Ymir Guide Contest - Bran's (Awful) Gameplay Videos

The build upon which this match was played is from the following guide by ThePerfectPrism: https://www.smitefire.com/smite/guide/there-no-love-in-your-violence-ymir-support-guide-s3-14910

The match details can be found here: http://smite.guru/censor/match/hr/38355

Support build as suggested in the guide (as of 2016/11/05): Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, Bulwark of Hope, Hide of the Urchin, Void Stone, Spirit Robe.

Build as used (modified at the time of match by Prism, and screwed up on the last item by me): Shoes of Focus, Winged Blade, Breastplate of Valor, Bulwark of Hope, Void Stone, Hide of the Urchin (I should have gotten Spirit Robe).


Thoughts:

I'm very comfortable with this build overall. It's a fairly standard support build, though I usually never get Winged Blade. I do appreciate the early health, and it's a reasonably low enough price that delaying CDR (BoV) for a bit wasn't bad. I didn't notice its effects much, but the passive probably got me out of a few jams.

I was quickly consulting his guide after a death and looking at his "recommended final items." I was going to go in order after Bulwark, but instead of getting Urchin, I wanted more damage, so got Void Stone first, for the protection reduction (my only pen-type item).

And of course, Spirit Robe should have been purchased last, not Urchin. Don't know what I was thinking...Urchin 6th, lol.

The other thing I didn't follow was the suggested build order. Instead of prioritizing Ice Wall 2nd (after Frost Breath), I focused more on Glacial Strike. I did level it up a bit more in the mid-game, because the wall just didn't feel like it was lasting long enough, but didn't max it before Strike. Granted, Prism's guide is mainly for Conquest, and I can see his ability level order being potentially more effective in that mode.

What would I do differently?

Hmmm...I'd want to try out Winged Blade more in that position, though I might consider getting it 3rd, if I want CDR earlier...also depends on enemy comp. If they have more magical gods, and a lot of slows, I'll definitely consider Winged Blade 2nd.

Also, if I get Void Stone, I usually get it earlier in the build. Ymir can do a ton of damage even built tanky, so my choice would be the more pure offensive option, Obsidian Shard.

My tweaked build, at least in hindsight of this game: Shoes of Focus, Winged Blade, Breastplate of Valor, Bulwark of Hope, Obsidian Shard, Spirit Robe.

The build upon which this match was played is from the following guide by IceColdPappsi: https://www.smitefire.com/smite/guide/frosty-the-snowman-ymir-for-dummies-14765

The match details can be found here: http://smite.guru/censor/match/hr/38371

Played this match with the guide-maker, along with SF clanmates. Upon his decision, used his "Christmas Eve" CDR build (as of 2016/11/05) as follows: Book of Thoth, Shoes of the Magi, Chronos' Pendant, Breastplate of Valor, Bulwark of Hope, Rod of Tahuti.

Granted, I didn't follow the guide, per se, because I used the "Fed" build, instead of the "Feeding" build...and hoooooo boy, was I feeding like crazy. Reason I chose this early in the match was because my team overall was doing okay, and I wanted to try the high-power build. Not sure using the Feeding build would have made much difference in this match.


Thoughts: A lot of them, have I.

1. I'm mostly just not fit to play a Guardian building like a mage...even when I'm aware of it, I continue playing as if I'm tanky. The closest I can come (and do well) is playing Bacchus with an aggressive start (e.g. Shoes of the Magi, Dynasty Plate Helm, Void Stone), but the difference there is that 2 of those items have protections...this one has none, along with 0 escape potential. Bad combo for me.

2. The enemy composition was a difficult one for a slow, no-escape god like Ymir. Ring of Spears traps Ymir easily (unless Phantom is up), and all other gods have ranged attacks. I was pretty much screwed from the start.

3. I was definitely too aggressive, which resulted in way too many situations I couldn't get out of...but if I can't even get close, I'm still worthless to my team. Best case I stay under the tower, clear when possible, and wait for very specific, opportune moments when the enemies are already occupied...should have mostly followed Taco ( Hercules) around, and provided secondary support/CC.

What would I do differently?

