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First thousand Gold: Monks flatout best?

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First thousand Gold: Monks flatout best?

from Demigod Forums

My assertion is that except for only some crazy corner cases, generals are always served best by picking up some monks when they leave the item shop at beginning of game.

Some info:

  1. Monks heal 10% of a DG's health, and can chain heal the same DG every 8.5 seconds
  2. QoT, without any HP boosting favor item, has 1450 hit points at level one, and heals 145 health from monks, an additional 17 HP per second.
  3. Monks heal in 'bursts' meaning that if you get hit hard, they heal up front, you don't have to wait a long time for the health.
  4. Monks come in pairs, so you can heal both yourself, and an ally.
  5. Monks can attack and do pretty good damage.
  6. Monks take hits from towers and grunts for you.
  7. Monks scale extremely well.  As you level up (even to the first few levels, before going back to store) their absolute effect also increases.  As you buy more HP items, they also get stronger. This is true of all healers, but part of what makes them a good early purchase.
  8. Monks can heal you and your lane buddy.

At worst case, I could see maybe QoT picking up some HP armor first instead, but then getting the monks asap afterwards. Very often the difference between a player holding a lane, and one that needs to return to base to heal, is that one has monks and the other doesn't. Strong bursting regen helps well against slow kills like Spit, fireball spam, and snipes, and almost completely dessimates a build based on auto attacking. Monks have a lot of HP early on, for most AoE abilities to kill reasonably, and they also heal themselves.

demigod
170,505 views 59 replies
Reply #51 from Demigod Forums Top

for the people who like holding the lanes   to let u know if ur by a towers and u and the otwer kill thr creeps u will get more exp

Reply #52 from Demigod Forums Top

Usually on my first trip back to base I have enough for Banded, Scaled Helm, and Scalemail. Those cheap items are really efficient! Of course in some games (big maps and/or bad opponents), you can stay on the field for a lot longer without getting punished. In those cases you can buy Nimoth, Unbreakable, and Vlemish instead. But in tight games you really need to go back to base even after fights you win, if you expcet to win the next one. 

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Reply #53 from Demigod Forums Top

Transitive,

I have never seen a general build be more effective in earlygame than one involving monks. Particularly considering that Sedna, iirc, cannot get wind until level 5, and thus monks can be expected to be just as effective on other DG's as her. For added fun, if you feel confident, you can take one monk, right click an allied DG (preferably ranged), and allow it to follow him/her into battle. Often, this has helped me keep a regulus in play long enough to farm decently.

Reply #54 from Demigod Forums Top

For added fun, if you feel confident, you can take one monk, right click an allied DG (preferably ranged), and allow it to follow him/her into battle. Often, this has helped me keep a regulus in play long enough to farm decently

Splitting monks is definitely one thing that seperates great and good teams. I split monks at the beginning of every 2v2 that my partner and I play and it usually ends up with both of us controlling our lanes (cataract) or flags (prison, when both teams send one person to each outer flag). I know I often say that Sedna with monks is the strongest level 1 force on the field, but thats kind of a lie. UB with monk is. B)  

Btw Sedna does not give the Monk-enhancing wind until level 5.

Reply #55 from Demigod Forums Top

i dont get scail mail  i would rather have 2 hp  pots  or wait for  the boots that cost 1500

Reply #56 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting SoFFacet, reply 4

For added fun, if you feel confident, you can take one monk, right click an allied DG (preferably ranged), and allow it to follow him/her into battle. Often, this has helped me keep a regulus in play long enough to farm decently
Splitting monks is definitely one thing that seperates great and good teams. I split monks at the beginning of every 2v2 that my partner and I play and it usually ends up with both of us controlling our lanes (cataract) or flags (prison, when both teams send one person to each outer flag). I know I often say that Sedna with monks is the strongest level 1 force on the field, but thats kind of a lie. UB with monk is.  

Btw Sedna does not give the Monk-enhancing wind until level 5.

Aww. :blush: Great to hear a strategy of mine confirmed.

 

Also, I'll edit the level 2 wind :P I'm afraid I don't play much sedna, and just pick abilities as I go.

