My Samuro Build by Altan_Tagrin

My Samuro Build

By: Altan_Tagrin
Last Updated: Oct 28, 2016
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Build 1 of 1

Samuro

Build: Images

Level 1
Level 4
Level 7
Level 10
Level 13
Level 16
Level 20

Introduction Top

Just fair warning, I'm not an expert at the game, nor this hero, just thought I'd offer my opinion. I also have not done any math here, so most of this is just me spouting what I think.

This is also my first guide, so I apologize in advance if it's not very well put-together.

The Hero Top

Samuro is a slippery burst assassin, built to hit enemies hard from stealth, confound them with his images, then fade back into stealth should the enemy prove too powerful. Early game he can also solo siege and bruiser mercs, and, if following this build, at level 20 (not 10) he can even solo grave golem bosses with virtually no danger, aside from being caught out by the enemy team (I have not tested against other bosses such as the Towers of Doom's Headless Horseman, or the Luxoria sand scarabs).

This build focuses on increasing the potency of Samuro's images, and through them, his own power. Due to the swapping power of Illusion Master, and the health and damage bonuses the talent and its upgrade provide Samuro's images (making it more difficult to tell the real from the fakes), this is also a relatively safe build in the later stages of a game.

Reasoning Top

T1: Way of Illusion: While I've seen a lot of Way of the Blade, in most situations I find that I only have a few hits to get off, often not enough to justify the single extra 75% damage. With way of Illusion, all damage is increased, including critical strikes, meaning that the few crits are made up for by overall increased damage.

T2: Mirage (or Deflection): This is your basic survival boost talent. In general, I don't take One with the Wind because if you're stealthed, you should be avoiding damage. It's also reliant on having Wind Walk (a 12 second CD ability) available, and under continuous damage, you only get one second of protection. Mirage and Deflection activate much more often (Mirage, admittedly, needs Mirrored Steel to activate fast, and Wind Walk can get a similar effect from Wind Strider). The choice comes down to what types of damage you're dealing with; against an ability-powered team, Mirage, and a team of basic attackers, Deflection (just keep in mind that you need to keep attacking for Deflection to stay up, so it's not the best defense for retreating).

T3: Phantom Pain: The only talent in this tier that competes with Phantom Pain is Crushing Blows; Burning Blade, while giving a whopping 65% boost to your critical strikes and area of effect, also defeats the purpose of Samuro - targeted burst (with some PvE thrown in). While your images, pre-level-10 often wander off course, later in the game, you can direct all of your Samuros to attack a single target, for a total of 145% of your base damage. That's a lot to contend with, but Burning blade, despite the 65% bonus, isn't quite up to par with the other two choices (though it would help with clearing merc camps, especially bruisers). Meanwhile, Crushing blows allows you to double-tap Critical Strike for a total of 75% bonus damage a pop, or 150% if stringed together (and 225% if stringed immediately after a passive crit). While this does massively increase your burst potential, in extended team fights, you will likely use up your charges quickly, leaving you with only passive crits until a charge comes off the 8-second CD, not to mention lowering the speed at which you can cap mercs. Phantom Pain gives you a 40% bonus to your crits per image, for a maximum of 80% if both images are alive. While they die off pretty quickly in the early game, your level 20 talent Three Blade Style, those worries are left behind. This means that for the total duration of your images (which should be almost 24/7, given that their duration is equal to the ability's CD) all critical strikes are doing a total of 130% bonus damage per crit. While not quite at the dueling potential of Crushing Blows, nor the camp-clearing of Burning Blade, it sits at a very happy middle between the two.

T4: Illusion Master: Bladestorm is basically Sonya's whirlwind on steroids, trading healing for Unstoppable. This has serious DPS potential, especially if the level 20 upgrade is taken. However, for this build, Illusion Master is the heroic of choice. Allowing you to activate the ability to switch the real Samuro with either of his Illusions, it also gives a passive 15% increase to the illusions' damage, making it slightly harder for the enemy to pick out the real Samuro. It also has immense strategic value for anyone able to multitask well enough to manage three Samuros (anyone good with The Lost Vikings may enjoy this, though I'm honestly not sure as I struggle with the multitasking). Illusion Master also allows you to focus the combined might of (effectively) 2 Samuros on a single target, great if you pop Mirror Image while on top of an isolated enemy, even if they're in the midst of their minion wave.

T5: Mirrored Steel: Tier 5 is your second survival talent, choosing between two ways to upgrade Wind Walk, or a quicker CD on Mirror Image. If you find yourself getting focused or ganked often, Kawarimi could very well save your green butt. Shukuchi has some tactical potential, however, it can be very difficult to get the teleport just right. Mirrored Steel, however, lowers your CD on Mirror Image every time you hit an enemy hero - which should be often. Great for both team fights and lane pushing, Mirrored Steel allows you to respawn any dead Images long before the ability would come of cooldown on its own.

