How to build carries 4.18 – Conquest

Hunters have a wide range of viable items. Two main build paths power/penetration and critical strike. Penetration builds focus on dealing damage to tanky targets and objectives. Critical strike builds are designed to kill anything without protections quickly. A vast range of items which can become situational. Items can be less efficient if still effective in most cases.  Builds have a general rule of thumb. The class wants power, attack speed, penetration and utility. Combine power with attack speed for higher damage output. Add some penetration to cut into protections. The utility can be found in defence or life steal.  Life steal provides sustain during team fights.  A defence can help keep you alive to deal damage.

Make things simple plan on explaining why certain items not viable. At the same time explaining why certain items are situational and the usage.

Non-viable items

Atalanta’s bow – 30 physical power with 25% attack speed. Passive 7% movement speed, 4 stacks total per basic attack hit on enemies. The item provides pretty mediocre statistics, with pretty mediocre passive.  Failing to provide enough statistics to make it viable.  Costs 2300 gold other items are just more cost effective. Designed to replace an item which got removed from the game. 

Ichavial / Silver branch bow – 25% attack speed with 10 penetration, passive removes 28 physical power total. Costs 1700 gold designed to be a bridge item. Silver branch bow is similar just for magical power reduction.

Jotunns Wrath – Can be built on ability focused hunters but much better items to build.  Mainly building it for the 10 penetration for 2450 gold. Cooldown is not helpful on hunters. Crusher gets more use and provides better numbers.

Situational items

Qin sais – Build against teams which invested heavily into defence items.  Against triple tank teams shreds targets that build high amounts of health.  Should not pair this item with critical strike damage as a result.

Titan’s bane – Penetration is useful against objectives and tanky teams.

Brawlers beat stick / Toxic blade – Both of these items are counters towards healers. 3 or more with a self-heal or team-wide heal. Brawlers best on ability-based hunters who can apply the passive. Applying the passive without much effort want 2 or more abilities which can apply it. The toxic blade is the opposite wants best on hunters who basic attack being the main source of damage.

Starts
A wide range of viable starts, each one having its own playstyle. Different game modes have different starts on certain hunters. Bumba’s mask is less useful on all game modes apart from conquest.

Bumba’s mask – Start in the jungle, extra sustain with gold.  Allows carries to get ahead by clearing jungle camps. Most useful on good jungle clear camp hunters.

Item name	Item name	Hunter
Bluestone	Bumba’s mask	Ah Muzen Cab Anhur Cernunnos Chiron Cupid Hou Yi Medusa Neith Skadi Ullr
Death’s Toll	Bumba’s mask	Anhur Apollo Artemis Cernunnos Iznami Jing wei Rama Xbalanque

Not using Bumba’s, build blue stone or death’s toll with tier one boots. Don’t forget to buy couple potions.

Example builds

Ninja Tabi	Devourer gauntlet	The Executioner	Poisoned star	Wind demon	Deathbringer
Ninja Tabi	Transcedence	Asi	TItan’s bane	Qin Sais	Odysseus bow

What about defence items? 

Can build defence items, don’t have to focus purely on damage. Can’t-do damage if you die. Bunch of options on the table and most are situational. Pick up items which provide the highest benefit to the biggest threat against you. Just means replacing one item within the build.

Hide of the Nemean lion or spectral armour can force assassins or warriors off you. May require protections against both sets of damage. Hide of the urchin would be a better choice. Options are wide open and massive amount of items to build.