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Special Tactics: Hatchery Heimerdinger!

darkdill·2/4/2015, 9:26:44 PM·2 votes·2,092 views

Heimerdinger "Greetings, Summoners! I am Professor Heimerdinger, genius scientist and ruler of the Piltover Academy of Science and Progress! ... Alright, we're not actually at the academy at the moment. This room can temporarily be moved into the Summoning Queues." (Cookie to whoever gets the reference.)

I am in the middle of experimenting with a new Heimer build that turns Heimerdinger into a sieging monster. I call it the Hatchery build, after the Zerg of Starcraft fame.

This build entails using the items Zz'Rot Portal, Banner of Command, and Elixir of Ruin to enable Heimerdinger to siege and force down turrets, while creating powerful defensive positions that are incredibly difficult to destroy without high amounts of long-ranged AOE attacks.

Critical Items item 3157 item 3512 item 3060 item 3258 item 3362 item 2137 Situational Items item 3027 item 3116 item 3165 item 3089 item 3135 item 3001 Summoner's Spells summoner 12 summoner 4

Strategy The goal of the build is this: position yourself in brush near an enemy turret, set down your Zz'Rot Portal in the brush, and fortify the position with your turrets (I call this fortification the "Bunker", after the Terrans). As your own minion wave comes along, use Banner of Command to enhance a minion (preferably a cannon minion) to improve the push. Elixirs of Ruin should be purchased and used if they are affordable, further enhancing your minions in tower destruction.

If combined with your teammates covering you, the enemy turret will inevitably fall to the Voidspawn attacks. If the enemy tries to assault your position up close, throw down your Apex Turret and stun them with grenades as they try to kill you. When necessary, use Zhonya's Hourglass to enter stasis, and let your turrets clean up the enemy. This should defeat most dives, but can still be overwhelmed if you are seriously outnumbered.

Benefits

  • Gives Heimerdinger incredibly potent siege power that is difficult to repel without long-range AOE nukes.
  • Baits enemies into diving at Heimerdinger's "Bunkers", which tends to be suicidal for the aggressors.
  • Makes Heimerdinger deceptively tanky and able to bait enemies through his turret grid for longer.
  • Grants Heimerdinger huge amounts of health regeneration (his base HPR is 40.8 at level 18; no, this is not a bug).

Weaknesses

  • Vulnerable to long-ranged AOE mages (i.e. Lux, Ziggs, Xerath)
  • Takes considerable time to get going; the kit is rather expensive.
  • Sacrifices damage output on spells and turrets for durability and push power.
  • Can be outmaneuvered by enemy split-pushers; can only attack one lane at a time.

Why do this?

Heimerdinger isn't the best of team-fight Champions. His slow speed and need for setting up his turrets in defensive positions leaves him unable to follow his teammates in mobile warfare. This build, on the other hand, forces the enemy to come to you if they don't want to lose turrets or inhibitors. This is where Heimerdinger's bait tactics can shine their best.

Considering that Riot wants us to explore split-push compositions more this season, I think this could give our Revered Inventor some good uses.

Comments and discussion are appreciated. Please keep it civil.

7 Comments

Tsen2/4/2015, 9:34:58 PM1 votes

I sooo enjoy banner heimer even though his turrets don't gain any benefits from it now. The invulnerable to magic damage cannon minion is hilarious against ap mids lol.

I'm assuming this is top heimer? The bushes in mid lane leaves you too vulnerable... Also assuming Q is maxed since heimer turrets goes poof in 1-2 skill shots. Gotta keep em stocked and ready :\

Sounds fun, but how is the early/late game? :< It sounds like it needs a team built around this tactic sooo, which champs do you think synergizes well with him? :0

DrCyanide2/4/2015, 10:25:40 PM1 votes

I don't play Heimer, but I'd be interested in seeing how this works.

What's your reasoning for item 3060 being mandatory while item 3001 is situational ? It seems like the bonus Magic Resist would be better for the Void Spawn while the AP and Magic Pen would be better for your turrets/spells.

The Chin2/5/2015, 2:07:27 AM1 votes

Try building Heimer without boots, he's not really the kind of champ that chases people down or runs away so you can actually get away with not using boots (really sucks for map rotations tho)

Get a item 3026 instead, it'll buff the item 3512 minions, and obviously is really strong when people dive you in your turrets

iluvalar2/5/2015, 3:46:03 PM1 votes

I main heimer myself. So many comments to do here.

  1. as you gt more and more tanky with heimer, the timeframe to use item 3157 narrow down a lot. You do less damage during the stasis and the amount of things you really have to dodge go down. The item is kinda not slot efficient and the cd on the stasis is deceptively long if you really plan to siege.

  2. Go for it ! item 2053 item 2053 double raptor heimer and build item 3056 late game. As you point out yourself, that hp5 is really worth it on heimer.

  3. if you go that path, I now suggest item 3083 . You will now have the hp to go with your tanky stats and you will cross the 300hp5 wall at level 18. mundo with a brain.

  4. summoner 4 when is it that useful ? You can't run all the way back to base, you were sieging... By the time you'll realize "oopsy there is a 4rth player there to take down my siege" you are already so much out of position... You don't have the speed to run.. there will be one of them with a gap closer to catch you up. The best is to stand strong and deal the maximum amount of damage by staying in your "hive" for the few seconds you still have to live. Also, since you started building armor. The offensive flash to kill someone start to be hard to pull off as well.

  5. Your hive should be in the exp range of the lane otherwise you'll lose exp from that strat. Also, you will be vulnerable to aoe skills if you hide all your turrets in a single spot.