My tweaked version of this specific build based on Thoth and CDR, at least in hindsight of this game: Book of Thoth, Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, Bulwark of Hope, Spirit Robe, Obsidian Shard. Earlier protections would be nice.

However, my preferred Pappsi build would have been his Abominable Snowman build, using Warlock's Sash instead of Book of Thoth. I personally would never build Thoth on Ymir, as I think he's best as a bruiser, where he can still do damage but take the assured incoming damage as well.

The build upon which this match was played is from the following guide by ChaoticUdders: https://www.smitefire.com/smite/guide/quot-slayer-quot-of-the-all-father-its-a-ymir-acle-14946

The match details can be found here: http://smite.guru/censor/match/hr/38458

Played this one solo-queued in Arena. Used the first build, "Damage (Yet Tanky)", as he/she said it was their favorite build. Also, I definitely didn't want to go glass-cannon (and didn't queue in a group so didn't feel comfortable doing that to teammates), and the 3rd build is tanky but a bit boring (not saying it's not effective!).

The only adjustment I made to the build was to switch the build order a bit...there were more magical gods, so I switched Mystical Mail and Pestilence.

Build as played: Shoes of Focus, Pestilence, Mystical Mail, Void Stone, Polynomicon, Ethereal Staff...well, didn't actually complete Staff.


Thoughts:

Overall a very comfortable build for me. Mostly tanky, at least to start, which just really helps my survivability. Would prefer to see a bit of flexibility in the way this build is presented...Pestilence isn't always the best magical defense choice, and giving other options depending on circumstance would be nice. Granted, not saying it's not a fit here...it's a decent counter to Neith and Camazotz, as they have self-healing...but not sure exactly how much effect it really had.

I don't think Udders says anything about which mode it's for, but when not providing gameplay info, or showing the build with starting items, I assume it's perfectly suitable for Arena and other non-Conquest modes.

That said, for Arena, I really missed having at least one good CDR item. Having my freeze up a bit quicker would have been helpful...there were a few times during the match where I was just mashing the button hoping it would come up (too distracted to actually look down, lol). That said, his main damage from Glacial Strike didn't need the CDR nearly as much...such a low CD ability, it was actually up more quickly than I expected sometimes.

Also...I know people like Mystical Mail but...man, I'm just not sold. It just seems too expensive, especially as item #2 or 3, though 2 or 3 is where it probably needs to be to have more of an effect. Maybe if it did another 50% more damage (60 per tick?)...remember, the damage listed is BEFORE protections are taken into effect, so any protections are going to really dip into the actual damage it provides.

It's good that there's at least one pen-effect item in the build... Void Stone as 4th item is a bit late, perhaps, but their Athena was the only one that built any magical protections for the majority of the game, so it was a good choice (base stats @ level 20 with no magical protection items range from 30-48)... Obsidian Shard would have been less effective in this case.

And yes, I missed a few Frost Breaths...ugh. Player damage was definitely lower than it could have been...was my first (and only) game of the night. However, I did my job as tank. Enemy team was just outmatched overall.

What would I do differently?

I'd probably switch out Mystical Mail for Breastplate of Valor, for the combined CDR and physical protections (as well as way cheaper price, allowing it to come online more quickly). Sure, it doesn't provide health, but I'll partially make up for that with the magical protection item...I'd suggest a trio of options there...Bulwark, Pest, and Heartward, depending on enemy composition.

Void 4th is okay, but I'd also consider changing it out for Obsidian Shard if I didn't feel the need for more magical protection, and 2 or more enemies were building magical protections...so again, giving that option in the guide would be nice to see.

My tweaked version of this specific build: Shoes of Focus, Pestilence, Breastplate of Valor, Void Stone, Polynomicon, Ethereal Staff. Not much change in this case.

The build upon which this match was played is from the following guide by masterricu: https://www.smitefire.com/smite/guide/unexpected-power-ymir-support-10281

The match details can be found here: http://smite.guru/censor/match/hr/38551

Solo-queued this one, and chose to go bruiser using ricu's Damage build. As he lists it, it's: Shoes of the Magi, Spirit Robe, Dynasty Plate Helm, Void Stone, Ethereal Staff, and Mantle of Discord.

