Before the rabid dissenters of the forum leap out of the woodwork to tear my gluteus maximus a new rectum opening keep in mind this is only based on my first impressions of the hero.
I’ve only played Captain Ylva in games with people who I personally know against mostly noobs and in 3v3 so my interpretation can be either TOTALLY WRONG or SUBJECT TO PERSONAL BIAS. Just. Just… Hear me out okay?
I’ve tried playing Ylva in the jungle and I kinda found her…underwhelming at certain times. I will admit her Crystal power path has probably the most ridiculous burst since Anka was released and it was immensely fun to get a single Shatterglass and delete enemy heroes who got held down by crowd control.
The main issue I had and struggled immensely when playing Ylva, however, was just how clunky her CHARGED SHOT seemed as you have to hope the enemy is dumb enough to get close within your auto range so you can stun and follow up with your CRIMSON FANG for that glorious burst. Your CRIMSON FANG is also a very risky engagement tool since you are squishy and ranged.
The other problem is how short range your BINDING MINE is to throw. It makes it annoying as you cannot use offensively and either has to use as an ambush tool and hopes a lone enemy without the numerous protection tools in game walks into it so you can go to town on them. So it becomes either a tool you have to use defensively or use with a subtle touch.
And since I’m very much a scaredy-cat kind player whose ABSOLUTELY AWFUL at taking risks and JUNGLING I decided to try her out as support.
SHE WAS SO MUCH EASIER TO PLAY (FOR ME SINCE I MAIN SUPPORT)
Obviously, Ylva is not a substitute for real dedicated support heroes, but her utility does help her team immensely enough that I feel (based on first impressions) that she can flex support and actually make it work and not have it be a troll pick.
Here’s why.
YOUR HEROIC PERK IS A CAPTAINS WET DREAM:
Ylva’s heroic perk is probably one of the strongest aspects of her design. The ability to see SPECIFICALLY enemy heroes moving through stealth and fog of war and give your allies the same advantage is extremely useful as it allows you to know where nearby enemies are and when a potential gank is about to occur or how to catch an enemy out.
Since very few heroes stand still that long, this means you AND YOUR TEAM can quickly detect enemy movements and act accordingly as well as know where they are facing. This means a Captain Ylva doesn’t have to rely too hard on getting vision items or having to wait on a Flicker passive to gain true sight.
You know where your enemies are no matter what and that gives your team a huge amount of power. So long as you aren’t foolhardy and face checking brush alone without a backup you get so much intel.
Ylva’s CHARGED SHOT is basically a different variation of Catherine’s stun but with slightly less risk.
Ylva’s first ability has so many applications that make her viable as a support hero. It’s a point and clicks stun that does have a fairly long wind up time which makes it bad to use should the situation turn sour very fast. However, you can charge the ability in brush UNDETECTED which means you can quickly surprise enemies with the stun.
This allows you to peel or cancel important enemy abilities. The only thing this ability is lackluster at for you as a support Ylva is basically if your team is chasing as you probably will have to be fairly close to the enemy to get the stun off or ambush them.
Another thing is that the ability cooldown is only 6 seconds at max rank which means you have an on-demand stun very often with the bonus damage still packing quite a bit of stopping power. Just don’t use it out in the open as you will look kinda dumb.
Ylva’s CRIMSON FANG can be considered another variation of Ardan’s punch.
Being a support, your second ability will not be that powerful unless you decided to pick up an offensive item. However, upon overdrive (if you choose to) it has a 9-meter range. and it deals 75% more damage to enemies who are immobilized.
Since the ability is point and clicks it means you don’t have to worry about skill shots. CRIMSON FANG can be used as a way for you to close the distance on an enemy, or for a bit more burst on enemies who are immobilized by your team or your own crowd control. It can also be used as a way to escape.
Ylva’s BINDING MINE is great zone control or a way to peel for allies.
This invisible trap is probably another reason why Ylva can be viable as a support flex pick. It allows you to provide autonomous peel for your ally or for an ambush on unsuspecting enemies. It plants a mine that when stepped on will trigger a large AOE root.
The ability is on a very short cooldown which means it will be up almost every fight. There are so many uses for BINDING MINE as a support tool to provide zone control. All you have to know is where to place them to ensure you catch enemies out.
All of this, of course, is only based on initial impressions and is not validated by solo play. Obviously support Ylva will not fit into every team comp, but she offers quite a bit of utility that makes her viable as a support pick. What does everyone else think?
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