Welcome to the guide where you will learn the correct way to annoy an ADC or APC's life. A hit and run styled assassin.

I am known across multiple gaming communities as Ajagara, leader of the Beast PoweR guild, so now it's time for me to come to MOBAFire with my out of the box hecarim style.
My top division was hard stuck diamond,this season Diamond 4 on flex and platinum 4 on solo and I have been continuously testing new builds runes and gameplay styles on Hecarim. I hope my guide helps you master this plane as well.

There are many Hecarim guides featuring Predator although, most of them are mostly bruiser/tank. The idea of this whole build is to feast on enemy mistakes and counter gank the enemy jungler.
My Hecarim is not about jungle clear, although it's pretty fast, but about constantly ganking lanes and forcing summoner spells and getting kills due to his high mobility and ganking potential.

Friendly reminder: Do not take Predator Hecarim, if you lack front line. You ARE NOT a tank, you are an assassin. If that's the case it will be better to go Conqueror Hecarim

So let's begin !

Pros

+++ Very High Mobility +++ One of the strongest ganking potentials in the game +++ Nukes squishy champions + Strong teamfight + Amazing jungle clear + Amazing early/mid game

Strengths Hecarim is an airplane if played correctly, your enemies will be enjoying the death recap screen most of the time. After finishing Trinity Force Hecarim becomes a 2 shot speed rocket and as such you should concentrate on their bot lane.

Cons

- Weak dueler at low levels - Easy to be counterjungled - Medium late game - Hard to catch up if behind

Weaknesses Hecarim has only 2 weaknesses, being counterjungled and dueling early on. Avoid these things and you will have no problem just flying off with their ADC

Chilling Smite

Jungling without Smite is a serious disadvantage. Take this no matter what

Ghost

An essential summoner spell for being an assassin based on his movement speed alongside AD, Ghost will give you a lot more kill potential and they will not see you coming.

Flash

An alternative to ghost, if you feel more comfortable with it, although I would strongly not recommend it as it doesn't give you any kill potential

Predator

Many people doubt the power of predator and that is exactly their biggest mistake. Predator is just great, especially for champions that gank all lanes often and rely on movement speed. Predator with Mobility Boots is a great combination as it gives you even more movement speed, combined with ghost and E it allows you to arrive from mid lane to bot lane in less than 3 seconds.

Sudden Impact

A damage buff which will activate once you hit someone with Devastating Charge or Onslaught of Shadows. The armor pen is a great addition to every assassin.

Cheap Shot

Basically a buff for the ramming damage, your Devastating Charge and Onslaught of Shadows benefit from it. Although it does less damage than Sudden Impact

Eyeball Collection

An overall great addition to Hecarim as it buffs his damage and if you gank often you can stack it up before 10th minute. Stacking it fully will allow you to deal even greater damage.

Ghost Poro

Eyeball Collection's alternative. It will allow you to have more vision and more AD. Try to drop an early ward in the enemy jungle so you will know exactly where he is.

Relentless Hunter

Your on impact damage mostly benefits from your movement speed, so this is a great addition to it, especially early game to blast your team ahead.

Triumph

The heal is crucial in teamfights and in some tower dives, and the 20 gold is cute

Coup De Grace

The 8% increased damage on low health enemies allows you to even quicker assassinate them, before they exit your Devastating Charge's knockback. And let's be honest, you are going almost full AD, those Qs will make them regret facing you

Waterwalking

The bonus movement speed is a suitable replacement for Triumph as you will mostly gank from the river side and it will allow you to travel faster and deliver more damage

Celerity

Bonus movement speed, not the optimal choice, but still a viable pick if you like to experiment around

Warpath

Hecarim's main source of damage. The more movement speed you have, the more AD you will have. If you are full build and use all movement speed items you may get up to 1400 AD.

Rampage

Your main jungle clearing spell. The AoE will allow you to take raptors at level 2 with minimum damage taken. It is very good in a teamfight. Always try to time it with your Trinity Force. You should ALWAYS aim to max this first.

