Overview
Detailed overview for a clone-based Leon playstyle, build order, tricks and techniques, and general tips.
Introduction/Techniques to Clone Leon
Greetings! My name is Elliott (eGGii) and today I will be going over the main points of what makes a leon ‘clone-based’ . Not only that, this guide will detail on how to use a specific build, in addition to some tricks techniques that could be applied in-game.
Tricks and techniques using clones:
Double Clone Explosion
This trick can be preformed by summoning a clone (usually at base), or to a location which will allow you to have your cloaking skin ready once you reach the lane with the old clone. With Blow Up Doll (Explosive clone), the clone will automatically explode once a new clone is summoned. By using Tongue Snatch, then summoning a clone, the enemy will take additional burst damage, which will help during the fight. There are numerous application to the trick, but just remember that the explosive damage only applies to enemy awesomenauts, not droids. In this video, I demonstraed using bots, so it will be alot easier to see and understand the concept.
Clone Toss
Self explanatory. You toss your clones by using the momentum from your movements. By using his techniques on droids, it will allow for more efficient clearing and push potential. Note that the clone must be behind the droids so it wont take damage. The clone toss can be used in front of the tower to avoid the clone from taking tower damage from being behind the droids. (Clones summoned when the original leon is touching the tower will take damage). Some say you could simply stand and get the exact position, but its not as time efficient as this method. When you get Basic AI Chip (Upgrade that allows the clone to walk), you only need to summon the clone behind the droids, then move on to the next lane or help with a teamfight.
Bouncer Clearing/Baiting:
Leon’s clones can be thrown onto bouncers to confuse and mistake the enemy in thinking that its the real leon. This can be preformed by simply using cloaking skin as soon as you are about to hit a bouncer (Clone Tossing). The most important part however, is to send your clone alone, not with you. By doing so, opens a door to numerous juking possiblities. In this video, you will see how clone clearing have been used on a bouncer above Leon, and how it could have either cleared hazards such as a stack of Yuri’s bombs, or bait the other team’s abilities when they are preparing a trap.
Suspending/Activating Solar Boss with Clone
Here is a situational one. By placing a clone on the small wall right before the solar boss, the end result could be either:
1) The solar boss is simply suspended
2) The solar boss repeatedly fires forever until clone disappears
Im afraid I dont know what causes the solar boss to do either action, but this is a very good tactic to have in your aresenal. This can be helpful from giving chip damage to preventing the enemy team to rotate between lanes when defending. The most important factor is to summon your clone facing away from the solar boss. Exemplified in this video, if you summon a clone facing towards the solar boss then it will jump on the ledge above and die. Note that this trick is situational and only applies to the map Ribbit.
Personally, I use these tricks numerous times every game and it significantly helps your understanding and level of gameplay as a Leon player. Most players simply build AA on Leon with tongue damage, but here is to show that there are numerous different ways of playing this French bread lover. Now, lets move on to build orders!
Build Order and How to Play
Before I start this section, I would like to state that build orders are not usually the best to follow, because its best to build based off what your opponent is, what nauts you are versus, and how they play. For example, if you were following a Lonestar build which doesnt include regen until late game, you would have huge problems when you fight against a Gnaw. With that said, here is my personal build that I have found that is most effective clone leon according to my playstyle.
I will be going over some general descriptions on why I build the way I do:
– Lifesteal and Slow on AA: Some can argue that this build lacks damage early game, but with the combination of slow and lifesteal, not only does it grant you high sustain, but the slow significantly helps you in brawls. By throwing down a clone at a creep spot, most of the time the clone will get 1 hit in and the creep will go out of range. Although with slow, it will stop it from escaping the range (just a side bonus you could say).
– Attack Speed on AA is universally more beneficial , but costs more solar and promotes longer combat. Although using chainsaw, increasing the damage per second from 41 dps (atk speed) to 46 dps (chainsaw). Clover on the other hand, deals only 29 dps and is not recommended. I personally use chainsaw because the extra DPS is needed and you already have a clone to help with push power.Credit to Sable for help calculating the difference between DPS.
