Tank/Hunter Meta: What's going on and why?

[pilsenteen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zErcw6kqVdo

A short video discussing why we saw so much of the triple tank double hunter comps in the most recent super regionals and why you will see more of it in your ranked and casual conquest games.

[LittlePebble02]

Just because a hunter can't kill a warrior or guardian in 5 basics doesn't mean it's a tank meta. Just fire 3 more and you're good

[Skode]

Tank meta? Defensive items have never been so weak - life steal and crits on hunters has never been so strong. It's a AA hunters meta, not a tank one - people are favouring building a comp around 2 hunters as they are so strong.

These comps are all about setting up and peeling to allow the carries to free cast - they had to nerf to Hide of Urchin as damage dealers could still hit more than enough to not go glass cannon. After nerf most just go devos, boots, exe and triple crit for insane numbers.

Christ even AMC is first pick worthy as he's legit worth the risk now despite his obviously drawbacks. Take your eye of one of the enemy hunters and he will solo a gold fury far quicker than ever before.

[SirKeksalot]

This isn't a tank meta. S2 was a tank meta.

[loupblanc10kai]

Tank meta? Defensive items have never been so weak - life steal and crits on hunters has never been so strong. It's a AA hunters meta, not a tank one - people are favouring building a comp around 2 hunters as they are so strong.

These comps are all about setting up and peeling to allow the carries to free cast - they had to nerf to Hide of Urchin as damage dealers could still hit more than enough to not go glass cannon. After nerf most just go devos, boots, exe and triple crit for insane numbers.

Christ even AMC is first pick worthy as he's legit worth the risk now despite his obviously drawbacks. Take your eye of one of the enemy hunters and he will solo a gold fury far quicker than ever before.

Hunter crit build? You serious?

Sure, I will go Hide of the Nemean Lion and Thorns relic. Plus more health items for bigger health pool. The hunter will die first if they hit Thorns. That is the reason why the pro ADC players go Exe and Qins instead of crit, to minimize the damage taken from Nemean Lion and Thorns.

Also, when going 3 frontline, 2 hunter comp, at least one of the hunters is definitely picking up Titan's Bane, cos the objective of this strategy is to destroy structures and objectives as fast as possible.

So there is no place for Crit items in a 3 frontline, 2 hunter comp, what with Thorns still being very relevant, despite the nerf. The 3 frontline, 2 hunter comp is fully focused on objectives and structures.

[Groumpff]

Tank meta? Defensive items have never been so weak - life steal and crits on hunters has never been so strong. It's a AA hunters meta, not a tank one - people are favouring building a comp around 2 hunters as they are so strong.

These comps are all about setting up and peeling to allow the carries to free cast - they had to nerf to Hide of Urchin as damage dealers could still hit more than enough to not go glass cannon. After nerf most just go devos, boots, exe and triple crit for insane numbers.

Christ even AMC is first pick worthy as he's legit worth the risk now despite his obviously drawbacks. Take your eye of one of the enemy hunters and he will solo a gold fury far quicker than ever before.

Sure, that's why we are seeing a lot of warriors (Ravana, Odin, Cuchu or even Bellona, Osiris or SWK few times ago), some times guardians in jungle and why even assassins build half defense items or more right ?

and that was worst before the Urchin nerf, everyone even hunters built it.

Tank meta is not gone. Even in S2, the so called "tank meta" assassins built with penetration and like only 1def item were more popular than warriors today.


Now to answer the question "why we're seeing 2 hunters instead of 1hunter + 1 mage?", it is in my opinion because mages of curse excel at teamfights, but in 1v1 warriors built full tank rekt them, assassins rekt them (even built full tank) hunters rekt them (well they rekt everyone) and even guardian built full support (mean no hybrid items) can last long enough to buy some times (mean avoid the mage to join the fight or doing something use full for is team like push etc...)


So, I am here speaking about SPL plays.
Of curse they are a lot of counterexamples, especially in casual or even in high ranked.

I think a "tank team" is very effective when played as a team that can coordinate in therm of teamfights (hard CC, positioning), but not that much with 5 randoms.