Spirit Of Dread

The healing from this ability will allow you to have more sustain in the jungle and to solo dragons early on (EXCEPT INFERNAL). It is not a good choice to max it before you have maxed everything else. The bonus AoE damage, even small, is good for clearing larger camps and to maximize your damage in teamfights. If you have a Lulu be sure to use it after she shields you.

Devastating Charge

Your main damaging and movement speed ability, try to always stack it up to its maximum to maximize its effect. If correctly used with Ghost and Predator you can quickly dive undertower, 1 shot a low hp enemy and exit the tower AA range with only 1 taken shot from it. Note if you are trying to catch someone with your team, be sure to go around him and ram him back to your team, as that little knockback may be the reason he lives or dies.

Onslaught Of Shadows

Your ultimate has everything you need, cancels CC while channeling, great range, massive fear (if you hit it of course) and a great engager or finisher as well. Sometimes you should try to fully stack movement speed enter with Onslaught of Shadows in their whole team and execute the hypercarry as your Devastating Charge will still be active

Boots Of Mobility

There is not much to discuss, more movement speed = faster ganks, more ad, more mobility. All around 1 of the best items for Hecarim

Trinity Force

Probably the best item for Hecarim if timed right with his Q or E. A great item for both farming,pushing and fighting, you should never replace this item.

Youmuu's Ghostblade

Essential item for Hecarim, gives you movement speed, AD and lethality, what more could a movement speed assassin want from an item.

Sterak's Gage

A very good item but replacable. The extra AD and tankyness are great as it will reduce your chance of death if you engage a teamfight or go 1v2 against a fed enemy.

Stalker's Blade - Warrior

A must have AD jungling item, plus it gives you Chilling Smite for bonus damage and slow on enemies.

Death's Dance

A good item, as 12% of the damage you take will be taken over time, allowing you to stay alive more time. Not an essential item but still a viable pick.

Guardian Angel

If you feel like the final fight's coming and you may get focused down once you enter, this item is a great choice as it will allow you to come back 1 more time.

Maw Of Malmortius

If they have a strong AP, this will definitely make him think twice before attacking you. You get extra sustain and will be killed a bit harder because of the shield.

Mortal Reminder

If they have Vladimir Draven Volibear or some other over healing champion such as Soraka this is a must have item, bonus armor penetration and reduced healing ? I'll take it.

Righteous Glory

If you are dying too fast and want to be tankier and even faster, this item will make both of these things happen, the movement speed boost is insane and combined with its tanky stats, it's a great choice

Lord Dominik's Regards

If they have more than 2 tanks, this is another must have item, as it will allow you to shred right through them.

Infinity Edge

If you want to take annoying to a whole new level or one shotting, imagine ramming into an enemy with 1400 AD and actually critting. It's a great item but not the greatest on hecarim, yet you should experiment and see what fits you the most. 70 AD is a great choice

Hecarim has a few combat combo orders and you should choose one depending on the situation, whether it is to save someone, to execute someone or to aid the fight


IMPORTANT! Underlined Spells are optional!
IMPORTANT! Spells with THIS color have to be used when near an enemy or in the exact moment of hitting him with the previous spell!

Against full hp enemy

Predator -> Ghost -> Devastating Charge -> Youmuu's Ghostblade -> Spirit of Dread -> Rampage -> Auto Attack -> Rampage -> Onslaught of Shadows -> Auto Attack ===> Continue with Rampage and Auto Attacks until he dies

Against low hp enemy

Predator -> Ghost -> Devastating Charge -> Youmuu's Ghostblade -> Spirit of Dread -> Rampage -> Auto Attack -> Rampage -> Auto Attack

