late game with a bash and armor-reducing, invis-revealing ultimate.
• Sand Wraith: dominant late-game carry with two escape mechanisms that make it extremely difficult to gank.
• Hellbringer: massive AOE ultimate stun that can break up any team formation.
• Magebane: another dominant late-game carry that is nearly impossible to gank.
• Puppet Master: versatile disabler carry that can fill many roles and has a crushing early game harass.

Counter Picks

Often it is okay to let the other team have a premium or other great hero if you know there is a counter pick in the pool that you can make directly afterward.  For example, if you have second pick, you can not ban Tempest, and then pick Hellbringer right after the other team gets it (Hellbringer’s ultimate stops Tempest’s ultimate, even if he has a Shrunken Head).  If they see this coming and don’t first pick Tempest, then you can pick Tempest and Hellbringer with your 2nd and 3rd pick, thus getting both the premium hero and it’s counter out of the pool in one picking round.  Here are some examples of good counters:

• Hellbringer, Pharoah counter Tempest (their ultimates stops Tempest’s ultimate from long range)
• Electrician counters Jeraziah, Hammerstorm (Electrician’s ultimate removes Protective Charm aka Repel and Hammerstorm’s ultimate)
• Vindicator counters Magmus, Tempest, Torturer, any channeling heroes (Vindicator’s ultimate silences all heroes)
• Pestilence, Rampage counter any heroes with invisibility (Pestilence’s ultimate exposes invisible heroes, Rampage’s Charge does as well)
• Thunderbringer counters heroes that initiate with blink (Behemoth, Tempest, Magmus, etc.) (must have good timing with ultimate and vision)

Other Guidelines

Make sure you pick a solo hero.  In general, don’t have more than one melee hero per lane.  Make sure you pick at least one carry hero and not too many.

HoN Vindicator Hero Guide

Vindicator

Vindicator is a new hero in HoN version 0.1.50.1. It is exactly like Dota’s Silencer.  In HoN, Vindicator is a lonely hermit who casts spells from a magic book.  Here is a look at his abilities:

Sage’s Lore

Equivalent to Curse in Dota.  Vindicator “unleashes forgotten lore”, which drains mana and hit points from enemy heroes in an AOE until they cast a spell.

Master’s Incantation

Equivalent to Glaive in Dota.  Deals bonus damage on attacks based on Vindicator’s intelligence.

Glyph of Silence (Aura)

Equivalent to Last Word in Dota.  Vindicator silences nearby enemies when they cast a spell and steals 1 intelligence from them if they die within the aura.

Final Chapter (Ultimate)

Equivalent to Global Silence in Dota.  Vindicator releases “the power held within the final chapter of The Book”, which silences all enemy heroes.

Strategy

Early Game

If your opponent’s hero has one or less spells, Sage’s Lore can be very effective to drain their HP and Mana, if you use it intelligently, such as right after they cast their spell, or at a time that will force them to use a spell in a useless way.  If you are against a hero that generally learns no spells early in the game, such as Arachna, it will force them to put a learning point into useless Carapace to stop the constant drain. A very popular strategy is to use several mana potions to spam Sage’s Lore early game.  Other than that, just max out Master’s Incantation and try to farm up as much as possible.  Good items to get early are Talismans of Exile (Null Talismans) and Steamboots (Power Treads), both of which will increase your attack damage substantially by adding Int while also giving you more hit points.

Mid Game

Try to stay at your tower as long as possible and keep farming.  Observer wards are essential to avoid ganks.  If your team is getting slammed early, then you can go for a quick Astrolabe (Mekanism) to increase your suvivability.  Otherwise just farm a Totem of Kuldra (Guinsoo) asap, which will make you very dangerous as it combines essential disable with your high damage.  Look around and help your allies with your ultimate when you can, but other than that just keep farming and avoiding ganks.  When team battles start happening, take out key channeling heroes like Magmus or Tempest with a well timed ultimate.

Late Game

You will need to tank up with either a Behemoth’s Heart (Heart of Tarasque), Shrunken Head (BKB), or Frost Wolf’s Skull (Skadi) to survive long enough to be useful in late game battles.  Also think about getting a Hellflower (Orchid) to give you some more attack speed, damage, and disable, and maybe a lifesteal item.  At this point in the game you are either mopping up every battle or have failed and are getting killed within a few seconds.