One Hel of an ADC - Patch 4.21

So you're probably thinking, " Hel as an ADC? Your drug dealer must be doing a good job." Well, let me clarify something: your typical ADC relies on things like attack speed, crit chance, and lifesteal. But Hel is what I classify as a "Burst ADC", so she doesn't hit fast, but she hits hard. Hel has quite a low skill floor, but an insanely high ceiling.

I recommend pairing Hel with a Support who is aggressive (ex. Fenrir) or has high CC (ex. Ymir). I've found that Hel and Ymir are a nearly unstoppable duo lane pair despite having two magical Gods in one lane. Guan Yu is also a decent pick; he's aggressive and he has a heal as well.

changelog

November 7, 2017: Made changelog go in descending order instead of ascending. Made a small change to the "Items" chapter.
October 25, 2017: Made the guide look pretty (thanks boogiebass!) and made a lot of changes to it. Changed Mantle of Discord's place in the build. Added "Pros & Cons" and "Abilities" chapters. Moved changelog from the comments to right here.
October 12, 2017: Added Sands of Time and Shield of Regrowth as viable items, and changed up the guide a small bit.
May 4, 2017: Updated "Damage & Healing Analysis" chapter for patch 4.7/4.8.
March 22, 2017: Overhauled guide for Season 4, build remains the same. Removed old "secondary" build, as it was no longer viable.
October 22, 2016: New build.
July 26, 2016: Added the "Damage & Healing Analysis" chapter.

Stance Attunement (Passive)
While in her Light Stance, Hel gains a bonus to her healing. How big the bonus is depends on how much yellow is in your passive meter; max is 20% extra healing.

Restoration (1)
Hel shoots a forward projectile which will stop at the first God it hits. If it hits an enemy, it will do damage. If it hits an ally, Hel and the ally will be healed. This only affects Gods, so it will pass through things like minions and do no damage to them.

Cleanse (2)
Hel places a large rune on the ground. Any allies in its radius will be granted 1.5 seconds of crowd control immunity, as well as having any current CC effects removed.

Inspire (3)
Hel instantly heals herself and gains a 25% movement speed bonus. Any nearby allies affected by this will be slowly healed over the course of six seconds, and granted a 10% movement speed bonus.

Switch Stances (4)
While in her Light Stance, Hel gains additional protections. Nearby allies are also affected by this buff, but only half as much. Hel also gains extra MP5 every time she levels this ability. She can activate this ability to switch to her Dark Stance.



Stance Attunement (Passive)
While in her Dark Stance, Hel gains a bonus to her damage. How big the bonus is depends on how much purple is in your passive meter; max is 20% extra damage.

Decay (1)
Hel shoots a forward projectile which will stop at the first enemy God it hits, exploding for additional AOE damage. If it does not hit an enemy God, it will still explode at the end of its range. This ability passes through things like minions but still does damage, making it very good for clearing minion waves.

Hinder (2)
Hel places a large rune on the ground. Any enemies in its radius will be slowed, and have their magical protections reduced, for three seconds.

Repulse (3)
Hel deals heavy damage to any enemies near her.

Switch Stances (4)
While in her Dark Stance, Hel deals additional damage. Nearby allies are also affected by this buff, but only half as much. Hel also gains extra MP5 every time she levels this ability. She can activate this ability to switch to her Light Stance.

Starter Items
Normally, whenever a stacking item is first in your build, it's best to just not get a Starter Item so you can get your stacks as early as possible. However, Sands of Time is a very good item which gives decent MP5, power, and 10% CDR for just 800 gold. and it can help you with some sticky situations in the early game. So if you feel it's better safe than sorry, start with Sands of Time, Uncommon Sash, and a Mana Potion. Otherwise, start with Golden Sash and three Mana Potions.


Warlock's Sash Warlock's Sash
This item gives health, mana, and magical power, so it's the best first item on Hel. Plus you can get even more health and power through stacks, so it doesn't fall off late game. Remember to tell other players that you're stacking!


Shoes of the Magi
Every build needs boots, and Hel is no exception. We want Shoes of the Magi, since they give penetration, which is a big part of this build. You don't need cooldown reduction right now, especially if you got Sands of Time, so no need to get Shoes of Focus.


Spirit Robe/Mantle of Discord
These items are very similar, so if you're not getting Shield of Regrowth, you'll have to figure out which of these two items fits your situation better. If crowd control is a problem for you, or if you wanna save some gold, get Spirit Robe. If you just want more protections, get Mantle of Discord.


Shield of Regrowth Shield of Regrowth
This is also a very good defense item for Hel, but it goes a completely different route than the previous two items. You still get the cooldown reduction, but rather than protections, it gives a ton of sustain. Also, the passive can help you get back to lane faster, or escape an unwinnable fight.


Obsidian Shard
Like I said, penetration plays a big part in this build, and Obsidian Shard is extremely good in that department. 70 Magical Power and 33% penetration is pretty insane, what more can I say?


