Prozerran
02-18-2007, 5:48 PM
I believe this deserves an article, just because I've been a fan of this player for a while now and this has been discussed to some length in the Town Hall. AKM (aka Angry_Korea_Man) is what I like to think of as a controversial player. Some say, "Unless you're AKM, don't try this strategy because you'll lose." It's true. Unless you understand the intricacies of the strategy, don't use it. I've taken some time to study some of his replays, and with some common sense, I want to give you a thorough understanding of the strategy and its use in each match-up.
The Build Order
Alter (Queue to Tower)
Farm (Queue to 2nd Farm, then Tower)
Lumber Mill
Upgrade towers to Guard
Begin Masonry Upgrade
Clear Expo and begin towers there (4-5)
Add 3rd farm and Vault as resources allow
You'll produce peasants to about 28-30 control.
Bloodmage Skill Point Assignment and Usage
This will vary somewhat depending on the match-up and the strategy of the opponent, but for the most part you'll go with:
Flamestrike, Siphon Mana, Flamestrike, Siphon Mana, Flamestrike, Phoenix, Siphon, Banish, Banish, Banish
The Bloodmage is very effective at level 2. At this point, he can Siphon enemy mana to feed more Flamestrikes. He is slow, so he needs boots, and his Flamestrike does carry a one second delay before going off. So, it's important to know when to cast Flamestrike. You should always be siphoning mana in a battle, if nothing else to prevent your opponent from casting dangerous spells against your weaker units. In almost all cases, you want FS and Siphon to be your primary skills.
That being said, he is a great solo hero, and at Tiers 2 & 3, he receives an experience bonus for being the only hero. This will come in extremely handy later in the game when you're at level 5 and you kill a couple of units for level 6. His ultimate is the best summon, hands-down, in the game. When the phoenix comes out, most players quit. In some situations, however, it is better to put that 6th point into Siphon to deny opponents of important spells. This is the case in the UD match-up, and the NE can also be considered if your opponent solo's a Warden or DH.
You want your Bloodmage working at all times. Granted, there are times you have to concern yourself with production buildings, macro, farms, and towers, but you do not want your Bloodmage cowering in your base through the whole game. He's not as vulnerable as you think, and lvl 2 Flamestrike is absolutely deadly to workers. A level 3 BM should always be harassing enemy workers to disrupt your opponent's economy. Don't make it harder than it is. Be stubborn and persistent and you'll win a majority of your games.
The Strategy in Three Parts
Step 1. Tech or Expand, get to Level 2. Use between 6-8 militia and your BM to clear your natural expansion for a quick level 2 - do this as soon as the BM comes out, DON'T WAIT! Try to micro red peasants out and back in to the fight if possible, but don't get upset if you lose some. Not all of them may survive, so keep production up back at base. Once cleared, start towering (between 4-5 towers) the mine before starting the Hall. Back at base, set up about 2 more guard towers. If you don't expand (I.E. if you're on TR spawned next to your opponent), tech when your BM is at least to level 3 and you have enough peasants (again, this is approximately 30 control).
Step 2. Tech straight to Tier 3. Don't pass go. Don't collect $200.00. Go straight to Tier 3 adding buildings as you go. To keep your opponent slightly distracted, keep leveling your BM until level 3, so you can use lvl 2 FS on goldmining Peasants, Peons, Aco's, and Lumber Harvesting Wisps. Use Invis potions from the goblin lab along with Boots of Speed, an invuln potion, and a Tele Staff for easier entry and exit from the base. Empty your mana pool with FS. The more damage you do at this stage while your opponent is upgrading, the easier your game will become.
Step 3. Counter. Yes, this is a counter game, and as such, you'll find yourself playing catch-up for about 1-2 minutes. This doesn't mean you're losing. Your opponent has about 10-20 towers to work through to take down 2-3 bases, and this buys you a good deal of time. Let's look at the match-ups.
VS Mirror
Let's start here. Your opponent probably went with a standard AM, WE, Foots build. He will undoubtedly harass you at your base, and your towers will hold them back. Don't get anxious to militia all your peasants... yet. Send a few out at first to attack the AM. When they're in the yellow, start running them back into base. If your opponent is stupid (most of them are), they'll follow you in. Call to Arms and get some surrounds. You'll force an immediate TP and take minimal losses. 24-25 Militia will keep you alive and relatively unscathed. If your opponent doesn't take the bait at first, militia a fresh set of 8-9 Peasants and send the injured ones back to harvest.