Reply #57 from Demigod Forums Top

I tend not to buy priests unless I'm rolling in cash, which is unlikely.  Someone asked if I use the second 1,000 for monks and the answer is no.  I use that for a Vlemish Helm.  If I decide to get high priests I will get them after I have purchased Vlemish, Nimroth, Unbreakable and currency.  But you have to understand my Sedna style.  I do not play as an assassin, but as a baiting tank.  I don't even take Pounce 1 until level 10 or 11 because I'm not interested in killing other DGs.  I want them to waste their time attacking and chasing me while my team takes a War Score lead.  Meanwhile I'm throwing out 1,500 point heals at will to my teammates.  Once we hit WS 8 I have the speed, armor and health to sail past any towers, lock portals and teleport out.  I will pretty much always have the gold to buy creeps when needed and would definitely sell equipment to pick up cats.

Ironically, for other generals who cannot heal on their own so quickly, monks and priests are extremely important.  They will pay for themselves in pots very quickly.  In the end, how you spend your money depends on your play style.  I may not help my team by having monks, but I will by getting currency the second we hit WS 3.

Reply #58 from Demigod Forums Top

Depending on the map, i'll take the rank2 archer mobs over priests... Depends on how you play your general and what your aiming to do during the match.

Reply #59 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting SaulTigh, reply 7
I tend not to buy priests unless I'm rolling in cash, which is unlikely.  Someone asked if I use the second 1,000 for monks and the answer is no.  I use that for a Vlemish Helm.  If I decide to get high priests I will get them after I have purchased Vlemish, Nimroth, Unbreakable and currency.  But you have to understand my Sedna style.  I do not play as an assassin, but as a baiting tank.  I don't even take Pounce 1 until level 10 or 11 because I'm not interested in killing other DGs.  I want them to waste their time attacking and chasing me while my team takes a War Score lead.  Meanwhile I'm throwing out 1,500 point heals at will to my teammates.  Once we hit WS 8 I have the speed, armor and health to sail past any towers, lock portals and teleport out.  I will pretty much always have the gold to buy creeps when needed and would definitely sell equipment to pick up cats.

Ironically, for other generals who cannot heal on their own so quickly, monks and priests are extremely important.  They will pay for themselves in pots very quickly.  In the end, how you spend your money depends on your play style.  I may not help my team by having monks, but I will by getting currency the second we hit WS 3.

You say that try to play like a tank. Well thats great, because thats exactly what Sedna is supposed to do. And monks are by far the best item to help you do it. Sedna does not have infinite mana unless you spend a lot of money on multiple mana items, but you have gone to great lengths to describe how frugal you are with your cash, and how much you prioritize your health stack. If you plan to be soaking up all that damage, doesn't the prospect of getting a ton of free HP every 8.5s sound even a little bit enticing? How about a ton of free HP for you and another nearby ally, every 8.5s? How about all of that and some extra DPS? No? Well, newsflash. 900g for all that is a bargain, so much so that it completely overshadows any other possible combination of items you can get right off the bat. 1450g to double their effectiveness is also a bargain, albeit one that sometimes should be delayed until later, in favor of other bargains. 

Also, my friend and I did some sandbox testing the other day, I've been meaning to convey the results to you. "Monk Sedna" (Heal + BotF + Monks) versus "Armored Sedna" (Heal + Banded + Scalemail + BotF). I played monks, my friend played armored. We met in the center of prison and wailed on each other until someone dropped. Somehow, he gained level 2 near the end of the fight, and at some point a minotaur came over from one of the lanes and started beating on me. I still won by about 500 HP. It should be noted that this direct, level 1 fight is the best possible scenario that Armored Sedna can hope for. Any cat and mouse only gives the monks more time to work. Any delay to gain levels and then fight helps monk Sedna more because increased max HP makes the monks better and the added healing power of Grace + Wind drags the fight out longer, giving the monks more time to work. What have we learned? Armored Sedna loses to Monk Sedna even under the most favorable circumstances, and only falls further behind from there.