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Heroes of Newerth Pollywog Priest Guide

By X-Flame - 15th January 2011 - 12:45 PM

Meet Pollywog Priest, a direct port from Defense of the Ancients' Shadow Shaman. A hero that was used extensively in the now-gone pushing meta-game, where he was picked for his incredible pushing power and solid laning phase, but whose popularity has now waned somewhat. Though these times may have passed, Pollywog Priest remains as strong as ever, and with his massive pushing power and long disables, he is always a welcome addition to any team.


Pollywog Priest


Hero backstory:
For centuries, every great Frog of the marsh peoples has wielded both political and magical power as the chief priest of the Wild Cults. Called upon by his Beast brethren in this time of war, the Pollywog Priest has come forth to use those powers in defense of his people and Newerth itself.

Damage: 42 - 49
Attack Range: 550
Attack Speed: 0.59

IPB Image Armor: 1.30 IPB Image Move Speed: 290

IPB Image 19 (+1.6) IPB Image 16 (+1.6) IPB Image 21 (+3.0)

Taking a look at his basic stats and stat gain, he hardly looks impressive. His base damage is decent, but not particularly strong, and coupled with his slightly below-average range of 550, his auto-attacks aren't nearly as impressive as similar heroes. His base armor of 1.30, coupled with a poor Agility and Strength gain will mean that he is squishy throughout the entire game. Thankfully, he has some impressive spells at his disposal, and with his high Intelligence gain, he will be able to support their high manacosts.

1. Skills Descriptions


Electric Jolt

Deals 75/150/225/300 Magic damage to all targets in a cone. Can hit targets up to 600 units away.

Usage: A fairly basic spell, allowing Pollywog Priest to Jolt a target for a good amount of damage. The good thing about this spell is that it also jumps to targets behind the targeted unit, making this a very potent tool for harassment, farming and pushing. In teamfights, a well placed Jolt will cause nightmares to your opponents, and the range on it isn't all that bad either, allowing you to harass the enemy with your Jolt without eating damage.

Morph

Applies Morphed to target for 1.25/2/2.75/3.5 seconds. Instantly kills target if target is an illusion.

Morphed Effects
Silenced
Perplexed
Disarmed
Reduces movement speed to 100

Usage: Essentially the same effect as that of Kuldra's Sheepstick, Morphs the target into a bullfrog, making them unable to attack, cast spells, or use items. It does not immobilize them, but with a movement speed of 100, they won't be going far. You can use this spell to trap people into your Voodoo Wards, more on that later.

Tongue Tied

Applies Tongue Tied to target for 2.5/3.25/4.0/4.75 seconds or until spell is canceled.

Tongue Tied Effects
Stunned
Revealed
40 Magic damage per second.

Usage: Single-target spell that can stun a target for nearly 5 seconds, making any target caught by it useless for its duration. Keep in mind that it is a channeling spell though, so you can be interrupted out of it.

Voodoo Wards

Summons 8 Voodoo Wards at target position that deal 39/54/69 to 43/58/73 Physical damage per attack.

The wards deal 100% Splash damage in a 50/75/85 radius, 40% Splash damage in a 75/100/110 radius, and 20% Splash damage in a 150/200/220 radius.

The wards have a life time of 45 seconds.

Usage: Did someone say tower push? Voodoo Wards allows Pollywog Priest to become a near unstoppable pushing machine. Dropping these near an enemy tower will practically guarantee a tower kill, unless the enemy team manages to defend really well. In addition to dealing huge damage to towers, they also do splash damage, so a shot of this combined with your Electic Jolt will destroy the enemy creeps, allowing your own creeps to bash the tower as well. The interesting thing about these wards is that it has a clear space between them, allowing you to catch any unlucky opponent as well. To do this, you must click right on top of them. If they happen to be moving, which they most likely will be, you need to click a bit in front of them where they will walk. If you really need it, you can use Morph to practically stun them, allowing for an easier timing.

