Figuring out how to counter Cu Chulainn can be a pain. It’s no secret that Cu Chulainn, “The Hound of Ulster,” (aka “Cu”, “Cuchu,” or “Chuchu Train” to some players) is a force. His performance in the hands of talented professional players such as Dimi in the last SMITE World Championships cemented Cu Chulainn as a high-value pick. Cu Chulainn combines great early game pressure with astounding team-fight presence. However, the Warp Spasm Warrior does have flaws that can be exploited. Here are five ways to counter Cu Chulainn:
Cu Chulainn is one of the few warriors in the game that has no natural abilities to give him health sustain. His rage mechanic does free him up to buy tons of health potions, but if you’re looking to counter Cu Chulainn in Solo, then you’ll be able to track exactly how many potions he has left. Look for smart opportunities to get free damage on him, because his only option for healing for his first few items is going to be health pots.
Yep, keep poking this thing and it’ll go away eventually. Just…be careful. Very, very careful.
After Cu Chulainn starts getting sustain items like Stone of Gaia and Gladiator’s Shield online, it can get harder to slowly wear him down. Therefore, look for opportunities with your Jungler or Mid to burst him down with strong, single-target attacks. Choochoo train gets as much rage from one basic attack as he gets from getting nailed with a Ra snipe, so using haymaker moves will counter Cu Chulainn by slowing his rage down.
He’s secretly a coward, so counter Cu Chulainn by fighting him far away from creeps and jungle monsters. Every stray arrow and every tick of damage gives Cu Chulainn more rage, and he gets lots of rage by hitting multiple enemies with abilities. Cu Chulainn thrives in big, indiscriminate fights, but the mechanics of his rage mean he suffers in simple, honorable, one-on-one combat.
Use slows to prevent him from closing in on your backline, or Silence him then scatter to preemptively stop him from pulling off one of his notorious 5-man Spear of Mortal Pain plays. Cripples and stuns are effective too, but watch out for his CC immune ultimates.
Cu Chulainn gains a whole extra set of abilities, bonus power and a health shield when he goes berserk. How’re you supposed to fight him, especially early on? The answer is: DON’T. When you see he’s about to go ballistic, just run away. Go to your tower, see if back harpies are up, maybe even gank mid lane. You might lose some gold or even a buff camp, but Cu Chulainn’s whole design is based around taking and dealing damage constantly. If you don’t engage him, he loses a lot of his ability to engage you in return.
That’s five ways to counter Cu Chulainn, but what are some tricks that have worked for you? Do you think his recent nerfs from March 21st have neutered the Hound? Leave an idea in the comments, or tell us how well these tips worked!
All images courtesy of smite.wiki.com.
Copy by Sam Boyer, aka Thanatos1342. Search me on XBOX LIVE, or on Facebook.
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