Waddup. I'm SHIFT, and I like pickles.

I will be putting together a couple of very quick guides with some build ideas and rationale for discussion. These are mostly a resource for my viewers on Twitch who ask about builds and want to kind of get in my mind while I'm playing heroes. I will reference my pre-set builds in the talents and abilities section, these initial builds are not to be taken literally or followed 100% of the time for every single game. Please read the rest of my rationale as I give it below.

If you have not seen my stream, feel free to check me out here!

Raynor is a ranged assassin that specializes in putting out damage from the backline. Always be sure to keep a big body in front of you in team engagements, and be sure to be mindful of any bad situations you may find yourself in while chasing or pursuing a smaller fight (2v2 or such) as Raynor's escape ability is NOT very high. While escaping be sure to make good use of blind spots while your Adrenaline Rush is about to pop, as well as utilizing your Penetrating Round to push enemies out of their line of sight of you.

Your goal in fights is to get out as much Auto Attack damage as possible while either initiating or finishing off specific heroes with your burst. Be sure to always use Inspire before engaging a single target as that will greatly increase your advantage in more intimate and personal 1v1 situations. Penetrating Round should be used to either help kite backwards, or to finish off escaping heroes that are out of your range.

(Q) Penetrating Round Your burst, push back, and kiting all in one skill. A linear skill shot that does burst damage and knocks back enemies. Great for finishing off escaping enemies out of your auto attack range, or for pushing back that pesky face diver giving you some separation to escape or re-engage from a more friendly distance.

(W) Inspire With the proper upgrades this ability can be a huge factor in team fights as there are both buffs for your teammates and debuffs to the enemy team. Not my personal preference when it comes to my playstyle, I typically look at this ability for what it does for Raynor himself. Gains a considerable buff for both damage and attack speed, this ability is key for your takedown ability. Make sure to pop it right as you are trying to get out the most Auto Attack damage possible!

(E) Adrenaline Rush This is the ultimate saving grace of Raynor, and what makes him listed as a "easy" hero in the game in my opinion. Automatically activates when you drop below 30% of your health, it is key to make sure that you step away from the burst heavy enemies right before this pops so that it helps you stay alive to its fullest potential. If you find yourself dying a lot, even with this ability, be sure to pick up some talents like Give Me More! against super burst heavy teams.

(Trait) Lead From The Front Not to be taken literally, you should never be leading from the front. Ever. However, most new Raynor player forget that this essentially RESETS all of your COOLDOWNS! Allowing you to put out more burst and damage instantly!

---

Seasoned Marksman - Is my normal go-to ability Level 1. On very rare occasions will I take anything else as I normally find myself playing to be the primary DPS player on my team and this is the best ability to get the most damage.

ALTERNATIVES Give Me More! - Only take this if you find yourself in a SUPER heavy burst/control lane and they have a ganker. It's not a terrible pick up if you don't trust your front line tanks or your healers for the late game, but more often than not if you are positioning correctly you won't need this. Bribe - This is a trait I may pick up if you are on the bigger maps like Cursed Hollow or Sky Temple, but ONLY if my supports do not have the ability available and ONLY if I'm not a primary DPS for my team. Being able to have someone take camps is important on those big maps, and if you have no one else on your team to control that aspect of the game, then you should consider this. See my "Utility Secondary DPS" build. Demolitionist - If you are going with my "All I Do Is Lane" build then this is ability could be considered, but really, you should only be going the "All I Do Is Lane" build if you are a complete tard. Scouting Drone - Never take this. It is probably one of the most useless abilities in the game.

---

Advanced Optics - Is my normal go-to ability Level 4 just due to the fact that you will instantly out range every other assassin in the game and it can be extremely utilized in harassing enemies in lane. It also is great to give you that extra separation in team fights and it allows you to kite extremely well when paired up with a well timed Inspire.

ALTERNATIVES Quick Fingers - This is surprisingly a very undervalued trait, and one that I've learned can be extremely valuable when paired up with Raynor's Raiders. This is a completely viable option if you want to get a bit more in the face of the enemy and you find your team getting into a lot of team fight situations. On maps like Cursed Hollow, Sky Temple, Blackheart's Bay, and Dragon Shire where objectives rely mostly on team fights, having the ability to have Raynor's Raiders up almost immediately is huge for prolonged fights. See my "In Your Face" Build. Focused Attack - I really find no value in this ability seeing as you want more consistent auto attack value. If you are planning on using this for the damage, it is not as worthwhile as Advanced Optics. Vampiric Assault - Going along with the rationale for Focused Attack, it just isn't as worthwhile as the extra range. Your team comp should have a healer in it, and usually they will be laning with you, so having Vampiric Assault is essentially useless. Especially with you already having the talent of Adrenaline Rush, it's just an overkill of heal.