The downside to Voodoo Wards though is that they can be destroyed, and doing so rewards the enemy team with a large influx of gold. They also cost a large chunk of mana, in addition to a fairly long cooldown. Therefore, only use them when you are absolutely sure of the situation. Many people drop them the second they are ganked, which is usually a waste of an excellent ability.

2. Skill Build and Usage



2.1 Lane with partner Build

  1. Tongue Tied
  2. Electric Jolt
  3. Electric Jolt
  4. Morph
  5. Electric Jolt
  6. Voodoo Wards
  7. Electric Jolt
  8. Morph
  9. Morph
  10. Morph
  11. Voodoo Wards
  12. Tongue Tied
  13. Tongue Tied
  14. Tongue Tied
  15. Stats
  16. Voodoo Wards
Tongue Tied provides the longest disable early on in the game, as well as actually dealing more damage over its complete duration than an early level of Electric Jolt would do, so take a point in that first. After that you level Electric Jolt whenever possible to ensure maximum effectiveness. At level 4, take an early point in Morph to give you a second disable, as well as a maximum 3,75 seconds of disable, which can tip the balance of a fight in the early game. Voodoo Wards are taken whenever possible as they're such a potent ability. You then max Morph before Tongue Tied, as it can't be interrupted and leaves you free to act while it's in effect.

2.2 Solo Lane Build

  1. Electric Jolt
  2. Morph
  3. Electric Jolt
  4. Tongue Tied
  5. Electric Jolt
  6. Voodoo Wards
  7. Electric Jolt
  8. Morph
  9. Morph
  10. Morph
  11. Voodoo Wards
  12. Tongue Tied
  13. Tongue Tied
  14. Tongue Tied
  15. Stats
  16. Voodoo Wards
This build focuses more on using Electic Jolt to its fullest potential right from the start. As you are alone in the lane, you won't need as many disables as you would in the side lanes. For the rest it's the same as the side lane build. Max out Electric Jolt, then Morph, then Tongue Tied, taking your Voodoo Wards whenever possible.

First skill point
You may want to hold off with investing your first skill point straight away, and only take it when you think you are absolutely safe, as an enemy that gets an Invisibilty Rune or a Haste Rune and might attempt to gank you, perhaps in combination with their own solo mid. Should something like that happen, you will be much better off with your point in either Morph or Tongue Tied.


3. Item build


3.1 To start with:


2x Mana Potion
1x Health potion
1x Runes of the Blight
2x Minor Totem
Monkey Courier OR Wards of Revelation

This is a typical build for a side-lane. You take some health recovery items with you to keep up with the harassment, in addition to 2 Mana Potions so you can keep your mana pool up. Then buy a Courier as your team most likely needs one. If not, get Wards. The spare money you have can be used on Minor Totems for some extra stats.

3.2 Then..


Bottle

If you are mid, get a Bottle. Do not get one if you happen to be in the sidelanes, as your ability to bottle runes is greatly diminished.

Marchers INTO Steamboots OR Striders
Power Supply
Glowstone
Always Homecoming Stones

You will want to get a basic pair of Marchers pretty early, which you can then choose to build into either Steamboots or Striders. The choice is up to you. Steamboots gives +10 strength, which is quite a lot for Pollywog, who can greatly use the extra health. The downside is that it does not make you run as fast, meaning ganking will become easier if you get your Striders. Striders, however, do not provide any health bonus, leaving you fragile. After you have picked up either boots, you will want a Glowstone, as it gives you 200 health and 150 mana extra, which is something Pollywog can make great use of. As always, carry Homecoming Stones.

Optional:

Blood Chalice
Fortified Bracelet

Should you feel the need for extra mana and you aren't being focused much, you can get an early Blood Chalice. It gives you a good boost of mana and the stats it provides aren't bad either.
On the other hand, should you fall victim to the enemy more than you'd want, get a Fortified Bracelet. It helps your survivability by adding a good boost of health to your squishy Pollywog.