However, I screwed it up...see, I use a similar progression when I play Bacchus...but if/when I get Spirit Robe, I get it AFTER Dynasty and Void. So, the build as played: Shoes of the Magi, Dynasty Plate Helm, Void Stone, [[Spirit Robe, Ethereal Staff, and Cloak (working toward Mantle).

I chose this build over his standard Conquest Support build, as I consider his Support build somewhat standard (not a bad thing). Just felt this one would be the more entertaining one.



Thoughts:

Now, my score (0/2/22) seems a bit unfair...I felt this was a pretty solid game overall, and I think I had a couple of kills taken from under my nose (or maybe I was just too slow, hahaha). I didn't utilize Blink as much as I probably could have either...I often forget it's there.

It's another relatively comfortable build for me. Yes, definitely more offensive than I usually go, and I can definitely feel his lack of mobility sometimes (which is why I'm more comfortable with more D/health earlier), but that damage is nice...my in-game damage was low, but camp clear and individual god damage was very good, especially when Frostbite is applied.

In the end...I actually think I like the idea of Spirit Robe second (as ricu suggests). And maybe if I get antsy for more damage, I could get tier 2 for the partial CDR and protections, and come back to finish it later.

What would I do differently?

Well, I'd build correctly for one. Second...if the game lasts longer...I'd want to see how Polynomicon works instead of Mantle.

Also, depending on the mode in which this is played, sometimes there are 4 magical or 4 physical gods, or maybe it's Joust and there are 2 physical damagers and a tank guardian...in those cases, I would like to see his guide suggest alternatives to Spirit Robe, rather than just be a completely set 6 items start to finish.

The build upon which this match was played is from the following guide by Pellie: https://www.smitefire.com/smite/guide/father-of-the-frost-giants-ymir-guide-for-s3-jungling-14948

The match details can be found here: http://smite.guru/censor/match/hr/38596

Almost a full team...played with GGF ( Odin), Taco ( Erlang Shen), and Jaberg ( Apollo), along with a solo queue ( Thoth). Earlier in the day, I had re-read Pellie's guide, just to make sure I had the build generally correct, and to refresh on any gameplay suggestions he might have...this is because I still don't play a lot of Conquest, and I usually don't play a Jungler when I do.

I've played some other builds that could have worked for Conquest in Arena and Clash matches previously, because those builds generally translate well. With this being a Jungle build, though, felt I couldn't get away with not playing Conquest.

Pellie's guide lists the following as his core items: Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, and Void Stone (along with Wrath and Blink as his standard relics). All the rest are situational, and he gives flexibility to build in the order you want. Cool, I'm down with that, and, truth be told, I like his guide a lot.

I came into the game generally knowing how I wanted to build (as long as it made sense against the enemy team's comp.

I did plan to alter things just a bit...I was going to go Shoes of the Magi...but I...screwed up and bought Focus. It was an autopilot thing.

The build as I played it: Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, Winged Blade...and I was working on Void Stone, but the enemy team surrendered before I got any further. Things went well that match. I would have finished up Spirit Robe and was thinking I'd try out Soul Reaver or Polynomicon if things continued in our favor.



Thoughts:

I get Junglemir. I really like his Ice Wall when it's easy to block people off. And I think I appreciate his Glacial Strike + Frostbite for camp clear even more. When I play Guardians, it's usually Bacchus, or maybe Athena, and almost always in a Support role, so clearing camps is painful. Not with this bad boy.

Did well in the match...4/0/4, with 2nd highest player damage on my team to Taco, who always seems to do a ton of damage. But here's the thing...in the Jungle, it seems like I did well, but I have no clue how well I was actually doing. I get sidetracked easily, forget to look at the map sometimes, forget to drop wards, etc.

But I DID have some confidence. Almost died a couple of times, but the Ice Wall drop at my feet saved me. I think I liked Winged Blade, but it was a bit hard for me to feel myself running faster.

What would I do differently?

For Jungle, I think I'd probably prefer to start with Shoes of the Magi (as I was planning). The early pen seems like it would be helpful, especially if I have to wait until I get Void Stone to get any further pen/protection reduction. From there I could build into BoV etc.

OR...I'd go Shoes of Focus, and then get Dynasty Plate Helm for the early protection/power/pen for cheap...followed by Void Stone, and then BoV, as I transition from early game bully to late-game bruiser.