At Tiers 2 & 3, you'll want to put up a Barracks, 2 Sanctums, and a Workshop. Use the BM to harass while you pump out Priests, Mortars, and Knights. If your opponent goes Mass Air, you'll want Barrage Tanks and FM's, so put up another Workshop. If your opponent managed to expand, use Mortars (Invisible Mortars if necessary) to take down the expo before you push your opponent. If this doesn't win you the game and you're forced out, creep the map to gain items from high level creeps and level 5.
VS Orc
Your opponent has two very obnoxious tactics here, Gruntapult & Fast Wyvs, and you will want to tech faster than your opponent in order to have units before you are thoroughly thrashed. This is wrong, and you will lose. The key to this match-up is the expo. If possible, always expo against Orc. When they come to gruntapult, this is their "one chance" to end the game. If you properly position towers beforehand, you won't lose to Gruntapult. Mortars > Catas in range, so if you have a Workshop up, Mortars are a great solution.
Once your expo is up, begin your tech. Start a Blacksmith, then two Barracks. While these are building, you need to take your BM and scout. Of course, try to take down burrows with Flamestrike if your opponent is off creeping or preparing to push you, and prepare yourself for anything (most likely Wyvs). This point of the game is crucial, since your Orc opponent is going to try and end the game before you reach Tier 3. Don't panic. This is why we're making Rifles, because the effect of the first few wyvs that come along will set the pace for the rest of this match-up. When Tier 2 hits, you'll throw down two Sanctums and a Workshop. You want Priests to heal Rifles and FM's to chase down Wyvs trying to use trees as cover.
If your opponent opts for Grunt/Raider, Rifle/Caster creates an interesting macro scenario. You see, Raiders + Speed Scroll = Dead Casters, which makes Grunts + Raiders = Dead Rifles. Priest Dispel is your friend, however, this negates slow as well and wastes mana. So, to get around this, your rule of thumb vs Grunt/Raider is: DON'T ENGAGE until your BM has level 4 for level 1 Banish. Why? Raider Ensnare. Raiders ensnare casters, surround them, and kill them. To counter, you'll focus Rifles on Raiders, let priests get ensnared and surrounded, then Banish them essentially giving you free pop-shots on Raiders.
More to come...
VS UD
This brings us to the origins of AKM's strategy. Long ago on www.warcraftstrategy.com, someone you've probably never heard of posted an article, "Bloodmage in Hu vs UD", or some equivalent. The article highlighted AKM's use of a zepplin on LT, using Flamestrike to make a clearing behind the enemy goldmine to get a group of peasants building guard towers behind that goldmine. This no longer works as well, because the zepplin is no longer available so soon. Regardless, this is where AKM's strategy was first made known to me, and as far as I know, to War3 players in general as a collective group. This is also where a lot of players stereotyped this strategy as unworkable, and they were right at the time. Seeing this strategy evolve, however, has given me some insight into the potential for solving the menace of some of the match-ups human players face. UD is one of those match-ups that Human players tend to dread facing, so keep this in mind when playing UD.
UD will tech straight to Tier 3 using a small group of Ghouls, Fiends, or both to harass you while you're expanding. Militia generally holds off Ghouls, so concentrate your Flamestrike on Fiends focusing your Towers on the DK. In between Flamestrikes, be sure you're constantly siphoning mana from the DK. A few siphons will render the DK useless, he won't be able to coil his Fiends, and you can earn yourself some kills and a possible level 3 for level 2 Flamestrike. Immediately go to a shop, get an invis potion, invuln potion, and a Telestaff. Flamestrike aco's relentlessly, chase them down, and kill them.
During your Tech to T2, throw up a Blacksmith and 2 Rax for Rifles. When you hit T2, add a couple of Sanctums for Priests and Workshops for FM's. UD will have two options for you to consider. Fast Destros -> Aboms or Mass Fiends - > Aboms. This means a macro chain of Rifle/Priest -> Knight/Priest/Mortar when you see Aboms. FM's become essential here, as you don't want to see Destro's once you have Master Priests that can cast Inner Fire. AKM never lets Destro's get away. Chase them down, kill 'em all. Don't let UD combine Destro's and Aboms or you'll get hosed. Disease cloud will kill your Knights while Destro's go to work on your Mortars and Priests. Tip the scales by taking out Destros, and you'll be in the clear if you plan on splashing sorcs and sticking with Rifle/Caster.
