Run Speed Arms Race
Demigod Forums
In Pantheon, I see a lot of people stacking Run speed buffing and/or debuffing items and skill.
Knowing the right counter can be difficult because it can be highly situational.
The first thing to realize is that if they have the run speed advantage you will never be able to run away after starting an engagement. So before engaging you have to decide whether to avoid the confrontation entierly or stand you ground.
The second thing to realize is that by stacking run speed buffs and debuffs, they sacrifice offensive and/or defensive capabilities. So it isn't necessarily worth it to play the run speed arms race yourself to gain the run speed advantage. If you know you can't win run speed arms race, stacking offensive or defensive capabilities can be an effective counter.
The third thing to realize is that the further into your opponents territory you are, the greater the run speed advantage they have. So againts run speed stackers you have to modify your play style to take this into account. It is still possible to go deep into their territory but you have to have other tactical advantages to counter their run speed advantage.
Counters
In order to counter Run speed stackers you have to find a way to negate their run speed advantage. There are many ways to do this depending on how they are stacking run speed mods.
The most effective way to counter run speed advantage is to trap them because it counters players regardless of whether they stack run speed buffs or debuffs.
Sometimes they can be very helpful in boxing themselves in. For example, I've seen a lot of run speed stackers try to cap you cataract portal without taking down the towers guarding it. Porting in with some interrupts to counter their teleport out can net you a kill. Sometimes late game I've gotten half a dozen kills by waiting for them to try to relock our portal flag. Trading 6 kills for 6 portal locks can turn the game around real quick.
Another tactic is to bait them into a trap. Have one of your DGs stand their ground and have another come around from behind to prevent them from escaping. Or you can lead them away from a tower or flag that your teammate can teleport to. Then there is the ever popular snipe and Heaven's Wrath.
If you are going against players that mostly stack runspeed debuffs, standing your ground effectively negates their run speed advantage. This only works though if you are able to out damage them or out last them while standing your ground. If you did not play the run speed arms race though, gaining the upper hand in offensive or defensive capabilities should not be too hard.
Regulus
Regulus is a special case because of his mines and Mark of the Betrayer debuff . If you know what to do, it can be quite easy to avoid most of his run speed debuffs, although it is easier if you can cure debuffs or have minions. Pay attention to where he drops his mines! Also learn how to counter Mark of the Betrayer. When I get hit by Mark of the Betrayer, I do one of 3 things depending on the situation. I will either cure it, ignore it or back away till I can safely trigger it.
Run Speed Table Analysis
This table shows the effect of runspeed mods on your current run speed for certain common run speed values.
I highlighted +10 +15 +25 along with -5 -10 -15 and -25 because they correspond to certain skills and abilities.
The run speeds between 6.6 and 7.88 represent the run speed of different DGs under the influence of certain run speed buffs.
Tables tt { font-family: courier; } td { font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; } caption { font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left; }
| 5.45 | 6 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.24 | 7.5 | 7.88 | |
| −0.3 | 3.81 | 4.20 | 4.41 | 4.62 | 4.83 | 5.07 | 5.25 | 5.52 |
| −0.25 | 4.09 | 4.50 | 4.72 | 4.95 | 5.18 | 5.43 | 5.62 | 5.91 |
| −0.2 | 4.36 | 4.80 | 5.04 | 5.28 | 5.52 | 5.79 | 6.00 | 6.30 |
| −0.16 | 4.58 | 5.04 | 5.29 | 5.54 | 5.80 | 6.08 | 6.30 | 6.62 |
| −0.15 | 4.63 | 5.10 | 5.35 | 5.61 | 5.87 | 6.15 | 6.38 | 6.70 |
| −0.13 | 4.74 | 5.22 | 5.48 | 5.74 | 6.00 | 6.30 | 6.53 | 6.86 |
| −0.10 | 4.91 | 5.40 | 5.67 | 5.94 | 6.21 | 6.52 | 6.75 | 7.09 |
| −0.07 | 5.07 | 5.58 | 5.86 | 6.14 | 6.42 | 6.73 | 6.97 | 7.33 |
| −0.05 | 5.18 | 5.70 | 5.98 | 6.27 | 6.55 | 6.88 | 7.12 | 7.49 |
| 0.00 | 5.45 | 6.00 | 6.30 | 6.60 | 6.90 | 7.24 | 7.50 | 7.88 |
| 0.05 | 5.72 | 6.30 | 6.62 | |||||
| 0.10 | 6.00 | 6.60 | 6.93 | |||||
| 0.15 | 6.27 | 6.90 | 7.24 | |||||
| 0.2 | 6.54 | 7.20 | 7.56 | |||||
| 0.25 | 6.81 | 7.50 | 7.88 | |||||
| 0.3 | 7.09 | 7.80 | 8.19 | |||||
| 0.35 | 7.36 | 8.10 | 8.51 | |||||
| 0.4 | 7.63 | 8.40 | 8.82 |
Studying this table can provide some useful insight. UB and Erebus are the most popular dark side DGs. They also have an innate run speed advantage because they start with a run speed of 6.3. From the table, you can see that with boots of speed or swift anklet, run speed debuffs are not very effective at giving you the run speed advantage over them unless you also have some way to boost your run speed.
A Tip for Run Speed Stackers
A common mistake I see from Run Speed Stackers is that they stack too much Run Speed buffs or debuffs. As a result, they eventually lose against those that concentrate on offensive and defensive capabilities. The trick is in finding that sweet spot where you are just slightly faster than your opponent. Investing more than that is a waste.