---

Searing Attacks - This is where you get a LARGE percentage of your damage. 50% extra damage on your auto attacks? Paired with a well timed Inspire? Yes please. MAKE SURE TO ACTIVATE Inspire BEFORE GOING HAM-BONE WITH THIS TALENT TO MAXIMIZE DAMAGE DONE!

ALTERNATIVES Revolution Overdrive - This is great if your team does not have much follow up or chase in an engagement. I would only suggest this over Searing Attacks if you have another DPS hero that is able to put out some serious deeps. See my "Utility Secondary DPS" build. Heavy Ammo - Not as worthwhile for the typical team comp as other abilities, but can be useful if you find yourself in a pushing mood. See my "All I Do Is Lane" build. Fight or Flight - Not worthwhile compared to other options, but I suppose if you find yourself in a lot of 1v1s or odd-man situations where you are getting stun locked it could be useful, but you should never find yourself in odd-man situations as an assassin, so don't bother.

---

Both of these Heroic Abilites are viable options, it really just comes down to what you are feeling and what your team needs more of.

Hyperion allows for great zoning and really discourages enemies from grouping up. It flows really well with capture based maps like Cursed Hollow and Sky Temple. I would definitely suggest Hyperion if you find yourself pushing a lot or if your team has a lot of single target focus as it is. Nothing wrong with making sure there is a good source of AOE damage in fights!

Raynor's Raiders is great for a number of things, the first being the obvious single target focus which can be extremely frustrating to play against. Raider's also give a bit of a vision bonus too and can be useful when chasing down enemies through brush or around walls. Be mindful though! These banshees can be focused and killed! Make sure to not overextend with these bad boys as it can be a terrible trap.

---

Giant Killer - This coupled with Searing Attacks and Inspire makes for a devastating combo against any warrior or beefy enemy hero. Granted, this bonus does apply against every hero, but the % exponentially makes it difficult for warriors and healers to stay in the fights for long.

ALTERNATIVES The Art of War - This is really the only other viable option at level 13 as the others are rather useless. This can be great if you find yourself up against a Zeratul, Kerrigan, or Illidan who finds their way right up into your grill. The attack and move speed reduction against those heroes is exactly what you would need to gain the upper hand in a more isolated 1v1 situation. Not too mention this is another good ability to drop in the middle of a team fight as it makes the enemy much more sluggish in the fight. Activated Rush - Just let the passive get it. You shouldn't need it above 30% of your health anyways. Spell Shield - Let your supports worry about this.

---

This level really is a toss up and depends a lot on what your team does or does not have a lot of.
Bullseye - Is my typical choice simply because of the extra burst damage and the extra little stun when you are chasing down a close kill in a team fight. Not to mention that it can be used as an interruption on a number of channeled ults.

ALTERNATIVES Berserk - Love the extra attack and movement speed after Inspire has worn off. This is great as a follow-up in team fights or chasing down that last kill on a hero that may have Sprint Executioner - See, this ability is GREAT when you have a team that has a lot of CC, but rather pointless if you can't capitalize on stuns or slows that people generate. This really comes down to how skilled of a player you are and how well you synergize with your team. I usually will find myself taking this when I have a Tyrael, Arthas, or Uther that I can coordinate with on comms. Massive damage can be done with this ability, definitely not something to overlook. Cluster Round - Really only good for a couple of situations, like lane pushing, or when coupled with a cluster ult like Devouring Maw from Zagara, Grav-o-Bomb from Gazlowe or Void Prism from Zeratul. Overall, there are better options in my opinion, but it's not a terrible ability.

---

This level really is a toss up and depends a lot on what you are feeling based on how team fights are going.
Battle Hyperion (Deprecated) / Dusk Wings - The follow-up for each Heroic Ability, both have tons of utility in them. Battle Hyperion (Deprecated) can absolutely WRECK structures and I would recommend it if your team is having a hard time closing fights around Keeps or the enemy Core. Dusk Wings is great as it is essentially just constant damage from both banshees with the extra missile per shot. Especially if you are taking Quick Fingers I strongly recommend it.

Fury of the Storm / Bolt of the Storm - If you don't want the super charged ults, you are picking between these two; and 9/10 times you should be picking Bolt of the Storm with a hero like Raynor who has no true escape before this option. However, if you find yourself getting good opportunities to put in auto attack damage with Inspire, Searing Attacks, and Berserk, Fury of the Storm can help bolster the damage you are putting out shot by shot. I would only recommend it though if you are feeling VERY COMFORTABLE with your support heals and team CC. Getting killed this late in the game isn't worth the possible extra damage more often than not.