VS NE
From reviewing the replays, I find that Mortar/Caster is almost taylor made for the NE match-up. Towers, Casters, and Mortars are all great against NE, and Tanks with Barrage coupled with Flying Machines seal the deal against Chims. Virtually every unit from the Workshop is applicable, so you should be set with dual Sanctuaries and Dual Workshops. Caster/Mortar is sufficient vs Bear/Dryad. Breakers tend to lose to Bears nowadays since NE players empty Bear mana before attacking casting Roar and Rejuv. Your strategy against NE is to use invisi-mortar to take down expo's and avoid the NE army until they charge your base. At that point, focus towers, casters, and flamestrike on Bears while focusing Mortars on Dryads. When you hit level 5, push your opponent for level 6 and end the game with the Phoenix. NE has no answer to Phoenix, and without expo's and economy, the game should end then and there.
Another option for this match-up is mass Hawks. Get a Rax up during tech, then 3 Aviaries at T2. At T3, be sure to upgrade Animal War-Training for additional HP on the Hawks. This is a tactic that involves a bit of secrecy, so try to prevent your opponent from seeing your Hawks until you go in for the kill. By the time you begin your attack, your opponent won't have enough time to produce enough hippo's to counter. Dryads don't stand up to Mass Hawks, and since you can count on Bear/Dryad in most games, if you see it during your harass, this can be a viable option for you.
EDIT: A Word on Building/Tower Placement
It is important to cover as much space as possible in your area, while taking care not to build 999,999 towers side by side like a noob. In the Orc replay vs Midlake on TS, you will notice that AKM's tower positioning single-handedly stopped the towering/gruntapult tactic in its tracks. I've found a better method to maximize the effect. Begin by tucking 3-4 towers near your Hall behind farms. After your tech to T2 is underway, place a tower in the center of your spawn area, and build 2 towers to support it. If you're so inclined, you probably should repeat this process again on your newly built towers to support them. From there, scatter farms in close proximity (not bulked together, but within the range of towers leaving about 1-2 clicks of space between each) focusing primarily on choke points of your base (4 Farms per choke should be plenty). This upsets pathing, giving your base more coverage and room to battle harass. Your opponent will find it extremely difficult to reach your units without sacrificing a large portion of his army while navigating a labyrinth of farms in the process. This means more volleys from Mortars, additional time to Flamestrike, and more efficiency out of your towers. When I get a chance, I'll see if I can upload a screenshot for demonstration.
Here are some AKM replays:
The Build Order
Alter (Queue to Tower)
Farm (Queue to 2nd Farm, then Tower)
Lumber Mill
Upgrade towers to Guard
Begin Masonry Upgrade
Clear Expo and begin towers there (4-5)
Add 3rd farm and Vault as resources allow
You'll produce peasants to about 28-30 control.
Bloodmage Skill Point Assignment and Usage
This will vary somewhat depending on the match-up and the strategy of the opponent, but for the most part you'll go with:
Flamestrike, Siphon Mana, Flamestrike, Siphon Mana, Flamestrike, Phoenix, Siphon, Banish, Banish, Banish
The Bloodmage is very effective at level 2. At this point, he can Siphon enemy mana to feed more Flamestrikes. He is slow, so he needs boots, and his Flamestrike does carry a one second delay before going off. So, it's important to know when to cast Flamestrike. You should always be siphoning mana in a battle, if nothing else to prevent your opponent from casting dangerous spells against your weaker units. In almost all cases, you want FS and Siphon to be your primary skills.
That being said, he is a great solo hero, and at Tiers 2 & 3, he receives an experience bonus for being the only hero. This will come in extremely handy later in the game when you're at level 5 and you kill a couple of units for level 6. His ultimate is the best summon, hands-down, in the game. When the phoenix comes out, most players quit. In some situations, however, it is better to put that 6th point into Siphon to deny opponents of important spells. This is the case in the UD match-up, and the NE can also be considered if your opponent solo's a Warden or DH.
You want your Bloodmage working at all times. Granted, there are times you have to concern yourself with production buildings, macro, farms, and towers, but you do not want your Bloodmage cowering in your base through the whole game. He's not as vulnerable as you think, and lvl 2 Flamestrike is absolutely deadly to workers. A level 3 BM should always be harassing enemy workers to disrupt your opponent's economy. Don't make it harder than it is. Be stubborn and persistent and you'll win a majority of your games.