– Boots with early Health and Regeneration: For clone leon, I found it helpful to have high sustain and being agile. In addition with the early slow and lifesteal, you could easly outlast your opponent. This extra health and regen will make a significant difference as soon as you reach the tongue range stage.
– Getting Clone explosion damage is better than getting clone health: For a long time, I’ve been getting clone health before clone explosion damage. I found that the explosion damage is a lot more viable, as the extra damage early on will help you in teamfights/solo fights. Although, if you were thinking more of a push-base clone leon build, then its better to get Clone health compared to clone explosion damage, as you will be able to push longer.
– Why get basic AA Damage and not backstab or clover? The idea behind clone leon players is not the engage in assassination plays, its mainly for pushing and brawling. You could substitute the AA damage (chainsaw) for attack speed if needed extra clearing or back-door damage.
– Why waste an upgrade on Tongue for blind?! Blind seems to be very underestimated on leon. Because you are playing clone, you would want to swarm them and by having slow and blind, you could not only pressure the opponent mentally, but impair their ability to juke and evaluate the situation. Many people argue that blind is useless against a professional player, as they are mentally focused and know their way around the map. But just remember, that these players are not CPUs and that blind will affect how they will react to different situations.
To calculate DPS and create different builds, check out: [link]
General Tips on How to play as Clone Leon:
Most important: Don’t stay in invis too long! As Clone Leon, you shouldnt be in invis when rotating lanes unless they are guarding the rotation spots. The only situations where you should stay in invis at full is when you are either juking/escaping or trying to ‘reconnaissance’. If you ever catch yourself staying in invis when not necessary, make sure to tap your shift (teleport hotkey), or auto attack once so your clone cooldown can reset.
– You have time: The game doesnt simply end in 5 minutes. You have a solid 20-30 mintues of the game, so there is no need to rush farming or rush a teamfight to get first blood. Early game is early game, people say that the game is determined on the first 7 minutes of the game. Thats simply is not true. By keeping clear from risky fights and stay farming, you would not only set yourself up for mid-late game, prevent any chances of excessive dying, and will give you plenty of oppotunities to fight at a different time.
– Don’t always engage with your Tongue Snatch: Mix things up, don’t always start out with a tongue snatch. After you get range, your tongue becomes very useful for securing kills and thats not possible to do if you used it to engage to deal a little extra damage.
– Try to drag enemies into the radius of the clone explosions: Something that I see most clone leons doing is that they jump forwards then tongue, doing so nowhere near their high damaging clone explosion. If you see your clone at low health or your cooldown is done, try to trigger the explosion after you tongue then follow through.
– Juking is a key in playing leon, here is a video showing a VERY effective juke:
– While I was running from KSenia, I dropped down the ledge making her believe that Ill be heading down towards my turret but then I came back up while hitting her once with my slow AA making escape very easy.
– Another type of Juke:
– In this video, circling the enemy and going above their hitbox is a very good way of dodging attacks. In my case, I was against a Deadlift that had AA going from side to side, so all I had to do is go above or below him. As for Max, well…
Most important KEY for juking: You DONT always have to run in the direction of your turret. Safety or more space to escape does not necessarily mean run towards turrets or teammates, sometimes you need to improvise!
Overall, its been fun making this guide and hopefully by doing so the community could learn new ways to sharpen their skills as a Leon player. If you wanted to ask some questions or debate on which upgrades might be best/better, feel free to comment! Also, feel free to check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUGmB8nk-SZMdWMAIqSvqBw . Finished my Net Lens montage and looking to coming back to video production (more montages) soon if people request. Enjoy!
– eGGii
Check out my other guides:
Net Lens Penny:
[link]
Voltar: [link]
Derpl: [link]
Deadlift: [link]
Skolldir: ][link]