By quincy0191
Join the discussion on this years Honcast Awards and earn Silver Coins!
These guys go above and beyond just by doing something. It doesn’t have to be big, but the core of their job is not to feed and get what they can in a lane they’re supposed to lose. Most of the following players don’t seem to understand that, though, because they regularly win impossible lanes and often out-farm their mid or even carry player.
Jonassomfan (BMG)
Another well-deserved nomination for old BMG’s stalwart suicide, who never seemed to be outmatched. The fact that he made suicide Chipper work is testament enough to his skill – sure, it was very situational and not common, but putting a squishy burst-oriented hero with no escape mechanism in the long lane seemed to invite failure. But Jonassomfan’s ability to play any hero in the suicide lane and do it well best defined him; Benzington, Pharaoh, Scout, Bubbles, Madman, Drunken Master, he made it all work and BMG rode his high-farming ways to a lot of wins.
KheZu (SynC)
Now that he’s learned to scout with wolves, KheZu can pick off more couriers than ever. SynC’s used him occasionally in the “suicide carry” role, giving him a late-game hero like Swiftblade (on which he is ludicrously good) or Magebane and gradually shifting farm focus his way. But most impressive is his ability to annoy the crap out of the other team on a variety of heroes, popping up all over the map and constantly harassing them so his teammates can safely farm or follow up his initiation.
Xibbe (BMG/KNX)
Transitioning to the suicide role after playing carry for old BMG, Xibbe does weird things that seem to work more often than they should. Most notable is a “suicide” Parasite in HoN Tour Season 3, but there is also the consistent Alchemist Bones when facing Parasite and the occasional foray into a carry role, like with Puppet Master, Silhouette, or Doctor Repulsor when BMG want to put Haxxeren on an initiator. For many players this sort of outside-the-box play would mean a lot of failure, but Xibbe’s got it under control.
Limmp (sG)
How good is Limmp when he only plays suicide for a few months after nearly always playing mid and still ends up on of the best suicide players of the year? Losing KheZu was a huge blow after how well he grew into the long lane role, but one could argue Stay Green actually upgraded with the addition of Limmp. In the Season 2 World Finals Limmp was huge, with the second-highest K+A:D ratio of any player, just a few tenths of a point behind fUzi, and no surprise it was a big Kraken doing most of the damage. Limmp doesn’t have the longevity, but he may have reached the highest peak of any suicide player.
BOXl (tree)
willowkeeper have only been in the spotlight for a few months now, but BOXl’s been making big plays for a long time. If you want to see suicide Chronos executed to perfection, check out the HTS2 Diamond Cycle 10 LBR1 DNKE vs. tree Game 3 match. BOXl’s hipster Chronos destroys Donkekong, foreshadowing not only Chronos’ amazing suicide potential but his skill as a player. Admittedly the tower dives and trying to kill the entire enemy team by himself doesn’t always work out, but he comes out on top a hell of a lot of the time.
Z4NE (Rea)
The other half of the consistent Reason brothers, Z4NE’s steady presence in the suicide role has given Reason a lot of reliably excellent play for a long while now. That doesn’t mean his only virtue is sticking around, though, because he’s undoubtedly one of the best and probably the most underrated suicide player, maybe the most underrated player in the game. Pharaoh is his go-to, but of course it’s the Electrician that most people remember, and in reality Z4NE’s stable of heroes is as lengthy as his time in HoN.
Here we have some of the most versatile players in HoN. The only ones to consistently occupy two distinct and disparate roles, they often have to switch between the relatively safe farm of the jungle to a low-priority support role. Becoming proficient enough at separate identities to excel at both is obscenely difficult, which is precisely why we don’t see top level players constantly switching roles. These guys do.
Mynuts (sG)
Replacing Chessie in the jungle role is something nobody would want to do, but Mynuts managed to do about as well as one could expect in the reformed sG lineup. Tempest was probably his signature hero, and sG’s reliance on jungle strategies meant a heavy emphasis on Mynuts’ farm and impact. Considering how much sG won, it’s pretty difficult to argue he wasn’t a significantly positive influence on the team in game after game. Plus he’s got a pretty great name.
Handsken (BMG)
If there’s something about jungle players being captains, it’s exemplified best by Handsken. Not only did the guy lead his team to win after win, including against the best competition, but he played an outstanding jungle and was probably the best Ophelia player when Oph was first pick or first ban material. Being the best at the best hero usually means you’re going to have some pretty great performances in general, and it’s not like Handsken swallowed his hands on Parasite or Tempest. Get him on a team, let him do what he wants, you’re probably going to win the game.
Zlapped (SynC)
The first current name on the list, Zlapped has grown significantly over the last year into one of the best jungle players on the scene. SynC have started to ask him to branch out a little bit in the last couple of cycles, but he excels at all three common junglers, winning over 75% of games on Ophelia, Tempest, and Parasite in Season 3. He also managed to adapt tree’s jungle-pulling strategy for bonus points, because apparently he wasn’t the best at enough heroes.
Tankafett (BMG)
Evidently BMG have to have a jungle player as their captain, and evidently he has to be one of the best in the scene. That’s probably a good standard to require, and Tankafett definitely meets it, especially with his big Tempest holes or hyper-aggressive Parasite that manages to farm better than any other player-hero combo on this list. If you’re looking for a jungler that doesn’t just want to sit back and farm, this is your guy.
WhaT_YoU_GoT (Null)
Versatility, thy name is WhaT_YoU_GoT. War Beast? Sure, and Legionnaire, Solstice, Balphagore, Lord Salforis, Cthuluphant, plus the traditional Parasite, Ophelia, and Tempest. WhaT_YoU_GoT has GoT a hero pool that’s ten deep in the jungle alone and he’s great on every one of them, so good luck banning him out or trying to predict what he’s going to beat you with next. By the way, that extends to the second support role with heroes like Circe and Andromeda. If another jungle player is doing more to expand the meta, I haven’t heard of them.
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quincy0191 is a HoN veteran with a focus on the numbers. Fascinated by quantifying and valuing human beings, he shunned the world of finance in favor of sports and competition. When not on Honcast you can find quincy playing games like Civilization and Pokemon, or watching movies, writing, pondering, or catching a game of baseball.
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jimjar
Suicide: Z4ne (Rea), jungler: Zlapped (Sync)
Posted about 3 months ago
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