In a Teamfight

Predator -> Ghost -> Devastating Charge -> Youmuu's Ghostblade -> Spirit of Dread -> Rampage -> Auto Attack -> Rampage -> hit as many enemies as possible with Onslaught of Shadows -> Auto Attack ===> Continue with Rampage and Auto Attacks until he dies * If you are on 50% or more hp continue with Devastating Charge -> Spirit of Dread -> Rampage and auto attacks as much as you can. * If you are below 50% hp back off in the jungle either with or without Devastating Charge, go around and use Devastating Charge -> Spirit of Dread -> Rampage -> Auto Attack to finish any low hp enemy

Initiating a teamfight

Hide in the jungle and wait for opportunity (recommended) Stay with your team for an engage (optional) Predator -> Ghost -> Devastating Charge -> Youmuu's Ghostblade -> Onslaught of Shadows on as many enemies as possible -> Spirit of Dread -> Rampage -> Auto attack

Note: Time Rampage with Trinity Force and don't worry about auto attack cancelling.

There are not many combos to Hecarim, or some crazy outplay mechanics. But there are a few basic things you should know.

1. Jungle Farming

1. Stack your Rampage !
2. Always move from camp to camp with stacked Rampage
3. Rampage benefits from the movement speed therefore should be used before or in the exact moment of hitting an enemy with Devastating Charge
4. NEVER farm with Onslaught of Shadows
5. If you are missing more than 100 hp be sure to use Spirit of Dread

2. Ganking

1. Always gank with 1/3 charged Devastating Charge followed up with Spirit of Dread and Rampage in the exact time of hit. This way it will be hard for them to escape even if they have a ward and you will be able to reach them before it expires.
2. If an enemy is too far away and is on low hp use your Onslaught of Shadows while Devastating Charge is active to reach him and follow up with Spirit of Dread and Rampage + Auto Attack to finish him.

3. Teamfights

1. If the enemy team is smart they will focus you, so try to engage from the jungle.
2. If you are low on hp back off in the jungle and come back flying with Devastating Charge.
3. Your power comes from your speed, you are an assassin, not a brawler, DON'T forget that
4. Always focus their most fed champion (except tanks)

Red Brambleback -> Raptors -> Wolves -> Blue Sentinel -> Gromp -> Scuttle -> Back for items or Gank top/mid





Raptors -> Red Brambleback -> Krugs -> Back -> Wolves -> Blue Sentinel -> Gromp -> Scuttle -> Gank Top/Mid

Note: Start Route 2 if bot lane won't help you with Red Brambleback







Blue Sentinel -> Gromp -> Wolves -> Raptors -> Red Brambleback -> Scuttle -> Gank Top/Mid -> Krugs




Raptors -> Red Brambleback -> Krugs -> Back for items -> Wolves -> Blue sentinel -> Gromp -> Scuttle -> Gank Mid/Bot

Note: Start route 2 if Top lane won't help you with Blue Sentinel




Which route to choose ?
Start on Blue Side


If your start Route 2 this will give your team advantage, as they will be able to apply lane pressure earlier plus the enemies will not know which camp is your first clear, which makes it harder to counter jungle. Though you will have a slight disadvantage, because without the leash from bot/top you will take more damage and therefore have to back and buy only Boots.


If you start Route 1 this will give you advantage, but the enemies will know exactly which camp you started. If you choose this route, you will most likely have 2000+ gold on your first back, so you can buy Mobility Boots and Sheen which will make your ganking and kill potential very high.


Start on Red Side

If you start Route 2 you will have slightly bigger advantage than starting Route 2 on blue side. As you will end up ganking bot lane instead of top lane.

If you start Route 1 you will have mana advantage over Blue Side's Route 1. This will give you the opportunity for an instant gank after Scuttle or Red Brambleback instead of waiting for the blue buff to generate some mana.
If you choose this route, you will most likely have 2000+ gold on your first back, so you can buy Mobility Boots and Sheen which will make your ganking and kill potential very high.




