Tips for playing defensive Support

^This.

I use gaps when the other team has a ton of turrets or is turtling. I usually only buy them in groups of 3+ - the terror raining down is palpable. I try to avoid the side with a sniper or to many pushers. I typically plan on them dying by midfield unless we have the enemy on the ropes, then I may follow and leash them up. If they're not in danger of being destroyed by pros and you want to walk them down make sure you go ahead and clear any enemy bots approaching them 'cause everything kills them easily. I usually like to wait for a team of blackjacks and pump the gaps behind so the gaps have some bot bodyguards. The nice thing about them is that they usually get you at least a small refund as they'll take down enemy turrets for $35 before even leaving the base.

Longshots are great when your team has them pushed into their base and you want a kind of constant cover fire. with 2 of them, hacked, it seems like they'll keep most bots from making to your side. They're waaaay more effective hacked - I almost don't see the point of having them but not hacking them. I also don't really get leaving them at lvl 1 - its 2+ or bust, and even then if anyone so much as looks in their direction its still bust. I never build them if the enemy has a base harassing sin. I may build one if all the jackbot side turret nubs are smoking when the jackbot shows up. It can cross over the field and may provide that extra something to take him down. The other team is usually focused on our Jackbot by that time so it'll usually make it through that part of the round.

The last thing I consider is if I can afford a smoking nub. If I can't then the gap is the obvious choice (as it is most of the time anyway.)

I don't want to make a new topic for this so I'll just put it here.

ProTip: A level 3 firebase that's been overhealed can survive an ejector. Veeeeeeeery useful for putting it in the middle of Spunky. I found this out a few days ago and nobody seems to know about it.

WHAT?!? overhealed by how much?

Not sure exactly hoe much, but it doesn't need a 100% overheal.

I did NOT know this..... This is really amazing news for spunky. ok..NOW I may start buying level 3.... :shock:

I was wondering how the hell my firebase would stay up after I got ejected. I usually put it there approaching overtime and bounce around it overhealing. An airstrike still solves this problem though.

Good to know, thanks for the tip.

I agree, but an accurate airstrike would require them to be able to align it properly, and usually if you've got a FB set up there, your team has map control.

My opinion on longshots vs gapshots.

I never build longshots. I'll upgrade one and hack it if someone has started it, but I'd rather have shaveice or rockets.

As an airstrike junkie, I love seeing longshots in the enemy base. Easy money, and smoking a lvl 3 while its being overhealed is so satisfying.

gapshot

AARPS said he only buys them in 3's, and this is a good strategy. A support with a gold RoF endorsement can keep a turret alive until a gapshot is killed. This not only wastes your $100, but it gives the support juice while healing the turret. If you spawn them in groups, they'll clear out a base surprisingly fast.

Be mindful of the annihilator, I usually think "gapshot" after I hear it go off, and after jackbots spawn.

And F5in, I did witness my lvl 3 firebase surviving an ejector. I had just gotten it hacked and overhealed under the bridge in front of the enemy bot spawn on Spunky when an Assassin hit the ejector from above. That dude had to more surprised than I was that it was still up when he hopped down there to finish me off and got gunned down by it while I bounced around healing it.

It was fully overhealed, and I think it had about a quarter of it's health left after the ejector.

When I play support, I only play defense, and here's one thing I'd like to add.

On Spunky Cola, don't worry about your initial rockit turrets. Start with hack 2 and buy a rockit on the nub that is the most up front. Place your firebase somewhere that protects both of your front-most rockit turrets. After you get a 3.2-3.3 rockit, get a longshot turret on the other one. Also, spawn gapshots whenever your team closer to the other side.

Yep I use this too, though my FB placement depends on the aggression level and attack vectors (<-fun to say) of the enemies. I almost always ignore our base's turrets unless we get pushed back.