The Strategy in Three Parts
Step 1. Tech or Expand, get to Level 2. Use between 6-8 militia and your BM to clear your natural expansion for a quick level 2 - do this as soon as the BM comes out, DON'T WAIT! Try to micro red peasants out and back in to the fight if possible, but don't get upset if you lose some. Not all of them may survive, so keep production up back at base. Once cleared, start towering (between 4-5 towers) the mine before starting the Hall. Back at base, set up about 2 more guard towers. If you don't expand (I.E. if you're on TR spawned next to your opponent), tech when your BM is at least to level 3 and you have enough peasants (again, this is approximately 30 control).
Step 2. Tech straight to Tier 3. Don't pass go. Don't collect $200.00. Go straight to Tier 3 adding buildings as you go. To keep your opponent slightly distracted, keep leveling your BM until level 3, so you can use lvl 2 FS on goldmining Peasants, Peons, Aco's, and Lumber Harvesting Wisps. Use Invis potions from the goblin lab along with Boots of Speed, an invuln potion, and a Tele Staff for easier entry and exit from the base. Empty your mana pool with FS. The more damage you do at this stage while your opponent is upgrading, the easier your game will become.
Step 3. Counter. Yes, this is a counter game, and as such, you'll find yourself playing catch-up for about 1-2 minutes. This doesn't mean you're losing. Your opponent has about 10-20 towers to work through to take down 2-3 bases, and this buys you a good deal of time. Let's look at the match-ups.
VS Mirror
Let's start here. Your opponent probably went with a standard AM, WE, Foots build. He will undoubtedly harass you at your base, and your towers will hold them back. Don't get anxious to militia all your peasants... yet. Send a few out at first to attack the AM. When they're in the yellow, start running them back into base. If your opponent is stupid (most of them are), they'll follow you in. Call to Arms and get some surrounds. You'll force an immediate TP and take minimal losses. 24-25 Militia will keep you alive and relatively unscathed. If your opponent doesn't take the bait at first, militia a fresh set of 8-9 Peasants and send the injured ones back to harvest.
At Tiers 2 & 3, you'll want to put up a Barracks, 2 Sanctums, and a Workshop. Use the BM to harass while you pump out Priests, Mortars, and Knights. If your opponent goes Mass Air, you'll want Barrage Tanks and FM's, so put up another Workshop. If your opponent managed to expand, use Mortars (Invisible Mortars if necessary) to take down the expo before you push your opponent. If this doesn't win you the game and you're forced out, creep the map to gain items from high level creeps and level 5.
VS Orc
Your opponent has two very obnoxious tactics here, Gruntapult & Fast Wyvs, and you will want to tech faster than your opponent in order to have units before you are thoroughly thrashed. This is wrong, and you will lose. The key to this match-up is the expo. If possible, always expo against Orc. When they come to gruntapult, this is their "one chance" to end the game. If you properly position towers beforehand, you won't lose to Gruntapult. Mortars > Catas in range, so if you have a Workshop up, Mortars are a great solution.
Once your expo is up, begin your tech. Start a Blacksmith, then two Barracks. While these are building, you need to take your BM and scout. Of course, try to take down burrows with Flamestrike if your opponent is off creeping or preparing to push you, and prepare yourself for anything (most likely Wyvs). This point of the game is crucial, since your Orc opponent is going to try and end the game before you reach Tier 3. Don't panic. This is why we're making Rifles, because the effect of the first few wyvs that come along will set the pace for the rest of this match-up. When Tier 2 hits, you'll throw down two Sanctums and a Workshop. You want Priests to heal Rifles and FM's to chase down Wyvs trying to use trees as cover.
If your opponent opts for Grunt/Raider, Rifle/Caster creates an interesting macro scenario. You see, Raiders + Speed Scroll = Dead Casters, which makes Grunts + Raiders = Dead Rifles. Priest Dispel is your friend, however, this negates slow as well and wastes mana. So, to get around this, your rule of thumb vs Grunt/Raider is: DON'T ENGAGE until your BM has level 4 for level 1 Banish. Why? Raider Ensnare. Raiders ensnare casters, surround them, and kill them. To counter, you'll focus Rifles on Raiders, let priests get ensnared and surrounded, then Banish them essentially giving you free pop-shots on Raiders.
More to come...