All of these are options Pellie provides in a way in his guide, so...well, I think it's a strong base, while not holding your hand too much and allowing you to choose what you feel is best. Not bad.

The build upon which this match was played is from the following guide by Bernardozomer: https://www.smitefire.com/smite/guide/ymir-3-21-in-depth-conquest-guide-15150

The match details can be found here: http://smite.guru/censor/match/hr/38814

I forced poor Zilby to play this one with me...didn't want to solo queue, and he was up. He complained that it was so late, but in the end he agreed...though he called me a poop.

I feel really bad about posting this match, which Bernard requested. But I'm getting a little tired of Ymir, and don't want to attempt another. =P

This was a somewhat standard defensive build, but with a focus on maximizing CDR before anything else. Thus, he lists the following as his core items: Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, and Genji's Guard. All the rest are situational (except for Hide of the Urchin), and he gives specific directions on when to buy them.

The build as I played it: Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, Genji's Guard, Winged Blade, Pestilence, and was working on Sovereignty (couldn't decide what I wanted, and Z suggested I get more physical protection, but there was only one basic attacker ( Ullr, so items like Witchblade and Midgardian Mail weren't high on the list). I started with Curse, and deviated from his consumables a bit, by doing a more standard 4x Healing Potion and 4x Mana Potions, whereas he suggests 2x Multi Potions and 2x Wards. Reason I didn't do that was because I wanted to try to stay in lane as long as possible before my first back, and because I almost never get wards first.

Of course, there were further deviations from his build...I should have gotten Hide of the Urchin when he suggested (5th if not 4th), but I prioritized more move speed 4th and anti-heal 5th. My bad, Bernard...if I'm following a guide, I should just stick to it, huh?



Thoughts:

Welp. One of those matches where I turned stupid with my walls (see Bernard's "Cons" section, lol). Not only that, but I was just not thinking well...been really tired the past few days for I don't know what reason, and I didn't even warm up with a match before. Not that that is an excuse...very likely would have sucked anyway.

So yeah, did really poorly...1/7/12. Our Chaac also fed the Zhong Kui early, which didn't help. We started out pretty strongly...Z and I definitely had early game pressure, and for the first 20 or so minutes of the match, our team was generally ahead.

Then mid/late game hit, and I started spacing majorly. I have this bad habit of wandering in the Jungle because I can't make up my mind where I want to be. I think I have less of an issue on this when playing Bacchus, but still...I know I should be farming, taking a bit from minion waves, etc., so I don't fall too far behind. Just really bad habits I need to be much more conscious about in future matches.

Also, I'm not used to really fearing Mid-laners as much as I feared He Bo. Holy hell that guy hits hard, and I just didn't have mobility to scare him enough or get away.

What would I do differently?

Hmmm...other than play better and drop more wards, I don't think I'd prioritize full CDR as quickly. I have no problem with Shoes of Focus, though I'm curious about using Travelers Shoes with him. Also don't have any specific issues with Breastplate of Valor. His main CC has a long base CD, so it makes sense.

However, I personally almost never get Genji's Guard, except as a magical alternative to Breastplate of Valor...one or the other. 30% CDR is pretty darn good, and going from there to a different item maybe just suits me better. Keep in mind, those first 3 items don't have any added health, so effective health doesn't get as much of a boost.

My preference there? If I specifically wanted magical protections, probably Bulwark of Hope...though possibly I could have even considered an early Pestilence. It shouldn't just be limited to those though... Winged Blade, with the high health and added mobility, could be considered a good item for the 3rd slot, and if we were generally doing well (which we were in the early-mid overall), even an early Hide of the Urchin would have been a good choice, I think.

In hindsight, and keeping the general theme of early CDR, I probably would have built Shoes of Focus, Breastplate of Valor, Winged Blade, Hide of the Urchin, Pestilence, and either Spirit Robe or Void Stone depending on if I wanted more defensive or offensive.

Bernard covered a decent amount of the gameplay considerations, though I wasn't thinking well enough to actually utilize them (I should know better anyway, with or without the guide, but hey). Wish I could have given him a better game. Maybe next time.