Rod of Asclepius
This isn't as good as it used to be, but it's still a staple on Hel. Now you may be wondering, why did we wait so long to get it? Well, both the item and Hel's healing scale off Magical Power, and at this point in the build, you have a lot of that. 10-20% extra healing isn't a lot in the early game, but if you get a ton of power first, the boost in healing will be very noticeable.


Rod of Tahuti
This item needs no introduction. An absolute ***load of power and a ton of MP5 makes this a must-have for any damage mage.



Purification Beads
Get this if the enemy team has some unpredictable CC that could be bad for you. Things such as Xing Tian's ultimate are extremely predictable and can be Cleansed instead of having to use Beads.


Horrific Emblem
This slows enemies, so it's good for chases. Note that it also reduces the enemies' attack speed, so you can also use it to engage hunters/assassins. If you do get this, I highly recommend upgrading it in the late game to get that 20% damage debuff, it's extremely good.


Heavenly Wings
This can be used instead of Horrific Emblem if the enemy also has Heavenly Wings. If the enemy pops this relic, you do the same so you can keep up with them, then slow them with Hinder once it wears off to gain a huge upper hand.


Aegis Amulet
This item is pretty self-explanatory, you'll know when you need it.


Meditation Cloak Meditation Cloak
This is a good first relic to get in Arena or Joust. In Conquest, I recommend asking your Support to get it for you.

Conquest meta changes at the drop of a hat, so whatever it is you're supposed to do at the beginning of the game, do it. Clear camps, go to lane, do the macarena, I don't know anymore. But once you get to lane, just clear the wave with Decay and your basic attacks. Make sure to stay in your Light Stance as often as possible when you're not fighting, as it gives you and your nearby teammates extra protections, and you can heal on a dime without needing to wait for your passive meter to fill.

Now when it comes to minion waves, you're generally going to clear them with Decay. This won't fully kill them early game, so finish the rest off with your basic attacks. Three things to note: 1. Try not to use both Repulse and Decay on the same wave in the early game. 2. When attacking a wave, switch to Dark Stance, let your Passive bar fill up (which takes up to three seconds), use Decay, then switch back to Light Stance. 3. Don't use Restoration as a means of damage in the early game. Save it for healing you and your Support.

Never commit to attacking an enemy unless you and your Support coordinate the attack, and you're certain that you'll get a kill (or at least get them low enough to make them retreat). When attacking, it's best to use Hinder before doing anything else; it will slow them and reduce their magical protection for a short time, meaning they're easier to hit and you do more damage to them. Then obviously use Decay, then Repulse once you're close enough. If you and your Support don't need immediate healing, switch to Light Stance and get them with Restoration before they get out of your range.

Now, by the time you return to base for the first time, you should be level 7 or 8 if you're doing well. Not much to say from this point forward, so here is a list of general tips and some things to note:


- Inspire acts as a 25% speed boost (65% if you have Regrowth) as well as a heal. Use that to your advantage.
- Cleanse is one of the most overpowered abilities in the game, but it can be really hard to time. Make sure you tell your Support to stay close to you if the enemy has CC such as Ares's ult.
- Stay in Light Stance whenever possible. Quickly switch to Dark Stance to use an ability on a minion wave (wait for your Passive to fill up first if you can), then switch back to Light Stance. Switch to Dark Stance if you want to fully commit to attacking an enemy.
- You can train a dog to come at the sound of a bell. Similarly, you can train enemies to go defensive whenever you use Hinder on them. This can be useful if done right, but use it sparingly; 70 mana is a lot.
- Using your starting mana potions too late or too early could make Hel fall back early game. You obviously don't want that, so learn when it's best to use your potions.
- Anti-heal is Hel's kryptonite, but don't give up! All of your abilities have a use outside of healing.
- Hel's abilities all reset her AA "chain". What this means is that she can use a basic attack right before and after using the ability without losing any time.
- The Death Combo: Hinder, Basic, Decay, Basic, Repulse, Basic, Switch Stances, Basic, Restoration, Basic. If you're confident you can kill someone, this is the best way to do it. Make this muscle memory.

This test was done at level 20 using these items: Warlock's Sash (fully stacked), Shoes of the Magi, Obsidian Shard, Rod of Asclepius, Rod of Tahuti, and any one of her three defense items (they all give the same CDR and don't affect damage at all). No Relics, power potions, jungle buffs, etc. were used. Note that these don't account for enemy protections at all, these are just the raw numbers.

Basic Attack: 182-219 damage in Light Stance, 197-237 in Dark Stance.
Decay: 567-680 damage, 7.2s cooldown.
Restoration: 529-635 damage, 369-444 heal, 7.2s cooldown.
Hinder/ Cleanse: 10.8s cooldown.
Repulse: 696-835 damage, 10.8s cooldown.
Inspire: 369-443 self-heal (burst), 65-74 ally-heal per tick (6 ticks) 10.8s cooldown.
Switch Stances: 1.8s cooldown

Note: The variables are because of her Passive.

Hel is an amazing ADC when done right. If anyone ever tells you otherwise, tell them they're a ****ing scrub, and that they should git gud.