VS UD
This brings us to the origins of AKM's strategy. Long ago on www.warcraftstrategy.com, someone you've probably never heard of posted an article, "Bloodmage in Hu vs UD", or some equivalent. The article highlighted AKM's use of a zepplin on LT, using Flamestrike to make a clearing behind the enemy goldmine to get a group of peasants building guard towers behind that goldmine. This no longer works as well, because the zepplin is no longer available so soon. Regardless, this is where AKM's strategy was first made known to me, and as far as I know, to War3 players in general as a collective group. This is also where a lot of players stereotyped this strategy as unworkable, and they were right at the time. Seeing this strategy evolve, however, has given me some insight into the potential for solving the menace of some of the match-ups human players face. UD is one of those match-ups that Human players tend to dread facing, so keep this in mind when playing UD.
UD will tech straight to Tier 3 using a small group of Ghouls, Fiends, or both to harass you while you're expanding. Militia generally holds off Ghouls, so concentrate your Flamestrike on Fiends focusing your Towers on the DK. In between Flamestrikes, be sure you're constantly siphoning mana from the DK. A few siphons will render the DK useless, he won't be able to coil his Fiends, and you can earn yourself some kills and a possible level 3 for level 2 Flamestrike. Immediately go to a shop, get an invis potion, invuln potion, and a Telestaff. Flamestrike aco's relentlessly, chase them down, and kill them.
During your Tech to T2, throw up a Blacksmith and 2 Rax for Rifles. When you hit T2, add a couple of Sanctums for Priests and Workshops for FM's. UD will have two options for you to consider. Fast Destros -> Aboms or Mass Fiends - > Aboms. This means a macro chain of Rifle/Priest -> Knight/Priest/Mortar when you see Aboms. FM's become essential here, as you don't want to see Destro's once you have Master Priests that can cast Inner Fire. AKM never lets Destro's get away. Chase them down, kill 'em all. Don't let UD combine Destro's and Aboms or you'll get hosed. Disease cloud will kill your Knights while Destro's go to work on your Mortars and Priests. Tip the scales by taking out Destros, and you'll be in the clear if you plan on splashing sorcs and sticking with Rifle/Caster.
VS NE
From reviewing the replays, I find that Mortar/Caster is almost taylor made for the NE match-up. Towers, Casters, and Mortars are all great against NE, and Tanks with Barrage coupled with Flying Machines seal the deal against Chims. Virtually every unit from the Workshop is applicable, so you should be set with dual Sanctuaries and Dual Workshops. Caster/Mortar is sufficient vs Bear/Dryad. Breakers tend to lose to Bears nowadays since NE players empty Bear mana before attacking casting Roar and Rejuv. Your strategy against NE is to use invisi-mortar to take down expo's and avoid the NE army until they charge your base. At that point, focus towers, casters, and flamestrike on Bears while focusing Mortars on Dryads. When you hit level 5, push your opponent for level 6 and end the game with the Phoenix. NE has no answer to Phoenix, and without expo's and economy, the game should end then and there.
Another option for this match-up is mass Hawks. Get a Rax up during tech, then 3 Aviaries at T2. At T3, be sure to upgrade Animal War-Training for additional HP on the Hawks. This is a tactic that involves a bit of secrecy, so try to prevent your opponent from seeing your Hawks until you go in for the kill. By the time you begin your attack, your opponent won't have enough time to produce enough hippo's to counter. Dryads don't stand up to Mass Hawks, and since you can count on Bear/Dryad in most games, if you see it during your harass, this can be a viable option for you.
EDIT: A Word on Building/Tower Placement
It is important to cover as much space as possible in your area, while taking care not to build 999,999 towers side by side like a noob. In the Orc replay vs Midlake on TS, you will notice that AKM's tower positioning single-handedly stopped the towering/gruntapult tactic in its tracks. I've found a better method to maximize the effect. Begin by tucking 3-4 towers near your Hall behind farms. After your tech to T2 is underway, place a tower in the center of your spawn area, and build 2 towers to support it. If you're so inclined, you probably should repeat this process again on your newly built towers to support them. From there, scatter farms in close proximity (not bulked together, but within the range of towers leaving about 1-2 clicks of space between each) focusing primarily on choke points of your base (4 Farms per choke should be plenty). This upsets pathing, giving your base more coverage and room to battle harass. Your opponent will find it extremely difficult to reach your units without sacrificing a large portion of his army while navigating a labyrinth of farms in the process. This means more volleys from Mortars, additional time to Flamestrike, and more efficiency out of your towers. When I get a chance, I'll see if I can upload a screenshot for demonstration.
Here are some AKM replays: