Ganking
Ganking is the name for a team attack on an enemy or group of enemies. Kills allow your heroes to level up extremely fast, and also give you a decent amount of gold. Ganking is sparse earlier in the game, but begins to increase in frequency later on, as some heroes have a better time 1on1 fighting than others. The style of ganking in Heroes of Newerth is normally based around a Stun + Attack method. One hero will stun while another goes in to hit, or in some cases, use nuke skills to demolish the enemy. This is a mandatory tactic and quite a dangerous one if done correctly.
Flanking
Team bravo, in position, standing by.
Not everyone should be fought head on in a fight, mainly because of health or armor. Usually the best alternative is to go flanking, in which you attack from the trees or side lane rather than running straight into the battle. Mostly nukers and weaker members of the group do this so they get kills without being the target of attacks, because frankly, squishy heroes who run in head on usually end up dead and useless.
The process is to take a small alternative route, such as moving around a few trees close to where the battle will be waged. You then come in with the guns blazing as soon as the stuns and initiators are going at it. You blow away either the most lethal hero or the one lowest on health and move on. You become a great asset while not taking much damage. It can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The heroes best suited for such a role are either stunners or nukers.
Portal Key
What, where did he just come from?
This is a small tip for those who do use this item for their heroes. It can come in handy for a gank, when your grabbing the opponent and when you are chasing them. Use it to go in and teleport right beside them and stun or slow. Then watch the teammates do the rest, or if he's quick enough to get away, teleport right beside him and finish him off.
Escaping a Gank
To the forest, run!
When you are in the situation where you are outnumbered in a lane or such and know that the enemy is coming towards you. Make a decision that is wise for the team, and that is to survive. Don't keep trying to push your luck in the lane, because the stuns will make it impossible for you to rush off anywhere. Like they say in the sex discussion, prevention is 100% successful by not partaking in the deed! Meaning, don't try to participate in risky maneuvers, play it safe.
If you do come into a position where a gank is right on top of you without any kind of backup, firstly ping the location on the map, then you run. Do not try to go out shooting, because all it does is make the opponent laugh and you die. Use a portal key, homecoming stone, stun abilities, boots, juking, anything. If there is absolutely no chance of survival, go ahead and try to take one down with you.
Know Your Role
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo...
Ganking is not just made up of running in and raping an opponent. Every hero in the party has a specific role to follow, and the victory or defeat depends on how well he followed the role.
An initiator is a hero with abilities that allow him to cause good Area of Effect damage on enemies while surviving in the process.
The support are the ones who heal, and defend allies. They increase survivability and that gives your team a better chance of killing the opponent before they kill you.
know it well, or else...The stunners have a very important role, they stun! You pick out the largest threat and eliminate him quickly. Stun him to incapacitate then barrage him. Then, go ahead and continue stunning them in any fashion you deem necessary.
The nukers have the job of staying out of the immediate hits but making sure to rack up the kills. Take down anyone who shows signs of wavering and destroy him with your awesome powers. Try not to take damage in the process.
Calling MIA
Alert! Alert! Code: Red!
Another small tip for those that don't know, it's etiquette to call miss top/bot/mid whenever a hero on your opponent's team disappears from his lane. You do this because it normally means a gank is coming for one of your teammates. Watch for someone else calling it so you can keep yourself alive. Also, when it is called all the time, you learn to know when to create a ganking party to counter theirs.