Note: After clearing your jungle, start looking for opportunities to gank. If you see any enemy on low HP staying under tower while you are at full or 50%, you can use Ghost Predator and Devastating Charge to kill him and exit the tower's range with only 1 or 2 taken tower hits.

Note 2: If the enemy jungler is a better dueler, aim for the scuttle which he is not doing. If he is taking the top scuttle you should take the bot scuttle and then immediately try to gank.

Note 3: You should always be aware of invades or level 1 invade as it is hard to catch up if you are behind. Make sure you have both your jungle entrances and your enemy's jungle warded with either Stealth Ward or Ghost Poro so you can have vision of your and your enemie's jungle.

Note 4: Ask your teammates to ward the Buff that you are not doing, this way if he tries to take it you can either go at him like a team or steal his buff.

Note 5: When moving from 1 camp to other make sure you keep Rampage stacked. In order to do this move the camp as much as you can to the next one without making it evade and last hit the last monster with Rampage.

Note 6: Auto attack only the big monsters, as your Rampage and Hunter's Talisman will take care of the small ones.

As Predator Hecarim your job is to constantly gank, whether using only Devastating Charge or combining it with Predator or Ghost or both of them to maximize your kill potential.

Whenever you see an enemy overextending or a fight beginning you shouldn't[/b hesitate to rush down to aid your team because with all of your movement speed buffs you can go from top to bot in less than 10 seconds.

Whenever you are ganking try to push the enemy champion towards your team, unless it's going to do more harm than good.


Engage Combos:


Without Onslaught of Shadows:

Devastating Charge -> while flying towards the enemy use Spirit of Dread -> while you are knocking back the enemy from Devastating Charge use your Rampage.
This maximizes the damage as your spells benefit from your high movement speed before it disappears after the hit.

With Onslaught of Shadows:

Just add Onslaught of Shadows either before Devastating Charge for an engage from longer distance and CC invulnerability or after your second Rampage to have a few more seconds of attacking him before he can react.

Note: Always try to gank from behind as you won't need to go around everyone just to push the enemie back.

As Predator Hecarim your teamfight job is to assassinate the enemy ADC or APC, so whenever you sense a teamfight is about to happen, go in the jungle and make sure there are no wards.

When to use your ultimate?

Your ultimate can be used in 4 different ways: Escape, Engage, Finisher, Stealing Baron or Dragon

Escape: Use your Onslaught of Shadows to escape a certain death if you are caught alone.

Engage: To engage the enemy team if they have made a mistake or if you are feeling strong enough to take them in a 5v5.

Finisher: If an enemy flashes over a wall from you, you can use Onslaught of Shadows to quickly say hi to his face and finish the job.

Stealing: Example:
Your Chilling Smite does 1 000 true damage, you should use Onslaught of Shadows to enter the Baron / Dragon pit, when the monster is at 1500 health.
If they are melting it down (you should pay attention to their DPS) jump in 2-3 seconds before it hits 1 000.


The perfect engage:

1) Whenever you sense a teamfight is about to happen, go in the jungle and make sure there are no wards.

2) When your team is in a perfect position use all of your movement speed items Devastating Charge go behind their team (you should watch out for Devastating Charge to not be over) and engage with Onslaught of Shadows to fear as many enemies as you can, and while Devastating Charge is still active go ALL IN on the enemy ADC / APC.

3) This will quickly guarantee a 5v4 fight and if your team knows how to follow up, it will be over in seconds.



Another thing you could do is wait for an out of position enemy and kill him without using Onslaught of Shadows then force a teamfight.

There have been no changes made directly to hecarim, nor any big changes to champions you should be extremely aware of

This is the end of my Predator Hecarim guide. I really hope I managed to help you guys master him. Even if you fail a few games, don't quit, just keep on trying.

If everyone could master a champion in 2 or 3 games and get 12/1 stats, then it wouldn't be that fun. Keep your eyes on the minimap and show them a ride to the Shadow Isles with Heca Airlines.



This guide will be updated every patch