Tank meta is not gone in SPL
Maybe in casual (mean casual conquest and under high diamond levels in ranked)

[ZetoPL]

Sure, that's why we are seeing a lot of warriors (Ravana, Odin, Cuchu or even Bellona, Osiris or SWK few times ago), some times guardians in jungle and why even assassins build half defense items or more right ?

and that was worst before the Urchin nerf, everyone even hunters built it.

Tank meta is not gone. Even in S2, the so called "tank meta" assassins built with penetration and like only 1def item were more popular than warriors today.


Now to answer the question "why we're seeing 2 hunters instead of 1hunter + 1 mage?", it is in my opinion because mages of curse excel at teamfights, but in 1v1 warriors built full tank rekt them, assassins rekt them (even built full tank) hunters rekt them (well they rekt everyone) and even guardian built full support (mean no hybrid items) can last long enough to buy some times (mean avoid the mage to join the fight or doing something use full for is team like push etc...)


So, I am here speaking about SPL plays.
Of curse they are a lot of counterexamples, especially in casual or even in high ranked.

I think a "tank team" is very effective when played as a team that can coordinate in therm of teamfights (hard CC, positioning), but not that much with 5 randoms.


Tank meta is not gone in SPL
Maybe in casual (mean casual conquest and under high diamond levels in ranked)

Its not tank meta, one defense item gives you huge reduction boost but gaining this on ADC is imo stupid, not to mention that ppl didnt used Urchin before at all(like whole year before nerf) which only shows how absurd Smite "META" is. I tell you if on the next SPL match one team wins heavily with for example AS Sylvanus then we will see him again in normal games and everybody would be saying how OP he is.

Thats how much I care about META.

[RainbowSplat]

Hunter crit build? You serious?

Sure, I will go Hide of the Nemean Lion and Thorns relic. Plus more health items for bigger health pool. The hunter will die first if they hit Thorns. That is the reason why the pro ADC players go Exe and Qins instead of crit, to minimize the damage taken from Nemean Lion and Thorns.

Also, when going 3 frontline, 2 hunter comp, at least one of the hunters is definitely picking up Titan's Bane, cos the objective of this strategy is to destroy structures and objectives as fast as possible.

So there is no place for Crit items, what with Thorns still being very relevant, despite the nerf.

Hunter basic attacks doesnt have cooldown while Thorns have two and half minute cooldown

[loupblanc10kai]

Hunter basic attacks doesnt have cooldown while Thorns have two and half minute cooldown

Crit items does not fit well in a Hunter build in a 3 frontline 2 hunter comp strategy where the focus is more on rushing objectives and structures.

As for me, when I am frontlining, it depends on the character I am using versus the enemy Hunter. AMC has no escape ability, and is an easier target to pick on, especially if one is using Bellona, with her disarm. And anyway, my focus is not to 1v1 and kill a Hunter, but to lock on all enemy targets and bait out their abilities, attacks so the other dps in my team can come in and cleanup.

[Groumpff]

Its not tank meta, one defense item gives you huge reduction boost but gaining this on ADC is imo stupid, not to mention that ppl didnt used Urchin before at all(like whole year before nerf) which only shows how absurd Smite "META" is. I tell you if on the next SPL match one team wins heavily with for example AS Sylvanus then we will see him again in normal games and everybody would be saying how OP he is.

Thats how much I care about META.

I agree with you on that point, a lot of people just follow blindly what pros do in SPL
You can think about AMC who was considered trash and out from nowhere is now viable.
Now it is stone of Gaia's turn.

So yeah, this is sad but true, SPL influence meta, in therm of builds, picks or strategy.

I am and will always one of those who prefer see someone on a "unmeta" pick/build instead of picking "the most op god" without knowing how to play.
Imo, under diamond picks and building meta don't have a huge impact, your skill prevail over it.


So, to conclude, it's up to us to see what's good or bad in the meta and if it's use full to follow it or not.

But as I said, tank meta is not rly gone in SPL
If no changes are made before worlds prepare to see a lot of triple tanks composition during the matches (and you'll see a lot following the example I our game, some of us understanding why and how to play it and others having no idea but "it is meta so it work" and running 0-15 in less than 20minutes of game)