T6: Harsh Winds: In short, Merciless Strikes is too inconsistent (very similar to other Heros' Executioner talent) unless nearly every second ability fired is a stun, root, or slow, and Press the Attack does not suit Samuro's hit-and-run style, especially if you're being focused. Harsh Winds' 3-second 30% bonus to your damage will almost always be capitalized on if you engage from stealth.

T7: Three Blade Style: This tier comes down to halving Wind Walk's CD, doubling Advancing Strikes' duration, or doubling the duration and life of your images. None of these are bad choices per se, as Wind Strider would allow you to trigger Harsh Winds every six seconds, and keep it more readily available as an escape, while Blademaster's Pursuit couples nicely with Deflection as well as Press the Attack, if it were taken. However, for this build, nothing beats Three Blade Style. The survivability it grants your images (and indirectly, you, via Illusion Master) cannot be overstated. This talent also allows Samuro to solo grave golem-type bosses with ease (have not tested against other bosses), and makes every other merc camp a laughing matter. It also completely removes one of the enemy's ways of determining the real Samuro, as the images' health will be the same as his (if I'm reading the talent right, otherwise, they have a total of 75% of his health, which is still very good and definitely makes it harder for the real Samuro to be found). The duration bonus also means that your images have even greater strategic value, and if one should die shortly after the 18 second mark, you don't have to worry about waiting another 18 seconds.

Strategy Top

The general strategy in the early game is to lane well and trade favorably. Samuro can do this both alone and in a pair, though he obviously is weaker against certain foes. Because he has no mana, the only constraints he suffers are middling to long cooldowns and his relatively low health. Despite this, using Mirror Image to help clear waves is an effective strategy, especially if laning alone. The comparatively low cooldown on Critical Strikes means that you should be using this regularly, preferably right after a passive crit, so as to interrupt the 1-2-3-4 pattern the least (since using it at 3 wastes the crit you would have had regardless, and at 2 the previous two basic attacks). Wind Walk should be used sparingly, however, only to sneak up on your opponent, or to escape an attack. If laning with a partner, allow the partner to push the lane more, and use a Wind Walk - basic attack (preferably at full charge for a crit) - Mirror Image - Critical Strike combo to sneak-up on and attack your target, then continue the assault for as long as is safe. Use this combo to help engage for objectives as well, especially on maps such as Towers of Doom or Dragon Shire, where you're not likely to run into the full enemy team.

Once you hit level 10, the strategy changes slightly. Since your Images can now do almost everything you can do, except us abilities and claim objectives (though they can appear to do so) try to multitask and keep the enemy guessing. Taking control of an image and directing it like you would the real Samuro will likely throw them off your trail, if only for a few seconds. Just be sure to watch the real Samuro's health. Also, every time you do the combo on an isolated enemy, or even on a squishy target in a skirmish or teamfight, be sure to take control of all Samuros (by pressing 4) and have them all attack the target. The damage can be fatal for soft targets, and overwhelming for tougher foes.

Throughout all of this, be sure to capture mercenaries when possible. Communicate with allies like Murky, Rehgar, or Zagara to make sure you're throwing as many camps at the enemy as possible, or, if the only one on your team who can solo camps, take advantage of every pause in the fighting to grab as many as possible. Pre-level-10, attack before using Mirror Image (otherwise the images will wander off), and if you're still being targeted, Wind Walk for a moment to redirect the mercs' attention to your images. After level 10, try to have your images pair up on one merc while you take out another.

In late game, you should have enough survivability to harass the enemy continuously. Just keep in mind that a single turret or fort shot will still one-shot your images, do don't use them to soak damage from these sources. Continue capping mercs, assisting allies, and, at level 20, grab boss if it's safe to do so (again, I have not tested bosses other than grave golems, though I believe you can manage sand scarabs and the archangel on Braxis if you position well, though I was interrupted by the enemy team both times). Keep all your Samuros on one side, and when the boss uses its AOE-stun, move them all back together, then resume the attack once the danger has passed. Wind Walk or swap if the real Samuro comes under attack (backing off far enough would also work, though it would take slightly longer for the boss to redirect). Against the archangel, if you're about to be hit by one of its AOEs, swap, then move the image away - it is expendable, you are not, and the little bit of damage you might take by simply moving might mean life or death if the enemy team catches you out.

Keep in mind when considering objectives: once you have Illusion Master, you can have your images 'channel' objectives, though they cannot claim them. However, for certain maps such as Cursed Hollow, Towers of Doom, Warhead Junction, Blackheart's Bay, and Tomb of the Spider Queen, you can make the enemy reveal themselves by sending an image to 'claim' the objective, keeping all of your team, including yourself, alive and healthy while they waste time and energy on a fake (and possibly take damage too).

Conclusion Top

I hope you found my guide helpful. If you have any suggestions, question, or comments, I'd love to hear them. Again, I'm no expert, nor am I very competitive (bounced around the hell that is the Silver/Gold border in Hero League, no hate please), and I also have not done any calculations besides what you can see here, so some of my talent choices might be sub-par in light of hard math.

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