3.3 Mid-late game items


Staff of the Master

Staff of the Master is what you will be aiming for. It makes your Voodoo Wards pack an even greater punch, further increasing your pushing power. Aim to get this item as soon as possible to maximize its effect. In addition, it also adds a good amount of Strength, Intelligence and Agility to Pollywog, which he can make great usage of.

Optional:
Stormspirit

If you find yourself ganking more than pushing, or are just looking for a solid way of trapping people into your wards, get a Stormspirit. It solves all your mana problems, and you can easily use it to trap people by applying Stormspirit to them, and then dropping the Voodoo Wards right on top of them.

Puzzlebox

There isn't a single intelligence hero that a Puzzlebox doesn't work on, and Pollywog is no exception. Provides you with some decent Strength, good Intelligence, and the Puzzlebox Minions can be gamewrecking if used properly.

Portal Key

Portal Key can be an amazing item on Pollywog Priest, allowing for excellent positioning. This is the item you want to pick up if you choose to take on a more of a ganking style, which is pretty common in today's ganking meta-game.

3.4 Luxury game items


Restoration Stone
Kuldra's Sheepstick

Your Voodoo Wards can wreck teams. You probably know that. If you didn't, you do now. The Restoration Stone is there to capitalize on that. Restoration Stone resets the cooldown of all your spells and items, allowing you to cast your Voodoo Wards twice provided you have the mana for it. It takes 375 mana to activate, and combined with your hefty mana cost on Voodoo Wards, make sure you do some calculations before activating it.
After that, get Kuldra's Sheepstick. It gives you a load of stats and provides you with an amazing disable. Nothing to dislike here, aside from the hefty price tag and the difficulty in farming the items for it.

4. Hero Specific Strategies and Techniques



4.1 Lane choice


Pollywog Priest is able to go either in a solo lane, or with a lane partner. He doesn't do well in a tri-lane, as he benefits more from levels than farm. Should you go solo, the standard rules apply. Take the mid lane if possible, try to get the runes, and use Electric Jolt to farm and harass at the same time, similar to how a Defiler would play.

Should you decide to go with a lane partner, your best allies are anyone with a stun and good damage output. Forsaken Archer, Hammerstorm, Torturer, Pyromancer, all can work really well with your damage output from Electric Jolt, and your stuns, which at level 4 will be a total time of 3,75 seconds. Coupled with perhaps another stun from your ally, and you will have an easy time bashing on the enemy while he can't do anything back.

4.2 Pushing


Pollywog Priest is hands down one of the best pushing heroes in the game. His Jolt can deal up to 300 magic damage to an entire creepwave, clearing the way for you and your team to start attacking the tower. In addition, his Voodoo Wards can absolutely decimate a tower, provided they get the time to do their work. This is why it is important to place your Voodoo Wards correctly. To keep it simple: there are two places you can set down your wards: behind the tower, or in front of it. Placing them in front of the tower will ensure that they are relatively safe and that the enemy creepwave or the enemy team can't easily dispose of them. However, placing them behind the tower will give you valuable vision, while also making your wards able to attack the enemy creepwave or the heroes early. This creates a high risk / high reward situation. If you are sure that your wards won't be destroyed, place them behind the enemy tower, but if you are not sure of that, it is best to place them in front of the tower. Assess the situation and decide for yourself which situation you are in.

4.3 Weaknesses


Pollywog Priest, as strong as his offensive power is, does have quite a few weaknesses. First of all, his spells cost quite a lot of mana, meaning that, even with a Bottle, he will always be struggling for additional mana. Another weakness is that he is incredibly squishy, making him lunch for any dedicated ganker, such as Pebbles, Chipper, Pharaoh, Thunderbringer, Slither, or anything similar. Arguably his biggest weakness is one that he can't help himself at all: the meta-game. As per patch 2.0.6.1, the meta-game is heavily gank-oriented, meaning there is little room for a pushing hero like Pollywog Priest.

5. Replays and Videos


-REPLAYS COMING SOON-

6. Changelog


January 15, 2011 First release